USA > Pennsylvania > Cambria County > Loretto > Souvenir of Loretto centenary, October 10, 1899 : 1799-1899 ,Saint Michael's Catholic Church > Part 6
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The news of his fatal illness spread rapidly and his faith- ful flock was filled with consternation. The nearest priests, Father Lemke from St. Joseph's, Father Bradley from Newry, and Father Heyden from Bedford, were hastily summoned, and were with him at the end. "My will, " he said, "is made. I trust as far as that is concerned I can depart in peace, that no one will lose anything through me, that there may even be something over. Now, I wish first of all to receive the last Sacraments, and then do with me as you will." As soon as midnight had passed Father Lemke said mass in the sick room, all the household being present, and gave him Holy Communion.
So he lay there resting until the evening of the 6th of . Muy, between six and seven o'clock. When the hour came for the laborers to go home from their work, they saw that he was going also. Father Heyden read the prayers for the dying, the room door was opened, the crowd in the house and adjoining chapel prayed with tears and sobs. In a few min- utes, without any perceptible sign, all was over; the heavens were open, all their joy-bells were ringing a welcome peal; he had gone home to his own country.
The funeral was set for Saturday, May 9th. By that time, notwithstanding the bad roads and the fact that no in- vitations or publie announcement were given, the entire pop- ulation for tifty miles around had gathered in Loretto. It was but a few steps from the chapel to the church, and the only direction in regard to the funeral which Father Gallitzin himself had given, was that he might be laid between the two, where he had passed a thousand times from his house to the altar, and where his children gone before would be around him. But as so many contended for the honor of bearing him to the church, and then to his last resting place, it was de- cided that the procession should pass through the village and
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back to the church. Although the route extended nearly a mile, and the pall-bearers were exchanged every few minutes, many had not been able to enjoy the coveted distinction by the time the procession reached the church. The mass was sing by Father Heyden, assisted by Fathers McGirr, Lemke and Rattigan. Father leyden preached a funeral sermon in Eng- fish from the text: The just shall live in everlasting remem- brenner: and Father Lemke made some remarks in German, taking as his text: Of whom the world was not worthy: wan- dering in deserts, in mountains, and in dens, and in cares of the with. The people were forced from the coffin and the lid closed. It was placed in one of zinc, and amid heartrending wails lowered into the earth, midway between the church and the chapel.
In his will Father Gallitzin directed that his debts and funeral expenses should be paid as soon after his decease as possible. He left the farm upon which St. Michael's Church was built, and the lands belonging to it, to the Bishop of Philadelphia, or to his successors who might be appointed to the Western Diocese of Pennsylvania, and his successors, in trust forever for the support and use of the Roman Catholic clergy duly appointed to officiate at St. Michael's Church; also to the same a square of six lots in the town of Loretto, upon which to erect a new church. The remainder of his estate was to be appropriated for the relief of poor widows and orphans; for masses for the faithful departed ; to aid in the erection of a Catholic Church in Loretto upon the lots mentioned, and for legacies to several persons who had been brought up in his house.
The little furniture his house contained was eagerly bonght by his parishioners, who cherish with pride and af- fection, and transmit as a sacred inheritance to their children, the least thing that had once been his.
It seems strange to us at this late day that his last wishes in some respects were so utterly disregarded. It was his desire that his mortal remains should be interred in the midst of those of his flock who had gone before him, but seven years after his demise they were lifted and moved to a
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considerable distance from the spot from which he had hoped to be summoned to judgment. The six lots that he had set aside for the location of the new church in the borough of Loretto were otherwise disposed of, and the church event- ually built in the township. Of the hundreds of acres be- queathed for the resident clergy, not two score yet remain to serve the original purpose. Of his bequest "to aid in the erection of a Catholic Church in Loretto upon the lots men- tioned" there is an account in the church books of only $192.36.
THE TOMB.
In pursuance of the plan to beautify the tomb of the il- lustrious pioneer missionary of the Alleghenies, Rev. Fordi- nand Kittell, the present pastor of the Loretto congregation, thought well to commence with the coffin which held his ven- erated remains. It was known that the coffin was in an advanced state of decay, for even the zinc casing had rusted
THE TOMB OF FATHER GALLITZIN. ERECTED 1847.
away, and there was reason to fear lest in a short time the frail tenemenit would collapse; in which event the mortal re- mains of the sainted Gallitzin would fall to the ground be-
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neath. Accordingly, having procured a metallic air-tight casket, the Reverend pastor fixed on Monday, July 20, 1891, as the date for the solem transfer of the remains. They were carried with appropriate religious ceremonies from the vault, where they had rested for more than forty years, into the sanctuary of the church. When the zinc casing was removed it was found that the lid and sides of the coffin were almost entirely decayed. Nearly all the bones had crumbled into dnst, but the skull was found to be almost perfect. The wooden chalice which had been placed in his hands still pre- served its form, but would not bear much handling. A piece of the lining of the chasuble, the ribbons that bound it around the body and the soles of the shoes were found to be still intact. All the rest was a mass of human dust commingled with the decayed wood and lining of the coffin. And this was all that remained of one who might have been among the first in the government of an empire, if God had not called him to be the Apostle of the Alleghenies.
The bottom of the coffin, being in a reasonably good state of preservation, was tenderly lifted, and with its pre- cious freight carefully deposited in the new casket, which was then borne back to the vault.
The following persons assisted at the solemn ceremony : The pastor, Rov. Ferdinand Kittell; Rev. J. C. Bigham, of New Brighton; Rev. P. May, of Mt. Pleasant; Rev. M. M. Sheedy, of Pittsburg: Messrs. Adam Rudolph, W. A. B. Lit- tle, Philip J. Sanders, members of the Church Committee; Sebastian Fry, undertaker ; Messrs. Eugene and Bernard W. Litzinger; and Augustine Conrad, sexton.
Every summer since then the vault has been a place of pilgrimage. But it is to be regretted that relic-hunters, abusing the privilege of access to the vault, have defaced the casket by unscrewing and deliberately carrying away the silver-plated knobs that ornamented it.
MISSION AT LORETTO, 1851.
During the pastorate of Rev. Hugh P. Gallagher, the first Mission in the Diocese of Pittsburg was given in the old 1
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frame church at Loretto in the year 1851. One of the most interesting periods of the Catholic Church in Cambria County was the time of this Mission, which commenced on Low Sun- day and closed on the third Sunday after Easter. The priests who conducted the Mission were Rev. Fathers Alex- ander, Hecker, Walworth and Hewitt, all converts to the Catholic faith. This flourishing and important Catholic set- tlement, in which so much zeal was manifested, and such noble sacrifices made by the illustrious Father Gallitzin, was tlms singularly favored in having such a rare opportunity of reviving the spirit of religion. Here were witnessed scenes of such edification and spiritual fruit as must have vividly recalled to mind the fervor of primitive times, and those hal- cyon days of the Church when the multitude of believers had but one heart and one sou !.
From carly dawn until far into the shades of night Father , Alexander occupied the confessional, and, making himself the servant of all, he dispensed comfort and peace to his many penitents. With the other Rev. Fathers assisting, many an inveterate prodigal, and many a seemingly lost one, were gathered in and reconciled. The instructive and practical part of piety fell principally to the lot of Father Hecker, and ably, day after day and night after night, did he discharge his task. On the evening of the last day of the Mission the ceremony of the planting of the Cross took place to perpetu- ate the remembrance of the happy event. The Cross was fifty feet in height, and was decorated with evergreens from top to bottom. A grand procession, consisting of some thousands of both sexes, followed by the Franciscan Broth- ers, religious societies, acolytes, local clergy, pastors of neighboring congregations and the Missionary fathers, was formed at the church. The Cross was borne by sixty hardy men of the congregation, and escorted by the Cambria Volun- teers, who had signalized themselves by their valor in the Mexican War, and who now, by their presence and admirable discipline, contributed to the splendor of religion. For about three-quarters of a mile the great cortege was spread, and it ceased not to maintain the most perfect order and discipline
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while marching to the place appointed, which was in front of the new brick church, then in course of erection, and of the monument erected but a few years previously to the memory of the venerable Gallitzin. The pulpit used during the Mis- sion had been carried by the multitude to the same spot, and ascending it Father Walworth addressed the vast attentive crowd. More than three thousand people responded with sobs and tears to the spirit stirring appeal of the Rev. Father ; and after the sermon the Papal Benediction was imparted to the prostrate multitude. When the Cross had been blessed the joyful and happy people planted it in its destined place, amid volleys from the soldiers; and the crowd gradually dis- persed, each one seeming to say to his neighbor: "It is good for ns to be here."
It is here worthy of remark that among the many arti- cles placed in the corner stone of St. Paul's Cathedral, Pitts- burg, laid on Sunday, June 15, 1851, by the Rt. Rev. Michael O'Connor, D. D., the then Bishop, was a copy of the latest issne of The Pittsburg Catholic, which contained a complete account of the great Mission described above.
MONSIGNOR BEDINI, THE NUNZIO TO BRAZIL, IN CAMBRIA COUNTY.
On the evening of Tuesday, December 6, 1858, Monsignor Bedini arrived in Hollidaysburg from the east. Rt. Rev. Bishop Michael O'Connor met him there and accompanied him in his tour through the diocese. The Nunzio spoke in Italian, and his words were interpreted as expressing much gratification at the reception given him, and great delight at finding such a truly Catholic spirit everywhere in this country.
On the next day, after solem exercises in St. Mary's Church, Hollidaysburg, and an eloquent sermon by Rev. E. A. Garland, the Nunzio was conducted in a large procession to Newry, where ceremonies similar to those in Hollidays- burg took place, and a sermon was preached by Bishop O'Connor.
About six o'clock the same evening the Nunzio, with his cortege, arrived at the Summit. There the church was
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beautifully decorated in a style that evinced the correct taste and Catholic feeling of the congregation. But the next day, Thursday, Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, was the "Great Day" on the mountain; a day which is yet remembered by old parishioners as one of immense joy and special benediction. From an early hour multitudes came pouring in from all directions. The spacious church at the Summit was crowded to its utmost capacity, and thou- sands were compelled to remain outside. The Irish laborers on the Pennsylvania Central and Portage Railroads had turned out in great numbers, and with their green sashes and military bearing elicited the admiration of all. Bishop O'Connor preached an eloquent and forcible sermon on the perpetuity of the Church, and how it depended upon the unity and supremacy of the Holy See of Rome.
Under the direction of Captain William Ivory, as chief marshal, assisted by P. Clarke, A. Kelly, J. Collins and others as aids, a long and imposing procession moved along the pike westward towards Munster. In no part of the United States was Monsignor Bedini greeted with a more cordial welcome than that which he received in this truly Catholic locality. This immense crowd, of all ages and classes, prin- eipally from Loretto and Summit congregations, but largely represented by the Loop (St. Augustine), Chest Springs, Carrolltown and other neighboring towns and adjacent coun- try, and swelled into unusual dimensions by a large force of laborers on the railroad, assembled to welcome to their moun- tain home the distinguished prelate who came to represent the Vicar of Christ. The procession, marching by way of Munster and what is now Kaylor, was met at the upper end of Loretto by a strong body of horsemen from the Loop.
At Loretto the reception to the Nunzio was as imposing as it was unmistakably Catholic. A large body of the con- gregation, with music resounding and banners flying, met him on the hill at the north end of town, while about fifty of the Germans, nearly all of venerable age, with Philip Hertzog in the lead, rendered the "Grosser Gott" in magnificent style. The procession divided near the church to allow the
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Nunzio and his cortege to pass through. The address pre- pared in the name of the Catholics of Cambria was here de- livered by Mr. Thos. Collins, the gentleman who represented the county in the Legislature of the State. Very Rev. Father Heyden preached the sermon. The Loretto demonstration in honor of the representative of our Holy Father was most imposing and is talked of to this day.
On the following morning the Nunzio visited Ebensburg, and in the afternoon the clergy of the mountain district ac- companied him to Jefferson (now Wilmore), where he took the train for Pittsburg. During his entire trip through Cambria County, though it was made in the usually rough month of December, the weather was most beautiful.
DEDICATION OF THE BRICK CHURCH.
The ceremonies took place on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1554, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Neuman, Bishop of Phila- delphia, officiating on the occasion. After the dedication a Solomm Pontificial Mass was celebrated by Bishop Neuman, assisted by Revs. H. P. Gallagher, M. Corbett and J. O'Far- rell. The pastors of the churches in Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Carrolltown, Summit and Johnstown were present in the sanctuary and assisted in the ceremonies. Dr. Moriarty, of Philadelphia, who had been announced to preach the dedica- tion sermon, was prevented by serious indisposition from Fulfilling his engagement. His place was filled by Rev. Thomas MeCullagh, and Rev. Utho Huber, O. S. B., preached in German.
The two former parish churches, log and frame, had borne the name of St. Michael, under whose protection the parish had been placed by its holy founder, Father Gallitzin, in 1799; and it was strange that the new parish church should have been placed under a different invocation, that of St. Mary. Soon after he assumed charge of the parish in 1870 the Rev. Father Bush very properly restored the rightful title.
ST. MICHAEL'S PASTORAL RESIDENCE, LORETTO, PA. - 1899.
REV. HUGH P. GALLAGHER. PASTOR 1544-52.
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, LORETTO, PA., AND TOMB OF FATHER CALLITZIN. 1899.
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SINKING OF THE CHURCH FLOOR.
When the present brick church was built ( 1-59-58), an excavated basement was considered unnecessary. It was before the days of hot air, steam or hot water apparatus, and the churches, when heated at all, were heated by stoves set. in the aisles or against the side walls. Hence in building the present Church of St. Michael, the joists supporting the floor rested bni a short distance above the ground, and as little or no provision was made by the architect for ventilation, they Were soon affected by the dry rot which gradually consmned them. It was only a question of time when the floor was bound to collapse; and so it happened during high mass on Sunday, May 18, 1866. A regular panic took possession of the people who tilled the church. Many wore trampled nearly to death in the excited crowd rushing for the front and sacristy doors. Some even broke out the window glass to make their escape more quickly. Believing that the entire church was collapsing, Rev. Father Reynolds, the pastor, who was celebrating mass, hastily left the altar; but learning the nature of the catastrophe, and knowing its canse, he im- mediately returned and quickly restored order. Those who had fled to the outside now returned and mass was continued. Hlad the people reflected for an instant they might have known that nothing serious could have occurred; for on the north side, at any rate, where the panic was greatest, the floor could not have sik more than a few inches before resting on solid ground.
'To add to the confusion, just as mass was ended a most violent wind and rain storm burst forth with remarkable fury: and many, whose nerves were already excited by the experience just gone through, imagined that the church was about to fall. At both masses on this day a collection was taken up for Rev. Pollard MeCormick Morgan, the assistant priest of the parish, who, on the following morning, was to start on a trip to Europe.
PASTORS AND ASSISTANTS SINCE 1840.
After the death of Father Gallitzin, on May 6, 1840, Rev. Thomas Heyden was appointed pastor of St. Michael's; but
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not wishing to be separated from his congregation at Bed- ford to which he was much attached, he declined the appoint- ment. fle afterwards regretted this step, for by that means Father Gallitzin's letters and papers, which were of the greatest literary and historical, as well as personal, value, were suffered to become scattered and lost. Father Peter Henry Lemke was then appointed, and he continued as pastor until September, 1841, residing principally at Carrolltown, and giving the pastoral residence at Loretto over to the assist- auts for the time being. His assistants were Rev. Matthew William Gibson, Andrew P. (abbs and Thomas B. O'Flaherty.
Rev. Ingh Patrick Gallagher became pastor September 27, 1841, and remained until 1852. During his pastorate the first foundation of the Franciscan Brothers in the United States was established at Loretto; a branch House of the Sisters of Mercy, whose first foundation in the United States had been established a few years previously in Pittsburg, was started here with very humble beginnings; the monu- ment of Father Gallitzin was erected; the pew-rent system of supporting the church and pastor introduced; and the new brick church commenced and carried nearly to completion. The corner stone was laid in 1851, in which year also the great Mission was held.
In the congregation at this time, according to Bishop O'Connor's notes, there were 2,509 souls. Although three prosperous congregations have since been organized from the territory then included in the Loretto parish, the population of the latter on August 15th, this year, was 1234. Father Hugh Gallagher's assistants were his brother, familiarly known as "Father Joe," and Rov. N. Hacres.
Rev. Joseph A. Gallagher succeeded to the pastoratein 1852. He completed the new church the following year, and had it dedicated on January 6, 1854. Owing to its hasty construction, and to the further fact that the soft briek were placed in the back wall, the tower, soon after it was completed, fell in on the roof of the church and caused considerable damage. It was rebuilt, but only to within about twenty feet of its original height. It was topped with a spire, which in after years on
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account of the weakness of the tower, was taken down. The architect was Haden Smith, whose plans were revised by Joseph Null, the foreman of construction. The contractor was Richard Scanlan. The cost of the building was $13,024. 10. Father Joseph Gallagher had the honor of entertaining the Nunzio, Monsignor Bedini, during his visit to Loretto in December, 1553. He was assisted by Father Albinus Magno, C. P., one of the little band of Passionist Fathers, who, a short time previously, had established in Pitttburg their first foundation in the United States, and by the Benedictine Fathers of Carrolltown, who regularly for many years after- wards attended to the wants of the Germans of the Loretto parish.
In 1-55 Rov. Win. Pollard became pastor. Ho added the upper half story to the stone pastoral residence. He was as- sisted by Revs. John Ford and Francis J. O'Shea.
In November, 1859, Rov. Terence S. Reynolds succeeded to the pastorate. He was assisted by Revs. John Ford, F. J. O'Shea, Pollard McC. Morgan, Edward A. Bush, Andrew J. Brown and Henry McHugh. In the summer of 1868 he was succeeded by
Rev. Michael J. Mitchell, who was assisted by Revs. H. MeHugh, Andrew A. Lambing and H. Seymour Bowen.
In the early part of 1870 Rev. Edward A. Bush assumed charge of the parish, and wisely ruled it for full twenty years. From 1854, when the old frame church was aban- doned and the new brick one was ready for occupation, the pastors suffered no slight inconvenience in being obliged in all kinds of weather to traverse so frequently the long dis- tance between the pastoral residence and the church. At any rate the former, which eighty years ago was considered a respectable domicile, did not meet the requirements of modern ideas of comfort and convenience; and having more than served its purpose as a residence for the pastors of Loretto, it was fully time to erect a new one. This Father Bush did in 1874, completing the building in 1879. It stands close to the church, and for size, comfort, convenience and
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furniture, compares favorably with pastoral residences in large city parishes.
Father Bush also made many improvements in and around the church. He had the interior frescoed, steam heating apparatus put in the church, and hot water in the house; the roof of the church was covered with tin, and the cemetery enlarged. Hisassistants were Revs. H. S. Bowen, Daniel Devlin and Michael F'. Foley.
April 18, 1899, Rev. Martin Ryan became pastor, and re- mained in that capacity until March 8, 1891.
On April 1, 1891, Rev. Ferdinand Kittell, the present pastor, assumed charge of the parish. During his pastorate the old frame church and log barn of Father Gallitzin, being far beyond the possibility of repair, were razed to the ground; the chapel erceted in 1832 was rebuilt of practically the same material; the old pastoral residence was repaired, and is again used as a domicile; a tower was built for the church bell, which for many years had rested on trestles on the ground ; the Gallitzin monument was repaired, the mas- sive blocks of stone being removed and re-set; the remains of Father Gallitzin were transferred from the original, much decayed coffin to a metallic casket; the front of the church lot was graded and sodded ; horse sheds were put up; a two- story frame Parochial Hall, 40x80 feet, was erected at a cost of over $5,000; the space between the pastoral residence and the church built up and occupied; the frame part of the pas- toral residence raised to a level with the brick front, etc. For these repairs and improvements, and for current ex- penses, there has been collected and expended up to Septem- ber Ist, this year, 1899, the sum of $10,500, and the congre- gation is practically free from debt.
Father Kittell found the records of Father Gallitzin, from 1800 to a few days before his death in 1840, written on loose sheets and kept in a box. He arranged the sheets in chrono- logical order, and had them bound, together with the records of Father Lemke, in two volumes. He then copied the sub- sequent entries down to January 1, 1896, and had them also bonnd. These bound volumes he took with him to Rome in
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the spring of 1896, and during three months of the summer season which he spent in the ancient monastery of Galloro, on the Alban hills, six miles from the Eternal City, he made up his "Inder of Parish Records, Loretto, Pa. 1800-1890." This Index comprises an alphabetical list of 1301 marriages, giv- ing names and surnames of husband and wife, with date of marriage and name of officiating priest in each instance ; an alphabetical list of the maiden names and surnames of the married women (1850), which could be found in the records, set opposite the names of their husbands; and finally, an alphabetical list of all those (6949) baptized during the ninety- six years. These are arranged in family groups under the names of the parents, and in each instance are given the number of the entry, the name of the child, the date of birth, and the name of the priest who administered baptism. The labor in making up this Index was herculean, but the result is of the utmost importance; and it is doubtful if any other parish in the country has such a complete and convenient set of baptismal and matrimonial records. The number of families represented in this Index is 2143. The following table will be of interest, as showing the number of some fam- ilies bearing the same surname, and the number of children baptized in them :
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