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Spring 1980 New Jersey Catholic Records Newsletter, Vol. 1, No.2 New Jersey Catholic Historical Commission

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Recommended Citation New Jersey Catholic Historical Commission, "New Jersey Catholic Records Newsletter, Vol. 1, No.2" (1980). New Jersey Catholic Historical Commission newsletters. 2. https://scholarship.shu.edu/njchc/2 NEW JERSEY fal/w{lr J{;'jjoy;cal RECORDS COMMISSION

SETON HALL UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 1 NO 2 SPRING 1980

Workmen, circa 1920, preparing the form for one of the windows of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Newark. Construction of the church, which spanned more than fifty years, is documented in one of the extensive record groups transfer­ red to McLaughlin Library by the Archdiocese of Newark. Meet the Commission • Bishop Joseph A. Costello Papers (1935-1978) (ca. 3 ft.) consist mainly of lectures and sermons delivered Founding chairman of the New Jersey at St. Brigid's parish in Jersey City Catholic Historical Records Commis­ throughout the 1930's and 1940's by sion is Bishop John J. Dougherty, aux­ iliary bishop of Newark,.former presi­ Bishop Costello and Fr. James W. O'Neill; notes compiled during dent of Seton Hall University, and cur­ Vatican II sessions; and personal rently scholar-in-residence at Seton memorabilia of the late auxiliary Hall. Bishop.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in • Macopin - St. Joseph's Parish 1907, the future bishop attended St. Birth and Baptismal Register Aloysius parochial school, then St. (1836-1852); Burial Records Peter's Prep in his native city, where (1843-1845); Account Books his athletic interests led him to playing (1847-1849); various programs, an­ on the varsity football team and to niversary booklets, and parish summer life-guarding at the Jersey histories (1895-1924). Donated by shore. In 1926 he entered Seton Hall the Virginia (Shulster) Kopack College as a candidate for the priest­ family. hood and in 1929 moved on to the Most Rev. John J. Dougherty seminary at Darlington. After one year • Msgr. Bernard J. Mulligan Papers there, the young Dougherty was (1877-1920) (130 items) include selected to attend the North American some personal correspondence, College in Rome, where he completed financial data, and ephemeral his theological training, was ordained Accessions material of this domestic prelate to the priesthood, and remained to who served as rector of Camden's This column attempts to acquaint earn his doctorate in Sacred Scripture. Immaculate Conception parish. readers with newly acquired material and collections which have recently • Catholic Children's Aid Association Returning to Darlington as professor been opened for use. Not all listings (1903-1932) (ca. 1112 ft.) including the of scripture, Fr. Dougherty engaged in are completely processed. Interested Charter, Certificate of Incorporation week-end parish work, published researchers should contact the ar­ and By-Laws (1903); Annual Report scholarly research in his field of study, chivist for information concerning (1907); a speech by Director John A. and developed a reputation as a public possible restrictions. Cullen, "Abbreviated Sketch of the speaker, becoming eventually one of Catholic Children's Aid Society," the regulars on "The Catholic Hour" • Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley 1932; Superintendent's Case on both radio and TV. His involvement Papers (1843-1877) (ca. 3 ft.) consist Reports (1905-1919). in the media led to his appointment to of Xerox copies of all Newark­ episcopal and Papal committees deal­ related material residing in the Ar­ • Gerety Family Papers (1900-1972) ing with film, radio, and TV activities chives of the Archdiocese of (ca. 2 ft.) consisting mainly of cor­ which he still continues. - Baltimore, including diaries, family respondence between Archbishop papers, and general correspond­ Gerety's mother, Charlotte (Daly) ence. Bayley had carried this Gerety, and her husband, Sisters, In 1959 Monsignor Dougherty was ap­ material to Baltimore upon his pro­ and children. pointed president of Seton Hall Univer­ motion to that See, and this acquisi­ sity. During the next ten years he tion supplements an existing collec­ • Mary Smith Papers (1937-1970) in­ directed a substantial building pro­ tion. In addition to the xeroxed cludes correspondence, speeches, gram, and more significantly, gave material, Baltimore's Archbishop photographs, minutes of meetings, shape to rapidly growing academic Borders donated Bishop Bayley's and memorabilia acquired by this programs. In these same years, he was original diocesan scrapbook former president of the Volunteers consecrated auxiliary bishop of (1855-1872) to the archives. of the Mount Carmel Guild. The col­ Newark and participated in the ses­ lection also includes material sions of Vatican II. In 1969 he left the • Bernard M. Shanley.Papers relating to Mrs. SmiTh's work with University to become pastor of St. (1951-1961) (ca. 20 ft.) including the usa in Newark, and with some Rose of Lima in Short Hills and, on his diaries, personal correspondence, other charitable agencies. retirement from that position in 1977, subject files, political files, and returned to Seton Hall as scholar-in­ scrapbooks of this former special • Newark-Sf. Philip Neri's (ca. 2 ft.) residence. counsel and appointments Marriage forms 1(1942-1968); Death' secretary to President Dwight D. Registers (1905-1929; 1950-1968). Eisenhower. Includes considerable Bishop Dougherty's youthful ex­ material relating to New Jersey and periences as a student in Europe dur­ national politics during the 1950's. ing the 1930's awakened a political and social consciousness which • Roland E. Lindbloom Scrapbooks The Commission acknowledges manifested itself in his continuing (1943-1958) (ca. 3112 ft.) Newspaper with gratitude the generous grant ecumenical and social concerns. He clippings of articles written by this from an anonymous donor which currently serves on several commis­ former Newark Evening News col­ made possible this publication. sions in Rome and at the United Na­ umnist, covering his years as war tions in New York. correspondent and television critic. From the Collections Though urbanization and industrializa­ tion dramatically altered New Jersey's middle and late nineteenth century landscape, much of the State retained a sleepy, backwoods appearance. Scattered farmhouses, tiny settlement villages, and rural hamlets especially characterized the northwestern coun­ ties of Warren and Sussex.

As might be expected, the Catholic Church grew slowly in this area. Several German Catholic families had resided in northern New Jersey since colonial times, mainly finding employ­ ment in the area's charcoal iron in­ dustry. By the mid-nineteenth century, substantial numbers of Catholic workmen and laborers lived in small iron manufacturing communities such as Andover, Oxford Furnace, Franklin Furnace, and Hamburg. Their spiritual needs remained largely neglected. A lone Catholic priest, stationed at Why were Wawayanda's owners so family-very civil to us... stayed at Newton, was responsible for both eager to establish a Catholic mis­ the Agts. House-confirmed 8." Un­ counties during the 1850's. Not until sion? "Those who have charge of the fortunately, while Bayley commented the late 1860's were small mission Works here," wrote Brown, "wish to at length on "the deluge of rain" parishes organized in a few north­ have proper influences brought to which greeted him and grumbled western New Jersey towns. bear upon the men in their employ, in about the "train having been detained a moral as well as religious point of by an accident," he failed to record Surprisingly, the earliest recorded re­ view." Brown urged Bishop Bayley, any further impressions of Sussex quest for a mission parish in Sussex therefore, to send "a man whose County Catholicity. County was initiated by a group of views regarding temperance shall be Protestants-the owners of the Wa­ right, and one who will not hesitate to Who were Wawayanda's Catholics? wayanda Iron Works. Oliver, William, proclaim those views, and urge their How did they perceive their own and Oakes Ames owned a number of observance upon all who come within religious needs? Did Protestant fact­ shovel factories and forges their influence." ory owners and entrepreneurs often throughout Massachusetts. In 1845, tolerate, or even encourage, they expanded their holdings into Newark's first Bishop responded Catholicism as a restraining influence New Jersey by purchasing a tract of positively to the Wawayanda request, on workers' attitudes and lifestyles? land at the outlet of Lake Wawayanda, informing Brown on September 20 What was social life like in northern bordering New York. The Ames that he "was making arrangements to New Jersey's isolated manufacturing brothers quickly erected a blast fur­ send a priest to his part of the coun­ villages? nace, run by charcoal and dependent try." In fact, Bayley dispatched Rev. upon a 6000-acre tract of woodland Philip McMahon "to spy out the land These tantalizingly incomplete for its supply. Though the furnace in Sussex Co. and see about commen­ references in the Archives of the only operated briefly and Wawayanda cing a new mission there." The Archdiocese of Newark provoke more never realized its iron-producing diocese did establish St. Joseph's questions than answers. Hopefully, potential, a small mining community parish at Newton in 1855. The Bishop however, the availability of previously flourished during the 1850's. eventually visited this area in inaccessible source material will September 1859, and noted in the focus attention on and stimulate in­ On September 16, 1854, company diocesan register that he "saw Mr. quiry into largely unexplored agent William E. Brown penned a let­ Brown, the Agt. of th~ company & his historical problems. ter to Newark's recently installed Bishop, James Roosevelt Bayley. Brown had already "called on Arch Published by the New Jersey Catholic Historical Records Commission Bishop Hughes in New York a few Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J. 07079 days since, with a request that he would send a Catholic Priest to our Most Rev. John J. Dougherty, S.S.D., Chairman; Bernard Bush; Rev. Stephen Iron Works .here," and was referred to Dibble, O.F.M.; John B. Duff; Rev. Msgr. William N. Field; Sr. Mary Ellen Gleason, Bayley. "We have here among us, S.C.; Rev. William Keller; Rev. Raymond J. Kupke; Joseph F. Mahoney; Sr. most of whom are in our employ, Margherita Marchione, M.P.F.; Peter M. Mitchell; Rev. M. Joseph Mokrzycki; some fifty or sixty Catholics. A por­ Miriam L. Murphy; Rev. Msgr. Theodore A. Opdenaker; Carl E. Prince; George tion of them have families; we would L.A. Reilly; Rev. Msgr. Francis R. Seymour; Rev. Edwin V. Sullivan; Rev. Robert willingly pay the travelling expenses T. Wister. of a Priest who will visit the place Newsletter Staff: Joseph F. Mahoney once a month or once in two Peter Wosh months." Trenton Diocese Plans Centenary History Gathering Our Memories: Oral History Trenton's Roman Catholic diocese recently announced plans to prepare and publish a new diocesan history in conjunction with its 1981 centenary celebration. Walter T. Leahy's The Oral history developed in the years To this end the Commission solLcits Diocese of Trenton (1906) presently just after World War II when Allan the aid of Newsletter readers. constitutes the main source book on Nevins of Columbia University began Because it is impossible for Commis­ southern New Jersey Catholicism and collecting interviews by using the sion members to know all the people is in need of considerable revision newly invented wire recorder. In the who should be interviewed, we there­ and updating. intervening generation, technological fore ask our readership to help us improvements have made the identify those people whose ex­ Msgr. Theodore Opdenaker (Trenton's cassette recorder inexpensive and perience can shed light on New Executive Director of Catholic Institu­ ubiquitous. The tape recorder, like the Jersey Catholic history. Readers who tions and Agencies) will collaborate computer, supported a movement know of someone who ought to be in­ with recent Princeton University among historians to recover the ex­ terviewed are requested to send the graduate Christine Forsman on the periences of ordinary men and Commission the name, address (and publication. Msgr. Opdenaker brings a women, thus adding a new dimension telephone number) of that person, quarter century of experience and in­ to the study of history. together with a brief description of terest to the project, having compiled why the person is significant, e.g. numerous parish histories, articles, "Jane Doe, 20000 Offset Street, and bibliographies during that time. Although the oral history effort of the Millville, N.J.-immigrant from Poland The authors contemplate a relatively Commission began shortly after its who has been active in parish ac­ short, popular publication for the establishment, it has so far been tivities for 40 years." centenary, with a more comprehen­ slowed by the initial emphases on sive scholarly endeavor to follow. organizing and on obtaining funding.

Locating and researching widely scat­ At the same time, in order to ac­ tered source materials poses a major The Commission's aim is to interview celerate the collection of interviews, problem. The researchers plan to people who have played a significant the Commission is seeking volunteers review thoroughly Msgr. Opdenaker's role in the development of New to conduct oral history interviews. own extensive historical library and Jersey Catholicism-not only public The Commission will provide the collection, as well as to comb likely figures, but also those whose ex­ necessary training and materials. With Catholic repositories throughout the periences are part and parcel of the aid of volunteers, the Commission country. Potentially fruitful archives Everyman's experience. Immigrants hopes to add substantially to its oral include the NJCHRC holdings at who helped to shape the life of ethnic history collection over the next two Seton Hall, the Archives of the Arch­ parishes are as vital to the program years. diocese of Philadelphia (which as members of the Catholic Trade possessed jurisdiction over southern ' Union movement, pastors who found­ New ~ersey prior to 1853) and. ed and directed suburban parishes in Communications should be addressed Baltimore's Archdiocesan Archives. the 1950's, businessmen, or public of­ to: ficials. The Commission plans to es­ The Trenton diocese has also tablish an oral history collection Professor George P. Browne, Director established a Centenary Committee which will supplement and illuminate Oral History Program to coordinate its 100th anniversary written records and which will enable New Jersey Catholic Historical celebration. Substantive plans are researchers to develop a fuller picture Records Commission now being formulated and will be an­ of the Catholic experience in the Seton Hall University nounced as they are developed. State. South Orange, N.J. 07079

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