History of the Catholic Church in Paterson Part 5

During his pastorate Father McNulty has been a.s.sisted in his labors by a number of priests. His first a.s.sistant was Rev. James A. D'Arcy, who was here in 1864. After this time Father McNulty had two a.s.sistants. The names of his a.s.sistants are Fathers L. G. Thebaud, T. R. Moran, M. J.

Kirwan, P. McCahill, P. F. Cantwell, P. F. Downes, Joseph Zimmer, James Curran, James Hanley, I. P. Whelan, M. J. White, Patrick McGahan, James J. Brennan and M. J. Hickie. Of these, Fathers D'Arcy, Moran, Kinwan, McCahill, Cantwell, Downes, Curran, Hanley, White, McGahan and Hickey were natives of Ireland; Father Thebaud was born in New York City, Father Zimmer in Brooklyn, Father Whelan in Elizabeth and Father Brennan in Newark. In addition there were priests who were a.s.sistants only for a few weeks, including Fathers McFaul, Corr and others.

Father McNulty's present a.s.sistants are Fathers McCarthy and Quin.

Father D. F. McCarthy was born in Newark and educated at St. Charles College in Maryland and at Seton Hall. Father Thomas Quin was born in Ireland and educated at Seton Hall.

The first choir of St. John's church consisted of the Bradley sisters--elsewhere referred to--who sang in the old church on Market and Mill streets; their brother played the flute and at times James Powers a.s.sisted on the clarionet. A Professor Wedell was organist in the Oliver street church in 1853 and he remained until 1856, although for about a year of this time Professor Anthony Davis, a brother of the present organist, presided at the organ. Professors Burke and Becker came afterwards and in the first part of 1868 Professor Frank Huber played the organist. He was succeeded in October, 1868, by Professor William Davis, who is still in charge. Miss Ellen O'Neill also frequently presided at the organ in the absence of the regular organists. At the time Professor Davis took charge the choir consisted of Misses Howard, Murphy, Bowen, and Esther O'Neill, who sang soprano and Henry Hensler, who sang ba.s.s. Ma.s.ses in two voices were rendered, until 1869, when, by the addition to the choir of Daniel Sheehan, tenor, the choir was enabled to sing ma.s.ses in three voices; Misses Maggie O'Neill and Julia Graham, soprano, were also added to the choir. This state of affairs lasted only about one year when some of the choir withdrew and the vocal music for St. John's congregation was furnished for about six years by a quartette consisting of Misses Maggie O'Neill and Frances Lawless and Louis Schmerber and Henry Hensler. The latter died and Frank Hart was put in his place. About six months after this Professor Davis began to form a larger choir and of the original selection a number still remain.

Among those who have left are Emil Legay, the present choir master in St. Joseph's church, and John Stafford, who is studying in Rome for the priesthood.

The present choir of St. John's Church consists of the following:

Organist and Director.--Professor William Davis.

Soprano.--Minnie Coniffe, Mary E. Drury, Minnie Dynan, Nora Gannon, Maggie Doyle, Lizzie Lavery, Lizzie Fitzpatrick, Nellie Clark, Mary Stafford, Maggie McCormack, Mary McLean, Ellen Odell.--12.

Alto.--Martha Drury, Frances Lawless, Alice Fitzgerald, Nellie Reed, Lizzie Constantine, Maria Hogan, Annie Beresford, Mary McAlonan, Nellie Dunphy.--9.

Tenor.--William Stafford, Thomas Canning, Edward Cavanagh, John Carlon, John Van Houten.--5.

Ba.s.s.--John Best, John Anderson, James Anderson, James Fitzpatrick, William Burns, Thomas Sheeron, Charles Lavery, David Forbes, Alexander Doyle, Philip Bender.--10. Total, 36.

The following are the societies attached to St. John's Church:

Benevolent Society of United Sons of Erin. This society was founded in 1846 and incorporated in 1859. It has about 100 members and its objects are the relief of the sick and a.s.sistance for distressed members, for which purpose it expends about $1,500 per year.

St. Patrick's Total Abstinence Benevolent Society was organized by Father McNulty in 1863 and has about 100 members. Its objects are the furtherance of the cause of temperance and the relief of the distressed, for which latter object about $600 per year are expended.

St. John's Total Abstinence Benevolent Society was organized in 1867 and has the same objects as the foregoing; it has about 100 members and expends annually about $600 for the relief of distressed members.

St. Joseph's Total Abstinence Benevolent Society has the same objects as the foregoing and about 40 members. It was organized in 1875 and expends annually about $300 per year in the relief of the distressed.

The Catholic Young Men's Literary a.s.sociation was organized in 1873 and its object is indicated by its name. It has a library and reading room on the lower floor of the Catholic Inst.i.tute in Church street. Its membership numbers about 100 and the entertainments it gives occasionally are for the benefit of its library or some charitable inst.i.tution.

The Catholic Sunday School Teachers' a.s.sociation was organized in 1874 by Father McNulty, who had found it difficult to obtain competent men to teach Sunday School. Almost immediately after its organization a number of its members resolved themselves into the Entre Nous Dramatic Club which gives entertainments for the benefit of its library or for charitable purposes. This dual society has about 100 members and occupies the upper floor of the Catholic Inst.i.tute in Church street, property originally bought by Father Senez for an orphan asylum.

The Sodality of the Children of Mary was organized in 1862 and has about 250 members. It consists of young ladies and is in charge of Sister Regina.

The Sodality of the Sacred Heart has about 160 members and was organized about 7 years ago. It also consists of young ladies and is in charge of Sister Stanislaus. The latter has done a great deal of effective work during her 23 years' sojourn in Paterson as a Sister of Charity.

The Rosary Society is one of the oldest and most numerous of the societies of St. John's congregation and consists of persons of both s.e.xes and all ages. It is in charge of Father McNulty.

The Society of the Sacred Thirst is a temperance organization, and embraces in its membership persons of all ages and of both s.e.xes. It is in charge of Father McNulty.

The Society of Holy Angels was organized about thirteen years ago and has about 200 members. Girls from 10 to 16 are eligible to membership.

It is in charge of Sister Angelica.

The Infant Jesus Sodality consists of about 200 little boys and was organized in 1869. It is in charge of Sister Stanislaus.

The Sodality of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was organized about two years ago. It consists of young ladies between 14 and 20 years of age, and is in charge of Sister Immaculata.

The Knights of the Sacred Heart are in charge of Sister Stanislaus. This society consists of 172 boys between the ages of 10 and 16 years.

Ave Maria Council, Catholic Legion of Honor, was inst.i.tuted on November 16, 1883, and has about 50 members. Its object is the insurance of lives, and the amounts insured for are between $500 and $5,000.

CHAPTER VII.

THE DAUGHTERS OF ST. JOHN.--CHURCHES WHICH TOOK THEIR ORIGIN IN ST.

JOHN'S CHURCH.--YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN FROM PATERSON WHO HAVE DEVOTED THEIR LIVES TO THE SERVICE OF G.o.d.

It has often been stated that the church at Madison--which in the early part of the century was called Bottle Hill--was an offspring from St.

John's Church of Paterson; this statement has also been frequently contradicted, and it is certainly safe to say that it is doubtful whether Paterson can lay claim to establishing Catholicism in Madison.

St. John's has, however, sufficient glory, for it is the undoubted source of the origin of a number of churches in this vicinity. There is no doubt that the same missionary priests who labored in Paterson also visited other places; thus it has been ascertained that Father Larissy, who according to well authenticated statements was the first priest to read ma.s.s in Paterson, subsequently attended the churches in Staten Island and a number along the Hudson places; still St. John's could hardly lay claim to the parentage of these churches, no more than St.

John's could be called a child of the church in Newburg because Father Langton paid periodical visits to Paterson from Newburg.[A]

It will suffice for the purposes of writing a history of Catholicism in this county to take a glance at the churches whose origin was undoubtedly in St. John's congregation. As has been stated on a previous page, missionaries visited Macopin before they came to Paterson, but there is no doubt that a church was erected in Paterson long before the erection of the church in Macopin. It was not until 1830 that the Catholics of Macopin proceeded to erect a building to be devoted exclusively to the service of G.o.d. This church, under the patronage of St. Joseph, was dedicated in 1830 by Rev. Dr. French, from New York, and Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue, from St. John's Church, this city. For many years this church was attended by priests from St. John's Church and subsequently from St. Boniface's Church. Even to this day it has no stated pastor and is attended by priests having charge of churches in the vicinity.

The German Catholics of this vicinity did a great deal towards establishing the Catholic Church on the firm footing it has found in this county and too much praise cannot be bestowed on the work of the early German Catholics and their priests. The most prominent figure in the work among the German Catholics is Father Nicholas Hens, the respected and zealous pastor of St. Boniface's Church in this city. This gentleman has spent the best days of an active and useful life among the German Catholics and his labors in the Lord's vineyard have borne excellent fruit. Rt. Rev. Bishop Bayley kept a journal of the more important actions of his life and from this journal the following extract is made:

"On Sunday, July 1st, 1860, at half past five, I laid the corner stone of the new German Catholic Church of St. Boniface, which Father Schandel is endeavoring to build. We went in procession to the spot--the cross before, with acolytes, children--Erin's Society as a guard--banners flying--the big missionary cross borne before my carriage by the Germans. There must have been from 8,000 to 10,000 persons present--hot and dusty, but no disturbance. I pitched into Martin Luther for the edification of the mult.i.tude."

The following is another extract from the same journal:

"December 1st, 1861, on Sunday, I blessed the new German church at Paterson."

Before this time, however, the few German families gathered once a month or once a fortnight in the bas.e.m.e.nt of St. John's church in Oliver street to have special German services. Among those who attended were John Ratzer, Martin Bauman, Christian Geissler, Leander Kranz, Michael Thalhammer, Joseph Merklin, Joseph Durgeth, Philip Brendel, Mr. Zentner, Mr. Yost, Mr. Schnell and a few others. The services were conducted by Father Hartlaub as early as 1854. On April 18th of that year Father Hartlaub baptized in this church Joseph August Geissler, at present parish priest in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and on December 18th following Emma Mitch, who subsequently attained considerable renown as a singer, was baptized there. Father Hartlaub attended for four years to the spiritual wants of the German Catholics and was succeeded on July 18th, 1858, by Father Louis Fink, at present Bishop of Leavenworth, Kansas.

About the first of August, 1859, Father J. J. Schandel succeeded Father Fink and was appointed permanent priest for the Germans. His first baptism was performed on August 11th, and the first marriage at which he a.s.sisted was on the 30th of the same month, the contracting parties being Michael Courtade and Miss Anne Mary Brotchie. Father Schandel was very popular amongst all cla.s.ses of people and his name is still frequently mentioned with reverence and affection. He worked very hard among his countrymen and it was he who conceived the idea and furthered the project of building a church for German Catholics. He purchased the ground on the corner of Main and Slater streets where St. Boniface's Church now stands, and erected that structure which has a seating capacity of 900. The German Catholics in Paterson were few in number and not blessed with worldly riches and Father Schandel was obliged to work for his support in outside missions, a labor to which he devoted himself with a.s.siduity. For a long time he visited regularly every month St.

Joseph's Church at Macopin; he also visited occasionally the Catholics in Ringwood and attended to the spiritual needs of the Catholics at St.

Francis Church, Lodi.

In 1869 he visited Pa.s.saic regularly and secured ground for and erected St. Nicholas' Church. Before that time the Catholics of Pa.s.saic had worshipped in a room in one of the factories. The interest awakened in the Catholic Church by Father Schandel and the immigration of a number of German Catholics soon gave the worthy priest more to do than he could attend to. He accordingly asked Bishop Bayley for an a.s.sistant priest.

His prayer was granted and on August 5th, 1869, Father Nicholas Hens, who had just been ordained, came to Paterson. This worthy priest followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, and Fathers Schandel and Hens worked together energetically and in the greatest harmony. The silk mills at this time attracted large numbers of persons to Paterson and Father Schandel concluded that it would be well to erect the Catholics in Pa.s.saic into a separate congregation. Bishop Bayley thought well of the plan and on July 21st, 1871, Father Schandel was transferred to Pa.s.saic and Father Hens was appointed pastor of St. Boniface's in this city. Father Schandel remained in Pa.s.saic until 1873 when he was succeeded by Father Schneider, the present efficient and well-beloved priest of the church. At present there are about 250 families in the congregation in Pa.s.saic, and the parochial school, in charge of the Sisters of Charity, is attended by nearly 300 children.

Being already in possession of a good and commodious church Father Hens devoted a great deal of time and energy to the establishment of a parochial school, that almost indispensable adjunct to every church. In October, 1871, he opened the parochial school in Main street with 35 children, the teacher being the organist of the church. The number of children continued to increase during the winter and in the following spring there was an attendance of over 80. An additional teacher was employed but during the summer of 1872 the Sisters of St. Dominic were engaged to take charge of the school. Father Hens at once provided a residence for the Sisters, purchasing the house and lot adjoining the church for $4,600. The parish grew rapidly under the able care of Father Hens. The modest church was improved and embellished both outside and inside; the school was enlarged several times and another story added to it. In 1874 the residence of the Sisters was rebuilt and in 1877 a chapel, 6525 feet in size, was added to it. In 1879 the boys'

department of the school was placed under the care of some Brothers of Mary who came to Paterson from Nazareth, near Dayton, Ohio. In the same year the present rectory, in the rear of the church, and a residence for the Brothers was erected. About this time the congregation sustained a serious loss in its membership, twenty families leaving it to attend St.

Mary's Church on Totowa for greater convenience and the thirty-five families residing in the Stony Road district allying themselves to St.

Bonaventure's Church.

Despite this defection the congregation of St. Boniface continued to grow, and soon the church was not able to hold all that wished to worship within its walls. On March 19th, 1882, the feast of St. Joseph, the patron of the Catholic Church, Father Hens bought a plot of ground on River street, near the crossing of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad. Here the corner-stone of a new church was laid on September 4th, 1882, and on May 14th in the following year the new church was dedicated by Rt. Rev. Bishop Wigger. The church was placed under the protection of Our Lady of Lourdes. The erection of this church cut off from St. Boniface's congregation over one hundred German and Holland families, but their places were soon filled, so that at the present day, six months after the dedication of the new church, St.

Boniface's congregation is as large as it ever was. Three ma.s.ses are said every Sunday and the church is crowded every time. The number of families belonging to the church is about 400, and its parochial schools have an attendance of 350.

In addition to his many other duties Father Hens has since 1879 had charge of St. Luke's in Hohokus. The ground for this church was given in 1864 by John Jacob Zabriskie, and the erection of the church was the work of Father McNulty. A cemetery adjoins the church.

Father Hens's first a.s.sistant was Father Kars, who is now the pastor of St Mary's Church in Gloucester, N. J. Then came Father Dernis, at present pastor of the Catholic church in Salem, N. J. Father Dernis was succeeded by Father Geissler, who was the first person baptized in Paterson by Father Hartlaub. After Father Geissler came Father J. W.

Grieff, who by his eloquence, affability and energy has made himself beloved and respected by all. Father Hens also derives material a.s.sistance from the Franciscan Fathers in this city. Complete baptismal and marriage records of St. Boniface's Church from 1854 are still in existence, and from these the following statistics were collected:--

Name of the Priest. Baptisms. Marriages.