XI B RAHY OF THE UN IVERSITY Of ILLINOIS z&z M78Ch ♦U. WIST. SURVEY (£*&>. HISTORY OF HOLY TRINITY PARISH BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS by RT. REV. Msgr. S. N. MOORE Copyright 1952 Rt. Rev. Msgr. S. N. Moore Printed in the USA. DEDICATION To all the pastors who were my predecessors in what is now known as Holy Trinity Parish, Bloomington, Illinois, and to their ever zealous assistants including those of my own pastorate, and to that large portion of the Catholic laity who were so superbly devoted and self sacri- ficing down through One Hundred Years of the history of this parish, this volume is humbly and affectionately dedicated. S. N. Moore r ^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/historyofholytriOOmoor CONTENTS Foreword 1 Early History of Bloomington 3 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois 9 Pioneer Days 27 Two Railroads come to Bloomington 37 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara 51 Pastorate of Rev. A4ichael Cahill 71 Pastorate of Rev. Patrick Sherry 76 Pastorate of Rev. Thomas Kennedy 81 Pastorate of Rev. Thomas O'Gara 84 Pastorate of Rev. P. Duhig 92 Pastorate of Rev. James J. McGovern 94 The Merna Parish 119 Pastorate of Rev. Father Costa 12 3 Pastorate of Rev. Michael McDermott . 127 Pastorate of Rev. M. Weldon . 150 Administratorship of Rev. Chas. H. Medcalf 200 Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore 207 Pastorate of Rt. Rev. Msgr. B. J. Sheedy 257 Appendices 264 m %.. t IjM^k Pope Pius XII .Most Reverend J. L. Spalding, D.D. First Bishop of Peoria Most Reverend E. M. Dunne, D.D. Second Bishop of Peoria Most Reverend J. H. Schlarman, D.D. Third Bishop of Peoria Most Reverend William E. Cousins, D.D. Fourth Bishop of Peoria Foreword The history of Holy Trinity Parish, Bloomington, Illinois, has never been written in an adequate way. The New World of Chicago published a Centennial Edition on August 14, 1900, which aimed to give a history of the Catholic Church in Illinois during the preceding century. However, the scope of the undertaking was so great that the story of many of the parishes was of necessity rather brief. It is also quite probable that in their endeavor to conserve space, the material gathered by the reporters for the editors was subjected to consider- able condensation in the composing room and thus omissions and errors occurred in the process. This seems to have been the case, whatever the cause, in the history of Holy Trinity Parish which was printed in that special edition of the New World. When Father Weldon published his Annual Statement for the year 1902, he gave a History of the Parish down to that time. It was the Golden Jubilee Year in the history of the parish and he endeavored to commemorate it in that manner. However, so far as the early history of the parish was concerned, it was an almost verbatim copy of the history as given in that special edition of the New World. I spent twenty-four years — I presume the best of my life — as pastor of Holy Trinity, and of course became familiar with what had been considered its early history, and certainly I never questioned its accuracy. In my association with some of the older members of the parish I obtained some further knowledge of its early history. That has helped me consider- ably as it gave me "leads" to questions to be investigated. For some months previous to my resignation as pastor, which became effective July 1, 1948, 1 had contemplated that, in such an event, I might profitably spend my leisure time in an attempt to write up the history of that parish. Holy Trinity Parish I spent the first year of my retirement in Boone County, Nebraska, and soon realized that I was too far away from available sources of information to accomplish much. More- over, the winter proved to be exceptionally severe, and I decided to move to Streator near my old home. I was fortunate in securing the assistance of Miss Mary C. Gleeson, 2011 East Taylor Street, Bloomington, to do re- search work for me. She had previously been employed as secretary in the law office of William K. Bracken and his associates in Bloomington for thirty-one years, but because she became very hard of hearing she was obliged to resign that position. Because of a feeling of frustration that she was no longer able to do the work for which she was so well qualified, she eagerly accepted my proposal that she would do the research work for me, copy the information in shorthand and then type the manuscript for me. She has proved invalu- able to me in this project and I am glad to acknowledge my great indebtedness to her. I also acknowledge my indebtedness to Sister Marie Immaculata, O.P., of Rosary College for many helpful sug- gestions and sources of information, and also to many pastors for the help they graciously accorded me. I am deeply grateful to many of the laity of Holy Trinity Parish who helped me in clearing up some of the obscure points in the history of the parish. Were I to attempt to name all of them as I would wish to do, I fear I might fail to do that for all, and an oversight due to poor memory might hurt some dear friend. Early History of Bloomington (Copied from "Illustrated Bloomington and Normal — 1896''' published by Pantagraph Printing & Stationery Co., Bloomington, 111. Portion relating to early years of the city, previous to the period when the Catholic Church was established in Bloomington.) "Tradition related a story of some white immigrants, who, passing by what is now OrendorfT Springs, en route from Indiana to Peoria, left a keg of whiskey hidden near the Springs, while they went in search of game and to look at the country. A party of Kickapoo Indians, who had come to the Springs for water, happened upon the whiskey and appropriated it. In commemoration of their great discovery the Indians named the surrounding timber 'Keg Grove.' This, then, was the name of the spot which attracted John Hendryx and John W. Dawson, the pioneers of McLean County, to settle there with their families. John Hendryx was the first to arrive, in 1822, when he settled in the southern part of Keg Grove, and was followed in a few weeks by John W. Dawson and his family. William Orendorrf and his wife, and young Thomas Orendorif, in 1823, settled at the Grove, followed in the early part of 1824 by W. H. Hodge, Mr. Goodheart, William Walker and family, Ebenezer Rhodes, and others, until at the close of the year 1824, eighteen families had located there. "Elizabeth Ann Hendryx, daughter of John Hendryx, born May 3, 1823, was the first white child born in McLean County. "Keg Grove was not at this time in McLean County. When Illinois was admitted to the Union, in 1818, Crawford County had jurisdiction over this region. The next year, however, a rearranging of count)' lines placed it in Clark County. 3 Holy Trinity Parish "Fayette County was organized in 1821, with its county seat at Yandalia, and it was as a part of this county that the pioneers found Keg Grove. The region around the Grove became populated very rapidly, and because of the distance to Vandalia the settlers were at a great disadvantage in the transaction of count)' business. Vermilion County was or- ganized in 1826, and included the area now comprised in McLean County. "This state of affairs only held for a year, and during this time very little county business was transacted. In 1827 the region came under the control of the newly organized county of Tazewell, whose county seat was Mackinawtown. The name of our little settlement had been changed before this to Blooming Grove, at the suggestion of Airs. William Oren- dorff, although the old name clung to it for some time. "About the year 1829, the idea of forming a separate county, with Blooming Grove as its county seat, was first discussed among the settlers. New men had come into the community, prominent among whom were James Latta, Wil- liam Evans, and James Allin. The first house in what is now the City of Bloomington was built by William Evans, on the southeast corner of Grove and Evans streets. In 1830 James Allin, who for a year previous had been running a store on the farm of William Walker, moved to the present site of the Stipp place, on the southeast corner of Grove and East Streets (now site of the McBarnes Memorial Building). Here he established the only trading post within the present boundaries of McLean County, and thereby usurped a good share of the trade of the farmers who had previously gone to Yandalia, Mackinawtown, and Springfield to transact county business or have grain ground. "All during this period of growth in the Grove, James Allin had been maturing plans for the establishment of a county with Bloomington as its county seat. His observation had shown him that the Indian trails from the east to the west, and from Chicago to Kaskaskia (in the vicinity of Starved Rock) and the county, all crossed at this point, and he shrewdly saw that stage routes could easily be made to Early History of Bloovihigton pass over these same trails, and open the little settlement to the world. "The Orendorff families were the most prominent at the Grove, and they certainly possessed enough influence to have secured the location of a town on their land, the center of population of the district, had they so desired. Air. William Orendorff remarked, however, that he did not wish to have his land cut up into patches for a little town. "The deep snow of the winter of 1830-31 delayed the commission from assembling on the second Monday in Feb- ruary, 1831. As soon as possible thereafter they reported their selection of the site for the county seat in the OrendorfT neighborhood, but owing to the objection of Mr. Orendorff which we have given above, it could not be located there. During the session of the Legislature, James Latta and Thomas Orendorff went to the capitol with a petition for a new county. Early in 1830, Mr. Allin bought the claim of a William Evans (not related to the one who built the first house in Bloomington) which embraced the main portion of what is now the town of Bloomington, and built his store thereon. "When the Act for the incorporation of McLean County passed, three persons were named to locate the county seat who were friendly to Mr. Allin. They approved of the site which he had selected, and reported in favor of locating the county seat at the north side of Blooming Grove and calling it Blooming-ton. Becomes a County Seat "Bloomington's real history began on Independence Day 1831 — when the Nation itself was celebrating its fifty-fifth birthday. On this day the twenty-three acres which had been donated by Mr. Allin for the use of the county (having been previously divided into lots) was sold at public auction to raise money to build a court house. "The lots sold briskly, and at good prices, considering the times, the highest price paid being $69, for the site on which Holy Trinity Parish now stands the First National Bank. A court house was soon built on the land donated for that purpose, and the permanent location of the city established. In 1831 the popu- lation of Bloomington was about eighty, which was increased in 1834 to about one hundred and eighty, and in 1836, to 450. Commercial Bloomington, during this period, can not be said to have kept pace with the increase in population. "In 1836, the year in which a new brick court house was built, at a cost of $8500, the first effects of the financial dis- tress, which culminated in the panic of 1837, were felt in Bloomington. In the words of Asahel Gridley, — 'The real estate speculation was one of the causes of our financial trouble in 1836 and 1837. Town lots here at that time brought as high as $150 a lot. After the crash came, they did not bring over $5 apiece. I went to Philadelphia in 1836, and sold about $20,000 or $30,000 of these lots, which, after the panic, could be bought at almost any price. Many of the lots I sold at that time, and, in fact, the majority of the pur- chasers never thought it worth while to pay taxes on them. The lots here in Allin and Gridley's Addition would not bring over four or five dollars, and parties in the East let them go for taxes.' "In 1841 the bankruptcy law went into force, and we are told that nearly everyone doing business took advantage of it. "During this period of hard times, such men as Jesse W. Fell, Asahel Gridley, James Allin, Judge David Davis, and others, never faltered in their labors for the advancement of the young town, so that before 1845 Bloomington was again on its feet, and its growth was more rapid and substantial than before. In 1845, the population was about eight hun- dred, and in 1850 this figure had been doubled, the census taken by William McCullough giving us 1611 persons within the corporate limits of the town. "It was not until about 1850 that the effects of the panic had entirely disappeared, but the recovery had been steady and strong. At this date Bloomington had several churches, a number of good schools, and the people were taking active 6 Early History of Bloomington steps to secure a new city government, as the village organiza- tion then existing had become inadequate. An Era of Growth "This year (1850) marks the beginning of an era of pros- perity which continued through the terrible disturbance of trade and of all business interests during the Civil War. A charter was secured in 1851, which placed the city in such a position that it rapidly became one of the best governed of Illinois towns. "In 1852, great impetus was given the growth and enter- prise of the city by the establishment of the route of the Illinois Central Railroad, with Bloomington as a point on its line. On May 23, 1853, this road was running cars from LaSalle to Bloomington, and in the fall of the same year the Chicago & Alton had its line in operation from this city to Springfield. The shops of this road were located here in 1853, and as early as 1857 were employing 180 men. "When it was made certain that Bloomington was to become one of the best towns in Illinois, not only business houses but many really palatial residences were erected, among which were those of General Gridley, built at a cost of $40,000; General Orme, Governor Aaatteson, Colonel Boyd, and many others. The old (brick) Methodist Church was built in 1850; the Baptist in 1857; the Second Presbyterian also, was built about this time. The old National Bank build- ing was built in 1860; the Ashley House, which had been commenced in 1857, was completed in 1862, and many other business blocks were erected. Before 1860 there were com- pleted or in process of erection the Normal University, the old Wesleyan University, Aaajor's Female College, Conover's Female Seminary, and the Fourth Ward School. The erec- tion and operation of Flagg's large plow factory, and the many other shops, gave Bloomington the appearance of a factory town. In 1857 the jail, at the corner of Market and Center streets, was built. Holy Trinity Parish "The population of the community underwent a great change. Foreigners now began to arrive, and by 1860 we find at least two thousand, mostly Irish and German. They were all hard-working, industrious people, who for the most part had come here during the construction of the railroads and the Chicago and Alton shops, increasing the population of Bloomington to about eight thousand. "In 1866 the old postoffice (on the site of the new Griesheim Building), Schroeder's Opera House, the Liberty Block, and other buildings were completed." . . . "Population of Bloomington about twenty thou- sand in 1880 " Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois It is beyond the purview of the writer to attempt to record the magnificent and heroic labors of the early mis- sionaries in the Illinois Territory. That work has been bril- liantly done by more able pens than his. And to present our subject in the proper perspective it seems that we may well take as our starting point the times immediately preceding the arrival of the Rt. Rev. William Quarter, the first Bishop of Chicago. That occurred on May 5, 1844. Before that time there were a goodly number of Catholic settlements in Illinois. They were small ones of course. Even Chicago at that time did not contain more than 8000 souls — an estimated 3000 Catholics. The first resident pastor in Chicago was a French priest, named Rev. John Mary Ireneus St. Cyr, who was sent by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, and who arrived in Chicago, May 1, 1833. At that time Bishop Rosati was acting as Vicar General over Illinois with the authority of the Bishop of Bardstown, Kentucky. Shortly before this, a petition for a resident priest had been sent to Bishop Rosati and signed by thirty-seven Cath- olics with each name reporting the number of children in the family, and in all totalling up to one hundred twenty-eight. Nevertheless, they guaranteed that they would support a resident priest. Most of the names on the petition are either French Can- adians of Potawatomi mixed blood, and the majority on the list were evidently Potawatomi half breeds. The first letter written to Bishop Rosati by Father St. Cyr was about as lugubrious as it could be. He told the Bishop 9 Holy Trinity Parish that on arrival he had to borrow $2.50 to pay the transporta- tion on his trunk; also that if the Bishop were to write him he might have to wait some time for a reply as he did not have enough money to pay the postage; and for four years Father St. Cyr did indeed have a slender income. Nevertheless, he set about the desperate task of organizing the parish and building a small church. With the assistance of Mark Beaubien he solicited Catholics and others and let the contract for the building of the first Catholic church in Chicago. This was the original old St. Mary's, "a frame structure 36 feet long, 24 feet wide, and ceiling 12 feet high. It had a small steeple equipped with a bell — the first in Chi- cago — and the steeple surmounted by a cross." The building had cost them only $400 and was not plastered. It was some time afterwards that Father St. Cyr made a trip to St. Louis to beg for funds to get it plastered. A month after the arrival of Father St. Cyr, the village of Chicago was incorporated as a town. There were less than 200 inhabitants, living in 43 cabins along the Chicago River and Fort Dearborn. The Illinois & Michigan Canal "Even in the days of exploration and discovery men like Father Marquette, Louis Joliet, and Robert LaSalle had en- visioned the possibility and advantage of a canal connecting the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River. But it was long after their time before any action was taken. However, at the instigation of some enterprising citizens of that section of Illinois, the State Legislature of 1829 was induced to pass a measure establishing a Canal Commission which was au- thorized to locate a canal which would link Lake Michigan with the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The Commission was authorized not only to locate the Canal but to lay out towns and to sell lots and to applv the funds for the construction of the Canal." (100 Years.) 10 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois Chicago Incorporated "The Canal Commission hired a surveyor, James Thomp- son. The size of the town was to include the land between State Street on the east, Halsted Street on the west, Chicago Avenue on the north, and Madison Street on the south; about three-eighths of a square mile. The platting was simple: streets 80 feet wide were to be laid out in square blocks. The Thompson survey was filed for record on August 4, 1850." (100 Years.) The letters from Father St. Cyr to Bishop Rosati of St. Louis are interesting in showing the rapid growth of Chicago. A month after he came he wrote to Bishop Rosati: "To give you some idea of Chicago, I will tell you that since my arrival (Aiay 1, 1833) more than twenty houses have been built, while material for new ones may be seen coming on all sides. The situation of Chicago is the finest I have ever seen. Work is now proceeding on a harbor that will enable lake vessels to enter the town. Three arrived lately with passengers who came to visit these parts and in most cases to settle down. Everything proclaims that Chicago will one day become a great town and one of commercial importance." The following September he wrote again to the Bishop in a similar vein: "There is no news which might interest you, Monseigneur, apart from the extraordinary growth of Chicago, which only a little while ago was nothing but a small village. Now there is a street a mile long (Lake Street) and soon there will be two others of the same length." In June, 1834, (ten years before the coming of Bishop Quarter) he had the same story to repeat: "I cannot give you the population of Chicago exactly. The common opinion is that there are 2000 inhabitants in town and every day you see vessels and steamboats put in here from the lake, crowded with families who come to settle in Chicago. Every day new houses may be seen going up on all sides." A final quo- tation, — August 3, 1835: "The town of Chicago is growing rapidly. Immigration was so considerable that for a space of three weeks a barrel of flour sold as high as $20. A famine 11 \ Holy Trinity Parish was threatened." (100 Years.) This was almost nine years before the arrival of Bishop Quarter who came to Chicago as its first Bishop on May 5, 1844. The Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana, Is Established April, 1834 On May 6, 1834, Rev Simon Brute, S.S., was conducting a spiritual retreat for the Sisters of Mother Seton at their Mother House in Emmitsburg, Maryland, when the Papal Bull of Gregory XII appointing him Bishop of Vincennes arrived. It is said that he w^ent to the chapel immediately and opened the document and read it on his knees. He prayed fervently and pondered long before he could decide to accept the ap- pointment. But he finally did accept it, for it is considered practically an affront to the Holy See to decline an appoint- ment of this kind. The new Diocese of Vincennes included the entire State of Indiana and practically the eastern half of Illinois. The dividing line was surely by counties, and these went in a zig- zag line from the western part of Illinois above Cairo to tapering off to the northeast which perhaps meant Cook County and of course included Chicago. Bishop Rosati immediately ordered Father St. Cyr to re- turn to his home diocese, St. Louis. That city had been settled by the French and Germans. No doubt Father St. Cyr spoke German as well as French and English. Most probably Bishop Rosati needed many priests like Father St. Cyr for his rapidly growing city of St. Louis and that area. Let us observe that Bishop Rosati, by mutual arrangement, had hitherto been acting as a sort of Vicar General for the Bishop of Bardstown, Kentucky, whose See included not only the States of Kentucky and Tennessee, but gave him tempor- ary jurisdiction over the States of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and half of Arkansas, Wisconsin and Iowa. But when the Diocese of Indiana was formed it gave Bishop Brute jurisdiction over the eastern half of Illinois. When Rev. Simon Brute, S.S., had received his appoint- 12 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois ment to the See of Vincennes, he made arrangements for his consecration by Bishop Rosati of St. Louis, and immedi- ately began his journey to that city for that event. In some way Bishop Brute had learned of the order of Bishop Rosati to Father St. Cyr to return to the See of St. Louis. Needless to say this information greatly distressed him. He properly regarded Father St. Cyr as an invaluable priest for Chicago. As stated above, he spoke French, English and probably German. He was the only priest in Chicago at that time and there were some Irish, Germans and many French there. When Bishop-elect Brute arrived in St. Louis he found it difficult to arrange for a conference with Bishop Rosati on the question of permitting Father St. Cyr to remain in Chi- cago. (It seems that Bishop Rosati sought to avoid a discus- sion of that matter because he wanted Father St. Cyr back in St. Louis.) However, the Bishop-elect was not to be pushed aside so easily for it was an important issue. Seemingly, Bishop Rosati was very busy arranging for the consecration of Bishop-elect Brute and other affairs. The Bishop-elect resolved to put the issue in the form of a written memorandum to Bishop Rosati: "The days are slipping by. You are so busy that I cannot see you, or rather can see you only at a time when you ought to be giving that overburdened head and heart of yours a little repose. I write to you instead. I beg you to reconsider seriously before the Lord, the case of Mr. St. Cyr, and grant me him (or else Mr. Roux, or Mr. Loisel, or Mr. Dupuy) but Mr. St. Cyr is already known and esteemed in Chicago. In this event, I will give him $50 at first and more later on. I will go ahead of him to Chicago to announce him and pledge the people my assistance, and I will return there in the spring. "I beg you to consider first that the Holy Father who established this new diocese, desires that it be encouraged by neighboring bishops. . . . Do grant me Mr. St. Cyr for the space of a year during which time I shall endeavor to obtain some other priests." It seems difficult to determine whether Father St. Cvr was 13 Holy Trinity Parish at that time back in St. Louis, or was he just packing up pre- paratory to going there? However, from the following, quoted from the Cincinnati Telegram soon afterwards, it ap- pears that he responded rather readily to the order to return to St. Louis. The contribution is signed, "Vincennes," but undoubtedly, was sent in by Bishop Brute: "From Chicago the Bishop had the pleasant account of the return of the Rev. Mr. St. Cyr, ordained and sent by the Bishop of St. Louis to that most interesting and most rapidly growing town, the southern port of Lake Michigan, which a canal will soon connect with the Illinois River. He had been recalled to his own diocese when Chicago with a part of the State of Illinois, was attached to that of Vincennes. Our Bishop obtained his return before he left St. Louis after his consecration. A house built on the lot during the absence of Mr. St. Cyr was prepared for him. Soon that most promis- ing point may receive Sisters, perhaps have a large College, for in scarcely three years the town has advanced from a few scattered houses, to the astonishing progress of about 3000 souls. Who can tell, how much improvement a few years may enact for such a place." Although Bishop Brute came from France to the United States in 1810, and was a brilliant scholar, it is evident that his mastery of English was not so thorough. There was a reason for this. When he came to America he joined the Sulpicians of Baltimore. This was a distinctly French com- munity. The members, undoubtedly, spoke in French during the recreation periods. However, he persuaded Bishop Rosati to permit Father St. Cyr to return to Chicago where he re- mained until 1837, when he returned to the Diocese of St. Louis. He found ready employment there, and lived and labored until 1883. In his last year or more in Chicago he was given an assistant in the person of Rev. Bernard SchaerTer. 100 Years states that "It soon became manifest that the support of two clergymen was too heavy a drain on the resources of the parish. One of them had to seek another field of labor. The problem was solved in 1837 by the retirement of Father St. Cyr to St. Louis." 14 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois Perhaps the cause assigned for the retirement of Father St. Cyr to St. Louis was the real cause and perhaps it was not. Just think of a city with three streets approximately a mile long, and a large proportion of the inhabitants Catholics; even if poor, as they undoubtedly were, it seems they should have been able to support two priests. I have a suspicion that the real cause was an entirely different one. I just cannot con- ceive of a Frenchman and a German living for long under the same roof in peace and friendship. The people of these nations are so entirely different in temperament, character, and talent that it is just difficult for them to submerge their differences even when the law of Charity would urge them to do so. Human nature, being what it is, we admit that there is a potential there for something highly explosive. Of course this is only a surmise, and I hope it is not an uncharitable one. At any rate, Father St. Cyr was the central figure in the early history of Catholic Chicago. In 1835 Bishop Brute visited France to obtain young priests, if possible, to aid him in his diocese. Among those whom he brought back to America were two who were destined to succeed him as Bishop of Vincennes, viz., Father Celestine de la Hailandiere and Father Maurice de St. Palais. In the year 1838 Bishop Brute made a canonical visit to Chicago of which he gives a brief account in his halting English in a letter to Mother Rose of Emmitsburg. The letter is dated St. Rose's Day, August 30th: "Chicago, one hundred and fifty mi. north of Vincennes; on the Lake Adichigan southwest corner, a city of seven or eight thousand — largest in the diocese. Alas, so small a wooden church where I have just celebrated the Divine Sacri- fice, though we have near a thousand Catholics, they tell me, — one priest, Mr. Omera — I had a second, Mr. Schaeffer — Our Lord called him to Heaven, I hope. Arrived yesterday night from the line of the 111. Canal. I will spend till Sunday here, planning and devising for my successors. ... A small wooden church, not sufficient for a fourth part on Sunday, etc. "Within a year after this visit to Chicago, Bishop Brute died in Vincennes, June 26, 1839, at the age of sixty. His 15 Holy Trinity Parish death was due to pulmonary consumption, which developed from a cold which he caught while riding on the outside of a stagecoach in Ohio on his way to the Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1837"— (100 Years). The successor to Bishop Brute was the Right Rev. Celes- tine de la Hailandiere, who was consecrated Bishop in 1839. Chicago Becomes ax Episcopal City By a decree dated November 28, 1843, Pope Gregory XVI created the Diocese of Chicago, which embraced the entire State of Illinois. For ten years previously the eastern half of Illinois had been under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Vincennes and the western half under the Bishop of St. Louis. At this time Bishop Hailandiere was in charge of the See of Vincennes and Bishop Peter S. Kendrick, successor to Bishop Rosati, was Bishop of St. Louis. There were approximately 3000 Catholics in Chicago, out of a total population of about 8000. Of that 3000 about two- thirds spoke English and the remaining one-third seems to have preferred the German tongue. There must have been many French people and their descendants. Of these, the younger generation undoubtedly spoke English, and their elders perhaps understood it well enough and spoke it well enough to be classified as English speaking citizens. Serving the entire State of Illinois there were only 24 priests. At times the number is given as 28, but that probably included four who were invalids, or perhaps were undeter- mined whether they would remain in Illinois or move on to some other diocese. At any rate, they were administering to the spiritual care of approximately 50,000 souls in the State of Illinois. We shall refer to this later. For the present, let us state that there were only two priests laboring in Chi- cago to take care of those three thousand souls, viz., Rev. Maurice de St. Palais and Rev. J. Francis Fisher. 16 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois The First Bishop Comes to Chicago Now let us introduce the first bishop of Chicago: Rt. Rev. William Quarter. Rt. Rev. William Quarter, who became the first Bishop of Chicago, was born in Kings County, Ireland, January 24, 1806. When sixteen years of age he had finished his classical course and was contemplating entering the famous Alaynooth Seminary, when upon hearing a priest from the United States describe the great need of priests in this country, he decided to devote his life to missionary work in the United States. It must have been a severe strain upon his resolution when he contemplated how hard it would be to tear himself away from his dear parents, brothers and sisters, and his own dear native land, to depart for foreign shores. However, he never faltered in his purpose. On the 10th day of April, 1822, William Quarter left his native land and sailed for Quebec, Canada. Eventually, he arrived at Alt. St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland, in the early days of the following September. The President of the College, the Rev. Dr. Dubois, was so favorably impressed by the fine personality and charming manner of the young seminarian that he had a rather long private interview with him. This revealed that the young man had made an excellent classical course and was well founded in Greek, Latin, and Algebra, so that Dr. Dubois at once appointed him teacher in these subjects. It may be observed here that in those days it was not unusual to employ seminarians as teachers in the College Department. It had a twofold advantage: it permitted semi- narians who were in poor circumstances to earn their way through the seminary, and it also made them more proficient in their preparatory work. If one would thoroughly learn a subject, let him teach it. Doing that may be something of a revelation in many cases. Rev. Dr. Dubois was consecrated Bishop of New York October 29, 1826. By that time he had acquired an admira- tion and affection for Air. William Quarter that was little 17 Holy Trinity Parish short of what a natural father would have for a talented and ever faithful son. When Bishop Dubois left the College of which he was the founder, he took with him all the documents which Wil- liam Quarter had presented to him on his entrance to the Sem- inary, including his Exeat, an episcopal permission to a young- cleric to enter another diocese from that of his birth. Evi- dently, it was arranged that when .Mr. Quarter would have finished his theological course he would be ordained a priest for the Diocese of New York. When that time came the Archbishop of Baltimore would have been happy to keep him as a priest of his diocese. The College of Alt. St. Mary's, Emmitsburg, would have liked to retain him as a professor on its faculty, but the bonds of filial-paternal affection were too strong. On September 14, 1829, William Quarter left his lovely Alma Mater on the slope of the Blue Ridge .Mountains, to enter the hurly burly atmosphere of New York City. He reached New York City on the 16th of the same month. The next morning Bishop DuBois administered all minor Orders and Subdeaconship; the following day, Deaconship; and on Saturday he was ordained a priest. On the day after the ordination, Bishop DuBois left for Europe, leaving his diocese in charge of Rev. Dr. Power, pastor of St. Peter's Parish. Dr. Power, as Administrator, took up his residence in the Bishop's house and appointed Rev. Joseph Smith Administrator of St. Peter's, and gave him as assistant Rev. William Quarter. In the years following, the awful plague — cholera — hit the city and hit it hard. Father Quarter distinguished himself by his devotion to the victims. Glowing pages might be written to tell of his tender devotion to the afflicted and his heroic self sacrifice, if space permitted. When the rebuilt Church of St. Mary's, New York City, was dedicated, June 9, 183 3, the Rt. Rev. Bishop DuBois an- nounced at the close of the ceremonies that he was appoint- ing Rev. William Quarter to be its pastor. He did splendid work there, but that would be a long story. 18 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois Father Quarter continued his work at St. Mary's in New York City until he was consecrated the first Bishop of Chi- cago. From that outstanding publication of the Archdiocese of Chicago, entitled 100 Years, I quote the following: "His accomplishments as a shepherd of souls were so outstanding that no one was surprised when the Apostolic Letter of Greg- ory XVI arrived in February, 1844, designating him the first Bishop of Chicago. On March 10th he was consecrated in St. Patrick's Cathedral at the early age of thirty-eight, by the Rt. Rev. John Hughes, Bishop of New York, assisted by the Rt. Rev. Benedict J. Fen wick, Bishop of Boston, and the Rt. Rev. Richard Whelan, Bishop of Richmond. Consecrated with Bishop Quarter were the Rt. Rev. Andrew Byrne, first Bishop of Little Rock, and the Rt. Rev. John McCloskey, Coadjutor Bishop of New York." For the sake of clarity, I wish to ob- serve that at that time a Bishop was designated as "Right Reverend." Only an Archbishop was given the title of "A4ost Reverend," and even Bishop John Hughes was not then an Archbishop. There was not an Archbishop in the United States at that time except the Archbishops of Balti- more, St. Louis, and New Orleans. "Anxious as Bishop Quarter was to reach the scene of his new Apostolate, much work remained to be finished at St. Adary's before his departure. It was April 18 when he bade New York a fond farewell together with his brother, Rev. Walter Quarter, who had been pastor of St. Peter's Church in Jersey City." (J 00 Years.) Let us observe a rather long delay there. Perhaps the reason was as indicated. At any rate there was a delay of thirty-eight days. I have a suspicion that Bishop Quarter had been advised as to what he would encounter when he would arrive at his new See in Chicago and that he made a trip down to his old Alma Mater, Alt. St. Alary 's, Emmitsburg, for the purpose of prevailing on some of the seminarians to join him later in Chicago, and he may have visited St. Mary's, Baltimore, for the same purpose. This suspicion is justified, I think, by the fact, as we shall learn later, that the Bishop 19 Holy Trinity Parish was in Chicago only a few weeks when he had several sem- inarians there who were almost ready for ordination. As stated above the Bishop and his brother, Rev. Walter Quarter, left New York on April 18th, and arrived in Chicago on Sunday morning, the 5th day of May. No doubt he was tired, but he celebrated the early Mass in the old frame church of St. Mary's. During the previous year Father de St. Palais had been building a brick church at the southwest corner of Madison Street and Wabash Avenue, where the Heyworth Building now stands. A tablet affixed to the wall of that structure by The Illinois Catholic Historical Society in 1932 bears this inscription: "Here stood the old St. Mary's Cathedral Church of the first five Catholic Bishops of Chicago: Quarter, Van de Velde, O'Regan, Duggan and Foley. Opened for Divine Services December 25, 1843. Destroyed in the Great Fire of October 8-9, 1871." Bishop Quarter preached at the High Mass at 10:30 that first Sunday morning in the new brick church. The church impressed him as "a very respectable building." It was 100 feet long and 55 feet wide, but while it had been roofed over and occupied since the previous Christmas, there was not any plastering on the walls or ceiling. The front steps were of rough plank; the front doors of rough boards; the altar was a temporary one set up against the west wall; the sacristy had not been built, and worst of all there was a heavy in- debtedness on the church and on the land which had been purchased for the Catholic cemetery. The indebtedness on the church was approximately $3000. The Bishop and his brother decided that the congregation would find it impossible to pay ofT this debt and provide funds to finish the Cathedral, so they very generously resolved to pool their private funds, which could not have been great, and pay off that indebtedness. Obviously they felt that the ceme- tery debt could be carried and ultimately paid off. But they would set an example of generosity and self sacrifice for the poor members of their faith in Chicago. As previously stated, before the Episcopal See of Chicago 20 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois was established, the eastern portion of the state, including Chicago, had been under the jurisdiction of the See of Vin- cennes, and about an equal portion to the west was under the Archbishop of St. Louis. When the Archbishop and Bishop learned of the establishment of the new Diocese of Chicago, they immediately summoned their priests home. Perhaps a time limit was placed upon the compliance with this order; e.g. } when the new bishop arrives in Chicago. There is not any question about their having a perfect right to do this, according to the Canon Law of the time, but there is a vast difference between doing what the law permits and what The Golden Rule commands. I do not have any doubt that both needed more priests very urgently, because of the rapid in- crease in the Catholic population in each diocese. However, the entire matter could have been amicably solved, had greater charity prevailed. It is the privilege and even the duty of an historian — even an amateur — to criticise events which meet with his disap- proval. In this instance, my sympathies are entirely with Bishop Quarter. Previously we have had the case of Father St. Cyr of Chi- cago being recalled home to the Diocese of St. Louis (by Bish- hop Rosati) when the Episcopal See of Vincennes was estab- lished with the eastern half of Illinois, including Chicago, within its territory. But Bishop Rosati listened to the plead- ing of Bishop Brute of Vincennes, and permitted Father St. Cyr to remain in Chicago for several years longer. It seems that at first the permission was grudgingly given, but to the credit of Bishop Rosati he permitted Father to remain in Chi- cago. No doubt he had done many things to merit an eternal reward. I think that was one of them. It seems certain that Bishop Quarter pleaded with both of the bishops to permit their priests to remain for a while, until he could find some replacements, and that he also pleaded with the priests then in Illinois to remain at their posts, pending negotiations with their bishops. But the two bishops were adamant. Shortly after the arrival of Bishop Quarter in Chicago, 21 Holy Trinity Parish he found he had only eight priests in the entire State of Illi- nois, — two of these in Chicago. The Catholic population of Chicago was estimated at 3000 souls. The Catholic population of Illinois was estimated at 50,000 and they were settled in small groups, almost inaccessible in many cases because of very poor roads. I think that dear old Thackeray used to begin a paragraph occasionally with the apology, "Dear Reader, be patient with me while I explain . . . ." This great shortage of priests for his extensive diocese of approximately 55,000 square miles was of great concern to Bishop Quarter. As intimated above, he was delayed about thirty-eight days after his consecretion before leaving New York City because he wanted to visit old Alt. St. Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, and possibly St. Mary's Semin- ary, Baltimore, to pick up as many seminarians as he could to assist him in his new diocese. We do not know how many he got. Of course not all of them came West immediately. But they came year after year; we might say month after month. In the "Diary" of the Bishop we find this entry: "May 25, 1844. I ordained to the priesthood today, Rev- erends Patrick McAlahon, of County Cavan, and Bernard AlcGorisk, of County Armagh, Ireland, in St. Alary 's Cathe- dral. They are the two first to receive Holy Orders in the Diocese of Chicago." That was twenty days after his arrival in Chicago, and evidently on Saturday. Rev. Jeremiah Kin- sella was ordained July 7th of that year. Three new priests within two months! That was only a start — but surely a good one. It should be observed that since 1844, Canon Law (Church Law) has been vastly improved. Bishops of a "Mother Diocese" are no longer permitted to call their sub- jects home when a diocese is divided. In the "Diary" of Bishop Quarter for May 12th, second Sunday after his arrival in Chicago, we find the following: "I called a meeting of the congregation to be held for Alon- day evening at 7 P.A1. to take into consideration the best mode of raising subscriptions to plaster the Cathedral. The meeting was held and good spirits prevailed; the city was divided into 22 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois districts with a central committee, the returns to be made by the collectors in a fortnight." It seems that the plan was successful in getting the plaster- ing done, but it took a long time and much effort to complete the Cathedral. In the meantime Bishop Quarter clearly saw what he had undoubtedly realized from the start, viz., that the St. Mary's College (the old frame church) and the one- story frame quarters which he had erected as a "wing" to his residence was not the solution of the big problem of pro- viding priests for his diocese. He had vision. He believed that Chicago, because of its favorable location, was bound to become the metropolis of the midwest. He could envision the fertile prairies of Illinois becoming thickly settled and great quantities of grain and livestock would pass through Chicago to the eastern cities and New Orleans, and so to Europe. The towns and settlements in Illinois would grow, and others would be established. Many priests would be needed to take care of the faithful who would soon come to this territory. Fortunately, he had more than vision. He had extraor- dinary faith and confidence in Almighty God and so had the courage to undertake what would seem the impossible. A real seminary was needed; he resolved to provide it. The Catholics of Chicago were laboring to complete their Cathe- dral, the brick church which Rev. Maurice de St. Palais had built but left in a very greatly unfinished condition. Bishop Quarter could not count on any help from the Catholics of Chicago just then to help him build a seminary. He sent appealing letters to the President of The Propaga- tion of the Faith which had been established at Lyons, France, to help out poor missions, and to the President of the Leo- poldine Foundation, Vienna, Austria, which had been estab- lished for a similar purpose. To both of these organizations he made clear the extreme need of doing what he proposed doing with their assistance, and he implored their help at once. However, he felt that perhaps he also had an additional resource. He would return to New York City, where he had labored several years, and where he had many friends. With 23 Holy Trinity Parish the consent of Bishop Hughes (he later became an Arch- bishop, the first in New York) and the consent of the various pastors, Bishop Quarter would appeal for help for his des- perate needs. It is stated that Bishop Hughes gave his consent grudg- ingly. Perhaps the Bishop of New York was then building St. Patrick's Cathedral, and, if so, we can easily understand why he was not exactly enthusiastic about any funds being telescoped to the nascent Diocese of Chicago. No doubt many pastors, who had their own serious problems, were like- minded. At any rate, the mission of Bishop Quarter was very suc- cessful. He collected the sum of $3123.80, and that under the circumstances was, if not extraordinary, at least very consoling to Bishop Quarter. With that sum, and what he re- ceived from The Propagation of the Faith, Lyons, France, and from The Leopoldine Foundation, Vienna, Austria, it seems he had enough to build his new Seminary. It was to be a large frame building, three stories high, set on a good foundation, and provided with a good basement. The plans were drawn up and contracts let on October 17, 1845. The building was completed and dedicated July 4, 1846 — just two years and lacking one day of two months after the arrival of Bishop Quarter in Chicago. The new building was opened as a College and Seminary. It was the Bishop's plan to make it the core and very heart of the University of St. Mary of the Lake. The University was afterwards added to this building, and constituted an imposing structure. It was very successful for a time, but ultimately fell into financial and other difficulties which, though sad, did not occur until years after the death of the heroic Bishop Quarter, and so need not detain us here. It is proper to note that in the midst of all these activities, Bishop Quarter endeavored to visit every part of his vast Diocese of approximately 55,000 square miles. The canal was finished down to Ottawa, or near there, when he arrived in Chicago. Trips to Galena, then considerable of a copper and lead mining town, LaSalle, and many other points were 24 Early History of the Catholic Church in Illinois reached in a buggy or farm wagon. Sometimes he had to give up because of floods of creeks, etc. He never spared himself in promoting the building of churches and administering Con- firmation, and encouraging his priests in their difficult mis- sions. From his "Diary" this is all too plainly evident. Also, when in Chicago on Sunday, he celebrated a Pontifical High A4ass at which he invariably preached. He would preach again at Vespers in the afternoon or the evening. He must have had a wonderfully strong constitution. He surely had unbounded zeal and tremendous energy, but he was attempting to do more than the frame of mortal man can endure. On the Sunday evenings during Lent, 1848, Bishop Quar- ter had been delivering a series of sermons, and "on the even- ing of Passion Sunday, after a rather lengthy and eloquent discourse, it was observed that his whole frame visibly trem- bled, his voice gave out, but not until he said: "On next Sun- day, I will conclude.' Alas, that voice was hushed in death the following Sunday. "About 2 o'clock on Passion Monday morning, a few hours after the Bishop had retired to his room, the Rev. P. T. AIcElearne, who resided in the Bishop's house, was awakened by hearing loud moans, coming from the Bishop's apartments, as if he were suffering with intense agony and pain. Father AIcElearne hastened to the Bishop's bedchamber, where he found him walking to and fro, complaining of a 'burning headache.' The young priest requested the Bishop to lie down, as a means of relief. He then aroused the household, and immediately sent a messenger for medical assistance. Father AIcElearne, on his return to the Bishop's bedroom, found the sufferer's strength rapidly failing and the symptoms of approaching dissolution becoming clearly visible. He therefore proceeded without any delay to administer the last sacraments to his dying Bishop. Scarcely had he finished when the saintly Bishop Quarter, uttering the words 'Lord, have mercy on my poor soul,' sank apparently into a deep slumber, — it was the sleep of death." — Life of Bishop Mc- Mullen, by Rev. James J. AlcGovern, D.D. I have purposely continued "The History of the Early 25 Holy Trinity Parish Catholic Church in Illinois" down through the years of the first Bishop, to present a perspective, though briefly given, of the great trials, hardships, and heroic labors of the great Bishop Quarter. More eloquent men than he there undoubt- edly were, though he was a very persuasive speaker, but for zeal, courage, self sacrifice, and success in his undertakings, I doubt if he has had any superior in Illinois even to this day. The Rt. Rev. James Oliver Van de Velde became his successor and was consecrated in the Cathedral of St. Louis on Sexagesima Sunday, 1849. 26 Pioneer Days The Holly-O'Brien Tradition Tradition is not history, and every historian knows that it tends to grow in the course of time and often takes on embellishments which greatly magnify the original story. However, traditions may have real value because they may give a clue to events which may be ascertained upon further research, and thus history may be established on matters which were previously unknown; and it may sometimes happen that even if certainty is not established by further research, at least a degree of probability may be acquired. Though not final, even that has some value as an adjunct to history. Through the Holly-O'Brien Tradition we have been able to establish one important fact, viz., that on July 21, 1852, the Rev. Alphonso Montuori, second pastor of St. Mary's Church, Peoria, visited Bloomington and baptized at least five infants there. Now let us take up the Holly-O'Brien Tradition. Miss Mary C. Gleeson and her sister Airs. Leslie Stone, who live at 2011 East Taylor Street in Bloomington, feel certain that they remember the Holly-O'Brien tradition very well, for they often heard the stories of those early days as recounted by their maternal grandfather, Thomas Holly, who lived until 1908. Miss Gleeson has written for me an account of the family tradition, which I have taken as the basis for this "Pioneer Days" chapter on the Catholics in Bloomington. It is as follows: Thomas Holly came from Ireland to New York City in 1843 or 1844. William O'Brien and Johanna, his sister, came from Ireland a year or two later. They had all lived in Cashel, in Tipperary, and doubtless were acquainted before coming 27 Holy Trinity Parish to America. At any rate, in 1847, Thomas Holly and Johanna O'Brien were married in New York City, and shortly after their marriage they and William O'Brien de- cided to move to Illinois. William O'Brien was a farmer, and his main objective in moving West was the hope that he might find desirable farm land which he could afford to buy. The trip was a difficult one, — the usual route in those days being via boat from New York City to Albany, the second stage of the journey by another boat through the New York and Erie Canal to Buffalo, thence across Lake Erie to Detroit. By the year 1847 there was transportation by railroad and stage from Detroit to New Buffalo on the eastern shore of Lake Michi- gan, and from that point Chicago was reached by steamboat. Upon arrival in Chicago they learned that the Illinois Central Railroad was contemplating the building of its line south from LaSalle, and it seemed likely to the brothers-in-law that employment could soon be had on that project, and that such employment might incidentally furnish opportunity for exploring the country in the central part of Illinois, even then famous as fertile farm land. Accordingly, early in the spring of 1849, Thomas and William decided to start south. Mrs. Holly and her infant daughter Bridget, born in November 1848, remained in Chicago, companioned by a young lady named Bridget Liddy, who had come from Ireland on the same ship as the O'Briens, and who had accompanied them on the trip from New York to Chicago. The Illinois and Michigan Canal had been completed from Chicago to Ottawa in 1844, and by this means the brothers- in-law traveled to Ottawa. One might wonder why they stopped in Ottawa, for the canal was completed down to LaSalle in the summer of 1848, and this was the spring of 1849. The only conceivable explanation I can give is that some of their relatives and friends had gone down as far as Ottawa in the four previous years and settled there, perhaps pretty largely on farms, and that the two travelers spent an enjoyable week or more with them. 28 Pioneer Days Then, according to the Tradition, the young men decided to walk to Bloomington. Why they did not take a boat down to LaSalle, which would have shortened their trip by about fifteen miles, is a puzzle. The Tradition, however, says that they walked from Ottawa to Bloomington. There was an old trail which led from Ottawa to the point where Lexington now stands, and thence to Bloomington. The brothers-in-law were not without some funds, but they sought to conserve them as much as possible. The distance from Ottawa to Bloomington is at least seventy-two miles over our modern roads and bridges. In those days it may have been close to ninety miles along the primitive trail which led from Ottawa to Bloomington. It is related that long afterwards, as they recalled their experiences on the trip, they narrated how the pioneer farmers, who were few and far between, were most hospitable to them so far as their limited circumstances would permit, — perhaps fur- nishing them a comforter on the floor for a bed, and a scant and not very satisfying breakfast of boiled potatoes, salt pork, coffee, and bread and butter in the morning, and then the two would again be on their way. By noon they would be famished, but, characteristic of their race, they were reluctant to beg for food. They often dared each other to stop at some little home and make a plea for something to eat, but neither would take the "dare," and when they did stop the request invariably would be for a "drink of water." They arrived in Bloomington perhaps in the middle of April, 1849. On inquiring as to the prospects for employ- ment, they were directed to General Asahel Gridley and Mr. David Davis, two prominent citizens of the little town, and among its most ardent promoters. They were assured by both these gentlemen that there would be plenty of work in the Bloomington area for many years to come; that with the expected arrival of two railroads Bloomington would soon be a busy and prosperous community, and they were urged to bring their families and make it their home. "Is there a Catholic Church here?" asked O'Brien. 29 Holy Trinity Parish "Not yet,' 1 said Air. Gridley, "but this town is going to grow and grow rapidly, and there soon will be many Catholics and a Catholic Church here." Thomas Holly and William O'Brien found plenty of work in the vicinity of Bloomington and concluded that it would be a good place in which to live. William purchased a team of horses and a wagon, and in the spring of 1850 they drove to Chicago to bring Johanna Holly and her baby, and Bridget Liddy, to Bloomington to make it their permanent home. On May 5, 1850, the little group arrived in Bloom- ington, the population of which at that time was only 1611. On May 14, 1850, Bridget Liddy and William O'Brien went to Peoria where they were married by the Rev. Raphael Rainaldo, pastor of St. Alary 's Church, the first Catholic parish in Peoria, which was organized some time before 1850. There was no Catholic church nearer to Bloomington. Bridget Liddy O'Brien was described as a very beautiful and vivacious young woman. She had lived in Dublin and had made a trip to Australia before coming to America, and was not at all sure that she would be satisfied to live in the "wilderness" of pioneer Illinois, but once having decided to do so, she put her whole heart and soul and considerable ability, into the job of making their home. She sold for $50 a very valuable shawl which she had brought with her from Ireland, and with that money purchased the lot at 506 East Jefferson street where the O'Brien home was built, — the house wherein was celebrated the first Mass ever said in Bloomington. According to this family tradition, the first Catholic to arrive in Bloomington was Michael Winn, whose name was more properly spelled "Wynne," who arrived on May 7, 1847. He acquired a home on West Chestnut Street, where many of the later arriving Catholic Irish immigrants roomed and boarded until they got more favorably located. According to the story of the New World Centennial Edition, and also Father Weldon's story. Golden Jubilee Year, 1903, the second Catholic to reach Bloomington was John P. Maloncy, on March 15, 1850. If our Holly-O'Brien Tradition 30 Pioneer Days is correct, and I think it is, the second and third Catholics to reach Bloomington were Thomas Holly and William O'Brien. They left Ottawa in April, 1849. To walk to Bloomington would require only about three days of good weather. Even presuming that there were some rainy days, and no possible "lifts" on the way, they should have made it in a week. That would mean that they arrived in Bloomington perhaps be- fore May 1, 1849. I think this is quite likely, because from the Tradition it seems that they worked in Bloomington or vicinity for some time before they brought the family of Thomas Holly, and Bridget Liddy, down to Bloomington. Confusion of dates may be expected in a Tradition; the main facts given are likely to have some worth. In this instance it seems that notice was taken only of the arrival of Mrs. Thomas Holly and infant, and Bridget Liddv, — and none whatever of the earlier arrival of Holly and O'Brien. But most pastors know only too well of the ineptitude of newspapers when they endeavor to condense space and shorten a story. It is fairly certain that Mrs. Hollv and her child Bridget, with Miss Bridget Liddv, arrived in Bloomington about May 5, 1850. It is not stated tha*: John P. .Maloney was a married man when he arrived in Bloomington on March 15, 1850. We do know that Thomas Holly was a married man, and that his wife lived in Chicago, when he and William O'Brien came to Bloomington in the spring of 1849. And when he brought his wife and child to Bloomington on May 5, 1850, his may have been the third, if not the second, Catholic family to arrive in Bloomington. It is interesting to remember that the vears 1846, 1847, 1 848, and 1 849 were the vears of the great famine in Ireland, when a peculiar blight fell upon the growing potato crop and it iust wilted away. Many thousands of poor Irish actually starved to death. America sent over several shiploads of corn to be ground into meal for their relief. The British Govern- ment set up "soup or gruel kitchens," but no one was permit- ted to partake of the food there served unless he Mould re- nounce his allegiance to the Catholic religion and attend the 31 Holy Trinity Parish Anglican Church or another Protestant church. And to the great credit of the hungry Irish, they preferred to die of starvation rather than become renegades to their religion. All who could get transportation to the hospitable shores of American eagerly availed themselves of the opportunity. They came in many thousands, — most of them as cabin pas- sengers, where many died of "ship fever" — cholera. Thomas Holly came from Ireland several years before 1847. So did William O'Brien and his sister Johanna, but many of those Irish Catholics who found their way to Bloomington and its vicinity in the early 1850's were new arrivals from Ireland in the great immigration during those years of famine. We encounter a real difficulty in endeavoring to account for a part of the Holly-O'Brien Tradition which affirms that Julia O'Brien, daughter of William and Bridget Liddy O'Brien, born February 6, 1851, was the first Catholic child baptized in Bloomington. We know that Peoria was the resi- dence of the nearest priest during the pastorates of Father Rainaldo and Father Montuori. I have carefully searched the baptismal records of the old St. Mary's in Peoria back to 1 849, and through the years until the arrival of Father O'Hara in Bloommgton, November 4, 1853, and I could not find any record of such baptism. I also have carefully searched the baptismal records at St. Patrick's Church, LaSalle, and St. Columba's, Ottawa, but without any success. The records at Pekin do not go back that far. Nor is there any record of her baptism in the Old St. Mary's in Chicago, now pre- served in the vault of the present St. Mary's on Wabash Avenue, in Chicago. It seems that almost beyond a doubt this Julia O'Brien was the first Catholic child baptized in Bloomington, but when, and by what priest, we do not know. \\ e do know that at this time there were stagecoaches operating out of Bloomington to Peoria, Danville, Chicago, Decatur, and Springfield. In fact it was the heydey of a very large stagecoach line with its center in Bloomington. We have vivid accounts in the Pantagraph of how the 32 Pioneer Days coaches and four swung out of their coach yard with clocklike regularity every day for points to Danville on the east and Peoria on the west. This was the most profit- able line. A line from Bloomington to Chicago was next best. One to Springfield was rather irregular, and one to Decatur was least profitable of all. I quote from the Bloomington Bulletin of June 5, 1910, as preserved in "Airs. Sanders' Clippings," at the McLean County Historical Society: "When John W. Ewing conducted the old National Hotel, on the north side of Front Street between Alain and Center, the stage yard adjoined it on the west, where the old coaches and their teams of four were stabled. "In 1855 it cost to ride in the John Frink & Co. stage line from Chicago to Peoria, via Ottawa, Joliet and Peru, 160 miles, $10 in winter, $8 in summer; from Peoria to Springfield the fare was $4." It would seem that the fares were not excessive. These stagecoaches very generally obtained contracts for carry- ing the mail from town to town, and this constituted an important part of their revenue. But to return to the baptism of Julia O'Brien. In an address delivered by Rev. J. J. Burke before the McLean County Historical Society about the middle of March, 1906, to w r hich reference shall be made later, Father Burke started: "The first Catholic child baptized in Bloomington was Julia O'Brien, The priest, probably Father Alontuori, came from Peoria and said Mass in the home of William O'Brien, and after the Mass he baptized Julia O'Brien and some other children." It is evident that Father Burke, while ascribing the bap- tism to 1851, has confused it with the visit to Bloomington made by Father Alontuori on July 21, 1852. This is the only date under which I found baptisms from Bloomington entered in the Baptismal Register of the old St. Mary's Church, Peoria. Under that date I found the following infants listed as baptized in Bloomington by Father A. Alontuori: 33 Holy Trinity Parish James Harmon, born Aug. 19, 1850, of James and Mary Harmon. George Harmon, born May 23, 1852, of James and Mary Harmon. Catherine Holly, born July 16, 1851, of Thomas and Johanna Holly. Michael Gleason, born June 17, 1852, of Patrick and Helen Gleason. Thomas Kane, born June 26, 1852, of Michael and Elizabeth Kane. The name of Julia O'Brien does not occur on this list. Let us observe that Father Montuori was the guest at the home of William O'Brien, where he celebrated the first Mass ever said in Bloomington so far as we know, and baptized the above mentioned five infants. Can we con- ceive of any priest, under the circumstances, baptizing the child of his host and neglecting to record it? It might be possible, but I can hardly believe it would be even probable. My interpretation of the matter is that because of the stagecoaches mentioned above, either Father Rainaldo or Father Montuori came over from Peoria by stagecoach in 1851 and baptized Julia O'Brien, and failed to record it. That does not happen very often, and when it does, it is not a matter of neglect most likely, but because of other matters such as an urgent sick call, or perhaps because the priest is unwell and goes to bed and forgets about the recording of the baptism. In this instance it is a choice of selecting between what seems patently the improbable and the more probable. There is another part of the Holly-O'Brien Tradition which should not be passed over. It relates that William O'Brien, a very stalwart Catholic, realized that there were children in Bloomington of Catholic parents who had never been baptized, and a considerable number of Catholics who had not received the sacraments for some time, and he determined to do something about it. He had a team of horses which he used in grading on the railroad. My memory 34 Pioneer Days goes back to the days of a little more than a generation later, when most of the farm horses in Illinois were of rather scrubby stock, and perhaps one-fourth broncho. On the average they would not weigh over 1200 pounds, but they were as tough as "whang." It is most likely that William O'Brien had some correspondence with the Catholic priest in Peoria. I assume that it was Father Montuori. It seems to me that because of excessive rains, grading on the railroad would have to be delayed; the stagecoaches could not get through, so the resolute William O'Brien bor- rowed an extra saddle and led one of his horses, while he rode the other, over to Peoria to bring a priest to Bloomington. He could hardly have done better than make the trip over there in one day. It must have been over fifty miles, and over poor roads, and that would have been a good day's ride for man and horse. It would seem to require one day for each way trip, or four days in all, to get the priest to Bloomington, back to Peoria, and for W T illiam to make his return trip home. It seems that this did not deter the deter- mined Catholic. Presumably there was a flood on, and no grading could be done anyhow. At any rate, according to the Tradition, he brought a priest over from Peoria to Bloomington. When? I do not know. My surmise is that it was on July 21, 1852, when he brought Father Montuori to Bloomington to celebrate the first Mass ever said in Bloomington and to baptize those five children. The Tradition says that there were "nineteen" among those present at that first Mass. I doubt if there could have been that many present earlier than July 21, 1852. Of course this is mere conjecture, but I would fix the story of that heroic horseback ride at that date. It seems to me that the first Mass ever celebrated in Bloomington was by Father Alphonso Montuori from St. Mary's Parish, Peoria, on July 21, 1852. The names of the nineteen persons among those present at the first Bloomington Mass, as preserved in the Tradition, were Mr. Michael Winn, Mr. and Mrs. John P. Maloney, 35 Holy Trinity Parish Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Spellman, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Dwyer, Mr. Patrick O'Brien, Mr. John Ryan, Mr. and Mrs. John Mahoney, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Flannery, Mr. William O'Neill, Mr. Peter Madden, Mr. and Mrs. William O'Brien, and Mr. and iYlrs. Thomas Holly — exactly nineteen. The names as given in the Centennial Edition of the Neuo World, of August, 1900, number only eighteen. That of Michael Wynne is omitted. Father Weldon's brief History of the Parish, published in 1903, substitutes the name of Bernard McElvaney. It is quite likely that the Thomas Holly list of names was compiled from memory some years after this event and that both of these gentlemen attended the first Mass celebrated in the home of William O'Brien July 21, 1852. The story of a china pitcher used for baptisms will be dealt with under the Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara, where it properly belongs. In that chapter we shall encounter the names of Thomas Holly and William O'Brien again. 36 Two Railroads Come to Bloomington Everyone knows that the railroads have played a very important part in the development of our country, and in fact of every country. And as the very arteries of commerce, and military operations, they still play an important part. In the early days of our country they provided the means of transportation of farm products to the cities, and of shipping food and merchandise from the big cities to the smaller ones and to the small towns. They provided means of travel in the days when there were not any concrete highways, which were planned and constructed after the invention of the auto- mobile. Then the demand for hard roads became imperative. The beginning of the automobile era was approximately sixty years after the first railroads were built through Illinois. Be- fore that, merchandise was hauled by horses or mules from the larger cities along waterways to the smaller towns. From Chicago and Peoria, towns like Bloomington were supplied. Likewise farm products were sent to market the same way. The building of the Illinois-Michigan Canal from Chicago to LaSalle helped enormously. The trails over which these wagon loads of merchandise or farm products traveled were also used by stagecoaches to haul passengers and mail from place to place. But there were really few roads worthy of the name, and few bridges over rivers and streams. Consequently there were times dur- ing the winter and spring months when transportation by that method was just impossible. And so the coming of the railroads meant a great blessing to the people of Illinois. The year 1853 meant a great deal to Bloomington, for in that year two railroads entered the city. The first train to 37 Holy Trinity Parish enter Bloomington was over the Illinois Central from LaSalle, on A lay 23rd. It is related that farmers came with their families in wagons to witness the event. No doubt many of them, especially of the younger generation, had never seen a train before. Then, too, it is quite likely that a great number of these Irish farmers had relatives and friends from LaSalle and Ottawa who were coming down on that train to visit them and perhaps spend a few days in Bloomington. At any rate it is recorded that it was the largest crowd assembled in Blooming- ton up to that time. Since the Illinois Central was the first railroad to enter Bloomington, and because of the large part which it played in the early development of the State, and the large part it still plays in service to the State by its long lines to the south and west, the construction of this railroad well deserves more than a passing notice. The Illinois Central really enabled the State of Illinois to develop its vast resources, its fertile prairie land, its rich coal fields, and its great waterways over Lake Michigan and the iMississippi River. In the early years of the present century, Governor Len Small was reelected Governor of Illinois, perhaps a couple of times, on the slogan, "He pulled us out of the mud," be- cause of his ardent advocacy of building hard roads, which the invention and development of the automobile had made imperative. More than a half century earlier the Illinois Central Railroad had pulled us out of the swamps and vast stretches of almost inaccessible prairie lands by its lines from Cairo to what is now East Dubuque, Illinois, through Free- port and Galena, and its line from Centralia to Chicago. The need for better roads and better means of transporta- tion was fairly dramatized to the early citizens of Illinois by the breaking out of the Black Hawk War in 1832. In the early spring of that year Black Hawk, wily old chief of the Sauk Tribe, had crossed the Mississippi River in violation of his treaty with the Government. With several hundreds of his warriors he proceeded up the valley of the Rock River to his old camping ground. He protested that his plans were Tivo Railroads Come to Bloomington peaceful; he only wanted to raise corn for his tribe in Iowa, but his braves pillaged the country, terrified the inhabitants, and stole their livestock. At that time General Atkinson commanded a small Fed- eral fort at the mouth of the Rock River, but his force was entirely inadequate to deal with the situation. Consequently he appealed to Governor John Reynolds of Illinois. Incidentally, it might be noted here that although Kaskas- kia is usually listed as the first Capital of Illinois, and that is true, for it was the territorial capital of the Illinois Territory which also included Wisconsin, when Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818, the first action of the duly appointed dele- gates, after drawing up the State Constitution, was to pass a resolution to the effect that henceforward the capital of Illi- nois would be located in Vandalia. It remained there for exactly twenty years. In 1838 it was officially removed to Springfield, but actually it was in 1839 that the work of the capital was performed in Springfield. Governor John Reynolds, in response to General Atkin- son's request, issued an urgent appeal for troops, naming Beardstown, about 200 miles to the northwest, as the place for assemblage. It is said that he got plenty of good recruits. He met them at Beardstown. His problem now was to get them to the vicinity of the Rock River Valley. His experience was a trying one. There were not any wagon roads worthy of the name. Often the men walked through vast sloughs and marshland. At times they waded through streams up to their armpits, and when they got to high land they did not have a dry stitch of clothing on their bodies. The Commissary Department bogged down hope- lessly. Horses and mules got stuck in pulling the wagons over the marshland. The department did not have sufficient horses or mules to transport more than a limited amount of food by pack animals, but it did all that was humanly possible to sup- ply the recruits. At times the supplies were seriously inade- quate. The dictum of Napoleon that "an army travels on its belly" must remain everlastingly true. Ill-fed troops means 39 Holy Trinity Parish mutiny and desertion. But while the gripe was often ex- pressed: "When do we eat?" the commissary did manage to feed the troops, and there was not any mutiny nor was there any desertion. They drove the Indians back across the .Mississippi River, though there was a merciless slaughter of many Sauks before they were allowed to cross the river, and more heartless still, a tribe of Indians on the Iowa side of the river was encouraged by our military commanders to more than decimate those who did get across. Alas! "man's in- humanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn." But when the Black Hawk War was ended, every soldier who had participated in it was convinced by his own experi- ence that something should be done to provide means of transportation, for reasons of security and for travel from the southern to the northwestern portion of the State, and to every part of the State — a consummation to be devoutly wished for — but how to accomplish it? "Old men shall dream dreams and young men shall see visions," said the prophet of old. When these young men returned from the Black Hawk War they were reading of a very novel means of transportation: cars on rails drawn by steam engines. A few short lines had been built in the East. It seems that the rails were of wood, capped with plates of iron, and these laid down over wooden ties. The engines were wood burners, and traveled only about twelve miles per hour. Even so, what an advantage that would be for Illinois! Thus the possibility and desirability of a steam railroad for Illinois had its inception. To abbreviate a long story as much as is possible, and more than is possible, in fact, the idea developed that Illinois should have a railroad connecting Cairo with other lines. It would be a long story to recount the first three attempts to build a railroad from the southern part of Illinois. They proved futile, and cost the State of Illinois about $20,000,000, — no small sum for a State with such a scanty population and comparatively little revenue. As a consequence the credit of the State was greatly impaired. It was apparently bankrupt. When Stephen A. Douglas became a candidate for the 40 Tivo Railroads Covie to Bloomington United States Senate in 1 846, he pledged the people of Illinois that, if elected, he would press a Bill to have the Federal Government grant to the State of Illinois a certain amount of the public domain for the building of a railroad from what is now Cairo to join with the southern extremity of the Illinois & Michigan Canal near LaSalle, not then completed that far south, but had its charter that far toward the south where it would connect with the Illinois River, and thence to the Mississippi River. He also proposed a branch line from a point near where the city of Assumption now stands, to the city of Chicago. He was elected as one of the Senators from Illinois and proceeded to make good on his pre-election pledges. His plan was something new in the building of railroads. Up to this time, land grants had been previously given by the Federal Government for the construction of canals and public highways. The Illinois & Michigan Canal had been favored by such a land grant, perhaps the New York & Erie Canal. But this was the first endeavor to get such a concession to help build a railroad. The plan met with considerable opposition in both Houses in Washington, but Mr. Douglas had already won the sobri- quet of The Little Giant, because of his small stature, his oratorical ability, and his pertinacity of purpose. His plan was this: He would press to obtain from the Federal Government a charter which would grant to the State of Illinois for the main lines of the Illinois Central Railroad, a right-of-way two hundred feet wide, and every alternate section of land on each side of the right-of-way for six miles deep. It also provided that in case a portion of any one of these sections had been previously sold by the Federal Gov- ernment, or deemed undesirable by the Illinois Central Rail- road Company, it would have the privilege of going back as far as fifteen miles to select a more desirable section. That was truly a most liberal grant of land for the build- ing of a railroad, — a choice of six alternate sections of land on either side of the right-of-way for every mile of the main lines of the Illinois Central right-of-way, going back for 41 Holy Trinity Parish fifteen miles on each side of that right-of-way. As a conse- quence the Illinois Central Railroad acquired possession of 42 3 3 sections of land in the most desirable part of Illinois. That was truly a liberal allotment. However, there were a couple of "catches' 1 in the Grant. One was that the Federal Government would raise the price of its alternate sections still unsold from $1.25 to $2.50 per acre so that it would not lose any money on the Grant. The other was that the Illinois Central could not sell any of its land so acquired until the Federal Government had sold all of its alternate sections in the zone of the Land Grant. That of course delayed the Railroad Company from getting any revenue from its land until some years later. Another proviso of the charter was that the Railroad should pay into the State Treasury seven per cent of its gross revenue on its main lines, viz., Cairo to Centralia, thence through Freeport and Galena to East Dubuque, and from Centralia to Chicago, a total of 705.5 miles. Of course it pays an ad valorem tax on its branch lines within the State. I do not know, but presume there is no other corporation within the State that pays so much taxes into the State Treasury as does the Illinois Central Railroad. The following story concerning the Centennial of the Illinois Central is copied from the Bloomington Pantagraph of May 15, 1951: "/ C, and City Grew Up Together — Railroad's Coming Boon to Bloomington, "When the 1500-pound limestone boulder bearing an 11-inch medallion face is dedicated at 11 A.M. May 23 at the East Grove Street freight house it will mark the 100 years of service by the Illinois Central Railroad. (That is an over- statement for the Illinois Central did not enter Bloomington until A lay 23, 1853.) "The medallion on the left side of the boulder, which is being made at the Burnside Shop in Chicago, will read: 'For 100 Years 1851-1951 Illinois Central, Alain Line of A lid- America.' The medallion on the right will bear an imprint 42 Two Railroads Come to Bloomington of the eastern half of the U.S., showing the Illinois Central Routes. "First Tram 1853. Though it was in 1851 that the railroad received its charter to lay tracks from East Dubuque to Cairo through Bloomington (with a 'branch' line from Centralia to Chicago) it wasn't until May 23, 1853, that a little wood-burner puffed into Bloomington bringing the first regular passenger and freight train service to its 1594 people. "The same year this stretch of track became a part of the 'Chicago and St. Louis Mail Route' with A. D. Abbott, the first Illinois Central conductor of record, acting as U. S. mail agent. "On March 14 of the following year the line between Bloomington and Clinton was opened. "The transportation system was the realization of a dream the farmers of the territory had visioned almost from the time settlers established a permanent colony at Blooming Grove in 1822. "] ames All in Started To r ccn. In 1830, the year James Allin founded Bloomington on his quarter section of land north of the settlement, an improvement was made in trans- portation when the Old Chicago Trail, the first direct wagon road from Bloomington to Chicago, was opened. "When the Internal Improvement Act was passed by the state legislature on February 27, 1837, the residents thought their prayers had been answered. Not only was the proposed main line of the state-owned railroad to run through the town on its way from Cairo to Galena, but one of the four east- and-west lines was to cross the Main line at that point. "Unfortunately the scheme fell through before the resi- dents of Bloomington ever saw a track laid near them. "Town Grew Rapidly. That vision of transportation of men like Lt. Gov. John Moore, Jesse W. Fell, Gen. Asahel Gridley, and Judge David Davis was a sound one, though, because in the decade between 1850-60 the population of Bloomington almost trebled, land values increasing six times while corn and wheat production was also tripled, largely due to the coming of the railroad. 43 Holy Trinity Parish "In 1854 the Alton road was completed to Joliet, and since no railroad crossed the Illinois Central for 43 miles south of Bloomington, the city became the major trans-shipping point for these rich yields. By 1870 Bloomington had grown to a young city of 14,590. "Lincoln Attorney for I.C. It is well known that a familiar figure around Bloomington, in its turbulent decade of growth was Abraham Lincoln. In fact, it was the suit between McLean County and the Illinois Central that 'made' Lincoln as a corporation lawyer and netted him his largest fee — $5000. "This case was finally decided in favor of the Railroad in 1846. After this success, Lincoln continued to serve as attor- ney for the railroad until 1861 and his fees for private cases rose along with his status as a corporation lawyer. "The Illinois Central employs about 50 people in Bloom- ington and McLean Count)' with a payroll of around $174,000. It spends around $10,000 on purchases in the terri- tory annually, and in addition to the charter taxes paid the state, pays about $30,000 annually in the county." The Alton Railroad (From J. L. Hasbrouck's History of McLean County) "In point of its future effect upon the prosperity and population of Bloomington and McLean County generally, the most important railroad built into the city is now what is known as the Chicago & Alton, first known as the Alton & Sangamon. When it came into Bloomington, it arrived rather quietly, and without any flourish of trumpets as had the Illinois Central. First trains ran from Springfield to Bloom- ington on October 16, 1853. After several months the trains from the south connected with the Illinois Central at Bloom- ington Junction (Normal) thence over the Illinois Central to LaSalle and thence over Rock Island to Chicago. At that time the road advertised to take passengers to New York via Chicago 'in only sixty hours'. "As the road reached Bloomington in the late fall, it was impossible to finish the line north until the following summer. 44 Two Railroads Come to Bloomington The building started north from Bloomington, and was fin- ished so that an excursion train was run down from Lexington on July 4, 1854. The Joliet & Chicago (portion of) Road had been previously constructed so that when the extension north from Bloomington to Joliet was made, the line was com- pleted from St. Louis to Chicago. "The Illinois Central depot was located on the eastern edge of town, and the leaders of that day, Jesse Fell and others, thought it best to locate the Chicago & Alton depot on the western edge, thinking the town would spread out between the two. Jesse Fell, David Davis, General Gridley and others secured donations of lands and other gifts to secure for Bloomington the location of the repair shops of the new road, thus laying the foundation of what proved to be the city's chief industrial enterprise. The shops in turn gave rise to the idea of building from Bloomington the new division to Jacksonville, in 1867, for which Bloomington Township and the City voted bonds of $75,000. If this aid had not been given the Jacksonville line would have been built north from Delavan. "The small shops of the C. & A. erected in 1853-54 were burned down in 1867, and it required a strong effort on the part of the citizens to secure consent to rebuild here, for Chicago, Springfield, and Joliet were all seeking the location. The fact that the road had three divisions entering here was one of the main arguments in favor of Bloomington, and the immense shops were built in Bloomington." The story of the shops fire, as contained in the Bloom- ington Fantagraph of Saturday, November 2, 1867 is as follows: "Tremendous Fire — Railroad Shops Burned — At this mo- ment of writing, 1:30 A.M., the machine and car shops of the Chicago & St. Louis R. R. are in flames. The entire shops are destroyed, and as we go to press it is uncertain whether the roundhouse can be saved, though it is hoped it may be. The rest will prove a total loss, together with an immense amount of lumber and other material for the use of the road. 45 Holy Trinity Parish Nothing has been ascertained, during the confusion and ex- citement, concerning the origin of the fire, nor can any esti- mate be formed of the extent of the loss, though it is far greater than any that has ever befallen Bloomington before. It will be a sad blow in many respects, — to the road, and to some 2000 persons who were supported by their earnings on the road and in the shops. The firemen are working nobly, but at the outset the steamer, for some cause, could not work, and the supply of water was limited, while everything was dry as tinder. The fire began about half past ten last night, and is raging still with undiminished fierceness. — More in our next issue." Monday, November 4, 1867 (No Sunday Issue) u The Great Fire and the Losses — The origin of the fire of Friday night at the railroad machine shops is a mystery unexplained. It originated in the brass foundry, where some hands had been employed till near ten o'clock at night. The Master Mechanic had been in but a short time before the workmen left, and everything was going on as usual. It was near eleven o'clock when the fire was first discovered, and if water could have been used then freely, but little damage would have occurred. The wind was high and everything dry as tinder, and before the fire engines reached the place the fire was so far advanced that but little could be done to check it. The firemen worked bravely, however, and did valuable service. Railroad employees worked to save all the property of the railroad they could, and the citizens helped in every way. It is gratifying to all to find that the destruction is not so great as was feared at first. It was first thought the destruc- tion of everything, engines, cars and all, was inevitable. The old and new T roundhouses were saved, and all the engines, except two, which were up in the brass foundry for repairs and even these were not materially injured. "The machine shop, car shops, foundry, lumber, lumber sheds and dry house were totally destroyed, together with all tools and machinery they contained. Many of the workmen 46 Tivo Railroads Come to Bloomington employed there who owned their own tools, lost them also, though the amount of this loss is not ascertained. "A rough estimate of the loss given by Mr. Vaughn, train- master, and Mr. Jackman, Master Mechanic, places it some- where between $125,000 and $150,000. This amount relates only to the value of the material destroyed. The damage to the railroad company, resulting from lack of shops and facili- ties for repairing, and general disarrangement and hindrance of their business, must be far greater than the actual cash value of the buildings and material burned. "Earnestly hoped to make what is left the nucleus of a much better and safer shops . . . citizens disposed to give what assistance they can to this end. . . . Citizens of Bloomington have felt a justifiable pride in the location of the shops in this city, and there is now general anxiety felt lest the Company, since the disaster, should conclude to remove them. It is to be hoped this will not be the case. The greater number of mechanics employed are citizens of Bloomington and property owners, and their interests are identified with those of Bloom- ington." Subsequent issues of the Pantagraph warned the citizens of danger of the shops being removed and suggested that they consider what could be done to avoid this. The Springfield State Journal within a day or two after the fire contained an editorial, which the Pantagraph copied, suggesting that Springfield would be a better place for the shops. Another Pantagraph item stated that Joliet already had offered all ground necessary, and a bonus of $100,000, if the Railroad would locate the shops there. Still another Pantagraph item stated that Chicago was offering 10 acres of land and $25,000, and that other cities were preparing to bid for the shops. Later issues stated that Springfield was actively work- ing to obtain the shops; that the Bloomington Mayor had called upon President Blackstone of the Alton, and that a spirited fight was under way to keep the shops in Blooming- ton, and then, on January 14, 1868, the Pantagraph announced "with certainty" that the shops would remain in Bloomington, 47 Holy Trinity Parish condemnation proceedings and transfers were under way to give the Railroad the additional land needed, and the $55,000 bond issue, previously described, for the benefit of the rebuild- ing of the shops, was floated. The writer remembers having discussed this matter with Mr. James J. Quinn, a retired druggist at the time, who lived at 1005 North Roosevelt Ave., until the time of his death. A4r. Quinn told him that all this was mere buncombe and bluff on the part of the officials of the Chicago and Alton Rail- road Company; that according to their charter or agreement with the city of Bloomington it was mutually agreed that be- cause of favors which the Chicago & Alton had received from the City of Bloomington, the Railroad Company would never remove its shops from Bloomington, and that if they did so, they would forfeit their right-of-way through the city. He has never investigated this account, as given by Air. Quinn. He records it here for some future historian to investigate. The Chicago & Alton Railroad and the C. & A. shops con- tributed immensely to the growth and prosperity of the City of Bloomington. Here are some statistics for the census of Bloomington during those early years: Population of Bloomington, 1850 — 1,611 1855— 5,000 1858— 7,000 1860— 8,000 1879—18,000 Hasbrouck's History of McLean County states that the Catholic population of Bloomington in 1879 numbered about 6000. This conforms to a statement in one of the City Di- rectories of that time that at least one-third of the popula- tion were "foreigners." Let us remember that even in the days of Rev. Dr. Mc- Govern's pastorate (Sept. 20, 1870-Aug. 20, 1874) the Ger- man Catholics assembled in the Catholic Boys' School at 810 North Main Street about once a month, and a Father Schreiber from Wapella held services for them there. Most of the "foreigners" were Irish Catholics, but by 1870 there 48 Tivo Railroads Come to Bloomington was a considerable number of German Catholics in Bloom- ington who started to organize a church of their own. And of course there probably were many Germans who were not Catholics. The majority of the Irish immigrants found work in the shops or on the railroad. Some served as track laborers; others became firemen or switchmen, and in time became engineers or conductors. Perhaps not so many of the Germans found employment on the railroads. But they found employment somewhere. And all of these immigrants were industrious and very largely a frugal people, who contributed greatly to the upbuilding of Bloomington and the stalwart citizenry of Illinois. Down through the years, both the Illinois Central and the Chicago & Alton contributed greatly to the prosperity and growth of Bloomington. Of course the Chicago & Alton, because of its large shops and extensive "yards" completely over-shadowed the Illinois Central in importance in Bloom- ington. If work was good at the C. & A. shops it meant that the road was doing a good business, for repair work was in proportion to the volume of business on the road. Strikes were comparatively infrequent, on the road or in the shops, for the men were not organized. An annual layoff usually occurred in December and January. Sometimes it was for the purpose of a "check-up and taking of inventory." Sometimes it was because the funds necessary to carry on were insufficient. But no matter what the cause, the effect was immediately reflected in the business graph of Bloom- ington. And surely there were some big-hearted merchants who extended credit too generously and who suffered in consequence. The story of the Chicago & Alton Railroad is a sad one of later years. It seems that, as in the case of many railroads, the stock was "watered" and funds perhaps juggled. In 1933 the Chicago & Alton was taken over by the Baltimore & Ohio, and for a time known simple as the Alton Railroad. Then, in 1946, this railroad was taken over by the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, and this Division known as The Alton Branch. All trains 49 Holy Trinity Parish are now pulled exclusively by diesel engines. But at the present time there is a moderate amount of repair work being done on diesel engines in the Bloomington shops. How- ever, it is insignificant compared to the work formerly done on the steam engines. Now there is no repair work being done on the old type of engine. There is still considerably activity in the old switching yards. At present a large part of the old shops is being rented out. A part of the old roundhouse is rented to the Alpha Cellulose Company, a part to Turley Farm Equipment Corn- pan)'; a part to Gulf Transport Company & Trucking Con- cern. The former electric shop is leased to Funk Bros. Seed Company. The machine shop is leased to Union Asbestos & Rubber Company, and the blacksmith shop to Alpha Cellu- lose Co. One may well imagine many former employees of the C. & A. shops, now past middle age, looking rather wistfully at the place where in former years they earned their daily bread, and musing to themselves: "Dear old Alton shops, we served our purpose for many years, but we are now out- moded. Progress has pushed us out of business but that is just one of the vicissitudes of life." Progress is heartless, cruel, inexorable, and claims its victims. But when it is real progress, it must have its way. And of course it does. 50 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara November 4, 1853 — February 15, 1855 A Special Edition of the New World, Chicago, published August 14, 1900, which purports to give a "History of the Catholic Church in Illinois" during the preceding century, contains a rather misleading story of the early history of Holy Trinity Parish. Unfortunately it has been accepted as his- torical down through the years. The present writer made the mistake of regarding it as accurate when called upon to pre- pare a brief sketch of the history of the parish on short notice. He assumed that what had been written in the New World was real history, and so used it accordingly. The Holly-O'Brien Tradition holds that two young re- porters were sent down from Chicago by the New World to get the history of the three Catholic parishes in Bloom- ington in the summer of 1900. They called upon Father Weldon first, because he was the oldest pastor in Bloomington, and because Holy Trinity Parish represented the oldest parish in the city. Father YYeldon came to Bloomington July 2, 1879, so in 1900 he had been pastor there for twenty-one years. Quite naturally he had learned much of the early history of the parish, but it is possible that some of his informants were not so reliable, and Father Weldon was so busy with parish affairs that he did not have time to check up on the accounts given him of this early history. After all, he was not writing a History of the Parish. It would seem quite probable that Father Weldon may have had in his possession some brief history of the parish as published in some newspaper on the occasion when the cornerstone of the old church was laid by Bishop Foley while 51 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS- LIBRARY Holy Trinity Parish Dr. McGovern was pastor, or when the church was dedicated by Bishop Spalding in 1878 when Father McDermott was pastor. If such a brief history were published in the Panta- graph, we have never encountered it. It might have been published in the Neve World, or in a newspaper in Peoria. We never investigated that possibility, because of the diffi- cult)' and relative unimportance of the fact. But if Father Weldon was fortified by any such published story, and I rather suspect that he was, he would quite naturally produce it and read it off to the two reporters from the Neiv World, and of course they would be greatly im- pressed. He had a story of his own, however obtained; perhaps only as given him by some of the people of the parish. And no doubt he did not think it of any great im- portance whether his account was absolutely correct or not. The young men wanted a story of the parish. It would be characteristic of him to wish to accommodate them, and he did. The story which was printed in the 1900 Centennial Edition of the Neiv World shows that they were greatly impressed by the data which he gave them. Presumably it was Father Weldon who referred the two reporters to Thomas Holly, one of the oldest Catholic settlers in Bloomington. At that time, the summer of 1900, Thomas Holly was an elderly man of more than eighty years of age, but it is said that his memory was still very good, and no doubt he gave them a very accurate account of the early history of the Catholics in Bloomington. According to the family Tradition, he gave them a list of nineteen names of persons who were among those present at the first Mass ever celebrated in Bloomington, and he also gave them a list of names of the thirty-three Catholics who attended the first Mass celebrated in the old court house by Father O'Hara. He could say, although he perhaps did not say it: "I was there in those days and I know whereof I speak." But it seems that he did not impress the two reporters as Father Weldon had impressed them. It is more than passing strange that the account given in the New World Centennial Edition of 1900 does not make 52 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara any mention of a Mass celebrated by Rev. Alphonso Mon- tuori in the home of William O'Brien on July 21, 1852, at which time he baptized five children. (See, "Pioneer Days," Page 35.) Nor does the brief history of the parish published by Father Weldon with his Annual Statement of 1902, which of course was not published until January, 1903, make any mention of that event. We may note that 1902 was the Golden Jubilee Year observing the First Mass celebrated by Rev. A. Montuori July 21, 1852, and Father Weldon com- memorated it by giving a brief history of the parish. It is quite possible that Father Weldon had never heard of the coming of Father Montuori. In fact, although I spent twenty-four years in Holy Trinity Parish, I had never heard of it or read of it until I began writing this History. How- ever, Thomas Holly could hardly have failed to mention it because on that visit to Bloomington Father Montuori bap- tized his daughter, Catherine Holly. It is evident that the man who could, and very probably did, give the young reporters a reliable and accurate story, was completely disregarded by the reporters. It is a part of the Holly-O'Brien tradition that when Thomas Holly read the story of Holy Trinity Parish in the Centennial Edition, he figuratively "hit the ceiling," and gave expression of his disgust in no uncertain terms. He really had much reason to criticize and condemn. We observe that in Father Weldon's brief history of 1903 he stated that "Father O'Hara arrived in Bloomington on November 5, 1853, and said Mass in the home of William O'Brien a few times." The rest of his account on early history is almost verbatim from the New World, except that he adds the name of Bernard McElvaney to the list of persons present at the first Mass to account for the nineteenth name. The account in the New World named only eighteen of the persons in Mr. Holly's list, omitting the name of Michael Wynne. Perhaps someone had called Father Weldon's atten- tion to the fact that the date of the deed to the old Methodist Church property was November 11, 1853, and that the name of Bernard McElvaney should be listed as nineteenth "among 53 Holy Trinity Parish those who were present." From the close correspondence of the two accounts, I think it is evident that the one published in the New World, Centennial Edition, is Father Weldon's version. He surely believed he was correct in his story; or did he possibly think that it did not matter very much? This is the only solution which I can give of this very inaccurate account in the "History of Holy Trinity Parish" published in the Centennial Edition of the New World of August 14, 1900. I shall refer to some other errors as I go along with my story, but perhaps this may help to explain how they may have happened. We may now begin with the coming of Father O'Hara to Bloomington. I can hardly conceive of a priest coming to take charge of a new parish on Sunday morning. It would be possible, but very unlikely. Consequently, I assume that he arrived at least on November 4th. I take that as the date for his arrival. From where did Father O'Hara come? I presume that he was born and grew up in Ireland, and most likely was educated and ordained there. With the characteristic zeal of the Irish clergy who followed their people wherever they went, to England, Canada, the United States, and Australia, young Father O'Hara decided to cast his lot with his people in the United States. With his proper credentials, he arrived in New York City, where he labored for a brief period, but having learned of the great need of priests in the new Diocese of Chicago, he decided to come West where his services were more urgently required. We do not have any evidence that he ever served in Chicago or in that area. A very interesting incident disclosed by the "Diary" of Bishop Van de Velde, Bishop of Chicago at that time, is worthy of consideration. His "Diary" records that he came to Bloomington from LaSalle and took a stagecoach to get an Alton Railroad train to St. Louis. The distance which he traveled by stagecoach, he states, w r as about thirty-five miles. That would take him to about the place where Lincoln now stands, and to which point the Alton Railroad had then been 54 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara constructed from the south. And further: "On Oct. 6, 1853 he returned to Bloomington and spent the night there. On Oct. 8th he returned to Chicago via LaSalle." Now what did the good and zealous Bishop do on Octo- ber 7th? My conjecture is that some Catholics of Bloom- ington had been urging him to send them a priest. So lie visited them and discussed the matter. Most likely he talked it over with William O'Brien, Thomas Holly and others. Perhaps even before this visit he had had some correspond- ence with Father O'Hara, but the latter would have to qualify with satisfactory letters, etc., before Bishop Van de Velde would accept him as a priest for the Chicago diocese. It is not an easy matter for a priest to get transferred from one diocese to another. So the Bishop could only say to the Catholics of Bloomington, "I shall see what I can do. But in the meantime, if you want a priest you must, of course, provide a home for him, and likewise, you must be thinking about a place which will serve as your church." Surely the Bloomington Catholics would agree to that. A house was rented, and probably at least partially furnished, and the arrival of the new pastor was confidently awaited. Incidentally, the zealous Bishop Van de Velde, never strong physically, had been for sometime imploring the Holy See to release him from the large area of the Chicago Diocese. The climate was too rigorous for his feeble frame and the territory too large for him to visit many of the parishes which were so distant from Chicago. Roads were almost impassable half of the year around. The Holy See finally consented to transfer the good Bishop to the Episcopal See of Natchez, A4iss., where he would enjoy a milder climate and have a much smaller diocese. But, since nothing definite was de- cided at the time of the Bishop's visit to Bloomington on October 7, 1853, the Bishop did not make any entry con- cerning it in his "Diary." And observe that this was less than a month previous to the coming of Father O'Hara to Bloom- ington and the departure of Bishop Van de Velde for his new See of Natchez. Father O'Hara evidently came through with his proper 55 Holy Trinity Parish credentials and was advised by Bishop Van de Velde to come on to Chicago without delay, where he would be accepted as a priest for the Diocese of Chicago. I do not know when the Rev. Bernard O'Hara arrived in Chicago, but my surmise is that it was perhaps only a few days before he was sent to Bloomington. It seems that the last official act of Bishop Van de Velde in Chicago was to appoint the Rev. Bernard O'Hara to be the first pastor in Bloomington, and it is quite likely that by personal conversation with him the Bishop advised him of the situation in Bloomington, and suggested that when he would arrive there he should seek out the home of William O'Brien, at 506 East Jefferson Street, where he would be assured of a most cordial welcome. I record one established fact and one conjecture: the fact is, that the faithful secretary of Bishop Van de Velde, Rev. P. T. McElhearne, concludes the Chicago "Diary" of Bishop Van de Velde with a "Note," — no doubt he was sad when he wrote it — "Nov. 4, 1853. The Right Rev. Bishop Van de Velde left this morning at 8 o'clock over the Rock Island to his new See at Natchez." My one conjecture is that on the same morning Rev. Bernard O'Hara took the same train down to LaSalle, and there boarded an Illinois Central train for Bloomington. It may well have been that when Father O'Hara arrived at the home of William O'Brien he issued a general invitation to all his parishioners to come there to meet him. Telephones they did not have, but word went from man to man — or more likely, from woman to woman, — the word was passed around: "We have a new resident priest at the home of William O'Brien on East Jefferson Street. He wants all of us to come over to meet him." And so very probably most of the adults came, including the married and single men, the women, and even the children. Undoubtedly they were very happy to meet the priest who was to be their first pastor. Every good Catholic wishes to locate in a town where there is, or soon would be a resident priest — one who will celebrate Mass for them on Sunday, hear their confessions and administer Holy Communion, administer the last sacraments, 56 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara visit the sick, and bury the dead. We can be certain of the great joy of these good people when they learned of the arrival of Father O'Hara. They came to greet him and to welcome him. May we not surmise that amid the great chatter of it all Father O'Hara announced that he would like to have a talk with the men of his congregation? That was imperative. He would like to impress upon them that being a stranger, he needed their help; financial help and advice. First of all, where could he get a place for his Sunday Mass? No doubt some one came up with the ready response, "Why not a room in the Court House? Other denominations are holding Sunday ser- vices there," to which suggestion Father O'Hara most prob- ably agreed, "That is fine, we shall look into that next week." And then, "Now what about a sort of permanent place until we are able to build a church?" It seems almost certain that some one then suggested a solution: "Why not buy the old Methodist Church on West Olive Street — that would do for a time until we get better orT." Perhaps negotiations already had been started looking to the purchase of this old church for the Catholic congregation. To that suggestion Father O'Hara most probably said, "Very good. We must look into that next week also." He very likely continued, "Now gentlemen, I need your cooperation. Please name a couple of men to assist me in this undertaking." We can only surmise, but it would seem highly probable that the names of William O'Brien and Thomas Holly would be proposed. They were outstanding Catholics, and had been working diligently to secure a resident pastor for Bloomington, and they were trusted by all of this little congregation. At any rate the Catholics did, within the week, purchase the old Methodist Church at 104 West Olive Street, for which they paid $1600. The deed was taken in the name of Rev. Bernard O'Hara. It was dated November 11, 1853, and recorded on November 13, 1853, which surely invalidates the statement of the New World that Father arrived on Novem- ber 12, 1853. 57 Holy Trinity Parish The deed was made in the name of Rev. Bernard O'Hara for the simple reason that at that time there was not any Bishop in Chicago. We do not know how many attended the Mass celebrated by Father O'Hara in the home of William O'Brien on No- vember 5, 1853, but we do know how many attended the first Mass which he celebrated in the old Court House, and precisely who they were. Undoubtedly, it has been the experience of many historians to find that there is something wrong or lacking in previous history and they are happy to find evidence for just what was needed. Such has been my happy experience. Almost by chance, it would seem, Miss Mary C. Gleeson discovered an account of an address delivered by the founder and first pastor of St. Patrick's Parish, Bloomington, the Rev. J. J. Burke, before the McLean County Historical Society previous to the middle of March, 1906. The Pantagraph of March 14, 1906, gives us rather lengthy excerpts from that address, and they are decidedly revealing in their significance. Father Burke's thesis was: "The Part Played by the Irish in the History and Development of McLean County." The part of his address which is most pertinent here is that in which he records the names of those who attended the first Mass cele- brated by Father O'Hara in the old Court House on Novem- ber 12, 1853. These names are as follows: M. Fitzpatrick, undoubtedly the father of Rev. John Fitzpatrick L. Nevin and two sisters B. McElvaney John Coleman and wife Thomas Holly and wife J. Dwyer and wife William O'Brien and wife Peter Nevin and wife John Nevin and wife Ed Moore and wife (It is said that their son Maurice also attended.) R. O'Connor and wife 58 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara J. Mahoney and wife T. Maloney and wife W. O'Neill D. Spellman and wife P. Liston and wife M. Winn (Wynne) and wife P. Madden Mary O'Hare — a Protestant Observe that there were exactly thirty-three present, leav- ing out Mary O'Hare, who was not a member of the con- gregation. My surmise is that Father O'Hara asked someone of the congregation, presumably Thomas Holly, to give him a list of names attending, so that he would have it as a matter of record. Compare this list with the eighteen names in the Neiv World or with the nineteen given by Father Weldon, and note the difference. Thanks to Rev. J. J. Burke for this information. Strange to say it has been "sleeping" in the files of the McLean County Historical Society until recently. Who was this Mary O'Hare, who was not a member of the congregation? I have a suspicion that Father Burke gave her name as "O'Hara," but the reporter did not get it correctly. Or it may have been that Father Burke misunder- stood Mr. Holly. Evidently, Father Burke consulted with him in preparing for that address, and yet there is not any mention of the visit which Father Montuori made to Bloomington on July 21, 1852. That is strange indeed. It is unfortunate that Father Burke did not question Mr. Holly more closely, for that old gentleman could have given him a complete history of the early church in Bloomington. However, Father Burke treated "The Part Played by the Irish in the History and Development of McLean County." He may have passed over many things which we would like to know. Incidentally, Father Burke's address contains a few errors which it seems he should not have made, but since they do not affect our story I shall pass them 59 Holy Trinity Parish over. He was a busy pastor, and probably prepared his address hurriedly. Errors were bound to occur. M\ surmise is that this lone stranger who was not a mem- ber of the congregation, and it was even thought that she was not a Catholic, was none other than Miss Mary O'Hara, the devout sister of Rev. Bernard O'Hara, who had come with him from New York City to be his housekeeper in Bloomington. The house had been rented, and probably at least partly furnished. Presumably Father O'Hara moved into it the latter part of the following week. And he purchased what was known as the Old Methodist Church which stood on Lot 2 in Block 1, Miller and Others' Addition to Bloomington. The Methodists had sold their Lot 2 and the old church on it some time before. When the Catholics bought this property it also included Lot 1 adjoining Lot 2 on the east. Both lots fronted on West Olive Street where the Sampson Oil Station now stands. Lot 2, where the church was built, had a frontage of 52 feet, Lot 1, a frontage of 35 feet. Both had a depth of only 57 l / 2 feet. The old church has often been referred to as a "log church," but it definitely was not. The frame was of logs; but evidently the floor joists, studding and rafters were what we would call dimension lumber. The design was rather unusual inasmuch as the entrance was on the north side of the building. The structure was 44 feet wide and 32 feet long. The length of a building is not necessarily its greatest dimension. It depends on the ridge row which determines the gable ends. The ridge row was east and west. The entrance was a double door on north side towards Olive Street. We can see that Rev. Zadoc Hall, who built the church, had reason for his plan. Because of the shortness of the lot he would not have much room for expansion had any other plan been followed. Under the pastorate of Father Kennedy two wings were built on the old building, precisely as Rev. Zadoc Hall had envisioned them. When Father O'Hara purchased this property it had been leased to a small body of Anglicans whose lease would not 60 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara expire until the latter part of May or perhaps early in June, 1854; consequently the Catholics could not get possession of the property until that lease would expire. This fact accounts for announcement in the Bloomington Pantagraph in the column of "Sabbath Directories" of No- vember 11, 1853, where we find the first mention of Father O'Hara. Among the churches listed for Sunday services is: "Catholic Church; Rev. Bernard O'Hara, Pastor. Public Service, Court House 10 A.M. Alternate Sundays. (Tempo- rary Arrangement)." The "Alternate Sundays" meant that there were many Catholic "railroaders" working in the vicinity of Clinton; the "Temporary Arrangement" meant until we get possession of the old Methodist Church. Incidentally, the first Baptism recorded by Father O'Hara in Bloomington is that of A4ary Wynne (Father O'Hara knew how to spell the name and he thus records it) , daughter of Michael Wynne and Mary Scanlon, baptized Nov. 15, 1853 (date of birth not given). We do not know when Father O'Hara took possession of his rented house. I am inclined to believe that he would wish to avoid being a burden to William O'Brien, and would move into his own home as soon as he could. But this brings up another story. It pertains to a china pitcher still highly treasured by some grandchildren of William O'Brien now living in Chicago. According to tradition, this china pitcher was used by Father O'Hara for some time as a container for baptismal water and was not used thereafter for any other purpose. It may be fairly assumed that when Father Montuori came to Bloomington for July 21, 1852, he took baptismal water with him from Peoria, for the blessing of baptismal water involves a rather long ceremony and the use of two kinds of the holy oils blessed by the Bishop on Holy Thursday of each year. Missionary priests simply took baptismal water from the home parish. When Father O'Hara had made arrangements to baptize Mary Wynne on Wednesday following his first A lass in the 61 Holy Trinity Parish Court House, he undoubtedly did ask Mrs. William O'Brien to loan him a moderately sized china pitcher to preserve baptismal water until he would get a baptismal font in the old church on West Olive Street. Its use may have continued during the entire pastorate of Father O'Hara and God only knows how much longer. We can be certain that there were many other things more urgently needed in those days than a baptismal font. I do not know when the parish got a baptismal font. I can conceive how this china pitcher of Mrs. William O'Brien was used as a container for baptismal water for perhaps many years. But the time of its use would begin with the baptism of Mary Wynne, November 15, 1853. It is stated in the New World's story that "Father O'Hara purchased a number of acres of ground lying west of Bloomington and donated six acres to the church to be used as a cemetery." To elucidate this problem I cannot do better than include here a copy of a letter from Mary C. Gleeson of May 6, 1951. It is my recollection that she was a law office secretary for William K. Bracken and his various associates for thirty-one years. Her interpretation of the cemetery conveyances is to the point: "May 6, 1951. "Dear Father Moore: "Since receipt of your letter of April 30th I have made another careful check of the records of deeds pertaining to the cemetery — just to be doubly sure that what I had on it was correct. "There was never a deed by Father O'Hara for 13 acres for cemetery purposes — he gave only the one deed, on No- vember 6, 1856, to Bishop O'Regan, for 6 acres, for the consideration stated in the deed of $120. "Boiled down to its very simplest form, Father O'Hara's transaction in re the land west of town was this: "He first bought a tract from Gridley and Fell which according to the plat contained 6.04 acres. This was on April 13, 1854. The consideration named in the deed is $210. 62 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara "On August 10, 1854, he bought a second tract from Gridley and Fell, described as containing 56 acres more or less, and the description of this tract overlapped and included the 6.04 acres which he bought from them in April. So that his entire holdings out there were 56 acres more or less. (It would seem that the survey for the original 6.04 acres was not accurate.) "Then, on November 6, 1856, he made his deed to the Bishop, for 6 acres, for cemetery, for f 120. "He never sold or conveyed any more of that land until July 6, 1858, when he made a deed to his sister in which he conveyed the entire tract of 56 acres by the same description as in the deed from Gridley and Fell to himself, but in the deed to his sister he says 'except 3 acres donated as a ceme- tery.'' That deed to his sister, as you have suggested, prob- ably was made because of the Bishop's objection to priests owning land in their own name, because we know that Father O'Hara's sister deeded it back to him by deed which was recorded on June 5, 1863, although it was dated back in 1859. "Father O'Hara died owning all of the 56 acre tract ex- cept the 6 acres which he deeded to Bishop O'Regan. That fact is established definitely by the record, because his sister, after his death, became the owner by inheritance of the tract, and she sold all of the 56 acres, excepting only '6 acres deeded as a cemetery.' "So, to summarize still further — Father O'Hara bought 56 acres more or less, he sold 6 acres out of the tract to the Bishop for a cemetery; he died owning all the rest of the tract, which his sister inherited, and there are deeds of record to show that she sold all of it — 50 acres. In her deeds of conveyance she 'excepts 6 acres deeded as a cemetery.' "Until October 23, 1885. the cemetery consisted only of the original 6 acres (6.04 acres, as shown by the plat book.) On that date Patrick Carroll conveyed to Bishop Spalding 6 acres lying directly east of the original cemetery, for $1200. This was the very first addition to the area of the cemetery, and nothing more was purchased in the way of cemetery lands until November 8, 1913, when John J. Morrissey, as Executor 63 Holy Trinity Parish of the Will of Ellen Doonan, gave deed to Bishop Spalding for 5.34 acres extending to the east of the Carroll 6 acres, for a consideration of S3 000. This makes the total acreage of the cemetery at present, according to the recorded deeds, 17.38 acres — from which must be deducted the fractional acreage taken out by the right-of-way deeded to the Big Four. "This leaves us with the further fact that Father O'Hara's donation for a cemetery, at most, could have been only 6 acres, and that he himself, in the deed which he made to his sister, said that he had 'donated 3 acres for a cemetery.' I have always thought that, as he sold to the Bishop for about half what the 6 acres cost him, it was his intention, by so doing, to record that he was being paid for only 3 acres and that the other 3 acres conveyed by his deed was in the nature of a donation. (At this time Father O'Hara was pastor of the parish in Exeter, New Hampshire. I think it was a protest against Bishop CTRegan's unfair treatment of him.) Sincerely, Mary C. Gleeson" The above elucidation of events has necessarily carried us somewhat ahead of our story, because we must now relate the account of the dedication of the first Catholic Church in Bloomington, and the blessing of a new cemetery. It seems that the Catholics got possession of the old Alethodist Church building in the latter part of May or early in June, 1854. They spent about $400 to repair it — some carpenter work, probably; and perhaps painting it inside and outside. We do know definitely, from a Pantagraph story published on June 28, 1854, that on on June 25, 1854, the little old church was blessed and dedicated to The Holy Name of Jesus. Father O'Hara was assisted in the ceremony by two priests, who may have come from LaSalle, or perhaps from Chicago. .Most likely they were preceded by a group of rather timid altar boys, the leader carrying a cross, and the others following in pairs as the procession went around the church, with Father O'Hara and the two assistant priests, 64 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara wearing probably borrowed vestments, bringing up the rear, and Father O'Hara sprinkling holy water on the walls and floor of the building. After the blessing of the church a solemn high Mass was celebrated by Father O'Hara and his two assistant priests. And later, at 2 P.M., the congregation, priests and altar boys assembled at the church, to march out to bless the new ceme- tery on the West Washington Street Road, known to this day as the old St. Mary's Cemetery. There were not any street cars — there wasn't even any West Washington Street Road, as it had not yet been extended west beyond the city limits. The cemetery was reached over what was known as the old Pekin and Peoria Road on the south boundary of the cemetery, along which the little procession wended its way on foot — the people of those days were used to walking. According to information contained in the first Blooni- ington City Directory, which was published in 1855, the congregation at the time the little church of The Holy Name of Jesus was dedicated, numbered about 200. Thereafter Father O'Hara devoted three Sundays a month to his congregation in Bloomington, and went to Clinton only one Sunday each month. No doubt his congregation in Bloomington was increasing considerably, and the "rail- roaders" were approaching the vicinity of Decatur. From that time on, Father O'Hara of course celebrated his week-day AFasses and administered the sacraments in the Catholic Church on West Olive Street. Now that the Catholics have possession of the old church, let us take a closer look at it. It was located on the corner where the Sampson Oil Company Building now stands, occu- pying the lot described as Lot 2 in Block 1 in Aiiller, Foster and Others' Addition to the City of Bloomington, — the direc- tory address being 104 West Olive Street. Lot 2 had a frontage of 52 feet on Olive Street, and extended north and south for a depth of 57 1 / 2 feet. The Methodists never owned Lot 1 in that block, which extended north and south along Main Street, but when the Catholics bought the old church building, this Lot 1 was included in the sale, for it was then in 65 Holy Trinity Parish the name of H. H. Painter, who sold the lots to the Catholics. Lot 1 had a frontage of 35 feet on Olive Street — the com- bined frontage of Lots 1 and 2 on that Street being 87 feet. A few years later the Catholics purchased an additional 14 feet off the east side of Lot 3, adjoining the church property immediately to the west, which gave them a frontage of 101 feet. The property had been abandoned by the Methodists because of their rapidly increasing numbers and a correspond- ing increase in their wealth. They built a larger and more imposing church about the year 1851. In the intervening years the old church property had been sold and resold several times, and when the Catholics bought it in Novem- bers, 1853, the transfer included also Lot 1 on the west side of Alain Street. A picture of the old building as it looked on July 27, 1907, with the subjoined story by a reporter from the Pantagraph may prove of interest. However, let us observe, as set forth in the Pantagraph story, that the two large doors on the east end of the building were not cut out until it became a livery barn, when the original doors to the north were closed up. The two additional wings which were later added to the church by Father Kennedy, and which were about 20 feet long, are shown by the cut in the roof. The entire structure at the time the picture was taken was plastered over with "ads" of all kinds. Following is the interesting account, and the picture of the old church, as given in the Pantagraph of July 27, 1907. "Did you ever stop and take a look at that old building on the southwest corner of Alain and Olive Streets? It is almost completely covered with signs, posters, etc., until the weatherboarding itself is mostly hidden. Only a few, per- haps, realize the historical importance of this old building. It was the first church built in Bloomington; the first home for the Alethodist Church in the city, and the first church for the Catholics, who held services in it afterwards. "Go into this old building, which is now converted into a livery stable, and the sight is intensely interesting, especially 66 ; Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara to those interested in things historic. Since its occupation as a church [after it ceased to be used as a church] a second floor was put on roughly, to be used as a hay loft or storage in connection with the stable. But through the holes and openings in this upper floor may be seen, far above, the roof, which is built in the usual fashion of the churches of that early day. The laths are now exposed, the plaster having fallen off in many places, and the old church is a wreck in- deed. It's fit for nothing more than a livery stable and, in fact, as one of the attaches said yesterday, not fit for that. "Yesterday, when the Pantagrapher called 'to view the remains,' a son of Mr. Stewart Lindley, the owner of the stable, said, as he pointed to the place where the pulpit stood, 'I used to go to church here forty years ago.' — The pulpit was located to the south, and just to the north of the build- ing are seen the double doors where the congregation entered, — not from the Alain Street side, as many would suppose in looking over the premises, the Alain Street door having been cut only since the livery stable has been there. The (old) entrance cannot be seen from the outside, but only from within, and yesterday the stalls of the horses were blocked off here, and up against these doors that once opened to let people pass in to and from worship, were the feed boxes, and the horses yesterday stood contentedly chewing corn, and paid little attention to the intruder. ' Tm seventy-three years old,' said Stewart Lindley, 'and this church has been here ever since I can remember. My mother used to come to services here when the Methodists held meetings.' "The old timbers hewn by the pioneers of the city and hauled by oxen team to the site of the old structure are still to be seen in the building as it stands today. After the Meth- odists held this building for many years, the Catholics pur- chased it, built on a small addition, and it was regarded as very comfortable quarters in those days, or seventy-one years ago. The building, and the old parochial residence adjoining it, are now owned by A4rs. (William G.) Taylor of Cleve- land, Ohio, daughter of 'Put' Ferre, now deceased. 67 Holy Trinity Parish "The first Methodist Church in Bloomington, or for that matter the first in the county, was built in 1836 at the corner of Alain and Olive Streets. This church was a very plain frame building. It was 32 feet by 44 feet, and cost $900. The building committee was John Hendry x, James Miller, Lewis Bunn, W. H. Hodge, James B. Price, William Lucas, and Dr. John Anderson. Rev. Zadoc Hall, then on the cir- cuit, was largely instrumental in this important work. He built with his own hands this, the first church Bloomington had. He took the contract himself, supervised the work, col- lected the subscriptions, and in August, 1836, seventy-one years ago next month, dedicated the church clear of debt. This church was believed to be the first comfortable house of worship built between Springfield and Chicago. In this house the society worshipped for fifteen years, or until 1851. "The congregation was called together by a bell. The men and women sat apart, and no one dared to pass that line of demarcation. The people came in wagons, sometimes drawn by oxen. No persons rode in buggies or carriages, for the reason there were none to ride in. All dressed plainly, and wore no gold or costly apparel. Judge John E. McClun, in writing about this early church, said: 'The fasts on the Fridays before quarterly-meeting were enjoined. A sentinel was always placed at the Love-Feast Door. We had no Doctors of Divinity. We had no music or choirs. The preacher first read the hymn, which was a very impressive part of the service. He then gave out two lines at a time. James Miller pitched the tune, and all sang with spirit and with understanding. All knelt down to pray. A Methodist who did not attend class meeting and kneel down to prayer would have been thought no Methodist in those days.' " 'The babies came too — were brought to the church sometimes in great numbers, and often cried lustily, but a preacher who could not drown the voice of an infant would have been thought by many a poor excuse of a preacher. The shoutings in those days were occasional, and the 'Amens' frequent, sharp, and well-defined.' 68 Pastorate of Rev. Bernard O'Hara "Such was the church life at this old house of worship, a picture of which is given herewith. # # # "Ho^ were, however, revealing years to me. I learned that man\- of my parishioners who in previous years had refused to contribute to the Building Fund, claiming they could not afford it, had invested heavily in what they considered per- fectly safe farm mortgages, and came perilously near to losing their investments because so many farmers had to go into bankruptcy proceedings. Only by dire scrimping and saving were the investors enabled to save even a part of their farm loans, by buying some of the farms on which they had loaned their money. Others invested in bonds, and lost almost all of their investment. Others invested in stocks, but the stock market almost went flat. The}' lost their investment. The bitter irony of it all was they had refused to invest much in the project which would count greatly for them in eternal life: the building of Trinity High School. They had been urged to do that from 1924 down through the years, and they failed not only their parish, but they failed themselves. While the construction of the new church was in progress, I had considerable work laid out for me. I had agreed with the Bishop that I would get subscriptions for the new altars, windows, communion rail, stations of the cross, and pulpit. 238 Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore The depression was still on, but while it made it harder to get donations, the things to be purchased were much cheaper than they would have been in good times. Mrs. Nettie Sullivan donated the main altar in memory of her husband, Frank Sul- livan. George R. Flynn donated the altar of the Blessed Virgin in memory of his wife, Bessie. St. Joseph's altar was promised by Charles Hopt before his death, but he provided for the payment for it in his will. The main altar had cost $2,580.00, and the side altars $900.00 each. The communion rail, cost- ing $1,000, was donated by William McGraw in memory of his parents; the pulpit, at $284.00, was donated by John, Wil- liam and Dan Tuohy, in memory of their father, D. J. Tuohy; the velour drapes back of the altars were donated by Mrs. Kathryn E. A4aloney at a cost of $175.50; the large brass crucifix on the main altar was donated by Murray & Carmody, morticians. To get donors of the church windows really proved a problem. I remember afterwards publicly relating in a gather- ing of my parishioners that one evening I sat up until mid- night, checking over my list to estimate the most likely pros- pects for donors of church windows at $500.00 each, and stations of the cross at $150.00 each. The next forenoon I scrutinized my select list very carefully for the very best five names for windows. I selected five to canvass that afternoon. I felt confident that I would get at least three, possibly five, donors. I did my best in every instance and these prospects had the means to do something worthwhile. I did not get a single donor. I went home after a hard afternoon's work feeling that I had never been so completely and ingloriously defeated in my life. I was right in my estimates! But my prospects had made large loans on good farm land, which at that time was being sold at perhaps one-fourth of its wartime value. In their chagrin, they had no thought of charity. Cupidity and avarice can freeze the soul of many a decent Christian into a state of spiritual coma. That evening and night meant much to me. Depressed though I was, I resolved that I was not going to give up. The next forenoon I picked out five other prospects. With 239 Holy Trinity Parish a fervent prayer in my heart I tackled the loathsome task again. I was rewarded by getting three donors, and that was encouraging. I continued the work until donors for all the windows were secured. It took time, effort, and persever- ance; and then much patience and labor until the donations were paid. Donors for the stations of the cross were rather easily secured. They are hand painted on copper, and should remain perfect for a very long time — perhaps more than a hundred years. They w r ere painted in Czechoslovakia, and represent the high quality of art in that country before it fell under the cruel heel of Moscow. As the church neared completion it was just bound to happen that the pastor would be more than a little irked by some of his clerical friends referring to it as modernistic architecture. Of course it definitely is not. It is at least a very fair specimen of modern Gothic, and there is a vast dif- ference. Modernistic is modern Gothic carried to the extreme, and purposely so, to create something bizarre. The 1933 World's Fair held in Chicago had many buildings of that type. They are interesting; a challenge to one's attention; but no one w r ould consider them good architecture. As the church neared completion, arrangements were made for its dedication. This event took place on Monday morning, April 2, 1934, when the Most Reverend J. H. Schlarman, Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria, solemnly dedi- cated the structure to Almighty God. A very large number of priests from the diocese w T ere present, and some from Chicago and Springfield. The Most Reverend Bishop ad- minstered Confirmation in the afternoon at two-thirty. A considerable number of the laity attended the dedication from Peoria and other nearby cities of the state. They were im- pressed by the foam rubber cushions on the kneelers back of the pews. It was not long until many requests were made to various pastors to provide similar kneeler cushions. Holy Trinity was the first church in the Diocese of Peoria to install them. By now their use is quite common throughout the state. Needless to say it was a great relief to the pastor, and his 240 Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore ever faithful assistant, Rev. J. P. Farrell, and to the people of the parish, to get back to a church again. The Gym was not so bad, but it did not provide the conveniences of a church for priests or people. The windows of the new church also elicited criticism. Of course they are different from the usual type, but they are in perfect harmony with the building and in good taste. According to the following quotation from the Bloomington Fantagraph they seem to have met the approval of one of the greatest authorities on church windows in the United States, — this article appearing in the Fantagraph of Thursday, Janu- ary 10, 1935: "Windows of Holy Trinity Praised by Glass Expert — Charles J. Connick of Boston, who is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on stained glass, congratulated Bloomington on having 'such a fine example of modern architecture' as Holy Trinity Church, in a lecture Wednesday night at Presser Hall. Seeing the church on his drive through town immediately after his arrival, Mr. Connick said he stop- ped the taxi and went inside. ' 'I was pleased to see a very simple and very beautiful use of colored glass in the windows, using an ornamental treatment, rather than figures', he said. 'The effect is quite beautiful and in very good taste'. "His praise was the more convincing since he had little to say in favor of the windows of most American churches. 'One need only look at the churches built in the last fifty years to realize that stained glass is a lost art', he commented. "Significance in Color. — He explained that stained glass should not deal with pictorial elements, but architectural design, and showed how spiritual qualities are expressed through symbols and singing color. " 'Light and color had deep, genuinely spiritual meaning for the old masters of the 12th and 13th centuries', Air. Con- nick said. 'To them, blue was a symbol of divine wisdom, eternity, loyalty, enduring friendship; red represented divine love, passionate devotion, martyrdom, courage; white, faith and purity; gold, achievement; green, hope and youth. They 241 Holy Trinity Parish used color and light as a musician uses sound, to bring forth the treasures in their hearts and souls'. "Little is known of the history of stained glass," the lec- turer said, "but as early as the Crusades, examples of this Oriental art had reached France. In the 12th century the monk, Theophilus, wrote a textbook on the crafts, including a chapter on stained glass. The methods he described for preparing glass are the same as those now in use. 'The great formulas for glass making were never lost', Mr. Connick said. 'When workers in French cathedrals tell you that the secret of making glass for the windows is lost, they are only trying to excite you. Those colors can still be produced. What was lost was the skill, the talent and the spiritual qualities in the minds and hearts of the makers'. "Illustrates with Slides — Using slides and jewel-like colors, Mr. Connick conducted a simple experiment in design to illustrate the radiant quality of light and the ability of certain colors, especially blue, to 'devour' the black lead lines in windows when seen at a distance. "He showed slides of entire windows and details of win- dows in the cathedrals of Chartres, Rheims, Canterbury and elsewhere in Europe and illustrated their appearance under various conditions — at early Mass, in morning sunlight, at twilight, on rainy days and sunny ones. "He spoke of the substitution in New College, Oxford, of a painted glass window for one of stained glass, calling it an atrocity unequalled anywhere in this country, where in many sections the art of stained glass has been 'submerged by silly, sweet, sugary art glass products'. "Mr. Connick said that stained glass is the happiest craft because it deals with the happiest element, light. Some of the great windows he has designed and directed the thirty work- men of his own studio in making are to be found in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York; Grace Cathe- dral in San Francisco; the Chicago Art Institute, and the choir of the Princeton University Chapel. Slides of these windows were shown." I did not have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Connick at the 242 Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore time of his visit to Bloomington, nor since, but I am grateful for his expressed appreciation of the windows in the church. It would take much space to record the successes and trials of the succeeding years, 1935-1948, but of course they were in accordance with the average parish having a fairly large grade school and a larger than average high school. Holy Trinity was the only Catholic high school in the city, and enrolled students from iMerna, El Paso, and the other two parishes in the city. We had not, as yet, made any provision for a new pipe organ. For use in the Gym after the fire, Father Vincent Green of Farmer City, who was something of an organist in his own right, had gone over to Pekin and purchased for us from the Pekin Organ Company, for $500, a new reed organ. When things got shaped up fairly well and it became apparent that we would have our church all paid for when completed (or almost that), I had a call from one of the most energetic young women of the parish, Mrs. Darrell Theobald, daughter of Mr. William Costigan, Sr., now de- ceased. Mrs. Theobald and her husband sang in Holy Trinity choir, and she played and sang the Requiem Masses on week days. She sensed that I was tired soliciting but she appreciated how desirable it would be to have a new and adequate pipe organ. She volunteered to select a committee of ladies to put on a drive for the necessary funds to purchase a pipe organ. Of course I heartily approved of the idea. I promised to ascertain what a suitable pipe organ would cost. Previous to this time I had been approached by agents for perhaps a dozen pipe organ builders, and although I had not been greatly interested, I had kept for future reference the material which those agents had left with me. After the call from Mrs. Theo- bald, I telephoned to Mrs. Spencer Green (Mary Slattery), who played the organ for the High Masses on Sundays. She was at this time teaching organ at the Wesleyan University School of Music, of which school she was a graduate. Mrs. Green was delighted to hear that there was a prospect of get- ting a new pipe organ. She suggested that we enlist the aid of 243 Holy Trinity Parish her chief, Dr. Frank Jordan, the head of the organ depart- ment. (He later became Dean of the Wesley an School of Music). Dr. Jordan and Mrs. Green met with me one evening and reviewed all the material which I had. Dr. Jordan knew the construction of pipe organs "from A to Z," and could evaluate the preposterous claims of many of their builders. He and Mrs. Green worked out a plan for competitive bidding on what they deemed appropriate standards for Holy Trinity. I was surprised at the fine appreciation of what would be desirable and undesirable for Catholic church services on the part of Dr. Jordan, a non-Catholic. When the bids, with specifications, were received, Dr. Jordan and Mrs. Green checked them over carefully, and wrote out new specifications of their own. In the meantime Dr. Jordan, Mrs. Green and I visited half a dozen churches in Chicago, and the Chicago Music Hall, trying out various kinds of organs. When the final bids were received Dr. Jordan, Mrs. Green and I checked them over closely and we decided to let the contract for the new organ to The Pekin Organ Company, Pekin, Illinois, for $12,500. This company would allow the parish $500 for the reed organ which we had purchased from the firm a couple of years before for exactly that amount. So the challenge was passed back to Mrs. Theobald: "If you can get subscriptions for $12,000, we can get a new pipe organ, and an excellent one." This energetic lady got busy at once. Her committee did most of the work over the tele- phone; the drive was a well-organized project. Most of the pledges, at least eighty percent, were paid on time, or later. We got a new pipe organ, due to the enthusiasm of Mrs. Darrell Theobald and her committee, a splendid accomplish- ment in those days of the depression. I think I may be pardoned in recording that a number of competent judges of pipe organs complimented Mrs. Theobald, Mrs. Green and myself on the organ we had pur- chased. The credit goes to Mrs. Theobald, Mrs. Green, and Dr. Frank Jordan. 244 Rev. R. E. Raney Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore During those years we were exceptionally fortunate to have the services of Dr. Spencer Green, who was a special- ist in voice training at Wesleyan, to train and direct our choir, and also to have his very capable wife to play the organ. It was a combination which may not occur again for many years. Within a year or two Dr. Green organized and trained a sanctuary choir of about a dozen men and sixty boys. I think we had a surpliced choir that really rivaled that of the Cathe- dral in Peoria. How dear Sister Dominicus did exert her- self to have her choir boys dressed with wide collars, Eton style, and large red bow ties! The singing of the processional and recessional was always very impressive. And also the singing of the sanctuary choir at the High Mass. Of course, that event was only for special occasions, Christmas, Easter, and a few other Sundays during the year. After a year or so I was advised by Mrs. Green that a small organ in the sanctuary would be a great advantage for the sanctuary choir; so we experimented with an electronic organ. It was a help, but we were not greatly pleased with it. Fortunately, at this very time the president of the Pekin Organ Company came over to see me, with a proposal to place a small pipe organ back of the main altar, which could be played by the organist from the keyboard of the regular organ. He was most anxious to furnish it, to be a part of the big organ which his Company had installed. I was so favor- ably impressed that I gave the company a contract, at $800, to have the small organ put in. I paid for it, for I realized that its value to the parish would depend on the permanency of the sanctuary choir and an organist competent to play the organ back of the altar. In every large parish where there is a high school as well as a grade school the pastor is quite likely to have additional worries. Janitors cause a large part of it, — sometimes diffi- culty in obtaining fuel will add to the priest's blood pressure. But the most frequent cause of trouble comes from pupils or students who find it hard to adjust themselves to school life and discipline. Most cases are taken care of by the tactful and patient Sisters, but some difficulties will have to be re- 245 Holy Trinity Parish solved by the pastor. Quite generally the fault is in the home. It is seldom the fault of the teacher or child. The fact is that many parents fail to recognize their responsibility as parents. The school, whether private or public, can only assist the parents in training their children to become good men and women and good citizens of our country. Assistance is all that can reasonably be expected by parents, of teachers. In either school we never had trouble with children who came from a home where the parents realized their responsibility. Every pastor of a large parish is keenly aware of how much he depends upon the zeal and competency of his assist- ants and upon the tact and ability of his teaching Sisters. With very few exceptions I found that I was blessed with the wholehearted cooperation of assistants and Sisters at Holy Trinity. The members of the parish observed from the Animal Statements that I was making real headway in paying off the heavy indebtedness. The amount of $50,000 set aside from the church insurance money, and quite a few bequests from members of the parish, which have been listed in this chapter, helped mightily in reducing the debt. And so, although times were not so very good, the parishioners became much more generous in assisting me in my work. It was a great satisfac- tion to me, when I published my Annual Statement for 1944, to be able to announce to the congregation that the parish was entirely free from debt. For that I thanked God, and all who had assisted me in this big undertaking. In the latter part of the year 1945, Bishop Schlarman thought it proper that he should have some of his senior clergy and his Chancellor elevated to the rank of domestic prelates, with the title of Right Reverend Monsignori. Of course the simple request from the Bishop of a diocese to the Holy Father, through the Apostolic Delegate in Washington, accomplishes this. Those given this signal honor were Rt. Rev. Alsgr. M. P. Sammon, Pastor of St. Bernard's, Peoria; Rt. Rev. A4sgr. Wm. P. Burke, Pastor of Visitation Parish, Kewanee; Rt. Rev. Frank A. Cleary, Pastor of St. Patrick's Parish, Danville; 246 Rt. Rev. Msgr. S. N. Moore Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore Rt. Rev. Msgr. James B. Reidy, Chancellor of the Diocese; and myself, then Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, Bloomington. Our investiture took place in St. Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, on Sunday forenoon, December 16, 1945. Many from Rock Island, Kewanee, Danville and Bloomington attended the cere- monies. Lest I should appear ungrateful, I wish to call attention to the fact that on January 11, 1946, the Knights of Columbus of Bloomington tendered me an elaborate banquet in their Hall. Laudatory talks were delivered by my senior assistant, Rev. R. E. Raney; by Rev. John D. Ring of Merna; by Rev. Gill A4iddleton, a young priest from the parish, and by Rt. Rev. Monsignor J. B. Reidy, Chancellor of the Diocese. The Mayor of the city, Honorable Mark B. Hayes, also greeted the assembly and myself in his customary pleasant manner. The genial and greatly beloved Father J. P. Farrell (now deceased), who had been my assistant for seven strenuous years, acted as toastmaster. Of course affairs of this nature are of secondary impor- tance in the history of a parish but, nevertheless, it is with pleasure that I make note of them. The Diocesan Drive of 1945-1946 In the early half of 1945, the Most Reverend Bishop Schlarman inaugurated a diocesan drive to reduce the in- debtedness of the diocese, and to enable pastors to make re- pairs and improvements on their parish buildings, and in some parishes where Catholic high schools were needed, to enable pastors to put on an intensive campaign for funds for a school. The idea was excellent; times were better than they had been for years. Sometimes, no doubt, some pastors may hesitate to under- take any project for repairs and improvements of an exten- sive nature because of a natural repugnance to "talking money." The diocesan drive was a general plan, however, in which every parish and outmission was obliged to participate; each parish had to meet a certain quota for diocesan purposes, and whatever was collected over and above that amount could 247 Holy Trinity Parish be used for various local improvements, after securing the approval of the Bishop. I had been yearning for years to care for some badly needed repairs in some of the parish buildings. Foremost among these was the tuck-pointing of Holy Trinity Convent. The old mortar in the walls had disintegrated in places so that it no longer afforded much resistance to cold winds or rain. The chuch basement required a new floor and the walls needed plastering, for they had never been plastered. Stokers were needed for the furnaces in the church, high school, and convent. Our receipts from the diocesan drive for July 1, 1945 to July 1, 1946 amounted to $25,520.33 and our quota to the Diocese was S23, 300.00. This left a balance of $2,203.33 to begin an important program. Some pledges on the drive were paid after July 1, 1946. In the years following there were expenditures for: Tuck-pointing convent, S 5,250.00 Stokers — church, high school and convent, 8,472.96 New 3 -car garage, 2,794.65 Storm windows and screens, convent, 2,850.00 Recovering some kneelers in church, 1,076.00 Total, $20,443.61 These were the major improvements made during these years. The revenue for the greater part was obtained from bequests to the parish and from regular parish funds. The New Holy Cross Cemetery The land for the new Holy Cross Cemetery, west of Normal on Sudduth Road, was purchased in 1946 at a cost of $7,000. It includes about 22 acres according to usual land surveys, which extends to the middle of adjoining roads. I considered it a very favorable location and the price reason- able. I had been investigating possible sites for a new ceme- tery for more than a year. The surveying for driveways, grading, and the platting 248 Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore of lots was done by a specialist in cemetery engineering from Des Moines, Iowa. The grading of driveways, drilling of a well; a tool house and pump; motor and other work, such as planting of trees, shrubbery, privet hedge, and so on, of course, added considerably to the original investment. How- ever, all expenses were paid out of an accumulated Cemetery Fund which was started when I took charge of the parish in July 1924. Before that the receipts from the cemetery had been merged into the parish receipts, which really was not unfair, because the development of the old St. Mary's Ceme- tery had been a Holy Trinity project down through the years. During the year 1947 I had endeavored to have the spout- ing on Holy Trinity Convent renewed. Because of the height of the building, four stories, and the consequent necessity of having extensive scaffolding erected, I was unable to get any competitive bidding. The J. L. Kingston Roofing Company gave me its bid. I had always considered Mr. Kingston a very honest and reliable gentleman and still hold him in the highest esteem. But I hesitated about accepting his terms until I found that I could not do any better. I never liked the cost-plus agreement plan, but the work needed to be done, and as soon as possible. The old "box gutters" had been leaking too frequently, to the dismay of the good Sisters, and could not be tolerated any longer. Accordingly, I accepted the terms proposed by the J. L. Kingston Company. The work was started in the spring of 1948 and Mr. Kingston advised that an entire new roof be put on the Convent. But he advised using asphalt shingle as the old rafters were bending under the weight of the slate roof. I was governed by his recommendation and contracted for a new roof of asphalt shingles. As the work on the spouting progressed I paid the bills presented by the contractor. They amounted to $3,785.00 up to the time I left Holy Trinity, July 1, 1948. The balance was paid by my successor, Rev. B. J. Sheedy, when the work was completed. But as nothing had been done on the new roof up to the time I left, I did not pay anything on that account. During the latter part of 1947, I realized that my vision 249 Holy Trinity Parish was failing and my hearing was almost as bad. The thought of resigning would come to me at times, and of course it is an unwelcome one to every pastor who is advancing in years. But the advisability of doing it became ever more recurrent as I contemplated the possibility of an impasse such as had happened during the last years of Monsignor Weldon's life. It was not his fault, and it certainly was not the fault of the administrator, Father Medcalf. But a large parish just does not function efficiently for any length of time under such circumstances. By the end of 1947, I had practically decided to resign, and soon, for I believed that my work was done, or, if not, that I probably would never do it as it should be done. I was almost forced to that decision when my two housekeepers, the Temme sisters, who had been with me for eight years, advised me of their wish to retire and return to their farm home near Petersburg, Boone County, Nebraska, where they had four brothers with their families residing in the immediate vicinity. The sisters had almost lost their farm during the years of the drought and depression of the 1930's. They had built a fine modern home on their farm before that but, like many others of that day, they simply had to sell off their livestock, and salvage what they could. This they did, and went to Chicago where they worked as housemaids, until I got in touch with them through their nephew, Joe Stein- kemper, who had become one of my janitors in the meantime. He had observed that I had changed housekeepers in a rela- tively short time, so he told me of his aunts in Chicago, and I made arrangement to bring them to Bloomington in the latter part of December 1939. My sister Alary, who had been my housekeeper for many years, died suddenly on December 7, 1935. During the following years I had realized, as have many other pastors, that good housekeepers are really hard to get. If the Temme sisters retired, I did not care to go through my previous experiences. Some housekeepers were fairly good, but most of them left much to be desired. The Temme sisters urged me to resign and return with them to their old home in Nebraska. I knew it would be a 250 Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore comfortable home and that I would there have the best of care, and also that it would be a solution of the problem of my getting a home and a competent housekeeper. I prevailed upon them to remain with me until the end of June 1948, when I would resign, and go with them to Nebraska. The proposal surely had much to commend it. It remained for me to wind up my affairs in Holy Trinity Parish and prepare to leave a congregation that I had learned to love. I may say that if there is anything that can tear the very heart out of a priest, it is to do that. I thank God now that I had the courage to do it, for I know that it was best for the parish and probably best for me also. Hard though it was to do it, I had made my decision. On April 26, 1948, I went over to Peoria and explained to our good Bishop why I had come, and what I proposed to do. I found him most sympathetic, for he seemed to sense what it would mean to me. He certainly was very kind and under- standing. I submitted my resignation to become effective July 1, 1948. The Bishop requested that I would not disclose to any- one the fact that I had resigned, until he would announce it later in The Peoria Register. That was reasonable. There would be many applicants for one of the best parishes in the Diocese of Peoria. I observed his request absolutely, except that I told my housekeepers, whom I bound to secrecy. When the announcement of my resignation was made in The Register about the middle of June, 1948, it was also stated that my successor would be the Reverend B. J. Sheedy, at that time pastor in Pekin, Illinois. Not every pastor lives to see his successor appointed, but surely when he does, he rejoices if the nomination accords with his own appraisal of his successor's fitness for the place. I am happy to record that when I read of that appointment I was greatly pleased. I knew that the work at Holy Trinity would be continued under competent and zealous manage- ment — a great satisfaction indeed. Now that this disclosure had taken place, I had only to get things in order to turn the parish over to my successor. 251 Holy Trinity Parish It was a source of satisfaction to me that I could leave the parish in a sound financial condition. It was true I had paid only $3,785 on the project of renovation of the spouting on the convent, and I had not paid anything on the cost of the new roof, but I did leave in the parish treasury $15,749.36 and $10,000 in U.S. Bonds in the parish box in the American State Bank, which I had overlooked in making out my pre- vious statement. These funds would amply take care of the obligations to be met, and leave my successor a handsome sum wherewith to begin his pastorate. It had been my very earnest desire to leave the parish with- out any Farewell Party. I felt that such an occasion would not be easy for me, and I wished to avoid it. I explained to my senior assistant, Father J. E. Lohan, my desire in that respect, but a couple of days later he came back with the objection that the people of the parish wanted something of that kind. He pointed out that I would need vestments, etc., for my chapel out in Nebraska, and that my parishioners wanted to supply them. So I consented to that evidence of their affec- tion. Not long thereafter Father Lohan told me that he and Father Richard O'Brien would like to take a day off to go to Chicago to get some "clothes.' 1 It was early in June; they wanted to get summer suits, I assumed. I readily assented. Later I discovered that they had taken the trip to Chicago to purchase a complete outfit for my private chapel in Nebraska — five sets of fine vestments, two missals, candlesticks, crucifix, missal stand, albs, and everything else needed for the equipment of a chapel. I presume it has often happened that a good and kind assistant puts a "fast one" over on the pastor. When he does the pastor cannot find it in his heart to "gripe" very much about it. Father Lohan told me that the people of the parish wanted a formal Farewell Party. I still retain the suspicion that he, too, promoted it considerably. I felt that I could not do other- wise than submit to it, and the party was really put on in superb style. 252 Rt. Rev. Msgr. B. J. Sheedy Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore The Patrinmar Club was the first to bid for its manage- ment. This club consisted of young women graduates from St. Patrick's where for two years they had had a high school, from Old St. Mary's High School of Holy Trinity Parish, as well as those who had graduated from Trinity High School. Their name signified, Pat — St. Patrick's; Triti — Holy Trin- ity; Mar — St. Mary's. Some years previously I had been associated with the organization of this group. Its purpose was to have a society to stand for definite Catholic principles and to plan for social functions. In reality the young women did most of the organizing. I was, at most, helpful only by way of suggestion. They were the first organization to offer their services to organize a Farewell Party for me, and Father Lohan accepted their offer. Soon thereafter other groups came forward wishing to undertake a significant gesture of appreciation. The Knights of Columbus, the Altar and Rosary Society, and the School Club volunteered their services. Father Lohan told them that he had already assigned the project to the Patrinmar Club, but encouraged the other organizations to assist those young women. This they did with right good will, and the Farewell Party was put on in grand style. Tickets for the banquet were sold to friends of the pastor and to friends of the parish, and all tables in the spacious Gym were filled. At the end of the banquet the ever genial and versatile Father "Pat" Farrell acted as toastmaster. Impromptu talks were made by Miss Helen Maloney, Rev. Stephen W. Gould, Sister M. Fidelis of Rosary College, Kenneth Clothier, Grand Knight of the K. of C's., and Mrs. Eugene Kilmartin (Fay McClellan) gave a history of the Patrinmar Club. I was called upon and endeavored to express my apprecia- tion and gratitude for the fine demonstration of their affection as reflected by the very fine Farewell Party which had been given me. Rev. J. E. Lohan announced that the complete furnishings for my private chapel out in Nebraska had been paid for, and that he was entrusted with sufficient funds to purchase a new Chrysler four-door auto for me just as soon as one would 253 Holy Trinity Paris!? become available. (New cars could not be had immediately in those days). It was more than four months later when the car was finally purchased. I returned to Bloomington and had it driven out to Nebraska. It is by far the best auto that I have ever owned. After the Farewell Party I had only to get things in order to leave Holy Trinity Parish and Bloomington. It would be an understatement to say that it was with heavy heart that I, with my two former housekeepers and their brother, Teddy Temme, drove in the old Plymouth out of the backyard of Holy Trinity Rectory in the early morning of June 30, 1948, to go to Nebraska. I did not dread Nebraska, because I did not know much of it, but I did know Holy Trinity Parish and its people. So it was not an easy adventure. The winter of 1948-1949 proved to be one of the most severe in the history of Nebraska, according to the testimony of the oldest inhabitants. The first blizzard came on Novem- ber 18, 1948, — blinding snow and severe cold for two days. Y\ nen the storm subsided, the road from the Temme farm to Petersburg was completely blocked by snowdrifts and re- mained so for about three weeks. During that time one of the Temme brothers, wearing six-buckled overshoes, would walk into Petersburg carrying a grain sack, and bring out the mail, coffee and cigarettes for the neighborhood. We had another period of about three weeks' isolation before the winter was over. Before leaving Bloomington I had given my library to Reverend Doctor Duncan of The Newman Foundation, Uni- versity of Illinois, but had taken a few volumes with me to Nebraska, including the poems of Longfellow and \\ nittier. I admit now that during the time of dreary isolation that winter, I reread by way of consolation, Longfellow's "Hia- watha" and \\ nittier's "Snowbound"! The Temme house where I lived was always comfortably heated and I was well taken care of, but long before the winter was over I had decided that what had been my first winter in Nebraska would also be my last. Isolation is some- thing almost unendurable to most of us. I arranged to move 254 Pastorate of Rev. S. N. Moore back to Streator, Illinois on July 1, 1949. Here I had some relatives and many friends. It was near my boyhood home. Since then I have been comfortably settled in a home where I enjoy the privileges of a private chapel adequately furnished by the good people of Holy Trinity. Here I have endeavored to compile this History of Holy Trinity Parish of Blooming- ton, Illinois. Assistants to Rev. S. N. Moore: 1924-1927, Rev. T.E. Shea 1927-1928, Rev. J. P. Farrell, Rev. J. D. Shannon, Rev. J. E. McLean 1929-1930, Rev. J. P. Farrell, Rev. P. H. Kurzynski 1930-1931, Rev. J. P. Farrell, Rev. K. L. Roach 1931-1932, Rev. J. P. Farrell, Rev. K. L. Roach 1932-1933, Rev. J. P. Farrell, Rev. K. L. Roach, Rev. J. L. Seisel 1933-1934, Rev. J. P. Farrell, Rev. K. L. Roach, Rev. Chas. H. Martell 1934-1935, Rev. J. P. Farrell, Rev. Chas. H. Martell 1935-1936, Chas. H. A4artell, Rev. Emmett J. Schleich 1936-1937, Rev. Emmett J. Schleich, Rev. Father Hubert, O.F.M., Rev. Win. Kellv 1937-1938, Rev. Emmett J. Schleich, Rev. Wm. Kellv, Rev. E. V. O'Neil 1938-1939, Rev. Emmett J. Schleich, Rev. E. V. O'Neil, Rev. R. E. Ranev 1939-1940, Rev. R. E. Ranev, Rev. Paul Kane 1940-1941, Rev. R. E. Ranev, Rev. Paul Kane, Rev. P. A. Armstrong, C.S.V., Rev. J. E. Lohan 1941-1942, Rev. R. E. Ranev, Rev. J. E. Lohan 1942-1943, Rev. R. E. Ranev, Rev. J. E. Lohan 1943-1944, Rev. R. E. Ranev, Rev. J. E. Lohan 1944-1945, Rev. R. E. Ranev, Rev. J. E. Lohan 1945-1946, Rev. R. E. Ranev, Rev. J. E. Lohan, Rev. R. C. O'Brien 255 Holy Trinity Parish 1946-1947, Rev. R. E. Raney, Rev. J. E. Lohan, Rev. R. C. O'Brien 1947-July 1, 1948, Rev, J. E. Lohan, Rev. R. C. O'Brien, Rev. J. P. Culleton It is worthy of note that Rev. J. P. Farrell served as an assistant for seven years, by far the longest term of any assist- ant in Holy Trinity Parish up to that time. Later both Rev. R. E. Raney and Rev. J. E. Lohan served under me for eight years each, the latter extending his time of service for about two months under Rev. B. J. Sheedy. 256 Pastorate of the Right Reverend Monsignor B. J. Sheedy July 1, 1948- Bernard J. Sheedy was born in Ireland and received his elementary education in the very thorough schools of that country. He came to America in the summer of 1909 and the following September entered St. Bernard's Seminary, Rochester, New York, to begin his course in Philosophy and kindred studies. After two years he commenced his studies in Sacred Theology. Having finished these in the spring of 1915, he was ordained to the priesthood by the Right Rever- end E. M. Dunne, in St. Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, on May 29th. Father Sheedy's first appointment was as assistant to Rev. William Drummy at Rantoul, with Paxton as an outmission. After two years there, he was assigned to Reverend H. A. O'Kelly, pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, in Streator. Again after two years in Streator, in 1919, Father Sheedy was appointed pastor of Rapids City in the northwestern part of the Diocese. In 1921 Father Sheedy was appointed to be the first pastor of Paxton. Since he had attended it previously as an out- mission from Rantoul, he was well acquainted with the people and his work there was on this account greatly facilitated. He remained with the congregation for ten years. In the meantime he had made of it a very substantial parish. In 1931, Father Sheedy was made pastor of St. A4ary's Church, Wenona. There he distinguished himself by his great interest in the parochial school. By personal contact, he endeared the people of the parish to him. 257 Holy Trinity Parish After about six years, in 1937, Father Sheedy was ap- pointed pastor of St. Joseph's, Pekin. At that time a new parochial school was badly needed there. Father Sheedy bought the necessary real estate and paid for it. He also col- lected funds for a new school and had the plans and specifica- tions drawn up for it when World War II came along. Al- location of steel and other building material made immediate construction impossible. It had to be deferred to a later date. About the end of World War II, Father Sheedy suffered greatly from some internal malady which caused his friends, both clerical and laymen, considerable anxiety. However, after a rather serious operation, he emerged almost miracu- lously with his former energy. He continued his excellent work in Pekin until my resignation as pastor of Holy Trinity Parish became effective, July 1, 1948. I have stated above, at the close of the story of my pastor- ate at Holy Trinity, that I was particularly pleased that the Rev. B. J. Sheedy was appointed to be my successor. I was confident that under his capable guidance the parish would grow in influence in the city of Bloomington. Surely my fondest hopes were realized. I am quite certain that with the coming of Father Sheedy the spiritual life of the parish gained a new impetus. With his zeal, tact and energy it could scarcely have been otherwise. It is difficult, of course, to appraise matters of this kind. But this I know: older men tend to become accustomed to a certain pattern; younger men dare to do things differently and invariably they succeed. Obviously it could not have been an easy matter for Father Sheedy, a total stranger, to assume charge of such a large parish with its attendant responsibilities. Nevertheless, he soon got his bearings. Unfortunately, I had left him some obligations in the way of completing the spouting on the convent and a new roof of asphalt tile for that building. I had paid part of the cost of the new spouting, insofar as the work was completed when I left there. Nothing was paid on the new roofing, for nothing had been done on that project. However, I did leave ample funds to complete both projects — approximately $25,000 — so that 258 Pastorate of the Right Rev. Monsignor B. J. Sheedy the cost of this work contracted for was fully taken care of, and most likely there was a considerable residue with which to begin his pastorate. Such an amount gives a rather com- fortable feeling to any pastor undertaking a new pastorate. In the latter part of 1948, Father Sheedy had some carpen- ter work done on the interior of the Grade School. Marflex floors were laid and the walls were painted, thus adding greatly to the appearance of the class rooms and corridors. The following year he had that building tuck pointed and the sash and window frames painted. It was a real transforma- tion of what had formerly looked like an old building. It was in May of that year that Father Sheedy was made a Right Reverend Monsignor. From the Peoria Register of June 5, 1949 we cull the following: "Papal honors will be bestowed upon six priests and four lay people of the Diocese of Peoria in formal ceremonies in St. Mary's Cathedral this Sunday morning, June 5, at 10:30 o'clock. "The honors will be conferred by His Excellency, Bishop Joseph H. Schlarman, who will also deliver the sermon. Celebrant of the Pontifical Mass will be the Rt. Reverend P. H. Durkin, P.A., Vicar General of the Diocese. "Those to be invested formally with the robes of Domestic Prelate at the ceremonies are the Rt. Rev. Monsignor B. J. Sheedy, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, Bloomington; Rt. Rev. Monsignor C. J. Higgins, of Holy Cross Parish, Cham- paign, and Rt. Rev. Monsignor T. J. Jordan, of Sacred Heart Parish, Rock Island. Those to be invested with the robes of Papal Chamberlain are the Very Rev. Monsignor F. P. Blecke, Diocesan Superintendent of Schools; the Very Rev. Mon- signor M. V. Haas, Rector of St. Mary's Cathedral, and the Very Rev. Monsignor Gill Middleton, Diocesan Director of Charities." The Rt. Rev. Monsignor Sheedy returned to Bloomington that afternoon and in the evening functioned in his robes as Monsignor in Holy Trinity Church, awarding the diplomas to the High School graduating class. Later in 1949, Monsignor Sheedy conducted a very excep- 259 Holy Trinity Parish tionally successful bazaar, which netted the parish $12,012.68. This was to prepare for the complete renovation of the old Holy Trinity Convent. In the two succeeding years Msgr. Sheedy conducted a bazaar each year. In 1950 it netted $9,695.47 and in 1951 it netted $10,000.26, — a fine testimony to the high esteem in which he was held by the people of the parish and the city. Monsignor Sheedy had planned the renovation of the Convent and had plans drawn up for it in 1949. It was a gigantic undertaking, but there was urgent need for it. The old building had truly done yeoman's service since the time the first part of it had been erected by the good Father Kennedy in the summer of 1863. Let us recall that Father Weldon had sold this building, and the two lots on which it was built, to the Sisters of St. Dominic in the autumn of 1879. The Sisters had built an addition to the south approxi- mately the size of the original structure, and then had both portions built up one story higher. Over all this was super- imposed a very large and spacious attic which down through the years served as a vast storeroom for everything from trunks, satchels and suitcases to window screens. The Sisters had closed their Convent School in 1924, and were desirous of selling the old building back to the parish. They had some appraisals made as to its value, which I considered rather fantastic, for I knew that because of its age there would be much required in the way of repairs. I rented the building so that I would have a home for our teaching Sisters, and also two classrooms, which we badly needed. In short, in 1926 I bought the building and the lots on which it is located, from the Sisters. I may say that from the start my worst apprehensions were realized. Worn out plumb- ing; worn out floors; worn out furnace, and so on. I was obliged to spend a very considerable sum to have the kitchen renovated with a good floor and adequate plumbing, a new floor for the Sisters' community room, a new floor for the laundry, new steam pipes under the basement floor, a few partitions for private rooms for the older Sisters, a few extra shower rooms, and so the dreary expenditures went on, 260 Pastorate of the Right Rev. Monsignor B. J. Sheedy I have only genuine admiration for Monsignor Sheedy when he resolved to remodel the entire building and for the very practical way in which it was done. It urgently needed to be done. Right Reverend Monsignor Sheedy well deserves the gratitude of the Sisters and the people of the parish. The subjoined statement gives one a fair idea of the work done. Repairs Made on Holy Trinity Convent Submitted by Mr. John J. Shea, Contractor Basement: Wood floors replaced by concrete, covered with asphalt tiles; laundry replastered; new automatic dryer added. Wood wainscot replaced with glazed hollow tile, ceilings with acoustic tile. Heating system remodeled to take care of additional rooms; installed complete new plumbing and fixtures, includ- ing a lavatory in each bedroom. First Floor: North wing four rooms replastered; all wood casing re- moved, plaster and metallede taking its place. Second and Third Floors of North Wing: Treated same as first floor. All plaster was tinted with seven different colors. When this was applied, the Sisters had different colored rooms. All floors were covered with Marflex flooring. This type of floor is applied over the old wood floor and is similar to Terrazzo. This flooring was continued up on the wall to a height of six inches to form a baseboard. It is sanitary, and makes a beautiful floor. South Wing First Floor: This consisted of two rooms divided by wood partition. The partition was removed, heavy steel beams were installed in the ceiling to carry the additional load of partitions that were added on second and third floors. These beams, when 261 Holy Trinity Parish plastered, formed a pleasing pattern. This section was made into Chapel and Community Room, with a modern fold door dividing the two rooms. When this door is opened it adds additional space to the Chapel. The Chapel was equipped with a new altar, communion rail, statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, stations of the cross, and pews, also new stained glass windows, and organ. The Community Room was furnished with walnut fur- niture, upholstered in white leather. Second and Third Floor Dormitories: These were converted into eight bedrooms on each floor, linen closets, and trunk storage space. All partitions are fireproof, with steel doors. Stairs were covered with rubber treads. The electric wiring was replaced by conduit, each floor divided into two circuits. This remodeling cost approximately $70,000.00. With the remodeling job which had been done on the roof, and the pointing of the walls, we have in effect a new building at a cost of approximately $100,000.00 The construction of an entirely new building would have cost perhaps close to a quarter of a million dollars. Quite naturally I do not have much data for the year 1951. May I say in conclusion that Rt. Rev. Monsignor B. J. Sheedy has been a truly wonderful pastor of Holy Trinity Parish. I sincerely hope that he will live for many years, and that God will give him the necessary strength to continue his extraordinary work there. I have finished my work on the history of the parish so far as I can. It may be defective in many ways, but it is an honest effort to tell the Story of Holy Trinity down to the the present time. Some future historian may do a better job. It is quite probable that if no one ever attempted anything un- less he felt he could do it perfectly and beyond criticism, very little would be written on any subject. I have endeavored to be brief — perhaps too much so at times. And it may well 262 Pastorate of the Right Rev. Monsignor B. J. Sheedy be that at times I should have condensed or excluded other portions of my story. The experience of writing has impressed upon me the difficulty of keeping, in proper balance, what to include and what to exclude. Fine proportion requires the judicious mind of a trained historian and of course I do not have any claim to even approaching that high status. How- ever, it is my fond hope that these pages may be of interest to the parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish and perhaps of some value to a future historian. Assistants to Rt. Rev. Msgr. B. J. Sheedy: July 1948, Rev. J. E. Lohan — to Aug. 1, 1948, Rev. Richard C. O'Brien, Rev. James P. Cul- leton, Rev. John J. King 1949, Rev. Richard C. O'Brien, Rev. John J. King, Rev. John H. Schwarz 1950, Rev. Richard C. O'Brien, Rev. John J. King 1951, Rev. Richard C. O'Brien, Rev. John J. King 263 Appendix I Our Religious Nostra corona et nostra laetitia We think it proper to inscribe here the names of the young men and young women of the parish who became priests or Sisters. If they studied in the old St. Mary's High School, St. Joseph's Academy, or in Trinity High School, we have some claim on them; they are at least partially ours. Our list may be incomplete, but we did our best to include all. Our Priests Ordained Name of Parents Reverend John T. Tuohy, LL.D., December 19, 1880 Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius E. Tuohy Reverend Patrick J. Kane, December 23, 1882 Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Kane Reverend James Francis, July 30, 1893 Mr. & Mrs. Antonio Francis Reverend Thomas E. Cox, May 31, 1896 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Cox Reverend Richard F. Flynn, July 25, 1896 Mr. & Mrs. Richard Flynn Reverend Daniel J. Sullivan, June 17, 1897 Mr. & Mrs. John D. Sullivan Right Rev. Msgr. Maurice P. Sammon, June 25, 1899 Mr. & Mrs. James Sammon Reverend Denis J. Tuohy, January 19, 1900 Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius E. Tuohy Reverend John F. Fitzpatrick, June 26, 1901 Mr. & Mrs. Michael F. Fitzpatrick Reverend Stephen E. Murray, O.P., June 17, 1925 Mr. & Mrs. Peter Murray Right Rev. Msgr. Edmund A. Sweeney, May 29, 1926 Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Sweeney Reverend Leo F. Dee, June 30, 1930 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Dee Reverend John E. Flanagan, S. J., June 25, 1933 Mr. & Mrs. Patrick J. Flanagan Reverend Raymond A. Schueth, February 2, 1936 Mr. & Mrs. Otto F. Schueth Very Rev. Msgr. Gill Middleton. June 6, 1937 Mr. & Mrs. Thomas L. Middleton Reverend James F. Larkin, C.S.V., February 24, 1939 Mr. & Mrs. John D. Larkin Reverend William S. Gould, June 2, 1940 Mr. & Mrs. William R. Gould Reverend George T. Flynn, June 8, 1941 Mr. & Mrs. George R. Flynn Reverend Daniel A. Wefer, O.F.M., June 12, 1942 Mr. & Mrs. Andrew H. Wefer Reverend George M. Nelson, February 2, 1943 Mr. & Mrs. Harry B. Nelson Reverend Eugene E. Gould, May 28, 1944 Mr. & Mrs. William R. Gould Reverend Arthur L. Kinsella, O.P., June 18, 1946 Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Kinsella Reverend John J. Sweeney, June 1, 1947 Mr. & Mrs. Edmund F. Sweeney Summary: Religious priests, 5; Clerics of St. Viator, 1 ; Fran- ciscan Fathers, 1; Order of Preachers, 2; Society of Jesus, 1; Secular Priests, 18; Total, 23. 264 Appendix I Our Sisters Sister Mary Margaret Spellman, S.S.J. , Dec. 8, 1867 Mr. & Mrs. Dan Spellman Sister Mary Archangela Holly, S.S.J. , March 19, 1868 Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Holly Sister Mary Cassilda Mernaugh, S.S.J. , March 19, 1871 Mr. & Mrs. James Mernaugh Sister Mary Ladislaus Fitman, S.S.J., Aug. 15, 1871 Mr. & Mrs. William Firman Sister Mary Florence McCarthy, S.S.J. , Aug. 15, 1871 Mr. & Mrs. Florence McCarthy Sister Mary Augusta White, S.S.J. , Aug. 15, 1871 Mr. & Mrs. William White Sister Mary John McCarthy, S.S.J. , Dec. 8, 1872 Mr. & Mrs. Florence McCarthy Sister Mary James Mernaugh, S.S.J. , March 19, 1872 Mr. & Mrs. James Mernaugh Sister Mary Esperance Quealey, S.S.J. , Aug. 16, 1873 Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Quealey Sister Lillia Marie White, S.S.J. , Aug. 15, 1876 Mr. & Mrs. William White Sister Francis Clare Bloomer, S.S.J., March 19, 1879 Mr. & Mrs. James Bloomer Sister Mary Eugene Condon, O.P., Aug. 4, 1881 Mr. ik Mrs. Thomas Condon Sister Mary Magdalene Long, Sister of Charity of St. Vincent dc Paul, May 28, 1885 Mr. & Mrs. James Long Sister Mary Victorine McDermott, O.P., Aug. 15, 1886 Mr. & Mrs. Michael McDermott Sister Mary Gonzaga Connors, O.P., Dec. 16, 1886 Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Connors Sister Mary Thecla, Sister Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Feb. 4, 1887 Mr. & Mrs. James Bloomer Sister Mary Hilary Quinn, O.P., April 10, 1887 Mr. & Mrs. James Quinn Sister Mary Clare Urel, O.P., April 10, 1887 Mr. & Mrs. John Urel Sister Mary Hubert Lenihan, O.P., Aug. 15, 1887 Mr. & Mrs. Patrick J. Lenihan Sister Mary deChantal Gilmartin, O.P., April 5, 1888 Mr. & Mrs. John Gilmartin Sister Mary Honorius O'Hara, O.P., April 5, 1888 Mr. & Mrs. Michael O'Hara Sister Mary Reparata Schueth, O.S.F., Dec. 13, 1894 Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Schueth Sister Mary Amata Quinn, O.P., Aug. 4, 1895 Mr. & Mrs. Christopher C. Quinn Sister Mary Bernice Wall, O.P., Aug. 4, 1899 Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Wall Sister Mary Dolorosa Sammon, O.P., Aug. 4, 1902 Mr. & Mrs. James P. Sammon Sister Mary Fidelis Sullivan, O.P., Aug. 4, 1902 Mr. & Mrs. John D. Sullivan Sister Mary Antonina Koos, O.S.F., Jan. 6, 1903 Mr. & Mrs. Richard Koos Sister Mary Albertina Sweeney, O.P., March 7, 1905 Mr. & Mrs. Edward Sweeney Sister Mary Alberto Carbery, O.P., Aug. 4, 1906 Mr. & Mrs. John E. Carbery Sister Mary Melito Connolly, O.P., Aug. 4, 1906 Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Connolly Sister Mary Thaddea Haley, O.P., Aug. 4, 1906 Mr. & Mrs. William Haley Sister Mary Valeria Flannery, O.P., Aug. 4, 1«07 Mr. & Mrs. Edward Flannery Sister Mary Ethelreda Kinsella, O.P., Aug. 4, 1907 Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Kinsella Sister Mary Ambrose Leonard, R.S.M., Feb. 15, 1908 Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence J. Leonard Sister Francis Xavier Doherty, O.P., Aug. 28, 1913 Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Doherty Sister John Dominic Nolan, O.P., Aug. 28, 1913 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Nolan Sister Mary Dola Washburn, O.P., Aug. 28, 1913 Mr. & Mrs. George Washburn Sister Mary Lawrence Leonard, R.S.M., Dec. 6, 1913 Mi. tk Mrs. Lawrence J. Leonard Sister Mary Marcus Dooley, O.P., Aug. 4, 1914 Mr. & Mrs. Edward Dooley Sister Mary Lucius Griffin, O.P., Aug. 4, 1914 Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Griffin Sister Mary Dionysius Fleming, O.P., Aug. 16, 1915 Mr. & Mrs. William Fleming Sister Mary Modestus Nolan, O.P., Aug. 28, 1916 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Nolan Sister Mary Leon Fagan, O.P., March 25, 1917 Mr. & Mrs. James W. Fagan Sister Mary Marcelle Henneberry, O.P., Aug. 4, 1917 Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Henneberry Sister Mary Protase Corbett, O.P., Aug. 4, 1919 Mr. & Mrs. Edward Corbett Sister Mary Paulus Sweeney, O.P., Aug. 4, 1920 Mr. & Mrs. James Sweeney Sister Mary Julienne Hayes, O.P., Aug. 4, 1921 Mr. cSc Mrs. John W. Hayes Sister Mary Sabina Kennedy, O.P. (Maryknoll), March 25, 1922 Mr. & Mrs. John F. Kennedy Sister Mary Maurella Christie, O.P., Sept. 7, 1922 Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Christie Sister Mary Ralph Prister. O.P., Aug. 4, 1924 Mr. & Mrs. John P. Pfister Sister Mary Audrey Kerber, O.P., Aug. 4, 1925 Mr. & Mrs. John Kerber Sister Mary Eloise Morrissey, O.P., Aug. 4, 1925 Mr.