History of the Catholic Church in Paterson Part 1

History of the Catholic Church in Paterson,N.J.

by Charles A. Shriner.

INTRODUCTION.

The records of the early Catholic Churches in this part of the country are very meagre and to the historian most of them are almost useless.

There are, however, still living in this and other cities a number of old people of intelligence and good memory and to these the author is indebted for most of the facts narrated in this sketch of the growth of the Catholic Church in Paterson. In many instances it was found that the memories of these old people were at fault and it was only after repeated comparisons of the numerous dates and diligent search among such records as could be found that the author was placed in a position to give to the public at least a tolerably accurate account of the remarkably rapid growth of Catholicism in Paterson and its vicinity.

Whenever any doubt existed as to the authenticity of records or the accuracy of memory the reasons of the author for adopting what he believed to be the true version are given.

THE AUTHOR.

PATERSON, N. J., November 15, 1883.

HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

CHAPTER I.

EARLY PERSECUTIONS ON MANHATTAN ISLAND.--MISSIONARIES FROM NEW YORK.--THE FREEDOM OF THE COUNTRY AND OF THE CHURCH ESTABLISHED.--THE FIRST MISSIONARIES IN NEW JERSEY.

"History repeats itself" is an old adage and one which has stood the test ever since the sage first uttered it. The first chapter of the history of the Catholic Church, take it as a whole, or in whatever country or nation you like, is written in blood, the precious blood of the martyrs who died for their G.o.d and their faith. The second chapter is one of adversity, of persecutions; one in which the property and worldly comfort of the devout are frequently sacrificed to the bigotry of the infidel or the heretic. Thus it goes on from chapter to chapter, from generation to generation, but the hand of G.o.d is with his followers and it raises them from the depths of tribulation from which they looked imploringly but confidingly to the G.o.d who had created them, to the G.o.d who had made himself known to them through the Holy Catholic Church.

The first Catholic missionary who came to Manhattan Island and who traveled through the adjacent country was the Rev. Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit. In 1642 he was taken prisoner by the Indians, who tore off his finger-nails and cut off the thumb of his right hand; in 1646 he was killed by the Indians. To-day there is scarcely a hill in that part of the country from which the cross of a Catholic Church cannot be seen.

In 1658 a French Catholic was fined twelve guilders in a place now within the city limits of New York because he refused to contribute to the support of a Protestant clergyman, and even in 1778 Father De La Mote, an Augustinian friar, was locked up in prison because he celebrated ma.s.s in New York. To-day the triumph of Catholicism in New York is marked by hundreds of churches and scores of converts.

It is a peculiar coincidence that the freedom of this country was established in the same year with the freedom of the Catholic Church, and that consequently this, the semi-centennial of the establishment of St. John's Church in Paterson, is also the centennial of the enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of the Catholic Church in this country. By the New York State Const.i.tution of 1777 Catholics coming from foreign countries were excluded from citizenship, but Congress overruled the action of the New York Convention. "With this attempt," says the late Archbishop Bayley in his History of the Catholic Church in the Island of New York, "to keep up the intolerance of the English colonial government, all legislation opposed to the free exercise of the Catholic religion ceased; and such Catholics as were in the City of New York at the time of its evacuation by the British troops, in 1783, began to a.s.semble for the open celebration of the officers of religion."

In 1786 St. Peter's Church--the first Catholic Church in the Diocese of New York--was erected on the corner of Barclay and Church streets. In 1809 the corner stone was laid for St. Patrick's Cathedral and at the consecration in 1815 by Right Rev. Bishop Cheverus, of Boston, the Mayor and Aldermen of New York City and a number of the State officials attended divine service in the new cathedral.

In the Catholic Almanac for 1822 was published the following list of the clergy in the diocese:

Rev. Dr. John Connolly, St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York.

Rev. Michael O'Gorman, " "

Rev. Charles French, St. Peter's, "

Rev. John Power, " "

Rev. Mr. Bulger, Paterson.

Rev. Michael Carroll, Albany and vicinity.

Rev. John Faruan, Utica and vicinity.

Rev. Patrick Kelly, Auburn, Rochester, and other districts in the western part of the State.

Rev. Phillip Larissy, attends regularly at Staten Island, and different other congregations along the Hudson River.

Such is the brief outline of the early history of the Catholic Church in this part of the country and it will thus be seen that shortly after the Catholics were first permitted to worship G.o.d in their own way Catholicism took root in New Jersey.

The following concerning the first Catholic missionaries who visited New Jersey is taken from an article which appeared in the Catholic World in 1875:

"About this period (1757) there were a few Jesuit priests in Maryland and Pennsylvania; and the earliest account that we have of Catholics in New Jersey is in 1744, when we read that Father Theodore Schneider, a distinguished German Jesuit who had professed philosophy and theology in Europe, and been rector of a university, coming to the American provinces, visited New Jersey and held church at Iron Furnaces there.

This good missionary was a native of Bavaria. He founded the mission at Goshenhoppen, now in Berks County, Pennsylvania, about forty-five miles from Philadelphia, and ministered to German Catholics, their descendants and others. Having some skill in medicine, he used to cure the body as well as the soul; and travelling about on foot or on horseback under the name of Doctor Schneider (leaving to the _Sinelfunguses_ to discover whether he were of medicine or of divinity), he had access to places where he would not otherwise have gone without personal danger; but sometimes his real character was found out, and he was several times raced and shot at in New Jersey. He used to carry about with him on his missionary excursions into this province a ma.n.u.script copy of the _Roman Missal_, carefully written out in his own handwriting and bound by himself. His poverty or the difficulty of procuring printed Catholic liturgical books from Europe, or, we are inclined to think, the danger of discovery should such an one with its unmistakable marks of 'Popery'

about it (which he probably dispensed with in his ma.n.u.script), fall into the hands of heretics, must have led him to this labor of patience and zeal. Father Schneider, who may be reckoned the first missionary in New Jersey, died on the eleventh of July, 1764. Another Jesuit used to visit the province occasionally after 1762, owing to the growing infirmities of Father Schneider, and there still exist records of baptisms performed by him here. This was the Rev. Robert Harding, a native of England, who arrived in America in 1732. He died at Philadelphia on the 1st of September, 1772. But the priest princ.i.p.ally connected with the early missions in New Jersey is the Rev. Ferdinand Farmer. He was born in South Germany in 1720, and, having entered the Society of Jesus, was sent to Maryland in 1752. His real name was Steenmeyer, but on coming to this country he changed it into one more easily p.r.o.nounced by English-speaking people. He was learned and zealous, and for many years performed priestly duties in New Jersey at several places in the northern part, and seems to have been the first to visit this colony regularly. In his baptismal register the following among other places are named, together with the dates of his ministrations: a station called Geiger's, in 1759; Charlottenburgh, in 1769; Morris County, Long Pond, and Mount Hope, in 1776; Suss.e.x County, Ringwood and Hunterdon County, in 1785. The chief congregation at this period was at a place called Macoupin (now in Pa.s.saic County), about fifteen miles from the present City of Paterson. It was settled in the middle of the last century by Germans, who were brought over to labor in the iron mines and works in this part of the provinces."

"After the evacuation of New York by the British in 1783, there was a prospect of collecting the few scattered Catholics on Manhattan Island into a congregation, and the venerable Father Farmer used to go twice a year to visit the faithful there, across the northern part of this State, stopping on his way to officiate at Macoupin. On the 22nd of September, 1785, the Rev. John Carroll, who had been appointed by the Pope Superior of the Church in the United States and empowered to give confirmation, set out on a tour to administer this sacrament at Philadelphia, New York and (as he writes to a friend) 'in the upper counties of the Jerseys and Pennsylvania, where our worthy German brethren had formed congregations.' In this year Rev. Mr. Carroll computed the number of Catholics under his charge at sixteen thousand in Maryland, seven thousand in Pennsylvania and two thousand scattered about the other States. The number of priests was nineteen in Maryland and five in Pennsylvania."

CHAPTER II.

THE FIRST Ma.s.s SAID IN PATERSON.--INTERESTING ANECDOTES CONCERNING FATHER BULGER.--PREJUDICE AGAINST THE CATHOLICS. THE OLD CHURCH ON CONGRESS AND MILL STREETS.--ORIGIN OF ST. JOHN'S CONGREGATION.

The first priest who placed his foot within what are at present the corporate limits of the City of Paterson was Father Philip Larrissy, a Franciscan monk who came here from New York. Just what year he came here is not positively known but it seems to be tolerably well established that he was here for some years previous to Father Langton. The first ma.s.s in Paterson was celebrated in the residence of Michael Gillespie, which stood in Market street on the site of the present G.o.dwin homestead. Father Larrissy was a missionary priest who travelled between New York and Philadelphia and visited Paterson every few weeks. He generally arrived on Sat.u.r.day evening and as soon as he reached Mr.

Gillespie's house a messenger was sent to notify the Catholics that ma.s.s would be celebrated the following morning. Up to that time Catholics were compelled to go to New York, frequently performing the journey on foot, in order to attend divine service.

Father Langton was the second priest who celebrated ma.s.s in Paterson.

The Gillespies had removed to Belleville and so a room for the holding of divine service was fitted up in the residence of Barney McNamee on the corner of Broadway and Mulberry street. Here the Catholics attended ma.s.s for several years. Father Langton was also a missionary priest, going from New York to Paterson, to Macoupin, Bottle Hill and other places; then returning to Paterson, which was a more important Catholic settlement than any in this part of the State. On his return to New York from Paterson Father Langton stopped at the residence of Mr. Gillespie at Belleville and after celebrating ma.s.s there proceeded to Newark, where there were very few Catholics, and from thence to New York. This seems to have been the route taken by the earlier Catholic clergymen, for even Father Bulger, who was not ordained until 1815, said ma.s.s in the residence of Mr. Gillespie.

Father Richard Bulger was educated at Kilkenny College, Ireland, and was ordained a priest in 1815 by Bishop Connolly. He was for some time the a.s.sistant pastor of the Cathedral in New York but spent most of his nine years of priesthood in administering spiritual consolation to the Catholics in Paterson and vicinity and continuing the work in which Fathers Larrissy and Langton had preceded him. It was he who in 1820 erected the first building used exclusively for divine service by Catholics in Paterson and he was the first parish priest in this city.

Previous to this time he followed in the footsteps of his predecessors in journeying from place to place, preaching the Word of G.o.d by the way and saying ma.s.s and administering the rites of the Church whenever opportunity afforded. In 1821 Mr. Roswell L. Colt in behalf of the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures offered to all the various denominations in Paterson ground on which to erect houses of worship.

This generous offer was accepted by the Catholics and in this way they came into possession of a piece of property situated on the southwest corner of Congress (now Market) and Mill streets. The deed was given to the Catholics "for the purpose of erecting, maintaining and keeping a building or house for the public worship of G.o.d," a clause in the deed providing for reversion of the property to the donor as soon as the property was used for any other purpose than that of divine worship.

There were at that time only twelve Catholic families in Paterson, but the prejudice against the Catholic Church which characterized its earlier history in this country had subsided, and the Catholics received aid from persons of other denominations. This, added to their own generous gifts of money and labor, produced a building 2530 feet in size and one story high. The room was furnished with a plain altar and a number of wooden benches without backs, which served as pews, and the attendance on Sundays did not exceed 50, unless there was an influx of Catholics from some village not supplied with a church. Ma.s.s was celebrated every Sunday morning and vespers in the afternoon. The church was named after St. John, the Baptist, and the building still stands where it was erected in 1821, although it has been considerably altered.

Father Bulger was taken sick in 1824, while a.s.sistant pastor at the Cathedral in New York, where he died in November of that year. He was buried in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Although Father Bulger's years as a priest were few they were devoted to the cause of the Lord with an energy and faithfulness which made him so prominent a figure in the early history of the church in Paterson. Many are the anecdotes told concerning him, some of which are ill.u.s.trative of his character, and among these the following appear of more than ordinary interest:

Archbishop Bayley's book on the History of the Catholic Church contains the following: "The Rev. Mr. Bulger was first sent on the mission to Paterson, in New Jersey, where he labored with great fidelity. During his missionary expeditions through various parts of the State, he was often exposed to insults, and underwent many hardships, which his ardent zeal and buoyant spirits enabled him to bear, not only with patience, but cheerfulness. A large stone was thrown at him through the window of his bedchamber, which nearly cost him his life. On this occasion he published a letter addressed to the inhabitants of Paterson, which excited a great deal of attention, and made him many friends even amongst those who had been most opposed to him."

In the same work appears the following: "He was accustomed to tell many laughable stories of his adventures. Trudging along one day on foot, carrying a bundle, containing his vestments and breviary, under his arm, he was overtaken by a farmer and his wife in a wagon. The farmer invited Mr. Bulger to ride; but it having come out in the course of the conversation that he was a priest, the wife declared that he should not remain in the wagon, and he was consequently obliged to get out and resume his journey on foot. It should be added, that the farmer afterwards applied to Father Bulger for instruction, and was received into the Catholic Church."

This same story is corroborated by persons still living, and was told to the author of this work with more details. It was a very cold day in winter and there were several feet of snow on the ground. Father Bulger was walking from Hohokus, whither he had gone on a pastoral errand. He was in delicate health and so, when about half way between Hohokus and Paterson, he felt considerably relieved at hearing a wagon approach behind him. It was the wagon of a farmer residing in Paterson. Father Bulger was asked to ride but immediately after he had taken his seat the farmer and his wife suspected that he was a Catholic priest. They plied him with numerous questions to which Father Bulger gave evasive answers, for he was sick and fatigued and anxious to reach Paterson. They asked whether he was married and had children and he replied in the affirmative, adding that he had numerous children. The suspicions of the farmer and his wife increased and Father Bulger was finally asked whether he was not a Catholic and a priest. Rather than deny his faith Father Bulger would have faced death and he replied in the affirmative.

He was compelled to leave the wagon and walk to Paterson. When he arrived here he told of his adventure; the brutal treatment he had been subjected to so incensed a number of Catholics and others who were employed in a quarry that they resolved to thrash the inhuman farmer.

Father Bulger heard of this project and it was due to his entreaties that it was not carried out. This heroic conduct on the part of Father Bulger was reported to the farmer, who concluded that a religion, whose priests so faithfully carried out the Christ-given doctrine of "Return good for evil," could not deserve the opprobium heaped upon it by Protestants; he applied to Father Bulger for instruction and became a convert to the Catholic religion.

The first number of the Sacred Heart Union published at Newark in March, 1881, contains some interesting reminiscences of an early settler near Macopin and among these is the following: "Our next priest was Father Bulger, a native of Ireland, a tall, handsome man, but with a beardless face. He was ordained by 'little Bishop Connolly,' as he was called, and came to us about 1820. Mr. Littell had been notified to expect a priest, and vainly looked among the pa.s.sengers of the mail-coach for his Reverence. The driver told him that a pa.s.senger had booked for Macopin the night before, but had failed to put in an appearance. Late that afternoon a stranger drove up to the shop on horseback and thus addressed Mr. Littell:

"'Did you expect a visitor, sir?'

"'I did, sir.'