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 45
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* Annals of Philadelphia, vol. i. p. 454.
t Ibid., vol. ii. p. 411. # Ibid., vol. i. p. 454.
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" THE OLD PRIEST."
custom he might expect from Quakers should he do so, can we suppose that Penn, who spoke of the most solemn act of Catholic worship as " the scandal of the Mass"-although he may not have done so out of pure bigotry-would permit a Catholic priest to live and traffic under his eyes in a colony of which he was sole proprietary ?
Again, there were, as we shall see in the sequel, but two English-speaking priests in North America at that time; and it is beyond the reach of credibility that one of these should already be located and in business in a city laid out but two years before, when seventy-three years later, that is in 1757, there were only 397 Catholics, English and German, in and about Philadelphia .* And the more so as Catholic Maryland was sufficiently near, from which a priest could have visited the few Catholics if there had been any at that time in the city and vicinity, as they were afterwards visited. Besides, from the character of the immigrants it is fair to suppose that there were none whatever in the colony at that early day. No further mention is made of a priest until 1708, twenty- four years later, and it is certain he did not then reside in the city. There is no authentic record of a priest residing at Philadelphia until 1730 or 1732, that is at least forty-six years after "the old priest " was selling his "rare shad."
Mr. Watson, in the passage above quoted, is the first and only original authority for referring the words "the old priest " to a Catholic clergyman. But he, it is well to bear in mind, wrote about the year 1830, when reliable tradition had ceased to exist, and before historical criticism had investigated the matter so thoroughly as it has done at the present day. That Mr. Watson did not consider it a question deserving of careful investigation, and did not in fact investigate it, is clearly to be inferred from his own words: "These remarks may prove interesting inquiries for the papists themselves among us." But it is still more evident from his associating the name of Charles De la Noe with Penn's reference to " the old priest," by which he gives us to understand that he regarded De la Noe as a Catholic because he was a Frenchman, although he
* Colonial Record, vol. vii. p. 328.
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JACOBUS FABRICIUS " THE OLD PRIEST."
proves in another part of his "Annals" (vol. ii. p. 112) that De la Noe was a Huguenot. Hence Mr. Watson, so far from adding weight to the words of Penn, only gives them a false interpretation and leads the reader astray.
Mr. Willis P. Hazard, who was employed to write a third volume of "Annals of Philadelphia," with a view, among other objects, of correcting, by the light of recent investigations, some of the errors into which Mr. Watson had fallen, when writing on the introduction of Catholicity into Philadelphia, altogether ignores the affair of "the old priest."* Again, Mr. Thompson Westcott, member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, whose " History of Philadelphia" Mr. Hazard in his "Annals" (preface) calls "that monument of perseverance, research, and historical acumen" which "will be quoted as long as the State exists," also ignores " the old priest " story when writing professedly of "the Catholic Church in Phila- delphia before 1751."+
Whom then did Penn mean by " the old priest"? In the answer to this question we shall find additional proof of our position. Penn's letter, as I have said, affords no clue whatever to his identity ; but it shows, when examined by the light of intrinsic evidence and history, that he could not have been a Catholic priest. There can be little doubt that Jacobus Fabricius, the German preacher of the Swedish Lutheran Church, was meant. He was in Philadelphia from 1677 to 1691, and although blind for a part of the time he had his agent Jacob Yung to look after his temporalities .;
In addition to this accumulation of evidence, the Corre- sponding Secretary of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, himself a Catholic, writes me : "In the entire lack of any evi- dence to the contrary I have no reason to doubt that the gentle- man referred to was the Rev. Jacobus Fabricius, the Dutch pastor of the Swedish Lutheran congregation at Wicacoa, near Gloria Dei Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadephia.
* Annals of Philadelphia, vol. iii. p. 316.
t A History of Philadelphia from the Time of the First Settlement on the Dela- ware to the Consolidation of the City and District in 1854, chap. cxv. It was published in the Sunday Dispatch, but is to appear in book form.
# A History of New Sweden, etc., by Israel Acrelius, pp. 177-179.
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THE FIRST PRIEST IN PHILADELPHIA.
The term ' priest' was applied to this person by his own sec- taries, and was constantly used by William Penn and his fellow-Quakers in speaking of ministers of the Gospel, of what- ever denomination of Christians." The same gentleman-to whom I acknowledge myself under special obligations in this matter-again writes : " As to the person indicated being Fabricius I feel the more confident to decide in consequence of my having made a special study of the early Swedish settlement on the Delaware."
When all available evidence has been brought to bear on the question, we are forced to conclude that " the old priest" was not and could not have been a Catholic clergyman, but that a degree of probability amounting almost to certainty points to Rev. Jacobus Fabricius as the person meant.
The second question to engage our attention is this : By whom was the first Mass-that of 1708-celebrated in Phila- delphia? This question cannot, strictly speaking, be called an error of history, but it is a subject of useful and interest- ing inquiry, and the more so as those who have written professedly of the foundation of Catholicity in Philadelphia have devoted no attention to it.
Mr. Westcott* shall again be our guide. Having men- tioned the Mass spoken of by Penn in 1708, he continues : " Beyond this mere reference, there is very little known in reference to the introduction of the Catholic religion in Phila- delphia in 1708. But . . . certain facts have been de- rived from John Gilmary Shea of New York . . . which add very much to the interest attached to this subject. It has lately been discovered by investigation in England, by the Very Rev. Pamfilo da Magliano, Provincial of the Order of Franciscans in this country, that there were missionaries of that order in North America long before the Jesuits estab- lished the Catholic religion on a firm basis. This list of Fran- ciscan missionaries is as follows :
" 1674. Polycarp Wicksted sent. He died before April, 1725.
" Basil Hobard, or Hubbard; died in Maryland, July, 1698.
* A History of Philadelphia, etc., chap. cxcii., note.
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THE FIRST CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA.
" Massey Massey; returned to England in 1677; died in England before October, 1702.
" Henry of St. Francis.
" 1675. Edward Golding.
" 1677. Henry Carew; died at sea about 1683.
" 1700. James Haddock; died in Maryland on or before 1720.
" Bruno Taylor; returned on or before 1704.
" From this list," continues Mr. Westcott, " it seems prob- able that Polycarp Wicksted and James Haddock were in North America in 1708. In regard to Edward Golding and Henry St. Francis, there is nothing to establish when they died or left the country. Probability, therefore, points to Father Wicksted or to Father Haddock as being the celebrant of the Mass in Philadelphia in 1707-'8. In a letter from the Rev. John Talbot to George Keith . . . under date of Feb. 14th, 1708, he says: . I saw Mr. Bradford in New York. He tells me that Mass is set up and read publicly in Philadelphia.'"
As regards the first church or chapel in Philadelphia, Mr. B. U. Campbell, in the work already quoted, has made another erroneous statement, in which subsequent historians have blindly followed him. Having cited the passage from Watson's "Annals of Philadelphia" referring to "the old priest," he adds: "Watson . says, 'This early men- tioned Mass probably had its origin in the frame building on the north-west corner of Front and Walnut streets, which was the first chapel in Philadelphia.'" *
Mr. Westcott ignores this statement also, as he did that of "the old priest." Speaking of the early history of Catholicity, he says :t "The early records of the Catholic Church in Philadelphia are very meagre. . .. . There were but few attractions for Catholics in the young colony. Hence the number of persons of that persuasion coming into Penn- sylvania during the first twenty-five years after the settle- ment of Philadelphia must have been few. .
*Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll, United States Catholic Magasine, 1845, p. 252.
t A History of Philadelphia, etc., chap. cxv.
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" THE SCANDAL OF THE MASS."
" The first notice that we have of the exercise of worship by the Catholics is contained in a letter from Penn to Logan, dated 29th, seventh mo., 1708 : *
"'Here is a complaint against your government, that you suffer publick Mass in a scandalous manner. Pray send the matter of fact, for ill use is made of it against us here.' In another letter from Penn to a correspondent in Philadel- phia, he says: ' It has become a reproach to me here with the officers of the crown that you have suffered the scandal of the Mass to be publickly celebrated.'" To this the historian adds: "This may seem somewhat intolerant; but it must not be considered as a voluntary protest of Penn in conse- quence of over-zeal. At the time at which these letters were written the ' hot church party' in Pennsylvania were exceedingly bitter against the proprietary government, and no effort was spared to prejudice the British Government against the provincial administration. A remonstrance, there- fore, against Catholicism would seem to be a matter that would create a very strong impression in Great Britain, and help the project to have substituted a royal government for the proprietary government, established under the charter. Penn himself could not have refused to notice the subject, inasmuch as adverse action upon those complaints in England might have entirely prevented the exercise of religious liberty in the province, to secure which had been to him a labor of time, expense, and feeling."
The provincial government does not appear to have taken any action in the matter of the Mass referred to by Penn.
" At what precise place these religious exercises were held," continues Mr. Westcott, " is now unknown. Mr. Wat- son, in his 'Annals of Philadelphia,'t mentions three places in which, according to very vague and unreliable statements, Catholic worship might have been held. One of these, he says, was at the north-west corner of Front and Walnut streets, and he gives as an authority some statements made by persons who rested their belief upon hearsay." Having
* Penn and Logan Correspondence, vol. ii. p. 294.
t Vol. i. pp. 452, 453.
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THE FIRST CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA.
traced, from the city records, the ownership of the lot at the above place from its transfer by Penn to another Quaker, April 29th, 1683, to the present time, the historian remarks: " The special matter of interest connected with the history of this property from 1683 to the present period is that at no time during that long space of years has it been owned by any other person than a member of the Society of Friends. . . It is impossible that, at any time previous to the death of Dickinson (one of the owners), in 1722, there could have been any Catholic worship in a house which was inhab- ited by Quakers." After carefully debating the case, he con- cludes: "It is possible that some tenant, between 1722 and 1732, may have permitted some occasional solemnization of the Mass there, but the occurrence must have been excep- tional." That a chapel properly so called ever stood at the place is thus proven to be evidently false.
As to the second place spoken of as the site of a chapel, Mr. Westcott remarks : " Mr. Watson * mentions a statement by a lady who had heard it said that 'the house at the south- east corner of Second and Chestnut streets was built for a Papal chapel.' This statement also rests on hearsay, and is worthy of little credence." He then proceeds to prove that it cannot be regarded as true.
Which, then, and where was the first church in Philadel- phia? There can be no doubt whatever that St. Joseph's Jesuit church was the first. Says Mr. Westcott : + " In the year 1730, or 1732 (accounts differ as to date), the Rev. Joseph Greaton, a member of the Society of Jesus, was sent from Maryland to Philadelphia. Father Greaton must have found in. the city a sufficient number of Catholics to justify the establishment of a church. He procured ground south of Walnut Street and east of Fourth Street, ad- joining the Friends' Almshouse, under the shelter of which it is to be presumed he hoped for the protection which a more open position might not have insured. It is said that his original congregation consisted of eleven persons, and it is re-
* Annals of Philadelphia, vol. i. p. 453.
t A History of Philadelphia, chap. cxv. See also Watson's Annals, vol. iii. P. 318.
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ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH.
lated that Father Greaton was compelled to make his church very modest in appearance by including in it what seemed to be his dwelling-house. The whole establishment (church and parsonage) must have been small, inasmuch as afterward, when it was enlarged, the building thus increased occupied a space of forty feet by forty feet. This little church was dedicated to St. Joseph. Although its opening did not probably attract immediate attention, it was not long used before the provincial authorities, anxious it is to be pre- sumed to avoid difficulty with England, had their attention called to the circumstance. At a meeting of the Provincial Council, at which Thomas Penn, one of the proprietaries, was present, and Lieutenant-Governor Patrick Gordon pre- sided, which was held on the 25th of July, 1734," the matter was presented to the Council, and it was asked if it was not contrary to the laws of England to permit " the publick exer- cise of that religion." At a meeting held on the 31st of the same month the matter was resumed. *
" Whether Governor Gordon wrote to England upon the subject," continues Mr. Westcott, " or whether he abandoned it, is unknown. It is certain, however, that there was no fur- ther attempt made to meddle with St. Joseph's Church, which went on slowly increasing in numbers without molestation. Kalm, the Swedish traveller, who wrote about the period 1748-'50, says, 'The Roman Catholics have in the south-west part of the town a great house, which is well adorned within, and has an organ.'" +
As regards the last error to be noticed, that relating to the chapel said to have been built by Miss M.Gawley, Mr. Camp- bell is the guide; and all, without exception, have followed more or less closely in his erratic footsteps. Taken together, the errors exposed in this chapter are fair specimens of the injury that is sometimes done to the cause of truth by repeat- ing statements that have been advanced without sufficient grounds. After quoting Mr. Watson substantially as given below by Mr. Westcott, the author of the " Life and Times of
* Colonial Records, vol. iii. pp. 546, 563.
t A History of Philadelphia, etc .. chap. cxv.
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JOHN MICHAEL BROWN.
Archbishop Carroll," in the place already referred to, adds : "The testimony of Watson is conformable to the local tradi- tion, although the inscription (on the tombstone) does not determine the priestly character of Brown."
Mr. Westcott in the work already cited states the ques- tion of the M'Gawley chapel, and disposes of it in the follow- ing manner : " Mr. Watson also says, 'There was a Roman chapel near the city of Philadelphia as early as the year 1729. At that time Elizabeth M'Gawley, an Irish lady, and single, brought over a number of tenantry, and with them settled on the land on the road leading from Nicetown to Frankford. Connected with her house she had the said chapel. Near the place, one eighth of a mile off, is a stone enclosure, in which is a large tombstone of marble inscribed with a cross and the name "John Michael Brown, ob. 15th December, A.D. 1750. R. I. P." He was a priest.'* Such research as the writer has been able to make in the records at Philadelphia has been insufficient to verify this statement ex- actly in the shape in which it has been made. No deed or grant to Elizabeth M'Gawley, or Gawley, or M Cauley, has been found. There is no deed on record from this lady, nor is there any registry of her will or record of grant of letters of administration upon her estate. John Michael Brown, how- ever, is not a myth ; but he was no priest. On the 20th of Oct., 1742, John Michael Brown, 'Doctor in Physic,' bought . two hundred and ninety-three acres, situate upon .
the road leading from Frankford to Germantown. . On the 2d of May, 1747, Dr. John Michael Brown and Sarah, his wife, granted to Joseph Greaton, who was at that time the pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Philadelphia, seven and three quarter acres of this land, fronting on the road running from Frankford to Germantown. . The
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consideration was £46. If there ever was any Roman Catholic chapel near Nicetown, it must have been built on this ground bought by Father Greaton, and after the year 1747. Mr. Watson * vouches for the statement by De- borah Logan (wife of Dr. George Logan, grandson of James
* Annals of Philadelphia, vol. i. p. 453.
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CONCLUSION.
Logan, proprietary-governor for William Penn) that she remembers the ruins of such a church when she was a girl. Probably if such a chapel was erected it was not long maintained. . Dr. Brown was undoubtedly a Catho- lic. He describes himself as 'late of the West Indies, but now of Pennsylvania, a doctor of physic.' In the will is a bequest of £10, Irish, to Robert Kirwan, Bonnatopler, 'to be laid out in masses.' Under these circumstances it seems most likely that Dr. Brown would have been buried in consecrated ground. If there had been any chapel and burial ground on his plantation he would have preferred that his body should there be interred. But in this particular his will is peculiar He orders 'my body to be interred in as private a manner as possible in the orchard on my planta- tion.' "+ From these extracts one must necessarily conclude : First, that it is very doubtful whether there ever was a land- owner by the name of Elizabeth M'Gawley; secondly, that it is almost certain there never was a chapel at all at the place mentioned, but if so, it could not have been earlier than 1747; thirdly, that John Michael Brown was not a priest, although it is very probable that Mass was sometimes said in his house, for in his will he mentions among his per- sonal property " one church vestment, one chalice."
It is believed that a careful perusal of this chapter, and of the authorities adduced, all of which I have quoted from the originals, will set these vexed historical questions at rest forever.
* Annals of Philadelphia, vol. i., p. 453.
t A History of Philadelphia, etc., chap. cxv.
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