Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/46

 NEW YORK

22

NEW YORK

Many of us do not know any English at all, and those who have some knowledge of it are not well enough versed in the Knglish Language as to attend Divine Serviee with any utihty to themselves. As we have not yet a plaice of worship of our own we have made application t.i Ihr Trustees of the English Catholic Church in this city to grant us permission to per- form our worsliip in the German Language in their eliurch at such times as not to interfere with tlu'ir regular ser- vices. This per- mission they have readily granted us. During the Course of the year we shall take care to find an oppor- tunity to provide ourselves with a suitable building of our own, for we have no doubt

RicH-\RD Luke Concanen First Bisliop of New York

that our number will soon considerably increase. Nothing came of this petition, and no separate Ger- man congregation was organized in New York until a quarter of a century after its date. But Father Kohl- mann saw to it that another church should be started, and St. Patrick's was begun "between the Broadway and the Bowery road" in 1809, to meet the needs of the rapidly increasing number of Catholics on the east side of the city. It was also to serve as the cathe- dral church of the new diocese. The corner-stone was laid 8 June, 1809, but, owing to the hard times and the war of 1812 with England, the structure was not ready for use until 4 May, 1815, when it was dedicated by Bishop Cheverus who came from Boston for that purpose. It was then far on the outskirts of the city, and, to accustom the people to go there, Mass was said at St. Peter's every other Sunday. The ground on which it was built was purchased in 1801 for a graveyard, and the interments in it from that time until the cemetery was closed in 1833 numbered 32,- 153. Some of the Catholic laymen prominent during this period were Andrew Morris, Matthew Reed, Cornelius Heeney, Thomas Stoughton, Dominick Lynch, Benjamin Disobrey, Peter Burtsell, uncle of the Rev. James A. Neil, the first native of New York to be admitted to the priesthood, Joseph Icard, mer- chant and architect, Hugh McGinnis, Dennis Doyle, Miles F. Clossey, Anthony Trapanni, a native of Meta, Italy, pioneer Italian merchant and the first foreigner to be naturalized under the Constitution, Francis Varet, John B. Lasala, Francis Cooper, George Gott.sberger, Thomas O'Connor, Thomas Brady, Dr. William James Macneven, and Bernard Dornin, the first Catholic publisher, for whose edition of Pasto- rini's "History of the Church," issued in 1807, there were 318 New York City subscribers.

III. The Hierarchy. — A. When Bishop Carroll learned that it was the intention of the Holy See to recognize the growth of the Church in the United States by dividing the Diocese of Baltimore and creat- ing new sees, he advised that New York be placed un- der the care of the Bishop of Boston till a suitable choice could be made for that diocese. Archbishop Troy of Dubhn, however, induced Pius VII to appoint as New York's first bishop an Irish Dominican, Father Richard Luke Concanen, who had resided many years in Rome as the agent of the Irish bishops and was much esteemed there. He was prior of St. Clement's at Rome, librarian of the Minerva, and distinguished

for his learning. He had refused a nomination for a see in Ireland and was much interested in the missions in America, about which he had kept up a correspond- ence with Bishop Carroll. It was at his suggestion that Father Fenwick founded the first house of the Dominicans in Kentucky. He was consecrated first Bishop of New York at" Rome, 21 April, 1808, and some time after left for Leghorn on his way to his see, taking with him the pallium for Archbishop Carroll. After waiting there for a ship for four months he re- turned to Rome. Thence he went to Naples, expect- ing to sail from that port, but tin' French military forces in possession of the city detained him as a British subject, and, while waiting vainly to be re- leased, he died of fever, 19 June, 1810. Finding that he could not leave Italy, he had asked the pope to ap- point the Rev. Ambrose Mar^chal to be his coadjutor bishop in New York. The American bishops cor- dially endorsed this choice and considered that the ap- pointment would be made. Archbishop Carroll, writing to Father C. Plowden, of London, 25 June, 1815, said: "It was known here that before the death of Dr. Concanen his Holiness at the Dr's entreaty in- tended to assign to him as his coadjutor the Rev. Mr. Marechal, a priest of St. Sulpice, now in the Seminary here, and worthy of any promotion in the Church. We still expected that this measure would be pursued; and that we made no presentation or recommendation of any other for the vacant see."

B. — Archbishop Troy, of Dublin, however, with the other Irish bishops, proposed to the pope another Irish Dominican, the Rev. John Connolly, for the vacant see of New York, and he was consecrated at Rome, 6 Nov., 1814 (see Connolly, .Iohn). It was a selection which might have proved embarrassing to American Catholics, for Bishop Connolly was a British subject, and the LTnited States was then at war with Great Britain. "I wish," wrote Archbishop Carroll to Father Plowden, 25 June, 1815, "this may not become a very dangerous precedent fruitful of mischief by draw- ing upon our reli- gion a false opin- ion of the servility of our principles." Owing to his own views of the situ- ation in the din- cese. Bishop Cmi- nolly did nut announce his :i|i- pointment to lii- fellow-members of the hierarchy or to the administrator of the diocese. Father Kohlmann was, therefore, in anticipation of the bishop's arrival, recalled by his su- periors to Mary- land, the college was closed, and John Connolly

the other Jesuits Second Bi.stiop of New York

soon after left the diocese. Finally, Bishop Con- nolly arrived in New York unannounced, and with- out any formal local welcome, 24 Nov., 1815, his ship taking sixty-eight days to make the voyage from Dublin. In the diocese he found that everything was to be created from resources that were very small and in spite of obstacles that were very great. The diocese embraced the whole State of New York and half of New Jersey. There were but four priests in this territory. Lay trustees had become so accus- tomed to having their own way that they were not disposed to admit even the authority of a bishop.