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GOLDEN JUBILEE
F
THE REDEMPTORISTS
SAINT CLEMENT'S MISSION HOUSE
EPHRATA, PENNA.
1914 - - 1964
OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP CHURCH
Ephrata, Penna.
ST. JAMES CHURCH Lititz, Penna.
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH
New Holland, Penna.
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
https://archive.org/details/stclementsmissio00unse
THE COMMUNITY AT ST. CLEMENT'S MISSION HOUSE, SEPTEMBER, 1964
Golden Jubilee
THE REDEMPTORISTS
St. Clement's Mission House
Ephrata, Penna.
1914 - 1964
AN OUTLINE HISTORY
Dedicated
IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE TO THE
PRIESTS, BROTHERS, SISTERS AND PARISHIONERS
WHO WENT AHEAD OF US
AND THROUGH THEIR LABORS AND SACRIFICES
MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US
TO CELEBRATE
Our Golden Jubilee
IS I
COPIOSA
APUD ENN
THE REDEMPTORISTS
MOST REVEREND GEORGE L. LEECH, D.D., J.C.D. Bishop of the Diocece of Harrisburg
August 18, 1964
The coming of the Redemptorist Fathers to Ephrata fifty years ago was a providential benediction upon the Diocese of Harrisburg.
God alone knows the extent and the diversity of the good which the Fathers have achieved not only in the Ephrata area but throughout the entire diocese in the course of these fifty years.
My illustrious predecessors Bishop Shanahan and Bishop McDevitt paid many a tribute of thanks and praise to our zealous and able Redemptorists. Today I re-echo their sentiments as I voice my own sense of profound gratitude and reflect likewise the minds of my priests and people of the diocese.
The parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the mission of Saint James in Lititz and the mission of Our Lady of Lourdes in New Holland are the fruit of Redemptorist zeal for souls. The parish school, with our Bernardine Sisters, is a crowning evidence of the spirit of Saint Alphonsus animating his spiritual sons of today.
God be thanked for the Redemptorist Fathers of Ephrata. God prosper their blessed work.
Bishop of Harrisburg
Very Reverend Ronald Connors, C.SS.R. Provincial Superior
JMJA
BALTIM
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C. SS. R.
Redemptorist Fathers Provincial Residence 5 Fast 74th Street New York 21, N. D.
August 7, 1964
Dear Father Rector:
On this grand and glorious occasion of Jubilee, I want to con- gratulate you, your community of fathers and brothers, the devoted Bernardine sisters and the good people of your parish. The years have been long and at times, hard. God is good and He has sown that goodness in the parish of Ephrata .
Gold may tarnish, but the gold in the half century of religious life here shines brightly. The parish is growing and flourishing. From heaven above come signs of maturity, as God inspires the youth of the parish to serve Him in His army. Vocations are beginning to stir. This is always a sign of God's blessing upon a people.
As the parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help starts its second fifty years, we can foresee even greater spiritual growth. Truly have we reason to raise our hearts today in thanksgiving to God.
May the good Lord and His ever loving mother continue to smile on all who are associated with this parish.
Onald & Common Look
(Very Rev. ) Ronald G. Connors, C.SS.R. Provincial
STUCIST
Very Reverend John J. Brennan, C.SS.R. Rector and Pastor
FOREWARD
"Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass. " Luke 2: 15. The little town of Bethlehem became immortalized by the words of the Shepherds "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass. " (Luke 2:15) The word EPHRATA, being translated, means Bethlehem.
The Redemptorist Fathers came to Ephrata fifty years ago. To commemorate this event we cordially invite all to go over to Ephrata, Pa., and see this thing that has come to pass.
Within the covers of this booklet you will read of the astounding accomplish- ments effected by the Redemptorist Fathers during a half century of labors in Ephrata .
Tedious research of archives, long hours of interviews with people formerly as- sociated with St. Clement's, the procurement of faded pictures ... all went into the compilation of this treasured history book.
I wish to express my sincerest thanks to Father Paul Stroh, C.SS.R., who so admirably, so concisely and so singlehandedly, put together this clear chronicle of Redemptorist activities during the past fifty years. May his work endure and his labors be requited.
To His Excellency, Most Reverend George L. Leech, Bishop of Harrisburg, my thanks not only for his eloquent tribute of the present but also for his constant en- couragement, and his unparalleled leadership for the past twenty-nine years.
Let us go over to Ephrata and see this thing that has come to pass!
(Very Rev.) John J. Brennan, C.SS.R. Rector and Pastor
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. How it Happened. 13
2. The Territory. The Pennsylvania Dutch Country 23
3. The New St. Clement's Mission House 29
4. St. Gerard's Hall. 35
5. Parish Work: 43
a. The Lititz Area 49
b. The New Holland Area 51
c. The Ephrata Area. 53
6. Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church. 57
7. Our Mother of Perpetual Help School. 67
8. Appendix: 77
a. Baptisms and Marriages, 1914-1964. 78
b. Present Parish Status, January 1, 1964. 79
c. List of Rectors, 1914-1964. 80
9. Patrons and Advertisers 84
PREVIEW AND OVERVIEW
1. In August, 1914 the Redemptorists came to Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
There was hardly a single Catholic anywhere within a radius of ten miles of the Rectory .
Even after ten years, they could not find more than about twenty Catholics to come to their small private oratory.
Their neighbors wondered why they came.
2. What the people did not realize was that the Redemptorists came to establish a Mission House. They were only going to use it as a base to travel from place to place - not around Ephrata, but into various parts of the Diocese of Harrisburg, in other sec- tions of Pennsylvania and even into neighboring states to give missions, as we shall explain later.
3. During the first twenty-five years, the missions were a tremendous success. You will have to be patient until you read about that in the proper place.
It was during the second twenty-five years, that the parishes at Ephrata, Lititz and New Holland started to blossom. New industries came in; new families started to arrive and thrive.
4. At various times, also, Ephrata was the location for the Training School for future Redemptorist Brothers. It has been so, now, since 1961.
*
*
* *
On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee we can prayerfully review God's blessings to us during the past fifty years and offer Him our heartfelt gratitude.
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Pine Street Entrance to Clare Point Stock Farm.
The Willson Mansion can be seen in the distance on the left side of the road.
The Willson Mansion was the first St. Clement's Mission House (1914) until the New St. Clement's Mission House was built in 1925 on the right side of the road, opposite the Willson Mansion.
1. THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENED
During the first decade of the Twentieth Century (1900-1910) the Willson Estate was known far and wide. Thomas A. Willson, the owner, was a successful manufacturer of optical goods. Willson's place of businessand his residence were in Reading, Penn- sylvania. He vacationed at Mountain Springs Hotel in Ephrata, where he found that the springs and the climate were so beneficial to his failing health that he decided to make Ephrata his permanent home. In 1896 he purchased about eighty acres on the Cocalico Creek and West Pine Street and gave full reign to his hobby of raising and training horses. His estate, called the Clare Point Stock Farm, soon acquired a national reputation among wealthy horse fanciers. A writer in the magazine called The Horse World had this to say about the Willson Estate:
"It has been my pleasure to visit many public breeding establishments and not a few private ones; but never have I looked over a place like this, remarkable in every detail . . . Clare Point Stock Farm is in every sense of the word a wealthy gentleman's private country home -- his castle. To begin with, the half mile race track on the farm is probably the best and most expensive in the United States. "
The Horse World, December 1903
The track was directly in front of the Willson Mansion built in 1901. From the spacious porch, Tommy (as he was affectionately called) and his frequent guests could take delight in watching the training of the young horses.
In addition to this half-mile open track, a special attraction for the lover of horses was the covered quarter-mile training track and ring barn which, according to the testimony of the same writer in the Horse World, was "beyond question the finest thing of its character in the world."
Over thirty hired workers -- trainers, jockeys, farm-hands and domestic servants were employed on the estate and in the mansion. Mr. Willson died in 1910. His widow, Clara Willson, and her niece (the present Mrs. Henry A. Rohrer of Lancaster) lived in the large mansion, now too commodious for their needs. Mrs. Willson consulted George B. Willson in Lancaster, who was personal friend of the Rev. Anthony Kaul, pastor of St. Anthony's Parish there. Mrs. Willson thought that some religious community might
13
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The Half Mile Track at the Clare Point Stock Farm and the famous Judges' Stand.
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The Quarter-Mile Covered Track at the Clare Point Stock Farm.
be interested in the property and use it for educational purposes. The Holy Cross Fa- thers, who conduct Notre Dame University at South Bend, Indiana were approached. So, too, were the Passionist Fathers. Both communities considered the property ad- mirably suited to their purpose but were unable to purchase it then.
*
In March, 1914, two Redemptorist Missionaries, Father Albert Stern and Father Aloysius Willinger (now Bishop of Monterey - Fresno, California) were conducting a two weeks' mission at St. Anthony's, Lancaster - one week for the women and the second week for the men. Father Kaul, the pastor, spoke to them about the Willson estate in Ephrata and asked if the Redemptorists would be interested. Father Stern referred the matter to his higher superiors in New York. The Provincial, the Very Rev. Joseph Schneider, sent Father Michael Sheehan and Father Augustine Dooper to Ephrata to investigate.
At that time the Redemptorists had a foundation, dedicated to Saint Clement, outside of Saratoga Springs, New York. Before the Ephrata property could be purchased, Father Schneider had to obtain permission from the Superior General in Rome. Father Schneider clearly stated in his letter of April 7, 1914 to the Superior in Rome that he recommends the closing of the foundation near Saratoga Springs, New York. The in- tention he wrote, "is to give up Saratoga and transfer the Community to Ephrata. This would be nearer to where the Fathers from Saratoga generally give missions, easier of access and much cheaper for the Community." He also mentioned that he spoke to all the members of the Community at Saratoga and that most of them" are in favor of giving up Saratoga."
The Superior General, the Most Rev. Patrick Murray, answered the letter on April 21, 1914. He granted permission to buy the Ephrata property and he also re- minded Father Schneider "of course, you will require permission of the Holy See to sell Saratoga ." He then gave him the necessary information about the details of the procedure and added "and I will ask Father Schwartz at once" to procede with the business. Father Schwartz was the one who took care of such matters as authorization for the sale of property owned by religious.
Actually, the Saratoga property was not sold. The reason was as follows: The Saratoga Foundation was a Mission House and also a recuperation home for sick Re-
15
The DigErsan Chantrry 2040 Durch 5th Street ·HARRISBURG RA;
V. Revenus Joseph it. Schneider- Firy Revenues dear Father : - 1 . IT would be very much place? o have your Fathers locate at Ephrata, in this
Aires - they would do enuch food here , and I think that Que' : new found ations around be Mutually advantageous = The Directory Consultor, will hold their next meeting , on the 13 th of Gray , When the subject will is presented to theme; I am Garantir in laying , havever , in advance , that they will heartity Covered in any movement 4- Bring your fathers to Splorata- Very Vicente, in Dio. - F.N. Shanahan, Bishop of Har ino Wany ,
April 13, 1914.
This is a photostat copy of the original letter preserved in the Redemp- torist Archives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
demptorists. The Willson home at Ephrata was not adequate for this double purpose so it would have been necessary to build. When the Redemptorists took possession of the Ephrata property, World War I had just started and building was impossible. Conse- quently, the Saratoga Foundation was not given up. In 1916 the Bishop of Albany re- quested the Redemptorists to accept a parish in the city of Saratoga Springs. They accepted. As a result, the transfer did not take place. The property outside Saratoga Springs was vacated and new property within the city was bought. Parish buildings were erected there and a large nursing home for sick confreres was built.
In April, 1914 the Catholic Bishop of Harrisburg, the Most Rev. J. W. Shan- ahan D. D., wrote to Father Schneider as follows:
"I would be very much pleased to have your Fathers locate at Ephrata
in this diocese. They would do much good here and I think that such a foundation would be mutually advantageous. "
In June of the same year a number of diocesan priests met at Saint Anthony's rectory as guests of Father Kaul and together sent the following cordial invitation to the Redemptorists:
"We, the undersigned priests of the Harrisburg Diocese ... express to you as Provincial of the Redemptorist Orderour wishes and great desire that your Order would secure the Ephrata property; it having been an- nounced at the late conference by out Rt. Rev. Bishop, which was re- ceived with great favor and approved by. "
Then followed the signatures of Fathers:
H. S. Crist
H. A. Loague
P. J. Costigan A. G. Keppes C. M. Ehehalt A. J. Hoenninger
On Wednesday, August 5, 1914 the Redemptorists took possession of the Willson Mansion and estate. Father Thomas Jones was the first local Superior. The first Mass was offered on the next day, August 6, in what was formerly the Willson's dining room.
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St. Anthony's Church
A. F. KAUL RECTOR
LANCASTER, PA.
June 16. 1914
Todock P.M.
Von Ru. Jos. i Schneider Che. 1. Dear Facher! VE ine undersigned Insats Lete ) taratura Severin, now here at the requests ofthe ' A .Fr Raul, the occasion of the Commencement , Exercises of the sacred Strart academy Expres to you rad Provincial of the Redemp. turist orden our wishes, and great deser. that your order would pecans the Ejahrata Properly, it having been announced at the late Conference by our Rit. Pro Beshilf which was received with great favor and approved of by.
It S Christ of Lancaster V. a. Srague" AugStraffes of Lebanon C. M. Chihalf of Columbia
This is a photostat copy of the original letter preserved in the Redemptorist Archives in Brooklyn, N. Y.
The following Sunday, August 9, the first Mass was offered for the public. According to the domestic annals, thirteen persons were present. None of these was from Ephrata.
The Willson Mansion received a new name. It was placed under the patronage of Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer and was used as a center from which the priests went to different parishes, chiefly in the Harrisburgand Lancaster areas to conduct missions and various other spiritual exercises. They were also invited to other places outside the diocese. Because the main purpose was the giving of missions, the foundation was called "St. Clement's Mission House". Saint Clement is a Redemptorist canonized saint.
The Willson property comprised eighty acres. That much property was not nec- essary for a mission house and an infirmary. But it was condition of the sale: "Take all ornothing. " As was mentioned previously, authorization from Rome is required when property owned by religious is offered for sale. In 1917 Father Schneider applied for this permission and obtained it. In his petition he stated: "In Ephrata, in the Diocese of Harrisburg, we own eighty acres. At the time of the purchase we were obliged to buy all of this land; otherwise, we would not have been able to acquire the foundation. Such a large tract of land is far more than we need and is expensive of upkeep." Therefore, he requested permission to sell fifty or sixty acres. It is well for us to know this. At the time the Redemptorists came to Ephrata, there was a great deal of local criticism because Catholics were getting so much land. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Willson had difficulty in selling it and evidently, the Redemptorists were unable to find any buyers in 1917. They applied for permission because they wanted to sell the major portion. (for the document cfr. Congregation of Religious, (1917) No. 511/17.)
It was fortunate that they were unable to sell because years after, in 1939, ground was needed for a church, school and convent. It was luckily available. Pos- sible future ecclesiastical developments can make use of the retained acreage.
When the parish church of Our Mother of perpetual Help was built in 1940 and the parish school was erected in 1957, about ten acres on Church Avenue we deeded to the Diocese for parish use. In 1923, the Borough of Ephrata bought three and a half acres on the east side of Church Avenue and Pine Street. That is where the Ephrata Borough Filter Plant and Light Plant now stand. In 1939, five acres on the
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The first First Communicants Easter Sunday, April 4, 1915 Dorothy Conlin, Herman and William Seaber Very Rev. Thomas Jones (First Superior)
Some of the first parishioners Mr. and Mrs. Conlin, Mr. and Mrs. Seaber
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west side of North Oak Street were sold to Arthur M. Martin. In 1957, the Borough of Ephrata acquired approximately three-quarters of an acre at the dam on the Cocal- ico Creek: i.e. the dam and the adjacent land for a pump house. This is used as aux- iliary water supply. Two 16 inch pipe lines were laid from the dam to the filter plant on Church Avenue.
The Golden Jubilee of the arrival of the Redemptorists in the Diocese of Harris- burg was celebrated on October 4, 1964. While preparations were under way, one of the members of the community at St. Clement's Mission House was called by God to celebrate the Jubilee in Eternity. On the morning of September 23, 1964, Father Walter Gerard Cahill suddenly received the summons.
IN MEMORIAM
Rev. Walter Gerard Cahill, C.SS.R. Born: October 22, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Professed as a Redemptorist: August 2, 1926 Ordained to the Holy Priesthood: June 21, 1931 Stationed at St. Clement's August 22, 1959 to his death, September 23, 1964 R.I.P.
St. Clement's Community, 1924
Brother Linus, Brother Gregory, Brother Landelin
Father McGowan, Father Acres, Father Schagemann, Father Ebner Father Kleemann, Very Rev. Father Lynch (Rector), Father Gannon
2. THE TERRITORY
Ephrata is about 65 miles west of Philadelphia on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Twelve miles south of it is Lancaster; nineteen miles to the north is Reading. The pres- ent population of Ephrata is 8,250, about double of what it was in 1914. The Reading Railroad Station at present is used only for freight, but in 1914 it was a convenient and serviceable passenger station. Today, Ephrata is a thriving town that serves many neighboring towns and farmers. You can purchase almost anything in the Ephrata stores . Every Friday the "Pennsylvania Dutch" Farmers' Market - the Green Dragon - presents a carnival aspect. Parents bring their children when they come to do the family shop- ping for the week. Within recent years, national chain food stores, like Acme, and Food Fair serve the growing population and the far-flung area that is fast evolving into a sprawling suburban territory, interspersed with prosperous farms. It was not so fifty years ago.
When the first Redemptorists arrived at Ephrata Reading Railroad Station in August 1914, they must have thought they were stepping into a new and unfamiliar world - a world of peace and quiet, so different from the world of hustle and bustle of other places like New York, Boston or Chicago. The tourist of today has somewhat the same reaction when he visits certain parts of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is a world made strange by customs that Old Order Amish fathers handed down to their sons and daughters for more than two hundred years. Automobiles, electricity, telephones, movies, cosmetics - all are considered works of the devil and are rigorously tabooed.
The present day visitor is not surprised at the unfamiliar sights that greet him. He expects them; that is why he comes here. He has heard so much about the Penn- sylvania Dutch Country. He knows that people who live and work here are so con- tented to be here that they admiringly call it "The Garden Spot of America." He re- members a town called "Paradise". When he examines his road map, he imagines he has been transported to the Holy Land itself. Biblical names abound: Bethlehem, Bethany, Nazareth, Emmaus. He may not know that Ephrata is a synonym for Bethle- hem, the birth-place of the Prince of Peace. He couldbe informed, too, that Ephrata signifies "fruitful", so appropriately applied to a land ranked among the most fertile in the United States.
23
PRICK
BEILER'S
SHOE
REPAIR
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The inquisitive and studious visitor may try to find out something about the history and customs of the Pennsylvania Dutch. At first, he will be baffled at the di - vergency and variety of nationalities and sects included under the mysterious title. He will hear such unaccustomed terms as "Mennonites", "Amish", "Plain People", etc. He will be intrigued at the many road signs proudly pointing the way to the "Ephrata Cloister".
If the first Redemptorists who came to Ephrata in 1914 were puzzled, those who lived here then were even more puzzled at what they must have considered an in- vasion or intrusion. Most of them never had seen a Catholic priest before or, for that matter, ever wanted to. None of them had a Catholic as a neighbor. Naturally, they viewed the new arrivals with understandable suspicion.
* * * * *
It would take us too far afield to follow the tempting inquiry into the origin, development and divisions of the various ethnic and religious groups that constitute the Pennsylvania Dutch. A few remarks, however, are not out of place.
The Pennsylvania Dutch are mainly of German, not of Dutch ancestry. The word Dutch is a corruption of Deutsch. They originally came from various parts of Europe where German was spoken - Germany, Switzerland, Alsace, etc. They left their homeland because of religious persecution. William Penn received them with open arms. They were (and still are) thrifty, frugal, industrious, family loving. At first, most of them settled in Germantown, Philadelphia. From there, they fanned out into the southeastern part of Pennsylvania. The Mennonites derive their name from Menno Simons. He was not their founder; he was one of their first ardent and gifted organizers. The more conservative and austere among them are known as Amish. The name comes from Jacob Amen or Amman. Mennonites and Amish migrated to various sections of the United States; they are not confined to Pennsylvania. It must be re- membered, too, that there are many ramifications and dissident groups.
One of the religious refugees who came to Germantown was a German mystic by the name of Conrad Beissel. He had varied religious experiences. In 1732 he finally sought seclusion and contemplation on the banks of the quiet Cocalico Creek. He
25
Ein
came here to lead a peaceful hermit's life. He soon attracted other recluses, both men and women. Together they founded a settlement of Seventh Day Baptists. The settlement grew until it included three semi-independent groups living in close co- operation - a brotherhood, a sisterhood and an order composed of married couples. The buildings they occupied became known as the "Ephrata Cloister". Because con- verts were baptized by dipping (or dunken) them into the Creek, the place was nick- named Dunkertown. The communities flourished for a number of decades; they became known for extraordinary austerity and outstanding accomplishments, but then gradually declined. They were formally dissolved in 1934. In 1941 the property was placed under the administration of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It is now a favorite attraction for tourists on the Pennsylvania Trail of History.
By a strange coincidence, the very year (1732) that Conrad Beissel founded the Ephrata Cloister, St. Alphonsus Liguori founded a religious congregation known as the Redemptorists. That was in Naples, Italy.
The word Redemptorists is a shorter term or a popular equivalent for the formal title Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, or in Latin Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris. That is why the Members of the Congregation sign themselves with the abbreviation C. SS.R. which is an abbreviation of Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris.
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