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 32
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* The act is given in full in "St. Vincenz," etc., pp. 376, 377. + St. Vincenz, etc., pp. 377, 378.
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REV. JAS. A. STILLENGER.
trustees, September, 1826, to dispossess a man to whom Father M'Girr had leased the farm. The verdict was given in their favor on September 3d, 1829, but Father M'Girr immediately appealed to the Supreme Court, which, however, affirmed the sentence. While at Sportsman's Hall Father M'Girr minis- tered to the laborers on that part of the canal that traversed Westmoreland County, which added considerably to his duties. After having encountered many difficulties-which, it must be admitted, he in a great measure brought upon himself, but in which Dr. Gallitzin both as his friend and as Vicar-General stood by him-he retired to the mountain country about the close of the year 1829 and joined his illustrious supporter. When Bishop Kenrick was appointed administrator of the diocese, Dr. Gallitzin interposed in Father M'Girr's behalf, but only with partial success, and in 1837 the latter retired to the vicinity of Cameron Bottom church, where he died in 1856. His remains were interred in the cemetery at Ebens- burg.
Some time after the withdrawal of Father M'Girr, Rev. Jas. A. Stillenger was appointed pastor, a man who figured more conspicuously than any other in the history of the church in Westmoreland and Indiana counties. His arrival does not, however, date from the winter of 1829, as the author of " St Vincenz in Pennsylvanien" (p. 83) states, for he was not ordained until February 28th, 1830, and Bishop Kenrick, by whom he was sent, was not consecrated until June 6th of the same year. He arrived on the 28th of November, 1830, as I have frequently heard him say, and as is stated in a manu- script of his now before me. The anomalous state of affairs at Sportsman's Hall for some years previous offered a plea, if not a justification, for the act of incorporation constituting the trustees. But the system is radically opposed to the spirit of the Church and is well calculated to produce mischief. Nor could two persons be more unlike than Father M'Girr and Father Stillenger; for while the former was impulsive by nature and singular in his manner, the latter was prudent and gentle, but possessing withal a degree of firmness that en- abled him to maintain his position with dignity and to pass safely through trying circumstances. A more suitable per-
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THE BISHOP AND THE TRUSTEES.
son could not have been found. At the time of his arrival the trustees had all in their own hands, and evinced a disposition not only to manage the temporalities with a degree of self-will that too often characterizes that class of persons ; they wished also to control the pastor to an extent that would deprive him of the freedom of action necessary for one in his exalted posi- tion. They made a mistake too common among even well- informed Catholics-that of imagining that church property belongs to the congregation. It belongs not to the people, but to the Church. It is given to Christ in his mystic body for the use of that body, and, like the Church her- self, is to be administered by those whom the Holy Ghost, in the words of St. Paul, has appointed to rule. Hear- ing of the erroneous views of the trustees, Bishop Kenrick wrote to them on the 24th of August, 1831, to point out their error and remind them that the property did not belong to the congregation and had not been purchased by the money of the people, but was the free gift of Rev. Theodore Browers for the support of the priest who should for the time be the lawfully appointed pastor. While admitting that the act of in- corporation served to preserve the property from loss at a time when there was no pastor, he declared that the will of the testator must be carried out to the letter, and that if Father Stillenger were not permitted to manage the property he could not allow him to remain. A meeting of the con- gregation was called May 28th, 1832, the day of the annual election of trustees, when it was " decided by vote that there should not be any more election of trustees, but that it should go by appointment, and that it should rest with the Rt. Rev. Bishop and the pastor to make the appointments."* This agreement was signed by sixty-six persons. May not this be taken as the number of heads of families in the congregation at that time, as it is probable that for the transaction of busi- ness so important all who could do so would attend? The skill with which Father Stillenger managed the affairs of the congregation had much to do with the happy settlement of these difficulties. No further change took place until the ar- rival of the Benedictine fathers.
* Minutes of the Meeting, "St. Vincenz," etc., pp. 84, 85, 380.
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THE FIRST CONFIRMATION.
The Bishop had in the mean time paid a visit to Western Pennsylvania and stopped among other places at Blairsville and Sportsman's Hall, both of which were under the care of Father Stillenger. A correspondent of the U. S. Cath. Mis- cellany of September 24th, 1831, says: " On the 23d of August the Bishop took his departure from Blairsville to Sportsman's Hall. On his arrival there, there were about 100 children al- ready collected for instruction and prepared for confession. The whole afternoon was occupied with the children, as well as the forenoon of the next day until half past ten. One hundred and five were confirmed and between sixty and seventy re- ceived Holy Communion." A fuller notice of the life and labors of Father Stillenger will be found in the history of the Church at Blairsville, where he closed his long and edifying career. There it will be seen that he celebrated the Holy Sacrifice alternately at Sportsman's Hall and Blairsville after the church had been built in the latter place, except at such times as he was obliged to give a wider range to his mission- ary labors.
The harmony resulting from the adjustment of the diffi- culties of the trustees enabled Father Stillenger to undertake necessary improvements. In the summer of 1833 he proposed to the congregation to build a brick church and a pastoral residence, a proposition to which they readily acceded. A subscription was immediately opened, upon which nearly $4000 was soon paid and the contract for the work was let, the cost of the church being fixed at $6600 and the house at $2600. The former was completed in the summer of 1835, and was dedicated by Bishop Kenrick on the 19th of July. It was the custom of the Bishop to name the churches which he dedi- cated after the saint whose feast was that day celebrated, and hence this church was placed under the invocation of St. Vin- cent of Paul. The place lost from that date its name of "Sportsman's Hall " and has since been known as "St. Vin- cent's," although in the neighborhood it was for a long time called " the Hill Church," from the gentle eminence on the side of which it stands. The sum of $4373.23 was still due on the building at the time of the dedication, for the payment of which the trustees gave security. The church was about 87
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THE NEW CHURCH.
feet in length by 51 in width, simple in point of style, and was surmounted by a belfry. Changes have been made since its erection which will be noticed as we proceed. But it was soon found that the contractor had not done his work properly ; both the foundation and the building were defective, and a balance of about $1400 still due was withheld for damages. A lawsuit was the result; but it was finally decided in favor of the congregation in August, 1843.
In September, 1844, Father Stillenger transferred his resi- dence to Blairsville, but continued to divide his attention be- tween the two churches until about the close of the following year, when Rev. Michael Gallagher was appointed resident pastor of St. Vincent's. But an event of greater importance was about to transpire than had as yet marked the history of the congregation-the foundation of the first house of the venerable Benedictine Order in the New World north of Mexico.
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CHAPTER XXII.
WESTMORELAND COUNTY (CONTINUED)-THE BENEDICTINE ORDER AT ST. VINCENT'S.
Departure of the Benedictines from Germany and their arrival at St. Vincent's- Condition of the place-Taking possession-The first ordination-Spread of the Order-St. Vincent's an independent priory-Improvements-A seminary and college opened-St. Vincent's an exempt abbey-Further improvements- The congregation-Present state of the Order-Church of the Most Holy Sac- rament, Greensburg-St. Boniface's Chapel, Chestnut Ridge-St. Vincent's Chapel, Youngstown-Ligonier-Church of the Holy Family-Bolivar Sta- tion-St. Mary's Church, New Florence.
I SHALL not enter upon the disputed question of the dis- covery of America and the occupation of certain parts of the New England States, the establishment of an episcopal see, and the foundation of a house of the Benedictine Order three or four centuries prior to the landing of Columbus; but com- ing to a time the events of which are beyond the reach of cavil or dispute, I shall briefly sketch the introduction of the Benedictines into North America, and their subsequent growth and extension ; for although the history of the congregation of St. Vincent's is distinct theoretically from the establishment of the Order there, yet the two are so intimately connected that practically it is difficult to separate the one from the other.
The reader will remember that we stated, in the history of the Church at Carrolltown, that in the year 1844 Rev. H. Lemcke visited his native land with a view of enlisting Ger- man priests for the newly erected Diocese of Pittsburg. While there he met at Munich Rev. Boniface Wimmer, a monk of the Benedictine monastery of Melten, in Bavaria, who for some time had been contemplating the establishment of his Order in the United States .* Father Lemcke offered
* St. Vincenz, etc., pp. 26 et seq.
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THE BENEDICTINES.
him his farm of 400 acres of land at Carrolltown for that pur- pose, and Father Wimmer, thinking he could not do better than accept it, immediately opened a correspondence with the Bishop of Pittsburg and offered himself to the new diocese. A propo- sition so favorable to the interests of religion was readily ac- cepted, whereupon Father Wimmer made preparations to set out for America. The good father was highly esteemed, and the people of Munich manifested the liveliest interest in the contemplated foundation, supplying him with the vestments and altar furniture necessary. The Louis Mission Union do- nated the handsome sum of 6000 gulden, to which the venera- ble Charles Augustus Reisach, Prince-Bishop of Munich, added 500 more, besides promising still further pecuniary assistance.
The little band was soon chosen, fitted out, and ready to embark on its new mission for the glory of God and the ex- tension of his kingdom on earth. There was the leader, Rev. Sebastian (in religion Boniface) Wimmer, born at Thalmas- sing, in Bavaria, January 14th, i809, ordained to the priest- hood July 31st, 1831, received into the Benedictine Order September 14th, 1832, and admitted to his solemn vows December 29th, 1833. He was a man in every respect ad- mirably fitted for the arduous mission he was about to undertake, and which he has for more than thirty years so successfully conducted. With him were four students and fourteen lay brothers. At five o'clock in the morning of July 25th, 1846, all assembled in the church of St. Michael, in Munich, to assist at Mass celebrated by the venerable Prince- Bishop, and to receive from his hands the Bread of Angels to strengthen them against the trials and privations that awaited them. From Munich they took cars for Rotterdam, where they embarked on board the ship Iowa for New York. They landed on the 16th of September, and after re- maining in New York three days set out for Carrolltown. They did not, however, reach the term of their journey until the 30th, for it must not be forgotten that as yet no railway traversed the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania to facili- tate travel. Having notified the Bishop of their arrival, Father Wimmer was invited to Pittsburg for an interview. The Bishop
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CONDITION OF ST. VINCENT'S.
rejoiced to see the great Order of St. Benedict about to take root in his diocese, but he recommended St. Vincent's as the seat of the foundation instead of Carrolltown, and the two set out together to examine the spot. Pleased with it, Father Wimmer returned to his little band, and on the 15th of October set out from Carrolltown to the scene of his future labors.
The better to understand the condition of St. Vincent's at that time and the improvements since effected, it will be nec- essary to cast a glance at the place as it then appeared. There was the church, erected, as we have seen, twelve years be- fore, and near it a two-story brick house built about the same time. But this was occupied, and had been for about a year, by the Sisters of Mercy as a convent and the cradle of St. Xavier's Young Ladies' Academy, and must continue to be so occupied until the permanent buildings of that institution, situated about a mile and a half distant, should be completed. Besides these there was a small one-story brick school-house, which had been divided into two rooms by a partition. Then there was a log-house occupied by the farmer and his family, and a miserable log-barn. The farm consisted of 315 acres of splen- did farming ground, and the other tract of land, known in the beginning as "O'Neil's Victory," but now familiarly called the " Seven-Mile Farm," from it lying that distance east of the church, comprising 165 acres and far inferior to the other for tillage. Over all hung a debt of $3000. The Bishop called a meeting of the congregation, and in the address which he delivered on the occasion expressed his desire of having Father Boniface-as we shall now call him-establish a priory there. The people were delighted with the idea, and promised to do all in their power to second the undertaking. It was agreed that the Sisters should withdraw to their new home as soon as it could be made ready to receive them, which, however, would not be for some months; that the pastor, Father Gallagher, should remain to minister to the English portion of the congregation until a priest of the Order should have learned that language, and that arrangements should be made with regard to the transfer of the property. Having maturely weighed the respective claims of the two places, Carrolltown and St. Vincent's, Father Boniface deter-
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ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BENEDICTINES.
mined to establish himself at the latter. Returning to Carroll- town, he departed for his new home much to the regret of the good villagers, who had hoped that he would remain with them. But if the good father and his companions had by vow em- braced a life of poverty, they soon found that for a time at least that virtue must become a necessity with them. The school-house already mentioned must serve for the present for the entire community and afford, besides, a suit of rooms for the pastor. But as if nothing should be wanting in their sacri- fices, the house being new was not yet plastered nor was the roof finished. Mattresses laid on the floor of the low attic or garret constituted the dormitory of the brothers and students. One of the rooms of the main story served the multifarious purposes of kitchen, refectory, community or chapter room, and infirmary for a member of the community then sick. The other room was divided into two apartments, the one of which served as a sleeping-chamber for the pastor and superior, the other was the study-hall of the students. Possession was taken on the 19th of October. But it was not until the 24th of the same month that Father Boniface, the Superior and only priest in the little band, gave the religious habit to the mem- bers of the community, who until then had been only candi- dates. The observance of the rule in all its details was from that time enforced, and the day is celebrated as that of the es- tablishment of the Benedictine Order in North America.
But so indifferently were the members of the community protected from the inclemency of the weather that I have heard one of them state that when it rained at meal-time one would be deputed to hold an umbrella over the table to pro- tect it from the drops that penetrated the roof. Such were the beginnings of an abbey, seminary, and college that are now capable of accommodating five hundred monks and students, and whose ramifications have penetrated into eighteen States of the Union.
On the 5th of November of the same year the Bishop ap- pointed the Father Superior pastor of the congregation for the time being, and thus confirmed him for the present in possession of the property. He at the same time expressed his willingness to make the Superior of the Order the per-
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THE FIRST ORDINATIONS.
petual pastor of the congregation as soon as the latter was prepared to accept it and was in a condition to assume in perpetuity the discharge of the duties connected with it. He also empowered him to establish priories in the diocese, and to open a seminary and college as soon as circumstances per- mitted. Thus was the wish of Rev. Theodore Browers, the generous donor of the property, more than realized, who had frequently been heard to say, " My object is to make Sports- man's Hall another Conewago." Father Gallagher withdrew at the end of six months, but for several years, probably six, the chaplain of St. Xavier's convent and academy or the pas- tor of Greensburg was accustomed to visit the congregation twice in the month for the benefit of the English por- tion. On the 7th of March, 1847, Mr. Martin Geyerstanger (Father Charles) was ordained, being the first priest of the Benedictine Order to be raised to that sacred dignity in North America. May 14th of the same year the Sisters took pos- session of their new convent and academy buildings of St. Xavier's, and gave the house which they had occupied till that time to the Superior. The greater part of the com- munity was immediately transferred to it.
But it was not long before the Father Superior began to show that enterprising spirit which so admirably fitted him for the field upon which he had entered. Soon he extended his ministrations to the little congregations of Saltzburg and Indiana, in the latter of which he established a priory, and to St. Mary's, Elk County, now in the Diocese of Erie. But at home he was beset with innumerable and apparently insur- mountable difficulties arising from the poverty of the com- munity and the necessity of making improvements in the property. The members of the Order increased, both by ac- cessions at home and arrivals from Europe ; and the Louis Mission Union, that had so generously aided him in the be- ginning, still made him remittances until he had attained a degree of independence. But before commencing to build, the Order must be confirmed in its possession of the property. The appointment of the Superior perpetual pastor of the con- gregation, and the consequent transfer of the property to the Benedictine Order in perpetuity, was made by the Bishop in
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IMPROVEMENTS.
an instrument dated February 15th, 1848. Soon after this the Superior laid the condition of the foundation before the Holy Father, and asked that it might be declared an inde- pendent priory. The request was granted, and the Superior, or Prior as he now became, was empowered to erect other priories in different parts of the country, after he should obtain permission from the respective Bishops of the places. But it was not until July 15th, 1852, that St. Vincent's was formally recognized as a non-exempt priory by Bishop O'Connor .* An addition to the building was commenced by the brothers September 29th, 1848. On the 20th of April of the following year three of the students who had accompanied the Superior from Germany were ordained priests. At the same time a seminary was commenced on a small scale. At the close of this year the community consisted of eight priests, seven clerics, and twenty-six lay brothers. A farm of 293 acres, lying on the Chestnut ridge, about eight miles south-east of the priory, was purchased principally on account of the tim- ber with which it was covered. In 1851 the Prior visited Germany, where he received very considerable pecuniary as- sistance to further his good works in the cause of religion. St. Vincent's College was opened in 1849. By the year 1854 it had ninety students; additional buildings were required for their accommodation, and were erected. To secure to the Order the possession of the property and give the former a proper standing in the face of the law, a charter was obtained from the State Legislature May 10th, 1853. In December of the same year, the Papal Nuncio, Cardinal Bedini, visited the monastery, and on his arrival at Pittsburg raised three mem- bers of the Order to the sacred dignity of the priesthood. The better to secure the independence of the community, a saw-mill and a flour-mill .were built in 1854, and at the same time a farm of 205 acres of land lying ten miles from the monastery was purchased. But it would require too much space to trace the gradual growth of so large and complete a " little world " as St. Vincent's. A few only of the leading features must suffice.
* St. Vincenz, etc., pp. 128, 129.
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ST. VINCENT'S AN ABBEY
In 1855 the Prior visited Rome once more to lay the affairs of the Order before the Holy Father. But the most important result of his visit was that he succeeded in having St. Vin- cent's raised to the dignity of an exempt abbey with himself as mitred Abbot, having been appointed by the Pope to that dignity for a term of three years, after which the Abbot should be elected according to the provisions of the rule. The brief of the Holy Father raising St. Vincent's to the dignity of an abbey was dated August 24th, and that appointing the father Abbot September 17th. Father Wimmer was the second mitered Abbot in the United States, Rt. Rev. Father Maria Eutropius, of the Abbey of Our Lady of La Trappe, Ky., hav- ing been raised to that dignity some time before. The follow- ing statistics will show the rapid growth and spread of the Benedictine Order in the first nine years of its existence among us: There were twenty priests, of whom two were at Butler, three at Carrolltown, one at Indiana, two at St. Mary's, Elk County, two at St. Severin's, Clarion County (the last two in the Diocese of Erie), and ten at St. Vincent's. There were fifteen clerics, twenty-two novices, seven scholas- tics, and one hundred and twelve lay brothers-in all 176 souls.
The adjuncts of the abbey and college gradually appeared and the whole developed itself into a perfect organization. In 1858 a brewery was built to supply the community with its favorite German beverage, which soon found its way also into the market, and made a name for itself. In 1864 a printing- press was set up, and soon a photographing apparatus found a place among the improvements. A tannery was also built. Additions were made from time to time to the buildings of the abbey and college. In 1878 an immense brick barn was put up, the largest in the county.
The Abbot again visited Rome in 1865, when the Holy Father was so well pleased with the progress made by the Order under his wise and energetic management that he ap- pointed him General, or President, of all the houses of the Order in the United States for life. But after his death the election of Abbot will be according to the provisions of the rule. While in Rome the abbot also made arrangements for the opening of a house in the Holy City, where students should
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SPREAD OF THE ORDER.
be prepared to fill the position of professors afterwards in the college. It was, however, discontinued after the occupation of Rome in 1870. By an apostolic brief of August 3d, 1866, the priory at St. Cloud's, Minn., was made an abbey, and Rev. Rupert Seidenbush, the present Vicar Apostolic of North- ern Minnesota, was named Abbot. He was consecrated on the 12th of the following December. In 1869 the Abbot again crossed the Atlantic to visit his native land and to be present at the Vatican Council.
During this time the congregation had been in the fullest enjoyment of all the advantages which the presence of a large number of the reverend clergy in their midst naturally afford- ed. It had undergone, however, but little change beyond a moderate increase. Other congregations were formed from its outskirts which drew away a part of its numbers, so that at present it counts but 750 souls. There is a parochial school attached to the abbey, and one also at St. Xavier's Academy.
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