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St. Michael’s Early History and Growth
The history of Catholicism in
Greenville dates as far back as 1838.
It was in that year that a
priest (name unknown) from the diocese of Philadelphia on one of his
missionary tours, celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in
Greenville. The home privileged to witness the first Mass was that of a
Mr. Bryan McNally,
a Catholic, an emigrant from Ireland, and a pioneer tailor in
Greenville. His home was located on what is now North Race St., a
little north of the northwest corner of North Race and Main
Sts.
Besides Mr. McNally there were present
at this Mass: John and Ferdinand
Schmidt, Martin Lindeman, John O’Hara, John McCoy and John Hoffman. The
Schmidt
brothers had come from Germany and were attracted to Greenville by
employment offered on the old Erie Canal. Hoffman, also a native of
Germany, was a blacksmith for the canal constructors. McCoy and O’Hara had come from Ireland;
the former was a contractor in the canal construction, while no record
of the occupation of O’Hara has come down to us.
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Other missionaries sent out by Bishop
Francis Patrick Kenrick from Philadelphia cared for the
spiritual needs of the little Catholic group in Greenville and environs
intermittently for the next few years. We know, for instance, that in
the summer of 1842 Father Hugh P.
Gallagher of Loretta, Cambria Co., following the path of
the canal, stopped in Greenville and celebrated Mass in the same
McNally home. Present at this Mass in addition to
those mentioned above were: Mark
and Bridget Doyle, Patrick and Anna Doyle, and James Doyle; Richard, John and Patrick Marley
of Greene Township, John Savage
and Mrs. Schoonmaker.
All of these were natives of Ireland with the exception of Mrs. Schoonmaker. Father Gallagher
returned to Greenville at intervals for over a year and was succeeded
by Father
John Reid of the Pittsburgh diocese who took care of the
Greenville Catholics for some years following. During Father Reid’s time a number of
families were added to the congregation. Among them were: Michael Mitchell and family
from Ireland; Michael and Matthias
Schumacher and their wives, Bernard
George and his father, Nicholas
Romelfanger and family, Leonard
Sauers, Christopher Frum and Theodore
Kirk. All of these except the Mitchells
had come from Germany.
It was in August of 1842 that
Greenville was favored with a visit from Bishop
Kenrick of Philadelphia. Coming from Mercer and on his way
to Meadville and Erie, he stopped off in Greenville overnight (August
4th-5th) and celebrated Mass in
the morning in the home of Mrs.
Schoonmaker who was a Catholic and whose husband is
recorded as being “well disposed toward the Faith”. At this time three
persons received Holy Communion and five were
baptized. It is worthy of note that one of the latter was the wife of Mr. Bryan McNally who at this
time is described as a woman “advanced in years”. Thus was rewarded the
kindness that provided an altar and chapel for the King of Kings on His
first visit to Greenville.
Again
in 1846 Greenville was visited by a member of the hierarchy, this time
by Bishop Michael O’Connor
of Pittsburgh. About his visit here he wrote in his Diary for August
21, 1846: “Travelled through Sharon to Greenville. Greenville is a
rising town said to contain 1500 inhabitants. Being on the canal, much
business is done here. Rev. M.
Mitchell said Mass here in a school house. Confirmed one.
About one hundred Catholics reside in the district. They promise to
take immediate steps to have a church erected here.”
FIRST CHURCH
The above-mentioned promise to
erect a church was fulfilled two years later in 1848. Signs of
religious bigotry manifested themselves among the various property
owners as soon as it became known that
Father Reid was looking for a site for a Catholic Church.
A little strategy solved the problem. Two parishioners, John and Ferdinand Schmidt (the
latter, a grandfather of Fred Smith,
a present-day [1950] parishioner) who were then laborers at the blast
furnaces, came to Father Reid’s
rescue. They purchased the necessary lots ostensibly for their own purposes,
and then immediately deeded them over to the little Catholic
congregation.
Ferdinand Schmitt,
who together with his brother John, purchased the land for the original
church, and deeded it to St. Michael's congregation.
The
original church, a narrow frame structure, was sufficiently
enclosed
for Mass to be celebrated therein before the end of 1848 and in 1849 it
was dedicated as St. Michael’s Church. The interior was lighted with
oil lamps, had the customary three altars and two sacristies, a
baptismal font and stove near St. Joseph’s altar and in the rear a
confessional and stove. There were three windows on either side, oblong
in shape, part colored and part frosted glass. It had both a center and
two side aisles and
seated about 275 people in
its pews which ran four to the width of the church, each pew seating
four persons.
Interior
of the original church
On
the occasion of his second visit to Greenville made on August 3, 1851, Bishop O’Connor mentions in his
notes that “39 were confirmed and a new frame church has been built but
not finished. It is visited once a month by an English priest and once
a month by a German priest.” The mention of the non-completion of the
Church probably refers to the interior, for an old parish record makes
reference to a collection that was taken up between September-November,
1854, for the plastering of the church.
With
the growth of Greenville, St. Michael’s congregation grew also, and in
1869 an annex was added to the church as well as a gallery, belfry and
bell. The bell was solemnly blessed by Bishop
Tobias Mullen, on September 4th, 1869, the 16th Sunday
after Pentecost, and named after St. John the Baptist. Because Mr. John Savage had made the
largest single contribution ($45.00) toward its purchase, Father Tracy accorded him the
privilege of naming it. Very human-like, he chose his own patron, St.
John the Baptist.
By
1889 the need of a larger and more permanent structure for a church was
recognized and Father Bernard
Donohoe, pastor at that time, broke ground for the present
church on October 15th, 1889. The cornerstone was laid in 1890. Almost
four years elapsed before it was completed, at a cost of $35,000.
Apparently the workmanship and materials used were the very best, for
it has well stood the test of time. It must have been more than
adequate for the congregation of that day and, though it isn’t so large
as might be desired to day, it still deserves the title of one of the
most beautiful churches of our diocese. Completed in 1893, St.
Michael’s Church was solemnly dedicated by Bishop
Tobias Mullen on June 25th. The
following is an extract of the account of the Church Dedication which
appeared in the June 29th issue of the Advance Argus. Prior to the
ceremonies in the church “the parade formed about 11 a. m. after the
special trains had arrived and marched up Main Street east to the
Nypano crossing, then back to North High Street to the Church.
The streets of Greenville were
crowded with spectators during the passage of the procession. The
weather being delightful, many adherents of other churches came to
witness the imposing ceremonies.
Inside of the new church
The new building was designed
by D. K. Dean
& Son, of Erie. The structure is 106 feet long and 50 feet
wide, has a basement 10 feet deep
and is heated by the Smead system. The masonry was done by Andrew Dambacher, contractor,
the brick work by Peter McGrath,
the carpenter work by Weaver,
of Sharon.
The
windows are indescribably beautiful and are the gifts respectively of
the following named persons and groups: Mr.
Michael Hamill, P. Jones, P. J. McFarland, Third Order of
St. Francis, AOH., P. H. Doyle,
Mark and Bridget Doyle, William McCafferty, Patrick and Ellen Morgan,
T. E. Blair James Dunlavey, Dennis F. Crowley, Mrs. D. E. Crowley,
Colonel James Carney of Erie, Pa., John Quinn and wife, Rev. Father Appel, Mrs. Patrick T. Conner,
The Rosary Society, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fitzgerald, Thomas A’Hearn,
Mrs. Wm. T. Phelan, Patrick and Anna
Doyle.
The Catholics of Greenville have reason to be
proud of the church edifice which they have dedicated to the worship of
their faith.”
SAINT MICHAEL’S SCHOOL
With
the erection of the present church the old church was turned into a
Sunday school and it served that purpose until 1899 when Father John P. Kearns remodeled
it to provide the first parochial school of the parish. Father John arrived on November
10th, 1898 and it was only two months later, on January 9th, that the
first few pupils of St. Michael’s School were at their desks. The old
school had only two rooms but from the first provided for eight grades.
From the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Mercy in Titusville came Mother M. Theresa, Sister M. Alexius, and Sister M. Ursula to assist Father John in what must have
then seemed a bold enterprise. Providence has favored St. Michael’s,
for in this our Centennial
Year, fifty-one years after the opening of our school, we again have Sister M. Ursula with us.
Because the school was opened at the mid-semester the enrollment was
small the first half year (about two students to a grade), but in the
fall of the same year the two class rooms were filled to capacity.
Father John felt keenly the
need of keeping the education of his spiritual children under the wing
of the Church, not only during their grade-school days, but in the
high-school years as well. Accordingly, in 1903 he built the present
St. Michael’s School with that in mind. At that time, what had been the
original church, the original Sunday school, and the original parochial
school, was sold to a Mr. Gillespie
who moved it further north, across what is
now
Orchard Street and converted it into a triple apartment house. At this
writing it still serves that purpose. In 1904 a one year commercial
course was added to the curriculum, and in 1905 a second year of
classical studies. In the fall of 1906 St. Michael’s became a
full-scale four-year high school.
Its
first graduation class ceremonies for the two-year course were held in
1906, and for the full high-school course in 1910.
Sister
M. Ursula, only living [1950] Sister of the three original Sisters of
St. Michaels
Besides
the nuns already mentioned, other Sisters of Mercy who pioneered in
Catholic education in Greenville were: Mother
M. Austin, Sister M. Nolasca, Sister M. Clare, Sister M. Antonia,
Sister M. Sebastian, Sister M. Mercedes, Sister M. Pierre, Sister M.
Regis, Sister M. Philippa, Sister M. Eugenia, and Sister M. Bernard. The above
names and many more, too numerous to mention will, we are sure, call
back many fond memories for the members of St. Michael’s Alumni.
Catholic education has always rested on the sure foundation of the
utterly devoted, consecrated and sacrificial lives of our teaching
Sisterhoods. Certainly the Sisters of Mercy by the quiet, self-effacing
inspiration of their lives, and the self-sacrificing devotedness
of their labors in Greenville have proved that they have no
peers. In this Centennial we wish to thank them for their loyalty and
devotion. Living or dead we commend them to God.
We
feel we cannot conclude this account of the early days of Saint
Michael’s School without noting for the benefit of those who will
follow us a few of the names of those pioneer days. Because we fear to
offend anyone by accidental omissions, and because it is almost
impossible to be certain of all the names of those who attended Saint
Michael’s in its first year of existence, we limit ourselves here to
the record of those who graduated from High School courses. Though
there were no graduating ceremonies, the first group to go through the
grade school
and finish the one-year High School Commercial course in
Three
Pioneer Sisters of St. Michael's, Jan 1909. Left to right,
Sister M. Ursula, Sister M. Theresa, Sister M. Alexius.
1905 included the
following: Mrs. Tillie Sullivan
Schwab, Mrs. Laura Hoffman Michaels, Grace Hawkins, Mrs. Margaret Walsh
Crowley.
Graduates
of the two-year high school course in 1906 were: Sister M. Fabiola (Cherubina Christopher),
Mrs. Mary Doran Denslinger, Mrs. Katherine Doran Williams, Clara
Hoffman, Mrs. Nora Bresnan Henderson, Mrs. Mary Robinson Barrett,
Sister M. Antoinette, (Mary Walsh.)
Graduates
of the first full four-year course in 1910 were: Mrs. Marie Fitzmartin Husted, Sister Mary
John (Minnie Brown), Mary Kane, Mrs. Julia Landers Dobrindt, Helen
Kane, Theresa Doran, Mrs. Marie Stanton Adams, Mrs. Marion Schumacker
Ehrlich, Mrs. Katherine Jaxtheimer Reagle, and Richard Phelan.
In
1911 and 1912 the school had no candidates for commencement, but from
1913 to the present, Saint Michael’s has annually presented to the
community of Greenville at least a few Catholic High School graduates.
The smallest class was that of 1913 with only two graduates: Mrs. Dorothy Brown Wittenauer
and Mrs. Alice Robinson Collins;
the largest that of 1950 with thirty-one. Large or small, each class
received at the hand of the devoted Sisters of Mercy a fine secular
education, plus the Christian philosophy and doctrine so necessary to
the creation of personalities of real moral worth.
To
Father John Kearns
and to St. Michael’s parishioners is owed a huge debt of gratitude for
the spiritual awareness that prompted them to shoulder the burden of
building and maintaining a complete Catholic educational system in
Greenville. The same spiritual awareness has been kept alive by Father
James Kearns down to the present time. That our parishioners of today
have caught the proper spirit too, is evidenced by the large-scale
improvements made in the school even within the last year. And so,
Catholic Education moves on in Greenville, ever true to its purpose—to
restore all things in Christ through the lives of its students.
At
the present time St. Michael’s High School provides four complete
courses: Classical, Scientific, Commercial, and General. In addition,
true to the old ideal of a “sound mind in a healthy body”, it affords
its student body full opportunity for bodily development with its
Physical Education program. The latter includes a full annual schedule
of football and basketball competition. In accordance with the growth
and progress of our school, Mr.
Walter Malys, a graduate of Youngstown College was hired
in the fall of 1948 as a full-time teacher, and coach of football and
basketball. The teams of the “Irish”, as they are locally known, have
always been truly representative, making up in spirit what they lack in
numbers. Recent evidence of this was furnished last winter when our
basketball team was runner-up for the Championship of the Erie Diocese,
and when Raymond Giardina,
a star of Saint Michael’s, was voted the outstanding player of the
entire tournament.
Rectory, Convent and Cemetery
Not
until 1866, under Father O’Branigan,
is there a formal mention of a priest’s house or rectory. Father O’Branigan purchased the
land where the convent now stands and built thereon
a-story-and-a-half-frame- rectory. With the opening of the school in
1899 and the need for a convent for the Sisters, Father John Kearns erected the
present parish house with the exception of a few additions that have
been built through the years. On the land purchased by Father Donohue to the north of
the present church, and about
where the present rectory is situated, stood a-story-and-a-half-
frame-house.
St.
Michael's Rectory - 1950
(Click image to
enlarge)
This was moved a little farther north and the
Sisters occupied it for several months as a temporary convent. When the
new rectory was completed, the old parish house was remodeled to
provide a very comfortable convent for the Sisters. The temporary
convent was sold to William Doran
who moved it to its present location at 101 North Second Street. An
addition has since been built making it a full two-story home. It is
now owned by a parishioner, Gerard
Murrin. To the old rectory and first permanent convent an
extension was added in 1919-1920. Extensive
repairs were also made at that time, and the entire structure was
veneered with dark-stained shingles. This also in time became too small
as the enrollment of the school increased; and additional teaching
Sisters came to care for the pupils. Thus in the summer of 1945 plans
were drawn up for a complete remodeling of the convent. A one-story
addition, nine feet wide, was added to each side to broaden the
building, and at the rear a three-story addition sixteen feet deep was
built.
St Michael's Convent - 1950
(Click
image to enlarge)
The
plans, originally drawn by Father
James Kearns and approved by the architect, Mr. Edgar E. Clepper of Sharon,
were so well conceived and executed
that one can hardly discern where the old portions end and the new
additions begin. The interior is entirely new and provides a large
community room, kitchen, dining room, music room, reception room,
sacristy, a beautiful chapel, 19 bedrooms and ample closet and lavatory
space. A new gas heating system was installed and modern lighting added
throughout. Most of the work was completed in the summer of the
following year, and it was ready for occupancy by the time the Sisters
returned for the opening of school in September, 1946. The finishing
touches, including a complete refurnishing of all the rooms, continued
into the late fall, and finally on December 1, 1946 it was thrown open
for the approval of the residents of Greenville and environs, Catholic
and non-Catholic alike. At least one thousand people visited the
convent on this occasion and all were high in praise of its beauty of
construction and furnishings.
CEMETERY
No
history of a parish would be complete without mention of that “God’s
Acre” where rest our dear dead. To them is due a big debt of gratitude
for the fine religious opportunities we now enjoy. It was their labors
and sacrifices that made possible so much of what we now
possess.
In
the very earliest days the dead of St. Michael’s were taken to what was
called “the Irish Settlement” (St. Raphael’s—now All Saints) burial
ground on the Greenville-Mercer road. But as early as 1848 we had a
cemetery of our own. In that year the ground to the north of the old
church (present school) was allocated for that purpose. Later, during Father O’Branigan’s pastorate
(1866-1868) the present location in the rear of the school and convent
was purchased. The land for the latter was bought from Eugene Rooney, a parishioner,
who had purchased it from the Mother Superior of a Cleveland, Ohio
convent to which institution it had been willed by William C. Daly of the Mercer
Congregation. The cemetery was solemnly consecrated on September 4th,
1869, by Bishop Tobias Mullen.
In his time, Father Donohoe
added another four acres and Father
John Kearns by his purchase brought our place of burial to
its present size, approximately twenty-one acres. When the new school
was built, the bodies from the original tract were disinterred and
moved to lots in the present cemetery. Within the last few years under
the cap able direction of Father
Johnston the whole plot has been revamped. Three sections
of roadway have been added; the portion containing graves has been
placed under perpetual care; and the remaining eleven acres are now in
the process of being seeded and landscaped.
Priests
of Saint Michael’s
So
very little is known of the priests who first cared for the spiritual
welfare of Saint Michael’s congregation that we cannot do much more
than list their names and the dates of their administrations. The
baptismal and marriage records of the parish go back to August and
September of 1850 respectively. However, it would seem from Bishop Michael O’Connor’s notes
that at this time and perhaps for a few years thereafter, Greenville
was cared for twice a month by priests from the Pittsburgh area. The
first to sign him self as pastor in the parochial registers is Father Andrew Schweiger, who records
himself as “pastor of West Greenville (as it was then known) and
Sharon. The date is March, 1858. If he was indeed the first pastor, or
if some of the priests who preceded him actually resided here, the
location of their residence is unknown. Perhaps they lived with some
parishioner, or they might even have used part of the church as a
rectory. From other histories of this period the latter seems to have
been not uncommon.
Following
is the list of priests who served
St. Michael’s congregation from its earliest years: Fathers Hugh P. Gallagher (1842-1843) John Reid and M. J. Mitchell (1844-1850),
M. J. Mitchell (1850-1851),
T. A. Smith (1851-1853),
Peter M. Garvey
(1854-1854), Arthur McConnell
(1854-1856), J. Reiser (1856-1856),
Arthur McConnell
(1857-1857), J. J. Gallagher
(1857-1857), Andrew Schweiger
(1858-1859), Joseph Gobbels
(1859-1861), F. J. Hartmann
(1861-1864), John J. O’Keefe
(1864-1866), Kiearan O’Branigan (1866-1868), Thomas Tracy (1868-1876), Bernard Donohoe (1876-1897), P. Cosgrove (1897-1898), J. Lenahen (1898-1898), Rt. Rev. John P. Kearns
(1898-1936), Fathers John Willis
(Assistant—1906-1907), James J.
Kearns (Assistant—1908-1936), James J. Kearns
(Pastor—1936- ), Charles J. Hacherl (Assistant—19361937)
John C. Cronin
(Assistant—1938-1944;
1946- ) and
Francis J.
Johnston (Assistant—1943- ).
Besides these, the names of Fathers C. M. Sheehan—1854, Rock—1856, Skopez—1857, Injohn—1865, occur a few odd
times in the old parish records.
Father
Francis J. Johnson
Assistant
1943 -
Inasmuch
as Father Thomas Tracy, Father
Bernard Donohoe, Monsignor John Kearns and Father James Kearns have served
St. Michael’s for the longest periods of time, it seems only proper to
cover the periods of their pastorate more completely.
FATHER
BERNARD DONOHOE — PASTOR 1876-1897
Father
Bernard Donohoe, the son of James
and Brigid (Keirnan) Donohoe, was born in Ardlenny, County
Cavan, Ireland, on August 15, 1852. He attended the national schools
till the age of twelve and then was sent to a classical academy,
located on the banks of the celebrated Lough Sheelan, in his native
county. There he spent six years acquiring a knowledge of the
humanities. In August, 1870, he left Ireland, came to New York City,
and soon afterward entered St. Bonaventure’s College, Allegany, New
York.
After
completing his theological studies there he was ordained for the Erie
Diocese by Bishop Tobias Mullen,
June 7, 1875 in the Erie Cathedral. His first appointment was as an
assistant priest at St. Thomas’ Church, Corry, Pa. In December, 1874,
he was given charge of Lepanto, Clarion County. Early in 1875 he moved
again, this time to St. Michael’s Church, Emlenton, Venango County. He
was there but a short time when he was sent as pastor to Immaculate
Conception Parish in Rome, Crawford County. His stay in Rome was short
too, for he returned to Corry as pastor in the Fall of 1875. He
remained in Corry until 1876 when he was appointed pastor of St.
Michael’s Church, Greenville.
During
his long pastorate of twenty-one years in Greenville, Father Donohoe witnessed a
large increase in the size of the parish that added to his many labors.
Moreover, in the years when Jamestown was not an independent parish, he
attended St. Bridget’s congregation as a mission, celebrating Mass
there once a month. It is also known that regularly for years he
offered Mass on week days for a group of Catholic miners in Orangeville.
Many
tangible monuments to Father Donohoe’s
memory remain in Greenville. The greatest of these, of course, is our
present sturdy, and
beautiful church. Other accounts reveal that he purchase the land on
which
our rectory lies as well as a four acre tract as an extension to St.
Michael’s cemetery. In addition, he finished the interior of St.
Brigit’s church, Jamestown, and paid off a considerable debt still due
on that building when Father Tracy left. Of his work in Greenville, the
Mercer County History of 1888 records that “he has done a great deal
toward building up St. Michael’s congregation, which is today in a more
flourishing condition than during any period of its history.” The same
account mentions that in 1888 St. Michael’s parish had over five
hundred souls and a Sunday school of one hundred pupils.
Comparatively
speaking, those were still pioneer days in the Erie diocese, days of
the horse and buggy, days wanting in the many conveniences, comforts
and facilities we now enjoy. Accordingly it is difficult for us of
today to appreciate fully the labors of the priesthood of those earlier
years. There are, of course, still a fair number of present-day
parishioners who remember Father
Donohoe well. All agree that he was a zealous, kind,
devoted pastor.
Father
Donohoe was transferred in October, 1897, to St. Ann’s
parish, Erie, Pa. His term of duty was brief there, for in Feb., 1898
he was again moved, this time to St. Patrick’s parish, Franklin, where
he served as pastor until his death on February 9, 1914.
At
the death of Monsignor Kearns
the following sincere and spontaneous tribute was paid to him by his
life-long friends and educational associates, the Sisters of Mercy. We
quote it as it appeared in local and diocesan papers, under date of
March 13, 1936.
“Last
week local papers carried the sad details of the death and funeral
rites of one of the most distinguished prelates of the Erie diocese,
the Rt. Rev. Msgr. John P. Kearns,
pastor of St. Michael’s Church, Greenville, Penna.
Here
indeed was a man upon whose life we may reflect, with profit to
ourselves: a gentleman of the “old school”; a scholar in the best sense
of that much-abused word; a philosopher, unspoiled by the pseudo-trends
of our modern age; an idealist who preserved his idealism amidst the
crass realism of our times, and throughout the long span of 70 years; a
man with a vision constantly ranging beyond time, into the beautiful
distances of Eternity—a priest of God whose highest boast was his
priesthood, and his unswerving devotion to his flock.
How
easy it should be to write of such a man, and yet how difficult. One
cannot measure spiritual values on the scales of time, nor span years
of zealous priestly service with a bridge of mere words. Those who knew
“Father John” intimately, remember him as a pioneer priest who went to
Greenville al moat forty years ago. A tall, silent man with the
consecrating oils still fresh upon his hands, and the fires of
spiritual conquest burning in his eyes. In the kind, open countenance,
welcoming smile and slightly stooping figure, one might easily
recognize the true pastor.
What
“Father John” found in Greenville upon his arrival there in 1898 is a
matter of that city’s early history. Religious opportunities were few,
educational facilities scant, and the ideals and ambitions of its
Catholic citizens far from being realized. Greenville was a willing
parish but a poor one, yet “kind hearts are ever more than coronets.”
Three months from the date on which Monsignor
Kearns took up his pastorate in Greenville, Catholic
education was, so to speak, born there. Under his guiding hand, a
school grew out of his sacrifices and those of a loving people. Little
children came to its doors, and so began that apostolate of learning to
which the pastor of Greenville devoted himself for nearly four decades.
This at a time when Catholic higher education was, so to speak, an
experiment in the Erie diocese, undertaken only at a personal and
parish risk. Here in the green swards of this rural town, Monsignor Kearns, like another
Patrick on the hills of Tara, kindled a fire that will burn forever in
the hearts of his people, the fire of Christian Catholic education.
From that hour until the day of his death his major interest in life,
aside from his priestly ministrations, centered about his parish
school. From its doors throughout almost forty years men and women went
out to do battle with life, strong with the Catholic principles learned
from one who taught more by example than by precept; from one who
himself was a constant, loving student in the school of Christ. “Father
John” had few honors that he cherished more than that of having sent
into the immediate service of God many religious, priests and sisters
who had lighted their torches of religion and learning at the holy
fonts of St. Michael’s school. While these live and dispense their
charity, the name and ideals of their good pastor will endure.
But
Greenville, throughout these four decades, knew Monsignor John learns
as more than educator and pastor. In the eyes of that community he was
universally regarded as its first
citizen. His was a familiar figure on the Greenville streets, in the
homes of the sick, in civic and recreational centers, and wherever life
was lived cleanly and vigorously. Frequently he stimulated the cultural
and artistic life of Greenville, contributing perhaps more than any
other one person to its general betterment. The many friends who
thronged St. Michael’s Church while his body lay in state there, gave
ample proof of the esteem in which Monsignor
Kearns was held.
Someone
has said that we may count the virtues of the departed by the tears
shed over them by the poor. As one approached the sanctuary of St.
Michael’s Church to view the holy remains of its pastor, one had the
opportunity to observe those who wept. There were the tears of hundreds
of little children, who had somehow lost their guardian, their kind and
gentle friend, their priestly idol; there were the tears of nuns, who
for many years had been heartened and encouraged in their works of
charity by this saintly, spiritual guide; there were the tears of men
and women, weighed down with the burdensof
life, mourning the loss of a counselor and advisor; there were the
slow, bitter tears of the aged, who were to miss in their last hours
the consolation of this true friend and devoted pastor. From all there
were tears of gratitude.
“Father
John” was buried on the brow of a hill overlooking his departed flock,
in the consecrated spot known as St. Michael’s cemetery, where repose
the remains of hundreds over whom he had himself pronounced the
“Requiescat.” There was something peculiarly significant in the fact
that he was laid to rest on a bright spring day, with the taste of
early spring in the air, with nature itself giving promise of renewed
life. For “Father John” was above all else, a firm believer in the
“Eternal Springtime.” He had a simple abiding faith in the glory of the
life to come, and he communicated that faith and confidence to all with
whom he dealt. Death was to him not a mystery, but a symbol of, a key
to, the complete and more perfect life.
“Father
John” shunned worldly honors, preferring to engrave his name on human
hearts rather than on marble. When in 1931, through the recommendation
of his Bishop, the title of Domestic Prelate was conferred on him, he
received the honor quietly, seeming, as his friends said, to dignify
the purple that he wore.”
Monsignor Kearns was born in
Hubbard, Ohio, December 5, 1866, the son of the late Michael and Mary Dougherty Kearns,
natives of Ireland. He attended
St. Bonaventure’s College at Allegany, N. Y., and was ordained a priest
May 1, 1897.
All
the appointments of “Father John” prior to his coming to Greenville
lasted but a few months: assistant to Father
James McCabe of St. Joseph’s Warren, pastor of St. John’s,
Tidioute, pastor of St. Clara’s Clarendon. On November 10th, 1898 he
exchanged places with Father Lenahen
and took over as pastor of St. Michael’s, Greenville. Here he labored
for almost thirty-eight years until he passed to his reward on March 1,
1936.
Father James J.
Kearns—Pastor 1936
The
chronicle of a century of progress in St. Michael’s Parish, Greenville,
Pennsylvania, would be indeed incomplete without mention of its present
well-beloved Pastor, Reverend James
J. Kearns, who has served the, parish for almost his
entire priestly life of forty-two years. At this time it is the
pleasure of the Centennial Committee to present a modest tribute to one
who has served the spiritual interests of St. Michael’s people loyally
and well.
Father James Kearns was born
June 3, 1876 in Elk City, Clarion County, the fifth son of Mary Daugherty and Michael Kearns.
He received his early education in the public schools of that district,
later moving to Reynoldsville. Upon completing high school, Father
James began an intensive study of instrumental music. Endowed with
unusual musical ability and a rich baritone voice, he soon became the
center of choral and choir groups, and a member of the then well-known
Keystone Band. As early as 1900 he was touring Clearfield and Jefferson
Counties, giving concerts, and acting in amateur plays.
In
September, 1902, James Kearns
decided to become a candidate for the priesthood. He entered St.
Bonaventure’s College, Allegany, New York, the alma mater of his elder
brother “Father John”. Following six years of theological study there
he was ordained to the priesthood in the seminary chapel on June 13,
1908, by Bishop Charles Henry Colton
of Buffalo. His first appointment, a temporary one, was to St. Mark’s
Church, Emporium, where he substituted for Rev. Thomas Downey, on leave
in Europe. Upon Father Downey’s return four months later, Father James
received his first permanent assignment—assistant to his brother,
Reverend John learns, then pastor of St. Michael’s Parish, Greenville,
Pennsylvania. Here continuously and devotedly Father James has labored
for forty-two years, exercising his zeal, and spending his fine talents
on all who have come within his influence.
Those
who knew Father James
best during his early years of service, recall particularly, his
self-sacrificing devotion to his priest-brother, and his great zeal in
instructing and directing the young people of St. Michael’s Parish.
Long before the so called Youth Movement took root in this country,
certainly before the Little Theatre Movement caught the public fancy,
Father James pioneered in Catholic theatre, guiding and directing the
cultural and social life of the younger members of St. Michael’s
Parish. During the past four
decades, Father James
personally directed 12 major musical shows, many of which were recalled
for a second and even third performance in Greenville, New Castle,
Sharon, drew his youthful “thespians” from the rank and file
of St. Michael’s Grade and High School. To the heavier, adult parts of
the large musicals, residents of all sections of Greenville, Catholics
and non-Catholics alike, contributed talent.
When
no suitable play was to be found among current Broadway productions,
Father James wrote his own plays, adapting them to local conditions and
talent. The most popular among these were Kid Kapers
and Carmelita, written, staged, and directed by the
Greenville priest, and played seven different times before enchanted
audiences. On one of these seven occasions, on April 29, 1935,
KID KAPERS was presented over the National Broadcasting
Company network to the delight of all who heard it.
In
the hands of Father James, however, the drama was never an end in
itself, but rather the means to a far nobler end, namely, the
organizing of the youth of the Parish for the purpose of promoting
their best spiritual, as well as cultural, and social interests. As a
result, many of these young troubadours sang and danced their way into
the religious life. Today they are passing on this heritage as teaching
Sisters in many Diocesan schools. Others have gone out from the ranks
of ST. MICHAEL'S PLAYERS into business, professional, and happy family
life, better Christians, better citizens, for this special training.
Today
it is the privilege of ST. MICHAEL’S PLAYERS everywhere, to pay
grateful tribute to their friend and “Director”, Father James. From the
vantage point of mature years, they appreciate the genius which caught
and held their youthful enthusiasm, directing it, carefully, for
service to God, to country, and to their community.
In
1936, at the death of Monsignor
John Kearns, Father James, after his long tenure as
Assistant, was appointed Pastor of St. Michael’s, this at a time when
the community and the parish were recovering from the effects of a
depression. The new Pastor assumed the parish debt willingly. With the
cooperation of his self-sacrificing people, and that of his
hard-working Assist ant priests, he began to liquidate the debt, and at
the same time, to enlarge and to improve the Church property. Within
the past fourteen years, St. Michael’s Grade and High School has been
renovated, the Church redecorated twice, and St. Michael’s Cemetery
beautified.
Undoubtedly
the greatest material contribution made to the Parish by Father James
was the enlarging, renovating, and refurnishing of the local Convent.
Today the Sisters’ home in Greenville is one of the most comfort able
and well-appointed convents in the Diocese.
Today,
in a spirit of joyful reminiscence, the old and the young pledge
renewed loyalty to their devoted Pastor, Father James, and they wish
for him many more golden years of service. Gratitude is a noble and
delicate virtue; it dwells more surely in the heart than on the lips.
In this centennial year St. Michael’s people express their gratitude to
God for the blessings of their Holy Faith. They thank all who have
served them in His Name.
PARISH GROWTH AND COMPOSITION
St.
Michael’s congregation in its growth has pretty well kept pace with the
growth of Greenville. The building of the Old Erie Canal brought some
of the earliest Catholic settlers to these parts; later the railroads
brought still more. These facilities in turn attracted industries and
the man-power to staff them. Originally there could not have been more
than twenty Catholic families in Greenville and the surrounding
countryside. In his notes of 1846, Bishop O’Connor estimates that at
that time there might have been about one hundred Catholics in this
area. The old church seated about 275 persons, and one Mass on Sunday
was sufficient. A single Mass in the new church with a capacity of
about 500 took care of the growth in the intervening years until the
latter years of Father Donohoe’s pastorate when a second Mass became
necessary. The third Mass was added around 1914. To bring us up to
date, our fourth Mass was added shortly after the assignment of Father Francis J. Johnston as
an assistant at St. Michael’s in November, 1943. At present [1950] the
church is more than comfortably filled for all four Masses on Sunday
mornings. Thus from a tiny handful in 1838 our parish has grown until
now we have approximately seven hundred families or about twenty-six
hundred souls.
Of
interest, too are the various national backgrounds of the people
composing a parish. The earliest accounts of the parish history reveal
that in those days, German and Irish names were pretty evenly
distributed. About 1842-1848, a comparatively heavy increase in the
number of natives of Germany is noticed. For a few of these years they
almost certainly formed the largest group attending Mass in the home of
Mrs. Schoonmaker,
Ferdinand Schmidt, or the old public schoolhouse. The
famine in Ireland in 1845 which drove so many of her sons and daughters
to our shores undoubtedly accounts for the notable increase of Irish
names in succeeding years. From 1850 until almost 1900, practically all
the names on the parish registers are either Irish or German, with
the
Irish predominating by a margin of about two to one. In 1894 the first
natives of Sunny Italy came to Greenville and registered as
parishioners of St. Michael’s. Since “firsts” are always of interest,
we should note that the names of our first Italian parishioners were Mr. and Mrs. Albert D. Christopher,
the parents of Sister Fabiola
of the Sisters of St. Joseph and of
Frank Christopher, who made a name for himself in so many
of Father James’ theatrical productions. A Greek name, James Caravosios, appears in
1895. Others of Italian origin to join us in later years were: Salvatore Catalano, 1900, who
still calls St. Michael’s his parish as do six of his children; Gaetano Daniello, 1905, a
member of the parish now and father of four other adult parishioners.
Slovak names: Joseph Chvila and
Cyril Zahradnik, appear as early as 1901; Polish: George Bolak and Mary Solanski
in 1902; French: John Babeaux,
father of Sister Mary Francis
of the Sisters of Mercy, in 1902; and Mary
Jacquett (Mrs. William Junk), in 1903. Dutch: Phillip Van Dusen in 1902, and Anna Van Dusen (Mrs. Harvey Simons)
in 1904; Croatian: Louis Caruti and
Christina Kowatavitch in 1904; Syrian: Mary Hand in 1908. From about
1907 there was a steady increase of most of the above mentioned
nationalities, until today our membership according to families runs
somewhat as follows: 190 Irish, 150 German, 130 Slovak, 125 Italian, 60
Croatian, 25 Polish. Besides these, other nationalities represented at
the present time are: Hungarian, Russian, Swedish, Rumanian, Syrian,
Dutch, Macedonian, French, Bulgarian, Scotch, Serbian and English. In
making the above estimate we have taken into account the many cases of
intermarriage between young men and women of varying national
extractions. In fact, because of intermarriage, it is no longer
possible to classify many of our people as being purely of a particular
national origin. So well have they mingled, and so little trace of
false nationalism is to be found, that our parish is truly an “American
Melting Pot” in the best sense of that expression. Though all are proud
of their native lands or descent, they are still more proud to
be able to call themselves Americans. Motivated by a spirit of
Christian charity, they have learned well that they who kneel side by
side at the altar rail to receive the Bread of Life are all one body
Christ, and that national backgrounds must submerge themselves in that
higher unity to be found in the Christ-Life.
ST. MICHAEL’S AND THE WAR
Saint
Michael’s first association with the armed services of World War II was
in the person of Father Charles J.
Hacherl, who served as an assistant to Father James learns
from June of 1936 to August of 1937. At this time Father Hacherl joined
the United States Navy as a chaplain. He served in that capacity during
peace time, throughout the entire war period, and after the war until
May, 1947. Severing his relationship with the armed services, he
returned to the diocese of Erie in July, 1947 and was appointed pastor
of Saint Nicholas’ Parish, Crates, Pa. As
recently as September of this year he was promoted to a larger parish,
that of Saint Elizabeth’s in Smethport, Pa.
Father
Charles J. Hacherl, Assistant
1936
- 1937
The
war was brought still closer to our parish when, because of a good
water supply and excellent railroad facilities, Greenville was chosen
as a site
for an army camp. Named Camp Shenango and later Camp Reynolds, the
local Army installation was located three miles out of Greenville on
the Greenville-Sharon road. Camp Shenango received its first cadre of
soldiers in the late fall of 1942. Before Father
James Campbell of Pittsburgh arrived, about February,
1943, to take over his duties as the first Catholic Chaplain, Father John Cronin, of Saint
Michael’s and Father Robert Goodill
of Saint Brigid’s, Meadville, took care of the spiritual needs of the
Catholic soldiers on Saturdays and Sundays. About May of 1943, and
after Father Campbell
had been released for foreign service, Father
Francis X. Cronin of the New York diocese, arrived to
take over the chaplain’s duties. Father
Francis J. Gorham of the Raleigh diocese, who came a month
or two later, filled the quota of Catholic chaplains assigned to Camp
Shenango.
Field Mass, Camp Reynolds, August 15,
1943
The
most important event of these days from a religious viewpoint was the
Solemn Field Mass celebrated on the Feast of the Assumption, 1943. The
attendance for this ran to several thousand. Bishop
John Mark Gannon, who presided at the Mass, also delivered
a stirring address on the religious foundations of our Democracy.
Father James learns was celebrant of the Mass, while the chaplains,
Fathers Cronin and Gorham were deacon and subdeacon respectively.
Father John C. Cronin, Assistant, 1936 - 1944,
1946 -
Saint
Michael’s lost its second priest to the armed services when in March,1944,
Father John C. Cronin
enlisted in the Army, a position he filled until his return to St.
Michael’s in May, 1946. About July-August, 1944, when both Father F. X. Cronin and Father Gorham received overseas
orders, Father Johnston
of Saint Michael’s was appointed as an auxiliary chaplain to serve the
Catholic soldiers of the local camp. He acted in this capacity until
the dismantling of the camp at the end of the war, caring for the
spiritual needs first of our American troops, and later of the
Prisoners of War sent to Camp Reynolds.
Until
it became a camp for Prisoners of War, Camp Shenango and Camp Reynolds
had been used as a Replacement Center which prepared and equipped
American troops for overseas duty. At one time it had a capacity of
thirty thousand men. The length of stay for those preparing for foreign
duty varied from a few days to two or three weeks or even a month.
Because of the nature of the camp, a large number of Catholic
Chaplains, probably between three hundred and three hundred and fifty
were readied here for foreign service. St. Michael’s Rectory became
their second home during those days and Father
James Kearns their very genial host.
Speaking
of the war, Saint Michael’s has reason to be proud of its many sons,
and indeed of its daughters too, who served their country in the last
two great world conflicts. No accurate record of the number of our
young people who served in World War I is available at this time, but a
fair estimate would probably put the number at eighty-five or better.
We should not forget, however, the names of Sylvester
W. Callahan and William
L. Murrin, both of whom lost their lives during the years
of the first war. At the end of World War II, in August, 1945, our
Honor Roll carried the names of almost 400 of our young men and women.
Of these, eight made the supreme sacrifice of their lives.
Gold
Stars indicating death in the service of their country appear before
the names of: Edward P. Becker,
U.S.N.; Andrew Benetin,
U.S.A. [U. S. Army]; Joseph Carmont,
U.S.A.; Gus Kefurt,
U.S.A.; Joseph Koss,
U.S.A.C.; William Kelly,
U.S.N.; Richard P. Moss,
U.S.M.C.; Daniel Nankoff, Jr.,
U.S.A. May they rest in peace.
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