USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Woonsocket > St. Charles', old and new > Part 2
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THE SANCTUARY
ST. CHARLES' - OLD AND NEW
years of age; but to no advantage. He returned, lingered for a few weeks in the rectory, and died August 3, 1867.
Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, D.D., the successor of Father Lenihan, took up the work of church construction where his predecessor had laid it down, and carried it on with great vigor. The church, however, was still far from complete, when, in May of the next year, the old church, that had served the parish since 1844, burned down. For a time public halls had to be resorted to, Mass being said for a few Sundays in what was then known as Armory hall. and then, in Harris hall, on Main street. The incon- veniences thus occasioned spurred on all concerned to do everything pos- sible to get the new church in some kind of condition for holding services, and to everybody's great satisfaction, in the late fall of that same year, 1868, it was used for the first time. Soon afterwards Father O'Reilly, who had come here only for a temporary sojourn, took up his residence in the Diocese of New York. He is remembered in St. Charles not only for having first opened the church for Holy Mass, but also for having secured the land on which the convent now stands, the price paid being $6,000.
The date of Father O'Reilly's departure was January, 1869. In Feb- ruary, Father McCabe returned. With that marvelous energy which characterized him he straightway set himself to the task of bringing the church to completion, and he rested not until he saw it dedicated. This great event took place on October 15, 1871, the ceremony being performed by the Rt. Rev. P. F. McFarland, with all the solemnity of the Catholic ritual and in the presence of a multitude of the clergy and the laity. From that date, October 15, 1871, to December 14, 1893, when Father McCabe passed to his reward, the parish was developed in every direction. A new school on River street, St. Michael's (the gift of Father McCabe himself) was put into operation; the convent, which still serves the Sisters of Mercy was built on Earle street; the present rectory was constructed; and the new church, entirely freed from debt, was consecrated on August 10, 1893. In addition to all this a large sum was gathered as the nucleus for the building of a new school which was projected to take the place of the old one on the corner of Earle and Daniels streets.
In view of such prodigious zeal and devotion, it is not surprising that the parish should have been found worthy to be elevated to the dignity of a permanent rectorship, and that the pastor himself should have been ele-
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vated to the position of Vicar General of the Diocese. His name will always stand at the very top of the long and honored list of those priests who have served Catholic parishes in this section of the country. The record of Father McCabe's stewardship could not be closed without setting down at least the names of some of the many priests who assisted him-Revs. P. Farrelly, P. J. Doyle, James Mahon, C. J. Kelly, J. F. Lynch, E. J. Raf- tery, of whom now all, save the venerable and beloved Msgr. Farrelly, have gone to their reward.
Father McCabe's successor was the Rev. George T. Mahoney. He came here on February 7, 1897, from the pastorate of the Sacred Heart parish, Central Falls. A man of exceptional culture, he brought to the administration of his office a zeal and intelligence that served most effect- ively in maintaining the parish along the high plane to which it had been lifted by his great predecessor.
Early in his pastorate in September, 1895, the parish of the Sacred Heart was established by a division of St. Charles parish. Its first pastor was the Rev. John McCarthy who came here from the parish of the Im- maculate Conception in Providence.
An outstanding work, in a material way, of Father Mahoney's in- cumbency was the erection of the splendid parish school which now, after more than 30 years, stands comparison with the best schools of modern construction. This building begun in May, 1897, was erected at a cost of $60,000, and was formally dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Matthew Harkins, Bishop of the Diocese, on July 4, 1898. Thus the year 1928 marks a triple parish anniversary: the 100th of the first Mass; the 60th of the first use of the present church; and the 30th of the opening of the new school.'
Another outstanding work of Father Mahoney's pastorate was the organization and establishment, under Bishop Harkins, of the St. Vincent de Paul Home on Pond street. This home was started in November, 1905, and ever since that day, guided by the wise and prudent direction of the Sisters of the Order of St. Francis, it has been doing a great work of mercy in our midst. In a sense it may be said to be Father Mahoney's most enduring monument. And yet, so many are the objects associated with his memory in the church itself, which he greatly embellished that one can hardly say what will longest remain, as time goes on, to honor his name.
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ST. CHARLES' - OLD AND NEW
Father Mahoney died December 10, 1907, aged 56 years, and is lov- ingly remembered for his gracious courtesy, his priestly devotion to his duties and the zeal and intelligence with which he labored. During his incumbency he was assisted by Revs. Thomas E. Ryan, William J. Nagle, Thomas F. Winn.
At the time of Father Mahoney's death St. Charles possessed all the buildings usually regarded as necessary to a complete parish unit. It had a church, a rectory, a school, a convent, and a home for orphans. Truly a splendid accomplishment and a record of zeal and devotion of which both priests and people could be proud. And yet, it must be said that save for the school, which was of recent construction, none of the buildings were all that they were projected to be nor all that they were destined to be- come. They had been carried out in a manner proportionate to the re- quirements and circumstances of the time of their building. Thus the work of succeeding pastors would to be not so much the introduction of new establishments, as the maintenance and development of those already existing ; and such work calls for a zeal and intelligence no less conspicuous than those that are required for the putting up of the institutions them- selves. Fortunately Father Mahoney's successor, the Rev. M. P. Cassidy, was one highly qualified for the work. He came here on February 26, 1908, from St. Patrick's Church, Valley Falls, where for 15 years he had served as Permanent Rector. And he came not as a stranger to a strange land, but as one who returned to his own home after a long absence. For Father Cassidy had been born in St. Charles' parish, had received the Sacraments in St. Charles' Church, and from here he had gone forth a young priest to minister to other parts of the diocese.
His outstanding accomplishment in a material way was the work car- ried on in renovating and embellishing the interior of the church of which something more will be said in a later chapter. But of course there were besides the many other ameliorations which are ever and always being carried out in parishes with extensive holdings by zealous and energetic pastors. Conspicuous among these activities was the work done on the property surrounding the church and school. In the carrying on of this there was entailed an act in whose performance sentiment had somewhat to be disregarded, namely the removal to the cemetery of the remains of Fathers Lenihan and McCabe which for many years had rested in the
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ground just outside the church entrance. The splendid esplanade effect, however, that resulted made clearly manifest the propriety and desirability of the course. Another excellent achievement was the securing of the property just across Daniel street for the church. The two houses that stood on it were removed, and the lots cleared for subsequent parish de- velopments. And so on for many further improvements in houses and other buildings something was always calling for accomplishment. Thus until the end he labored. That end came in 1920. For some months he lay ill in the rectory, until at last on July the 6th he heard the "well done" of his Divine Master.
Father Cassidy was succeeded on August 13 of the same year by the Rev. C. J. Holland who came here from Wakefield, R. I. Within two weeks after Father Holland's coming, Rev. James Fitz Simon, who had been as- sistant to Father Cassidy for 12 years, having succeeded Father Winn, was promoted to the pastorate of St. Bridget's Church, Thornton. His place was filled by the Rev. F. A. Baker who came here on September 4, from St. Mary's parish, Providence. Father Welch, who had been asso- ciated with Father Fitz Simon since 1914, continued on until September, 1926, when he was called to take charge of the parish of St. Margaret's, Rumford. His place was taken by the present second assistant, Rev. Wil- liam J. Tierney, who came from the Sacred Heart Church, Fall River. Under the leadership and guidance of these priests, the parish has con- tinued its ways of notable devotion to the things that count for religious development.
St. Charles is not by any means one of the really big parishes of the diocese as far as its numbers go; but it is and always has been outstand- ing for its zeal and devotion for the things of faith. One could not begin to set down in a brief record the multitude of events by which it has thus distinguished itself in its long and glorious career, but our Rt. Reverend Ordinary, Bishop William A. Hickey, knows, and more than once has held up St. Charles as an example for emulation. When a call is made for any cause, parochial or diocesan, its generosity has always been conspicuous. In the appeals for the erection of high schools, for works of charity, or for missionary enterprises of the church at large, the part played by it has
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OUR LADY'S MEMORIAL ALTAR
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always been one to be proud of and to bring joy and consolation to people, priests and Bishops alike. Truly a fruitful field in a conspicuously blessed portion of the Lord's vineyard. Vivat! Floreat! Crescat!
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The Story of St. Charles' Church
As we saw in the brief record of the parish history, the present church building goes back 60 years. Save for the top of the tower, which was built at a later date, the gift of Father McCabe, the church presents exteriorally the same appearance that it did at the beginning-an impos- ing granite structure in Gothic style, one of the noblest of the many splen- did churches designed by the great Irish architect, Keeley.
Interiorally, however, it has undergone many changes, as may be readily apprehended by recalling to mind what it looked like in the begin- ning. Originally there were galleries running all along the side walls, and stretching from walls to columns. There was no vestibule, save for the small square just inside the middle door, and the tower space. The auditorium, with the three aisles as now, ran from the sanctuary to the rear and was filled with small narrow pews, which gave a total seating capacity, counting the galleries, of 1800 people. For decoration, the plaster was all lined off in varied colored paralellagrams, to suggest different col- ored stones. The altar was of wood, as was also the altar rail. The organ was of the so-called tracker type, and was hand-blown. But withal it was a pleasing interior and, for its day, was conspicuous among the churches of the diocese for its dignified and devotional atmosphere.
The first radical changes were brought about by Father Mahoney. Under him the wooden altar rail was replaced by the delicately carved and beauti- ful marble rail which still adorns the sanctuary. The galleries on either side . were cut away, beginning at the sanctuary wall and extending as far as the second column. The window mullions were removed and the original win- dows, of the geometric pattern that was common to church windows every- where at that time, gave way to the pictorial windows of rich color and design that still evoke our admiration. The present splendid stations of the cross replaced those of more humble design that had served to stimu- late the piety of that earlier generation. While the entire walls underwent a complete transformation, the vari-colored blocks giving way to paint and fresco under the skillful direction of the great church beautifier, Mr. Locke.
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Great and important as were these ameliorations, however, they did not complete the list of improvements that Father Mahoney had designed for this great object of his love. But the Lord decreed otherwise, and be- fore the noble priest could put his plans into execution, he was called to his reward. Thus, the task of continuing the renovation fell to Father Cassidy.
Under Father Cassidy, guided by the architect, Mr. Fontaine, opera- tions of great magnitude were begun in 1914 and did not cease until the good priest's death in 1920. What may be called the most radical of these changes was the creation of the present splendid narthex, or vestibule. This was affected by building a glass and oak partition clear across the church, 10 feet from the rear wall. The practical as well as artistic ad- vantage of this change is apparent to everybody. True, the seating capacity was thereby lessened, and this diminution was made still greater by the replacing of the old narrow pews by the large quartered-oak-pews that still make attendances at our services so comfortable. However, the loss of sittings was not greatly felt, inasmuch as the division of the parish which had taken place in Father Mahoney's time made an extra large number of sittings unnecessary. The amelioration thus happily conceived was still further advanced in many directions. A complete marble sanc- tuary was constructed-floors, altars, pulpit. A wainscotting of marble, rising four feet from the floor was built all around the inside of the church, and marble tiles were laid in all the open spaces of the auditorium and narthex. The result served to bring out very strikingly the beauty and taste of the changes that Father Mahoney had made, and imparted to the church an air of glory and richness. Thus the interior stood in 1920 and so it continued until this year of grace, 1928. What the changes . are that this year has brought are well known to everybody. However, not only for the sake of record but even still more for the sake of bring- ing out some features which, if not described, might not be entirely clear, we shall proceed to set them down in somewhat lengthy detail.
The most conspicuous alteration effected in this most recent renova- tion, is the removal of the side galleries. Ever since Father Mahoney's time this change was contemplated and desired, but circumstances of one kind or another had prevented its accomplishment. The removal, when effected, wrought a most wondrous effect, bringing to light the glories of
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the windows that the galleries had concealed-opening up the side aisles, whose lovely arches and vistas had been practically shut off from view, and giving to the whole interior a vastness and spaciousness that was hardly suspected. The loss of the sittings occasioned by the removal of the galleries is partly made up for by a new gallery which has been con- structed where the old choir loft stood. Formerly the loft at this loca- tion was useless for worshippers, inasmuch as it was practically all taken up by the organ; but now the old organ has been removed and the space is left, furnishing accommodation for 240 persons. Thus the total seat- ing capacity of the church at the present day is about 1300.
The removal of the old organ meant the installation of a new one; and the introduction of this new organ constitutes one of the most pleas- ing and important of the many changes made. It is from the house of George Kilgen & Son, Inc., of St. Louis. The pipes, instead of being housed together in the middle of the gallery are divided and placed in the corners on either side. This disposition has enabled the architect of all these renovations, Mr. John F. Hogan of Providence, to develop a treatment which has added greatly to the architectural interior of the church, besides serving to bring to light the three large windows over the main portal and which, up to this time, had been completely concealed. Thus, a splendid opportunity was offered for beautifying this end of the church, and it was taken advantage of by removing the old glass of the stereotyped geometrical style, and putting in its place glass that unques- tionably will stand as among the very finest specimens in the country.
These new windows are the work of a Boston firm, Reynolds, Francis and Rohnstock, master craftsmen in this style of church decoration. The type is that of the 13th century, the glory being achieved by the jewel- like arrangements of the blues, and the reds, and the greens. In each of the windows are 10 medallions. Those of the middle window depict as many incidents in Our Lord's agony and death. Those of the two side windows represent angels in different poses, each bearing a different in- strument of the passion. The whole is conceived and carried out with rare genius and intelligence.
The impression of vastness which as we have said has been created by the removal of the galleries is still further deepened by the treatment that has been given to the sanctuary. In the first place the sanctuary
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THE MEMORIAL ORGAN
ST. CHARLES' - OLD AND NEW
has actually been enlarged by the bringing out of the altar rail almost three feet. Then the pulpit, which occupied a place almost mid-way in the sanctuary, thereby giving the appearance of crowding it, has been re- moved to the column by the side of the arch. The fine effect of this new location has been greatly enhanced by the erection over the pulpit, of a beautifully carved oak canopy. Thus the altar is given a commanding position, focusing the attention of the worshippers and achieving a new beauty and majesty. Much of this improvement in the appearance of the altar, however, must be credited to the treatment given to the sanctuary walls. Rising from the floor to a heighth of about 15 feet, and running entirely around the sanctuary, there has been erected an oak wainscotting, with credence and stalls, all richly carved from designs of Mr. Hogan, the architect, by The American Seating Co. The character of this work is such as to remind one who has travelled in Europe of much of the oak carving that is to be seen in the old churches there; and indeed, it has been declared by connoisseurs not to be unworthy of comparison with that work.
Above the wainscotting, for a height of about 10 more feet, the sanctuary walls are covered with brocaded taffata of exquisite pattern, in colors of old rose, old gold and blue. These colors were selected to lead the eye gently to the five paintings that fill the Gothic spaces under the groinings of the ceiling. These paintings, nine feet wide, at the base, and fifteen feet high, are the work of Rudolph Schmalzl of Munich, and they have been pronounced works of art of the very highest order. The middle panel, the one high up behind the altar, depicts the Virgin Mother and Child in glory, with St. Charles vested in his cardinal red and white and St. Francis of Assissi in the brown vesture of the Franciscans, kneeling below. In the panel to the right are St. Monica, representing all Chris- tian mothers leading her son, Saint Augustin, representing all the chil- dren of Christian households, to the recognition and adoration of the mother and child. St. Monica is clothed in the flowing garments of the earlier period, while St. Augustin is vested in full pontificals. In the panel to the left of the center are St. Patrick and St. Bridget, standing, bowed in profound reverence. They are depicted as representing the faith and adoration of the Irish people for the Mother of God. St. Patrick is also in full episcopal vesture, while St. Bridget wears the habit of a nun
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and carries a crosier, indicative of her position as abbotess. The extreme panels, on either side, depict angels of radiant splendor, expressive of joy and adoration in the presence of the Divine. All of the five panels have a background of rosy dawn color, and there are springtime flowers growing, to convey the idea of the beginning of Christianity. A boundless sea is shown as suggesting the locality wherein the saints depicted lived their lives. A close study of the details of these remarkable paintings reveal an expressiveness in form and feature that is truly the mark of genius, and their glory gives an atmosphere of other worldliness to the church.
Two other new features add to the sanctuary's beauty. The one, a sedilia, oak carved, to match the wainscotting; the other, a lamp. This sanctuary lamp, because of its unusualness of type, calls for a word of explanation. Instead of being round or hexagonal as is usually the case with sanctuary lamps, it is flat, not a solid shield, but in open design of hand wrought bronze. In general outline it is of a heart, of about four feet in heighth. The heart design is produced by two peacocks, who face each other and whose long plumage droop to unite at the base. The eyes of the peacocks are fixed on the ruby lamp which rises between them, --- worldly splendor gazing into eternal glory. In the center of the heart is wrought a large circle, symbolical of eternity, in the midst of which are emblems of Christ and the deity. This remarkable creation is the work of Mr. Frank Larscheid of Wisconsin who also is the craftsman of the bronze baptistry door of which more will be said later.
Contrasted with the richness of the sanctuary and its ornaments is the manner of treatment of the body of the church. Here all is quiet and subdued, the medium being texture, worked in an intricate but pleas- ing pattern and glazed in soft tints of old ivory. The menace of monotony has been overcome by allowing the arches between the columns and the ribs of the ceilings to stand out in the shades of caenstone, by the intro- duction in the bays of the clear story of beautifully colored medallions, and by creating, behind the exquisitely colored relief stations, ornate backgrounds of tapestry design. This whole decorative scheme is the work of the house of S. L. Mortenson of Boston, and has evoked on all side unstinted admiration.
At no matter what hour one visits the church there is that about it which inspires devotion and lifts the heart with gladness. But especially
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ST. CHARLES' - OLD AND NEW
is this so when the new system of lighting which has been introduced, radiates a warm effulgence everywhere. The lighting fixtures, replacing the old ones that stood out from the gallery front, hang from the ceiling. There are 14 of them, arranged in two rows, seven in each row, and hang- ing in front of the arches between the columns, just within the line of the nave. They are of the inverted Gothic type in clusters each of seven lights, whose champagne colored stalactytes form a pleasing grouping, lighted or unlighted. The metal by which the lamps are held together, is of bronze wrought from designs of Mr. Hogan, in a manner to impart a remarkable beauty and harmony to the church interior. The fixtures are the product of The Crooker Co., of Providence, as also are the appro- priate bronze candelabra that hold the consecration candles along the walls under the stations.
We have said that the impression that one now gets of the spacious- ness of the church is due not only to the removal of the galleries but also to the treatment of the sanctuary. We should now add that this has been helped also by something else, namely, the removal of the confessionals, which formerly stood out from the side walls, taking up considerable space, besides obstructing the view of some of the windows. Two of the confessionals have been removed to the vestibule partition in the rear of the church; while the third one has been given the space formerly leading to the side door. This side door had ceased for years to serve as an en- trance, on account of the draught that came in there, especially in winter time; while as an exit, it was not found to be absolutely necessary, inas- much as the large doors of the front of the church easily met the require- ments here as they do elsewhere in churches of this type. Besides, a place that would not obstruct, had to be found for a third confessional. Seen from the body of the church, this new confessional presents a very pleasing architectural feature. An oak partition, with door carved in a manner to match the carving of the other woodwork, has been built into the arch that formerly led to the side vestibule. It has been so constructed as to leave the top of this arch open, so that the stained glass above the door on the outside wall, is attractively revealed. A person opening the new oak door, finds himself, not now in a vestibule, but in a confessional.
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