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 5
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF FR. M'GUIRE.
and sociableness with the qualities of a pious Christian and an eminent scholar. Master of four or five languages, well versed in classic lore, he was withal as simple, as inoffensive, as inno- cent as a child." In appearance he was tall and portly, of a commanding presence, and with a ruddy, good-humored countenance. His remains were interred at the convent of the Poor Clares (of whom he had been ecclesiastical superior), until the completion of the new church, when they were deposited in one of the vaults. Upon the destruction of that church by fire, in 1851, they were laid in St. Mary's Cemetery, where they yet repose with a simple stone to point them out.
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CHAPTER III.
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.
Rev. John O'Reilly pastor of St. Paul's-The church finished and dedicated-A description of it-The Germans take possession of St. Patrick's-The Nuns of St. Clare withdraw-The Sisters of Charity arrive-An orphan asylum opened-New congregations formed-Withdrawal of Father O'Reilly-His death-Sketch of his life-Arrival of Very Rev. Michael O'Connor-His works-He visits Rome.
FORTUNATE was it for the unfinished church and the con- gregation that Father O'Reilly succeeded Father M'Guire. His skill, energy, and administrative ability eminently fitted him for the completion of so important an undertaking. Work was immediately resumed on the unfinished church, and through his untiring exertions it was ready for dedication the following spring. Preparations were made for the cere- mony, when a difficulty arose respecting the deed. Bishop Kenrick required the trustees to comply with certain regula- tions which he had found it necessary to enforce respecting the titles of church property ; and the trustees, who were taking measures to obtain a charter, imagined that the Bishop was about to take the church from them. Matters were explained in a satisfactory manner, however, and preparations were completed for the solemn ceremony .* The dedication took place on Sunday, May 4th, 1834, and the church was placed under the invocation of St. Paul the Apostle. Bishop Kenrick performed the ceremony, Father O'Reilly sang the Mass, and Rev. John Hughes, afterwards Archbishop of New York, preached the sermon. Unlike the present cathedral, the old St. Paul's fronted on Fifth Avenue. The following descrip- tion from the American Manufacturer, and most probably fur- * Archbishop Kenrick and his Work : A Lecture by Rev. M. O'Connor, S.J., p. 12.
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DESCRIPTION OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.
nished by the architect, Mr. Kerrins, will give an idea of the size and style of the new edifice :
" This church, which is probably the largest in the United States, occupies an area of 175 by 76 feet, vestries and vesti- bules included. The elevation of the side walls to the top of the embattled parapets by which they are surmounted is 25 feet. These are flanked by 26 buttresses, finished with pedi- ment pinnacles and crocketed spires. The east end is em- bellished with a large ornamented Gothic window in the cen- tre, flanked by two others of regular but diminished propor- tions, and finished at the top with minaret and cross, sprung from rampant arches, and occupying the highest point of the gable parapet. The tower stands on the west end, which is the front of the church, and is immensely strong, being sup- ported by four buttresses with flying terminals. It is yet un- finished, being little higher than the comb of the roof .*
"This immense superficies is enclosed with four double Gothic doors with enriched panels, and 57 splendid ornamen- tal windows, exhibiting in perfect symmetry the florid Gothic style throughout. The grand entrance is made by three double doors, which open into as many vestibules, from the right and left of which the galleries are ascended by sets of elliptical stairs. The nave is regulated by one central and two side aisles, and contains 240 pews, which with those in the gallery make 350 (calculated in the aggregate to seat 2500 persons). There are 16 Gothic columns, 40 feet high, which, supporting the heart of the galleries on their richly carved capitals, break round the tracery, and extend to support the corbels and soffits which form the lowest terminals of the richly grained ceiling. The ceiling is Gothic, and is neatly frescoed. The chancel, which is separated from the nave by railing arranged in open tracery, is spacious, and the most splendid of this very splendid edifice. It contains a high altar, uniform in style with the church. To the sanctuary are attached a small chapel to the rear, and two vestry rooms. One feels instinctively impelled to exclaim, ' Truly this is the house of God !' This feeling is not a little increased by the radiant glow encircling the golden cross exhibited * It was never finished.
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CHANGES OF PASTORS.
over the face of the altar canopy, and the very appropriate text underneath : 'The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.'"
This splendid edifice was erected without soliciting aid from abroad, but many non-Catholic citizens contributed lib- erally towards it. To add to the imposing appearance of the church, it occupied such a position as to be the first object that met the eye of a person approaching the city from any direction.
The English congregation was now transferred to St. Paul's, and St. Patrick's became for some years a German church. For this reason I shall now drop the history of the latter until coming to speak of the German congregations of the city. Father O'Reilly continued to exercise the office of pastor of St. Paul's until April Ist, 1837, when he was trans- ferred to Philadelphia, and Rev. Thomas Heyden of Bedford succeeded him. In the mean time, May, 1835, the Poor Clare Nuns withdrew from their convent to another part of Alle- gheny, where they remained about two years before return- ing to Europe, and a colony of Sisters of Charity from Em- mittsburg took up their residence in Pittsburg. When Father Heyden was promoted to the See of Natchez, November 22d, 1837, a dignity which he declined, he returned to Bedford, and was succeeded at St. Paul's by Rev. P. R. Kenrick, the present Archbishop of St. Louis. In the summer of 1838 Father O'Reilly, who was then pastor of St. Mary's Church, Philadelphia, exchanged places with Father Kenrick, and re- turned to Pittsburg. Here he remained until succeeded by Very Rev. Michael O'Connor, June 17th, 1841.
During his second pastorate Father O'Reilly organized a board of directors for an orphan asylum, June 6th, 1838, purchased property, and opened an asylum. In the following summer the first congregation was formed from St. Paul's- that of St. Philip's, Broadhead, about three miles south-west of the city. About the same time a disturbance arose in a portion of St. Paul's congregation out of the enforcement, by Bishop Kenrick, of certain regulations respecting the pews, by which he sought to increase the revenue of the church. The object appears to have been to have the congregation con-
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A SECOND ENGLISH CONGREGATION.
tribute, as it was unquestionably bound to do, towards the sup- port of the diocesan seminary. Be that as it may, I have be- fore me a printed circular of an inflammatory character, dated June 8th, 1839, addressed to the congregation, and signed " Many members of the congregation," in which their "rights" are eloquently stated, and strong appeals are made to the people to resist every encroachment of authority. This ebul- lition appears, however, to have soon after subsided. On the second Sunday of October, 1840, St. Patrick's Church was re- stored to the English, and Rev. E. F. Garland, who had been assistant at St. Paul's since his ordination, in the spring of 1838, became pastor. Previous to this, Father O Reilly, who does not appear to have entertained very flattering ideas of the future of Catholicity in Pittsburg, was disposed to sell the church. A meeting of the congregation was called to discuss the matter, when Father Garland energetically and, as the event proved, very wisely opposed the project, and prevented the sale of the venerable edifice. This was the second time Father O'Reilly wished to dispose of it. It was afterwards discovered that it could not have been sold without special legislation, as the lots upon which it stood had been donated by Mr. O'Hara, as we have seen, as a site for a church and for no other purpose whatever.
REV. JOHN O'REILLY, C.M., deserves to be ranked with Father M'Guire as one of the great benefactors of the Church in Pittsburg. Born in Ireland, he came to this country before the completion of his studies and entered Mount St. Mary's College, Emmittsburg, where he finished his course of theology and was ordained in 1826 or 1827. He was then sent to the mission in Huntingdon and the adjacent coun- ties. He erected a church at Huntingdon, another at Belle fonte, and another at Newry ; after which he was transferred to St. Paul's, Pittsburg, where we have seen his labors in the cause of religion, education, and charity. Upon the arrival of Father O'Connor he retired from the diocese and went to Rome, where he entered the Congregation of the Mission. Returning to the United States, he was made superior of the house of the fathers of his order at St. Louis. He was then transferred to La Salle, Ill., where he founded a house of
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VERY REV. MICHAEL O'CONNOR.
which he was elected superior, and built a church. From there he was taken to the Seminary of St. Mary of the Angels, at Niagara Falls, of which he was made superior on the promotion of Father Lynch to the archiepiscopal see of Toronto. In his declining years he was elected deputy to the General Assembly of the Congregation at Paris in the sum- mer of 1861. On his return, he retired to St. Louis, where, worn out with labors and rich in merit, he was called to his reward March 4th, 1862, in the sixty-fifth year of his age.
An event so fraught with consequences, not only to the Church of Pittsburg, but also to that of the entire western part of the State, as the arrival of Very Rev. Michael O'Con- nor, V.G., at St. Paul's, is thus humbly chronicled in his Notes : "June 17th, 1841. Arrived in Pittsburg on this day (Thursday), lodging at Mrs. Timmons' at $4 per week." As yet there was no pastoral residence. The congregation at this time numbered about 4000 souls, and the pastor was assisted in the discharge of his duties by Rev. Joseph F. Deane. However successfully the affairs of St. Paul's had been administered previous to that date, the arrival of Father O'Connor marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the congregation. He immediately turned his attention to the erection of a school-house, and for that purpose called a meeting of the men of the congregation, July 18th, at which a committee was appointed and a subscription opened which reached $1251 the same day. Arrangements were also made at a meeting held December 30th, 1842, for opening a read- ing-room. Connected with this was the Catholic Institute, a literary society organized January 6th, 1843, " which had for its object to promote literary improvement in its members, and give them a more thorough acquaintance with history and Scripture connected more especially with the develop- ment of Catholic principles."
But Father O'Connor was Vicar-General of the western part of the diocese as well as pastor of St. Paul's. In that capacity he dedicated St. Patrick's Church, Sugar Creek, Armstrong County, July 29th, 1841, and Sts. Simon and Jude, Blairsville, Indiana County, October 2d, 1842, and per- haps others. He also wrote to Bishop Kenrick recommend-
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FATHER O'CONNOR VISITS ROME.
ing the division of the city into districts, a wish to which the Bishop acceded. Other matters having for their object the good of religion were noted down to be laid before a future diocesan synod .*
He had long been desirous of uniting himself to the Society of Jesus, and of thereby escaping the honors he had reason to apprehend were in store for him. He set out on a visit to Rome, May 5th, 1843, to obtain from the Holy Father the requisite permission, as a student of the Propaganda, for entering a religious order. But he was hastening towards the honors which he sought to escape. During his absence Father Hayden again became pastor of St. Paul's, who, on the return of Father O'Connor as Bishop, went back to Bed- ford.
* His Notes.
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CHAPTER IV.
HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL FROM THE ERECTION OF THE SEE OF PITTSBURG TO ITS DIVISION AND THE ERECTION OF THE SEE OF ERIE.
The manner in which the Church was first governed in the United States-Pitts- burg an episcopal see-Very Rev. Michael O'Connor consecrated first Bishop -Sketch of his early life-Condition of the Church on his arrival-The first ordination-The first synod-The colored chapel- The Catholic published-St. Michael's Diocesan Seminary-The Bishop visits Europe-The first visitation of the diocese-The Cathedral in danger-Statistics-The Cathedral destroyed by fire-A new Cathedral commenced-The Bishop visits Rome-Erection of the See of Erie-Bishop O'Connor transferred thither-Statistics.
BEFORE entering upon the history of Pittsburg as a diocese, it becomes necessary to cast a glance at the manner in which the Church in this country was first governed. Reference will be made to those portions only which were subject to the crown of Great Britain. When the numbers of the clergy and laity had so far increased that organization and a form of government became expedient for the good of religion, the Vicar of London, to whose jurisdiction the Church in the English colonies pertained, appointed a Vicar- General for America. The first of these of whom history furnishes reliable information was Rev. John Hunter, an Englishman, who resided at Port Tobacco, Md. He was exercising jurisdiction as early as 1774, but was succeeded, before the breaking out of the Revolution, by Rev. Mr. Lewis, who had been Superior of the Jesuits of Maryland and Pennsylvania at the time of their suppression. After the close of the Revolution the clergy addressed a memorial to the Holy See, praying that a Vicar-General might be ap- pointed holding immediately from Rome. In compliance with this request, Rev. John Carroll was appointed Superior of the American clergy in 1785, and received extraordinary
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CHURCH GOVERNMENT.
faculties. Seeing everywhere on the visitation which he made the imperative need of a Bishop, he wrote to that effect to the Holy See; and bulls were expedited early in the spring of 1789, authorizing the American clergy to select both the priest of their own number best suited in their judgment for Bishop, and to name the city most proper for his see. The choice fell upon their Superior as the man and Baltimore as the place. Both were confirmed at Rome by bulls dated November 6th of the same year. The consecration of the Bishop-elect was performed by Rt. Rev. Charles Warmsly, Bishop of Rama in partibus and Vicar Apostolic of London, in the chapel of Lulworth Castle, August 15th, 1790. At the first synod, held at Baltimore, November 7th, 1791, Rev. Anthony Francis Fleming was appointed Vicar-General of Pennsylvania. But inasmuch as he and his successors resided at Philadelphia, they do not appear to have exercised jurisdiction over the western part of the State. Baltimore was easier of access at that time than Philadelphia. At length the Diocese of Balti- more was divided, and that of Philadelphia among others erected, April 8th, 1809, embracing the entire States of Penn- sylvania and Delaware and a part of New Jersey. Rev. Mi- chael Egan was named first bishop; but the troubled state of Europe prevented the bulls of his appointment from arriving until September, 1810. He was consecrated October 28th of the same year ; paid one visit to the western part of the State, as we have seen ; and died July 22d, 1814. The see was then governed by an administrator, under the title of Apostolic Vicar-General. Rev. Lewis de Barth and his successor, Rev. William Matthews, were administrators till the fall of 1820, at which time a candidate for the mitre was found, after much difficulty and many refusals, in the person of Very Rev. Henry Conwell, V.G., of Armagh, Ireland. One of the first acts of his episcopate was the appointment of Rev. D. A. Gallitzin, of Loretto, Vicar-General of the western part of the State. But as the limits of his jurisdiction as Vicar-General were not defined, he did not exercise his additional faculties till a few years later, when the lines were accurately drawn .* Bishop Conwell never visited the western part of the State, except on
* Life of Gallitzin, by S. M. Brownson, p. 366.
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ERECTION OF THE SEE OF PITTSBURG.
the occasion already mentioned. But when Dr. Kenrick was consecrated Coadjutor Bishop of Philadelphia, June 6th, 1830, he made frequent visitations in that portion of his diocese. About the same time Dr. Gallitzin* resigned the office of Vicar-General, and no one was appointed until the arrival of Rev. M. O'Connor. Having premised so much, we shall now take up the history of the erection of the new diocese.
The geographical position of Pittsburg pointed it out as a place of future importance not only in the civil but also in the ecclesiastical order. Bishop Flaget appears to have been the first to regard it as the future see of a Bishop, having enter- tained this idea as early as 1825. Previous to that date Dr. Gallitzin urged upon Archbishop Maréchal the propriety of establishing a bishopric in the western part of Pennsylvania, and spoke of the advantages possessed by his favorite Loretto.t Few would have agreed with him at that time, so far as the lo- cality was concerned ; none would have agreed with him twenty years later, when the see was actually established. It was not, however, until twelve years later that a motion was made in that direction by the proper authorities. " As early as 1835 Bishop Kenrick proposed to the Cardinal Prefect of the Pro- paganda a division of his diocese by the erection of a new see at Pittsburg, and he recommended the appointment of Rev. John Hughes as Bishop either of Philadelphia or Pittsburg, as might seem most expedient to the Holy See. The suggestion was approved, and in January, 1836, the documents erecting the new See of Pittsburg and transferring Dr. Kenrick to it, and appointing Dr. Hughes Coadjutor and Administrator of Phila- delphia, were actually prepared at Rome."# Bishop England, of Charleston, S. C., suggested a canonical impediment, and nothing was done until the meeting of the Third Provincial Council at Baltimore, April 16th, 1837, when the matter was discussed, but without any definite action being passed upon it. The Fourth Council did not raise the question, and in the mean time Dr. O'Connor was sent to Pittsburg as Vicar-Gen-
* I have everywhere used the designation "Dr. Gallitzin," as the name by which he is universally known in Western Pennsylvania.
t Life of Gallitzin, p. 346.
# Lives of the Deceased American Bishops, vol. i. p. 500.
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EXTENT OF THE DIOCESE.
eral, as we have seen, which partially supplied the want of a Bishop. The subject was taken up in the Fifth Provincial Council, which assembled May 14th, 1843, and the division was recommended to the Holy See, with the name of Dr. O'Con- nor, as it is believed, as the most suitable person to fill the new see. Both were confirmed at Rome. " The new diocese being detached from Philadelphia comprised, according to the bull of erection, 'Western Pennsylvania.' This designation not being so well defined as was first supposed, the Bishops of Philadelphia and Pittsburg agreed to consider the latter as comprising the counties of Bedford, Huntingdon, Clearfield, M.Kean, and Potter, and all west of them in Pennsylvania. This was afterwards confirmed by the Holy See, the two Bishops having united in an application for that purpose. The new county of Fulton having been created before the issuing of this Rescript, it was considered as belonging to the Diocese of Philadelphia, inasmuch as, though previously forming part of Bedford, it was a separate county at the re- ceipt of the Rescript, which described Bedford as the eastern boundary of the Diocese of Pittsburg." *
The new diocese consequently embraced twenty-seven of the most western counties of the State-Blair, Laurence, and Cameron having been formed at a subsequent date-and an area of about 21,300 square miles, or a little less than half that of the State, with perhaps not more than one third either of the entire or of the Catholic population.
A report of the acts of the Council reached the Holy Father soon after the arrival of Dr. O'Connor in Rome, and the con- fidence of the American prelates, the reputation of Fr. O'Con- nor at Rome, and the impression which his appearance was so well calculated to make upon those with whom he came in contact, determined the Holy Father to consult rather for the good of the Church than for the wishes of one of her members by confirming the choice of the Council. The surprise and dismay of the unsuspecting priest may well be imagined, when, upon kneeling at the feet of the venerable Pontiff to ask permission to enter the Society of Jesus, he was forbidden to rise until he should promise to become Bishop of Pittsburg.
* Diocesan Register.
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EARLY LIFE OF RT. REV. M. O'CONNOR.
" You shall be a Bishop first," said the Holy Father, " and a Jesuit afterwards." These prophetic words, as we shall see, were literally fulfilled. The bull of this appointment was dated August 7th, and he was consecrated by Cardinal Fran- soni, in the church of St. Agatha, at Rome, on the 15th. Im- mediately the care of his diocese became the sole object of his attention. But before contemplating him as Bishop a brief sketch of his early life will be of advantage to the reader.
MICHAEL O'CONNOR was born near the city of Cork, Ire- land, September 27th, 1810. He received his early education at Queenstown, and at fourteen years of age crossed over to France, where he continued his studies for a few years. He was then sent to the College of the Propaganda at Rome by the Bishop of Cloyne and Ross. To this institution came students from all parts of the world, the select youths of their respective dioceses, and to find a place among them was in itself an evidence of more than ordinary natural endowments, as well as the manifestation of a disposition to turn them to the best account in the service of religion. Here he prose- cuted his course of studies, which was closed with one of the most successful and brilliant defences ever witnessed in that celebrated institution-a defence which left him a reputation. for learning that few have been able to equal and perhaps none to surpass. Cardinal Wiseman, then rector of the Eng- lish College, speaks in terms of high commendation of the manner in which Mr. O'Connor won the doctor's cap and ring. He was ordained a priest June Ist, 1833, and immediately appointed Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Propaganda, and soon after Vice-Rector of the Irish College. He returned to his native land, but at what precise date is not known, and was placed by the Bishop of Cloyne in the parish of Fermoy. After remaining in Ireland for some time, he ac- cepted the invitation of Bishop Kenrick in 1839 to come to Philadelphia. Immediately after his arrival he was made a professor in the ecclesiastical seminary of St. Charles Borromeo, and soon after president. He also attended Mor- ristown twice in the month. While still at the seminary he built St. Francis Xavier's Church, Fairmount, and was finally.
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ARRIVAL OF THE BISHOP.
transferred to Pittsburg as Vicar-General and pastor of St. Paul's.
Bishop O'Connor left Rome soon after his consecration, and passed through Ireland on his way to America, with a view of providing priests and religious for his diocese ; for he had not merely to govern, but, much more, to create it. Calling at Maynooth, he made an appeal to the students, which has been described by one who heard and responded to it .* Says the writer :
"On an evening in October (1843), as the students were assembled in the prayer-hall, a strange prelate was observed beside the dean on the bench usually occupied by the latter. The whole exterior of the distinguished visitor, in whom it was hard to say whether the captivating grace of natural dignity or the impressive evidence of intellectual superiority predominated, bespoke the presence of no ordinary man." Having been introduced by the dean, " the distinguished visitor arose and addressed the students ; . . . and in conclusion observed he had no inducement to offer except plenty of labor and little for it." Five students whose course of studies was almost completed, and three others also far advanced, resolved to accompany the Bishop. Coming to Dublin, he obtained a colony of seven Sisters of the recently founded Order of Our Lady of Mercy, to take charge of parish schools and of the higher education of young ladies. These were the first Sisters of the order to establish a convent in the United States; and the permanent benefit they have conferred on religion not only in the Diocese of Pittsburg but throughout the country is the highest eulogium that could be pronounced on the zeal and foresight of Dr. O'Con- nor in introducing them. He sailed for America November 12th, and arrived at Pittsburg on the 3d of December.
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