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 8
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* Funeral Discourse of Fr. Clarke, S.J.
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PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
Together with his other acquirements, Dr. O'Connor was also a linguist of considerable note. Besides the English lan- guage, he was familiar with the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, among the dead, and with the Irish, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, among the living tongues.
In stature Dr. O'Connor was slightly above the medium height, rather heavy than slender, but not adipose; of an erect and commanding figure, but without affectation or assumption of dignity. On the contrary, he was indifferent of his dress and appearance to a degree bordering on carelessness. But notwithstanding this he could not if he wished conceal his innate superiority, and we may say with the poet :
" His grandeur he derived from heaven alone, For he was great ere Fortune made him so."
Dr. O'Connor left no writings beyond a few published lec- tures and his contributions to The Catholic and perhaps to some other periodicals. His life was too active to permit the leisure necessary to commit his thoughts to writing.
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CHAPTER VI.
HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL FROM 1860 TO 1873.
Statistics of the Diocese-Appointment and consecration of Rt. Rev. Michael Domenec-Biographical notice-He visits Rome and Madrid-Rev. J. Hickey rector of the Cathedral-Father M'Mahon retires to Philadelphia-The new organ-The Bishop again visits Rome-The towers built-Conseciation of Bishop Mullen, of Erie-The Golden Age of Pittsburg-The Bishop again visits Rome to attend the Vatican Council-Death of Dr. Keogh, and bio- graphical notice-Sisters of Charity and Ursuline Nuns-Death of Rev. D. Devlin-Little Sisters of the Poor-Sisters of the Good Shepherd-The Cath- olic Institute.
BEFORE attempting to trace the history of the diocese under the administration of its second Bishop, it is proper to cast a retrospective glance at the condition of the Church over which he was called to rule. When Bishop O'Connor was forced by declining health to resign his see, the statis- tics of the diocese were as follows : Seventy-seven churches, eighty-six priests, thirty clerical students, four male and two female religious orders, one seminary, three male and two female institutions of learning, two orphan asylums, one hos- pital, and a Catholic population of more than 50,000.
The first intelligence . that reached Pittsburg of the ap- pointment of a successor to the late Bishop was a report that a consistory had been held on the 28th of September, 1860, in which Rev. Michael Domenec, pastor of St. Vincent of Paul's Church, Germantown, Pa., had been promoted to the vacant see. The report proved to be correct, and the appointment was officially announced in The Catholic of November 24th. The Bishop elect arrived in the city early in December, and fixed the 9th of the same month as the day of his consecra- tion. The ceremony took place in the cathedral, and was attended with unusual pomp. Most Rev. F. P. Kenrick, Archbishop of Baltimore, was consecrating prelate. The ser-
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RT. REV. MICHAEL DOMENEC.
mon was preached by Rt. Rev. J. Timon, of Buffalo. And here it is proper to pause and give a brief sketch of the early life of the newly consecrated prelate.
RT. REV. MICHAEL DOMENEC was born of wealthy pa- rents in the city of Ruez, near Tarragona, in the north-east of Spain, in 1816. His early education was acquired in the schools of Madrid ; but owing to the disturbances occasioned by the Carlist war, he was obliged at the age of fifteen to re- tire to France. He entered a college in the southern part of that country, and some time later came to Paris, where he en- tered the seminary of the Lazarists, and soon after joined their congregation. He sailed from France in company with Very Rev. John Timon, Visitor-General of the congregation in the United States, on the 15th of October, 1837, and arrived at the Barrens in Missouri on the 10th of the following Febru- ary .* After remaining here and pursuing his studies, espe- cially the study of the English language, he was raised to the sacred dignity of the priesthood, June 29th, 1839. In the following year he was sent with two other fathers of the congregation to Cape Girardeau, where he built a college, and in 1842 he returned to the seminary at the Barrens.t Not satisfied, however, with his duties as professor, he also labored on the mission in the wilds of Missouri until the year 1845, when he was sent in company with other fathers of the congregation to take charge of the diocesan seminary at Philadelphia. He was at the same time pastor of the little congregation at Nicetown, and afterwards of that at Germantown. Here he erected a handsome church, and took up his residence; and it was from here that he was called to rule the Diocese of Pittsburg.
The diocese had been so thoroughly organized by Bishop O'Connor that little was left to his successor beyond paying off a considerable debt still due on the cathedral, and provid- ing for the wants of an increasing Catholic population. The zeal and energy which he manifested in the administration of the diocese was not long in bearing its fruits, as the sequel
* Life of Bishop Timon, pp. 62, 64.
t Life of Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, pp. 267 and 268. In this work his name is invariably spelled Domenech.
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THE BISHOP VISITS EUROPE.
will amply testify. In 1861 he dedicated two new churches and another that had been enlarged.
At the invitation of the Holy Father he crossed the Atlan- tic on his first visit to Rome, sailing April 21st, 1862, to be present at the canonization of the Japanese Martyrs, and leav- ing Very Rev. E. M.Mahon Administrator. The Rebellion was then at its height, and it is said that the Bishop accepted a mission from the Government of the United States to that of Spain, which kingdom it was feared was about to recog- nize the Southern Confederacy. He visited Madrid, where he had several audiences with the queen and her ministers. Archbishop Hughes, at whose instance this important mission was entrusted to him, is reported to have said that "Bishop Domenec, of all those who had been sent by the Government of the United States to arrange these matters, is the only one who had ever really succeeded in his mission." This was cer- tainly a high compliment when the delicate and perplexing nature of the negotiation is taken into account .* He returned to Pittsburg on the 16th of September.
During this year three new churches were built or en- larged. The demand for iron created by the war began also to be favorably felt in Pittsburg.
On the 6th of January, 1863, Rev. John Hickey, till then assistant at St. Patrick's Church and professor for a time at the diocesan seminary, was appointed rector of the cathe- dral in the place of Very Rev. E. M.Mahon, who had filled that important post in a very able manner for about thirteen years. Soon after this time Rev. T. Mullen, of Allegheny City, succeeded Fathe: M.Mahon as Vicar-General of the diocese. The latter then retired to Philadelphia, where he was immediately appointed pastor of one of the leading con- gregations of that city. His departure was a serious loss to the Diocese of Pittsburg ; for besides being a man of mature age and vast experience, he was eminently fitted for the trans- action of business. Towards the close of the same year Very Rev. James O'Connor was succeeded by Dr. Keogh as presi- dent of the seminary. He too retired to Philadelphia, and
* The Biographical Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania for the Nineteenth Century, Art. M. Domenec.
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COMPLETION OF THE CATHEDRAL.
was appointed to an honorable position. They were joined in 1865 by Dr. Keogh, and Pittsburg lost three of its most learned and valuable priests.
Ten churches were built or enlarged in different parts of the diocese in 1863 and '4.
In November, 1865, a public Catholic library and reading- room were opened principally through the exertions of Father Mullen. The Sisters of St. Francis also entered the diocese, and soon after opened a hospital; and two new churches were dedicated.
The small organ in the cathedral was replaced by a very large and powerful instrument in 1866, which at the time of its erection was, with few exceptions, the largest in the coun- try. In the same year the Franciscan Brothers retired from Pittsburg, and the boys' school passed into the hands of the Sisters of Mercy, by whom it is still taught.
Five new or enlarged churches were also added to those already in the diocese, and eight in the following year.
On the 20th of May, 1867, Bishop Domenec again set out for Rome, to be present at the canonization of certain saints and the celebration of the centenary of the martyrdom of St. Peter. He returned September 27th of the same year.
About this time Father Hickey directed his attention to the erection of the two front towers of the cathedral At the time the sacred edifice was built one of these had been raised to the level of the roof, but nothing had been done on the other. In 1868 he finished one of them, and in the following year the other. They are built of brick, with cut-stone trim- mings, and rise to the extraordinary height of 282 and 285 feet respectively. Their fine proportions excite the admira- tion of all who see them. In the cross of the tower, at the left front corner, is a cross of gas-jets which is lighted on the eves of certain feasts by means of electricity, and may be seen at a great distance.
That portion of the cathedral congregation lying in the vicinity of Oakland and Soho was detached in April, 1868, to form the parish of St. Agnes. The Point was also cut off in November, to form the congregation of St. Mary of Consola- tion, now St. Mary of Mercy. But the most important event
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THE GOLDEN AGE OF PITTSBURG.
of the year was the promotion of Very Rev. Tobias Mullen, of St. Peter's Church, Allegheny, to the vacant See of Erie. He was consecrated with imposing ceremony by Bishop Domenec in the Cathedral of Pittsburg, August 2d, 1868, in presence of a large number of prelates and' of the inferior clergy, Rev. S. Wall, of the seminary, preaching the sermon. On the 30th of March, 1869, the rector of the cathedral was appointed Vicar-General of the diocese, and Rev. J. Tuigg, of Altoona, Vicar-Forane for the mountain district.
During the same year five new or enlarged churches marked the increase of the Catholic population. The years that followed the close of the Rebellion until the financial crisis of the fall of 1873 were the season of the greatest pros- perity for Pittsburg. Work was abundant in the mines and manufactories, wages were high, and, although building lots commanded a fair price, houses were erected in large num- bers, the limits of the city were extended, and the population increased rapidly. The laboring population, which is largely composed of natives of Ireland and Germany, swelled the city congregations especially, and forced their pastor to en- large existing churches and form new parishes. It was the Golden Age in the history of Pittsburg. Men became infatu- ated with their prosperity, and precipitated the crisis that so sadly changed the face of things. The Church, tasting of the material prosperity, also caught the infatuation to some ex- tent, and in a few instances brought upon herself embarrass- ments from which she will not be free until after many years of the most rigid economy. Nor need we wonder at this ; for if men were deceived who had made financiering the business of their lives, much more might those be misled whose business it is to lay up and teach others to lay up their treasures rather in heaven than upon earth. The priest, like every one else, occupies a position that requires certain neces- sary qualifications ; and it is a misfortune that in a country like ours where the Church is being built up, the collection and disbursement of money, or financiering, as it is called, should be among these qualifications. But it is taking a very erroneous, not to say, more truly, a very degrading, view of the sacred ministry to estimate a priest's worth and character
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DEATH OF REV. JAMES KEOGH, D.D.
by his ability to raise money and pay it out to advantage. His mission is of an infinitely higher order ; and, provided he makes a proper use of the talent which God has given him, it is no reproach that he whom St. Paul calls a " man of God " should be but an indifferent man of the world. It is pitiable enough for worldlings to worship the golden calf : but it is an abomination to give it a place in the sanctuary.
When the organ and the towers of St. Paul's were complet- ed the magnificent edifice stood forth in all the grandeur of Bishop O'Connor's conception of it, and but for the dust that slumbered on every part it would have been one of the most splendid monuments of the faith and generosity of American and Irish Catholics in this country. It was found necessary to take down the central tower, which was of wood and too frail to be considered safe, and with it was taken away a part of the brick-work. The dome was then covered with an iron imitation of a dome, which, however useful it may be, can hardly be regarded as ornamental. But though finished, St. Paul's was burdened with considerable debt, and it is a matter of debate whether it would not have been better to have de- ferred its completion for a time.
In September, 1869, that portion of the cathedral congre- gation lying south of the Monongahela River was formed into a separate parish under the patronage of St. Malachy. Soon after this date, October 18th, the Bishop set out for Rome, to be present at the Vatican Council, and he did not return till after the close of its sessions. In the mean time Father Hickey was administrator of the diocese. In the same year seven churches were either built or enlarged.
Among the events of the following year was the death of Rev. James Keogh, D.D., a man upon whom Providence had bestowed the most extraordinary gifts. His death took place on the ioth of July, 1870, at Our Lady of Victories, East Liberty. The following sketch will afford an idea, necessarily imperfect, of his uncommon endowments.
REV. JAMES KEOGH, D.D., a man who for mental endow- ments has had few equals and no superior in the Church in this country, was the son of Mr. Martin Keogh, and was born at Enniscorthy, in county of Wexford, February 4th, 1834-
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF DR. KEOGH.
He came to this country with his parents in 1841, and made his home for a short time in Cleveland. But they soon after came to Pittsburg, where young James, a prodigy even in childhood, attracted the attention of Bishop O'Connor. He was afforded all the facilities of education which the limited resources of Pittsburg placed within his reach, and at twelve years of age entered the preparatory department of St. Michael's Seminary. But so brilliant were his talents and so exemplary his conduct that the Bishop determined to send him to Rome, where he should have opportunities in keeping with his natural ability. He set out for the Holy City at the age of sixteen, and on arriving entered the College of the Propaganda. No better evidence of his extraordinary talent and the use he made of it could be given than the defence in Philosophy which he made on the 21st of August, 1851, when he had been in the college little more than a year and a half, and when he was but seventeen and a half years of age. Comment- ing upon this defence, The Catholic says : " He sustained nobly one hundred and twenty propositions from the whole course of Philosophy and embracing the most important points of Logic, Ideology, Natural Theology, Psychology, Cosmology, as well as Ethics, general and particular. Professors from the Roman College, the Roman Seminary, and the Ecclesias- tical Academy, and others, entered the lists against him. He acquitted himself most honorably, as we may learn from the fact that he received by the unanimous vote of the faculty the highest degree of the college in that department and a splendid gold medal into the bargain, and he whom many of our readers remember as a little fair-haired boy who used to serve Mass so well in St. Paul's Cathedral is now, though not yet eighteen, Doctor of Philosophy in the Propaganda at Rome."
But however brilliant his defence may have been on this occasion, it was eclipsed by that in Theology, which occurred on the 19th of November, 1855. This was the most remark- able that had taken place in the Propaganda since that of the late Cardinal Cullen, in 1828. The Civiltà Cattolica, the- lead- ing Catholic paper of the world, in an article translated by The Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph, after complimenting the
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF DR. KEOGH.
Propaganda, according to the Roman style, on its prosperity, continues :
" On the 19th of November we witnessed a proof of this prosperity in a public Defence of Theses selected from His- tory and Dogmatic Theology, by James Keogh, of Pittsburg, in the United States of America. The theses themselves are a proof of the high grade of studies in the college; the answers of the youthful defendant showed an extraordinary talent, and were evidence of energetic and persevering study of his sub- ject ; and the noble assemblage of the most learned and digni- fied personages of Rome shows the interest felt by all ranks in this well-conducted institution.
"Of the 317 theses, 103 were from Ecclesiastical History, the remaining 214 from Dogmatic Theology.
"The Historical theses involve the great controverted points of history regarding the authority of the Holy See, questions of the simple or dogmatic facts ; and they show, be- sides a wide comprehension of an immense subject, the depth and solidity of the study of history. The Dogmatic proposi- tions are divided into five parts-'Of God and his Attributes, Of the Divine Trinity, Of the Chief Prophecies concerning the Messiah, Of the Incarnation of the Son of God, Of the Sacraments of the New Law'-and evince correct apprehension, a sound judgment, and vast knowledge of Theological science. This, however, is the merit of the Faculty of the Urban Col- lege. The merit of the young student (but twenty-one years of age) consists in his great advancement in these studies. In the Exhibition of the 19th, both morning and evening, he showed himself able to catch at once the most difficult objection, to grapple with it, and not only to solve it but make it a text for a brief but conclusive confirmation of his thesis. Some of the most learned and dignified persons in Rome, some by invitation, some by choice, entered the lists with the youthful champion, and were delighted with the readiness, the clearness, the profoundness shown in his an- swers to the well-proposed objections.
" As to the assemblage that gave such éclat to this exhibi- tion, it is enough for us to say that rarely even in Rome, where they are wont to be conducted with the greatest splen-
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF DR. KEOGH.
dor, have we witnessed one accompanied with such magnifi- cence as this. For besides the very great number of the most learned and eminent Romans who were present, His Holiness Pope Pius IX. was pleased not only to accept the dedication of the public act made to himself, but also to honor it by his presence in the afternoon."
Besides the degree of Doctor of Divinity, Mr. Keogh re- ceived a large gold medal " for his talent and promptness, his extensive information and powerful reasoning," which was approved, as the programme of the exercises says, "by the Holy Father himself."
As yet he was too young to be ordained even by ordinary dispensation, and he was obliged to wait until the 5th of the following August. He was then raised to the sacred dignity of the priesthood by Cardinal Patrizi. He soon after set out for America, stopping in Ireland on his way, and arrived in November. He was assigned the chaplaincy of St. Xavier's Academy, Westmoreland County, and with it the care of the rising congregation at Latrobe, where he finished the church then in course of erection. Having remained there until Oc- tober, 1857, he was transferred to the diocesan seminary then opened at Glenwood. Here he filled the chair of Dogmatic Theology and of several other branches, and was vice-presi- dent of the institution, and those who had the privilege of at- tending his classes can bear witness to his ability as a pro- fessor. In October, 1863, he succeeded Very Rev. James O'Connor as president; but from about this time his health began to decline, and at different times his life was believed to be in danger. He was also editor of The Catholic, a posi- tion which he resigned on the 7th of September, 1864.
At length in the following summer he withdrew to the Diocese of Philadelphia, whither Very Revs. E. M.Mahon and Jas. O'Connor had preceded him. His health improved, and he was appointed to the professorship of Dogmatic Theology, Hebrew, Sacred Scripture, and Rubrics in the Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo. When the Second Plenary Council opened at Baltimore, in October, 1866, he was appointed one of the secretaries, and his extensive learning was brought into requisition. When the (Philadelphia) Catholic Standard was
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DEATH OF REV. D. DEVLIN.
first published, in the same year, he became editor, and he continued to fill the chair until 1868, when, his health continu- ing to decline, his physician required him to retire for a time from his active duties and seek repose in the country. He returned to the Diocese of Pittsburg, where so many of his friends and former pupils were laboring on the mission ; and retired to St. Augustine's Church, Cambria County, where in quiet, and as his health permitted, he assisted the pastor, Rev. Ed. Burns. He also contributed a number of articles to the Catholic World, among others, as he informed me, that on " The Council of Trent" (October, 1869) and that on " The Greek Schism" (March, 1870). Besides these he has left no writings except a few printed lectures.
But the hopes that had been entertained of the re-establish- ment of his health were doomed to disappointment. At times he appeared to rally, but he was in reality declining. Feeling that his end was drawing near, he came to Pittsburg about the end of June, 1870, and stopped at the house of the Oblates of St. Charles Borromeo, in East Liberty. Here he terminated his career by a most edifying death on the 10th of July, in the 37th year of his age. His funeral took place from St. Mary's Church, Forty-sixth Street, and his remains were laid to rest in St. Mary's Cemetery.
In the words of the Catholic Standard, " Dr. Keogh was a thorough scholar, an accomplished gentleman, a great linguist. In society he was genial, and as a conversationalist he was without a superior, so great and varied was the store of his knowledge." It may be remarked, however, that he was better fitted both by nature and inclination for the chair of a professor than for the administration of the public affairs of the Church.
During the year 1870 six new churches were built, and the Sisters of Charity opened a convent in Altoona. In Janu- ary of the following year a colony of French Ursuline Nuns established themselves in Pittsburg, and opened a young ladies' academy.
On the 28th of November Rev. Daniel Devlin, one of the assistant priests of the Cathedral, died somewhat suddenly at
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RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS.
the residence of his parents, a few miles south of Pittsburg, in the 34th year of his age.
REV. DANIEL DEVLIN was born near Pittsburg; but his parents had emigrated a short time before from a place near Coleraine, in county Tyrone, Ireland. At the age of fourteen he was sent to the academy of the Franciscan Brothers at Lo- retto, and after remaining there for a time he was sent to another institution to pursue his course of theology. He then entered the Benedictine Order at St. Vincent's Abbey. As a member of that body he labored on the mission in differ- ent parts of Canada. Returning to the United States, he joined the ranks of the secular clergy and labored on various missions. The last years of his life, when his health was declining, were spent at the Cathedral. He was remarkable for the simplicity of his character and his gentleness of man- ner. His remains repose in St. Mary's Cemetery.
Ten churches were built or enlarged during the course of 1871, and the Catholic population, especially in the cities, was rapidly increasing and enjoying a high degree of temporal prosperity.
In April, 1872, a colony of Little Sisters of the Poor arrived in Pittsburg and opened a home for the aged ; and in October of the same year the Sisters of the Good Shepherd also came and founded a Magdelene asylum. The Catholic Institute, a day college, was opened this year, and gave fair promise of a prosperous career. This year was also destined to surpass all previous and subsequent years in the number of churches built and enlarged. Eleven were dedicated during its course. But from this time forward a marked decline will be per- . ceived, which results from the financial panic of 1873.
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