USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > A history of the Catholic church in the dioceses of Pittsburg and Allegheny from its establishment to the present time > Part 13
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Rev. C. V. Neeson was appointed resident pastor late in the fall. He purchased a piece of ground on both sides of Carson Street, extending from the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad to the river, as the site for a new church. The house on the property was used, as it still is, for the pas- toral residence. The church was begun, and the corner-stone was laid by Father Hickey, V.G., May 15th, 1870. About this time Father Neeson was succeeded by Rev. Michael Murphy. While actively engaged in the erection of the church, and at the moment of its completion, he was trans- ferred to Irwin Station, and St. Malachy's passed into the hands of Rev. M. J. Mitchell September 12th, 1871. The church was dedicated by the Bishop on the 24th of the same month. It is a frame building 100 feet in length by 45 in width, with basement under the whole, and is surmounted by a belfry. The ceiling rises from the sides toward the centre, and the whole interior with its gallery and three altars is fin- ished in a chaste and simple style. But it stands in the midst of iron-works, and is almost constantly enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke.
On the 20th of December, 1871, Father Mitchell retired on account of ill-health, and was succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. James A. Cosgrave. Little remained for him to accomplish in the temporal order beyond liquidating the heavy debt contracted in the purchase of the property and erection of the church ; and this has proved to be enough. He also built side-altars and had the church frescoed. In the summer of 1874 he enlarged and improved the pastoral residence. During the following summer he built a hall on the lots at the opposite side of Carson Street, which serves for lectures, etc.
The congregation has not increased in numbers, and in- deed will never increase, for it occupies a narrow strip of ground between the river on the one side and on the other
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CHURCH OF ST. MARY OF THE MOUNT.
Mount Washington, which rises almost perpendicularly about four hundred feet. It has rather decreased, and will continue to decrease in the future. It will number at pres- ent perhaps two hundred families.
After the erection of the church on Mount Washington in 1874, until it was made a separate parish three years later, Father Cosgrave had an assistant.
A school by lay teachers was begun with the organization of the congregation, but it passed into the hands of the Sis- ters of Mercy from St. Mary's Convent, Webster Avenue, in 1873, and continues to the present time under their charge.
CHURCH OF ST. MARY OF THE MOUNT.
Mount Washington, as the hill at the western extremity of the South Side is called, was so named because it is supposed to be the spot from which George Washington first viewed the site of the city of Pittsburg on his visit toward the close of 1753. In the season of prosperity it shared with the other suburbs of the city, and was rapidly built up for the most part by laborers and tradesmen anxious to secure homes for themselves. In this way a number of Catholic families, American, Irish, and German, came together, and, being un- willing to descend the hill to hear Mass, proposed to build themselves a church. Lots were purchased a short distance back from the brow of the mount, in the autumn of 1873, and the erection of the church was undertaken. The corner-stone was laid by the Bishop October 26th. It was not, however, until October 18th of the following year that the church was finished and ready for dedication. On that day it was dedi- cated by the Bishop under the appropriate title of St. Mary of the Mount. It is an unassuming frame building, 70 feet in length by 30 in width, and on account of the inclination of the ground upon which it stands has a basement. A school was opened in this, but was soon after discontinued owing to the financial difficulties of the congregation. The church was attended from St. Malachy's until April, 1877, when Rev. P. M'Mahon was appointed resident pastor. After a year he was succeeded by the present incumbent, Rev. Edward Brennan.
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MOUNT WASHINGTON.
The congregation will number at present about one hun- dred and twenty-five families ; but it is destined to increase more or less rapidly, according to the prosperity of the city, of which Mount Washington is one of the most beautiful suburbs. Its elevation gives it a commanding view, and its south-western position places it almost wholly out of reach of the city's smoke.
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CHAPTER X.
GERMAN CHURCHES OF PITTSBURG AND ALLEGHENY.
The advent of German Catholics in Pittsburg-Formation of a German congre- gation-St. Patrick's a German church-St. Mary's Chapel-Establishment of the Redemptorist Fathers in Pittsburg-St. Philomena's Church-Forma- tion of new congregations-St. Michael's Church-The Passionist Fathers- St. Joseph's Church, Mount Oliver-St. Martin's Church-St. Peter's Church.
ST. PHILOMENA'S GERMAN CHURCH, PITTSBURG.
ST. PHILOMENA's is the mother German congregation of Pittsburg and of Western Pennsylvania. Its history is iden- tified with that of the German Catholics of the city and vicinity, and will, for that reason, require to be treated at considerable length. German settlers were found in Pitts- burg at a very early period. The first colony of which there is authentic record settled here before the year 1780; but the fact that the leader of the colony was a Moravian, Rev. David Zeisberger, would lead to the conclusion that no Catholics were among its members. Besides, the greater part of the colony did not remain, but with their leader went further west and settled in Beaver County, which also they left after a short time. It is probable that German Catholics came intermingled with others of the same faith, as they were found in all the other colonies, with perhaps one exception. They were always, however, in the minority in Pittsburg. It is equally probable that Rev. F. X. O'Brien, the first resident priest in the city, was sufficiently acquainted with their language to minister to their most pressing spiritual necessities. But when Fr. M'Guire took up his residence in the city, in the spring of 1820, they had all the advantages that could be desired ; for, although an Irishman by birth, he had spent much of his life in Germany and was master of the
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THE FIRST GERMAN CHURCH IN PITTSBURG.
language. The number of Germans, however, appears to have been insignificant until about 1825 ; and all the Catholics of the city and vicinity, of whatever nationality, heard Mass at St. Patrick's Church until the erection of St. Paul's.
The affairs of the Germans remained unchanged until the death of Fr. M'Guire in July, 1833, except that after St. Paul's was undertaken they contributed towards its erection in the hope, as they had been promised, of having St. Patrick's for themselves on the completion of the former. Rev. A. F. Van de Wejer, a Belgian monk of the Dominican Order and chaplain of the nuns of St. Clare, appears to have assisted at intervals in ministering to them ; but toward the end of the year 1833 Rev. Francis Masquelet, an Alsacian, came to Pittsburg as their first regularly appointed pastor. Writing of him in a letter dated January 14th, 1834, Bishop Kenrick says : " He aids Fr. O'Reilly in the work of the ministry principally by taking the charge of the Germans, who are very numerous, and of some French who are there." From an account of a visitation by the same prelate I learn that at Easter of the same year there were 600 German communi- cants. But in addition to the Germans of the city, Fr. Masquelet visited many of the surrounding settlements, in some instances at fifty miles' distance.
After the dedication of St. Paul's, May 4th, 1834, the Ger- mans took possession of St. Patrick's ; for which, in accord- ance with an arrangement approved by the Bishop, they were to pay an annual rent of $300 to St. Paul's until it should be out of debt. They immediately set about the improvement and embellishment of the interior of the church,-for after its en- largement it had not been finished,-and also rented and fur- nished a house for their pastor. Rev. Fr. Stolschmidt came about this time to assist Fr. Masquelet; but he soon after de- parted. Seeing their energy, and being himself sorely pressed for money to make payments on St. Paul's, Fr. O'Reilly urged the Germans to purchase St. Patrick's for $6000. This they refused to do ; and when he pressed the affair with no little earnestness, a division sprung up between those who were in favor of holding the church on the conditions approved by the Bishop and those who were determined to abandon it
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"THE FACTORY CHURCH."
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altogether and find a place of worship independent of it. And now begins a period in which "there was no king in Israel," and in which, with the very meagre reliable data and the host of conflicting traditions, it is difficult to arrive at historic truth. Fr. Masquelet and that part of the congrega- tion which preferred to abandon St. Patrick's sought another place. After some time, during which they still held their former church, they determined to occupy what was after- wards known as " the factory church." The part which this building plays in our history entitles it to more than a passing notice. It was originally a cotton factory with a number of small buildings adjoining it, and stood at the corner of Liberty and Factory (now Fourteenth) streets ;* and was owned and operated by Messrs. Adams & Scott. The main building was brick, and was sold in 1835 or '6 to Jacob Schneider. Fr. Masquelet and a board of trustees composed of the leading Germans purchased the building, fitting up the second floor of it for a church, which they called St. Mary's. Fr. Mas- quelet soon after withdrew from the city and from the diocese. The trustees were not able to meet their liabilities, as two suspicious sheriff writs, now before me and dated December 8th, 1837, amply testify. In these the committee is styled the "Trustees of the German Roman Catholic Church in the Northern Liberties of Pittsburg."t The matter was finally settled by arbitration. I have not been able to learn whether St. Mary's had a pastor at this time or not. The tenure of office was sometimes very short both in it and St. Patrick's ; and the names even of some incumbents have not been handed down to us. Feeling ran very high between the two parties of St. Patrick's and St. Mary's, and the newspapers were fre- quently made the medium by which statements were circu- lated which, whether true, exaggerated, or false, were very injurious to the cause of religion, as I learn from the papers themselves and from a letter of Bishop Kenrick's .; Upon the
* The numbered streets of Pittsburg are those which run at right angles from the Allegheny River, beginning at the Point.
t This section of the city was then and is yet better known as "Bayardstown," so named in honor of Stephen Bayard, a wealthy German residing there.
# This and the other letters referred to in the text are now in my possession.
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ARRIVAL OF THE REDEMPTORIST FATHERS.
temporary adjustment of its difficulties, St. Mary's was pro- vided with a pastor. By. a letter of Bishop Kenrick's of March Ist, 1838, addressed to " Rev. Henry Herzog, Eiser- man's Settlement, Venango Co., Pa.," he is transferred to "the town of Bayardstown, near Pittsburg," and receives the nec- essary faculties "for using as a public oratory a room fitted up in his house by Joseph Schneider." The Bishop further states that "Rev. N. Balleis, a most humble and pious Bene- dictine monk, will be pastor of St. Patrick's." The latter appears to have been preceded by Rev. Benj. Bayer, who had been sent as assistant to Fr. Masquelet shortly before his departure, but who preferred to officiate at St. Patrick's. But the date of his arrival and departure are unknown. By a letter of the same prelate, dated October Ist, 1838, Fr. Herzog is transferred to Reading, and the church is closed without ceremony as being, under existing circumstances, an unsuitable place for offering up the Holy Sacrifice. Fr. Bal- leis had left Pittsburg early in the summer.
Fortunately a spiritual guide was soon found in the person of Rev. Fr. Prost, C.SS.R., to whom the Bishop confided the congregation, and who was such as fully to supply its wants. He came from Norwalk, O., arriving in August, 1838, a date which marks the advent of the Fathers of the Congre- gation of Our Most Holy Redeemer, or Redemptorists, as they are commonly called, into Western Pennsylvania. He took possession of St. Patrick's, and no sooner had he entered upon his pastoral duties than a new era dawned for the Ger- man Catholics of Pittsburg. Gradually he gained their entire confidence and united them under himself as their spiritual head. A part of the opposition from St. Mary's joined him after the departure of Fr. Herzog, but a part still held out. The church was a burden on the shoulders of the trustees, and with the consent of the Bishop, as one of them informed me, they sought a pastor. That member went to Baltimore and Georgetown to the Jesuit fathers, and letters were also written to Lebanon, Ky., answers to which, dated February 18th, 1839, refusing the request are now before me. Finally all became united under Fr. Prost, who was joined soon after his arrival by another member of the congregation.
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ST. PHILOMENA'S CHURCH.
The propriety of abandoning St. Patrick's and erecting an- other church for themselves became daily more apparent. After spending considerable time in looking for a place, Fr. Prost at length determined to take "the factory" with the buildings attached to it. It was purchased in 1839. St. Pat- rick's was now abandoned, and was reoccupied by the Eng- lish, as we have seen, in the following year.
Rev. Fathers Tschenhens and Chackert. C.SS.R., ar- rived in the autumn of 1840, and the former was appointed superior of the monastery of the congregation erected in the city. Father Prost withdrew from Pittsburg, and was soon after elected provincial of the order in the United States. After receiving Rev. J. H. Neuman, afterwards Bishop of Philadelphia, into the order, November 30th, Father Tschen- hens also took his departure, leaving him to take his place, while Father Chackert visited the German missions in the vicinity of the city.
The original factory chapel was occupied by the congre- gation while preparations were being made to erect a large church. The foundations were commenced, and the corner- stone was laid on the feast of Corpus Christi, 1842. It was the first ceremony of the kind in a German congregation in the western part of the State, and was attended with that magnificent display for which the Germans are noted. To increase the effect, two companies of armed and uniformed militia took part in the procession and afterwards occupied prominent places on the grounds. Cannon were also planted on the cliff overlooking the spot, and were fired at intervals. Francis S. Shunk, then a lawyer in the city and afterwards Governor of the State, was, as we shall see, a conspicuous figure. Rev. M. Alig preached in German and Rev. Joseph F. Deane in English, and in the absence of a Bishop the corner-stone was laid by Father Carteyvels, superior of the monastery, amid the booming of cannon and firing of mus- ketry. The ceremony took place in the forenoon, and was followed by a solemn Mass, and that by a public dinner, at both of which Mr. Shunk was present. This circumstance would be undeserving of attention were it not for the capital afterwards made of it, and the light it sheds on the political
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THE CATHOLICS AND THE PUBLIC.
status of the times in relation to Catholicity. Two years later, when Mr. Shunk became the Democratic candidate for Governor of the State, the Gazette, the official organ of the opposite party, paraded it before the public with due flourish of trumpets. It was also asserted that the American flag had been spread on the ground in front of the corner-stone, and that Mr. Shunk and the clergy had trodden upon it to afford a practical illustration of the doctrine that the Church is superior to the State. I have examined the Gazette for 1844, and have found it teeming with references to the part played by Mr. Shunk on this occasion. As an illustration of the bigotry of the times, the following is taken from a long list of " Things to be Remembered :"
" That Francis S. Shunk, while a candidate for the nomi- nation of Governor pandered to religious prejudice by walk- ing in a Catholic procession at the laying of the corner-stone of the Catholic Cathedral (?) in Pittsburg, and that he was seen by hundreds of the citizens. He afterwards dined with the priests, and was toasted as 'Francis Shunk, the next Gover- nor.'"
The rapid increase of the German Catholic population will be seen from the fact that Bishop O'Connor places the num- ber of souls belonging to St. Philomena's congregation at 4000 at the time of his elevation to the See of Pittsburg.
The work on the new church was pushed forward with energy, but not after the contract system of our day. On the contrary, it carries the mind back to the ages of Faith, when money was scarce, but willing hearts and strong arms were ready to lend the assistance that money must otherwise procure. That a people so destitute of worldly means should erect so majestic an edifice is a matter of wonder to those who are unacquainted with the power of faith over the Catholic heart. St. Philomena's-for so the new church was to be named-is, more than any other in the diocese, a monu- ment not to the wealth but to the faith of the congregation. When the work was undertaken the greater part of the con- gregation were unable to pay any considerable subscription in money, but offered their services to labor. Farmers from the country came, in some instances six miles, with their teams to
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DEDICATION OF ST. PHILOMENA'S.
work at the excavation or draw stone, brick, etc .; in short, to do willingly and earnestly whatever was to be done. Many a day the people swarmed like bees around the church. Not a few of those who came from the opposite side of the rivers were so poor as to be compelled to beg from the church the few cents necessary to pay their bridge toll. How different was this from the disunion that had heretofore reigned to so lamentable an extent!
Father Neuman was appointed superior of the monas- tery and pastor of the church-two offices which have al- ways been united in the same person-March 5th, 1844, and remained until January 25th, 1847. He enlarged the plan of the building, giving it its present proportions. The walls were built around " the factory," leaving the people to occu- py it as long as possible. The lot between Penn Avenue and the church upon which the schools now stand was leased and afterwards purchased from Mr. Scott ; and a temporary church was erected when the chapel had to be torn down. A monastery of the same kind was also built for the com- munity until the present one should be completed. At length the church, though not finished, was sufficiently advanced for dedication ; and preparations were made on a grand scale for the ceremony. The dedication was performed by Bishop O'Connor November 4th, 1846. A procession of the Catho- lics of the city formed at St. Paul's, and moved to the new church, which they filled to overflowing, while the streets without were also thronged to a considerable distance. A sermon was preached in German by Rev. Clement Hammer, of Cincinnati, and one in English by Rt. Rev. Bishop Whelan, then of Richmond. A description of the church will be found further on.
St. Mary's congregation, Pine Creek, had already been formed from St. Philomena's, and about this time St. Michael's, South Side, was also cut off. And here it may be remarked that almost all the congregations formed from the parent church were organized and at first attended by the Redemp- torist fathers.
Some time before the completion of the church Father Neuman turned his attention to the erection of the monas-
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FORMATION OF OTHER CONGREGATIONS.
tery ; and the spacious building that stands to the rear of the church, on Liberty Street, is the result of his labors. It would appear that St. Philomena's and the Redemptorist Order in Pittsburg are more deeply indebted to him than to any other person ; and we are not surprised to find that he so won the esteem of Bishop O'Connor as to cause that pre- late to recommend him as a fit candidate for the See of Philadelphia. The monastery, though comfortable, breathes the spirit of poverty so dear to the heart of St. Liguori ; and between this poverty and the richness of the house of God adjoining there is an evidence of faith, and the practical re- sult of it, that is truly edifying. The temporary church and monastery were now torn down, and attention was directed to the completion of the church. During all this time, it is needless to remark, the congregation had been increasing; and although two others had already been formed from it, there were still sufficient members to fill the spacious edifice at several Masses. An addition of brick was now built upon the tower which raised it to the height of one hundred and sixty feet. About the year 1861 Rev. Joseph Wessel, then pastor of the church, caused the pyramidal spire of iron, and the cross by which it is surmounted, to be erected, bringing the top of the cross to the unusual height of two hundred and thirty-five feet. This iron spire is something unique in architecture, there being but few like it in the country. A clock was next placed in the tower, and to crown all a chime of five bells was procured and blessed by Bishop O'Connor April 29th, 1860, which was one of the last solemn functions performed by that illustrious prelate before laying aside the episcopal insignia to assume the humble habit of the Jesuit novice.
In the mean time the German Catholics residing in Alle- gheny had been cut off in 1848 to form St. Mary's congrega- tion, and in 1857 those on the hill to form the congregation of Holy Trinity, and those of East Liberty to form that of Sts. Peter and Paul. St. Augustine's congregation, Thirty-seventh Street, was cut off in 1863.
St. Philomena's Church is 165 feet in length by 65 in width ; is without a transept, and has the tower in the centre in front.
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DESCRIPTION OF ST. PHILOMENA'S.
The ceiling of the nave is 60 feet high, and that of the aisles about 40, and the whole adheres strictly to the requisites of the Gothic style. The nave and isles are separated by two rows of pillars, of five each. When Rev. Lewis Dold was appointed pastor, in 1865, he set about the completion of the interior of the church, which had been left at first in an unfinished state. The pillars were in the beginning slen- der and of stone. But this material was found to imbibe so much dampness as to discolor the paint. To remedy this the pastor had them encased with lath and plastered with a fluted finish, and the tops furnished with imitation capitals -for the Gothic style has no real capitals-ornamented with cherubs and clusters of grapes. The ceiling was richly finished in stucco, and the level spaces of the walls of the clerestory enriched with sacred emblems in bas-relief. Every part, in a word, upon which a graceful and appropriate decoration could be placed was made to give evidence of the presence of a skilful master. Members of the congregation, anxious to second their zealous pastor, donated superb stained-glass windows. The gallery, supported by clustered iron pillars, contains a large and powerful organ, and the choir of the church has always been regarded as the best Catholic choir in the city.
Entering the sanctuary, Fr. Dold erected a superb high altar of wood after the best Gothic model, which in point of style and finish it would be difficult to surpass. The exquisite tracery is richly gilded, and contains twenty-seven niches in two tiers, in which as many statuettes of saints are placed. The altar-steps and communion-rail are of marble. The sanctuary also contains life-size statues of the twelve Apostles on brackets on the walls. The two side-altars are also of wood. That on the right is dedicated to Our Lady of Per- petual Help, and has placed upon it a copy of the miraculous picture at Rome which has touched the original and to which a plenary indulgence is granted on certain conditions for a fixed number of years. Over the arch that spans the sanctu- ary of this altar is a statue of the archangel St. Michael. The other altar is dedicated to the Holy Family, and contains the statues of its members. Over the altar at the back is a
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ST. PHILOMENA'S SCHOOL.
statue of St. Liguori in full pontificals, and over the arch is one of the Guardian Angel. The patroness of the church, St. Philomena, is represented in a statue of rare workmanship over the arch of triumph. A feature of this church that is deserving not only of commendation but much more of imita- tion is that the doors are so hinged as to open outward, which precludes the possibility of their closing and barring egress in case of a panic. A matter of so much importance should be enforced by law on all churches and halls in which large numbers of persons are accustomed to assemble. A sad ex- perience should have taught the world enough by this time.
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