rr*
 
 

 
 
 
 MOST REVEREND P. A. FEEHAN, 
 
 ARCHBISHOP OF CHICAGO.
 
 THE 
 
 GOLDEN JUBILEE SOUVENIR. 
 
 THE HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 CATHOLICITY 
 
 IN STEPHENSON COUNTY, 
 ILLINOIS. 
 
 FREEPORT : 
 
 F. CHAS. DONOHUE, BOOK AND COMMERCIAL JOB PRINTER. 
 
 1896.
 
 
 TO THOSE 
 BRAVE HEROES AND HEROINES OF FAITH AND PATRIOTISM, 
 
 THE CATHOLIC PIONEERS 
 
 OF STEPHENSON COUNTY, 
 THIS SIMPLE RECORD OF THEIR FIDELITY AND 
 
 ITS NOBLE RESULTS 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 
 
 Freeport, Illinois. 
 
 Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1896.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THEN introduced to a stranger, who is henceforth to be an 
 
 lAl acquaintance, and perhaps a friend, one's impulse is to 
 
 ^ study the individual's countenance, to learn from each 
 
 feature a trait of his character, and to judge from the expression 
 
 gleaming in the eyes and lingering about the mouth, what sort of a 
 
 moral and intellectual existence he has based upon that character. 
 
 A preface should not only introduce the book to us, but it 
 should aid in that scrutiny of features and of expression which 
 will make the book more than a mere acquaintance, so that we 
 shall begin and continue its perusal in that spirit of friendliness 
 which kindly overlooks imperfection, and, with affectionate pride, 
 slightly magnifies excellence. 
 
 What, then, are the features of this little volume, between the 
 covers of which you are about to glance, kind reader ? Plain and 
 homely it may be, but clear-cut, and bearing the impress of that 
 honesty of purpose without which no face is truly attractive, no 
 work truly noble. The expression that lights up these features 
 and gives them a beauty, not intrinsically theirs, comes from the 
 spirit of faith, and hope, and charity. 
 
 This book is to dwell in each home in St. Mary's parish ; it 
 is to be one of the household, a friend who cheers, by recalling 
 sweet and sacred memories of the past, basing on them the still 
 sweeter and more sacred hopes of the future. 
 
 If it enters homes in other parishes, it will be as a messenger 
 bearing good tidings of exceeding great joy, and its voice will pro- 
 claim the worthy deeds of a noble people, urging those who wel- 
 come its message " to go and do likewise." 
 
 Thus it is sent forth, as a loving friend to one, as a kind 
 messenger to another ; may the welcome accorded it, by one and 
 all, be as heartfelt and sincere as are the sentiments and motives 
 that have given it an existence among the creations of the great 
 literary world. 
 
 CAROL A MIL AXIS.
 
 FACTORS 
 
 In the Life of the Catholic Church. 
 
 In the wonderful life of the Church of God, we find three 
 grand factors : the militant, the suffering, and the triumphant 
 armies of immortal souls. Of widely different characters, yet of 
 almost equal powers, these magnificent factors, through the 
 beautiful alliance of spiritual forces called the Communion of 
 Saints, have effected glorious results which to-day illumine the 
 world, radiating, as they do, from great beacon fires set blazing, 
 (in many a critical epoch of the world's history) by saintly hands 
 on towering mountain heights, and fanned, in our day, to a 
 glowing heat and brightness by the profound thought and sacred 
 eloquence of His Holiness, Leo XIII. 
 
 Revelation, that ineffably precious gift of an Infinite Intel- 
 ligence to finite minds, has granted us much knowledge of that 
 supreme factor in the Church's sacred activities, the triumphant 
 souls in. heaven, also of the powerful band of holy sufferers 
 undergoing their purification. Faith assures us and we proclaim 
 in the words of the Creed, our belief that the triumphant and 
 the suffering souls fail not to fulfill, in behalf of the militant, 
 many an office of grave import, while a union of the activities of 
 the three mighty divisions of the Church furthers the grand 
 work of religion. Though we shall ever bear in mind the silent 
 workings and hidden influences of the other two, it is with the 
 efforts, the struggles, and the labors of the militant factor that 
 we are now concerned ; these we are to study and to describe, 
 these we hope to glorify. 
 
 More efforts are made, by the ordinary men and women 
 
 ^
 
 10 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 about us, with a direct intention to please God and to increase 
 His ultimate glory, than we permit ourselves to believe. The 
 Church Militant rests on its arms less frequently than we think ; 
 it is on guard more frequently than we realize. Much of the 
 noble strife is silent ; many of its shouts of victory are so clear 
 and high that only the angels hear them. 
 
 Fascinating indeed is the study of the world's mighty con- 
 flicts; delightful is it to trace the great events of history to their 
 sources, to unveil their causes, to discover their tendencies, to 
 develop their results and to guage the full importance of their 
 effects. Such studies are replete with interest and profit at any 
 time, but the fascination, the delight, the interest and the profit 
 are a hundred-fold increased when the events dwelt upon concern 
 religion, when the influences under consideration effect changes 
 in the moral world, when the causes lie mysteriously hidden in 
 the Infinite Mind, when the results affect the destiny of immortal 
 beings and all the tendencies are heavenward. Well indeed 
 may the interest of such studies be thus increased tenfold and 
 the profit thus become immeasurable. 
 
 The history of a locality comparatively insignificent, among 
 earth's widespread nations and princely cities, might, if purely 
 secular, be deemed somewhat unimportant, its value doubtful 
 and its necessity a disputed point ; but once introduce the factors 
 mentioned above, but once let the Church and her mighty hosts 
 of triumphant, suffering and militant souls enter into the con- 
 sideration, then no locality is insignificant, no event of its history 
 is unimportant. The value of such history, as giving glory to 
 God and edification to souls, will be undisputed, hence our pages, 
 devoted to the progress of Catholicity in Stephenson County, 
 will bear information of superlative interest to the mind filled 
 with the light of faith, and of immense value to the heart that 
 is full of hope and charity. To the mind of God, and in the 
 science of the saints, the souls existing in Stephenson County 
 are of as great value as those enjoying life and its activities in New 
 York, London, or Paris. 
 
 The loss of a soul in mountain solitude, or the triumph of
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 11 
 
 a soul in desert wilderness, the offering of Holy Mass in darkest 
 Africa, or the giving of the sacraments to the savages of the 
 Pacific islands, are events that far surpass in importance the 
 victories of an Alexander or the triumphs of a Buonaparte. 
 
 Thus it is that matters which relate to the vast interests of 
 immortal souls are not limited in importance, or lessened in 
 value, by mere distances or boundary lines. Where souls are 
 concerned, Heaven touches very closely upon earth ; it is a trans- 
 forming touch, too, causing temporal affairs to expand into 
 eternal results, and the finite to gain everlasting possession of 
 the Infinite. These noble, fundamental principles must be borne 
 in mind by him who reads our simple account of more than fifty 
 years in the life of the Church among simple, God-fearing peo- 
 ple, in a locality unknown, perhaps, beyond the boundaries of 
 our own State.
 
 '
 
 Introduction of Catholicity into Illinois. 
 
 Can we doubt that the Church Triumphant, seeing all 
 things in the Beatific Vision, watched, in ecstatic joy, the pro- 
 gress of the frail canoe that carried adown the great " Father 
 of Waters " the weight of a nation's spiritual inheritance ? We 
 may well believe that never did king or queen, however great 
 and powerful, make so royal and magnificent a progress through 
 mighty kingdoms and rich cities, as that of the precursor of 
 Christ in the Valley of the Mississippi, as that of the heaven- 
 appointed bearer of glad tidings, as that of Father Marquette 
 through primeval forests, over virgin prairies, and on the waters 
 of unknown rivers. Since all worldly pomp and ceremony were 
 lacking, the more were heavenly visitants attracted. The greater 
 the simplicity, from a human point of view, the greater the 
 invisible glory of the joyous guard of angelic beings established 
 about the sainted missionary and, the more lonely his pathway, 
 the more magnificent were the winged processions of glad spirits 
 that followed him, as in the name of God most high, he took pos- 
 session of the virgin soil of Illinois. Here, amid bands of scat- 
 tered savages, he planted the tiny seed that, among civilized 
 growths, has become so stately a tree. Of its fruitful development 
 we have evidence in the prosperity of the Archdiocese of Chi- 
 cago and its dependent dioceses of Alton, Belleville and Peoria, 
 for not only to the savage children of the forests did Father Mar- 
 quette bring his heavenly message ; sacred tradition, that never 
 failing voice of the Holy Spirit, bore it down through the centuries 
 to the white settlers. They had brought with them their faith, it 
 was strengthened by words and hymns still re-echoing through the 
 sweet, untainted air which the saintly one had set in vibration.
 
 14 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 And now where once were Indian farms, are flourishing dioceses ; 
 where wigwams stood, tower the steeples of stately cathedrals. 
 
 We read, in books of varied titles and by different authors, 
 the same sweet story of Father Marquette's journey down the 
 Mississippi ; of his return, in 1673, with his companion, Joliet, a 
 Canadian merchant, and of their brief stay with the tribe of the 
 Peorias. 
 
 His promise to this tribe that he would return to establish 
 a mission among them and " the gentle Illini " was kept, late in 
 the year 1674. With that admirable courage that always dis- 
 tinguished him, the devoted priest started from the Straits of 
 Mackinaw, crossed Lake Michigan and then passed along its 
 western shore until, worn out in body, but indefatigable in soul, 
 he reached the mouth of the " Chicagou." Not being able to pro- 
 ceed on his way to the expectant tribes of the Illinois valley, he 
 sent a messenger to inform them of the fact, and many of them 
 hastened to his side, happy to be of service to him, until such 
 time as his restoration to health should enable him to become of 
 infinitely greater service to them. His holy ministrations brought 
 spiritual joy, and the peace of God, to the inhabitants of many an 
 Indian village, before he again turned his face towards the north 
 and began his last journey through the wilderness. Illinois was,, 
 at that time, a wide, uncultivated territory, teeming w y ith rich 
 promises of the agricultural wealth of the future. It had then no 
 white inhabitants, but they were not to be long in coming nor 
 were they slow, when once arrived, in rendering this one of the 
 fairest and richest of the great states ; neither did they fail to 
 devote part of its noble resources to the support and to the prop- 
 agation of the faith. 
 
 Illinois is now dotted, over all its extent, with church edi- 
 fices, and, everywhere that the number of children requires it and 
 means render it possible, a school stands beside the church, as- 
 outworks beside a citadel, for mutual support and protection.
 
 titepkenson County, Illinois, 1896. 15 
 
 Early History of Catholicity in Chicago. 
 
 Like the gleam of the fire-fly in the twilight, was the brief 
 delay of Father Marquette at the mouth of the " Chicagou ;" the 
 light of faith and fervor did not again illumine the spot, until 
 one hundred and fifty years had elapsed. The locality became 
 known, successively, as a traders' point, a government reservation, 
 and a frontier outpost. Here Fort Dearborn was built, for the 
 protection of the few white settlers against their red enemies. In 
 times of peace, to this point came the Indians to claim the sup- 
 plies of goods and of money promised them by the government 
 in exchange for their lands. Here too came the Jesuit mission- 
 aries, also Father Baden and others, from Bardstown, Ky., and 
 A 7 incenues, Ind., the religious priests seeking to convert the In- 
 dians, and the secular clergy endeavoring to give temporary 
 spiritual comfort to the Catholic soldiers and traders stationed at 
 this outpost. 
 
 The missionary period of the seventeenth century passed 
 away ; but not until 1833 did the church in Chicago become perma- 
 nently established. Its present life and strength originated in 
 the efforts of Father St. Cyr, authorized by Bishop Rosati of St. 
 Louis, to take charge of the two hundred souls constituting the 
 Catholic population of the town growing up at that time on the 
 spot where Father Marquette had paused to preach and to pray 
 in 1674. It required two weeks of unpleasant traveling for 
 Father St. Cyr to reach the mission at Chicago, nor did he find 
 much at his journey's end to rest or comfort him. From Bishop 
 Rosati he had recived a letter of appointment, commanding him 
 to " report to the Bishop of Chicago, w y hen Chicago should have 
 a Bishop " ! None but a prophetic soul could have seen, at that
 
 16 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 
 
 time, in the wild little town, any of the characteristics of a 
 bishopric. 
 
 The first episcopal visit to Chicago was that of Bishop Brute 
 of Vinceniies, Ind., who gave confirmation to the few persons 
 who had presented themselves to Father St. Cyr for preparation. 
 The congregation comprised, at that period, the paschal season of 
 1835, four hundred souls of various nationalities, French, Irish, 
 German, American and Canadian, all of whom attended the ser- 
 vices in the poor little frame edifice called "St. Mary's of the 
 Lake " ; to these services there likewise came, quite frequently, 
 the Commandant, accompanied by his staff and by the garrison 
 of the fort. This was the embryo, as it were, of the towering and 
 wide-spreading tree, to whose rich growth we have already referred. 
 Later in the same year, 1835, came the famous rush of Irish 
 emigrants, from seaport towns, to the village beside the great lake. 
 This was caused by the proposed construction of a canal to join 
 the waters of Lake Michigan with those of the Illinois river. 
 The numbers who came so greatly increased Father St. Cyr's 
 flock that he was obliged to appeal to the bishop for help in min- 
 istering to so great a number of souls. Assistance was granted 
 him and to his own were joined the labors of Rev. Fathers de St. 
 Palais, Fischer, Schaefer and Dupontavice. The last named took 
 charge of Joliet, and two Vincentian Fathers of the Mission de- 
 voted themselves to the faithful residing at LaSalle. The other 
 Rev. Fathers named above, together with Father St. Cyr, found 
 plenty to do along the course of the canal, the construction of 
 which brought the Catholic laborers to a different point almost 
 daily, making of them a sort of wandering or pilgrim congrega- 
 tion gathering in camps, in cabins and in log huts to assist at a 
 service no whit different, in essentials from, that which is to-day 
 celebrated, with so much pomp and glory, in the handsome ca- 
 thedral of the Holy Name. Sore need had the poor people of the 
 sacred comfort that only religion could afford them, for those 
 were the dread days of the cholera, which were followed by the 
 financial disasters of 1837. 
 
 In 1844, when its population had become 12,000 and a num-
 
 TOTS' tw 
 
 Stephenson County, IllinQis, 1896. 
 
 ^!!!GLE 
 
 ber of small towns had sprung up in ^Tfjifljty,, fjjhri'*ng~ was 
 raised to the dignity of an episcopal see, with Rt. Rev. William 
 Quarter as bishop. The varied events of his administration are 
 the subjects of very interesting chapters in " The Souvenir Volume 
 of the Silver Jubilee of Archbishop Feehan." St. Mary's Church, 
 in Chicago, which was to have been Bishop Quarter's cathedral, 
 was in an unfinished condition, at the time of his arrival, and 
 even lacked the requisite furniture for sanctuary and altar ; more- 
 over, there was a considerable debt on it, for the payment of 
 which there seemed absolutely no provision. However, the Bishop 
 and his brother, Very Rev. Walter Quarter, having united their 
 personal funds, to pay off the three or four thousand dollars due 
 on the work already accomplished, the people were encouraged 
 to contribute sufficient amounts to complete the structure. Not 
 long after the bishop's arrival, then, the cathedral was finished, 
 and it was his happy privilege to send towering to the sky, its 
 cross-laden steeple, the first to point heavenward from a church 
 in Chicago. It is needless to dwell upon the rapid and marvel- 
 lous changes in the diocese, since that time. The advancement 
 and improvement that edifies and delights us, at this hour, began 
 in Bishop Quarter's administration, and though he continued 
 only four years his sacred duty to the young flock scattered 
 throughout Illinois, yet the ordination of twenty-nine priests, and 
 the erection of thirty churches, constituted but a small part of his 
 arduous labors during that brief, but exceedingly fruitful period. 
 " He began with six clergymen in his diocese, and not even one 
 ecclesiastical student ; he left after him forty priests, besides twenty 
 students preparing for the priesthood, while on the many im- 
 provements which he had originated there was not a cent of 
 debt." Poverty and privation had been the portion of priests and 
 people, this had been cheerfully shared by their bishop, and he 
 united with them in transforming hardships, by patient endur- 
 ance, into the unfailing riches and abundance of eternal dwelling 
 places. 
 
 Our space will not permit us to enter into details regarding the 
 administrations of Bishop Quarter's successors, but we hope our
 
 18 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 readers will not fail to become acquainted with the contents of 
 the volume we have already recommended, where they will find 
 the labors of Rt. Rev. Jas. Van de Velde, Rt. Rev. A. 0. Regan, 
 Rt. Rev. Jas. Duggan, Rt. Rev. Thos. Foley, and Mt. Rev. P. A. 
 Feehan, eloquently portrayed. 
 
 The diocese of Chicago now enjoys the spiritual services of 
 three hundred and fifty-five priests ; its churches number two 
 hundred and twenty-eight ; of chapels there are one hundred and 
 six ; one hundred and forty institutions afford educational ad- 
 vantages to Catholic youth, and seventeen are devoted to charity. 
 
 Forty-three thousand pupils attend the Catholic schools,, 
 academies and colleges and the population of the diocese num- 
 bers four hundred and eighty thousand souls. Among them 
 many nationalities are represented, Irish, German and Bohemian 
 predominating. 
 
 A quotation from one of the many eloquent addresses pre- 
 sented to His Grace of Chicago, on the occasion of his Silver Jub- 
 ilee will correctly indicate the origin of the present prosperity of his 
 important charge, "These churches, schools and charitable insti- 
 tutions stand as monuments to the earnestness and generosity of 
 the Catholic population. They are built by the voluntary con- 
 tributions of the people, by the personal sacrifices and savings of 
 zealous priests, by the untiring industry, self-denial and economy 
 of devoted brothers and nuns. They evidence the influence 
 which the Catholic faith exercises, where people are in possession 
 of civil and religious liberty. They testify what can be accom- 
 plished, by a believing flock, when unhampered by state influence 
 or interference what can be done by a free church in a free 
 state." 
 
 Perhaps in no diocese has the truth of the above been more 
 evident than in that of Chicago. The church, in our county, is an 
 off-shoot of that great tree of which our parish of St. Mary's is a 
 sturdy, healthy, fruitful branch, and now we will do a little rev- 
 erent botanizing tracing from soil to root, from root to tree, from 
 tree to branch, the sacred life of religion in Stephenson County, 
 Illinois.
 
 Stephen son County, Illinois, 1896. 19" 
 
 THE EARLY HISTORY 
 
 Of Catholicity in Stephenson County. 
 
 The nature of the soil, if only it be watered by the dews of 
 divine grace, or by the crimson floods of martyrdom, matters lit- 
 tle to the* growth of the Church. So watered, and with men of 
 truly apostolic spirit to till it, richly productive has been the soil 
 of every part of our great country, from ocean to ocean, and from 
 gulf to great lakes. 
 
 Each locality, in that wide expanse, has its beautiful history 
 of suffering and self-sacrifice, joyfully offered in behalf of religious 
 prosperity ; our own region is no exception ; many a beautiful 
 incident might be recorded in proof of the devotedness of the 
 Catholics of Stephenson County in early days. The angels of 
 God keep the record of these deeds, though earth may bear no 
 memorial of them. 
 
 A monument marks the spot where occurred the Black Hawk 
 War, but no stately shaft or noble pile of stones marks the place,, 
 in the immediate neighborhood of this memorial, where occurred 
 an event infinitely greater than any war, however serious in its 
 results. All devout souls will agree in regarding the celebration 
 of the sacred mysteries as immeasurably greater in importance 
 and value than any event in profane history. Yet the solid 
 memorial of the dread Indian war has no companion monument 
 to tell the passer-by that here was offered, for the first time in 
 our county, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The sacred cere- 
 mony took place in the house of one Simon Brady, near Kel- 
 logg's Grove, and Father Stephen Vincent Baden was the cele-
 
 '20 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 brant. This was in October, 1827, as the good priest was on his 
 way to visit Galena and Prairie du Chien, in which places miners 
 were even then seeking for lead. 
 
 Six or eight years later, the Bishop of St. Louis, under whose 
 jurisdiction the western part of Illinois had been placed, sent 
 Father John McMahan to locate his dwelling in Galena and to 
 attend the spiritual needs of the Catholics scattered throughout 
 this section of the State. After a brief visit to Dubuque, Iowa, 
 Father McMahan devoted himself to the service of the eight hun- 
 dred Catholics in aod about Galena. Authorities differ as to the 
 date, but it was either in 1833 or 1834. The devoted priest's pastor- 
 ate was short indeed, for he had labored only nine months among 
 his flock, when God took him to his everlasting rest. .His suc- 
 cessor, Father Fitz Morris, was even a shorter time among the 
 sorrowing people ; in three months he followed his predecessor to 
 the realms of eternity. His successor was Father Shanahan, who 
 likewise departed this life while attending the spiritual needs of 
 tlie early settlers of Galena. The bodies of these three priests, 
 the first to die in our part of the country, were buried in the pub- 
 lic cemetery, where they still lie, though it was proposed, in 1843, 
 to remove them to the Catholic cemetery, that year opened for 
 the burial of bodies consecrated by the sacraments of the Church. 
 
 Previous to the coming of Father McMahan, in 1832 or '34, 
 Galena and Dubuque had been visited by Rev. Samuel Mazzu- 
 chelli, an Italian Dominician missionary, so well known and so 
 beloved, in Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, that his life and labors 
 constitute a sacred tradition rendering it unnecessary to repeat 
 the events of the one or to describe the extent of the others in 
 this work. Suffice it to state, in this relation, that one of the 
 many church edifices built by him was St. Michael's in Galena, 
 in which our brief history has an interest, because, from 1827 to 
 1843, the Catholics of Stephenson County were dependent upon 
 the priests located at Galena for occasional opportunities to assist 
 at the Holy Sacrifice and to receive the sacraments. 
 
 It was in 1835, after the death of Fathers McMahan, Fitz 
 Morris and Shanahan, that Father Mazzuchelli laid the -corner
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 21 
 
 THE NEW CHURCH AT IRISH GROVE. 
 
 THE OLD CHURCH AT IRISH GROVE. 
 
 THE OLD CHURCH AT LENA. 
 
 THE CHURCH AT NEW DUliLIN.
 
 22 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 stone of St. Michael's church in Galena; he then went to Wis- 
 consin and his place in Galena was successively filled by Fathers 
 Petiot, Brady, Oslangenberg and McCorick. It is well remem- 
 bered by old settlers, that, in 1841, Father Petiot said Mass in the 
 house of Michael Walsh, for the Catholic people of Irish Grove. 
 The house is now owned by James Spellmann. From 1841 to 
 1846 Irish Grove was attended by the priest residing at New 
 Dublin, and the services were held in private houses. Then a 
 church was built which continued in use until 1895, when Rev. 
 Michael Sullivan, the present pastor, replaced it by the fine frame 
 .structure of which the present congregation are so justly proud. 
 
 MARY HOGAN, OF NEW DUBLIN. 
 
 Our special interest in the Galena congregation ceases with 
 the year 1843, in which Stephenson County received the services 
 of its first resident priest, Father Derwin, appointed by the Bishop 
 of St. Louis to the parish of New Dublin. The welcome pastor 
 made his home with a family named Murphy and offered the 
 Holy Mass in a log church, " 16 ft. x 24 ft. and seven logs high," 
 which had been erected in 1836. In 1844, the Bishop of Chicago 
 was given jurisdiction over all Illinois, and, in 1846, he appointed 
 Rev. Jas. Cavanaugh to the charge of New Dublin and the mis- 
 sions in its vicinity. This clergyman was succeeded by Rev. F. 
 Kalvalege, who erected, in 1855, the church now in use in New 
 Dublin.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 23 
 
 THE EARLY 
 
 Catholic Settlers in Stephenson County. 
 
 Heroism has many phases and is variously developed by 
 courage and by fortitude. The heroism of the battlefield is easily 
 recognized and rarely fails to meet with the reward of fame ; the 
 brave soldier, the sturdy sailor, the gallant fireman these are 
 heroes whose right to applause is never questioned, and among 
 them any manly man would gladly be classed, but there is a si- 
 lent heroism, a hidden fortitude, an unproclaimed courage in 
 many spheres of human action that escape the ordinary observer 
 and are seldom recorded on the pages of history, Such was the 
 heroism of the explorer, such the fortitude of a pioneer's wife, 
 such the courage of the pioneer himself. Ah, those early settlers ! 
 those brave men and women who severed the ties of kindred and 
 of friendship, who uprooted the fondest affections for place and 
 people to go into strange lands and among savage tribes in search 
 of a home, in search of a support denied them elsewhere. If we 
 pause to reflect upon the condition of things, in the early part of 
 our century, we will not hesitate to recognize the heroism it re- 
 quired to settle on the prairies of Illinois, or in the forests of Wis- 
 consin, and to make one's way, sometimes with nature, and more 
 times against her, towards the foundation of a home. A thous- 
 and difficulties, unknown in our day, and therefore not to be 
 realized by us, rose up in the pathway of the first settlers striving 
 to gain mere subsistence, where prosperit} 7 now offers freely the 
 richest gifts. We would be ungrateful indeed, were we to forget 
 those whose sacrifices and labors secured for us an inheritance of
 
 24 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 faith and prosperity. All honor then to the early settlers of our 
 county and our town ! We fain would see their names, not only 
 recorded in this little book but inscribed upon monuments of 
 marble in letters of gold ! Think of the absence of physical com- 
 forts, of the dearth of mental food, of the loneliness and even des- 
 olation. Above all and before all, with the Catholic pioneer^ 
 ranked spiritual comforts and food for the soul, yet how frequent- 
 ly these were lacking, so that we find him, with his family, walk- 
 ing long miles over rough country roads, to assist at Holy Mass,. 
 
 THE LATE GEN. GEO. W. JONES, OF DUBUQUE. 
 
 or selling his last cow in order to donate his share towards the 
 erection of a log church, near his own farm and amid the simple 
 homes of his neighbors, each of whom had made similar sacrifices 
 to gain benefits ranked by him above all other blessings. 
 
 In 1832, when the late lamented General Jones, of Dubuque, 
 visited the Black Hawk battle-fields, in search of the remains of 
 Col. Dufresne, his brother-in-law, he met with Father E. Brady 
 a pioneer priest of Michigan, and they together visited what re.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 25 
 
 mained of the house in which was celebrated the first Mass offered 
 in Stephenson County. 
 
 This, as we have elsewhere stated, was the home of Simon 
 Brady, the first Catholic settler in our county, he having located 
 here in 1827. He was a cousin of Father Brady, mentioned 
 above, and is remembered as a devout and faithful son of the 
 Church, esteeming himself more highly honored by the offering 
 of the Holy Sacrifice under his roof than if he had entertained 
 all the kings of Europe. 
 
 THE LATE MR. AND MES. THOMAS BARRON. 
 
 Some of our citizens may remember Freeport's first court 
 house, also the fact that its foundation was laid by James Burns 
 and William Kilpatrick, who came here in 1836. The former 
 bought from the U. S. government forty acres of land, bordering 
 on the river, on a portion of which the Brewster House now 
 stands; the latter purchased a hundred and sixty acres upon 
 which the greater part of Freeport is built. James Burns, having 
 sold his property, went to Ireland, about 1841, and was there 
 married to Miss Kate Barry, in 1845. Returning to Freeport in
 
 26 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 1850, he made here his home and proved himself a worthy mem- 
 ber of St. Mary's parish. 
 
 William Kirkpatrick remained in Freeport until 1844 or 
 '45, after which he resided in Canada, where he went in company 
 with the Cavanaugh Brothers of Dublin. 
 
 Edmund Mullarkey and family came from Indiana in 1836, 
 and settled in Irish Grove. Daniel and Anthony, sons of Ed- 
 mund Mullarkey, are still prominent members of that parish and 
 identify themselves with every religious and charitable under- 
 taking. Mrs. Sartori, nee Kate Mullarkey, a descendent of Ed- 
 mund's, is a resident of LeMars, Iowa, where she takes an active 
 part in religious, charitable and educational affairs. She was 
 this year elected president of the Ladies' Auxiliary Committee of 
 the Western Summer School at Madison, Wis. She was educated 
 at St. Clara's Academy, Sinsinawa, Wis. Portraits of Messrs. 
 Anthony and Daniel Mullarkey and of their wives will be found 
 in this work. 
 
 In the same year, 1836, the following old settlers and their 
 families came to Stephenson County, viz : Thomas, Patrick and 
 Michael Flynn, Robert and George Cavanaugh, John Glynn, 
 James, Nicholas, Michael and Peter Fenlon. 
 
 Rev. Father Petiot said Mass in Michael Walsh's log house 
 in 1841 ; this was the first time the Holy Sacrifice was offered in 
 Irish Grove ; the house now belongs to James Spellmann. 
 
 In 1842 there came to the county, with their families, Mich- 
 ael Stenson, Martin Mullin, Thomas Brie, Thomas Cuff", Thomas 
 Fox, Thomas Flemming, Thomas Howley, Patrick Richardson, 
 John Blaney, Patrick Bradley, Matthew Reedy, Michael Blimm, 
 Peter Mullin, Austin O'Malley, Thomas Slack, Martin and James 
 Fitzpatrick, James Owens, Denis O'Donavan, Denis and Edward 
 Doonan, Patrick O'Malley, Matthew Doyle, John Ginnenwein, 
 John Spellmann, William Marlow and Maurice Hyland. 
 
 The last named settled in Rock Run township in 1846, where 
 he now possesses a fine farm which he purchased, in those old 
 days, directly from the government. Many a time his log dwell- 
 ing was not only the abiding place of the priest of God but the
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 27 
 
 PATRICK FINN. 
 AIICHAEL KENNEDY. 
 
 MIOHAEL NOLAN. 
 
 JAMES O'BRIEN. 
 ANDREW FAY. 
 
 MICHAEL MOONEY 
 MICH 
 
 [AEL STACK 
 
 
 ' LIBRARY
 
 28 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 shelter under which was offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 During the time that elapsed between the years 1842 and 
 1850, homes were built in Stephenson County, for themselves and 
 families, by the following faithful members of God's Church : 
 
 MES. CATHERINE EGAN. 
 
 Sister of the lamented Rev. John Cavanaugh, the pioneer Priest. 
 
 John and Michael Graham, Denis Hawkins, M. Muligan, John 
 Carty, John Maloney, J. Daley, Edward Crowe, Thomas McDon- 
 ough, M. Geary, Martin Sughrove, Edward Kealy, James Murry, 
 James Cullen, Charles Hopkins, Edward McNally, W. Rowen,.
 
 Steplienson County, Illinois, 1896. 29 
 
 William Gray, John Tracey, James Sullivan, Michael O'Leary, 
 James Cox, John Herrington, Thomas Cashman, Thomas Kee- 
 nan, Thomas McGuire, William McGurk, John Barron, Philip 
 Hogan, Michael O'Boyle, Moses McGrath, Patrick Callen, Mary 
 O'Sullivan, Patrick Moulton, Richard Gould, Elizabeth Cavan- 
 augh, Lawrence Murphy, John Scanlan, John Kennedy, Robert 
 Mo ran, Robert Franey, Catherine Murphy, George Murphy, 
 Thomas Summers, John McNamara, Dennis Cavanaugh, Wm. 
 Dunn, Bart Doyle, Francis Higgins, Christopher Hughes, Mary 
 Murphy, John Menlove, Stephen Byrne, John Mullarkey, Dennis 
 Quinlan, Edward Higgins, J. B. Vale, A. Malloy, H. Collins, W. 
 Kinney, W. T. Cox, James Murphy, Pat Parron, Pat O'Brien, 
 James Campbell, Frances Foley, Robert Wall, A. Hawley, Thomas 
 Hawkins, Patrick Hawkins, Daniel Hawley, John Walsh, Joseph 
 Carey, Charles O'Neil, Joseph Hays, James Hays, Jacob Burns, 
 John Murray, James McCauley, C. Curnmings, J. Cooney, Wm. 
 Hamilton, Miles O'Brien, Ellen Doran, David Graham, John 
 Graham, John Daley, Thomas Flemming, Peter Began, Jane 
 Kelly, Thomas Howley, Annie Kern, A. McKenny, Thomas Kelly, 
 Patrick Giblin, Dan Cavanaugh, John Howe, Patrick Lucy, 
 James Kugan, James O'Brien, John O'Brien, Mat Carmody, James 
 Cavanaugh, William Gould, Dan Brown, Andrew Farrell, Dennis 
 Meagher, Michael Donovan, John Flanagan, Michael Reed, 
 Thomas Reed, Michael Bowler, Pat Burns, Martin Byrnes, John 
 Eagan, John McLaughlin, Bernard McCarthy, John Howes, 
 Michael Laugh liu, John Gannon, John Buckly, Patrick McGrane, 
 James Barry, Joseph Pere, Windel Miller, Michael Mitchell, 
 Matthias Kishermer, Matt Hettinger, John Hettinger, George 
 Lamm, Philip Hamm, Andrew Hamm, William Hamm, Mr. 
 Nohe, Henry Pifer, Joe Miller, Henry Lichtenberger, George 
 Lichtenberger, Michael Bangasser, George Bangasser, Adam 
 Rippberger, Peter Altes, Anthony Schaedel, Dony Schaedel, Joe 
 Rapple, George Bruehler, Thomas Barron, William Barron, 
 James O'Brien, John Foley, Patrick Hanafin, Bernard Coyle, 
 Walter Barry, James Cavanaugh, Mrs. Carroll, Mr. Vail, John 
 Loftus, John Martin, James Sullivan.
 
 30 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 1850 TO 1860. Wm. Osborne, Patrick Lacey, J. J. Sweeney, 
 Dennis Sweeney, James McCarthy, John O'Brien, Dennis O'Con- 
 nell, John O'Connor, Michael Cowley, Michael Ryan, John Lane, 
 Patrick Carrigan, Michael Kennedy, Patrick Silk, Thomas Glavin, 
 Bernard McGuire, John Collins, James Hart, John Crossen, Peter 
 Bordaux, Patrick Kelly, John Keenan, Anthony Gavin, Morris 
 Wingert, Bernard Devy, Patrick Hannifan, John Fanon, Patrick 
 Riley, William Power, Thomas O'Connor, John Rapp, John Hen- 
 sing, Robert Moran, Peter O'Regan, Dennis Murphy, Patrick 
 Henry, Edward Connelly, Brien Casey, John Mithony, Carroll 
 Fitzgibbons, Michael Nohe, John McGinnis, Richard Drever, 
 George Shady, Michael Madegan, Dennis Haskens, Joseph Bar, 
 John Lammon, Martin Lally, Patrick Mnyly, Patrick Naton, 
 Wm. Mannin, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Thomas Hollis, Martin Crowe, 
 Wm. Lawler, Andrew Williams, Thomas Cashmau, Edward 
 Lynch, Robert Welsh, James Cox, Laurence Lyons, James Len- 
 ard, Thomas Keily, Michael Flar, John Power, John Sullivan, 
 Thomas Hasset, Richard Hughes, John Sheehan, John Mahan, 
 Martin Sordan, Michael Cowley, Thomas Ryan, James Kane, 
 Michael Maher, James Casey, James Boyle, John Regan, Martin 
 Fitzpatrick, Patrick McGrane, Patrick Mackin, Peter Grady, 
 William Sheehan, George Scott, Matthew O'Neal, John Vail, Pat- 
 rick McGrath, Pat McGuinnis, Thomas Gordon, Michael Brod- 
 erick, Thomas Mooney, Joseph Rapple, Philip Steffen, James 
 Hanahan, Thomas Grant, Patrick Silk, Richard Goff, Wm. Hyde, 
 Richard McCale, Pat Dougherty, Thomas Gray, Martin McAn 
 drews, James Darrah, George Blust, John Lyons, Jarnes Nolin, 
 Thomas Lane, James Hogan, Bernard Casey, Richard Madigan, 
 Anton Rodemeyer, Patrick McCoy, John Loftus, James Welch, 
 Daniel Allen, Moses Burns, James Kane, John McDonnell, Rob- 
 ert Welch, Thomas Craton, Patrick Garreton, Thomas O'Connell, 
 Joseph Brewster, Pat Hanafin, Pat Casey, Wm. Gallagher, M. 
 Mullin, Cornelius Murphy, John McCalligot, Bernard Deery, 
 James Keogh, James Cavanaugh, Patrick Root, Martin Lawless, 
 Tom Barry, John McGinity, Pat Farrell, James Flanagan, John 
 Wall, James McCarthy, Andrew Williams, John Reddington,
 
 titephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 31 
 
 THE LATE MRS. MARGARET WALL.
 
 32 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Patrick Cawley, Patrick Hamilton, John Lahey, James Lahey, 
 Joseph Lambert, James Hanagan, Timothy Coffee, Michael Dady, 
 James Simson, Nicholas Glynn, Wm. Coimell, Patrick Laly, Den- 
 nis Sweeney, Patrick Brennan, John Carr, Stephen Rigney, 
 Christopher Skelley, Richard Dunn, Edward Mullaney, Pat Mc- 
 Govern, Dan Brown, Lawrence Seifert, M. Schneider, Pat Keenan, 
 James Grace, Wm. Lahey, Thomas Brady, James Daley, Owen 
 McCarthy, Pat Ward, Dan Kane, John McNerney, Edward Joyce. 
 These are a part of the great number of families that settled 
 in this county before 1860.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 33 
 
 The Foundation of St. Mary's Parish, 
 
 FREEPORT, ILL. 
 
 " An old meadow can be ploughed in straight furrows, but 
 in 'a clearing' the plough must be turned aside for stumps and 
 be lifted over rocks." There is much homely wisdom in this 
 assertion of an author whose name we cannot now recall, and it 
 contains a figure suggestive of the work done in pioneer days for 
 religion as w r ell as for agriculture. The devoted priests who 
 dwelt in our county, from 1836 to 1855, worked in "the clear- 
 ing "; they felled the trees, as it were, and prepared not only the 
 harvest fields, but the pathways which were to become, ere long, 
 highways to a then undreamed of prosperity. The soil has 
 proved good, but in the " 30's " and " 40's," and the " 50's," only 
 .a divinely enlightened eye, or prophetic spirit, could have 
 discerned its value, for during that time the " clearing " was full of 
 the stumps of human difficulty and of rocks of providential plac- 
 ing, such as God uses to test the strength of His chosen servants, 
 .but there were never wanting skillful, willing hands, under the 
 guidance of wise heads, to turn the plough around the stumps or 
 to lift it o'er the rocks. 
 
 The pastors of St. Mary's Church, from the earliest date to 
 the present time, were Rev. Ferdinand Kalvelage (July, 1854- 
 July, 1859), Rev. Thomas O'Gara (August 1859-March, 1866,) 
 Rev. Fathers Westkamp and Fischer (assistants to Father 
 Kalvelage), Rev. Thomas Kennedy (March, 1866-Septernber, 
 1866), Rev. George Rigby (September, 1866-March, 1867), Rev. 
 M. J. Hanley (March, 1867-August, 1869), Rev. P. L. Hendricks 
 (August, 1869-February, 1870), Rev. F. J. Murtah (February,
 
 34 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 1870-May, 1871), Rev. M. Stack (May, 1871-April, 1877), Rev. 
 Thomas Mangan (April, 1877-October, 1887), Rev. M. Welby 
 (October, 1877-February, 1890), and Rev. W. A. Horan (February,. 
 1890 ). 
 
 REV. FERDINAND KALVALAGE, 
 
 The second Pastor of St. Mary's Church. 
 
 In 1854 Rev. Jas. Cavanaugh caine to Freeport as its first 
 resident pastor, and in 1855 the first Catholic church, "old St. 
 Mary's," a plain frame building, was erected by the joint congre- 
 gation of Germans and Irish. Father Kalvelage, as was men- 
 tioned above, took charge of the parish in 1859, and when the
 
 MR. AND MRS. P. M GRATH. 
 MR. AND MRS. WM. VAIL. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. HUGH CLARK. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. D. o'CONNELL. 
 MR. AND MRS. M. FAGAN.
 
 36 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 parishes were divided, iu 1862, he continued in charge of the 
 German congregation, which had, in the meantime, completed 
 another church and had it dedicated under the patronage of 
 St. Joseph. Father O'Gara became pastor of St. Mary's after this 
 separation. 
 
 For Rev. Father Hauley, the people erected a comfortable 
 brick residence, which Father Stack, with unselfish zeal, gave to 
 the Sisters for a dwelling place, while he took up his abode in the 
 attic of the school building. In course of time he caused the 
 original St. Mary's Convent to be constructed, also the first 
 St. Mary's Parochial School. The Sisters, Dominicans from Sinsin- 
 awa, numbered four, a music teacher and two teachers for the 
 school, also one to oversee household affairs. During Father 
 Stack's pastorate there was a vigor in the life of the parish that 
 had excellent results. 
 
 Father Mangan's ten years were distinguished by several 
 excellent improvements ; the cemetery was surveyed, plotted and 
 beautified, the church was raised and otherwise repaired, and an 
 addition was built to the pastoral residence. 
 
 Rev. Father Welby, who was highly revered by his people, 
 died while absent from his parish, on a journey taken for the 
 benefit of his health. Father Horan, who had taken charge of 
 the parish during Father Welby's absence, succeeded him as 
 pastor. 
 
 Such, in brief, is the history of the " old St. Mary's "; simple 
 indeed, but nothing is great in itself; it is only the doing of it 
 that makes it great, and to such greatness the simplest deeds lend 
 themselves. God does not care for mere results ; what He does 
 care for is the nice workmanship which our human personality 
 has the power to lavish on the indifferent materials of an ordin- 
 ary life and from which the finest results may originate. 
 
 Our readers will find it interesting, we do not doubt, to 
 review the biographical sketches that appeared in a local paper, 
 at the time of the dedication of the present church, hence we 
 repeat them here, in addition to the brief statements made on 
 the previous pages, regarding the labors of St. Mary's pastors:
 
 MRS. M. MAHAN. 
 
 MRS. HANAFIN. 
 MRS. M. UKLANEY. 
 
 MRS. HAGERTY. 
 MRS. GARVEY. 
 
 MRS. O ROURKE. 
 
 MRS. R. CASEY. 
 
 MRS. JOHANAH NOLAN.
 
 .38 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 RECORDS OF THE PASTORS. 
 
 In the modest home of James Cavanaugh and Mary Keogh, 
 his wife, in county West Meath, Ireland, was born a son in the 
 year 1823. He was christened John, and his early days were 
 spent in rural simplicity, for his father was a farmer and toiled 
 early and late for the sustenance of his little flock. It was in 
 this atmosphere that the boy took on the lines of character which 
 characterized him as a man. It was here, too, that he received an 
 education in hardihood eminently fitting him to take up his life 
 work in a new section of America. 
 
 When seven years old the lad began attending school near 
 his home. Three years later, he started for Mellingar, Carlow 
 college, at which institution he studied until thirteen years of 
 age. Next he attended college at Rheims, France, for seven years, 
 and then entered the All Hallows College, near Dublin, where he 
 remained about three years. During his entire school life, he 
 showed himself to be an earnest student and made rapid progress 
 in pursuing the course of study prescribed in each institution 
 that he attended. 
 
 In 1846 he set his face westward, landing at New York city 
 and going directly from there to Chicago. At the latter place 
 he was ordained a priest, by Bishop Quarter, in 1847. 
 
 Soon after his ordination Father Cavanaugh came west to 
 this county and located at New Dublin. His mission included 
 New Dublin, Freeport, Irish Grove and the Fenlon settlement, 
 north of Davis. Of these places only two New Dublin and 
 Irish Grove had church edifices. Besides the parishes named, 
 he filled occasional appointments at Elizabeth, Rockford, Mt. 
 darroll, Plum River, Savanna, Warren, what is now called 
 Durand, and to all parts of the present congressional district, 
 where families or congregations of Catholics had settled. He 
 had four distinct residences: with Mrs. Catharine Egan, his 
 sister, at Freeport ; Mrs. Murphy, New Dublin ; Edward Mullar- 
 key, Irish Grove, and Peter Fenlon, at the Fenlon settlement. 
 
 His time was fully occupied in going from mission to 
 mission, administering, with unfailing energy and zeal, to the
 
 MR. AND MRS. MOSES BURNS. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. JOHN VAIL. MR. AND. MRS. CHAS. M'COY. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. WM. OSBNRNE. MR. AND MRS. PETER MULLEN. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. JOHN LANE.
 
 40 Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 
 
 spiritual needs of the scattered Catholic families. Numerous- 
 sick calls, requiring long journeys, by night as well as by day, 
 were faithfully attended, his sacred powers, as a Catholic priest, 
 making it his imperative duty to respond, at any hour, and 
 under any circumstance, to the call of persons in danger of death. 
 
 He continued in the discharge of his laborious duties at 
 Freeport, until the summer of 1854, where, as directed by his 
 Bishop, he took charge of St. George's, the only church, at that 
 time, in Joliet, Illinois. 
 
 He was a man of great natural talent and many acquired 
 gifts. His sympathetic nature and his ardent zeal made him 
 untiring in his efforts for the temporal and spiritual welfare of 
 those committed to his care. 
 
 He was in Joliet but a year and a half, when he was ap- 
 pointed to Alton, from which place, after a short stay, he departed 
 to take charge of a church in St. Joseph, Mo. After a brief 
 pastorate there, he returned to this section of the country, to bid 
 his old parishioners good-bye. In 1859, intending to set sail for 
 France, he went to New Orleans, but having stopped there to 
 attend the Yellow fever victims, he fell a martyr to charity, and 
 was found dead at his post. 
 
 Soon after his death, Mrs. Egan, who still lives in Freeport, 
 received from the pastor, and from the Archbishop of New Or- 
 leans, kind and sympathetic letters, in which Father Cavanaugh's 
 great zeal and his devotion to duty, in the midst of the plague, as 
 well as his edifying death, were vividly described. He was 
 greatly attached to his sister and her husband, and while in 
 Joliet sent them several volumes of " Lives of the Saints," in 
 which is written on the fly leaf, in a bold, flowing hand, " A gift 
 from the Rev. John Cavanaugh, P. P., of Joliet, to his brother-in- 
 law, Thomas Egan, and Catharine, his sister." 
 
 Besides superintending the building of the first Catholic 
 church in Freeport, and raising funds to meet the expense, he be- 
 gan a fine house of worship at Alton, 111., which was finished by 
 his successor.
 
 * * *t^ A 
 
 . ^.sGH 
 PASTORS WHO HAVE SERVED IN 
 
 UfcNTS' LIBRARY 
 
 REV. FR. WALKER. REV. FR. STACK. REV. FR. MURTAUGH. 
 
 RKV. FR. MANGAN. 
 
 REV. FR. WELBY. 
 
 - *y 
 
 ' 
 
 REV. FR. RYAN. RKV. FR. KEARNEY. REV. FR. SULLIVAN.
 
 42 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 During Father Cavanaugh's pastorate in Freeport there were 
 no railroads. Early in the fifties, the Illinois Central was not yet 
 completed, and he had to travel almost constantly with horse and 
 buggy. The cholera made his work yet more laborious, because 
 of the great number of sick people he was called upon to see. He 
 met with many ludicrous and sometimes very dangerous adven- 
 tures, in his travels over the wild country. Everywhere he found 
 open for him opportunities for earnest work, and it is no wonder 
 that he was greatly beloved by the members of his flock, for he 
 was untiring in his efforts in their behalf. 
 
 FATHER FERDINAND KALVALEGE was born at Lohne, Olden- 
 burg, Germany, June 27, 1829. He is a son of Henry and Cath- 
 arine Kalvalege, and is an uncle of Father Clement Kalvalege, of 
 St. Joseph's Catholic church. He attended school at his home 
 and after coming to this country, in 1847, pursued his studies at 
 Girardeau, Mo. Later he took up the course at St. Mary's of the 
 Lake, Chicago. 
 
 He was ordained June 11, 1854, and his first mission was at 
 Freeport, which place he reached July 22, 1854. He remained 
 in charge of St. Mary's congregation until July 18, 1859. It was 
 during his administration that the brick church, a decided im- 
 provement upon the little frame structure, was built. 
 
 At the same time he secured a suitable building and estab- 
 lished a school for the children of his parish, though, at that 
 period, parochial schools were not obligatory. 
 
 On leaving Freeport, Father Kalvalege went to Chicago, 
 where he erected St. Frances' church, also its commodious school 
 building and comfortable parochial residence. 
 
 Of fine abilities, greatly improved by an excellent education, 
 Father Kalvalege was ever an earnest and successful worker in 
 behalf of any good cause that enlisted his sympathies. His death 
 was widely lamented and his memory is held in high esteem. 
 
 FATHER THOMAS O'GARA was Father Kalvalege's successor. 
 Coming to St. Mary's in August, 1859, he showed himself, during 
 the seven years of his pastorate, to be an indefatigable worker 
 and a most zealous pastor.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 43 
 
 Not being acquainted with the German language, he en- 
 gaged, from time to time, the services of a German priest, for the 
 benefit of those members of the congregation who spoke or un- 
 derstood that language better than they did the English. 
 
 Rev. Father B. Herderer, Rev. J. Mehlman, Rev. J. Uhlaua, 
 Rev. P. Fischer, and Rev. J. Westkamp were among those who 
 gave Father O'Gara assistance in this manner. 
 
 It was during his pastorate that the congregations separated, 
 the Germans building St. Joseph's church, and the Irish retain- 
 ing the use of St. Mary's, after having given a certain sum to aid 
 in the building of St. Joseph's. 
 
 The frame church, which had been vacated in Father Kal- 
 valege's time, was immediately and effectively converted into a 
 parochial residence, through Father O'Gara's efforts. He like- 
 wise secured property for St. Mary's cemetery. 
 
 The period during which Father O'Gara was St. Mary's 
 pastor was marked by trials and difficulties, yet he always met 
 them squarely, and displayed an admirable zeal, promptness, 
 and diligence in the discharge of his duties. Agreeable to meet, 
 witty in conversation, and edifying under all circumstances, he 
 was highly esteemed by his people, who felt for him a warm 
 friendship, for "to know him was to love him," as somebody said 
 recently, in referring to his remarkable qualities. 
 
 Not less remarkable was his success in raising funds ; besides 
 paying on? the entire indebtedness of the parish, and keeping its 
 buildings in a respectable state of repair, he collected a sum suf- 
 ficient for the purchase of the pipe organ which has ever since 
 afforded St. Mary's excellent choir with equally excellent accom- 
 paniments. 
 
 Father O'Gara was transferred, in 1866, to Bloomington, 111., 
 a much more important charge, and there he erected a magnifi- 
 cent church which a cyclone demolished, almost immediately 
 after its completion. 
 
 FATHER THOMAS KENNEDY succeeded to the pastorate of St. 
 Mary's church, coming here in April, 1866, and leaving again in 
 November of that year. He did not like the position from the
 
 44 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 first. His brief pastorate does not permit the chronicling of any 
 changes in school, church or parochial house. 
 
 FATHER GEORGE RIGBY was the next pastor of St. Mary's, 
 coming here in November, 1866, and leaving in the early part of 
 the year 1867. Neither written nor traditional historical re- 
 ources furnish authentic data regarding the events of Father 
 Rigby's pastorate, and there seems to have been no changes in 
 church affairs during the few months that he was in Freeport. 
 
 FATHER MICHAEL J. HANLEY came to St. Mary's to take- 
 charge of the parish in 1867. Zealous and self-sacrificing, he- 
 spared no effort to effect a satisfactory arrangement of parish af- 
 fairs. Possessed of great energy and an undaunted perseverance, 
 he accomplished much good in a brief space of time. 
 
 The old frame parochial residence having become unfit for 
 the purpose, it was moved out of the way, and, on a newly pur- 
 chased lot, was erected a two-story brick which continued in use 
 until vacated by Father Stack for the accommodation of the Sis- 
 ters. Father Hanley also had fences erected and shade trees- 
 planted. On his departure from Freeport in 1869, 
 
 FATHER P. L. HENDERICK succeeded him. The new pastor 
 remained but a short time, during which there were no changes,, 
 and left in February, 1870, to be succeeded by 
 
 REV. F. J. MURTAUGH, a pastor ever zealous and active in 
 the discharge of his duties. He desired to have a parish school, 
 connected with the church, and no sacrifice was too great for him 
 to make in accomplishing that object. A fine two-story brick 
 school house, capable of accommodating two hundred pupils,, 
 stood on a lot almost in front of the parochial residence and had 
 been advertised for sale. It was purchased and the lot near it 
 was soon after bought for school purposes. It was also during 
 his time that the interior of the church was painted. He was 
 highly esteemed by his people, who appreciated his efforts in be- 
 half of both church and school. In June, 1871, he was suc- 
 ceeded by 
 
 FATHER MURICE STACK. Father Stack first turned his 
 attention to the school, which he set to work to improve and
 
 , ? m I-* 
 
 MR. D. SWEENEY. 
 
 MRS. J. CAMPBELI . 
 
 MR. P. LAHEY. MRS. LACEY. 
 
 MR. P. LACY. 
 MRS. P. GLEASON. 
 MRS. D. SWEENEY, 
 
 MV. JOHN CAMPBELL. 
 
 MRS. P. LAHEY. 
 MR. P. GLEASON.
 
 46 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 bring up to a high standard. Money was raised with which the 
 building was repaired and duly furnished. Application was then 
 made to the Dominican mother house, at Sinsinawa Mound, for 
 instructors, who were supplied and immediately took charge of 
 the school. He vacated his own house that the sisters might 
 have a home, and then began to build them the present convent, 
 which at that time was considered one of the most comfortably 
 furnished structures of the kind in the north-west. In March,. 
 1877, Father Stack was transferred to St. Mary's church, Aurora, 
 Illinois. It was during Father Stack's administration that the 
 church and the community sustained a serious loss in the death 
 of Charles McCoy, brother to ex-Alderman A. J. McCoy. His 
 devotion to the interests of St. Mary's is kindly remembered by 
 many of the old timers. 
 
 No pastor of St. Mary's parish was more highly regarded 
 than Father Stack. During his career, in Freeport, he never 
 ceased to labor to improve the condition of St. Mary's church 
 and school, and he contributed one of the handsome windows 
 that adorn the new edifice. He is now in charge of the church 
 at Fulton, Illinois, where he is universally respected. 
 
 FATHER THOMAS F. MANGAN was the successor of Father 
 Stack. The new pastor soon realized that both the church and 
 school needed costly repairs and he went to work immediately to 
 make them. The very foundations, no less than the roofs and 
 intermediate parts, required immediate attention. The roof of 
 the church needing shingles, advantage was taken of the oppor- 
 tunity to raise it to a higher and more imposing pitch. The cost 
 was considerable, but was not regretted, when the dark wooden 
 gables were replaced by well lighted brick ones, in keeping with 
 the rest of the structure. When the great improvement in the 
 appearance of the church was manifested, all felt that the 
 money had been well invested. During Father Mangan's admin- 
 istration of affairs a piece of land, containing about two acres, was 
 purchased and added to the cemetery, which is now in a very 
 respectable condition. Father Mangan was a diligent worker, 
 who labored industriously for the congregation and the school,
 
 MRS. P. JORDAN. 
 MRS. P. GRANT. 
 MRS. V. HOGAN. 
 
 MRS. J. B. J. DU FOUR. 
 
 MRS. P. CAREY. 
 
 MRS. J. CAVANAUGH. 
 MRS. JOHANAH BURNS. 
 MRS. T. GRANT.
 
 48 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 raising more money for necessary expenses and improvements 
 than would have been required for a new building, had all the 
 congregation agreed to erect one. Father Mangan was pastor 
 ten years, or until 1887, when he was assigned to Joliet, where 
 he is in charge of a large congregation, and is holding likewise 
 the responsible position of dean of the diocese. 
 
 FATHER MICHAEL WELBY reached Freeport Oct. 28, 1889, 
 from the cathedral in Chicago. He was a man of great learning, 
 who had long been connected with the church in America, and 
 was warmly welcomed by St. Mary's parish. It was during his 
 time that the matter of building a new church was considered, 
 and a fair was held to create a fund for the purpose. 
 
 Father Welby was not a man of robust strength, and early in 
 January, 1890, he made a trip to the City of Mexico, with a view 
 to improving his health. Father Horan came here from Chicago 
 to take charge during the pastor's absence. Soon after his de- 
 parture on the 18th of the same month, indeed Father Welby 
 died. The sad information reached the people through Father 
 Kalvalege, and their sorrowful surprise was indescribable. A 
 meeting of the principal parishioners was immediately called and 
 they requested Father Horan to represent them in showing proper 
 respect to their deceased pastor, hence he, accompanied by Father 
 Hayes of Chicago, was to have proceeded to the City of Mexico 
 and to have brought with them, on their return, the revered body 
 of the dead priest. Owing to opposition on the part of the civil 
 authorities, the object of Father Horan and Father Hayes was 
 defeated ; they were not permitted to remove the remains from 
 Mexico. Prior to his departure Father Welby had made a will, 
 and when proofs of his death arrived, it was learned that Father 
 C. Kalvalege was named as executor. Among the bequests was 
 that of $1,000 for the use of St. Mary's church, which gave evi- 
 dence of his appreciation of the good people of St. Mary's congre- 
 gation and was a token that his heart was in his work. Father 
 Welby had many friends outside the pale of his own church, and 
 his people valued him highly for his many excellent traits of 
 character, as well as for his zeal and kindness.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 49 
 
 Father Welby was a native of Ireland, from which country 
 he came to America when he was quite young. He was ordained 
 in Santa Fe, N. M. , about twenty-five years before his death, 
 which occurred in his sixtieth year. He had traveled extensively 
 and had officiated in many celebrated Catholic churches and 
 cathedrals of America. During his last years, but before coming 
 to Freeport, he spent much time in Aurora and at the Chicago 
 cathedral. 
 
 The people could not gain possession of his remains, but they 
 cherished their pastor's memory and celebrated his funeral serv- 
 ices with all the pomp and solemnity possible. 
 
 In these brief sketches of the pastors of St. Mary's there is 
 much to edify, much to remember with pious pleasure and affec- 
 tionate respect. 

 
 PIONEER CATHOLICS OF STEPHENSON COUNTY.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 51 
 
 History of St. Mary's Neto Church. 
 
 We have already outlined the origin of St. Mary's parish 
 and referred to the churches which preceded the present hand- 
 some structure, but before beginning an account of the remark- 
 able history of the new St. Mary's, it may be well to lightly scan 
 the record of the 
 
 FIRST CATHOLIC CONGREGATION AND CHURCH IN THIS CITY. 
 
 Father Cavanaugh was the first priest to be permanently 
 stationed in the county, and his territory was almost unbounded 
 in extent. His main station, however, was at New Dublin, but 
 in 1853 he was transferred to Freeport. 
 
 It was in the little parlor of the home of Thomas Egan,. 
 where Montague & Hoyman's store stands, and at a time when 
 there were but few houses in the new town of Freeport, that a 
 number of Catholics met one afternoon to form a congregation. 
 It was in that same little parlor, thanks to the generosity of Mrs. 
 Egan, that services were held by her good brother, Father Cav- 
 anaugh. The congregation soon outgrew the place and larger 
 quarters had to be found. Among those at the meeting were: 
 Father Cavanaugh, Richard and Thomas Barron, Robert Balow, 
 Mr. Tuhey, Edward Cavanaugh, James Manion, George Cavan- 
 augh, Thomas and John O'Connor, Thomas Egan, Mr. Nagle, 
 William Barron and Mrs. Catharine Egan. They had assembled 
 to take action in regard to building a church, and all put down 
 their names, for contributions, in accordance with their means. 
 Thus were a few hundred dollars raised, but the sum was inade- 
 quate to the building of a new church.
 
 52 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 In the meantime, the brave little congregation was granted 
 the use of a hall belonging to J. K. Brewster, now of Colorado, 
 who is kindly remembered in this connection by all of St. Mary's 
 parishioners. The hall proved large enough for the Catholic 
 citizens to assemble there to assist at the Holy Sacrifice on Sun- 
 days, and there they worshiped, until the little frame church, be- 
 gun nine months later, was completed. 
 
 Various materials were voluntarily furnished and thus the 
 expense was considerably lessened. Robert and Thomas McGee 
 furnished the sills, others gave shingles, glass, nails, putty, etc., 
 and so, after much labor and self-denial, the little structure was 
 completed, and who shall express the happiness of a devout peo- 
 ple, such as these, when they knelt once more in a real church, 
 however poor and plain ? 
 
 THE SECOND CHURCH. 
 
 It was during the pastorate of Rev. Father F. Kalvalege 
 that the second church, a brick structure, was built. The new 
 edifice was a decided improvement on the old one and was con- 
 sidered a grand building at that time, yet its low roof and dark 
 wooden gables greatly detracted from the interior appearance. 
 
 The corner-stone was laid in July, 1855, and in it was placed 
 & tin box w^hich contained copies of the weekly papers of the city, 
 some manuscript, 3, 5 and 10 cent pieces and a copy of the New 
 York Catholic Zeitung. 
 
 The lumber used in the building was brought down the 
 Mississippi to Savanna and hauled from there by oxen. The 
 material was hewn out with the ax. The structure was 40 x 80 
 feet, with basement, and was finished on the common sense style. 
 From time to time improvements were made on the building, 
 which stood thirty-five years, or until the present grand structure 
 was begun. 
 
 BUILDING OF THE NEW CHURCH HOW IT WAS ACCOMPLISHED. 
 
 The people of St. Mary's congregation long desired and ex- 
 pressed a wish that they might have a new church. The old
 
 FACES THAT ARE FAMILIAR.- 
 
 > ".'DENTS' LIBRARY
 
 54 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 edifice, at the time it was built, thirty-five years before, was no 
 doubt a, very beautiful structure, but it had not only outstood its 
 time but was not large enough to seat comfortably the growing 
 congregation that gathered within its portals. 
 
 There had been considerable church talk, during the time of 
 Father Welby's pastorate and before it, but nothing definite had 
 been done. The task of building a church was considered very 
 great and many members of the congregation argued that they 
 were too poor to erect a suitable structure, hence they were in 
 favor of waiting for a better opportunity and more abundant 
 means. The one was nearer and more easily attainable than 
 they supposed, for a master mind was at hand. Rev. William 
 A. Horan, on coming to Freeport to take temporary charge of 
 St. Mary's parish, was requested by the pastor, Father Welby, to 
 ascertain the sentiment of the people regarding the erection of a 
 new church. All they had done towards it, under Father Welby's 
 direction, was to appoint a committee and to hold a fair to secure 
 funds. On acceding to Fr. Welby's request, Fr. Horan met with 
 nothing but apathy and indifference, on the part of the people. 
 Nothing more was done for awhile. In the meantime, Father 
 Welby died and Father Horan was assigned to the charge. 
 
 Father Horan came to Freeport that he might escape the 
 poison-laden atmosphere of the great city, and enjoy health-giving 
 air of the country. He had planned for himself a thorough course 
 of reading, but the field presented greater work than he had antic- 
 ipated, hence, with that unselfishness characteristic of him, all 
 thoughts of reading, and all other plans that he had made, were 
 brushed aside, that he might enter, heart and hand, into the work 
 of building the new St. Mary's church. He met with success from 
 the start. The mighty obstacles that seemed at first to threaten 
 the project melted away, as snow before the sun, and the expecta- 
 tions of even the most imaginative were exceeded by what he 
 accomplished. It is a wonderful work the work of an enthusiastic 
 church builder, and it has not been excelled, all circumstances 
 considered, by the achievement of any other clergyman in the 
 country.
 
 MR. ED. NOLAN. 
 MR. J. FENLON. 
 MR. J. PECK. 
 
 MRS. M N01.AN. 
 
 MRS. R SHERIDAN. 
 MR. G. ROTZLEK. 
 
 MR. BANGASSER. 
 
 MRS. BANGASSER. 
 MR. H. LICHTENBERGER.
 
 56 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 When the members of the congregation discovered what they 
 could do, if united, they grew enthusiastic. A meeting of the old 
 church building committee was held. Father Horaii explained 
 to them what might be done on the monthly donation plan, and,, 
 in order to secure perfect unity among the members of the 
 congregation, a mission was conducted by Dominican Fathers. 
 In January, 1890, it had been decided to publish, each month, 
 statements of the money contributed, and in April, 1890, at the 
 close of the mission, Father Horan announced, one Sunday morn- 
 ing, that if forty families gave $250 each, they could begin and 
 finish the church that year. Those who would make this contri- 
 bution should bear, he smilingly said, the highly honorable title, 
 " The Forty Martyrs ! " He further remarked that it was simple 
 folly to begin the erection of a church, without several thousand 
 dollars in the bank. That afternoon there was a meeting of the 
 congregation held in the church. And what a meeting it was ! 
 Father Horan presented a check for $250, and called on the 
 others to do likewise. That day tested the generosity of the Irish 
 heart, for $10,000 in solid cash was raised, and Father Horan 
 announced that he would immediately begin the erection of the 
 required edifice. 
 
 The proceedings of that Sunday proved that St. Mary's con- 
 gregation meant business. 
 
 THE WORK BEGUN. 
 
 The required amount having been raised, the contract w r as 
 let, by the building committee, in May, 1890, to William Ascher r 
 who began his work by pulling down the old parochial house 
 and the old church. During the time of construction, the school 
 house, with a temporary wing, was used for church purposes. 
 
 The following building committee was selected : Rev. Father 
 Horan, president ; John Tracy, treasurer ; Thos. D. Osborne, sec- 
 retary ; Patrick Grant, Thomas Grant, Michael Scanlan, Robert 
 Casey, Richard Sheridan, F. Chas. Donohue, Michael Cowley, 
 Jeremiah Riordan, Michael O'Brien, Wm. R. Barron, Michael 
 Root, George W. Farnum, J. B. J. DuFour, James Darrah, John
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 57 
 
 E. Hogan, R. R. Hughes, A. J. McCoy, Thomas J. Foley, John 
 Sullivan, Chas. McNamara. A few months afterwards, much to 
 the regret of all, Patrick Grant, of the committee, always one of 
 the most earnest of workers, was called from this world to his 
 eternal reward. 
 
 The work of razing the buildings progressed rapidly. The 
 house was torn down, and the church was being demolished, when 
 the whole city was shocked to hear that the walls had fallen and 
 killed many of the workmen. Later it was found that none were 
 killed, but that five had been more or less seriously injured. 
 Father Horan himself had a narrow escape; he was standing, at 
 the time, at the door of the church ; while there, he noticed the 
 absence of supports, and was about to call attention to the fact 
 when the crash came. Had he entered the building, he could not 
 have escaped being killed. 
 
 THE CONTRACTS. 
 
 The tearing down and clearing away was continued rapidly, 
 and in June, Wm. Ascher, who had secured the stone work for 
 $1,900, began the foundation. R. D. Dirksen had taken the 
 carpenter work for $6,000, and began it in the latter part of July. 
 The super-structure of stone was awarded to Wm. Ascher for 
 $8,000, so he continued that work right along from the foundation, 
 with Herman Hanke in charge. The other contracts were : M. 
 Scanlan, plastering, $1,400 ; Janssen & Son, painting, $1,800; D. 
 Dasso, Chicago decorating, $500 ; Bartlett Hardware Co., steam 
 fitting, $1,860; J. J. Wade, Chicago, gas piping, $170; William- 
 son & Schroeder, gas fixtures, $380 ; Bartlett Hardware Co., 
 plumbing, about $400 ; pews, $1,105 ; Waddell Bros., altars, 
 $275; pulpit, $75; confessionals, $60; sanctuary furniture, $80; 
 carpeting and matting, $360. 
 
 SOME MONEY MATTERS. 
 
 To the cost of the building, Father Horan contributed over 
 $3,500. Every cent of church revenue he devoted to the one 
 grand purpose, besides being a liberal contributor to it from his
 
 58 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 personal bank account. The following is a list of the principal 
 donations, besides which there were many special offerings : 
 
 1890 1890 
 
 January $ 144 00 November $1,390 80 
 
 February 276 00 December 927 00 
 
 March 437 00 Christmas offering 340 00 
 
 April 349 00 1891 
 
 May 10,027 00 January 1,478 00 
 
 June 532 00 February 2,667 25 
 
 July 371 00 March 1,715 75 
 
 August 749 00 April 692 00 
 
 September 1,031 75 Easter offering 573 25 
 
 October...: 1,69350 May 37000 
 
 SOME SPECIAL DONATIONS. 
 
 The stained glass windows, presented by zealous and generous 
 persons, are numerous and costly. They are valued at $1,800. 
 The price of each window and the names of its donors are 
 recorded as follows: Rose window, over sanctuary, $312, Mar- 
 ried Ladies' Sodality ; beautiful front window, $375 or $400, 
 children of the parish ; support window, beneath that of children, 
 $45, nine of the oldest men of the congregation ; window, $150, 
 Holy Name Society. The ladies contributed liberally to the 
 beautiful oil stations of the cross, valued at $600. The Young 
 Ladies' Sodality bought the sanctuary lamp for $110. The 
 statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, valued at $200, were 
 given by ten ladies of the congregation. 
 
 KECENT DONATIONS TO ST. MARY'S CHURCH. 
 
 In addition to the above, which refers to donations made 
 when the church was first built, we will here mention the many 
 gifts presented at various times since then. Individual married 
 ladies gave the following costly objects : A statue of the Sacred 
 Heart of Jesus, a statue of the Sacred Heart of Mary, a commod- 
 ious, hard-wood vestment case ; a marble and onyx credence table, 
 for the sanctuary, and a gold plated chalice, used two hundred 
 years ago in Ireland, by a Dominican priest. The credence table 
 was presented by a young lady, in her mother's name, to be a
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 59 
 
 memorial of that dear parent, when she shall have gone to her 
 eternal reward. This manner of commemorating the beloved 
 friends, who have departed this life, is eminently more touching 
 than the erection of lofty monuments in the grave-yard. 
 
 Rich laces, beautiful altar linens, handsome albs and other 
 valuable altar furnishings, were donated by the Married Ladies' 
 Sodality. 
 
 A beautifully sculptured, white marble baptismal font, ex- 
 quisitely ornamented, with carvings of graceful design, was pre- 
 sented by a gentleman and his wife. Another gentleman paid 
 the entire cost of the Blessed Virgin's altar of marble and onyx, 
 and a third, aided by his sister, did the same for the altar of 
 St. Joseph, which is of the same costly material, and was given as a 
 memorial of a beloved sister, at that time, recently deceased. This 
 is another noble example for those of our parishioners who have 
 means to erect expensive memorials to honor deceased relatives; 
 let them glorify God at the same time. 
 
 A handsome, life size statue of St. Patrick was presented, 
 soon after the erection of the church, by a gentleman who thereby 
 mingled piety and patriotism. About the same time, the children 
 of St. Mary's school donated the statue of St. Thomas Aquinas, 
 their especial patron. 
 
 Among the early presentations made to the church was one 
 of the most sacred and most valuable, an offering from twenty- 
 five ladies. This is still in use, and is the exceedingly beautiful 
 gold plated " Remonstrance " that holds so important a place in 
 the Benediction service. 
 
 The large brazen crosses that were attached to the doors of 
 the grand entrance, during the consecration ceremonies, were 
 donated by the Young Ladies' Sodality and by the St. Thomas 
 Sodality. The young ladies had previously given the eighteen 
 brass candle sticks of Gothic design that ornament the three 
 marble altars. 
 
 An exquisitely embroidered preaching stole was presented 
 by eighteen young ladies of the parish, at the time of the Jubilee 
 celebration. The gold plated wine cruets were also a present,
 
 60 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 and, on the same occasion, many costly personal gifts came to the 
 reverend pastor of St. Mary's, from friends in Chicago, and in the 
 East and South. 
 
 THE CORNER STONE. 
 
 The corner stone was laid on Sunday, August 3, 1890, at 5 
 o'clock. There were 3000 people present, including a large 
 delegation from abroad, Rockford sending her full quota. The 
 procession, headed by the Henney Buggy Company Band, includ- 
 ed St. Joseph's Society, and St. Pius Society, of St. Joseph's Church r 
 the Holy Name Society of St. Mary's Church, and the Ancient 
 Order of Hibernians, of Rockford, in command of P. W. Welch r 
 and the last named were accompanied by a drum corps. 
 
 The inscription on the stone is : "I say to thee that thou 
 art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the 
 gates of hell shall not prevail against it." St. Matt, xvi : 18; A. D. 
 1890." The box enclosed in the stone contains city and other 
 papers, coins, manuscript, etc. Father McLaughlin, of Rockford,. 
 made an eloquent address, at the conclusion of which Rev. 
 Father Horan spoke a few words of thanks to the contractors, the 
 architect and others, after which the exercises closed. 
 
 A GRAND EDIFICE. 
 
 The church, 53 x 137 feet, is built of stone quarried near 
 Freeport, and the trimmings are terra cotta. It fronts on State 
 street, and is placed near the north end of the lot, with the parochial 
 house, 38x40 feet, about ninety feet from the front and attached to 
 the church, leaving a pleasant lawn in the angle, with south and 
 west exposure. The design of the church is modern Gothic. A 
 tower, sixteen feet square at the base and 110 feet in height, caps 
 the northeast corner of the main front, while a smaller tower 
 graces the southwest corner. The larger one has been heavily and 
 substantially built to receive a chime of bells at some future date. 
 
 The approach to the main entrance to the edifice is by three 
 stone steps to a broad stone platform extending across the front 
 from tower to tower. Two pairs of wide double doors, set in stone 
 and surrounded by terra cotta, give, entrance to a commodious
 
 MR. AND MRS. P. O CONNOR. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. JAMES FLANAGAN. 
 MRS. H. GLENNON. MRS. J. RIORDAN.
 
 62 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 vestibule, 10 x 30 feet. Above the main entrance, a row of entresol 
 windows forms an imposing effect as the base of a large window. 
 This window has a fine Gothic tracery and is filled with art glass 
 in appropriate designs. The side walls of the structure are twenty 
 feet in height with heavy buttresses between the windows. The 
 height of the nave is thirty-five feet. The roof is covered with 
 metallic shingles in Gothic pattern. 
 
 The main auditorium has 665 sittings, with broad six-foot 
 aisle in the center, and two four-foot aisles, with seven feet between 
 the front seat and altar rail. 
 
 Above the vestibule and extending three feet into the church r 
 with handsomely curved panel-front, is the organ and choir loft, 
 with appropriate furnishings. 
 
 The wood work throughout is of southern pine, finished in the- 
 natural graining of the wood. The ceiling is adorned with 
 partially exposed trusses, and is handsomely frescoed. The artist 
 was David Dasso, of Chicago. Back of and higher than the altar 
 is a handsome rose window, containing a representation of the 
 Immaculate Conception.' 
 
 The main altar span is raised two steps above the floor of 
 the nave and occupies 24 x 25 feet of space ; the side altars, 7x18 
 feet. The pulpit, of different woods, is handsomely finished and 
 durably constructed. 
 
 There is a large sacristy at the north of the main altar, and 
 a robing room for the boys is on the south side. In the basement 
 of the church there is a large winter chapel, also furnace rooms, 
 coal rooms, etc. 
 
 The parochial house has two stories and a basement in 
 height; it contains twenty-one rooms and four closets. In the 
 basement there are two pantries, a dining room, a store room and 
 wine vaults. 
 
 Owing to the grade of the lot, which slopes to Union Street, 
 the basement rooms, both in the house and church, have pleasant 
 open frontage. 
 
 The first floor of the parochial house has an ante-hall seven 
 feet in width, separated from the foyer hall by a stairway ; in the
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 63 
 
 latter there is a handsome oak staircase, the balustrade of which 
 contains 3,000 pieces. On the right of the hall is a reception 
 room, an entrance to the church and a west chamber ; on the left 
 are two libraries. There is also the pastor's bedroom, and a closet 
 on this floor. The windows in the east and west ends of these 
 rooms are set in curved fronts. 
 
 The second floor has a library and living room over similar 
 rooms on the first floor, with assistant priest's chamber, bath room, 
 clothes closet, etc. 
 
 On the third story, there are four large rooms ; one for a 
 store room ; another for a general room and two large bright 
 rooms for the housekeeper. 
 
 The house, like the church, is built of stone, with terracotta 
 trimminngs. The entire expense of the church, when completed 
 and furnished, was over $40,000. 
 
 For convenience in all its parts and good taste in all its 
 appointments, it is not surpassed by any church, outside of Chicago. 
 Well lighted with gas, comfortably heated with steam in winter 
 and admirably ventilated in summer, worshipers find it free from 
 distracting discomforts, and come to it as to a haven of rest and 
 peace. 
 
 The parochial house adjoins the church, and communicates 
 with it, by means of a vestry. It is comfortably, though not 
 expensively furnished ; all the pieces are of hard wood, upholstered 
 with plush or with leather. The mantles are elegant and below 
 them are' fine fire-places, beautifully tiled, some of them con- 
 taining gas logs which, when lit, on a chilly evening, give de- 
 lightful warmth and " a dim religious light " provocative of 
 reflection and meditation. 
 
 On the walls of the parlor are two pictures, highly prized by 
 the pastor, to whom they were personally presented, one, of the 
 Sacred Heart of Jesus, by the Sisters of Mercy of St. Xavier's 
 Academy, Chicago, and the other, a life size portrait of Cardinal 
 Gibbons, by the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, Wis. Both are 
 painted in oil and are the work of artists belonging to the com- 
 munities that presented them.
 
 64 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 The Cardinal sat especially for the portrait and considers it 
 one of his best pictures. 
 
 Aside from its excellent furnishings, St. Mary's Rectory is one 
 of the prettiest and pleasantest dwellings imaginable ; there is not 
 a dull, ill-lighted or, in any sense, unpleasant room to be found 
 in it, from basement to garret. 
 
 The interior of the church is grandly furnished. The altars 
 of marble and onyx are very beautiful ; the walls are frescoed in 
 water colors, the work of David Dasso of Chicago, and the aisles 
 are matted. The sacristy memorial windows bear the names of: 
 Revs. John Cavanaugh, Ferdinand Kalvalage, Thomas O'Gara, 
 Thomas Kennedy, George Rigby, M. J. Hanley, T. L. Hendricks, 
 F. J. Murtaugh, M. Stack, Thomas F. Mangan and M. Welby. 
 
 The plans for the new church were drawn by G. Stanley 
 Mansfield, of Freeport, the architect, and being found perfectly 
 satisfactory, by the committee who had the matter in charge, were 
 accepted. Everything connected with the building of the new 
 edifice has been creditable to the designer. 
 
 One of the very satisfactory features of the affairs of St. Mary's 
 Church is the harmonious completeness with which every thing 
 was arranged, from the very first. There has been no lack of proper 
 and suitable altar furnishings, no shabby, half-worn vestments, 
 no defects or deficiencies anywhere ; everything essential to the 
 ceremonial of the Catholic Church has been present, and all 
 things have been new together. 
 
 The choir, which has an excellent name, for fine voices and 
 good work, comprises the following young people : Miss Mary 
 Brennan, organist ; Mrs. Leo Thro, Miss Maggie Carey, Mrs. M. 
 Ellsworth, sopranos ; Miss Jennie P. Tracy, mezzo soprano ; Miss 
 Nonie Reardon, contralto ; John P. Lawless, tenor ; Edward 
 Lawless, baritone; John Rau, Frank Rogers, bassos. J. E. Car- 
 roll, the able director, drills the choir and keeps it up to its high 
 standard. 
 
 That there should have been a universal sentiment of joy 
 among the parishioners, on the completion of the church, was 
 quite natural, and it is needless to state that its dedication was a
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 65 
 
 matter of speual interest to each of them, for the occasion was one 
 of personal as well as general satisfaction. 
 
 THE SOLEMN OPENING OF ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC 
 
 CHURCH. 
 
 In the presence of a large number of clergymen and other 
 friends and spectators, from home and abroad, the first solemn 
 
 SIDE VIEW OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH. 
 
 opening of St. Mary's new Catholic Church occurred on Wednes- 
 day, October 28, 1891. 
 
 It was the intention to dedicate the sacred edifice on this 
 occasion, but in consequence of the illness of Archbishop Feehan, 
 and the non-arrival of Bishop Cotter of Winona, Minn., whom 
 the archbishop supposed to be present to act in his place, the
 
 66 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 dedication was necessarily deferred. The disappointment was 
 greater than words can express, for every man, woman and child 
 had been actively engaged in making grand preparations for the 
 occasion, and all were generously interested in its success, towards 
 which all had contributed both labor and money. 
 
 The Catholics of Freeport have every reason to be proud of 
 the work accomplished by them in the year 1891, and Rev. W- 
 A. Horan is to be congratulated on the grand success which, in 
 union with his devoted people, he has achieved. 
 
 In one short year, he caused the erection of a church, also of a 
 parochial residence, freeing both of them, in the same brief period,, 
 from every cent of debt. Nor is this all ; the school house was 
 enlarged and a beautiful hall, for public purposes, was constructed 
 above the school rooms. Too much praise cannot be accorded 
 the superlative energy that accomplished so much in so short a. 
 time. The expressions of appreciation and admiration that the 
 speakers of the day lavished on the pastor of St. Mary's were richly 
 merited by him and were music to the ears of his devoted flock. 
 
 At 10 o'clock, on the eventful day of the solemn opening of 
 St. Mary's new church, an immense throng of parishioners and 
 guests was present in the handsome edifice. The altars appeared 
 even more beautiful than usual, plants and flowers being used in 
 great quantities as decorations. The services throughout, were 
 very impressive and in perfect keeping with the occasion. Rev. 
 Father F. Kalvalege of St. Francis' Church, Chicago, the veteran 
 clergyman, who was the second pastor of St. Mary's Church, was 
 the celebrant of the Mass; Father White of Wisconsin, was the- 
 deacon ; Father Flaherty of Rockford, sub-deacon ; Father Byrne 
 of Rockford, master of ceremonies. The sermon, which was elo- 
 quent and appropriate, was delivered by Rev. P. J. Muldoon,. 
 chancellor of the archdiocese of Chicago, a man of great ability, 
 a brilliant orator and a zealous priest, who could not fail to be 
 inspired by an occasion so entirely in accord with his own desires 
 and aims. 
 
 The speaker based his remarks on the words " His house 
 will be the house of prayer," and said : " No words can be too
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 67 
 
 strong, too expressive, with which to thank the people for their 
 generosity in giving this noble gift to God. It is, indeed worthy 
 to be a house of prayer, emblematic of all that is good. What is 
 prayer, but speech with God ? And where may we so fittingly 
 speak with Him, as in the temple erected to His honor, by a lively 
 faith and supernatural charity ? Then we must believe in some 
 
 REAR VIEW OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH AND RESIDENCE. 
 
 higher being, else we cannot have prayer, and not having prayer 
 we would not need a house of worship. It is from God we receive 
 all kindness and mercy ; to Him we owe, for that reason, the 
 unbounded thanks that will be offered unceasingly in this His 
 temple. 
 
 " In the building and erection of every church there is shown 
 a belief in God. It is not from earthly vanity that these temples 
 are reared. We realize there is a God from whom we receive all
 
 68 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 blessings. Our hopes are not on the earth, for we have not our 
 abiding city here. We understand that there is a home above, 
 and it is for that reason that we give loud acclamations in tones 
 of joy, when such temples are built. These buildings declare that 
 there is a God and that we are held responsible for our deeds 
 with regard to our neighbor and to our God. The erection of 
 such a structure must be based on a desire to love and serve God. 
 
 " We are here to-day and away to-morrow. We must account 
 for the things in our possession. We are to use our abilities for 
 God. We cannot prepare for heaven in a moment. It is our 
 duty and we are expected always to do good. 
 
 " I can say no words too strong in praise of the work of St. 
 Mary's congregation. I do not say it with flattery, and I say it 
 after having seen all the churches of the diocese, that there is none 
 more beautiful than this. There may be some grander and 
 larger, none are more complete, none more artistic. You have 
 seen great changes in your parish in a year. The old church, 
 which stood so many years, has been replaced by an edifice com- 
 plete and furnished throughout. 
 
 " In olden times the people were not allowed to present any- 
 thing to God that was defiled or imperfect. You seemed to have 
 this object in view when you prepared your church to give to Him. 
 You have brought it to Him without a blemish. Your work is 
 wonderful, when you consider the size of the parish and the size 
 of the city itself. It is always easy to build a church, but many 
 times it is difficult to pay for it, when finished. 
 
 " When we see this people carry their gift to God, we call it 
 wonderful. It shows love for Almighty God and it recalls visions 
 of the olden time, when the people came bearing their- most 
 precious gifts. It is not the mechanic nor the designer who has 
 done this, but the spirit which has opened the hearts in generosity. 
 May you live long to enjoy the fruits of your labor. 
 
 " Some of you may have heard thirty years ago the same 
 voice asking blessing upon the seed he had sown, that you hear 
 to-day blessing the growth thereof. 
 
 " Here is where your children will receive their first blessing.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 69- 
 
 It is here that you will be carried on your journey to your last 
 home. 
 
 " In all that has been done you should be thankful to God. 
 Nobody can do much unless there is some guiding star. You 
 have had your guiding star. He has led you to become an ex- 
 ample of zeal to the people of the diocese. Pray for him, that he 
 may be spared to you and may be led on to complete his great 
 work. 
 
 AN INTERIOR VIEW OF ST. MARY'S PAROCHIAL RESIDENCE. 
 
 " God will return a hundredfold what you have given Him. 
 With a church, home and school, you have all that goes to make 
 up a great congregation and to fit your children to become true 
 American citizens. In all this, love and thank Him, for no 
 praise can be too much, in return for such favors." 
 
 Hayden's Imperial Mass was rendered by ladies and gentle- 
 men of Chicago, Mr. Winder presiding at the organ. It was a 
 magnificent treat in the church music line. Mrs. Dr. Hemmi
 
 70 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 rendered a soprano solo, " Salutaris," Mr. A. E. Dasso gave the 
 " Veni Creator " as a tenor solo, and Miss Coffee, Mrs. Hemmi and 
 Mr. Dasso sang a trio. 
 
 After mass, all repaired to the new hall which had been 
 handsomely decorated with flags, bunting and pictures. There 
 at noon a banquet was given to the clergymen and others in at- 
 tendance. 
 
 Great credit was given the ladies of St. Mary's Church, 
 both young and old, for the magnificent spread they prepared, as 
 well as for the beautiful arrangement of the tables and the elegant 
 serving of the repast. 
 
 A number of toasts were proposed and happily responded to 
 by several clergymen in attendance, who were loud in praise of 
 Freeport and Freeporters. 
 
 The Chicago choir and the members of the home choir were 
 entertained at the parochial residence. 
 
 The clergymen who were in attendance at the solemn open- 
 ing were : 
 
 Rev. Thos. F. Cashman, Chicago. Rev. P. J. Muldoon, Chicago. 
 
 Rev. Daniel McGuire, Chicago. Rev. F. Kalvalege, Chicago. 
 
 Rev. F. W. Pape, New Vienna, la. Rev. J. E. Shanahan, Apple River. 
 
 Rev. D. B. Toomey, Polo, 111. Rev. M. Luby, Maytown, 111. 
 
 Rev. L. Erhard, So'monack, 111. Rev. A. O. Walker, Sinsinawa. 
 
 Rev. J. J. Flaherty, Rock ford, 111. Rev. P. F. Byrne, Rockford, 111. 
 
 Rev. Stephen Woulfe, Rockford, 111. Rev. A. J. Carroll, Rochelle, 111. 
 
 Rev. W. White, Hammond, Wis. Rev. G. Brady, Portage, Wis. 
 
 Rev. J. Nicholas, Elkhorn, Wis. Rev. C. Hudt, Hampshire, 111. 
 
 Rev. A. Beuter, Shannon, 111. Rev. F. Antil, Savanna, 111. 
 
 Rev. H. M. Fegers, Sterling, 111. Rev. J. F. Power, Spring Valley, 111. 
 
 Rev. O'Connor, chancellor Peoria Rev. Weldon, Bloomington, 111. 
 
 diocese, Peoria, 111. Rev. Shannon, Brimfield, 111. 
 
 Rev. F. L. DuFour, Niagara, N. Y. Rev. C. Kalvalege, Freeport. 
 
 Michael Horan, father of Father Horan, Miss Horan, a sister, 
 Michael and Thomas, brothers, all of DeKalb, and Stephen, 
 another brother, of Rockford, were also in attendance. 
 
 Many letters of regret were received by Father Horan from 
 all over the country. Bishop J. Shanley of Fargo, North Dakota, 
 wrote as follows :
 
 Steplienson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 71 
 
 DEAR FATHER HORAN: I cannot tell } T OU my disappoint- 
 ment at being unable to be present at your church consecration 
 Oct. 28th. Over a month ago I promised to begin a week's 
 mission in Fairbault, Minn., on Oct. 25th. I have tried to change 
 the time of the mission, but without success. Your good people 
 and yourself deserve all honors for your wonderful work, and for 
 that reason, as well as for my deep regard for yourself, I would 
 wish to be with you on that great day. With best wishes, 
 
 Fraternally yours, 
 
 J. SHANLEY. 
 
 AN INTERIOR VIEW OF ST. MARY'S PAROCHIAL RESIDENCE. 
 
 His grace, Bishop M. F. Burke of the Cheyenne Diocese, writes 
 from St. Mary's Cathedral under date of Oct. 21. He says : 
 
 DEAR FATHER HORAN: I have been away from home at 
 the Indian mission in the interior of the State for the past two 
 weeks, and on my return I found awaiting me, your very kind 
 letter of invitation to be present at your dedication, on the 28th 
 inst. I thank you very much for your kindness and sincerely 
 regret that it will be quite impossible for me to be with you on 
 the happy occasion. I am engaged this week ; next week
 
 72 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 will be all alone and could not possibly get away even if the dis- 
 tance were not so great. Trusting to have the pleasure of visiting 
 you on some other occasion, and wishing that you may be long 
 spared to your good and generous people to enjoy your beautiful 
 church, I am with great respect, 
 
 Very kindly yours, 
 
 M. F. BURKE. 
 
 A sacred concert was given at St. Mary's Church after the- 
 opening ceremonies and was in all respects worthy of the ladies- 
 and gentlemen from Chicago who participated, and highly ap- 
 preciated by the very large audience that had assembled. There 
 were present many of Freeport's representative citizens, and none 
 but words of praise were heard regarding the efforts of those who- 
 were on the program. 
 
 The first number was the gloria from Mozart's 12th Mass, 
 given with fine effect and in good chorus by the choir. This was- 
 followed by an alto solo, " Dreams," by Streliski, rendered by 
 Miss Frances McCaffrey, a lady who has a beautiful voice that 
 she knows well how to use. Later in the evening, she sang a 
 selection from Handel's Messiah, " He was despised and rejected,'^ 
 displaying to good advantage the remarkable strength of her 
 voice. Agustin E. Dasso, who belongs to the choir of St. Patrick's 
 Church, sang " Cujus Animam," by Rossini, in a clear and high 
 tenor voice, and in a highly acceptable manner ; this was followed 
 by a solo, " Aria Attilla," given by Mrs. Dr. S. Hemmi, in a soprano- 
 voice of wide range, cultivation and sweetness. She quite capti- 
 vated the audience. " Inflammatus," by Rossini, was a soprano- 
 solo and chorus that made a good impression, Mrs. E. G. Stevenson 
 taking the solo part. This was followed by a bass solo, " Pro- 
 Peccatis," F. A. Langlois singing for the first time in Freeport. 
 This gentleman is a member of the cathedral quartette and it is 
 always a pleasure to hear him, for he is a favorite everywhere.. 
 Mr. Langlois and Charles Moore, the well known tenor of St. 
 Mary's, Chicago, sang " O Salutaris," by Verdi, in a manner 
 that was highly appreciated. Carl Bernhard, the baritone- 
 soloist of St. James', was also with the party, and his rendering 
 of " The Jewess " evinced talent of high order. The trio " Te-
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 73 
 
 Prego Padre," gave ample scope for the excellent voices of Mrs. 
 Hemmi, A. E. Dasso and F. A. Langlois. The last number on 
 the program, " Good Night," was the finale to a concert that was 
 richly enjoyed by every one whose good fortune it was to attend. 
 Should these ladies and gentlemen appear in a concert in Freeport 
 again, it is certain they will be warmly welcomed. 
 
 G. STANLEY MANSFIELD, 
 
 Architect of St. Mary's New Church and Parochial Residence. 
 
 John H. Winder, the organist of St. Patrick's church, Chicago, 
 a gentleman eniment in his profession, played the accompaniments 
 on the pipe organ. David Dasso made the arrangements for the 
 concert, and his efforts were sincerely appreciated by the people 
 of St. Mary's and by other interested citizens.
 
 74 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 ST. MARY'S HALL AND ST. MARY'S SCHOOL BUILDING. 
 
 Next to the church, Father Horan and his people hold the 
 school to be the most precious possession of the congregation. 
 To its progress the pastor has ever devoted an untiring energy 
 and an unceasing vigilance. Hence there was no surprise when, 
 in the spring of 1891, he announced that a new school building, 
 with a hall for public purposes, would be erected during the sum- 
 mer, and that the expense would be met with the proceeds of 
 entertainments, lectures and concerts. The work was immediately 
 begun and energetically pushed forward. 
 
 The hall was built under the direction of the following com- 
 mittee : J. P. Younger, president ; John E. Hogan, secretary ; F. 
 Chas. Donohue, treasurer; Charles McNamara, John M. Peck, 
 Martin Flanagan, James O'Rourke, Patrick Reedy, John J. 
 Sweeney. 
 
 The contracts for the construction of the building were made 
 with R. D. Dirksen, carpenter work ; E. Bamberger, mill work ; 
 M. Scanlan, plastering ; Kruze & Metzgar, brick ; Bongye & 
 Schwartz,. painting and glazing; Win. Ascher, stone work ; Free- 
 port Water Co., steam heating. 
 
 The structure is of brick and stone, two stories and a half 
 high, and 54 x 104 feet in dimensions. The first floor comprises 
 four school rooms, two class rooms and a library. On the second 
 floor is the hall referred to above. A movable partition enables 
 the Columbus Club to separate their part of this extensive audi- 
 torium from that devoted to entertainments, but on a great occa- 
 sion, when the audience is likely to be large, this barrier is 
 removed. 
 
 Heated by steam, lighted by electricity, and admirably 
 ventilated, St. Mary's Hall, with a seating capacity of six hundred, 
 can be adapted, by removing the chairs, to any parish purpose 
 required. Within its walls, since it was first opened, on the 
 evening of Thanksgiving day, in '91, there have been school 
 exhibitions, dramatic entertainments, lectures and concerts, 
 parties and bazaars. It has saved the parish hundreds of 
 dollars of hall rent, always exorbitant, and has indirectly
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 75 
 
 brought to the congregation a handsome profit, for many an 
 honorable money-making scheme has been carried out, with 
 marked success, that could never have been undertaken had 
 there been no St. Mary's Hall. To sell a hundred dollars' worth 
 of tickets is a profitable matter, when there is no hall rent to pay ; 
 not so, when at least forty dollars of the hundred must be given 
 
 ST. MARY'S SCHOOL AND HALL. 
 
 for the use of a hall, inconvenient, perhaps, as well as unsuitable. 
 The corner-stone of St. Mary's Hall was laid on Sunday, July 
 19, 1891, at 5 p. m., amid a large concourse of people, who listened 
 with eager attention, to the eloquent and thoughtful address of Rev. 
 E. J. Dunne, since consecrated Bishop of Dallas, Texas. The stone
 
 76 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 bears the inscription "Religion, Science, Peace, 1891," and encloses 
 a box containing papers, coins, and other objects indicative of the 
 laws and customs of our age. 
 
 Hon. Wm. Onahan of Chicago, addressed an immense audi- 
 ence, on the occasion of the opening of the hall, and he but 
 headed the procession, as it were, of distinguished men who have,, 
 at short intervals, in the past five years, presented, for the consid- 
 eration of St. Mary's people, their noblest sentiments, delivered in 
 their best style. 
 
 John Lawless and Leo Thro were appointed stage managers,, 
 and all entertainments presented in the new hall, were conducted 
 under their direction. 
 
 A series of enjoyable social events occurred during the 
 winter that followed the opening of the hall, and both dramatic 
 and literary programs were presented, " The Shamrock and the 
 Rose " being particularly successful, as was also a varied enter- 
 tainment given by the Young Ladies' Literary Association. The 
 pupils of St. Mary's school, likewise, afforded pleasure by the 
 frequent presentation of interesting and original programs. 
 
 The hall is, in fact, admirably adapted to the presentation of 
 dramatic entertainments. The stage is wide and deep, and bril- 
 liantly illuminated with electrical border-lights and foot-lights. 
 The several sets of scenery, parlor, prison, forest and landscape, 
 are easily arranged and give suitable environment for almost any 
 sort of drama. The drop curtain, which represents the origin of 
 the " Star Spangled Banner," was painted by David Dasso, a 
 gifted Catholic citizen of Chicago. It presents a picture of the 
 Bay of Baltimore, with Fort McHenry, and its battered flag, in 
 the distance ; the waves are lapping against the sides of a noble 
 ship, a British man-of-war, on the deck of which stands Francis 
 Key, the author of our national song, in the midst of a group of 
 British tars. He has been captured and brought on board, where 
 in the " dawn's early light," he beholds the star spangled banner, 
 begrimmed indeed, but proudly floating over the fort. This he 
 is triumphantly saluting, with hand and voice. At the top and 
 left side of the picture appears a mammoth flag, gracefully
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 77 
 
 draped, while at the right there stands a large vase of flowers. 
 The curtain as a whole, is very pretty and effective. 
 
 During the winter season, there is a social gathering of 
 Catholic citizens in St. Mary's hall, every two weeks, except, of 
 course, in Advent and in Lent. A musical program is followed 
 by dancing and refreshments. Thus are Catholic young people 
 brought together, instead of being left to wander about among 
 those not in religious sympathy with them, and therefore likely 
 to be dangerous companions. 
 
 The first school connected with St. Mary's Church was in 
 existence during the time of Father Kalvalege's pastorate. It was 
 
 MR. AND MRS. P. H. MURPHY. 
 
 intended, principally for the German portion of the congregation 
 and was discontinued soon after being established. The next 
 effort to institute a school was made in the time of Rev. T. J. 
 Murtaugh who, with the assistance of ex-Aid. A. J. McCoy and 
 others, raised money and purchased the two story brick building 
 which is still standing, and forms a part of the new school house 
 and hall. The lot adjoining was also purchased, thus enlarging 
 the grounds. The building was found to be well suited for school 
 purposes, and capable of accommodating two hundred and fifty 
 pupils. It was Father Stack who went to the Mother House of 
 the Dominican order at Sinsinawa Mound and secured the num-
 
 78 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 ber of Sisters necessary to conduct the new school, which opened 
 in August, 1873. 
 
 The Order of Dominican Sisters was established six hundred 
 years ago, by St. Dominic, a Spanish nobleman of great sanctity 
 and wisdom. His Order, both of priests and nuns, has given 
 many saints to the church, and was approved and confirmed by 
 the learned Popes, Gregory IX., Boniface IX., Innocent VII. r 
 and Eugene IV. The object of the Third Order of Dominican 
 Nuns is to provide religious instruction for girls living in the 
 world and exposed to its trials and temptations. From Spain, 
 the Order spread rapidly through Italy, France, and other parts- 
 of Europe. About 1812, it was established in Ohio and Kentucky, 
 and, a few years later, in Wisconsin. For a year before and a 
 year after receiving the religious habit, the noble women belonging 
 to this Order remain in the training school, at the Mother House, 
 Sinsinawa, Wis., preparing for their important duties as religious 
 teachers, duties demanding the acquirements of the best secular 
 teachers and, in addition to them, the ability to give religious 
 instruction by word and example. 
 
 St. Clara's Academy supplies teachers for schools in thirty 
 cities, the farthest west being Denver and the farthest south 
 Washington, D. C. The Dominican Sisters are widely spread in 
 the United States and have several Mother Houses, each with its 
 many branch houses. It was at Memphis, during the raging of 
 the yellow fever, that Dominican Sisters left their schools to help 
 care for the sick ; many of them never returned to their schools, 
 because the dread disease which they might easily have escaped, 
 gave them a martyr's death. The services of Sisters of this 
 Order have been long devoted to St. Mary's precious heritage, the 
 little ones of the flock, two hundred and fifty being the average 
 enrollment of pupils. 
 
 The school is free and well graded. The pupils are classed 
 in four departments, viz.: Primary, having four grades and two- 
 teachers ; the Intermediate, having two grades and one teacher ; 
 the Grammar Department, four grades and two teachers ; the 
 High School Department, two grades and one teacher.
 
 ST. MARY'S SCHOOL.
 
 80 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 The text books and the course of study are the same as used 
 in the public schools of the city, but half an hour is daily devoted 
 to instructions in Christian Doctrine. 
 
 Three grades of honors are conferred on the occasion of the 
 annual commencement of St. Mary's School : first, the laurel 
 crowns, given to those who have been examined by the county 
 superintendent, and have received from him a second grade 
 certificate ; second, diplomas, conferred on those who have been 
 examined by the county superintendent in the additional studies 
 required for a first grade certificate, and have attained the average 
 required for graduation from the city High School ; third, a gold 
 medal, conferred on graduates whose deportment has been exem- 
 plary in all particulars. 
 
 Each year, since Father Horan has required the members 
 of grades eleven and twelve, both boys and girls, to take the 
 " teachers' examination," at the court house, under direction of 
 the county superintendent, there have been from two to eight of 
 St. Mary's High School pupils, not above eighteen years of age, 
 successful in gaining second grade certificates, and an excellent 
 standing for the first grade. A first grade certificate is conferred 
 only after the applicant has taught for a certain time. 
 
 Instrumental and vocal music receive careful attention. 
 The pupils of the school are given lessons daily in singing by 
 note. Special attention is given to literature, interest being 
 aroused and preserved by duly organized reading circles, of which 
 there are three, namely, " The Feehan Circle " comprising the 
 high school pupils, " The Bryant-Whittier," to which belong the 
 girls of the grammar department, and " The Longfellow." consist- 
 ing of the boys of the same department. The ladies of the parish, 
 a chosen few of them, are banded under the title of " The 
 Aquinata Reading Circle," and since the above were established 
 the higher grades in the primary department have united under 
 the title of " The Father Horan Reading Circle." 
 
 The Young Ladies' Sodality has a fine library of nearly four 
 hundred volumes. Many of those were donated by the pastor ; 
 others were obtained by paeans of entertainments.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 81 
 
 Several volumes in the Sodality library being considered 
 rather childish for such a collection, the young ladies donated 
 them to the school library in the grammar department. 
 
 ST. MARY'S CONTENT. 
 
 "The Longfellow Circle" collected, during the first year of 
 their association, over eighty volumes. These were donated by 
 non-Catholics as well as Catholics, so agreeable is the spirit that 
 governs the social relations of Freeport's citizens. 
 
 The school children edit a monthly journal, the "Santa 
 Maria," and the profits it brings in are devoted to the purchase of 
 books and periodicals. This little monthly edited by the children, 
 whose compositions constitute its literature, luis Ixrn ranked by 
 
 STUDENTS' LIBRARY I 
 
 6V f
 
 82 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 competent critics, with the best college journals. That St. Mary's 
 pupils are earnest parishioners in other particulars is proven by 
 the following facts. 
 
 When the new church was in the process of erection, the 
 children of St. Mary's school were as interested as their parents 
 in all that concerned it, and they wanted to do something to help 
 
 CHARLES DUNS. 
 JOE G. ALLEN. 
 
 LIZZIE F. COlirORAN. 
 KITTIE KILLION. 
 
 JOHN MANION. 
 JOHN FLANAGAN. 
 
 EDITORS AND MANAGERS OF THE SANTA MARIA FOR 1896.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 83 
 
 on the good work. Their teachers suggested having a bank in 
 which the pupils could place their donations. These were to be 
 the fruit of self-sacrifice ; money given the children by their 
 parents to spend on sweet meats was dropped into the bank 
 instead, and, when the pennies and nickels amounted to many 
 dollars, the sum was devoted to the purchase of a magnificent 
 stained window representing the Holy Family. This beautiful 
 donation has a place of honor over the front entrance, and bears 
 an inscription stating that the little ones of the flock contributed 
 this handsome addition to the very beautiful and costly set of 
 windows that adorn St. Mary's Church. 
 
 A PAGE FROM FATHER HORAN'S LIFE. 
 
 Here we think it well to give a brief biographical sketch of 
 him, to whom, under God, all this success, so honorable to religion, 
 is due. 
 
 His life has been crowded with zealous activity and crowned 
 with remarkable success. Rev. W. A. Horan, pastor of St. Mary's 
 Church, is a son of Patrick and Mary (Hanaughan) Horan, and 
 was born at DeKalb, 111., Feb. 2, 1851. His father was, for some 
 years, a dry goods merchant in Chicago ; this he abandoned to 
 engage in farming at DeKalb, 111. There were eight children in 
 the family. William, upon attaining the proper age, was en- 
 rolled in the public school, near his home, where he pursued his 
 studies, with marked interest and earnestness. His aptitude in 
 pursuing the branches of a higher course, is apparent, when it is 
 learned that he graduated from the high school, with honor, at 
 the age of fifteen. 
 
 Having decided to fit himself for the priesthood, he went to 
 that celebrated institute of learning, the University of Niagara, 
 New York, at which place he spent ten years, six in classical 
 studies and four in theology. He finished the university course 
 in 1877, and on May 26th of the same year, was ordained to the 
 priesthood, by Bishop Ryan of Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 The training of a Catholic priest is very exacting, and re- 
 quires many years of the hardest kind of mental exertion. The
 
 $4 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 fact that Father Horan completed his studies and was ordained 
 a priest at the early age of twenty-five, shows that he was possessed 
 not only of unusually fine abilities, but also of the spirit of deter- 
 mination and of habits of application. 
 
 His first mission was at St. James' Catholic Church, Chicago, 
 tinder Father P. W. Reardon, the present Archbishop of San 
 Francisco, Cal. Here he remained from 1877 to 1879. His 
 abilities becoming recognized, he was assigned to duty at the 
 Cook County hospital, a position not only teeming with oppor- 
 tunities for doing good, but also, attended by lurking dangers 
 that threaten the ruin of the strongest constitution. He resided 
 with Rev. Thomas F. Cashman, assisting him in his manifold 
 duties. It was a life of busy activity for the youthful priest, and, 
 though the time spent amid the foul air of the hospital had 
 Impressed its biting seal upon his robust constitution, he would 
 not have had those years spent otherwise, for he considers the 
 difficult duties there fulfilled to have been the greatest work of 
 his life. He was engaged almost incessantly in attending the 
 sick, smoothing the pillow of the dying, and in performing the 
 last offices for the dead. From the lips of the sufferers he learned 
 many of life's experiences that awoke his interest and sympathy, 
 and brought him in close relation with people from various and 
 even distant parts of our country, for, in the great city of Chicago 
 it is strangers, persons from other parts of the United States, who 
 are carried to the hospital, in case of accidents or sickness. 
 Within its walls are found many people who have no homes, 
 and others whose homes are too distant to admit the patient's 
 removal to them. Much to his regret, Father Horan was obliged 
 to give up his work at the hospital, and, in 1882, he was appointed 
 pastor of St. Thomas' Church, Hyde Park. The parish then 
 included not only Hyde Park, but also Auburn. While stationed 
 there he raised funds and erected St. Lawrence Church at Grand 
 Crossing, St. Leo's Church at Auburn, and began the new church 
 of St. Thomas at Hyde Park. A fine parochial house in connec- 
 tion with the latter was erected, besides the school building and 
 a convent for the Sisters. One hundred feet of ground had been
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 85- 
 
 purchased, and the walls of the church had been erected, when 
 Father Horan was obliged to relinquish his work and travel for 
 the benefit of his health. The vicinity of the lake had a tendency 
 to aggravate his disease, which continued to grow worse, until. 
 
 KEV. FATHER HORAN. 
 
 the patient was compelled to seek other climes. By advice of Dr. 
 Murphy, and other prominent physicians of Chicago, he spent 
 the winters of 1887 and 1888 in the south, much of his time 
 being occupied in New Orleans, La., and Jacksonville and Pen- 
 sacola, Fla.
 
 86 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 In the summer of 1888 he went to Minnesota, and part of 
 the next winter was spent in Chicago, after which he enjoyed a 
 trip to Denver and Salt Lake City in company with his warm 
 friends, Judge Pendergast, of Chicago, and Father White, of Wis- 
 consin. The next fall he arranged to go south after the holidays, 
 but was requested to proceed to Freeport to take charge of St. 
 Mary's congregation during the absence of Father Welby. The 
 death of the latter, while in Mexico, created a vacancy in St. Mary's 
 parish. When it became necessary to appoint a successor to the 
 deceased pastor, it was not strange that universal sentiment was 
 in favor of the young priest who was in temporary charge of the 
 congregation ; he had so greatly endeared himself to the people 
 that they were unwilling to part with him, and petitioned the 
 Archbishop of Chicago to appoint him to the vacant pastorate. It 
 was a happy day for all concerned when he was assigned perma- 
 nently to Freeport. 
 
 Since then he has worked indefatigably for his people. No 
 sacrifice has been too great, no effort too mighty for him to make 
 in their behalf. He has given them a magnificent parochial 
 residence and a commodius hall and school, besides the hand- 
 some church. 
 
 Father Horan has also been benefited by his appointment, 
 for during his sojourn in Freeport, he has improved wonderfully 
 in health. The sick spells that were frequent, when he first came 
 here, occur but seldom, and. he appears to grow stronger with 
 each dawning day. He has done a world of good, and has won 
 the everlasting love and gratitude of every member of his church 
 and every child in the parish. 
 
 The father of Rev. W. A. Horau is still living and is a hale 
 and hearty gentleman 93 years old. One brother is in the real 
 estate and dry goods business at DeKalb, 111., one is farming, and 
 the youngest, Stephen, is a druggist at Rockford. Only one of 
 his sisters is living, she was present on the occasion of the dedi- 
 cation. Another was a sister of Charity, Sister St. Vincent, who 
 died some years ago at the Mother's House at Emmetsburg, Va. 
 Father Koran's mother and Cardinal Gibbons were first cousins.
 
 Steplienson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 REV. FATHER DU FOUR. 
 
 87 
 
 Rev. Father Du Four, who came to Freeport to assist Father 
 Horan, had but recently arrived, at the time of the dedication, 
 but has participated enthusiastically in all parish affairs s'nce 
 
 REV. FATHER DuFOUR. 
 
 that occasion. He is noted for his eloquence as a pulpit speaker, 
 for his culture and his wide range of information. A native of 
 St. Genevive, Mo., his earliest recollections are of St. Louis, where 
 he was a student during his youth. There he attended the
 
 88 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Christian Brothers' school, and later went to the institute at Cape- 
 Girardeau. In 1878 he entered the well-known St. Vincent's 
 Seminary at Germantown, Pa., and afterwards returned to Cape 
 Girardeau as an instructor, where, in 1882, he was ordained 
 to the priesthood. For several years he was connected with 
 the celebrated Niagara University as professor of mathematics, 
 came west a short time since, and will doubtless not return 
 to the east. He has occupied St. Mary's pulpit frequently, and 
 his discourses have been listened to with a great deal of pleasure 
 and satisfaction. 
 
 THE RECORD OF ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH. 
 
 It is fitting that we here introduce to our readers St. Mary's 
 noble sister-church, St. Joseph's, a handsome edifice erected and 
 used by an eminently pious and respectable German congregation^ 
 organized thirty years ago. 
 
 As we have elsewhere stated, in the early times the German 
 and the Irish Catholics were members of one congregation, but 
 many of the former being ignorant of the English language, it 
 was deemed advisable to form tw r o parishes. Father John 
 Westkamp set about selecting a suitable place of worship for the 
 Germans, and, on June 4, 1862, purchased the old Baptist Church, 
 on the present site, for $2,000. The congregation at that time 
 numbered 125 families. This old church was repaired and fitted 
 up in good style, but in 1868, finding that it was too small to 
 hold the rapidly growing congregation, a large gallery was built 
 in it, and in the fall of 1871 it was decided to erect a new build- 
 ing. During the winter, the members living in the city quarried 
 stone and the farming class hauled it to the site for the new 
 edifice. Early in the spring, the old building was moved back 
 to Pleasant Street and used for church purposes until the new 
 structure was completed, after which it was torn down, and the 
 lumber sold. The new church was immediately commenced. 
 
 The contracts were let as follows : Carpenter work, Straub 
 & Baumgarten ; brick, L. Metzgar ; mason, Shoeb & Bruehler ; 
 plastering, Heitzman & Snyder ; frescoing, D. Adamson.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 89 
 
 Early in June the corner stone was laid by Bishop Foley, of 
 Chicago, in the midst of a large number of priests and people. 
 It was completed in December, 1872, and dedicated on the fourth 
 Sunday of Advent by Bishop Foley, in the presence of a great 
 many priests from all parts of the diocese. 
 
 REV. FATHER KALVELAGE. 
 
 The building is of modem Gothic, its dimensions are 50 x 140 
 feet, and the cost was $35,000. The church is built of brick with 
 stone trimmings and faces northeast. John Dillenburg, of 
 Chicago, was the architect. The seating capacity including the
 
 90 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 gallery is 850. It is lighted with gas and heated by means of 
 large furnaces. The windows are of stained glass. 
 
 In 1881 the appearance of the sacred structure was greatly 
 improved by the erection of the steeple, which is 175 feet high, 
 and is of beautiful design and finish. Four bells, weighing 5,000 
 Ibs. and costing $1,000, constitute a set of chimes that ring out joy- 
 ously and solemnly on all religious feast days and on every Sun- 
 day. Their tones are E, F sharp, G sharp and A. They were 
 purchased and hung during the pastorate of Father Kalvelage. 
 In 1886 new altars were put into the church, at a cost of about 
 $1,500. They were consecrated by Archbishop Feehan, May 20, 
 1886. The lower part has three reliefs, representing the marriage 
 of the Blessed Virgin to St. Joseph ; the nativity of our Lord, and 
 the death of St. Joseph. There are three niches in the sub- 
 structure. The larger one contains the crucifixion group, Christ 
 on the cross and Mary and John beneath. In the right niche is 
 the statue of the Immaculate Conception, and on the left, the 
 statue of St. Boniface. 
 
 It was during the same year that the side altars and pews 
 were purchased and put in. The interior furnishing and decorat- 
 ing are complete and choice, and St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 
 from basement to steeple, is a structure of which our German 
 citizens may well be proud. 
 
 Scarcely had the new church been completed and paid for, 
 when efforts were made to improve the educational advantages. 
 At first a small frame building, which had been purchased of 
 St. Mary's congregation, and which stood on the present site, was 
 used, but this became too small and was unsuited for the purpose, 
 hence, in 1883, the new structure was begun. 
 
 The contracts were let as follows : Brick, John Trunck ; 
 stone, Bruehler & Eberle Bros.; carpenter work and plastering, 
 D. Weary. F. E. Josel was the architect. 
 
 The building is fifty feet square. It has two stories and a 
 basement, and is built of brick and stone. There are four school 
 rooms, each 24 x 36 feet, with 12 foot ceilings. The basement is 
 divided into a coal room and a room used for the various societies
 
 titeplienson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 91 
 
 connected with the church. The cost of the building was $5,500. 
 
 The school is divided into eight grades, there being four 
 
 rooms of two grades each. Father Kalvelage superintends the 
 
 ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH.
 
 92 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 school and teaches catechism. The enrollment of pupils is 250,. 
 and the attendance is very regular, absence being occasioned 
 only by sickness. Father Kalvelage has been very earnest in his, 
 efforts to improve the school, and bring it up to a high standard 
 of scholarship and thoroughness. The parishioners very highly 
 appreciate the excellent work done in St. Joseph's School. It is 
 taught by Franciscan Sisters from Joliet. 
 
 The congregation of St. Joseph's Catholic Church have left 
 nothing undone that might tend to make them better men and 
 women in all directions ; they have established a number of 
 societies for social and benevolent purposes, each of which has 
 been doing a grand work for God and for souls. Father 
 Kalvelage has directed and assisted very materially in the forma- 
 tion of these societies, and it is due to his assistance and the deep 
 interest taken by the members, that each one has made such 
 progress, financially and numerically. 
 
 St. Joseph's Benevolent Society was organized March 4 r 
 1866, by Rev. Father Baluff. Its purpose is insurance, which 
 ranges from $500 to $1,000. A sick-benefit of $4 per week is 
 paid. The membership is sixty. Meetings are held on the last 
 Sunday of each month. 
 
 The St. Pius Benevolent Society was formed June 20, 1880, 
 by the young men, and its insurance and sick-benefits are th& 
 same as in the St. Joseph Society. Both organizations belong to- 
 the German Catholic Central Society. They meet on the third 
 Sunday of each mouth. The membership is seventy. 
 
 St. George's Branch of the Catholic Knights of Illinois wa& 
 organized a few years ago. It furnishes insurance $1,000 to 
 $2,000. Its membership is thirty-five, and meetings are held on 
 the first Sunday of the month. 
 
 St. Mary's Society originated Oct. 30, 1867. The object is to- 
 assist in getting ornaments for the church. Rev. Father Kalvelage 
 is the director. 
 
 St. Cecilia's Society, which began Aug. 10, 1870, is composed 
 of the young ladies of the parish, who assist in decorating the-
 
 StepJienson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 93 
 
 church, and in maintaining a circulating library. There are 
 forty-five members, 
 
 St. Aloysius Society, for boys between the ages of twelve and 
 eighteen years, dates from Jan. 18, 1891. The membership is 
 twenty. They also have a sick-benefit. 
 
 m 8. ( 
 
 '--. 
 
 ST. JOSEPH'S SCHOOL. 
 
 St. Agnes Society for girls was established March 31, 1891, 
 and numbers thirty members. They assist in decorating the 
 church and keeping up the library. One of the Sisters acts as 
 president. 
 
 The admirable progress of St. Joseph's German Catholic 
 Church has been due to the good work done by her pastors.
 
 INTERIOR OF ST. JOSEPH'S SCHOOL.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 95 
 
 They have left monuments of devotion and zeal that make brief 
 sketches of their lives worthy of perusal. 
 
 Father John Westkamp was the first pastor. He was born 
 in Westphalia, Germany. In his youth he came to America, and 
 studied at the St. Vincent College, at Beatty, Pa. He was 
 ordained at Chicago. His pastorate here continued until 1863, 
 and it was during his charge that the congregation was organized 
 and the first church property purchased. 
 
 Father Ignatius Baluff was born in Europe. He emigrated 
 to America in his younger days, and studied at St. Vincent's 
 College. His course was finished in Chicago, where he was 
 ordained. He served as pastor from June, 1863, to January, 
 1874. The new church was built under his direction, and the 
 parsonage, a substantial and commodious brick building, was 
 purchased. The cemetery, containing four acres, was also secured 
 during his pastorate. 
 
 FATHER CLEMENT KALVELAGE. 
 
 Father Kalvelage, the present pastor, was born at Lohne, 
 Germany, Nov. 23, 1845. He is a son of Herman and Mary 
 (Dekmann) Kalvelage. His father was a weaver by trade. He 
 attended a Catholic school near his home until thirteen years 
 old. On Oct. 20, 1858, he reached this country with his mother, 
 his father having died when he was but a mere child. They 
 went to Milwaukee, Wis., and there for five years he studied at 
 the St. Francis Seminary. At the end of that time, four years 
 were occupied in study in St. Mary's of the Lake, Chicago. Then 
 another year was spent in study at Milwaukee, and on Jan. 29, 
 1869, he was ordained at Milwaukee by Archbishop Henni. 
 
 His first pastorate was at the St. Francis Church, Ottaw r a, 
 where he remained five years. He took charge of the congrega- 
 tion in Freeport, March 11, 1874, of which he has since been the 
 pastor, doing a world of good. During this time the new school 
 house was built, the steeple erected, the bells purchased and the 
 hospital built. He has officiated at 1,000 baptisms and per- 
 formed 300 marriage ceremonies as pastor of St. Joseph's Church.
 
 96 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 The financial condition of the church is very good. The 
 debt on the church and school is paid. The property, not includ- 
 ing the hospital, is valued at $60,000. The 
 remaining debt on the hospital is $8,800. The 
 congregation held a jubilee in 1887, celebrat- 
 ing their twenty-fifth anniversary. 
 
 The assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Church, 
 Rev. Father Meyer, is a man who has rendered 
 efficient service to Father Kalvelage since he 
 came here, a few years ago. He is a man of 
 fine attainments, an excellent pulpit orator, and 
 a priest who is devoted to his calling, and he 
 is a prime favorite with the members of the 
 
 f Ix. MIL \ r. K . 
 
 large congregation. 
 THE ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL. 
 
 AN INSTITUTION OF WHICH FREEPORT IS PROUD A NOBLE WORK. 
 
 Connected with St. Joseph's Catholic Church is the St. Francis 
 Hospital, an institution of which all Freeport is proud. And it 
 has already done a noble work, which cannot be estimated by 
 dollars and cents, but rather computed in that great city above, 
 where the treasures are much more precious than gems or gold. 
 
 It was through the efforts of Father Kalvelage that the 
 hospital was erected and fitted up. The story of the Stoneman 
 bequest is familiar to all our readers and need not be recounted. 
 We have referred to the good work done by the building com- 
 mittees and the members of the congregation, in helping the 
 project in various ways. The building was begun on a beautiful, 
 commanding site, on South Walnut Street, in the year 1889. 
 
 It is a handsome brick, tastily planned and substantially 
 built. The cost was $20,000, to which was added $10,000 for 
 furnishing, bedding, etc. The building is 44 x 104 feet ; it is 
 three stories high with an eight foot basement. The interior is 
 lighted with gas and has water in all rooms where necessary. 
 Large steam boilers heat the rooms and ventilators and dust 
 shafts are ranged throughout the building. A fine feature is the
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 97 
 
 large porch on the east side, where convalescents may greet the 
 rising sun, and draw hope and strength from its genial beams. 
 The building was dedicated Feb. 12, 1890. 
 
 Everything, from basement to dome, is kept exquisitely neat, 
 and the good Franciscan Sisters in charge are untiring in 
 
 ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL. 
 
 their efforts in ministering to those under their charge. One 
 room is set apart for old soldiers who may be ill, and the John 
 A. Davis Post, G. A. R., have fitted it up in an appropriate style, 
 which any old soldier would most certainly appreciate. Not 
 only have a great many patients of this city been taken care of 
 at the hospital, but also a number of traveling men, and the 
 inhabitants of the surrounding country and towns have added to 
 the roll of patients.
 
 98 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 The hospital is sustained partly by a moderate charge and' 
 partly by the charitable contributions of friends and benefactors. 
 The first annual report of this noble institution furnishes some 
 interesting data. For instance, we find that the religious beliefs 
 of the sixty-eight patients were as follows: Catholics, 28; Pro- 
 testants, denomination not given, 25 ; Lutherans, 4 ; Episcopalians, 
 2 ; Shaker, 1 ; Methodists, 3 ; Presbyterians, 1 ; Evangelical, 1 ; 
 Congregational, 1 ; no religion, 2. It would seem, from these 
 statistics, that a greater number of non-Catholics than of Catholics- 
 have profited by this excellent institution, which owes its existence- 
 and continuance to Catholic charity and enterprise.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 99 
 
 Golden Jubilee Celebration and Solemn 
 Consecration of St. Mary's Church. 
 
 Only a reflective mind, inspired by a lively faith and a 
 fervent piety, can appreciate fully the grand significance of a 
 Golden Jubilee Celebration. Whether it be for an individual or 
 a parish, it is an occasion of great joy in heaven, as well as on 
 earth. Fortunately for the success of St. Mary's celebration, her 
 people are capable of understanding the importance of such an 
 event and were generous in giving to every plan their hearty 
 support and perfect sympathy. 
 
 Early in September, arrangements were completed to carry 
 out a programme, which for interest and magnificence could not 
 be surpassed, even in cities of greater importance than Freeport. 
 
 The' grandeur of the ceremonies and the exalted dignity of 
 the officiating ecclesiastics contributed to the imposing character 
 of the occasion and made a deep impression upon all the citizens, 
 irrespective of creed, who assisted in honoring the event thus 
 recalled. 
 
 The celebration of the golden jubilee anniversary of the 
 establishment of Catholicity in Stephenson County took place on 
 the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th of September, 1896, the congrega- 
 tions of St. Mary's and of St. Joseph's Churches uniting to render 
 everything as impresssive as possible. St. Mary's being the first 
 church in the county to have a resident pastor, he was appointed 
 by the Bishop of Chicago, in 1846, naturally, it became the
 
 100 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 centre of interest during the celebration, and next to it ranked 
 St. Joseph's, since in the early days both congregations had 
 attended service in the same church. 
 
 Rev. W. A. Horan, pastor of St. Mary's, took a very active 
 part in the preparations for the jubilee, and for nearly a year 
 previous to the great event he worked almost incessantly at his 
 plans for its fitting celebration. Certainly the four days men- 
 tioned above will be red-letter days henceforth in the memory of 
 St. Mary's people, and the events that distinguish them will still 
 form part of the traditions of the city, as well as of the parish, 
 when another century shall have passed away. 
 
 Special excursion trains brought great numbers of guests 
 from various towns in Wisconsin and Illinois. The array of the 
 church dignitaries in attendance was most impressive and 
 encouraging, delighting the people, as giving a proof of the high 
 esteem in which their beloved pastor is held by his ecclesiastical 
 superiors and confreres. 
 
 September 12th was a busy day ; everyone belonging to a 
 committee was rushing about with pleased activity, worthy of the 
 good cause, and Saturday evening found everything in admirable 
 order for the opening of the celebration on Sunday morning. 
 
 Certain remote preparations, full of mystical meaning, had 
 been made for the important ceremony of consecration. Among 
 others was the erection of the twelve brazen crosses that distin- 
 guish consecrated churches. Symbolical of the twelve apostles, 
 the foundation upon which rests the See of Rome, similar crosses 
 are fixed upon the walls of but one church in the archdiocese and 
 that is St. James' of Chicago, of which the distinguished Rev. 
 Hugh McGuire is pastor. There are two prerequisites of conse- 
 cration : the church must be entirely free from debt and built of 
 stone or other lasting material. When once consecrated, the 
 building stands forever as a holy place, until dismantled beyond 
 recognition. The magnificence and pomp of the ceremonial of 
 consecration are as splendid as the great resources of the most 
 powerful ecclesiastical organization can make them. The clergy- 
 men and the church are dressed in their richest vestments, and
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 101
 
 102 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 as a prelude, the archbishop, with his mitre, bearing his crosier, 
 followed by a train of lesser dignitaries and priests, marches 
 solemnly three times around the church. At the completion of 
 each circuit of the building, he raps on the door of the church 
 with the crosier, and the third time enters with his attendants. 
 Within, a cross of ashes is strewn upon the floor, in which the 
 archbishop marks with his staff of office the Greek and Latin 
 alphabets, the languages of the church. The four walls are then 
 annointed with holy oil, and the sign of the cross made on each, 
 and then, one by one, the twelve brazen crosses are affixed with 
 attendant ceremonies. 
 
 On the outside of each of the two doors of the main entrance 
 to the church, a large brazen cross was also fastened during the 
 ceremonies of consecration. These crosses were purchased and 
 donated, in advance, by the Young Ladies' Sodality of the Blessed 
 Virgin and the School Children's Sodality of St. Thomas. 
 
 The nave of the church was decorated with drapery and fes- 
 tooning of yellow and white, the effect being that of a sunburst. 
 The organ loft was trimmed with the same colors, which swathed 
 the rail, and depending were over-lapping festoons that hung in 
 graceful folds. On account of the consecration ceremonies, no 
 flowers could be used on the altars, the only dressings being the 
 altar cloths of white waxed linen. During the services on 
 Monday, masses of flowers gave color to the scene, and their per- 
 fume blended with that of the incense. The sanctuary was left 
 severely simple in its adornments, since cheap decorations could 
 only detract from the beauty of the costly altars of marble and 
 onyx. 
 
 A great deal of activity was shown in and around St. Mary's 
 Church and Hall, preparatory to the solemn services that were 
 held there on Monday and Tuesday, in connection with the golden 
 jubilee celebration. The work going forward, so far as it could 
 be seen, was that of arranging the decorations, but there was 
 much more in progress than was visible, the ladies' committee 
 being particularly active in arranging for their share of the 
 program.
 
 
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 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896.
 
 104 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 The lunch, lemonade and badge counters were erected under 
 green bowers, in the school yard, and the three committees in 
 charge of them exercised much energy and good taste in their 
 decoration, so that by Saturday evening they presented so pleas- 
 ing an appearance as to tempt customers, even before there was 
 anything to buy. A heavy rain, that continued until about six 
 or seven o'clock Sunday morning, somewhat impaired the beauty 
 of the booths, but did not dampen the ardor of the ladies 
 in charge of them, for they instituted, and continued, until the 
 close of the jubilee, a brisk sale of badges, cigars and refreshments,, 
 the proceeds being designed for pious and charitable purposes. 
 
 The part of St. Mary's Hall that is used by the Columbus 
 Club was most elaborately and tastefully decorated, in patriotic 
 and religious designs and colors. This really artistic work was 
 done under the direction of Mr. Leo Thro, who has a genius for 
 such decoration. 
 
 The dramatic part of the hall was in readiness for the chil- 
 dren's reception ; the stage was decorated at the expense of the 
 Feehan Reading Circle. 
 
 The banqueting hall was a scene of beauty, a joy forever^ 
 a delight to the feminine heart, and a surprise, no doubt, to the 
 reverend masculine eyes that beheld it, in all the glory of its 
 graceful drapery of damask and lace ; its tasteful decorations, in 
 papal and in union colors; its gleaming silver and glittering 
 china; its flower decked tables groaning under their loads of 
 viands. The jubilee dinner was a triumph of Freeport house- 
 keeping, and Chicago caterers were left in the shade. 
 
 In an adjoining hall, of smaller size, a fine dinner was spread 
 for the members of the Madison Band, which had been engaged, 
 ' at a high price, to " discourse sweet music " on the street, before 
 the church, in the hall during the banquet, and at intervals dur- 
 ing the reception. 
 
 The climax of beauty was reached, however, in the triumphal 
 arch that spanned State Street, in front of St. Mary's Church. 
 About fifty feet high, double in construction, a space six feet in 
 width between the two parts, and terminating at the top in points
 
 Stepltenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 105 
 
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 106 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 and spires, as required by the gothic style of its design, the frame 
 work was the support of gracefully arranged drapery in papal and 
 union colors, of pictures of the reigning pope and of the present 
 archbishop, of flags, garlands and three hundred incandescent 
 lights. Many of these lights were arranged on a large cross that 
 crowned the summit of the arch. The sacred symbol thus out- 
 lined, in vivid electric light, against a starlit sky, was one of the 
 most striking features in the rich and varied jubilee decorations. 
 
 The work of preparing for the celebration was divided ; each 
 part was given to a separate committee which worked faithfully 
 to make it a success. The committees and their members were 
 as follows : 
 
 Finance Jere Gordon, Sr., chairman ; Thomas Grant, John 
 P. Coffey, P. O'Conor, J. B. J. DuFour. 
 
 Invitation and program F. Chas. Donohue, chairman ; John 
 E. Harrington, Jere Gordon, Jr., C. A. McNamara, John GofF. 
 
 Music John L. Carroll, chairman ; John P. Lawless, Frank 
 Rogers, John Coyle, John Rau. 
 
 Reception P. E. Cox, chairman ; John Tracy, M. Scanlan, 
 P. Reedy, Thomas Carroll, John Sullivan, B. Coyle, Edward 
 Lawless, Owen Brady, James Moore, Robert Casey. 
 
 Decorations and fire works Jere Gordon, Sr., chairman ; 
 James J. O'Rourke, A. Lagron, T. D. Osborne, P. Wall, W. R. 
 Barren, Henry Murphy, T. M. Darrah. 
 
 Transportation E. Scanlan, chairman; M. G. Flanagan, 
 T. M. Darrah. 
 
 New Dublin M. McGurk, Gus. Medike, Ed. Maulove, Owen 
 Carmody, Ed. Ledwith, Maurice Hughes. 
 
 Irish Grove A. Mullarkey, James Spellman, D. Mullarkey, 
 Andrew Flynn. 
 
 The ladies who labored so well and served so elegantly were : 
 
 Dining room Mesdames James Manion, Jere Reardon, 
 George Hornberger, Louis McGovern, Jennie Markey, Owen 
 Brady, Mrs. M. Madigan, John Sullivan, A. Clermont, P. Ryan ; 
 Misses Mary McGovern, Nora Hogan.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 107 
 
 Lunch counter Mesdames John Rau, John Harrington, J. 
 E. Moore, John Burns, John Leary, Jas. McCabe, Misses Maggie 
 Brenuan, Maude Gleasou, Kate Shay, Maggie Nolan, Kate O'Mara, 
 Mary Wilson, Rose Carey, Maggie Carey, Mabel Moore, Kate 
 Dinley, Alice Goff, Nellie Sweeney, Mary Riley, Anna Nolan, 
 Julia Barren, Lizzie Darrah, Naomi Lagron, Mary Wheeler, 
 Nellie Killion, Lillian Egan, Annie Summers, Mamie Vail, Nellie 
 Burns, Blanche Knipschild, Agnes Dolan, Lillie Dolan, Clara 
 Barren, Kate O'Brien. 
 
 Lemonade, etc Misses Rebecca Vail, Kate Grant, Lizzie 
 Cavanaugh and Sadie Burns. 
 
 Badges Misses Mamie Darrah, Nellie Fagan, Statia Camp- 
 bell, Nonie Reardon and Rose Gleason. 
 
 Church decorations Miss Mary Darrah, Mesdames J. P. 
 Younger, John Burns, Fanny Cox, P. J. Ryan, J. B. J. Du Four 
 and M. L. Parker. 
 
 Reception Mesdames Fred Kuehner, Robert Casey and John 
 Tracy. 
 
 Soliciting out of town Mesdames John Rau, Jennie Grant, 
 John Rodemeier, F. Fee, A. Clermont, M. Kelley, J. E. Moore ; 
 Misses Lucy Barren, Clara Barren and Mary McGovern. In the 
 -city Mesdames Robert Casey, James Manion. 
 
 Too much praise cannot be given to the members of the 
 various committees for the efficient manner in which they carried 
 out their .plans. 
 
 The most important of the jubilee ceremonies was of course 
 the consecration of the church, which took place at seven o'clock 
 -on Sunday morning and required nearly three hours' time. The 
 Archbishop of Chicago, Most Rev. P. A. Feehan, officiated, assisted 
 by three bishops and a great number of priests. This ceremony 
 has been of such rare occurrence in the history of the Catholic 
 Church in the west, that in Illinois it has been celebrated but 
 once previous to the occasion under consideration. 
 
 The chief requisite that a church may be consecrated, is that 
 it shall be entirely free from debt. The next is that it shall be 
 .so located that there is no probability of its ever having to be
 
 108 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 abandonQd and used for some other purpose than the public 
 worship of God. By the ceremonies to which we refer, not only 
 was the church devoted most solemnly to the divine service, but 
 the three altars of marble and onyx were also solemnly conse- 
 crated and richly privileged. 
 
 On Sunday morning, a succession of low masses were offered, 
 from five o'clock until seven, and at half past ten, a solemn ponti- 
 fical high mass was sung. The account given in the local 
 papers was interesting and exact ; the Democrat gave the follow- 
 ing description : 
 
 " The first services, in the series prepared for and arranged so- 
 carefully by the Rev. Fr. Horan, to be presented at St. Mary's,. 
 and which were of great significance to the people of the parish, 
 were successfully and happily carried out, in spite of many mis- 
 givings, on the part of those interested, because of the down-pour 
 of rain Saturday night, which threatented to spoil all the prepar- 
 ations and even to cause a postponement of the services. Beyond 
 causing the pastor, and his distinguished guests who were to help 
 him in the celebration, some trepidation, and injuring the appear- 
 ance of the triumphal arch to some extent, the heavy rainfall did 
 no harm, and ceased in time to allow the performance of the 
 sacred rites of consecration, without interfering with that part of 
 them which occurred outside the church." 
 
 " The day which had such an unpleasant beginning became 
 later almost perfect ; the skies cleared, the sun quickly dried the 
 streets and by the time the people began to arrive for the ponti- 
 fical mass, at 10:30 o'clock, the weather had become all that could 
 be desired. On account of the threatening appearance of the 
 morning, there were fewer people came on the excursions from 
 Madison and Rockford, and along the line between the two places, 
 than had been expected, still the number the two special trains 
 brought was considerable, the Rockford delegation bringing a 
 band, which headed the procession as it marched to the church, 
 reaching it just in time for the public services. There were 
 besides, many visitors from the country, who drove in for the day 
 and a great number of families in the parish had guests from
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 109 
 
 a distance who came to attend the jubilee. The visitors were 
 agreeably entertained during the time of their stay by personal 
 friends and members of the reception committee." 
 
 " The day's program began at 5 o'clock in the morning, and 
 lasted, with but short intervals, until after vespers in the evening. 
 The first of the services were masses in the chapels of convent and 
 
 THE CROWNING OF THE MAY QUEEN AT ST. MARY'S. 
 
 church, which were continued until the beginning of the conse- 
 cration ceremonies at 6:30 o'clock. Though it was barely day- 
 light when the ceremonies commenced, there was a crowd in 
 front of the church to witness the unusual rites, the proceedings 
 being watched w r ith interest. The exterior part of the service 
 occupied half an hour, Archbishop Feehan and those assisting 
 him entering the church at seven o'clock, no one else being ad- 
 mitted, and the service was not concluded until ten. Those taking
 
 110 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 part in the consecration were the Most Reverend Archbishop- 
 Feehan, consecrator ; the Reverend Fathers F. S. Henneberry, of 
 Chicago, deacon ; B. P. Murray, of Chicago, sub-deacon ; E. A. 
 Kelley, of Chicago, M. Foley, of Dixon, and L. X. Du Four, of 
 Mary's, chanters ; F. J. Barry, of the Cathedral, Chicago, master 
 of ceremonies, assisted by St. Mary's altar boys." 
 
 " After singing the litany of the saints, the archbishop blessed 
 the Gregorian water, which derives its name from Pope St. Greg- 
 ory the Great, who first ordered this manner of blessing. With 
 the water are mingled salt, ashes and wine, all previously blessed. 
 The water symbolizes : First, the effects of the sacrament of the 
 altar water, purity of heart ; salt, wisdom ; ashes, penance, and 
 wjne, spiritual joy*. Second, Jesus Christ Himself, who is sym- 
 bolized by the altar ; the wine His divine, the water, His human 
 nature, the ashes, His death, the salt His incorruptibility and 
 resurrection." 
 
 " The archbishop made the sign of the cross with the blessed 
 water on the altar table, in the center and at the four corners,. 
 Walked seven times around the altar, sprinkling it with the same 
 water. He mixed cement with holy water and with it sealed the 
 relics in a sepulchre made in the altar stone. Then the arch- 
 bishop anointed the altar in the center and at both ends with oil 
 and chrism, meanwhile making five signs of the cross over it and 
 incensing it. Out of the blessed incense he made, on the altar, 
 five crosses, each one consisting of five grains of incense, and then 
 covered them with wax. All these crosses were then kindled and 
 allowed to burn away. The incensing, the anointing, and the 
 burning of the crosses have the following meaning: Incense 
 symbolizes favor before God ; the holy oil, strength ; the chrism, 
 holiness ; the burning candles, purifying power ; the pouring out 
 together of the holy oil and the chrism, the fullness of every 
 blessing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which, in renewal of the 
 cross, is to be solemnized on this altar." 
 
 " Once again, amid prayer, the altar is anointed. Finally the 
 altar cloths are blessed. On these the holy sacrifice was immedi- 
 ately offered up."
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 Ill 
 
 " The ceremonies of the consecration of a church consist of 
 the following : On the preceding day, a fast is observed in 
 the parish, and certain prayers are said. In front of the church^ 
 the clergy recited the penitential psalms and litany of the 
 
 ARCHBISHOP HENNESSEY, OF DUBUQUE. 
 
 saints. The archbishop blessed salt and water, with which he 
 sprinkled the outer walls, passing in procession around them 
 three times. At each return, he knocked at the door and asked 
 that it be opened ; at the third time, he made on it the sign 
 of the cross, and then it was opened, to show forth that the cross
 
 112 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 triumphs over all opposition and closes to us the gates of hell." 
 "The interior is consecrated in the following manner : Utter- 
 ing the greeting, " Peace be to this house," the archbishop entered 
 and knelt down and invoked the Holy Spirit. While the litany 
 of the saints and the benedictus, Zachary's Canticle of praise were 
 sung, the bishop strewed the floor with ashes, and in them, with 
 his crosier, he wrote the Greek and Latin alphabet. He anointed 
 with chrism, the twelve crosses placed on the walls, called the 
 apostolic crosses, with a lighted taper attached to each. The 
 Greek and Latin alphabets inscribed in the ashes signify that the 
 church is consecrated on the foundation of one Catholic, apostolic 
 faith, which, in the beginning, was proclaimed chiefly in the 
 Greek and Latin languages.' The anointing of the walls at the 
 twelve apostolic crosses, signify that in the edifice the faith will 
 be taught and preached as preached by the twelve apostles." 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTARS. 
 
 " The altars are pure gothic in style. G. S. Mansfield, of this 
 city, was the designer, and the work was done by Schrader & 
 Conraddi, a St. Louis firm. The materials from which they are 
 made are Serravegg or statuary and Blanco marbles, Fredura 
 onyx, agate, Mexican onyx and jasper. The base of the main 
 altar is twelve feet square; the mensa table eight feet long. The 
 altar stands twenty-three feet high from the base and at its widest 
 is sixteen feet. The reredos is of marble, with panels and columns 
 of onyx and the panels are ornamented with jasper. At each 
 side, supporting the tabernacle, are three gold columns which 
 cost $300. On either side of the altar, as it rises above the 
 mensa table, is a Gothic tower, occupied by a representation of a 
 golden winged angel. The side altars are constructed like the 
 main. On altar of the Blessed Virgin is inscribed on a silver 
 plate, "Donated by John Tracy and Family"; on St. Joseph's, 
 " Donated by Joseph Barron and His Sister Lucy." The inscrip- 
 tion on the main altar reads, " Donated by the Young Ladies' 
 and Married Ladies' Sodalities." 
 
 " The ceremony of consecration having been concluded, the 
 doors were opened and those holding tickets were allowed to pass
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 113 
 
 in. The scene within was indeed beautiful, and words fail to 
 give a true description of the charming decorations. There were 
 draperies of yellow and white looped from the ceiling of the church 
 to the walls on either side, and numerous gold wreaths and loop- 
 
 BISHOP BURKE, OF ST. JOSEPH, MO. 
 
 ings of the predominant colors on the walls. These loopings 
 were entwined in garlands, and yellow and white flowers were in 
 profusion. Those who were privileged to enter sat in silent con- 
 templation, feasting the eye on the beautiful surroundings until 
 time for the service to begin. The latter was postponed about
 
 114 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 an hour awaiting the arrival from Rockford of the Catholic Union 
 and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, who came 400 strong as 
 organized bodies, and at 9:30, a half hour later, a delegation of 
 250 arrived from Madison. The former were accompanied by a 
 band, which discoursed music all the way to the church from the 
 depot. Immediately after the consecration, Archbishop Feehan 
 said low mass at one of the newly consecrated altars." 
 
 " Shortly after 10 o'clock, the doors of the church were opened 
 and the people who attended the solemn pontifical mass at 9:30' 
 o'clock began pouring in. Admission was by tickets, with which 
 all the pew holders were provided, and the capacity of the church 
 was increased by crowding chairs as closely together as possible 
 in the aisles. There were many Protestants in the congregation,, 
 to whom the services were more impressive on account of their 
 novelty. The limits of the seating capacity were reached fifteen 
 minutes before the orchestra sounded the first note of " Kyrie 
 Eleison," or before the candles on the altar had been lighted. 
 The mass was celebrated by the Rt. Rev. M. Burke, D. D., Bishop 
 of St. Joseph, Mo., assisted by the Very Rev. Father A. 0. Walker,. 
 O. S. D., of Sinsinawa Mound, archpriest ; Rev. Father E. A. 
 Kelley, of Chicago, deacon of the mass; Very Rev. Father Philip 
 O'Connor, of Carroll City, la., sub-deacon; Rev. Fathers F. S. 
 Heneberry and B. P. Murray, of Chicago, deacon and sub-deacon 
 of honor ; Rev. Father F. J. Barry, master of ceremonies. Arch- 
 bishop Feehan assisted, with Rev. Fathers Foley and Du Four as 
 chaplains." 
 
 " The choir, assisted by Gibler's orchestra, caused the church 
 to resound with such melody as was never heard there before. 
 Generali's grand military mass was rendered ; the music was 
 arranged by J. J' Carroll and consisted of the following program : 
 
 Kyrie, Andante Full chorus 
 
 Christe, Andante Mrs. Thro, Mis.s Tracy, J. P. Lawless, Frank Rogers 
 
 Gloria, Allegro Full chorus 
 
 Gratias, Moderato John P. Lawless, Ed. Lawless 
 
 Domini, Fili, Moderato Misses Carey and Reardon 
 
 Domini Deus, Moderato Full chorus 
 
 Qui Tollis, Larghetto Mrs. Thro, J. P. Lawless, J. Rau
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 115 
 
 Qui Sedes, Allegro Moderate Tutti bassos and chorus 
 
 Quoniam, Allegretto Miss Cunningham 
 
 Dei Patris, Allegro Moderate Finale, full chorus 
 
 Credo, Allegretto Unison, full chorus 
 
 Genitum, Moderate '. Miss Tracy 
 
 Descendit, Moderate Full chorus 
 
 GOLDEN JUBILEE ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR, 
 
 Et Incarnatus, Lento Full choous 
 
 Crucifixus, Lento John and Ed. Lawless 
 
 Et Resurrexit, Allegro Full chorus 
 
 Et Iterum, Moderate Mrs. Thro 
 
 Et Inspiritum, Moderate J. P. Lawless 
 
 Qui Com Patre, Moderate J. P. Lawless, Frank Rogers 
 
 Et Unam Sanctam, Moderate Misses Carey and Reardon 
 
 Et Expecto, Moderate 
 
 "The sermon was delivered by the Rev. Father D. J. Riordan, 
 of St. Elizabeth's church, Chicago, an eloquent and brilliant
 
 116 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 speaker, his address being closely and logically reasoned, and 
 though extemporized, was perfect in point of rhetoric, his phrases 
 fell gracefully and he spoke with the force of inspiration. Father 
 Riordan arose from a sick bed to attend the jubilee services and 
 at times his voice trembled from weakness, but was not less clear, 
 distinct or musical." 
 
 SERMON OF REV. FATHER RIORDAN, SUNDAY, 
 SEPTEMBER 13, 1896. 
 
 " The people rejoiced when they promised their gifts willingly, be- 
 cause they offered them to the Lord with all their hearts." 
 
 I have chosen this text, my dearly beloved brethren, not in- 
 deed with an$ reference to the subject proper of my remarks 
 to-day, but as expressing, no doubt, the feelings experienced by 
 this congregation of St. Mary's, when some years back, at the 
 invitation of their zealous and devoted pastor, they came together 
 to devise some means of building up a new church to the honor 
 and glory of the eternal God. 
 
 It is not well, perhaps, on any occasion to indulge in words 
 of extravagant praise or flattery, yet I fail to see a parallel any- 
 where in the diocese to the work accomplished here, within the 
 past few years. Whether it be due to your pastor or to your- 
 selves, or to the spirit enkindled and fostered by the devoted, reli- 
 gious Sisters who have charge of your schools, I cannot say, but I 
 think I can say, without giving offense to any one, that it is due 
 to all three combined. To the energy and zeal of your pastor, 
 the generosity of the people, and to the piety and devotedness of 
 the Sisters who have charge of the little ones of this flock. I 
 offer to you, therefore, in my own name, and in the name of the 
 clergy, my heartiest congratulations. 
 
 This whole morning, my dearly beloved brethren, was spent 
 in rededicating and in consecrating your church to God. Whatever 
 may have been said of it in the past, from now on, for many 
 years to come, it will be a building dedicated wholly to the ser- 
 vice of the Almighty, in which to praise His name. I congratu- 
 late you, above all, upon the fact that you can now truly say to
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 117 
 
 God, that it is His Church. You have paid for it, no man owns 
 it, and it is God's, God's from now on, forever. Accept, therefore, 
 my congratulations, and I trust the people of this parish will 
 always continue to manifest the same spirit of zeal in behalf of 
 their religion ; that theirs will not be a religion of faith or belief 
 merely, but that it will be a religion of charity and good works. 
 
 This church has been built what is the object of it why 
 have the people spent so generously of their means in order to 
 erect a building to the service and worship of God ? Is it not, 
 my brethren, because they believe in the truth of their religion 
 is it not because they are fully convinced that their church is the 
 true church, founded by the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, him- 
 self? It would be well for us, during the few remarks I am about 
 to make, to dwell principally upon the reasonableness of the claim 
 of the Catholic church to the acceptance of the faithful Christian. 
 There is perhaps no charge more frequently made, than that the 
 Catholic religion is wholly out of joint with the demands of right 
 reason. It is asserted that no Catholic can accept the teachings 
 of his church without doing violence to the demands and require- 
 ments of sound sense. It seems rather strange to us, my breth- 
 ren, who are members of the fold, that such a charge as this can 
 be made; in fact, we Catholics find it very difficult to acquit 
 thoughtful and religiously disposed people of all blame in refus- 
 ing to examine, personally, into the astounding claims of a church 
 that has been connected with almost every important event of the 
 past 1900 years every event that was fraught with weal or woe 
 in the early history of the world. 
 
 Let us dwell on these facts briefly this morning, my brethren ; 
 briefly I say, because this is due you, on account of the lengthy 
 services of the day, and due perhaps also, in a measure, to myself. 
 Let us dwell briefly, then, upon this subject of the reasonableness 
 of the Catholic faith. Let me endeavor, first of all, to give you 
 some idea of the Church. Starting out with a belief in God, and 
 looking out into the world, we see a condition of things that fills 
 us with distress. Cardinal Newman describes it as full of lament- 
 ations, misery and woe, and the apostle, in a few words, describes
 
 118 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 the condition of the human race, as it passes before us, as being 
 without hope and without God in the world. 
 
 Man, my brethren, did not come from the hands of God in 
 the condition in which we find him, and it is not unreasonable 
 to suppose that some great calamity came upon the human race 
 at an early day. Shall we continue by our own unaided efforts 
 to try to remedy this calamity, or shall we seek assistance some- 
 where else? To say nothing of the impotency of human efforts 
 to right a wrong, such as we suppose must have been committed 
 against the omnipotent God, by the first sin, it is absolutely fool- 
 ish to expect that man, without the assistance of some superior 
 being, could have come to the relief of the human race. In the 
 first place, the reason of man, unaided by the grace of God, in 
 an environment created by human passions, tends to unbelief, that 
 is to say, the mind of man left to itself, in the condition in which 
 it was created, and subjected to the cravings and demands of the 
 low animal appetites and the sensual passions of human nature, 
 the mind of man, under such circumstances, tends to the elimin- 
 ation of goodness and truth. This appears to be certain when 
 we study the history of the past. What was the outcome of the 
 old pagan religion, but the rejection of all true ideas of God ? 
 
 Many of our unassisted, advanced thinkers of to-day, have 
 adopted a new idea of religion, and they are preaching the un- 
 knowable and humanitarianism as the outcome of their best in- 
 dividual efforts. 
 
 It is not unreasonable, therefore, to suppose that the Almighty 
 <*od himself came to the rescue of the human race ; there is a 
 fitness in this, all the greater when we come to consider the great 
 goodness of God. He first made man in His own image and 
 likeness, and what was more, was determined that the great work 
 of the Creator of the world and of man should not come to naught. 
 This brings us, therefore, to the incarnation of the Son of God. 
 Man being unable to remedy the great defects and overcome the 
 calamity and consequences of the first great disaster, God comes 
 to his rescue. The Eternal Son of God himself became man. 
 Why did Christ become man ? Only a Catholic, it seems to me,
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 119 
 
 can answer that question satisfactorily. Let us bear in mind, 
 my brethren, that our divine Lord is the Saviour of all mankind, of 
 you and me, as well as of those who shall come after us, and we can 
 say, with the same truth as the apostles of old, " My Lord and my 
 God." 
 
 Christ is the one Saviour of the world, and there is one God, 
 and Lord, so one faith and one baptism. 
 
 EEV. D. J. RIORDAN, 
 
 Pastor of St. Elizabeth's Church, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Now, our Lord lived but a short time on this earth, then He 
 was crucified and He died. How was His work to be perpetuated ? 
 He established a church a church that was to endure throughout 
 all the ages of the world and to continue the work which He came to 
 accomplish. The Church is the witness, and Jesus Christ is the 
 teacher of the truths which He made known to His apostles. This 
 is the means by which the sanctifying grace of Christ is brought 
 home to the individual, and by which each and every one 
 of us can hope to save our souls. That is the nature 
 and the object of the Church. How does it accomplish its
 
 120 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 purpose ? Founded by Christ, and by Him invested with His own 
 authority, the Church is not a creation of men, or any number of 
 men ; it is not the work of the Pope, the Bishops or the 
 Priests, but the work of Christ. In the sense in which you say 
 God made the earth, and that He spread the sky over our 
 heads, in that same sense do we say that Christ, with His own 
 divine authority, without respect to the wishes of man, without 
 counseling with him, founded the Church, which was to take 
 His place, and be to all people, to the end of the world, what 
 He himself was to the people of His own day ; what He would 
 have been to the people of this day, and to the people to come, 
 had He continued to live on in the world. Is there any other 
 religious denomination that claims this divine authority ? Well, 
 in theory there is, but hardly in practice, and the great funda- 
 mental truth after all, is the divine establishment of the Christian 
 Church, with the authority of the divine Founder, to preach and 
 teach in His name. The Church does not argue with the people, 
 the apostles did not argue, they announced the truths of their 
 God, they commanded people to hear them, they bore in mind 
 the words of the Divine Master himself, who said, " He that 
 heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth 
 Me." 
 
 Sometimes I hear people say, " Well, there is not so much 
 difference between your church and ours. We have vestments, 
 we have lights and acolytes, yes, we have even the confessional, 
 with few, I fear, of the awful secrets." Now, why should similarity, 
 or dissimilarity in these things constitute a resemblance or dis- 
 semblance between the various churches? The great difference 
 between the Church, and all other churches is this that the 
 Church stands instead of Christ, that she preaches in God's name, 
 that she comes with authority from the eternal Son of God, the 
 Founder of the Christian religion. 
 
 She does not ask, and does not permit people to inquire into- 
 her teachings ; of her own authority, she announces the truths 
 taught by the Divine Saviour of the world. The controversy, in 
 the past 300 years has been, for the most part, upon side issues ;
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 121 
 
 little, or comparatively little, has been said upon this vital funda- 
 mental thought, namely the authority of the Church. Now, 
 my brethren, is there anything unreasonable in the claim of 
 the Church to the authority of Christ, since Christ founded 
 
 BISHOP JANSEN. 
 
 it to be a witness to Him, and a teacher of His truths 
 throughout all ages? We are not without authority, of course, 
 in the treatment of this subject, but we now confine our- 
 selves wholly to what may appear reasonable to the mind, es- 
 pecially, if debating with those who are not in accord with us in
 
 122 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 religious matters. If we fell back upon the inspired word of God, 
 and then found that this book, which gives the history of the life 
 of Jesus Christ, the Founder of the Church, was silent upon this most 
 salient point, it would be most disappointing to us. But, as we 
 read this inspired book, we see many pages, where we find accept- 
 able reference to this very point, and we are told, again and again, 
 by the apostles, that they were sent out into the world to teach, 
 in the name of Christ, that they have His own authority, and 
 that of the Eternal Father who sent Him. So, also, He sent 
 them to teach the universal world, and to proclaim to all mankind 
 the great tidings of the Gospel. Here, therefore, according to this 
 scriptural teaching, here is a picture of the Church. A body of 
 men, appointed by public ceremony, invested with divine author- 
 ity, inculcating the truths of religion, not in their own name, not in 
 the name of advanced thinkers and scientists, but in the name 
 of the Founder of Christianity, and declaring that all men must 
 believe them, under pain of an anathema. " He that heareth 
 you, said the Lord, heareth Me, and he that despiseth you, 
 despiseth Me." 
 
 I merely claim, my brethren, that it is not unreasonable to 
 suppose that Christ founded the Church ; it is not unreasonable to 
 suppose that the Church is invested with the authority of its di- 
 vine Founder. 
 
 It is said of us : " Catholics will believe anything "; " not 
 only do members of the Church claim authority to preach in the 
 name of God, but they claim infallibility for the Church "; they 
 say " ' the Church cannot err in matters of religion ; ' how can a 
 fallible man become infallible, how can a man, subject to all the 
 weaknesses of human nature, one who, like all others, has felt the 
 heavy hand of the first curse laid upon our first parents how can 
 such a man expect to be exempt from error?" 
 
 If you and I are obliged to believe in a Church, why that 
 Church must be protected in some way, by Almighty God, from 
 leading you and me astray. Is it impossible for God to confer 
 on man the gift of infallibility ? I can imagine a thousand ways 
 in which God is able to protect a human mind from error ; He
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 123 
 
 BISHOP S. G. MESSMER.
 
 124 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 can reveal himself to each and every one of us, so we will be 
 absolutely sure of the teachings of our minds. He can bring 
 about such a result by external means.. Did not God make the 
 human mind can He not guide it, and direct it, and lead it 
 wherever He will ? The discussion is foolish from every point of 
 view. How can people find fault with the bestowal of such a 
 gift? We have to admit the inspiration of the Scriptures. Who 
 wrote the Bible did God ? Did God take a pen in His own hands 
 and write the words which I have read for you to-day ? The 
 authors and writers were men, God's chosen disciples, and yet you 
 and I, and all of us, accept it as the written word of God. Now, 
 if God could protect them, by means of special inspiration, from 
 falling into any error while they were writing the sacred pages 
 of the Gospel, why can He not protect one or more men, and 
 guard them, against all error, in matters appertaining to the most 
 important of all, the salvation of their souls ? In fact, what would 
 be the good of establishing a church, and authorizing that church 
 to preach the Gospel, unless the seal and stamp of the Divinity 
 was put upon the work itself? Those He had appointed not only 
 claimed authority to preach in His name, but were assisted by 
 some special aid of the Holy Ghost to enable them, at all times, 
 to declare the truth, the whole truth and nothing more. 
 
 I must not, my dearly beloved brethren, detain you too long 
 this morning. The subject is certainly an inviting one and a. 
 most attractive one, and I might, did time permit, enlarge upon 
 many of the most disputed points of the Catholic doctrine, in order 
 to show you how reasonable, from the information imparted by 
 the Holy Scriptures, are these various teachings of the Catholic 
 Church. As to the claims of the Catholic Church, they may be 
 illustrated by the following example : 
 
 Suppose we were about to take a long journey ; at first our 
 way led by a broad avenue through an open country, but soon we 
 come to the foot-hills in the mountain range, where we find dif- 
 ferent roads, and then, as we are about to enter, certain guides 
 present themselves. One claims to know the way he is abso- 
 lutely certain he can lead us to our destination. The others
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 125 
 
 claim only a probability, they are not sure they are right, they 
 think themselves sufficiently familiar with the way not to lead us 
 astray, but are not quite certain. I ask you which one of these 
 guides would you choose, did you feel bound to reach the objec- 
 tive point? Why, surely you would choose the guide who claims 
 to know the way. He may be mistaken, he may not be able to 
 lead you aright, but you cannot act according to the claims of 
 sound sense and prudence if you select the guide who tells you he 
 is not sure he is right. If you select him, you act unreasonably* 
 at the start ; you will dispute with him every step, and at 
 every turning point in the way you will stop him. What is 
 this but a picture of the blind leading the blind, and both falling 
 into the pit? If you select the guide who claims to know the way, 
 once you have placed yourself under his guidance, you will follow 
 him quietly, never interfering, feeling assured that he will lead 
 you aright. Is not this, then, the relative position of the Catholic 
 Church with all other churches? The Church claims to know 
 the way. 
 
 " I am the Church of the living God." She says : " I 
 am the Church founded by the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 I was not born yesterday, or the last century I have a history 
 that goes back through all ages ; if you will follow me, I will lead 
 you in the road that will take you to eternal life." 
 
 Are we not apt, brethren to believe this honest, direct and 
 forcible presentation of the claims of the Catholic Church, even 
 though it be made by ourselves? 
 
 Strangers, who are not in our communion, have sometimes 
 drawn very forcible and vivid pictures of the Church. 
 
 I will ask your permission to read to you what the distin- 
 guished author, Mallock, has written on the subject now being 
 treated. (Here the Rt. Rev. speaker read an extract, of which we 
 have no copy.) 
 
 Here is a picture of the Church drawn by a stranger; he 
 draws it well, but it does not satisfy the Catholic ; it does not 
 satisfy the man who has been born in the Church, who looks into 
 the eyes of his living mother, with a heart full of tenderness and
 
 126 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 keen sense of the weighty debt he owes her. The faith of the 
 Catholic is something akin to that gift which nature bestows upon 
 the childish heart, a faith abounding in love. 
 
 The true character of the Church cannot be perfectly de- 
 scribed ; it must be felt in the heart. The Church, my brethren, 
 is the road to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and, through 
 Him, to heaven. In her, the Christian hears the voice of the 
 Lord himself. 
 
 In the heavenly picture of the world to come, he feels a sense 
 of security, and is overjoyed by a participation in the feeling ex- 
 perienced by the apostle on Mount Thabor when he exclaimed, 
 " Lord, it is good for us to be here." In life's experiences, the 
 Catholic always feels secure ; he knows the Church will lead him 
 aright. Knowledge and power are the two great requisites for the 
 success of every enterprise. The Church possesses them in all 
 their fullness. She is the truth she has the strength of God to 
 lead her aright. 
 
 Therefore, my brethren, when we kneel down in this Church 
 to worship Almighty God, first professing our faith in God, the 
 Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, we will ever exclaim in all 
 the fullness and love of our heart, " I believe in the Holy 
 Catholic Church." 
 
 THE JUBILEE CHOIR. 
 
 Tht musical part of the service was of unusual merit, and 
 would have rendered the occasion memorable, even if there had 
 been no other attractions. The best singers of both congrega- 
 tions, St. Joseph's and St. Mary's, joined under the significant 
 title, " The Jubilee Choir," and, by diligent practice, fitted them- 
 selves to produce magnificent results. On the great days that 
 were successively celebrated, they were assisted by Gibler's or- 
 chestra. At the mass that followed the consecration of the church, 
 Generali's grand military mass in G was sung in parts as follows : 
 
 Kyrie Full Chorus 
 
 Christ! Quartette 
 
 Soprano, Mrs. Leo Thro ; alto, Miss Jennie Tracy ; tenor, J. P. Lawless 
 
 bass, Frank Rogers.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 127 
 
 Gloria Full Chorus 
 
 Gratia Duet 
 
 Tenor, J. P. Lawless ; baritone, Ed. Lawless. 
 
 Domine Fili Duet 
 
 Soprano, Miss Maggie Carey ; alto, Miss Nonie Reardon. 
 
 Domine Deus Full Chorus 
 
 Qui Tollis Trio 
 
 Soprano, Mrs. Leo Thro ; tenor, J. P. Lawless ; bass, John Rau. 
 
 Qui Sedes Basses and Chorus 
 
 Quonian Solo 
 
 Miss Cunningham. 
 
 Dei Patris Full Chorus 
 
 Credo Full Chorus 
 
 Genitum Mezzo Soprano Solo 
 
 Miss Jennie Tracy. 
 
 Descendit Full Chorus 
 
 Et Incarnatus Est Full Chorus 
 
 Crucifixus Duet 
 
 Tenor, J. P. Lawless ; baritone, Ed. Lawless. 
 
 Et Resurrexit Full Chorus 
 
 Et Interum Soprano Solo 
 
 Mrs. Leo Thro. 
 
 Et In Spiritum Tenor Solo 
 
 J. P. Lawless. 
 
 Qui Cum Patre Duet 
 
 Tenor, J. P. Lawless ; bass, Frank Rogers. 
 
 Et Unam Sanctam Duet 
 
 Soprano, Miss Maggie Carey ; alto, Miss Nonie Reardon. 
 
 Et Expecto Full Chorus 
 
 Finale . . . : Full Chorus 
 
 Offertorium O Cor Amoris Victima 
 
 Full chorus with soprano solo obligato by Mrs. Leo Thro. 
 
 Sanctus Full Chorus 
 
 Pleni Full Chorus 
 
 Benedictus Alto Solo 
 
 Miss Jennie Tracy with cello obligato by Oscar Wagner. 
 
 Hosanna Full Chorus 
 
 Agnus Dei .... Full Chorus 
 
 With tenor solo by J. P. Lawless ; soprano solo by Mrs. Leo Thro. 
 Dona Nobis, Finale Full Chorus 
 
 The members of the Jubilee Choir were : Director, John L. 
 Carroll ; organist, Miss Mary E. Brennan ; orchestra director, W.
 
 128 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 H. Gibler ; soloists : W. H. Gibler, violin ; Mrs. Leo Thro and 
 Miss Maggie Carey, sopranos ; Miss Jennie P. Tracy, mezzo so- 
 prano ; Miss Nonie Reardoii, contralto ; Miss Cunningham, alto ; 
 John P. Lawless, tenor ; Edward Lawless, baritone ; John Rau 
 and Frank Rogers, bassos. Chorus : Sopranos, Mrs. M. Ellsworth, 
 Misses Susie Ellis, Anna Summers, Gertrude Loos, Josie Wilson, 
 Blanche Knipschild, Loretta Knipschild, Mamie Vail, Agnes 
 Dolan ; altos, Misses Theresa Loos, Josie Nohe, Anna Darrah, 
 Theresa Miller, Helen Miller; tenors, Herman Straub, Frank 
 Burns, John Loos ; bassos, John Coyle, Leo Thro, Clem Gordon 
 and Ed. Dubs. 
 
 ARCHBISHOP FEEHAN'S ADDRESS. 
 
 Archbishop Feehan also spoke briefly at the morning service, 
 congratulating the congregation upon having that day given to 
 God so magnificent a temple, and praising highly the Pastor, the 
 Sisters of the school and the members of the congregation for 
 their work. " This day," he said, " will be long known as one of 
 the greatest in the history of the parish. Fifty years to the 
 church, or to history, are but a span, but in the lives of individ- 
 uals, or congregations, they are a great deal. The celebration of 
 this Golden Jubilee is an occasion of much pleasure. Sincere is 
 the joy afforded by the knowledge that the Catholics of this dio- 
 cese have been able to make such an offering to God as this 
 church. The consecration gives it to Him forever ; it can never 
 be given for any other use, or destroyed, except by some great 
 calamity. 
 
 " How different is the congregation of to-day from the one that 
 first met fifty years ago ! The few who assembled for the first 
 mass have grown and multiplied to a great congregation, like a 
 tiny seed that has grown to a great tree. Those pioneers who 
 first came here, and among whom the faith was so firmly estab- 
 lished, deserve all honor from us. They have nearly all gone to 
 their rest, and we can hardly realize the trials and struggles they 
 have endured. They brought with them the one priceless pearl, 
 their religious faith ; they were loyal to it, in all their hardships, 
 and bequeathed their loyalty to their children and their chil-
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 129 
 
 dren's children, who are here to-day to celebrate this Golden 
 Jubilee. We must not forget the priests who labored in the 
 building up of this church, who came with the pioneers, and, 
 suffering what they did, earned a share in the result. There was 
 -another element of success, the daughters of Ireland, who, as re- 
 ligious teachers, and as faithful mothers of families, followed the 
 teachings of priests and missionaries and cared for the young. 
 All worked together to build up the Church all through this new 
 land. Fifty years is not long, but see the result ! Who could 
 have foretold, when they were planting the seed, that the harvest 
 would be so splendid ? The congregation of this church may 
 well rejoice. 
 
 " There is another thought : we ask ourselves, ' What kind 
 of people will come after us? Will they be loyal and cling to 
 the high principles of the pioneers ; will they be men of char- 
 acter, true to their religion and cherishing their faith ? ' To-day 
 finds the answer. The praise given to-day is well deserved. It 
 is a source of great gratification to see the success of the Church 
 and the school. Upon the latter rests the future of the Church ; 
 in the training of the young, the planting of good seeds and the 
 awakening of a lively faith in the minds of the children, lies the 
 secret of large, zealous congregations for the future." 
 
 The mass was not ended until after one o'clock, but nothing 
 further took place at St. Mary's until evening, when there was a 
 pontifical- vesper service, at which Bishop Janssen presided, and all 
 the visiting clergymen assisted. A short sermon was delivered 
 by Bishop Burke, who spoke of the sacredness of the church, since 
 it had been anointed, with holy oil, and consecrated to the service 
 of God. 
 
 The vespers, the sermon and the benediction of the Blessed 
 Sacrament, in the glory of lights and song, constituted one of the 
 most impressive services held during the week. The sanctuary 
 was filled with richly vested clergymen of various ranks ; the 
 altar boys, in their pretty robes, were present, in full force, and 
 sang the vespers, alternately with the grand choir, in a style never 
 before equaled by them. Finally, so inspiring was the scene and
 
 130 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 the music, all the clergymen joined in chanting the psalms and 
 hymns, making a magnificent chorus of supplication and adora- 
 tion, that seemed to the listeners a foretaste of heavenly harmony 
 and celestial song. 
 
 The gleaming tapers and the flashing gas lights, with the 
 steady radiance of electricity, brought out all the beauties of the 
 altars and their surroundings, so that sight, as well as hearing r 
 was enthralled. 
 
 Between the vesper and the benediction services, Bishop 
 Burke, of St. Joseph, Mo., delivered his eloquent discourse, re- 
 ferred to above. In beautiful language, he told the story of the 
 cross, what Christ had done for mankind, and urged all to follow 
 in His footsteps. He also spoke words of praise in regard to the 
 beautiful house of worship which the members of St. Mary's con- 
 gregation had erected. He said it was a lasting monument to 
 their devotion and their zeal for the cause of Christ, and admon- 
 ished the members ever to remember that it was a sacred place, 
 which they should enter with only pure thoughts in their hearts. 
 He complimented Rev. Father Horan, on the great work he has 
 accomplished, since coming to Freeport, and said that the reverend 
 gentleman could not have accomplished this, were it not for the 
 fact that he possessed the Confidence and love of his people, in a 
 marked degree. Bishop Burke is a dignified and polished gen- 
 tleman who makes a fine appearance in the pulpit. He is noted 
 for his piety and scholarly attainments. There was a congrega- 
 tion present that overflowed the church, and great numbers of 
 people sought admission who could not find a place to either 
 sit or stand.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 131 
 
 The Golden Jubilee Day. 
 
 With all the pomp and splendor of the highest functions of 
 the Roman Catholic Church, the Golden Jubilee of the establish- 
 ment of the Catholic religion in this county was celebrated on Octo- 
 ber 14th. The first few of the fifty years that have intervened were 
 filled with struggles, cares and hardships, with disappointments 
 and heavy trials ; the last few have been marked by thrift and 
 ultimate success, but, at all times, there have been unremitting toil 
 and dogged perseverence. This day's celebration is the climax of 
 the pious events of the past half century, and the realization of the 
 most sanguine hopes of the early priests and their pioneer con- 
 gregations. Their zeal and loyal perseverence prepared the way 
 for this day, and made its celebration possible. Through their 
 efforts, in the almost barren days of the county's early history, 
 was sown a great part of the seed that has grown into the rich 
 harvest of to-day. 
 
 The la-rge, respectable and attentive congregations that as- 
 sembled in St. Mary's each day, during the great celebration, the 
 church itself, with its chaste and beautiful altars, the soft, religious 
 light, beaming through rare stained windows, the roll of the organ,, 
 the swell of the orchestra and the volume of fifty voices in choir, 
 the number and high rank of the ecclesiastics, in rich and 
 gorgeous vestments, celebrating the mass, all this contrasted, 
 strongly and strangely, with the first congregation of twenty de- 
 vout souls, assembled in a log cabin, or in the simple home of the 
 pioneer priest and his sister. No organ, no choir rejoiced their 
 ears ; neither acolyte nor altar boy served the priest standing at 
 the improvised altar, and no rich vestments, or costly altar furni-
 
 132 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 ture, added impressiveness to the sacred ceremonies. Faith, 
 simple, fervent and unquestioning ; piety, warm and enduring ; 
 charity, prompt and generous these were the sole riches of the 
 pioneer, and who shall say whether he were not a millionaire, 
 compared with Catholic Christians of our day ? The contrast in 
 externals was great, indeed ; perhaps it was surpassed, in an op- 
 posite sense, by the interior differences. 
 
 In the early times, there was little of the magnificent show 
 of symbolism, little display of the power and grandeur of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, as seen in these festival ceremonies. 
 There existed then none of the conditions so essential to the pomp 
 and dignity of the pontifical mass, that was offered each morning 
 during the three days' celebration. These pioneers brought with 
 them into the wilderness, they were to conquer and make fruitful, 
 the early faith, which took root and flourished, until it has come 
 to have as much force and influence, as in olden countries, where 
 much longer established. 
 
 The services, on Sunday, Oct. 13, were only indirectly con- 
 nected with the jubilee celebration ; they were preparatory, and the 
 consecration of the church previous to the celebration of the Jubilee 
 Mass, added to the grace and thankfulness with which the latter 
 was offered, on Monday morning, Oct. 14. The elements were kind 
 on Sunday, the sky clearing, after the night's rain, but Monday 
 morning the rain, that unexpectedly began to come down in sheets 
 before daylight, continued to fall until noon, and, though it did 
 not interfere with any of the church arrangements, it kept a great 
 many people at home, who would otherwise have attended the 
 ceremonies. 
 
 The services began with the low masses at 5 o'clock, as on 
 Sunday. At 9:30, Archbishop Feehan confirmed a class of 
 about fifty boys and girls, who remained, after confirmation, to 
 assist at the Jubilee Mass. By 10:15 o'clock the church was com- 
 fortably filled. 
 
 Bishop Dunne, of Dallas, Texas, was to have sung the ponti- 
 fical mass for the Golden Jubilee Day, but illness kept him at home, 
 hence Bishop Burke was the celebrant, Archbishop Feehan being
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 133 
 
 present in the sanctuary. The number of priests in attendance 
 was much larger than on Sunday. The Jubilee Sermon was 
 preached by Archbishop Hennessey, of Dubuque. His discourse 
 was a forceful, logical, argumentative one. He is a powerful and 
 graceful speaker. The following is a somewhat imperfect repro- 
 duction of his sermon : 
 
 SERMON BY ARCHBISHOP HENNESSEY. 
 
 Allow me to congratulate you on the fiftieth anniversary of 
 the Roman Catholic Church in Freeport, and on the magnificence 
 of the ceremonies of this festival. 
 
 To-day the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the 
 Exaltatioa of the Holy Cross, which commemorates the restora- 
 tion of the Holy Cross, taken from Jerusalem early in the seventh 
 century by the Saracens and restored later in the century by 
 Heraclius, emperor of Constantinople. 
 
 St. Paul tells us we should glory in the Cross of Christ, and 
 the restoration of the Cross to the Church commends it. I deem 
 it my duty to endeavor to show you the relations which you bear 
 to the Cross of Jesus Christ, and your dependence on it, in time 
 and in eternity. 
 
 Brethren, we were made for heaven. We were made for 
 happiness. When God made man, He united the body and tha 
 soul ; the -soul was the life of the body ; it was the intelligent 
 force, but there was another element, which was the light of the 
 soul ; it is the light of the Lord within the soul. These three 
 elements constitute the man of God, and, brethren, without 
 these three elements, no man can enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven. If there is no life in the soul, no soul within a soul, the 
 individual shall never know the happiness for which he is made. 
 The life of the soul shall shield the life of the body, and if it had 
 been preserved, there would have been no death, either of the- 
 soul or of the body, in time or in eternity. But the life of the 
 soul was unfortunately lost, and then was broken that special 
 bond by which God united man to himself. Man fell ; he fell
 
 134 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 dead, as to his soul, and under sentence of death, as to his body, 
 he was dead also in all the powers and faculties of both soul and 
 body. 
 
 The condition of the first man passed to his descendants, just 
 as children are born into slavery ; the condition of the father 
 passing to the children, so the condition of Adam passed to all 
 his descendants, for Adam was the father of the human race ; and 
 the human race was in Adam, as the oak is in the acorn, and 
 when he fell, when he broke the bond that united him to God, 
 the whole human race fell with him, dead as to their souls, crip- 
 pled in all their faculties, and, being subject to the power of evil 
 spirits, became strongly inclined to the commission of evil deeds. 
 
 So much, brethren, for the effects of one little sin ; it is quite 
 common amongst us to treat it as such, but to the all holy God, 
 who sees sin as it really is, it is infinitely hateful. Evil is of the 
 world, and not of God ; it is an uprising against God ; an act in 
 defiance of the omnipotence of God ; it is using God's gifts against 
 himself. 
 
 By sin, we practically deny the sovereignty of God, an attri- 
 bute which is essential to God. Deprive anything of an essential 
 property, and you thereby destroy it. Deprive a triangle of one of its 
 three angles and the triangle is gone. Deprive a quadrangle, having 
 four equal sides, of one of the right angles, and you have a quad- 
 rangle no longer. Deprive God of His sovereignty, and there is 
 no God ; then, if it were possible for God to die, sin would have 
 caused His death. When God became man, took upon Himself 
 our mortality, sin struck Him the fatal blow, in His humanity, 
 since it might not attack His divinity. 
 
 Read the history of the human race, behold the work of the 
 black passions of the human heart ; how man hates man, how 
 man wreaks his vengeance upon man. Wars, famines and other 
 ravages, have come into every land, and the Gospel is everywhere 
 torn into shreds. 
 
 Listen to the groans of sinners ; listen to their lamentations, 
 which will be unavailing through all eternity. Look, then, at 
 the Son of God ; See Him in the Garden of Gethseinane, bleeding
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 135 
 
 in every pore, covered with blood ; His heart is breaking and 
 He cries to God, " O Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass 
 from me ! " Then He is dragged through the streets of Jerusalem, 
 and, after enduring further indignities, He hangs to the cross, 
 crying out in His pain, " My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
 saken me?" 
 
 Again, God did not deal with man as He dealt with the 
 angels, He did not leave man in the fallen state ; He decreed 
 that man should be reborn and restored to the dignity for which 
 he was created ; and how was this to be done ? 
 
 MR. AND MRS. R. BARRON. 
 
 God might have forgiven the debt, as a creditor forgives the 
 debt his neighbor owes him. God might have accepted partial 
 satisfaction, but He did not do it. In His justice and His wiS- 
 dom, He saw it was better for man that He demand full satisfac- 
 tion for the outrage offered Him, and He made that demand of 
 man. The demand was for infinite satisfaction ; man could not 
 make it; the whole human race could not make it; how, then, 
 was it to be made ? God's Son came to earth ; " It is written that 
 I shall do thy will, God ! " So God's eternal Son came down 
 to earth ; He united man to God ; He became a man with a body 
 like ours ; He had a man's nature and being, that He might go 
 to the altar and offer sacrifices and atone for our sins, and He 
 did go, and satisfied the most rigorous demands of justice, and 
 won for us merits of infinite value. He won life for us by His
 
 136 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 death. He bequeathed His infinite merits to us; they are our 
 legacy ; they are our all. I wish you could realize the solemn 
 fact that no man has ever entered heaven, that no man has ever 
 escaped death, except through these merits. It is not enough 
 that He won these for us, that He bequeathed them to us, we- 
 must appropriate them, must make use of them. A man may die 
 of thirst, beside a fountain, if he will not stoop down to drink ; he 
 may die of hunger, in a banquet hall, if he will not eat. We are 
 debtors, indeed, for rich and freely given treasures, and we have 
 no right to find fault, if we make no use of what the Lord has- 
 tendered us gratuitously. 
 
 How are these merits communicated to us ? This is a most 
 important question, one which you should thoroughly consider. 
 You will say, perhaps, that they will be communicated to us in 
 the manner in which He wills. 
 
 He made us as we are ; without Him, nothing was made ;. 
 He made us composed of a soul and body, and such is our nature 
 that spritual things come to us through the bodily senses. Our 
 senses are the avenues of the soul ; so there is nothing in the 
 finite human being which has not been received through the 
 senses. 
 
 Look at the children in school ; how do they learn ? One- 
 man has knowledge that another has not ; he wishes to com- 
 municate it ; how will he do it ? He will put his thoughts and 
 ideas into w r ords, and then he will give utterance to his words - r 
 he exercises certain parts of his body, and thus sends forth his- 
 words. They are received into the ear, and are presented to 
 the intellect of his hearer, who then accepts them and the knowl- 
 edge that comes with them. Thus an idea passes through two 
 bodies before it reaches the soul of the person taught. Such is- 
 nature of man ; in this way does he learn and receive the truth. 
 
 God classified the spiritual wants of the human race under 
 seven heads, and then He instituted seven channels through 
 which these needs could be supplied. By one of these seven cere- 
 monies, He gives the soul life, makes a soul within a soul, as it 
 were ; by another, He perpetuates men who are to demonstrate
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 137 
 
 these ceremonies and minister them for Christ, as Christ's repre- 
 sentatives ; by another, the bond of marriage, He perpetuates the 
 Church and her children, that in her and for them, these wonder- 
 ful works may take place. 
 
 Why should any one man profess to know more than another, 
 to have greater powers than another, and why should any man 
 bow down his head before another man, while praying to the 
 Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to cleanse his soul from sin, unless 
 there was a divine reason for it ? 
 
 Why should he throw himself upon his knees before the son 
 of a neighbor, whom he may have known years before, as a school 
 boy ? Why, on bended knees, and with weeping eyes, does he 
 make known to this man the secrets of his life, unless he is con- 
 vinced that his neighbor's son can do something for him? To 
 conduct these ceremonies, human teaching and human agency is 
 required. Human agency has been employed because the service 
 of God is always a reasonable service. From among His disciples, 
 then, Jesus Christ chose twelve to be teachers, and He placed one 
 of these, St. Peter, at the head of the others, and, with St. Peter at 
 the head, He formed a living body. Just as you do when you 
 form a society ; you always elect a president. In order that the 
 effect of their teaching should last to the end of time, they were 
 authorized, even commanded, to teach to the end of time. 
 
 Brethren, seventy years from that time, every one of these 
 twelve had passed away. How were their places to be filled ? 
 Christ made a corporate body ; a corporate body ne\er dies. It is 
 like the city council ; you have aldermen and a mayor ; when they 
 go out of office, others take their places ; the council is continued 
 as a living corporation. Thus was this corporation to continue 
 in the future, and our Lord determined the manner in which the 
 corporation was to continue ; how the places of those who had 
 passed away should be filled ; He made them teachers, and com- 
 manded them to teach the nations ; there were to be none left 
 out. They were to teach in the name of Jesus Christ ; they were 
 to be free from error ; that is to say, in delivering His message, 
 they delivered it just as they received it. He made them infalli-
 
 138 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 ble. The message He gave to this corporation of twelve was 
 needed by the nations. It was His message, and, as it came from 
 the corporation, was no counterfeit, but the message as it came 
 from the lips of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Brethren, if you were sending a message to a friend, and his 
 life depended upon the receipt of it and compliance with its re- 
 quirements, would you not choose a messenger whom you could 
 trust to deliver it? The lives of those whom Jesus Christ taught 
 depended on receiving His message, Was He not able to send 
 His message so it would surely be delivered ? Was He not will- 
 ing to do it ? If He had not delivered it to reliable persons, the 
 message would have been lost, and the whole work and labor of 
 His life would have been lost. But He did not leave His mes- 
 sage to chance He did not leave it to any family. He sent an 
 escort with it to guard it, and that escort was Himself. He had 
 said, '' I will send the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, to abide 
 with you forever," and, having thus guarded His message, He can 
 say to His ministers, " He that hears you, hears Me ; your words 
 are my words ; you teachings are my teachings ; your message is 
 the message I gave you. I give it to you for my people, and to 
 the peril of their souls they must receive it. He that hears and 
 believes shall be saved, but he that hears and believes not shall 
 be damned." 
 
 "They dare not refuse my teachings, for if they do, it shall be 
 at the peril of their souls ; they shall be damned." Who but a 
 God of Justice could pronounce such a sentence? This corpora- 
 tion was the infallible teacher of the Gospel for all time. St. Paul 
 said of the apostles that they were ministers of Christ, and dis- 
 pensers of the mysteries of God. 
 
 Teaching did not sanctify men ; teaching did not make them 
 holy, or fit them for heaven, or put into them that soul within a 
 soul, existing to the honor of God. 
 
 When men had received their teaching, what did the apos- 
 tles do ? They baptised them. St. Paul baptised in the name of 
 the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. " Unless a man
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 139 
 
 be born again of water and of the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter 
 the kingdom of God." 
 
 You go through the ceremony of baptism and become new 
 creatures, children of God and of His Church. Baptising in the 
 Holy Ghost, that is what St. Peter and St. John did, and thus did 
 the soul receive life, true life ; every life that is, comes from God and 
 every life that comes from God bears life. Every life that comes 
 from God needs sustenance, and the just God provides it. The 
 plant lives, but not without nourishment ; the flowers in the field 
 must have nourishment. Man eats three times a day to preserve his 
 bodily life. There is the same need in his spiritual life, hence God 
 furnishes bread for the soul, that is life and that gives life. He said, 
 " And the bread I will give is my flesh, and the wine is my blood, 
 shed for the life of the world, and unless you eat of the flesh of the 
 Son of man and drink His blood, you shall not have life ever- 
 lasting." Thus He gave His apostles His own flesh and blood, 
 saying, " Do this in commemoration of me ; do what you have 
 seen me do ; change bread into my body and wine into my blood, 
 and minister to the people, as you have seen me do." They did 
 this and went from house to house, breaking bread and giv- 
 ing the flesh of Jesus Christ and the blood of Jesus Christ to His 
 followers. Thus they fed the soul, that its life might not be lost. 
 Adam had lost it by his sin against God ; they were to forgive 
 sins ; it was said to them, " Men's sins you shall forgive. You have 
 power of forgiving sins and of refusing to forgive them." This 
 twofold power could not be exercised reasonably, without a knowl- 
 edge of the sins to be forgiven : without a knowledge of the sin- 
 ner. This knowledge must come from himself, must come from 
 his own lips, and that communication from his lips is what we 
 call confession, and thus the faithful confess their sins, knowing 
 they will be forgiven. Some one will say, " How can man for- 
 give sins ? " That has been said a thousand times, but we must 
 remember these were not ordinary men ; they were ministers of 
 Jesus Christ, officers of His mysteries. To forgive sins is to 
 restore life ; God alone can do that ; God alone lives and is the 
 source of life ; He alone can restore life when it is lost.
 
 140 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Sts. Peter and Paul did this by the power of God. They re- 
 stored the dead to life, and if God employed human agency to re- 
 store dead bodies, why may He not do the same to restore dead 
 souls? To raise a dead soul is not more difficult than to raise a 
 dead body. He does this work through His ministers: they 
 likewise anoint the sick with oil and prepare them to meet their 
 God. 
 
 And the bond of marriage ; it is the very foundation of soci- 
 ety. It, too, has the seal of Jesus Christ, and its object is to make 
 one grand family, uniting in the world all who are Christ's, and 
 uniting, likewise, the Church and the State. 
 
 The acts, whereby these great powers were conferred on the 
 apostles, were public ; they were done before men. This teach- 
 ing was heard ; these ceremonies were seen, and the effects of 
 both will continue until the end of time. That corporation will 
 ever exist to carry on, to the consummation of the world, the work 
 assigned it. That body has never lost its identity ; it is the same 
 to-day, as it was when our Lord formed it. It will be the same 
 to the end of time. James or John may be thirty years old, forty 
 years old, or fifty years old, but he does not lose his identity ; he 
 remains the same individual. So does this body, whether it is 
 twelve months or five hundred years old. 
 
 Brethren, where is that body to-day ? It exists and will exist 
 to the end of time. Where is it ? It is public and ought to be 
 known. It is not hiding ; it is on the hill-tops, and it is very active. 
 The Bishops of the holy Catholic Church are members of this 
 body ; they have been in the world for 1800 years ; they have 
 been doing all the apostles did in their day. You can trace them 
 back as easily as you can trace the presidents, from Cleveland 
 to Washington ; you can trace them back from Leo XIII. to St. 
 Peter. Every link in the chain is complete ; not one is wanting. 
 When one head of the body has passed away, another has taken 
 his place ; just like the mayor and the council. The Bishops, with 
 the Pope of Rome at their head, have ever claimed infallibility 
 in their teaching, and they are the only body of men who have 
 it, moreover they challenge the world to disprove their claim.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 141 
 
 JOHN L. CARROLL, 
 
 LEADER. 
 
 EDWARD LAWLESS. 
 
 MISS M. BRENNAN, 
 
 ORGANIST. 
 
 JOHN H. RAIT. 
 
 JOHN P. LAAVLESS.
 
 142 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Brethren, look over the history of the world ; does it show 
 you any other body or corporation that has existed for 1800 years, 
 teaching and dispensing the mysteries of God, as the Bishops of 
 the Roman Catholic Church do ? No, ten thousand times no* 
 As there is but one sun in the heavens to light the earth, there is 
 but one sun of justice, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, to light the 
 Church ; one Lord, one baptism, one Church and one corporation 
 which is to work until the end of time. 
 
 Verily, brethren, there are no persons, members of a corpora- 
 tion, among those around you, who are ready to serve you at all 
 times, except the apostles and their successors. They will deliver 
 to you the message Jesus Christ sent you ; they will give you the 
 truth of the Holy Ghost, and redeem your soul, through the merits 
 of Jesus Christ. Have you that life of the soul that comes through 
 Jesus Christ, through the ceremonies He has instituted to be ad- 
 ministered by His chosen ministers ? Now is the time to receive 
 these ministers ;to hear these words that give life to the soul. Why 
 not receive them now ? They alone can forgive sins, and thus 
 restore the life to the soul, through the merits of Jesus Christ. 
 Will you then allow your souls to remain dead ? It is an all 
 important question that I leave you to consider. 
 
 To appreciate this discourse, the reader should have heard it 
 delivered in that decisive and convincing manner which char- 
 acterizes the public utterances of His Grace of Dubuque. 
 
 The music given by the Jubilee Choir on Monday, during 
 the ceremonies of confirmation, was as follows : 
 Veni Creator 
 
 Mezzo Soprano Miss Jennie Tracy 
 
 Tenor J. P. Lawless 
 
 Baritone Ed. Lawless 
 
 With full chorus. 
 
 At the celebration of the Golden Jubilee " Missa pro pace " 
 (mass for peace), by T. Von La Hache, was sung as presented in 
 this programme : 
 
 Kyrie Full Chorus 
 
 Gloria Full Chorus 
 
 Et in Terra . . . . Full Chorus
 
 Step h&nson ] County, Illinois, 1896. 143 
 
 MISS M. CAREY. 
 
 MRS. LEO THRO. 
 
 Al4*4AI4* 
 
 
 
 MISS J. P. TRACY. 
 
 MRS. M. ELLSWORTH. 
 
 MISS N. REARDON.
 
 144 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Gratias, soprano solo Mrs. Leo Thro 
 
 Qui Tollis Bassos and Chorus 
 
 Quoniam, soprano solo Miss Maggie Carey 
 
 Finale Quoniam Full Chorus 
 
 Credo Full Chorus 
 
 Visibilium, soprano solo. Mrs. Leo Thro 
 
 Genitum Bassos and Chorus 
 
 Et incarnatus est, soprano solo Mrs. Leo Thro 
 
 Crucifixus, soprano solo with full chorus Mrs. Leo Thro 
 
 Et Resurrexit, duet with full chorus 
 
 Soprano, Miss Maggie Carey ; tenor, J. P. Lawless 
 
 Et in Spiritum, bass solo John Kau 
 
 Qui Cum Patre, soprano solo Mrs. Leo Thro 
 
 Finale Full Chorus 
 
 Offertorium, Ave Maria, violin obligato. ..W. H. Gibler, Miss Jennie Tracy 
 
 Sanctus, soprano solo, obligato Mrs. Leo Thro 
 
 With full chorus. 
 
 Benedictus, soprano solo obligato Mrs. Leo Thro 
 
 With chorus accompaniment. 
 Agnus Dei 
 
 Baritone Solo Ed. Lawless 
 
 Soprano Solo Miss Maggie Carey 
 
 Tenor Solo J. P. Lawless 
 
 With full chorus accompaniment. 
 Dona Nobis and Finale Full Chorus 
 
 While all who were connected with the jubilee services mer- 
 ited the heartiest congratulations for the magnificence and splen- 
 dor of the ceremonies, high praise is due to those who prepared 
 the music rendered at the Sunday morning service. Generali's 
 military mass was beautifully sung by the Jubilee Choir, assisted 
 by Gibler's Orchestra, and was one of the most important parts of 
 the musical programme. On Monday, La Hache's mass was no 
 less satisfactorily given, and added impressiveness to the solemn 
 ceremonials. The chief credit for the excellence of the music is 
 due to John L. Carroll, who worked indefatigably, for three 
 months, to get the masses ready for satisfactory production. They 
 were all long and difficult, but they were mastered, and both the 
 solos and choruses were sung with precision and good effect, being 
 altogether the most beautifully rendered sacred music ever heard 
 in this city.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 145 
 
 The music at St. Joseph's Church was also of a high order, 
 particularly the Millard Mass, by the Jubilee Choir, and St. Pius' 
 Choir. 
 
 THE CHILDREN'S RECEPTION. 
 
 One of the prettiest events of the jubilee festival was the re- 
 ception for Archbishop Feehan arranged by the Feehan Reading 
 Circle of St. Mary's High School. Illness prevented the Arch- 
 bishop from attending, but Bishop Burke was present, and the 
 program was carried out as intended. At its close, the Bishop 
 spoke briefly, praising the work and intentions of the circle. 
 
 The program was given in St. Mary's Hall, which was prettily 
 decorated, and there was a large audience present, including 
 nearly all the clergymen who were Father Horan's guests for the 
 day. The entertainment was opened by an address by Clement 
 Gordon, as follows : 
 
 " MOST REV. AND DEAR FATHER : It is with the deepest 
 sentiments of affectionate reverence, mingled with a joyous grati- 
 fication, that we behold you in our midst to-day. The affectionate 
 reverence needs neither explanation nor comment ; the joyous 
 gratification is caused by the fact that we, the members of the 
 Feehan Reading Circle, have long anticipated the pleasure that 
 this hour realizes, the pleasure and honor of addressing Your 
 Grace, and of presenting before you one of our exercises, that you 
 may judge for yourself whether we are keeping the promises made 
 to you, when you granted us the privilege of banding ourselves 
 together under your honored name. 
 
 " All the year round Your Grace's portrait smiles down upon 
 us High School boys and girls ; from this time, onward to your 
 own Golden Jubilee, may the remembrance of us ever call to 
 your venerable living face a smile of approval. 
 
 " It is with varied emotions that we greet Your Grace, on a 
 many-sided occasion, such as this Golden Jubilee day presents, 
 and we rejoice that it is not necessary, amid so much harmony, 
 for us to decide which affords us the greatest happiness, the glory 
 of our parish, the success of our pastor, or the presence of our 
 Archbishop. 
 
 10
 
 146 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 The second number was a literary garland of original essays,. 
 with the following readers and subjects : " Modern Progress," 
 Frances Fee ; " True Advancement," Laura Steffen and Mary 
 Reardon ; " Ancient Poetry," Kittie and Clara Killion ; " Lit- 
 erature," J. Allen ; " Modern Poetry," Helen Burns ; " Woman's 
 Pen," Lorine Byrne ; " Oratory," John Flanagan ; " Shakespeare 
 and Milton," John Scanlan ; " Scientific Writers," Louis Knip- 
 schild ; " Historical Writers," C. Dubs ; " Philsophical Writers," 
 John Manion ; " Aesthetic Writers," Lizzie Corcoran ; " Religious 
 Writers," Clement Gordon and Edward Dubs. These essays were- 
 delivered as orations, without paper, and embellished with graceful 
 and appropriate gestures. 
 
 The pupils of the school joined in singing a patriotic song,, 
 after which Edward Dubs spoke the following Jubilee Greeting to 
 all present : 
 
 " As the universe lies pictured before us, by that magic 
 household artist, our imagination, we behold its suns in blazing 
 glory, its planets and satellites in soft radiance, its mighty sys- 
 tems in admirable harmony, all moving majestically in circles ; 
 each about its grand centre, each satellite about its primary, each 
 primary about its sun, each sun, with its stupendous system of 
 planets and moons, about some greater sun in distant space, and 
 so on, almost infinitely, circles within circles, until the whole 
 magnificent universe moves, in stately harmony, about the 
 throne of God ! 
 
 " Circles within circles ! this is the universal plan this, the 
 unfailing arrangement; this, the prevailing law that all things 
 shall have a centre about which they shall unceasingly revolve. 
 Had we sharper sight, we could discover, everywhere, an obedi- 
 ence to this law, not only among the vast orbs of space, but 
 among the countless atoms, of which all material things are com- 
 posed ; not only above and around the earth, but on it and in it,. 
 would we find this mystic revolution of circles within circles, in 
 obedience to an attraction at the centre. We would behold it in 
 the unfolding of the flowers of spring, in the waving branch of tree 
 and shrub, in the murmuring leaves and in the bending blades of
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 147 
 
 grass, in the rippling stream and in the bounding, crested waves. 
 Motion everywhere, fleet, graceful motion, in obedience to some 
 powerful central attraction. 
 
 " Not only in the material world does this beautiful law have 
 force ; in the invisible world of thought and sentiment it likewise 
 prevails. The ever-circling thoughts and the ever-revolving 
 emotions of humanity have, too, their powerful attracting centres, 
 exerting an irresistible energy in opposing, with a beneficent cen- 
 tripetal force, the baleful centrifugal force of foreign and danger- 
 ous outer attractions. 
 
 ." Now, in events like those of the past few days, where shall 
 we find the animating principle of all the energy and enthusiasm ? 
 What constitutes the centre of all the circling virtue and piety, 
 beneficence and prosperity ? 
 
 " Turn to what page you will in history, whether sacred or 
 profane, you will find that of every series of events, some one man 
 is the centre, be he king or general, pope or emperor. Now, who 
 is the centre of all that has delighted and impressed you during 
 your sojourn among us? ' The man at the centre ' in this case 
 has been, and is, our reverend pastor, the leader of his people, in 
 all enterprising affairs, their model in piety, their guide in all the 
 pathways of civil and religious advancement. Rev. William A. 
 Horan is the ' man at the centre ' of all St. Mary's present suc- 
 cess and prosperity. Under God, he has been to his people a 
 special providence. 
 
 " In making this public announcement of our appreciation 
 of this fact, we, the pupils of the school he has sacrificed so much 
 to establish, desire to honor him and to gratify our illustrious 
 guests, by voicing the sentiments that we feel assured are filling 
 their hearts and minds. 
 
 " We most cordially thank our distinguished friends for their 
 presence among us, and we accord them, from our heart of hearts, 
 a thousand loving and reverent greetings."
 
 148 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 THE GOLDEN DIADEM; OR, THE JUBILEE CROWN. 
 
 (Written expressly for the occasion by a Dominican Sister.) 
 DRAMATIS PERSONA E. 
 
 The Spirit of the Past Miss Mary Vail 
 
 The Spirit of Memory Miss Annie Summers 
 
 The Spirit of Zeal Miss Alice Cummisford 
 
 The Spirit of Holy Vocation Miss Lizzie Corcoran 
 
 The Spirit of Holy Infancy Miss Kittie Killion 
 
 The Spirit of Divine Grace Miss Clara Killion 
 
 The Spirit of Baptism Miss Laura Steffen 
 
 The Spirit of Penance Master Clement Gordon 
 
 The Spirit of the Tabernacle Master John Manion 
 
 The Spirit of Confirmation Master Joseph Allen 
 
 The Spirit of Matrimony Miss Lorine Byrne 
 
 The Spirit of Holy Orders Miss Helen Burns 
 
 The Spirit of Extreme Unction Master Louis Knipschild 
 
 The Guardian Angel Miss Mary Riordan 
 
 The Messenger from the Nations Master Chas. Dubs 
 
 The Messenger from St. Thomas Master John Flanagan 
 
 The Messenger from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Master John Scanlan 
 
 The Messenger from the Sacred Heart of Mary Miss K. Kavanaugh 
 
 The Spirit of Time Master Edward Dubs 
 
 FINALE. 
 
 SPIRIT OF THE PAST DELIVERED BY MISS MARY VAIL, '95. 
 
 In hours of meditation, in chance moments of deep reflection, 
 it is upon the Past that the mind dwells ; it is from the Past that 
 humanity learns the grave lessons of moral responsibility, and 
 acquires the wisdom wherewith to meet its difficulties, or to sup- 
 port its weight. The consideration of the past brings to human 
 hearts the greater portion of their joys and of their sorrows. It 
 is the past that we celebrate to-day ; a past full of sacred signi- 
 ficance ; a past that gives to our present all its higher meanings ; 
 a past that must give to our future its richest values. 
 
 Come, then, holy spirits, sister spirits, join me in weaving a 
 memorial crown in St. Mary's honor, on this, St. Mary's Jubilee 
 Day. Since, of precious metals, or of precious stones, we cannot 
 make it, we will give the gems of noble thoughts, in a golden 
 setting of loving and enthusiastic expression.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 14D 
 
 R. SHERIDAN. 
 
 JOHN TRACY 
 
 A. J. MCCOY. 
 
 JAMES DARRAH. 
 
 THOMAS GRANT. 
 
 MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES.
 
 150 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 I am the Spirit of the Past, ever within call of the beautiful 
 faculty of the soul named Memory, and ever obedient to her 
 behests. Does she wish to warn the heedless, or caution the guile- 
 less ? She turns to me to picture for them the fate of others, like 
 unto themselves. Does she wish to recall some wanderer, who 
 has wofull} 7 strayed to dreary pathways ? She demands of me 
 to picture for him the darksome consequences that have befallen 
 others, who have walked in the shadows of sin. Does she long to 
 comfort, strengthen and encourage the despondent soul? She 
 entreats me to depict, with my magic brush, the scenes of a life 
 and a death that were devoted entirely to man's temporal and 
 eternal welfare ; a life that was a divine model, a death that was 
 an infinite ransom. 
 
 On this occasion, I may surely claim the first place, I and 
 my sweet interpreter, Memory. Our friends are here assembled 
 to celebrate events that we have cherished for half a century, and 
 all the sacred ceremonies of the Church have been presented, with 
 stately solemnity to commemorate them. Come, then, fair spirits, 
 let each one contribute to the universal joy that pervades St. Mary's 
 parish, by the utterance of holy greetings and sacred histories, of 
 joyous behests and happy promises. 
 
 What has my guardian spirit, sweet Memory, to say on an 
 occasion that is all our own ? 
 
 SPIRIT OF MEMORY DELIVERED BY MISS ANNIE SUMMERS, '95. 
 
 As I look backward, through the magic glass of reflection, 
 each beautiful division of the half century, so memorable for St. 
 Mary's people, lies bathed in the golden light of God's special 
 love and benediction, and gleams, with the splendid flashing of 
 brilliant gems, of earnest human endeavor and saintly effort. 
 
 Fifty years in the life of a parish constitutes a majestic rec- 
 ord for Memory to keep ! Only God and His angels might gratify, 
 to the full, the holy inquisitiveness of a devoted people, as to the 
 lives and the deeds, whence came the princely value of those years. 
 
 That the half century has glided into eternity, laden with im- 
 measurable merits for many a faithful soul, we may not doubt.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 151 
 
 G. W. FARNUM. 
 
 C. A. McNAMARA. 
 
 T. D. OSBORXE. 
 
 J. B. J. DuFOUR. 
 
 F. CHAS. DONOHUE. 
 
 MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES.
 
 152 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 It is my sweet privilege, as the Spirit of Memory, to recall 
 the sacrifices of the early missionaries, the sacred memories of 
 St. Mary's pastors, holy men of valiant lives and noble deeds ; the 
 earnest efforts of the Sisters, devoted women, animated with lofty 
 zeal ; the generosity and fidelity of St. Mary's good, whole-souled, 
 pious people, men and women, known far and wide for a living 
 faith, supported unflinchingly by a sublime hope and an ineffable 
 charity. 
 
 Ah, the visions that Memory pictures, in each mind, to-day^ 
 are they not wonderful, in their transitions from log huts, with 
 deal tables for altars, to stately stone temples, with tabernacles of 
 marble and onyx and beaten gold transitions, from the congre- 
 gation of ten or twelve individuals to that of two or three hundred 
 families? Ah, yes, this is Memory's own fair feast and joyous 
 festival, and the angels of heaven join with her, in chanting glad 
 hymns of thanksgiving and hosannas of exultation. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF ZEAL DELIVERED BY MISS ALICE CUMMISFORD, '95. 
 
 What were this earthly home of ours did not the blessed 
 sunlight warm it into life and beauty ? Where then the verdure ? 
 Where then the glowing hues of flower and fruit? Where the 
 thousands of life-supporting products ? A wide waste of desola- 
 tion and horror would lie, where now are spread smiling plains 
 and gleaming waters, where now are grass-grown, snow-capped 
 mountains and sunny, fruitful vales. 
 
 What the sun, with its life-giving, life-sustaining warmth 
 and light, is to the world of nature, that Zeal is to the world of 
 earthly spiritual existence. Zeal warms the heart, enlightens the 
 mind, inspires the free will of man and fructifies his soul. Where 
 Zeal radiates its blessed light and heat, there will there be noble 
 growths, of exalted virtue, and a rich abundance of the fruits of 
 true charity. 
 
 This band of gracious spirits would be imperfect indeed, with- 
 out the presence and active assistance of the fervid, the enthusi- 
 astic, the dauntless Spirit of Zeal. 
 
 Without Zeal, there would not now exist even a priesthood^ 
 much less a hierarchy, in this broad, new land. Had Zeal not
 
 fttephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 153 
 
 breathed her spirit into human hearts, there would be no Arch- 
 bishop of Chicago to-day, to receive our loyal greetings ; no Rev. 
 Fathers to represent religion, in our Jubilee Celebration ; no mis- 
 sionary priests, and no first Mass to be recalled with joy and 
 veneration ; no succession of revered pastors, at St. Mary's, each 
 to be remembered, on this occasion, for having aided, with all 
 his heart, mind and soul, in the gradual advancement of St. 
 Mary's Church, from the small frame building of '45, to the 
 present beautiful structure. 
 
 The new St. Mary's, in particular, had its origin in the Zeal, 
 the wondrous Zeal, of a united priest and people. But even Zeal, 
 with all her ardor and her strength, could not have accomplished 
 the grand work that receives it crown to-day, had there not been 
 the closest and holiest union between priest and people, pastor 
 and parishioners. 
 
 Let it be my part, then, in the memorial meeting of Jubilee 
 Spirits, to inscribe on the tablets of future fame, with the name, 
 "St. Mary's Church," the significant words, " Zeal " and " Unity." 
 
 SPIRIT OF LIFE SUSIE STEFFEN. 
 
 To me, the Spirit of Life, belongs the noble office of attend- 
 ing newly created souls ; immortality's beginning, it is mine to 
 bless. 
 
 It is an hour of solemn import that marks the beginning of 
 a human life, a mysterious hour when, from nothingness, the 
 soul springs forth, in obedience to the divine voice, and enters a 
 frail human body to abide there, during the brief span of infancy 
 only, or for some longer portion of the promised three score and 
 ten years of earthly existence. 
 
 From those dread regions, whence the creative power of the 
 heavenly Father calls the animate and the inanimate, the mortal 
 and the immortal, there came forth the happy, blessed band of 
 noble souls who, as an especially privileged congregation, have 
 wrought the Golden Diadem of St. Mary's honor. Animated by 
 me, and making the best use of the gifts that I offer to all with 
 whom I dwell, they have merited, and have received, certain 
 priceless treasures, reserved for a certain few, who make of life a
 
 154 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 holy joy to themselves, and a precious benefit to others. With 
 delight do I join this band of radiant spirits assembled to honor 
 St. Mary's Jubilee Day. 
 
 GUARDIAN ANGEL PERSONATED BY MARY RIORDAN. 
 
 When you, fair Spirit of Life, having committed to human, 
 mortal bodies ineffably precious, immortal souls, winged your 
 way in return to heaven, we, Guardian Angels, left the celestial 
 abode, and, having taken our flight to earth, stood, in obedience 
 to God, as a guard about those beings to whom you, great Spirit, 
 had brought the royal gifts of life and immortality. In memory 
 of that sweet mission, and of the sacred intimacies of the human 
 soul with our spiritual being, during the years of nobly spent 
 lives, I stand among you to-day to aid in forming St. Mary's 
 Jubilee Crown. 
 
 SPIRIT OF BAPTISM REPRESENTED BY LAURA STEFFEN. 
 
 Dear Angel, representative of the guardians of highly favored 
 souls, I am sure that you forget not that, until Baptism had been 
 administered to those souls, celestial spirits could but stand beside 
 them, guarding, indeed, but not embracing. There was a dark- 
 ness that repelled your brightness ; there was a stain that your 
 spotlessness abhorred ; but when the mystic waters of Baptism 
 washed away all imperfection, making the soul a child of God 
 and an heir of heaven, how eagerly you and your companions 
 spread, about these infant possessors of priceless treasure, your 
 radiant, snowy wings of pure devotion, of unfailing love and 
 care. Yes, now you could love those souls, as well as guard them. 
 In memory of that sacred cleansing of the souls of St. Mary's 
 parishioners, I offer my jewels for the adornment of the Golden 
 Diadem. 
 
 SPIRIT OF HOLY INFANCY PERSONATED BY KITTIE KILLION. 
 
 Holy Angel Guardian, when the spirit of Baptism had 
 worked the marvellous change in the child's soul, did you not, 
 ever after, find me in his heart, me, the pure spirit of his child- 
 hood, and were you not happy to meet my inspirations in the
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, l^j- y i 
 
 early thoughts of his tender mind, my impulses ^^fneC^^l^a^ c? 
 emotions of his youthful heart ? 
 
 Ah, with what joy do I contribute to the celebration of this 
 great day, and to the memory of the children of St. Mary's parish 
 who are now grown men and women, earnest, self-sacrificing 
 parishioners. Happy am I to recall the memory of the infants 
 who have been summoned to heaven, ere they lost their baptis- 
 mal innocence, and joyously do I congratulate those who have 
 lived to become St. Mary's happy, favored school children. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF PENANCE PERSONATED BY CLEMENT GORDON. 
 
 A heavenly companionship is that of the Guardian Angel 
 with the Spirit of Baptism, but alas, it does not continue. With 
 youth there comes the awakening of strange new powers, in both 
 the spiritual and physical being, strange new impulses fill heart and 
 soul. The war of life begins. In passive bliss of innocence and 
 in perfect peace, the infant has been growing stronger, in all those 
 qualities that are to make its youth a warfare, wherein the soul 
 is often wounded. And where or how shall spirit, invisible and 
 intangible, be healed ? 
 
 Our band of militant souls, and our choir of triumphant 
 spirits, the subject of to-day's joyous greetings, met in their sim- 
 ple forest or prairie homes but few spiritual enemies, and they 
 were but feeble ones. Yet slight as were the wounds, from them 
 received, only one healing was permitted, and that was sought in 
 the Sacrament of Penance. Sweet is the memory of those hum- 
 ble accusations and of those bravely fulfilled penances which 
 purified the souls of the faithful men and women of olden times, 
 when log huts were our temples, and the sacraments were con- 
 ferred amid the simplest surroundings. Let these memories find 
 an emblematic place in the Jubilee Crown, which, without them, 
 would have only one gem, that of Baptism. 
 
 SPIRIT OF THE TABERNACLE REPRESENTED BY J. MANION. 
 
 True, sadly true, gracious Spirit of Penance, is it that in 
 every human life there comes a day when the Angel Guardian, 
 glorious, heavenly spirit though he be, has no longer the power
 
 156 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 to shield the human soul from danger. Over man's free will, he 
 has only the power of whispered persuasion ; he cannot, unaided, 
 still the tempest, nor stop the deadly strife, that youth and its 
 attendant circumstances arouse. In early life, the war of the 
 flesh begins, and only with death will it end. 
 
 Though frequently wounded in life's battles, in penance the 
 soul is healed ; but something more is needed ; to be a victor in 
 strife, to earn the conqueror's crown, the soul must be not only 
 purified but strong. Strong, not only in the power of external aid 
 be it that of angels even but with the strength of holy, interior 
 grace, the invincible strength of God-given power. This strength, 
 this grace, comes to the soul in the reception of the Holy Eucharist. 
 
 The First Communion means to the faithful soul the begin- 
 ning of an eternal communion with God in heaven. Among 
 your memorials, then, none will be so magnificent as mine, that of 
 the Spirit of the Holy Eucharist, that w r hich finds a place in the 
 Golden Crown as a sacred memorial of the many souls that have 
 received their First Communion in, both the old and the new 
 St. Mary's Church. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF CONFIRMATION PERSONATED BY J. ALLEN, 
 
 A child of God, an heir of heaven, a communicant in God's 
 choicest gift, the Body and Blood of His divine Son, it would 
 seem, surely, that even divine generosity could go no further, but 
 it is infinite, and has for the human soul another great gift. 
 Life is a season of strife ; the child of God must be likewise a 
 soldier of Christ ; the heir to heaven must fight for his birth-right ; 
 for these reasons is the Holy Paraclete sent to abide in the soul ; 
 for this reason does the Sacrament of Confirmation present to the 
 soul its special graces and blessings. In the Golden Crown, then, 
 do we place remembrances of the visits made to St. Mary's Church 
 by holy bishops, to call down into her parishioners' heart-temples, 
 the Holy Spirit of God, in Confirmation. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF DIVINE GRACE PERSONATED BY CLARA KILLION. 
 
 A wondrous office is mine ; to await the divine choice, and 
 then to carry, to the favored soul, God's message ; to await the
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 157 
 
 selection made by the Eternal King, from among the children of 
 men, of certain highly favored souls, to be marked for special ser- 
 vice on earth and a special throne in heaven. 
 
 The divine selection having been made, I, as did the Angel 
 Gabriel, centuries before me, make his glorious visit to the blessed 
 Mother of God, took my flight to earth, and remaining invisible, 
 yet tried, in many a mysterious way, to gain the chosen soul's con- 
 sent to God's design in its behalf, for even the choice of God will 
 not constrain the soul's free will. 
 
 In memory, then, of the ready consent of holy missionaries 
 and faithful priests to my widespread calls and inspirations, I 
 place, in the Jubilee Crown, my sacred memento. 
 
 HOLY VOCATION REPRESENTED BY LIZZIE CORCORAN. 
 
 When, after her successful mission to earnest young hearts, 
 the Spirit of Divine Choice returned to the throne of God, and 
 showed there that she had found, in those hearts, naught but loving 
 reverence for the divine will, then was I, the Spirit of Holy Vo- 
 cations, sent to whisper the divine message, to the favored souls, 
 that my sister spirit had selected, in accordance with the divine 
 command. 
 
 In the beauties of nature, in the loveliness of art, in the seri- 
 ous expressions of spiritual books, and in the simplicity of private 
 prayer, as well as in the splendor of public ceremonials, I por- 
 trayed, whispered or wrote the divine inspiration, and impressed 
 upon heart and soul, the glowing characters of a most holy, most 
 noble and most happy selection, the vocation to the priesthood. 
 
 The response to the call was immediate and generous ; the 
 vocation was welcomed, with joyous reverence, was received into 
 the deepest depths of holy, grateful love. A tribute, then, do I 
 pay to the hour of choice, and to the ready response of the faith- 
 ful priests who have, in the past fifty years, served at God's altar, 
 in St. Mary's Church. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF ORDINATION PERSONATED BY HELEN BURNS. 
 
 Since the moment of man's fall, since the beginning of his 
 immense debt to God, there has been need of a form of religious
 
 158 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 service presenting, not only adoration, but reparation; expressing 
 not only love, but penitence ; offering not only worship, but sacri- 
 fice. 
 
 This was not attained in the offering of finite victims, on 
 altars of fire, but, in the old law, such worship was the best that 
 man had to offer. After the coming of the Redeemer, this was 
 changed ; priceless riches were at man's command, the Body and 
 Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Saviour ; thenceforth, man was 
 enabled to offer a sublime sacrifice, the eternal Son of God being 
 the infinite victim, first on Calvary's cross, and, ever after that, on 
 the altar, in the daily Mass. 
 
 For the offering of this superlatively acceptable worship r 
 only highly favored and singularly gifted beings might be chosen 
 chosen to be ordained priests priests of God and of His holy 
 Church men to be, thenceforth, stamped, in the soul, with a 
 special character, which neither time, nor eternity, might oblit- 
 erate. 
 
 None know, better than I, the Spirit of Ordination, what are 
 the wondrous changes, interior and exterior, which are wrought 
 in the honored soul by the consecrating hand of the Bishop. All 
 previous graces and blessings were granted, with a view to this 
 mystic hour, the hour of ordination. To this peculiar consecra- 
 tion had the purification by Baptism referred, so that where 
 another was simply freed from the stain of original sin, this soul 
 was further adorned with special graces and blessings, whereby 
 it might, from infancy to manhood, be always fitting itself for its 
 high destiny. In the reception of the Holy Eucharist, for the 
 first time, this soul received its call ; the Divine Guest, in the 
 boy's heart, whispered the sacred message, the first inspiration, 
 awakening the first inclination towards the noblest and holiest 
 of vocations. 
 
 For the hour of ordination, the Holy Ghost, likewise, in 
 Confirmation, gave special light, grace and strength to the soul, 
 and, for that same hour, the Guardian Angel set about it special 
 safe-guards, to shield it from everything that might impair its fit- 
 ness for its high destiny.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 159 
 
 Fifty years have passed since that glad morning, when the 
 Holy Sacrifice was offered, for the first time, in our county. 
 Fifty stanzas of a noble psalm have since been chanted in the 
 church of God, chanted in tones low and faint, at times, when the 
 burden of life was pressing heavily ; faint, but discordant, never ! 
 Solemnly, reverently, harmoniously have the fifty stanzas suc- 
 ceeded each other, delighting the ear of God ; and loud, clear and 
 musical have been the voices of St. Mary's reverend pastors, as 
 they have joined in this wondrous psalm. Some of them are 
 now chanting the triumphant hymns of heaven ; all have been 
 true to the grace of Ordination, loyal to their chosen vocation and 
 faithful in the fulfillment of its sacred duties. 
 
 THE GUARDIAN SPIRIT OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY 
 
 REPRESENTED BY LORINE BYRNE. 
 
 Since we are all assembled here, we, the Spirits of the Sacra- 
 ments, it were not well for the voice of holy Matrimony to be 
 silent. Let it, then, be mine to recall the many occasions, in fifty 
 years, on which the golden bands of a heaven-appointed union 
 were clasped with the Church's most solemn benedictions, and 
 most vigorous powers ; a union never to be severed, by man be- 
 low, or angel above. Blessed forever be the marriages that have 
 taken place in St. Mary's sanctuary, during the fifty glad years 
 that we celebrate to-day ; blessed the families, the excellent par- 
 ents and happy children, that have formed, and do now form, a 
 part of St. Mary's highly favored parish. 
 
 EXTREME UNCTION PERSONATED BY LOUIS KNIPSCHILD. 
 
 Gloriously have you all portrayed the special and sacred 
 beauty of the sacraments of which you are the Guardian Spirits, 
 and I would not wish that a single word were weakened, or that 
 a single expression were less enthusiastic, for wonderful are the 
 Sacraments of God's Church, but the beautiful chain that you 
 have formed would be imperfect without my link yes, sadly, 
 deplorably imperfect for without this link the chain may not 
 reach, beautiful and holy as it is, to heaven's portals, for though 
 Extreme Unction is not absolutely necessary to salvation, yet is
 
 160 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 most efficacious in procuring for the Christian, who receives it, the 
 grace to die well. 
 
 How consoling is the thought of the great numbers of de- 
 vout souls to whom that holy sacrament must have been admin- 
 istered in St. Mary's parish during fifty years administered by 
 those who have themselves, long since, departed to the happy 
 realms of eternity. 
 
 My spoken tribute is paid to the memory of those of St. 
 Mary's parishioners who went to meet their judge with the 
 blessing of Extreme Unction purifying each of their senses ; to 
 the memory, likewise, of those faithful priests who, by means of 
 this sacrament, conferred, through the pow r er given them by God, 
 the stupendous grace of forgiveness of sins and of spiritual health. 
 
 MESSENGER FROM THE NATIONS PERSONATED BY CHARLES DUBS. 
 
 This grand meeting of Jubilee Spirits w r ould be imperfect 
 without my presence, and your memorial greetings would lack a 
 distinctive feature without my message. 
 
 I bear, to each and all, the greetings of the nations, Ireland, 
 France, Germany and America, which have given of their noblest 
 and their best to afford to St. Mary's her bands of saintly priests 
 and her assemblies of devoted people, during the long space of 
 fifty years. 
 
 From patriotic, suffering and poetic Ireland ; from brilliant, 
 enthusiastic and ever friendly France ; from strong, thrifty, 
 philosophical Germany, and from vigorous, free and generous 
 America, I present greetings, most joyous and most significant, 
 as seen in the light of those past years, when the sons of these 
 countries were St. Mary's pastors, and both sons and daughters 
 were St. Mary's parishioners. 
 
 MESSENGER FROM THE SACRED HEART REPRESENTED BY 
 
 JOHN SCALNAN. 
 
 From the very throne of God, come the inspirations and 
 messages of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and only the glowing 
 Seraphim may bear them to the Guardian Spirits, w r ho pass be- 
 tween heaven and earth. Be it mine, then, to repeat w r hat a
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 161 
 
 Seraph has sweetly uttered, in token of the loving regard of the 
 Sacred Heart for St. Mary's people, so many of whom practice, 
 with unfailing fervor, the pious requirements of the Holy League. 
 
 May not much of the parish's prosperity, and the congrega- 
 tion's fidelity, be traced to the wonderful promises made by our 
 Lord, through the Blessed " Margaret Mary," to those who shall 
 faithfully follow the practices of devotion to the Sacred Heart? 
 Many are the wise deeds of true friendship which your pastor's 
 love for your immortal souls has prompted him to do for you, 
 but in none has he been wiser than in having established among 
 you a branch of the League of the Sacred Heart, for, thereby, 
 he has afforded you the means to .become spiritually strong, and 
 has set about you a fortification against the enemies of your souls. 
 
 To-day, we doubt not, there has come, from the glowing 
 -depths of that all-loving Heart, special greetings and special 
 blessings to St. Mary's pastor and his people. 
 
 MESSENGER FROM ST. THOMAS AQUINAS PERSONATED BY 
 
 JOHN FLANAGAN. 
 
 St. Thomas Aquinas, " Angel of the Schools," and special 
 patron of St. Mary's children, sends greeting, glad greetings, to 
 -all assembled here. With tender watchfulness, he has seen the 
 approach of this memorable day ; with special and heavenly de- 
 light does he behold its celebration, replete with the logic of events, 
 full of the -philosophy of history's best elements. Honored am I 
 to be the bearer of his august message, wherein he, the mighty 
 wielder of magic words, expresses his high regard for the noble 
 philosophy upon which the government and teaching of St. Mary's 
 parish and congregation are based. 
 
 Some words of peculiar solemnity and holy meaning has he, 
 on this occasion, for our Rev. Pastor's private ear; these it is not 
 for one like me to repeat nor interpret ; to our Rev. Father's 
 heart, will the great and holy Doctor whisper them, and sweet 
 tokens will they be, not only of the Saint's fond regard for a 
 favorite client, but of the sacred love of the Saint's Divine Master 
 for His faithful and truly devoted priest.
 
 162 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 MESSENGER FROM THE SACRED HEART OF MARY 
 
 REPRESENTED BY KATE KAVANAUGH. 
 
 " Unseen, yet seen," choirs of angelic spirits have hovered,, 
 in and about St. Mary's Church, during these glad days of con- 
 secration and celebration ; unseen by men, yet seen by God, they 
 have done the will of their Immaculate Queen, and have joined 
 their celestial tones with the harmonies of terrestrial voices, in 
 those solemn psalms and hymns, whereby human hearts seek to 
 express their deeper and holier emotions of love and adoration. 
 
 Patroness of our church, powerful Protectress of our congre- 
 gation and our parish Mary, " Blessed among all people," sends 
 greetings that are echoes of those from her divine Son, and sec- 
 ond only to them, in their joy-producing power, and in the sacred 
 effects of their united benedictions. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF TIME REPRESENTED BY EDWARD DUBS. 
 
 The greetings have been all presented ; the spiritual history, 
 as it were, of St. Mary's parish has been given; joys and sorrows 
 have been recorded ; graces and blessings have been symbolized, 
 and now Time sounds the hour for parting. Each beautiful Spirit 
 will leave gifts of priceless value to be cherished, in the human 
 hearts that have been gladdened by this occasion, or have, which 
 is more blessed, aided to make the hearts of others glad. 
 
 May the Spirit of the Past never be called upon to record, 
 regarding St. Mary's people, anything that might tarnish the 
 brightness of Memory's pictures, or dampen the ardor of Zeal's 
 earnest endeavors. 
 
 May the Spirit of Life have no cause to regret having brought 
 immortal souls to St. Mary's homes and home-keepers. May there 
 be, in the midst of St. Mary's parish, as many Guardian Angels 
 as there are human souls, and may the Spirit of Holy Infancy 
 dwell with all the little ones of the flock. May the Spirits of 
 Divine Grace and of Holy Vocation be ever busy among St. 
 Mary's people, both young and old. May the Spirits of the Seven 
 Sacraments be as active as, even the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and 
 Mary can desire. May St. Thomas find every member of the 
 congregation obedient to his teachings in all things. May the
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 163 
 
 Nations be proud of St. Mary's record, and may Time close, for 
 her people, in a blessed eternity. 
 
 Let us join in a hymn of thanksgiving, and then take our 
 flight, for which I offer you " the wings of Time." 
 
 (TheTe Deum.) 
 THE JUBILEE POEM. 
 
 At the close of the above drama, Miss Mary Vail, a post 
 graduate of St. Mary's, read very prettily, the Golden Jubilee- 
 Poem, which had been composed for the occasion, in imitation 
 of Sidney Lanier, and ran as follows : 
 
 A rainbow span of fifty years, 
 
 Painted upon a cloud of tears, 
 
 In blue for hope and red for fears, 
 
 Finds end in a golden hour to-day. 
 
 Ah, to us in our childhood the legend was told, 
 
 " At the end of the rainbow lies treasure of Gold," 
 
 And now, in our thrilling hearts, we hold 
 
 The gold that will never pass away. 
 
 Gold crushed from the quartz of many a crystal life, 
 
 Gold hammered, with blows of many a human strife, 
 
 Gold burnt, in the love of Christian man and wife, 
 
 Till it is pure as the very flame ; 
 
 Gold spun from the love of daughter and son, 
 
 Gold with which every good gift is won ; 
 
 Gold that the patient and the brave 
 
 Amass, in realms beyond the grave ; 
 
 Amass, neglecting praise and blame. 
 
 O golden hour is this, that crowns the time, 
 Since, heart to heart, like rhyme to rhyme, 
 Good people knelt to hear the chime 
 Of holy mass, by spirits rung, 
 That tinkled many a sacred secret sweet, 
 Concerning how God and holy souls should meet ; 
 And whispered of the Saviour's lingering feet 
 With a most sacred, silver tongue. 
 
 O golden day, of that first sacrifice ; O golden crown, 
 For kingly heads and royal hearts, then bowed down ; 
 To you no smile, to you no frown, 
 Except the smile and frown of heaven ;
 
 164 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Dear heads, some white, some dark with raven hair ; 
 Dear hearts, some gay, some weighted down with care, 
 What thoughts, what feelings had you there ? 
 
 Old settlers of this favored place, 
 
 To-day you miss full many an honored face, 
 
 That would have smiled, with joyous grace, 
 
 At this, our Golden Jubilee feast. 
 
 But God is good, and God is great, 
 
 His will be done, if soon or late, 
 
 Our dead stand happy, in the golden gate, 
 
 And call our jubilee blessings not the least. 
 
 So, friends most dear, and friends most wise, 
 
 Look to your jubilee rainbow in the skies, 
 
 Grasp the full meaning of the many-hued prize. 
 
 Then, with souls as full of joy, as souls may be, we gladly say, 
 
 " Holy hearts that wrought with smiles through tears, 
 
 This rainbow span of fifty years, 
 
 Behold how true, how bright God's love appears." 
 
 His holy grace, His priceless gifts, His tender care, 
 
 True gold, bright gold, gold most rare, 
 
 To make you rich, to make you glad, without alloy, 
 
 On this, your Golden Jubilee day, of highest joy. 
 
 A pleasant feature of the occasion was the presentation to 
 Rev. Father Horan of $400 in gold, a sum donated by several 
 ladies and gentlemen of the parish. Rev. Father Du Four made 
 the presentation speech, which was feelingly responded to by the 
 pastor, who was the recipient also of a goodly number of other 
 gifts from home and abroad. 
 
 A LITERARY CHAPLET. 
 
 Woven in honor of His Grace of Chicago, by the Feehan 
 Reading Circle, of St. Mary's High School, on the occasion of the 
 Golden Jubilee. 
 
 THE SUBJECTS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES. 
 
 " True Advancement " Laura Steffen 
 
 " General Literature " Joseph Allen 
 
 " Poetry of the Past" Kittie Killion 
 
 " Minstrelsy " Clara Killion 
 
 "" The Lvric Muse " . . . . Helen Burns
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 165 
 
 ROBERT CASEY. 
 
 THOS. CARROLL. 
 
 MICHAEL SCANLAN. 
 
 PATRICK GRANT 
 
 RICHARD HUGHES. 
 
 MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES.
 
 166 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 " The Epic and the Drama " John Scanlan 
 
 ' ' Names Known to Fame " Kate Kavanaugh 
 
 " Historical Writers " Charles Dubs 
 
 " Scientific Writers " . Louis Knipschild 
 
 " The Power of Oratory " John Flanagan 
 
 " American Writers " Mary Reardon 
 
 " Woman's Pen " Lorine Byrne 
 
 " Aesthetic Writers " Lizzie Corcoran 
 
 " Philosophic Writers " John Manion 
 
 " Religious Writers " Clement Gordon 
 
 " The Literature of the Church " Edward Dubs 
 
 " Modern Progress " Frances Fee 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS : Well, well, I wonder when we will 
 have done with these old-fashioned entertainments, these dull 
 " Open Meetings," these silly so-called " Literary Programs " ! 
 I wonder when, instead of this awkward, feminine costume and 
 this poor little stage, we will have a manly garb and rostrums. 
 
 A poor way this for displaying feminine ability ! Here we 
 ^re, like so many demure, " Puritan Maidens," prepared to make 
 the prosiest of speeches and the dullest of impressions, yet, in 
 these electric days, there is need of woman's electric tongue to in- 
 spire the public and to direct the councils of the nation ; need of 
 woman's magnetic influence to govern the national impulses, to 
 guide the national will, and to direct the national strength. 
 
 Here we are at the nation's footstool, when we should be 
 gracing the nation's throne. Study, study, study ! and what 
 comes of it all ? What use is it to know that Julius Csesar and 
 Scipio Africanus, and others like them, were not only great leaders, 
 but learned men since, however learned we may become, we 
 shall never be leaders ? 
 
 TRUE ADVANCEMENT : How absorbing, how blinding is the 
 desire for power ! What matters it that we cannot lead ? Were 
 it not better that our aim should be knowledge? That the 
 glorious desire " to know " should animate heart and mind ? 
 
 True Christian advancement consists, in applying our knowl- 
 edge to the acquisition of those things which benefit man physi- 
 cally, morally and mentally. What are the needs of this lofty being 
 we call man ? His magnificent intellect, it must be developed ;
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 167 
 
 JOHN E. HOGAN. 
 
 E. J. SCANLAN. 
 
 M. O'BRIEN. 
 
 JAS. P. YOUNGER. 
 
 J. RIORDAN. 
 
 MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES.
 
 168 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 his stupendous powers, they must be governed ; his admirable 
 abilities, they must be made to benefit himself and all his race. 
 
 " Progress " ? " Advancement " ? Thought carries us to the 
 very throne of the Omnipotent, in the hollow of whose hand man 
 lies, infinitely small and utterly insignificant. Yet, so high is 
 man placed, in the scale of creatures, he is ever tempted to ad- 
 vance, rather than to mount. 
 
 Dazzled by the magnitude of his own works, he would be- 
 come a worshiper of himself, only that nature, yielding her secrets 
 with reluctant hand, makes him feel that she is conquered, not by 
 his will, but by his exertions, and that there is a limit to his 
 power, infinitely short of what it might be, did he but aim up- 
 ward, as well as onward. 
 
 Realize, then, human soul ! that true Christian Advance- 
 ment is not merely the dream of a visionary. Scan the earth ; 
 consider the various legitimate employments of its human inhabi- 
 tants, is there one of them that precludes the idea of an upward 
 movement, as well as an onward ? 
 
 Piety does not deaden activity ; nature's noblemen are not 
 idlers ; they labor, but they do not confine their thoughts to the 
 subject of loss or gain. They are found in all stations of life, and 
 their distinguishing characteristic is loftiness of purpose. 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS: Wonder if she means all that lecture 
 for me ? Quite eloquent and interesting, but by no means con- 
 vincing. " Christian Advancement," indeed an old fogyism of 
 the middle ages ! Haven't I " a glorious desire for knowledge " ? 
 Don't I read the newspapers and all the periodicals ? 
 
 As for " nature's noblemen " why, they'd starve in our day. 
 What political party would be so mad as to propose one of 
 " nature's noblemen " as a candidate for any office ? 
 
 Oh, we have no manner of use for them, in practical life. 
 They do very well in poetry, and we build monuments to their 
 honor, good, solid monuments, that will keep them, and their 
 lofty ideas, from rising up against the true interest of the world ! 
 
 LITERATURE : Ours is said to be an age of thoughtfulness. 
 Thinkers are rife in all departments of knowledge, and, so prolific
 
 fttephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 169 
 
 are the writers, the deadly work, of all swords ever wielded in 
 battle, could be buried six feet deep, beneath the work of the pen. 
 " Who is it that, divested of his robes of flesh, with vision clear 
 and pure, scans the firmament, from star to star, catching inspira- 
 tions from each gleaming orb ? Who is it that, in mental flight, 
 passes from mossy dell to mountain height ; from sunlit cloud to 
 running stream ; from smiling vales to ocean depths gathering 
 
 J. P. COFFEY. JERRY GORDON. M. FLANAGAN. 
 
 MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES. 
 
 beauties, everywhere, and imprisoning them in a mesh of tuneful 
 words ? " 
 
 " It is a mighty mind, with swift, yet solemn sweep of magic 
 wings, with intellect of purest fire, accompanied, as is better far, 
 for us and earth, by a human heart, a heart that feels, that weeps 
 and trembles, that speaks our language and responds to our 
 emotions." It is the poet. It is he who grasps a noble pen for 
 a noble purpose. 
 
 Literature has not been the least delightful of our studies 
 during the past two years ; rather has it been the most interesting 
 and profitable. Let us, then, honor this occasion, and the pres- 
 ence of His Grace, our beloved Archbishop, by weaving a garland 
 in memory of all successful wielders of the magic pen. 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS : Oh, yes ; let's talk about literature ! 
 Modern Progress has freed Literature from the bondage of former
 
 170 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 centuries, when Superstition was the counsellor of the nations, 
 and Literature, in return, has become the inspirer of Modern 
 Progress. Why, our very strikers, the leaders of our mobs and 
 riots, have written letters which will be inscribed, henceforth, on 
 the tablets of fame. Oh, yes, Modern Progress approves of Lit- 
 erature ; she works for progress ; she scatters newspapers far and 
 wide, and makes the world think as Modern Progress thinks. 
 
 SPIRIT OF LITERATURE : Silence, saucy intruder ! We must 
 fain notice you at last, and beg you to discriminate between the 
 vile productions of a free-press and those grand eminations of the 
 human mind which the educated and refined call literature. 
 
 Dear companions, you who have assembled here, to honor 
 true literature, let us weave our beautiful, symbolic chaplet, in 
 honor of the great minds of the literary world, with flowers culled 
 in their own fragrant thought-gardens, and bedewed with gems, 
 from the deep mines of their profound reflections. 
 
 The first offering should be made, in honor of the poetry of 
 the glorious past. 
 
 POETRY OF THE PAST : God said, " Let there be light, and 
 there was light." Thus opened the grand epic of creation. " It 
 is consummated ; " thus closed the tragedy of the Redemption, 
 and, from the entoning of the first, to the final note of the last, 
 how many solemn psalms were chanted ; how many mystic songs 
 and holy canticles were sung ! The poetry of the remote past 
 breathes in the words of Scripture, and bears, as all true poetry 
 should, a message to mankind. 
 
 Turning from these sacred themes, and passing, as out of out 
 our sphere, the poetry of Asia, of Greece, and of ancient Rome, 
 we find, in Western Europe, the earliest poet was the minstrel, 
 Troubadour, Trouvere, or bard. Minstrelsy had its birth, not in 
 Italy, land of song ; not in Spain, home of chivalry ; not in Ger- 
 many, abode of music ; but amid the ruggedness of Scandanavia, 
 the green hills of Erin, and the highlands of Caledonia. 
 
 In France, the Trouveres of Normandy, and the Troubadours 
 of Languedoc, sang of daring deeds and of the heroes who did 
 them.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 171 
 
 " While the Skalds of Scandanavia celebrated their dwarfs and 
 giants, dragons and monsters, the Troubadours, filled with the 
 genius of Gothic fiction, constructed many a tale for nothern 
 wonder, from fragments of Homer. Imagination pictures an 
 Anglo-Norman court, or baronial hall, with its minstrel holding his 
 listeners entranced as he sings his metrical romances. How natural 
 our sympathy and bond of alliance with the men and customs of 
 feudal times. They were our chivalric forefathers, and, with all 
 their stern, warlike qualities, they wove much of poetry in with 
 their struggles for liberty and justice." 
 
 All honor, say I, to the minstrels of old, far above any modern 
 writer of song or play, sonnet or hymn. [Begins the chaplet by 
 placing flowers on the little table in the middle of the stage.] 
 
 A TRIBUTE TO THE BARDS : Yes, and every heart melted as 
 the bard recited the woe of stricken knight or forsaken captive, 
 widowed mother or fatherless daughter. 
 
 What modern poet has been the inspirer of his people ? Who 
 would now dare to sing of past glory, present woe, or future re- 
 dress, with the hope of being heard in the councils of a nation ? 
 He would be expelled from the senate chambers of modern 
 nations, as a madman. 
 
 But, in those olden days, the bards were the most honored 
 of the nation's sons. The bards excited armies to bravery and 
 preceded them in battle, when the cause was just. The bards 
 were the heralds of princes, the mediators of peace, the welcome 
 guests of lords and kings. 
 
 The voice falters, choked with tears, as we endeavor to por- 
 tray the pathetic memories associated with the bards of ancient 
 Ireland. Would that Turlough O'Carolan, last of his race, might 
 appear before us, to tell us what it meant to be an Irish minstrel, 
 to have his part, in the home-life and the heart-life, of all whose 
 thresholds he crossed. 
 
 Sweet and sad are the tales, he would tell us, of the tears 
 which he had caused to flow, tears refresing to human hearts. How 
 many the aching heads he soothed, as did all his class, with the 
 sweet music of the harp and the rich tones of his fine voice.
 
 172 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Many, too, were the hearts that beat, high arid warm, at his re- 
 cital of deeds of reckless heroism or of gentle benefaction. 
 
 Joyously were the bards everywhere greeted, sheltered and 
 fed ; their presence a blessing ; their songs a delight ; their per- 
 son sacred from harm, at the hand of even the deadliest foe. 
 
 Proudly, enthusiastically, do I make an offering to your 
 memory, sweet poets of the past. [Places flowers in the 
 chaplet.] 
 
 THE Music OF THE LYRE : Gazing, with my companions, 
 down the aisles of Time's grand memorial hall, listening to her, 
 as she apostrophizes the last of the Irish bards, I seem to see, in 
 the distance, a wonderful procession, headed by one whose brow, 
 like the faces of the knights he has pictured, glitters with the 
 light of noble thoughts. 
 
 " So mannerly is he and full of gentle grace, 
 
 Of him every tongue is compelled to say, 
 Here's the noblest of a noble race." 
 
 Father of the sons and daughters of the lyre, with Spencer, 
 I greet thee 
 
 " Great Chaucer, well of English undefiled, 
 
 On Fame's eternal bead-roll worthy to be filed." 
 
 And now my eye is gladdened by a view of him of pure 
 character, elegant culture and genius rare, the " Fairy Queene " 
 at his side and about him the knights of holy names. He stands, 
 as it were, in the light of some rare stained window, glowing with 
 the beauty and the wealth of his own descriptions and imagery. 
 
 Following this brilliant group, comes one bowed with grief, 
 but, on the luminous face, sit enthroned genius and resignation, 
 proclaiming him to be Robert Southwell, the martyr-poet. 
 
 O wonderful, beautiful procession of lyric poets ! Note 
 them, as they pass along this mystic pathway of recollection, 
 Young, his mantle gemmed with the stars and the radiance of 
 of " Night Thoughts " on his brow ; Thompson, with the flower- 
 garlands and snow-wreaths of " The Seasons " about him ; Collins, 
 with the " Passions " writhing beneath his gifted pen; Dry den, 
 with his matchless flow of language, is hastening to " The Feast 
 of Alexander," while St. Cecilia hovers near. There is Gold-
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896, 173 
 
 smith, " object of our laughter and our love, of our pity and our 
 admiration " ; there is Gray, mournful, stately and wise, and Burns, 
 singing his songs of perennial freshness, in the sweetest of dia- 
 lects ; his songs : 
 
 " Which gushed from his heart, 
 
 As showers, from the clouds of summer, 
 Or as tears from the eyelids start." 
 
 Slowly wending his melancholy way, comes Cowper, dear bard of 
 the hearthstone, his morbid sensitiveness shrinking from the very 
 fame that is, to the poet's heart, so dear. 
 
 We know them all so well, these dear spirits ; their names 
 household words ; their Sentiments part of our mental being ; it 
 seems scarcely possible that it is almost a century since the last 
 named closed his melancholy career and found in death a peace 
 and rest unknown to him in life. 
 
 Once more let us look upon the thrilling pageant behold ! 
 noble, magnificent, scoffing, sneering Lord Byron, the clouds 
 about him, one while darkened by misanthropy, again, illumined 
 by the lurid lightnings of base sentiments and violent passions ; 
 yet there is sweetest music, as he passes, so charmingly do the 
 words flow from his magic pen. 
 
 Byron gives place to Shelly, another " archangel with his 
 heavenly light obscured " ; he is the embodiment of the spirit of 
 poesy, an ungrateful man, using the great gifts of a generous 
 Creator against himself. Then comes Moore, magic song-singer, 
 whose notes thrill every heart, in every land, where the English 
 language is known ; Keats, of promise fair and death too early ; 
 Wordsworth, 
 
 " To whom the meanest flower that blooms can give 
 Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears " ; 
 
 Tennyson, so great, in his poetic gifts, that even a queen's attempt 
 to honor him did but cast a shadow upon his illustrious name, for 
 Alfred Tennyson will ever be almost infinitely greater than Lord 
 Tennyson.
 
 174 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 We are to make offerings in memory of these imperishable 
 names? Ah, lilies and pearls would I place on Chaucer's 
 breast; glowing roses and flame-like rubies would I cast at 
 Spencer's feet ! and thus, as the wondrous procession passes, 
 would I throw, in the pathway of each inspired one, the flowers 
 and gems most like his thought and mode of expression. 
 
 THE EPIC AND THE DRAMA : In your love for the lyre, me- 
 thinks you have failed to see some of the grandest figures in the 
 wonderful procession of poets. The world is indeed happier, 
 nobler and more heaven-like for the magic gift of song, but could 
 we spare the majesty of the Epic, or the grandeur of the Dramatic 
 poetry ? Lo, in the procession you have described, as Spencer's 
 brilliant group, and Southwell's heavenly face pass away, there 
 appears a king ! ruler in a world sublimely intellectual, yet a 
 world where exists the affections, the passions, the moralities and 
 the anxieties of real life. A king? We might more aptly 
 call him a creator, who waves the magic wand of his literary skill, 
 and calls into existence beings of every grade of human intelli- 
 gence and social standing ; beings actuated by every degree of 
 human feeling, from the wildest paroxysms of passion, to the 
 softest delicacy of emotion. Volumes would not contain all that 
 may be said of his genius and its wonderful achievements. 
 
 We need not name him ; all recognize the supreme poet and 
 dramatist, Shakespeare ; and who is this that follows Shakespeare 
 so closely? Who is it that, with bowed head, sightless eyes, and 
 a face like one of his own archangels, comes surrounded by visions 
 so magnificent that we may well believe that when overwork 
 closed the eyes of his body to the beautiful things of earth, God 
 opened the eyes of his soul to the sublime realities of heaven. 
 
 Milton ! Homer and Dante combined (with much that is 
 all thine own), to thee, and to the matchless dramatist of all time, I 
 pay my tribute of admiration, praise and love. [ Places flowers 
 in the chaplet.] 
 
 OTHER GLORIOUS NAMES . The young lady who spoke so 
 eloquently on " The Music of the Lyre." omitted many illustrious
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 175 
 
 
 
 names, noted for their owners' skill in lyric verse. As the blind 
 bard is hidden from our view, by his angels and archangels ; as 
 they surround him, in passing down the aisles of Time, he dis- 
 appears, and other forms of dignity and grace present themselves 
 to the imagination. 
 
 There is Pope, the brilliant, witty, satirist ; Addison, the pure 
 and exquisite, with poor Dick Steele, who is always somewhere 
 near him ; Johnson, mighty wielder of stentorian words ; Scott, dear, 
 noble Scott, great in poetry, great in prose, and great in misfor- 
 tune ; Coleridge, deep thinker and most instructive and entertain- 
 ing talker ; DeQuincey, unfortunate " opium eater," of wonderful 
 genius and learning ; Lamb, with the peculiar charm and subtle 
 beauty of his style ; Macaulay, with his magnificently rounded 
 periods, and a host of others. Scatter flowers and gems if you 
 will, but let some of the choicest of your offerings fall at the feet 
 of these giants of the intellectual world. 
 
 HISTORICAL WRITERS : The poets and dramatists do indeed 
 fulfill a beautiful mission, but how dull the world, how useless 
 the faculty of memory, were the voice of the historian silenced. 
 
 Behold that man one moment erect, strong, confident in 
 the years stretching peacefully before him ; the next, bleeding, 
 helpless, doomed to silence and the grave. Great in life, sur- 
 passingly great in death, how long would this hero be remem- 
 bered, did not history inscribe his name on the tablets of fame ? 
 
 " Visi-t some field after battle, look upon the dead and the 
 dying; they are thrust from this world's interests, from its hopes, 
 its aspirations and its victories, into the visible presence of death. 
 What blight and ruin meet the anguishing eyes of these dying 
 men; what brilliant, broken plans ; what lofty, baffled ambitions ; 
 what sundering of manhood's strong, warm friendships; what 
 bitter rending of sweet, household ties, yet they go forth, 
 from this world that is so dear to them, sacrifice these affections 
 that fill them with happiness, and die on the battlefield." 
 
 " Should not the hearts of their countrymen thrill with in- 
 stant, profound and universal sympathy, esteem and honor? 
 Masterful in their triumph over human feeling, should they not
 
 176 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 become the centre of a nation's love, be enshrined in the prayers 
 of a world ? " 
 
 It is the historian who records these deeds, and keeps the 
 memory of them beautiful, undimmed and sacred. I pay my 
 tribute, with all the enthusiasm of my heart, to the world's his- 
 torians. [ Place flowers.] 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS : La me ! how he does go on. One 
 would think it the most delightful thing in the world to be bleeding 
 and dying, with your limbs lying scattered about promiscuously 
 on the battlefield ! 
 
 Modern Progress is going to stop all that nonsense ; if the 
 nations will not submit to arbitration, why, in our next war, we 
 shall have electrified automatons do our fighting, while we con- 
 template the bloodless field, from an air-ship. 
 
 SCIENTIFIC WRITERS : Your impertinent interruption re- 
 minds me of a class of authors that we have, thus far, overlooked. 
 Is it just to forget the writers on science ? Writers whose pens 
 have been as keys, unlocking for us the gateways to discovery 
 and invention? With what sublime simplicity they dwell on 
 the grand phenomena of natural philosophy and astronomy, on 
 mathematics, Godlike science of numbers almost infinite, on geol- 
 ogy, thrilling history of our planet's growth. 
 
 I lay my tribute at the feet of the scientists ; mighty dis- 
 coverers of nature's secrets and wonderful powers ; masters are 
 they of the magnificent forces that are daily making and remak- 
 ing the world. 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS: Scientists? Why, yes; they are my 
 best friends, and the deadly enemies of my old enemy, Supersti- 
 tion. Yes ; I approve of Science and its waiters. 
 
 SPIRIT OF SCIENCE : What do we care for your approval ? 
 The science of which you approve is not the hand-maid of Re- 
 ligion, mother and queen of all true Sciences. 
 
 The masters, to whom we have referred, esteem it their 
 noblest privilege, and highest honor, to sit at the feet of Religion, 
 and to be taught by her. 
 
 THE POWER OF ORATORY : It is claimed that the pen is
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 177 
 
 the mightiest instrument in the world, and, indeed, its power is 
 great, but no writer has exerted the same irresistible influence as 
 the great speaker. 
 
 " What can surpass the power of an orator ? How he cap- 
 tivates the understanding ; impels or restrains the will of whole 
 assemblies." 
 
 " Give a man earnestness of purpose, and an eloquent tongue, 
 the inclinations of the people bend before him, as the grass before 
 the wind. Give him enthusiasm and eloquence, he will inflame 
 the heart, fire the will, illuminate the understanding of each 
 listener in a multitude, and at the bidding of this one man, many 
 men will die, for the cause which his magic tongue has told them 
 is just." 
 
 A tribute of honor to the English-speaking orators, in every 
 land, and in every age, it is my happiness to present, and in 
 memory thereof, I place this emblem in the Jubilee Crown. 
 [Places flowers.] 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS : Truly is this an age of much speaking, 
 and speech-making is much pleasanter than the performance of 
 uselessly grand deeds. 
 
 AMERICAN AUTHORS: You poor, restless Spirit, you seem 
 yourself to be possessed of the modern tendency to windy speech - 
 making. 
 
 Sister-Spirits and Brother-Spirits, is our own dear land of 
 freedom too young to have its men great in the realm of letters ? 
 
 Does not Literature, as well as all things else that are good 
 and fair, gain glorious existence under " the stars and stripes " ? 
 
 Shall we, when paying our tributes of honor, forget Frank- 
 lin, Jefferson and Hamilton, the glory of our colonial age, or fail 
 to see Audubon, surrounded by the American birds he loved so 
 well to describe ? Can we pass, unnoticed, such names as Adams, 
 Madison, Channing and Allston? 
 
 Is there, in English Literature, a fairer memory than that 
 of the boy of eighteen whose mind was of so serious and profound 
 a character as to produce " Thanatopsis " ? Tenderly and rever- 
 ently let us follow Bryant, through all his spotless career, him
 
 178 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 who was the " Father of American Poetry," the poetry of nature, 
 at once our Chaucer and our Wordsworth. 
 
 In imagination, we look upon him ; his face, uplifted, bears 
 the expression of one whose thoughts are always dwelling on pure- 
 and lofty themes ; his glance is one of reverent observation, ever 
 fixed on nature's beauty and charm ; his heart, so his lovely old 
 face, as well as his poetry, tells us, is full of deep religious feeling,, 
 a feeling that ever dictates pure and lofty expression to the classic 
 dignity of his pen. 
 
 Turning, reluctantly, from Bryant, we gaze with fond affec- 
 tion upon our other silver-haired minstrel, dear Longfellow ; hi& 
 name a household word, his poetry an ever increasing delight, 
 particularly ' sacred to the Catholic heart, which finds, on Long- 
 fellow's pages, so many beautiful poems of which the Church was 
 the inspiration. 
 
 Not far away, we see Whittier, so fierce in his denunciation 
 of wrong, so gentle in his tenderness for the right, so strong in 
 his charity and love. 
 
 Sunny-tempered, laughter-loving Dr. Holmes how much 
 joy he has caused to exist, in hearts and homes, honored forever 
 be his memory ! And there is Lowell, the many-sided, the many- 
 gifted, the unsurpassed ; Poe, the brilliant and erratic ; Saxe, the 
 oddest of humorists; Read, poet and artist; Boker, poet and 
 banker; Lanier, sweet southern song-bird, and Father Ryan, 
 above and beyond them all, in many respects, though all are 
 worthy singers to the music of the lyre. Many a sweet-voiced 
 songstress, too, might be mentioned, did time and space permit. 
 
 In the field of prose, who have scattered nobler seeds than 
 Irving, Prescott, Bancroft, Cooper, Hawthorne, Emerson, and r 
 that giant among them all, O. A. Brownson? 
 
 To the memory of America's writers, then, I offer a wreath 
 of her own fair flowers, their fragrance is not purer, sweeter, richer 
 than the sentiments and expressions I intend them to symbolize 
 and to honor. [Places a wreath of wild flowers around the base- 
 of the crown.]
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 179 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS : Well, of all the nonsense I ever listened 
 to ! Not a word about our truly great men, our millionaires ; 
 nor about their daughters, who have done so much honor to- 
 America, by marrying into the English nobility. 
 
 Poets, indeed ! Useless men, in a busy, progressive country, 
 such as this. Luckily they have died off pretty fast of late years. 
 
 WOMAN'S PEN : Could the sick, the weary or the afflicted 
 spare the touch of woman's hand, or consent that the gentle tones- 
 of her voice be silenced ? The hand that ministers to the weak and 
 the suffering, yet manages household affairs, need not be less skill- 
 ful in wielding the pen. Noble and blessed, in every sphere, 
 woman has not failed to fulfill highest duties in the world of let- 
 ters. 
 
 " Since the days, when the mother of Samuel proclaimed God 
 to be the Lord of knowledge and the Giver of understanding,, 
 since the days when Miriam, the sister of Moses, taught sacred 
 canticles to the young Israelites in the temple, there has been no 
 age without women among its scholars, its warriors and its writers 
 of song." Nowhere do we find the beautiful realized, with more 
 vividness, simplicity and grandeur, than on the pages of the 
 female writers of various periods of time, and of many lands. 
 
 " A woman's impulses are naturally heavenward in tendency, 
 hence the gift of poetry is for her a great, a noble instrument, used 
 for a sublime end." Would that I had an offering of the purest 
 and most fragrant lilies to lay at the feet of the female writers of 
 every literary epoch. [Put flowers in the crown.] 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS : Who are these old-fashioned women 
 you are quoting to us ? To be sure, the warriors are all right ; 
 woman should be able to fight her own battles, but, between 
 times, I'd have her at something better than writing poetry. 
 Not poetry, but politics, should be the field for her wonderful 
 abilities. 
 
 AESTHETIC WRITERS : Do not turn from me in disgust, be- 
 cause my subject suggests sunflowers and all things a-la-modern 
 culture, or because the term culture is so often misapplied to weak 
 artificiality.
 
 180 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 " There has been much eloquence expended on ' diamonds in 
 the rough,' but we know that it is the refined and cultured who 
 give most pleasure to others, and themselves find in life the 
 highest delight. It is the cultured taste that rejoices in all 
 things high and pure ; that gathers, from all sources, the rarest 
 treasures, wherewith to enrich the mind wherein it dwells. The 
 aesthetic writer is quick to conceive ideas of loveliness and 
 perfection, that another could not grasp. 
 
 " The most profound learning, the most varied acquirements, 
 could not compensate for the absence of culture and refinement. 
 To the cultured ear, all sweet sounds of nature are music, and 
 music itself a rapture. To the cultured eye, all things in nature 
 are fraught with meanings ineffably sweet and infinitely sublime. 
 To the truly cultured heart, no just appeal from nature, art or 
 humanity, is made in vain ; such a heart ever responds with 
 magical sympathy and an elevating influence." Refinement, 
 like disposition, is natural ; true Christian culture, like virtue, 
 must be acquired ; yea, acquired, as are habits of virture, by mak- 
 ing " stepping-stones of our dead selves to higher things." To 
 the truly refined and cultured I pay my tribute. [Places 
 flowers.] 
 
 MODERN PROGRESS : Making " stepping-stones of one's self" 
 must be miserably disagreeable ! If to be gloriously uncomfort- 
 able is to be cultured, what a lofty mind and refined heart 
 Diogenes must have had, when passing his delightful days under 
 a tub ! I wonder is he the patron philosopher of aesthetic 
 writers and cultured readers ? 
 
 SPIRIT OF CULTURE : Begone, rude Spirit ! Falsely calling 
 herself " Modern Progress," she has held a place among us too 
 long. Come, True Advancement, give me your assistance, and 
 we will banish her from our court and company, where she has 
 .shown herself merely a noisy intruder. [ Culture and Advance- 
 ment lead her from the stage and then they return to their 
 places.] 
 
 PHILOSOPHICAL WRITERS : The tribute to heroes on literary 
 fields would be imperfect, were we to forget the writers on
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 181 
 
 philosophy that grand, subtle, mysterious science of the mind 
 and its wonderful faculties. 
 
 Philosophy is the discoverer of all scientific laws, the creator 
 of all inventions, the interpreter of all historical events, and the 
 solution of all the problems of nature. Without it, language 
 would be a mere confusion of words, and literature a snare. 
 
 " In philosophy, all theories find either a proof or a refutation, 
 for it analyzes all sensations and corrects all perceptions. It con- 
 trols, moderates and guides the most enchanting pleasure of life, 
 the use of our reason. It dictates to us how we shall, with fidelity 
 of memory and brilliancy of imagination, impart light and 
 knowledge to other minds. All science is the field of its con- 
 quests; all art the application of its principles." 
 
 " The illumination of an age does not consist in the amount 
 of its knowledge, but in the broad and noble principles that gov- 
 ern and actuate the people." Now, of all universal laws, of all 
 broad principles, and of all grand ideas, Philosophy is the inspirer, 
 and has her place, next to Revelation, in the Temple of Faith. 
 
 From the lofty mountain top of thought, the Christian 
 Philosopher views the entire stream of harmonious truths, and 
 rejoices in the revelation they are of the infinite mind of God ; 
 rejoices that there is a progress and an advancement, an up- 
 ward and an onward, which include a clearer knowledge of God 
 and a nearer approach to His infinite perfections. 
 
 To Christian Philosophers I pay my tribute of honor, ad- 
 miration and praise. [ Places flowers in the chaplet.] 
 
 RELIGIOUS WRITERS: During all the beautiful school year, 
 we have learned no lesson of which God was not the Alpha and 
 Omega. No page of history, no stanza of poetry, did our eyes 
 rest upon that we did not read, between the lines, the story of 
 God's love and the hymn of His glory. 
 
 It is fitting, then, that we commemorate the glorious work 
 of Religious Writers ; fitting that we recall the productions of 
 those noble minds that ever aim at a close union with the eternal 
 mind of God. They have dictated, to glowing pens, words of 
 highest, holiest meaning, messages of ineffable beauty and lessons
 
 182 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 of priceless worth. From the days of the stylus and waxen tab- 
 lets to these pens and printing presses, there has been no age 
 not glorified by the writings of the scholars and saints of the 
 Church of God. 
 
 To these I make my floral offering of reverent affection and 
 highest esteem. [ Places long-stemmed flowers in a vase standing 
 in the middle of the garland.] 
 
 DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH : In every department of litera- 
 ture we find them, these noble " defenders of the faith " ; these 
 high-minded philosophers, dignified historians, brilliant essayists 
 and sweet-voiced lyrists all, either announcing, defending or 
 adorning the Truth. All filling the mind with high thoughts, 
 the heart with generous ambitions, the soul with noble aspira- 
 tions. 
 
 I do not name them, these great ones, the minds capable of 
 appreciating them know them ; the hearts they have instructed 
 -and strengthened love them ; the souls they have inspired with a 
 holy enthusiasm bless them. 
 
 Priests and religions, their debtors, for some of life's sweetest, 
 richest and most sanctifying hours, hold them in reverent re- 
 gard, as true friends and monitors, while we, too young yet to 
 fully appreciate them, hope to know them better in the bright 
 future. 
 
 We now place, above all your offerings, ours to the Religious 
 Writers and to the Defenders of the Faith. [ Places long-stemmed 
 flowers in the vase standing surrounded by the chaplets, which 
 rests, finished, on the table.] 
 
 SPIRIT OF LITERATURE : We have done well, sweet Spirits ; 
 we have banished false Progress, and we have completed our 
 fragrant, bright-hued chaplet, emblematic of the unfading beauties 
 .and imperishable perfumes of spiritual and intellectual delights. 
 
 Ere we part, let us join in a glad hymn of thanksgiving. 
 [ They sing and then depart.] 
 
 " The Jubilee Spirits " is orginal, and was written by one of 
 the Dominican Sisters, expressly for the occasion.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 183 
 
 " The Literary Chaplet " is made up of essays, partly original 
 .and partly adapted from various sources ; it, also, was arranged 
 by one of the Sisters teaching in the school. 
 
 The manner in which the pupils of St. Mary's High School 
 acquitted themselves, in presenting these difficult essays, was 
 highly commendable, and elicited praise from every one in the 
 vast audience, before which they appeared with so much ease 
 and grace. 
 
 Few features of the Jubilee Celebration afforded Father 
 Horau so high a degree of pleasure as this tribute from the chil- 
 dren of his beloved school, for, though it was not possible to bring 
 the various classes together, in vacation, to practice anything 
 dramatic, they all joined in the singing, so that each pupil of 
 each department contributed to the enjoyment of the occasion, 
 and was thereby personally gratified and honored, having, too, 
 the pleasure of storing away the event, in the memory, for future 
 delectation. 
 
 At intervals, between the vocal and the oratorical contribu- 
 tions, Masters Charles, Clement and Peter Gordon, also Miss 
 Mamie Gordon, gave choice instrumental selections on piano and 
 violin.
 
 184 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Hoto the Great Eoent toas Celebrated 
 at St. Joseph's Church. 
 
 At St. Joseph's the jubilee services were of a very impressive 
 character. The Rev. Father Kalvelage celebrated solemn high 
 mass at 10 o'clock, as Bishop Messmer did not arrive. He was 
 assisted by Deacon Rempe, as deacon, and the Rev. Father Meyer, 
 as sub- deacon. Father Meyer delivered a sermon that was very 
 appropriate, and truly eloquent. 
 
 At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Archbishop Feehan adminis- 
 tered the rite of confirmation to a class of about one hundred and 
 twenty-five, ninety from St. Joseph's and the others from parishes 
 in the vicinity. 
 
 On Sunday, at solemn mass, the choir sang Wigard's Mass, in 
 honor of St. Joseph, and were assisted by the St. Pius' Orchestra. 
 Sopranos, Mrs. J. H. Siefelder, Mrs. C. Drexlar, Misses Josie Metz, 
 Tillie Redlinger, Nellie Trunck, Clara Straub, Cornelia Steffen, 
 Ida and Sophie Seeker, Alma Kautenberger, Clara Seeker and 
 Anna Tappe ; altos, Mrs. Theresa Tappe, Mrs. Julia Cavanaugh 
 and Miss Nellie Steffen ; tenors, Messrs. Stephen Bucher, A. E. 
 Wieneke, T. Kinzig and P. Kautenberger ; bassos, Ernst and 
 John Tappe and Fred Rodemeyer. Orchestra, R. Luecke, 1st 
 violin ; Ed. Rotzler, 2nd violin ; P. Vodecka, clarionet, J. A. 
 Siefelder, double bass ; Gustav Ullrich, cello. 
 
 The introit, gradual, offertory and communion were Greg- 
 orian, and in keeping with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy 
 Cross.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 185 
 
 The services in the evening were followed by an eloquent 
 sermon, by the Rev. Father C. Danz, of Mayence, Germany, which 
 was listened to by a congregation that filled the church to the 
 very doors. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament closed the 
 sacred celebration. 
 
 The decorating of St. Joseph's Church for the Golden 
 Jubilee services was very beautifully and artistically done. Be- 
 tween the windows, on the side walls, depended festoons of white 
 and yellow bunting and ropes of evergreen twisted together, while 
 long strips of drapery and ropes of evergreen were caught up to the 
 high ceiling. The choir-loft rail was similarly dressed. The 
 richest decorations were within the chancel rail ; above the sanc- 
 tuary lamp swung a large anchor of white and gold, while the 
 altars were almost hidden with flowers, every niche having its 
 vase, and on each projection was hung a wreath. Both inside and 
 outside of the rails, were banked foliage plants and pots of flowers. 
 
 Among Father Kalvelage's guests were Bishop Messmer and 
 Bishop Janssen, also several priests. The first service, on Sunday, 
 was at 7 o'clock, and at 8, the Right Reverend Bishop Messmer 
 celebrated Low Mass and administered Holy Communion. At 10 
 o'clock, solemn High Mass was celebrated, and in the afternoon 
 Archbishop Feehaii confirmed a large class of boys and girls. 
 
 Monday morning, the Jubilee services began with a Pontifical 
 High Mass by Bishop Janssen, and a sermon by Bishop Messmer. 
 In the evening, the parishioners joined in the parade, after which 
 there was a sermon at St. Joseph's Church, by the Rev. C. Danz, 
 of Mayence, Germany. In conclusion, Benediction of the Most 
 Blessed Sacrament was given.
 
 186 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Religious and Literary Associations 
 attached to St. Mary's Church. 
 
 The benefits arising from the association of persons with 
 similar ideas have always been recognized by the Church ; her 
 sodalities, and her religious communities, existing as they have 
 in every age, are sufficient and illustrious proof of this wise 
 adaptation of worthy means to still worthier ends. 
 
 In every well organized parish, then, are to be found socie- 
 ties of various kinds, carrying out the good purposes of zealous 
 pastors and earnest parishioners. St. Mary's, an example in all 
 else, is not wanting in this particular ; she has her excellent 
 youths and virtuous maidens, her faithful men and pious women, 
 banded together, in a number of associations, admirable alike for 
 their large membership and their zealous undertakings. 
 
 The Holy Name Society, established by the Dominican 
 Fathers, during a mission given by them, in 1890, boasts a mem- 
 bership of about seven hundred men. 
 
 The Married Ladies' Sodality, or Altar Society, has ninety 
 members. The officers in this, the Jubilee Year, are : President, 
 Mrs. K. Stanley ; vice president, Mrs. P. J. Lonergan ; secretary, 
 Mrs. L. Thro; treasurer, Mrs. J. Rau. 
 
 For purposes of lawful amusement, and to counteract the 
 evil influences of worldly associations, the Columbus Club was 
 formed, soon after Father Horan became pastor of St. Mary's. 
 To it belong the gentlemen of the parish between the ages of six- 
 teen and seventy. They have a well equipped hall, where they
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 187 
 
 may enjoy manly recreations, without fear of injury to them- 
 selves or their neighbors ; here they may assemble, for amuse- 
 ment, at any hour they choose, but they have a regular society 
 meeting once a month. 
 
 The Young Ladies' Society of the Blessed Virgin numbers 
 fifty active members, out of a hundred registered, and, in union 
 with the Married Ladies' Sodality, constitutes the " Altar-Fund 
 Association," which is responsible for the debt on the main altar. 
 This altar would have been donated, by the heads of two fami- 
 lies, but the pastor desired that all the parishioners should have 
 the benefit of the Mass to be offered twice a month, forever, for 
 those, in the parish, or elsewhere, who make a monthly donation 
 of twenty-five cents , for three years, towards the payment of this 
 debt. 
 
 These two sodalities, sometimes singly, sometimes in union, 
 have accomplished many valuable services for the parish. Both 
 are ever prompt, zealous and successful, in responding to any call 
 made upon them, or their funds, by the pastor, in behalf of the 
 church, or in the cause of charity. 
 
 St. Thomas' Sodality, to which all the school children belong, 
 has been referred to, at length, in the chapter on St. Mary's School, 
 but we will here add that no sodality has been more zealous, nor 
 has any accomplished more good deeds, for God, and for souls, 
 than this band of pure, loving young hearts. 
 
 St. Mary's Dramatic Society, with its talented young mem- 
 bers, has distinguished itself by a series of dramatic and musical 
 entertainments of a high character, both as to the nature of the 
 programmes presented and the skill of the performers of the sev- 
 eral parts. The officers, under whose efficient direction this 
 association has won such an enviable name, are as follows : 
 President, Rev. L. X. DuFour ; vice president, Mr. Jas. O'Rourke ; 
 secretary, Miss B. Knipschild ; treasurer, Mr. Ed. Lawless ; stage 
 manager, Mr. J. L. Carroll ; press agent, Mr. J. Rau ; properties, 
 Mr. A. Lagron. 
 
 At the time of the Golden Jubilee Celebration, St. Mary's 
 Choir surpassed its always honorable record, and so distinguished
 
 188 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 itself as to elicit praise, from even the severest musical critics r 
 hence its members were so encouraged as to undertake even 
 higher and better work than in the past. 
 
 With a view, then, to musical improvement, and to the ac- 
 quirement, not only of increased skill, but of a general knowl- 
 edge of music and its beautiful history, the members of the Jubilee 
 Choir have formed a duly organized association, under the title 
 of "St. Cecilia's Choral Union." The officers are: President, 
 Rev. W. A. Horan ; vice president, A. Lagron ; secretary, Maggie 
 Carey ; finance secretary, Jennie Tracy ; treasurer, Mary Bren- 
 nan ; librarian, Mrs. M. Ellsworth ; directors, Frank Rogers, Ed. 
 Lawless, Annie Summers, Mrs. L. Thro, Jennie Tracy. 
 
 With a membership of forty ladies and gentlemen, gifted 
 with a love for music, and powers for contributing to its produc- 
 tion, the union promises much for the improvement of its mem- 
 bers, and the enjoyment of those whom it will, from time to time, 
 be pleased to entertain. 
 
 In addition to the varied character of the associations 
 already named, there are several of a purely spiritual nature, 
 which have a flourishing existence in St. Mary's parish. These 
 are the League of the Sacred Heart, whose faithful members make 
 each first Friday of the month a holyday, as it were, and the 
 Arch-confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, whose members re- 
 joice, on the evening of each first Sunday of the month, in wit- 
 nessing the beautiful Rosary procession, as it winds its sacred way, 
 through the aisles of the church, to the sound of sacred hymns. 
 
 Thus does St. Mary's Church become indeed, a veritable 
 vestibule of heaven, where men and angels mingle, in sacred, 
 loving familiarity, praising God on high and helping man on 
 earth ; helping man to elevate his mind and heart above the 
 level, whereon he is forced, for a time, to dwell. 
 
 Nothing is more conducive to the frequent reception of the 
 sacraments, and to the formation of habits of piety, than these 
 religious associations. They are the mainstay of a congregation, 
 the foundation of its present stability, and the assurance of its 
 future permanence.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 189 
 
 The Closing of the Jubilee Celebration. 
 
 The festival of the local Catholic Churches, commemorating 
 the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the faith in this 
 county, was brought to a close on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 
 16, with a solemn requiem mass, for the souls of those who, in the 
 early days, banded together in the first congregation. For it was 
 they who made generous contributions, from their slender means, 
 and sacrificed their time, and their labor, for the sake of their 
 faith, thus originating two large and flourishing parishes. 
 Splendid edifices have succeeded the simple chapel in Mrs. 
 Egan's humble home, and the rough and unpretentious little 
 church which was built later; but the faithful members of these 
 new congregations do not forget the toil, the efforts and the self- 
 denial of those who have gone before them, and have already 
 heard the blessed words, " Well done, good arid faithful servants ! " 
 Those early pioneers were not forgotten in any of the festal cele- 
 brations; their memories were revered, and praises of their 
 hardihood and loyalty were sung, again and again. In coming 
 to untrodden lands and making for themselves homes, in the 
 forests and on the prairies, in developing the new land, for their 
 own comfort, even, they did far more, for the generations who were 
 to come after them, than they did for themselves, and it was a fit- 
 ting tribute to them that the last solemn services of a festival, made 
 possible, by their well directed efforts, should be one for their peace 
 and rest. 
 
 The weather had done its worst the day before, still the 
 parade and the meetings, which were the closing events of the
 
 190 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 day, were great successes ; had it been at its best, it is difficult to 
 estimate how many more would have taken part in the demon- 
 stration. The parade, under all the difficulties that the weather 
 afforded, the unpleasant streets and the damp atmosphere, was 
 one of which the two parishes may feel justly proud. There were 
 one thousand or, one thousand two hundred men in the line, which 
 stretched its length over nearly a mile. All along the route 
 were gathered crowds to witness the procession, and on Stepheiison 
 street, the sidewalks were blocked by thousands who cheered the 
 passing lines. The rain kept at home many delegations from 
 parishes in the vicinity, who would have otherwise attended, but 
 still there was a fair number of outsiders in the parade. 
 
 The procession was formed at the arch, in front of St. Mary's 
 Church, at 7:30 o'clock ; those from St. Mary's parish who took 
 part fell in, modestly, behind the St. Joseph's societies, as the 
 latter marched past the arch. The formation and line of march 
 was as follows : 
 
 Marshals and Assistants. 
 
 Henney Buggy Company Band. 
 
 St. Aloysius' Society of St. Joseph's Church. 
 
 St. Pius' Society. 
 
 St. Joseph's Society. 
 
 St. George's Branch C. K. of I. 
 
 Members of St. Joseph's Congregation. 
 
 Madison Band. 
 Columbus Club of St. Mary's Parish. 
 
 Holy Name Society. 
 
 Members of St. Mary's Congregation. 
 
 Visiting Delegations. 
 
 Shannon Band. 
 
 Mayor and City Officers and Speakers in Carriages. 
 Clergymen and Visitors in Carriages. 
 
 From St. Pius' Hall, on South Galena Avenue and north on 
 State Street to St. Mary's Church, where the procession formed at 
 the arch and went north to Williams, west on Williams to Chi- 
 cago, north on Chicago to Galena, west on Galena to Cherry, 
 north on Cherry to Stephenson, east on Stephenson to Adams, 
 south on Adams to Galena, west on Galena to South Galena Ave-
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 191 
 
 nue, south to St. Joseph's Church, whence St. Mary's delegation 
 proceeded to their headquarters. 
 
 The two head marshals led the way and the Henney Band 
 followed. In the line were three floats ; on these Greek fire 
 was kept burning. The first represented the log house, where 
 mass was first said in Stephenson County ; the second dis- 
 played a wheel, with fifty golden spokes, about which were 
 grouped fifty small boys, and the third showed a painting 
 of the present St. Mary's Church. There were also two 
 other floats, from which fireworks were shot continually. All 
 those in line carried lanterns swung over their shoulders. The 
 different societies carried their banners, and a handsome national 
 flag was borne in the front rank. Following the line of men on 
 foot, were carriages, in which rode the mayor, the city officers, 
 the visiting church dignitaries, and the clergymen resident in 
 Freeport. 
 
 The officers in charge were: J. J. Sweeney and Frank 
 Rogers, marshals for St. Mary's ; Fred Rodemeyer, head marshal ; 
 M. Zimmerman, standard bearer; C. M. Mueller, marshal, and 
 Joseph Redlinger, standard bearer for St. Aloysius' .Society ; 
 Robert Schwarz, marshal, and John Steffen, standard bearer for 
 St. Pius' Society and the Catholic Knights ; John Weimer, mar- 
 shal, and John Murdaugh, standard bearer for St. Joseph's Society 
 of St. Joseph's Church. 
 
 When- St. Mary's delegation reached headquarters, there was 
 a short concert by the Madison Band and more fireworks were 
 burned. One of the large floats was placed in the middle of the 
 street, and used for a platform from which the address of the 
 evening was delivered. There was an immense crowd, fully 
 5000 people, present ; these packed the street for a block either 
 way. Rev. Father Horan presided, and on the platform were the 
 Rt. Rev. Bishop Burke, a number of priests, and Hon. M. Stos- 
 kopf, besides the orator of the evening, the Hon. James F. 
 O'Donnell, of Bloomington. 
 
 Before introducing the speaker, Father Horan thanked the 
 members of St. Mary's and St. Joseph's Churches, the Catholics
 
 192 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 of the county, the clergymen who had come to take part in the 
 ceremonies, and the citizens of Freeport generally, for their aid 
 in making the jubilee festival a success. 
 
 When Mr. O'Donuell was called on, a modest looking young 
 man stepped forward, and after saluting the Rev. Fathers, at once 
 began his address without preface. His first sentence brought a 
 round of applause, that was repeated every time a slight pause in 
 his rapid delivery would permit it. As a speaker, Mr. O'Donnell 
 is fluent and eloquent, and his flow of words was unbroken by a 
 single hesitation. His rhetoric is graceful and polished, and 
 each point in his address was made forcibly. As he proceeded 
 with it, his face became animated, and his voice, clear and dis- 
 tinct, enunciating every word perfectly, reached to the farthest 
 limits of the immense audience. He gesticulates freely and with 
 dramatic force. The address impressed every one who heard it 
 as one of the finest oratorical efforts they had ever listened to, 
 and, at the close, the young speaker was warmly congratulated, by 
 bishops, priests and laymen. 
 
 After his salutation to those on the platform, he said : 
 
 " I am expected to say something on Catholic citizenship. 
 To be a good citizen it is not necessary to be a Catholic, but to be 
 a good Catholic it is necessary to be a good citizen ; so let me 
 rather take the broader view, and speak on American citizenship. 
 
 " The simple law handed down by Justinian, time cannot 
 improve: ' Live honorably, hurt nobody, render to every one his 
 due.' In the affairs of life, the hammer of ambition falls upon 
 coveted gold and silver, shaping them into useful forms and 
 beautiful. In the affairs of discourse, the. silver of speech and 
 the gold of silence fall upon the tongue, marring or beautifying 
 companionship, according to the discretion we employ. Society 
 can have harmony and happiness only through a proper defer- 
 ence for knowledge. We all should read more ; our views would 
 expand ; we would become more considerate of the opinions and 
 feelings of others ; we would become nobler and better men and 
 women. In our reading we should not be restricted by preju- 
 dice ; we should read all sides, not with a feeling of hatred for
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 193 
 
 that which does not conform to our views, but we should be ready 
 to accept truth whenever it presents itself. Let me add, that if those 
 who feel not well disposed towards the Catholic Church were to read 
 more of her history, they would find in it an elevating and beauti- 
 
 HON. JAMES F. O'DONNELL. 
 
 The Lay Orator. 
 
 ful lesson, worthy of something loftier than to be the target for mis- 
 informed assailants. I know all in this beautiful city all in this
 
 194 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 magnificent audience are broad and liberal. If others were 
 present, I would say : The less a man is informed on Christian- 
 ity, the less he appreciates that boon, good-fellowship ; the less 
 the milk of human kindness courses through his veins, the more 
 he abominates a Catholic. So, Catholicism, beautiful as is thy 
 name, grand as are thy precepts, would that I could summon be- 
 fore me thy vivifying virtues, and not repeat thy name, for I 
 would speak to defend and not offend. 
 
 " I am decidedly unworthy of even talking on sacred sub- 
 jects, but I realize that there are those who regard us as slaves of 
 superstition and ignorance, when our faith is an inspiring, an 
 ennobling study, hand in hand with Scripture and wisdom ; when 
 it is really their own lack of information that leads our opponents 
 to misjudge us. Sane men will all agree that truth is the 
 one thing sought in all sciences; the one thing which should be 
 sought in all spiritual as well as worldly affairs. Now, it is a 
 philosophical principle that that which changes cannot be true. 
 We get the same beautiful idea in this passage from Julius Caesar : 
 ' Constant as the northern star, to whose true, fixed and resting 
 quality there is no fellow in the firmament ; the skies are painted 
 with unnumbered stars ; they are all fire and every one doth 
 shine, yet there is but one in all doth hold its place.' In this we 
 see our Church. So it is with the world ; 'tis furnished well with 
 men, and men are flesh and blood and apprehensive, yet in the 
 number I know but one that, unassailable, holds his rank un- 
 shaken by motion. In this we mean the head of the Church on 
 earth, with St. Peter as the foundation stone, and to whom Christ 
 said : ' Thou art Peter; upon this rock I will build my Church, 
 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' 
 
 " This unchaugeableness from the time of Christ, we think, 
 is in beautiful keeping with truth. The wise teachings of St. 
 Peter and his line of followers, history shows, have never been in 
 error ; and while we respect the opinions and esteem the talents 
 of all who differ from us, yet this fact remains a pleasant forti- 
 fication to all who cherish Catholjc belief. 
 
 " I am sorry to think that, despite the blaze of intelligence
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 195 
 
 shed upon the world by the Catholic Church, in astronomy, 
 mathematics, mechanics, electricity, galvanism, chemistry, optics, 
 thermetics, mineralogy, botany and all sciences ; despite her 
 liberal and instructive influences, there is a regretable prejudice 
 held against her by many well meaning people. Think you 
 Cardinal Newman, the brightest and purest mind of his day, 
 whose conversion to the Catholic Church, after years of fervent 
 study, turned all Europe topsy-turvy think you, he would have 
 accepted that faith, if it were in any way faulty? Think you 
 Cardinal Manning, that .intellectual giant, the working-man's 
 guiding star, would have joined the Church if it were in any 
 way offensive ? Would America's great literary light, after tast- 
 ing of the teaching of all creeds I refer to Brownson, would that 
 towering intellect finally have attached himself to the Holy 
 Roman Catholic Church if it were weak in any of its precepts ? 
 Look at the roll of honor she has given to the world : In oratory,, 
 who surpasses Chryosotom, Daniel O'Connell, Edmund Burke, 
 Daniel Dougherty or Bourke Cochran, now one of the master ora- 
 tors of the world ? Among warriors, we have Joan of Arc, Henry 
 Hotspur, Henry IV. of England, Richard Coeur de Leon, Tal- 
 leyrand, the firey Napoleon, Pulaski, Lafayette, Sheridan, Shields^ 
 Mulligan, Meagher, Norton, John Barry, Rosecrans, DeMontcalm, 
 In literature, we have Dante, Shakespeare, Fenelon, Dry den, 
 Pope, Racine, Francis Assissi, Lingard, and Sir Thomas More. 
 Among 'the painters we have Michael Angelo, Raphael, Murillo, 
 Giotto, Fra Angelico, Donata, Ghiberti, Gregori. In music we have 
 Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Hayden. On the stage we have Modjeska, 
 Sarah Bernhardt, Mary Anderson, Rose Coghlan, James O'Neil,. 
 Florence, Salvini. Lawrence Barrett did more to elevate the 
 modern thespian art than any man of his day, and Goethe, 
 though not a Catholic, in his wonderful production of Faust,, 
 shows the two extremes, the wine room and the Catholic Church, 
 and shows Mephistopheles recoiling from the sword that has a 
 handle in the shape of a cross. 
 
 " If you dislike Catholics, do not look up to the star-studded 
 sky, for it was a Catholic, Copernicus and Galileo, who led the
 
 196 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 retinue in exploring the firmament and giving names and habi- 
 tation to the heavenly bodies. Throw away the calendar that 
 counts the time, and from which we get the day and date of the 
 week and month, for it was a Catholic Gregory who created it. 
 Ignore mathematics, for it was a Catholic Francis Viete who gave 
 us algebra as we have it now. If you are unkind to Catholics, 
 turn not to the rainbow to drink in its beauty as it spans the sky, 
 for it was a Catholic Descartes, founder of modern mechanical 
 philosophy, who was the genuine author of the explanation of 
 that dazzling and rapturous arch in the heavens. Look not on 
 the thermometer as you feel the chilled air of night, for it was 
 Catholic Sanctorius who made the first. Dispense with the tele- 
 graph, telephone, electric cars and electric light, for it was a Catho- 
 lic Galvani, Volta, Gramm and Carre who were the fathers of 
 the science of electricity. Lay aside chemistry, for a Catholic, 
 Antoine Lavoisier, was the father of its modern form. Destroy 
 the flowers in the field that scent the air, for it was Catholic 
 Caesalpinus who was the father of modern botany. Stop the 
 pulsations of your heart, for it was Catholic professors who en- 
 abled Harvey to discover the marvellous circulation of the blood. 
 Disregard the fossils in the rock-ribbed earth, for it was a Catholic 
 De Vinci who first gave them attention. 
 
 " If you are unfriendly to Catholics, forget your tongue, for 
 it was a Catholic Chaucer, who was the author of the lan- 
 guage we call the richest in the world. Forget your country, 
 for it was named after a Catholic, Americus Vespucius. For- 
 get Columbus, who discovered your country, and accomplished 
 the greatest and grandest event known to all time, and forget 
 forever that stupendous fair in Chicago, which was in honor of 
 Ms memory, for Columbus was a Catholic. 
 
 " Now, I say all this, not in a spirit of boastfulness, which is 
 .always contemptible, but because it is natural that it should be a 
 pleasant recollection to all in whose veins flows Catholic blood. 
 Other creeds have their sublime environments, and all come in for 
 full respect ; for opinion, like patriotism, is strong in all of us. Some 
 writer says opinion is more powerful than the fear of bodily pain,
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 197 
 
 or death ; as appears in studying duelists, gladiators and soldiers ;. 
 as appears, also, regarding religions devotees and martyrs. It is 
 more powerful than the desire between the sexes, as appears in the 
 more sacred love between brother and sister. It is more powerful 
 than the love of friends, as appears in the duelist, who, to his opin- 
 ion, sacrifices the life of his friend and exposes the widows and chil- 
 dren to misery. It is more powerful than a mother's love for her 
 child, as appears in India, where a mother throws her child to- 
 the sharks in the Ganges, or in this country, where a misguided 
 young woman destroys her infant, the pledge of her misplaced 
 love. Then in religion and politics, should we not be tolerant? 
 Give me that man who has studied the history of his own country 
 and of other countries, and is broad enough to appreciate that 
 the people of no country, and the people of no creed, were free 
 from the mist of ignorance that belonged to past centuries ; who 
 believes in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, 
 and who looks up to that broad, blue dome as the ceiling of our 
 common earthly home." 
 
 In continuation, Mr. O'Donnell spoke of the beauties of 
 American citizenship, eulogizing the broad-minded men of all 
 faiths, who had kindled and kept alive American liberty and 
 principles. His address was liberal and patriotic, giving evidence 
 of a well-stored mind. His peroration was a brilliant burst of 
 eloquence. In closing he paraphrased Tom Moore's immortal 
 
 lines 
 
 '" You may break, you may shatter the vase of will, 
 But the essence of ' liberty ' will cling 'round it still." 
 
 When he took his seat, the applause lasted for several min- 
 utes, until some one suggested, " Three cheers for O'Dounell," and 
 they were heartily given. 
 
 There was a call for the Hon. M. Stoskopf to make a speech, 
 and he responded very briefly, complimenting the Catholic peo- 
 ple on their celebration, and paying a tribute to Father Horan, 
 the members of the parish as citizens, and Mr. O'Donnell as an 
 orator. The meeting was ended by the Madison Band playing 
 the national anthem. 
 
 There was an appropriateness in the selection of the Hon.
 
 198 
 
 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 James F. O'Donnell, as the layman to deliver the address at St. 
 Mary's Golden Jubilee Celebration, that was not developed until 
 after he had accepted the invitation. The Rev. Father O'Gara, 
 the third priest of St. Mary's Church, and one of the best beloved 
 and most zealous of all, was his great uncle. Mr. O'Donuell was 
 the colleague of the Hon. M. Stoskopf at the last session of the 
 legislature, and the two are warm friends. He is a young man, 
 having been bom in Dubuque thirty-two years ago, and for a 
 short time, in early childhood, lived here in Freeport. Some of 
 the older members of the parish recognized him. It is likely that 
 Mr. O'Donnell will speak here again in a short time, and if so, a 
 reception will be tendered by the Columbus Club.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 199 
 
 The St. Vincent Orphan Asylum. 
 
 So many and so beautiful are the phases of charity in the 
 Church, that we behold her hand outstretched with a mother's love 
 to all forms of misery and distress. Let suffering or sorrow appear, 
 in any guise whatever, she is ready with her tender ministrations, 
 comfort and relief, accomplishing her sacred tasks in the manner 
 that is wisest and best. 
 
 It is her holy charity that has dotted our land with hospitals 
 and asylums, thousands of which are now stately buildings, with 
 all the modern appliances for cure and for comfort, but which 
 orginated in the Bethlehem of the divine Master, in simplicity 
 and poverty. Never do the holy ones of the Church, those en- 
 trusted with affairs nearest to her heart, wait to make a grand 
 and impressive beginning. The Master began with a stable, for 
 the temple wherein He was worshiped, by the simple, the humble, 
 the illiterate, and He ended with St. Peter's incomparable cathedral 
 at Rome, where all the world may come, and where the greatest 
 and mightiest have knelt, in awe-struck adoration. 
 
 St. Vincent's Asylum for Orphans is then in the Bethlehem 
 stage of its existence. At present, it is a frame cottage, pretty, 
 bright and pleasant, but simple, as becomes the infancy of a great 
 undertaking ; but the future will, no doubt, see this tiny home of 
 loving devotion to Christ's little ones replaced by towering walls 
 of brick and granite. Be that as it may, the present condition 
 of the as} r lum and its innocent inmates is most encouraging, and
 
 200 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 all, who are interested, see in it the promise of a glorious future. 
 
 The grounds, adjoining those of the hospital, are, like them,, 
 considerably higher than the surrounding country, thus affording 
 pure air and an extensive view of charming scenery. With a 
 frontage of 160 and a depth of 300 feet, the grounds surrounding 
 the asylum will afford ample space for the erection of a larger 
 and more imposing structure, when the time for it arrives, as it 
 undoubtedly will, in the near future. 
 
 In the meantime, tiny infants, four of them yet in the cradle, 
 and small children, both boys and girls, are receiving, at the 
 hands of the devoted Sisters, the tender, motherly care of which 
 death had deprived them, until they were so happy as to have 
 found their way into this haven of peace and safety. 
 
 The property was purchased in the spring of 1896, and the 
 institutioii was opened to admit its first beloved inmate on Penti- 
 cost Monday, of the same year. On May 25th, it was formally 
 and solemnly blessed. 
 
 Twelve orphans, boys and girls, under ten years of age, con- 
 stituted the first family that gathered in this home, afforded them 
 by the faithful members of the Church, and by her self-sacrificing,, 
 religious, the Sisters of St. Francis, three of whom are in constant 
 attendance at the asylum. 
 
 When the little cottage shall have disappeared, to make 
 room for a more imposing edifice, and the twelve inmates of the 
 cottage shall have multiplied to a hundred, yet will there be no 
 greater peace and joy for the little ones than now, for it is the 
 love that surrounds them, as an atmosphere, that constitutes for 
 them in life all that is worth having ; that love which no palace 
 can increase and no abode of poverty decrease.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 201 
 
 ST. VINCENT'S ORPHAN ASYLUM.
 
 202 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 Parish Customs. 
 
 When we study a great people, or trace the development of 
 a. nation, our interest centres in the customs of one and the laws 
 of the other, for in them will be mirrored the character of the 
 individuals practicing the one and governing the other. What- 
 ever is true of large bodies of men, is true of smaller communities, 
 hence we deem it well, in giving a history of the parish, to men- 
 tion the daily, monthly and yearly customs, important factors in 
 the sanctification of the people. 
 
 The daily Masses, one at 7 and the other at 7:30 a. m., are 
 never omitted, though the hour for the second one varies, as may 
 suit the convenience of families having funerals or weddings, for 
 both these solemnities, by a law of the parish, must take place 
 during the Holy Sacrifice. 
 
 On the greater number of these occasions, a Solemn High 
 Mass (with three priests) is offered, not that the pastor receives so 
 frequently the large honorarium customary in wealthy parishes, 
 in large cities. However poor and simple the departed parish- 
 ioner may be, if he was remarkable for fidelity to his peculiar 
 duties, as a practical Catholic, and if he sent his children to the 
 parochial school, he has the honor, and the spiritual benefits, of 
 a Solemn High Mass at his funeral, even though his surviving 
 friends may not have a dime to offer towards the extra expenses. 
 
 It was a source of constant edification and frequent bewilder- 
 ment to the editor of this work, when a stranger in St. Mary's 
 parish, to behold such stately funeral services taking place, as a
 
 Steplienson County, Illinois, 1896. 203 
 
 matter of course ; as it is an ordinary occurrence, it no longer 
 excites surprise. 
 
 On Sundays, in summer, the Masses are at 8 and 10 a. m.; 
 in winter, at 8:30 and 10:30. Except for a few Sundays in 
 August, the last service of the morning is always a High Mass, 
 and the children's choir, its members selected from among the 
 pupils of St. Mary's School, sings at the first Mass. At each Sunday 
 morning service there is a formal sermon, and in the evening, 
 the whole year round, on Sunday, the Rosary is recited and 
 Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament given. For a part of the 
 year, Vespers are chanted, the boys in the sanctuar} 7 singing 
 alternate verses of the psalms and hymns with the grand 
 choir. Every Sunday afternoon, there is a meeting of two 
 or more of the religious and benevolent associations existing 
 in the parish. On the first Sunday, the Married Ladies' Sodal- 
 ity meets at 3 p. m., and the Columbus Club at 4. On the 
 third Sunday at 4 p. m., the Young Ladies' Sodality of the 
 Blessed Virgin Mary recites the Office of the Immaculate Con- 
 ception, after the same form as that used at the Holy Name 
 Cathedral in Chicago. The older members of St. Thomas' Sodal- 
 ity (those who have made their first communion) meet to recite 
 the Office of St. Thomas at 2 p. m., on the second Sunday of the 
 month. 
 
 No child not attending St. Mary's School is permitted to be- 
 long to .St. Thomas' Sodality. The pastor never fails to be present 
 each Sunday at the meeting of whichever Sodality is assembled. 
 He always gives an instruction on these occasions, and then re- 
 pairs to the club room to assist at a meeting of the Business 
 Men's Committee. This is an important body in the parish, for 
 while acting in perfect harmony with the pastor, and deferring 
 most cordially to his opinion, they are responsible for all the 
 financial affairs of the parish, for which reason their meetings are 
 frequent, important and rather laborious. 
 
 Here, as in all well ordered parishes, baptisms occur on Sun- 
 day afternoon. 
 
 Two Masses are offered each month for the benefactors of
 
 204 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 the " Christian School," as the pastor fondly calls it in his public 
 utterances. Two Masses are also offered monthly for the donors 
 to the altar fund. Each Sodality receives Communion in a body 
 on the morning of the Sunday mentioned for its monthly meet- 
 ing, and on that morning the pastor offers the Holy Sacrifice for 
 the Sodality in question. 
 
 On the first Friday of each month, and on the holy days of 
 obligation, there is a Mass at 6 a. m., for the accommodation of 
 the laborers. 
 
 On the evening of each first Friday, there is a service con- 
 sisting of the recitation of the Rosary, the reading of Act of Conse- 
 cration and of Reparation to the Sacred Heart, and Benediction 
 of the Blessed Sacrament. 
 
 The Rosary Procession, which is a beautiful feature of the 
 evening service on the first Sunday of each month, is formed of 
 St. Mary's school children, from the wee tots in the chart class, 
 to the members of the high school ; also the altar boys and two 
 priests. The children's choir and the grand choir unite their 
 voices on this occasion. 
 
 Among the annual customs, the Christmas novena ranks 
 high. For nine successive evenings, immediately preceding 
 Christmas, the sanctuary is glorified by the exposition of the 
 Blessed Sacrament, amid many lights, and surrounded by a full 
 choir of sanctuary boys, while at the foot of the altar kneels the 
 pastor. 
 
 The novena consists of psalms, prophecies, canticles and 
 hymns, chanted alternately, by the sanctuary choir, the latter 
 supported by the rich voice of the assistant pastor, whose solo 
 parts; in the chanting of the prophecies, constitutes no small part 
 of the charm of this exquisite service. 
 
 It is a custom to have a small representation of Bethlehem 
 in the Church during the Christmas holidays. Just above the 
 stable or cave gleams a large star of burning gas jets, and within 
 the evergreen bower, that represents the sacred birth-place, are 
 the usual figures grouped, with unusual taste and with an un- 
 usual regard for congruity.
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 205 
 
 During Lent, the customary devotions, common everywhere, 
 are con ducted in St. Mary's. The Repository, on Holy Thursday, 
 is much enhanced in its beauty by the presence of a marble 
 altar. 
 
 On Christmas and Easter, the grandeur of the choir service 
 is greatly increased by the accompaniment of an orchestra of from 
 six to eight pieces. 
 
 Two triduums are celebrated each year ; one for the school 
 children's retreat of three days preceding the feast of St. Thomas 
 Aquinas, and another of three days preparation for the feast of 
 the Sacred Heart of Jesus, during which the women of the parish 
 make a sort of retreat, devoting these three days to more frequent 
 prayer, also to meditation and hearing Holy Mass each morning. 
 The triduum ends with the reception of Holy Communion, on the 
 Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 
 
 Every evening in May, the devout people of St. Mary's con- 
 gregation, and there are large numbers of them, assemble before 
 the altar of our Blessed Lady to recite her rosary, listen to hymns 
 and spiritual readings in her honor, and to join in the Litany of 
 Loretto. 
 
 The children's choir, so often mentioned, is in charge of the 
 music teacher at the Convent of St. Mary's ; under her direction 
 they chant a variety of beautiful litanies during the May devo- 
 tions, and also at the October services, which are held every 
 evening, in that lovely autumn month, in honor of our Lady, 
 Queen of the Holy Rosary. 
 
 On the evening of the first Sunday in May, after the Rosary 
 procession, a sacred and very beautiful ceremony takes place. It 
 is the Crowning of the May Queen. At the top of a high pyra- 
 midal-shaped structure, which is constructed in the sanctuary for 
 the occasion, is placed a statue of our Blessed Lady. White- 
 robed children stand at the foot of this lofty throne ; each one 
 addresses our Blessed Mother in poetic language of love and 
 praise, presents a bouquet of flowers and then mounts to one of 
 the steps on the slanting sides of the structure, until all the steps 
 are occupied, as it were by angels, supported in the air by their
 
 206 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 wings. The last to speak mounts, to the very top of the throne,, 
 and crowns the statue with white flowers, while uttering suitable 
 sentiments in the language of verse. Appropriate hymns are 
 chanted at the beginning and at the close of this beautiful cere- 
 mony. 
 
 On the occasion of the " Crowning of the May Queen," in 
 the Jubilee year, that is, May, 1896, a flash-light photograph was 
 taken of the scene ; the resulting picture may be found in the 
 early part of this volume. 
 
 At St. Mary's, of course, as at every church in the diocese, 
 the Forty Hours Devotion takes place once in each year, and is 
 carried out with all the solemnity and magnificence possible to- 
 willing hearts and hands. 
 
 It is the pastor's custom to visit the sick, the infirm and aged 
 on every great feast day, and on the first Friday of each month, 
 administering to them the Holy Eucharist, for their strength and 
 comfort. 
 
 On the evening that finds friends and neighbors assembled 
 around the dead, that the living may be comforted by kindness 
 and sympathy, and that the departed souls benefited by the fre- 
 quent prayers of many, " gathered together in His name," on 
 such occasions, the pastor always appears, at some uncertain hour 
 of the evening, and recites aloud, with the assembled friends, the 
 Rosary of our Blessed Lady. 
 
 The many good results of such a custom will be evident to 
 the reflecting mind, but were there no other than the identifica- 
 tion of the pastor, in the family's hour of darkness and grief, 
 with all that is kind, sympathetic and helpful, it were worth the 
 slight trouble it entails. 
 
 Let the reader judge the customs that exist in St. Mary's 
 parish as he may, he cannot but deem it the height of wisdom 
 for the pastor to be, as is expressed in the Jubilee address, pre- 
 sented to Father Horan, "The man at the centre." 
 
 There are few of us who have not watched, with eager in- 
 terest, the result, when some boy with conscious pride in his sup- 
 erior ability to " throw a stone," has sent one spinning gayly
 
 Stephenson County, Illinois, 1896. 
 
 207 
 
 through the intervening distance into the very centre of the pond. 
 Instantly, as it, with the impetus gained by flying through the 
 air, touched the surface of the water, there sped forth, from the 
 centre, a gleaming, glittering, quivering circle of sunlit water, 
 then another and a wider ; another, still wider, until they became 
 countless in their joyous hurrying for the shore. 
 
 Could there be a better figure of the wide influence of " the 
 man at the centre "? Let the circles of moral, political or social 
 influences once start, on their ever- widening way, they will bound 
 
 ELIZABETH GRACE PECK. 
 
 First girl baptized in 
 the new church. 
 
 CHAS. KORAN DONOHDE. 
 
 First boy baptized in 
 the new church. 
 
 MARY ELLEN GRANT. 
 
 First girl baptized in the 
 consecrated church. 
 
 the earth before they stop, and many voices will ask, " Who did 
 this ? Who is the man at the centre ? " 
 
 We have said elsewhere, that what is true of large bodies is 
 very likely to be true of smaller ones. There are circles of influence 
 for the town as well as for the nation. And it is a grand thing 
 to be " the man at the centre " of even small areas of influence, 
 for only God can measure their true extent. 
 
 It is a magnificent picture that spreads before the mind, as
 
 208 Golden Jubilee Souvenir. 
 
 the imagination portrays the thousands of centres in the Church 
 popes, archbishops, bishops, priests and religions from whom 
 are circling forth the noble influences of a stable, heaven-inspired, 
 divinely protected faith. 
 
 With that picture before your mind's clear vision, dear 
 reader, we leave you. That there are thousands of records such 
 as that of St. Mary's parish, and of the Church in Stephenson 
 County records even brighter and grander does not detract 
 anything from the glory of our brief history, for the work it is in- 
 tended to commemorate and preserve from oblivion is God's 
 work, and naught that God has instituted or accomplished for 
 the salvation of immortal souls, can be either small or insignifi- 
 cant. Much has been done in our time and our place, to Him 
 be the glory.
 
 ALPHABETICAL INDEX. 
 
 Altars, Description of. 112 
 
 Arch, Triumphal 104 
 
 Associations, Religious and Literary 186 
 
 Burke, Et. Rev. J 113 
 
 Banquet, Jubilee 104 
 
 Children's Reception to Jubilee Guests 145 
 
 Church, First in Stephenson County 23 
 
 First St. Mary's 40 
 
 Old St. Joseph's and Old St. Mary's 52 
 
 Choir, St. Mary's and St. Joseph's 64, 92 
 
 Jubilee 115 
 
 Corner Stone 60 
 
 Closing of Jubilee Celebration 189 
 
 Consecration of St. Mary's Church 99 
 
 Committees, Jubilee and Business. 56, 106 
 
 Dedication of St. Mary's Church 65 
 
 of St. Joseph's Church 85 
 
 Debts and Donations 58 
 
 Early History of Catholicity in Stephenson County 19 
 
 of Catholicity in Illinois 13 
 
 of Catholicity in Chicago 15 
 
 of Catholic Settlers in Stephenson County 23 
 
 Factors in the Life of the Church 9 
 
 Feehan, Most Rev., His Address 28 
 
 First Mass in Freeport 33 
 
 in St. Mary's 34 
 
 in Stephenson County 25 
 
 in Irish Grove 22 
 
 Foundation of St. Mary's Parish 33 
 
 Father Koran's Life and Labors 83 
 
 Du Four's Life 87 
 
 Kalvalege's Life 93 
 
 Meyer's Life 96
 
 210 Index. 
 
 Golden Jubilee Celebration ' 99 
 
 Day 131 
 
 Hennessey, Most Rev. J 133 
 
 Hospital, St. Francis 96 
 
 Hall, St. Mary's 74 
 
 Horan, Rev. Wm 83 
 
 Jubilee Celebration 99 
 
 Kalvalege, Rev. Clement 95 
 
 Parish Customs 202 
 
 Mass, Jubilee 114 
 
 New St. Mary's Church 51 
 
 Old St. Mary's Church 34 
 
 Oration, Jubilee, by Hon. J. F. O'Donnell 192 
 
 Orphan Asylum, St. Vincent's 199 
 
 Record of St. Joseph's Church 88 
 
 Reception of the School Children 145 
 
 Riordan, Rev. D., Sermon 115 
 
 Record of Jubilee at St. Joseph's Church 184 
 
 Religious and Literary Associations 186 
 
 Rt. Rev. Guests of Father Kalvalege 185 
 
 St. Mary's School 77 
 
 School Journal, Santa Maria . 81
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Archbishop Feehan Frontispiece 
 
 Hennessey Ill 
 
 Arch, Triumphal 101 
 
 Barron, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas 25 
 
 Bishop Burke 113 
 
 Janssen 121 
 
 Messmer 123 
 
 Barron, Mr. and Mrs 135 
 
 Church, St. Mary's in '36 and '55 7 
 
 St. Mary's in '38 and '96 12 
 
 Irish Grove, Old and New 21 
 
 Lena and New Dublin 21 
 
 St. Joseph's 91 
 
 Convent, St. Mary's 81 
 
 Choir, Jubilee 115 
 
 Soloists and Singers of Parts 141, 143 
 
 Committee, Members of. 149, 151, 165, 167, 169 
 
 Crowning of the May Queen 109 
 
 Eight of St. Mary's Rev. Pastors 41 
 
 Eight Lady Parishioners of the Old Church 37 
 
 Early Parishioners and Their Wives 39 
 
 Exterior of St. Mary's School and Hall 75 
 
 of St. Francis Hospital 97 
 
 of St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum 201 
 
 of St. Joseph's School 93 
 
 Egan, Mrs. C 28 
 
 Five Pioneei s and Their Wives 35 
 
 Father Horan 85 
 
 Kalvalege 89 
 
 Du Four 87 
 
 Meyer 96 
 
 F. Kalvalege 34 
 
 D. Riordan.. 119
 
 "21'2 Illustrations. 
 
 Gen. Geo. Jones, of Dubuque 24 ' 
 
 Hogan, Miss Mary 22 
 
 Interior of St. Mary's Rectory 69, 71 
 
 of St. Mary's School 79 
 
 of Joseph's School 94 
 
 Mary's Church at Jubilee 103 
 
 St. Joseph's Church at Jubilee : . . . 105 
 
 Mansfield, Mr. G. S 73 
 
 Murphy, Mr. and Mrs. P. H 77 
 
 O'Donnell, Hon. Jas. F 193 
 
 Pictures of Noted Parishioners 61, 65 
 
 Pictures of Well-known Parishioners 45, 47, 50, 53 
 
 Rear View of St. Mary's Rectory 67 
 
 Side View of St. Mary's Church and Rectory 65 
 
 Seven Pioneers 27 
 
 Staff of " Santa Maria " 82 
 
 Three Famous Infants 207 
 
 Wall, Mrs. M 37
 
 efl*
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 THE SK CATHOLICI?!IN STEPHENSON 
 
 30112025276350