MEMOR IAL

THE MO ST BEVE RE ND

MICHAEL AUGUSTINE CORRIGAN

D . D .

THIRD ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK

COMPILED AN D PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY

NEW YORK THE CATHEDRAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 1902

CONTENTS

PREFACE A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

S I L UGUSTI G D . D . THE MO T REV . M CHAE A NE CORRI AN,

TH E OBSEQUIES E S LL THE REV. JAM N . CONNO Y ARCHBISHOP RYAN’ S EULOGY OF HIS DEAD FRIEND

THE VOICES OF FRIENDS EULOGY OF THE LATE ARCHBISHOP MONSIGNOR DOANE’ S TRIBUTE To ARCHBISHOP CORRIGAN

TH E VOICE OF THE LAITY COMMITTEE S PROGRAMME H HON . LEONARD A . GIEGERIC H ON . EUGENE A . PHILBIN ’ HON . THOMAS C . O SULLIVAN H ON . THOMAS M . MULRY H ON. JOHN J . DELANY

HON. CHARLES V . FORNES H ON . W. BOURKE COCKRAN THE MOURNING OF THE LEVITES ’ T B S P S . S P S U HE ARCH I HO AND T JO E H SEMINARY, D NWOODIE ARCHBISHOP CORRIGAN THE SEMINARY A MONUME NT OF THE ARCH BISHOP’ S ZEAL FOR T H E GLORY OF T HE HOUSE OF GOD

THE MONTH’ S MIND ’ BISHOP MCQUAID S SERMON RESOLUTIONS BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK ’ S S F S . P T K L K TRU TEE O T A RIC S CATHEDRA , NEW YOR THE ROMAN CATHOLIC ORPHAN ASYLUM C O N T E N T S PAGE

T U U I S F . I T L THE PAR IC LAR CO NC L, OCIETY O ST V NCEN DE PAU IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK

S P N S F S . N L THE U ERIOR COU CIL, OCIETY O T VI CENT DE PAU BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE NEW YORK CATHOLIC PRO TE CTORY MISSION OF THE IMMACULATE VIRGIN X AVIER ALUMNI SODALITY THE CATHOLIC CLUB CATHOLIC HOME BUREA U HOLY NAME SOCIETY ST T U B L NEW YORK A E CO NCIL, CATHOLIC ENEVOLENT EGION THE ALUMNI OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE THE UNITED STATES CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY THE CATHOLIC KNIGHTS OF AMERICA THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CHARITY ORGANIZATION SOCIETY NEW YORK CHURCHMANS’ ASSOCIATION G S SP P S TELE RAMS, LETTER , AND NEW A ER NOTICE U H MR . J LIAN AWTHORNE IN NEW YORK AMERICAN NEW YORK TRIBUNE THE NEW YORK FREEMAN ’S JOURNAL NEW YORK AMERICAN THE THE MAIL AND EXPRESS THE SUNDAY DEMOCRAT THE EVENIN G POST TH E EVENING SUN THE NEW YORK HERALD THE BROOKLYN CITIZEN THE ALBANY EXPRESS THE ALBANY TIMES-UNION THE ALBANY ARGUS THE ALBANY JOURNAL THE NEWARK ADVERTISER THE PHILADELPHIA PRESS THE UTICA OBSERVER THE BUFFALO COURIER THE PROVIDENCE TELEGRAM BUFFALO TIMES LIST OF ILLUSTR ATIONS

. P ho to ra vure M A. Corrigan ( g )

Mich ael A. Corrigan ’ u d Mou nt t . M r C St ent , S a y s ollege

Michael A. Corrigan

u d r c C St ent , Ame i an ollege , Rome d 1868 . r D D The Reveren M A. Cor igan, , President of Seton Hall College d t D D 1874 The Right Reveren Michael Augus ine Corrigan, , Bishop of Newark D d i s r . D . The Most Reveren M chael Augu tine Cor igan,

’ ad e m i . d a New The L y Chap l (Kelly Me or al), St Patrick s Cathe r l, York

’ ri d l St . Pat ck s Cathe ra N ew York

r rr A chbishop Ryan, Archbishop Co igan ar C u ci B t r 1885 Third Plen y o n l of al imo e ,

Ar chbishop Corrigan o 1890 R me , d 1902 The Most Reveren John M . Farley, Fourth Archb ishop of N ew York ’ m St . Joseph s Se inary

d N. Y. Du nwoo ie ,

Archbishop Corri gan

’ m or r In o il b Ga h ardi 190 1 Fr0 a p t ait y g , Rome , ’ m St . Joseph s Se inary

N. Y r V w u w d . D n oo ie, (Rea ie )

’ r Interior of Chapel of St . Joseph s Semina y

N. Y. Du nwoodi e ,

n d J Mc u aid The Right Reverend Ber ar . Q Bishop of Ro chester

Specimen of the Illuminated Re solutions of the Bo ard of Alder men of the City of N ew York

m New The Roman Catholic Orphan Asylu of New York . The ’ Building (Boys Depart ment)

K b r d N. Y. 190 1 ings i ge , ,

PREFACE

T H E publication of the present volume is a duty owed to the memory o f o u r dead Archbishop . His character and hi s office were so blended in him in life a s to ma ke him an exemplar of

in o f all the qualities required a prelate the Church . The reali za tio n o f hi so t s truth was so marked and general that, when the unexpected intelligence came that he had laid down forever

’ a nd his life s work, a Shock a sorrow went through the com m unity in every class and condition of its people . The mem o rable fact was then wi tnessed o f no t only the great city o f his labors , but also the whole country of his birth , being stirred

a s in such a way to shut out thought of any other event which, under other circumstances , would be of surpassing inte rest .

o wn In spite of his lifelong modesty and reserve , it was then clearly see n that he was the foremost figure in the respe ct and

ff - a ection of his fellow citize ns .

His unassuming personality and his gentle methods , his con

u na fi ec ted siderate kindness , and his piety were the pathways to the love and veneration of his own flock . His steadfast adherence to principle a s well as his persuasive m n o f an er of not only teaching, but also acting o u t the doc

i o f tr nes his religion , won for him a high and unique place in the esteem of those who rej oiced in his friendship or acquaintance .

hi s His profound scholarship and experienced judgment, fi and withal his unsel sh devotion, were ever , when there wa s

xi P RE FA C E

question of a religious, moral , or civil import , at the service

i - of h s fellow men . The testimony to the tru th of all that is here said is con

ta ined in the following pages . They comprise the sentiments

of the Holy Father himself, the thoughts and feelings of high

civil dignitaries of the land, of his brethren in the episcopate , of his own stricken clerg y and laity on the mournful occasion

o f his dece ase .

f s Moreover, how the nation at large was a fected by the a d

th e event, the notices herein reproduced from public press abunda ntly bear witness . fi The purpose of the present volume , then , is, in the rst place , to preserve valuable matter for the future historian of the

Church in America, and , in the second place, to give expression to the deep sense of gratitude that wells up in the hearts of so many for having been the favored beneficiaries o f the wise i rule and the patient k ndness , of the noble manhood and the

’ o f o f saintly career, the third New York s illustrious arch bishops , Michael A . Corrigan .

JOSEPH F . MOONEY, V. G. BIOGRAP HICAL SKETCH

TH E

E R D R . H R AN D . . MOST V MIC AEL AUGUSTINE CO IG ,

A BIOGRAPH ICAL SKETCH

RN o r 1839 O n the thi teenth day of August, , in Market

a Street, near Broad, New rk, New Jersey, Michael Augus

Son i c tine, of Thomas and Ma ry Corr gan, re eived the sacrament o f Baptism at the home o f his parents on the fifteenth o f the f0 1 m m lowing onth . Of nine children , eight of who were boys, Mi chael Augustine was the fifth child and the fourth boy . A na

son tive of Kells , County Meath , Ireland , his father, Thomas ,

an i 1828 of Philip Corrig and of Anne Carroll, em grating in , at

t - in the age of twen y nine , settled Newark, where for a time — he followed the trade o f a cabinet- maker a trade in which he

n . had served an i dentured apprenticeship in Dublin Mary, the

ae mother of Mich l Augustine , was one of Six children , the

ff r o f o f o sp ing Eleanor Hoey and Thomas English, of Kings

t . o court, in the Coun y of Cavan The H eys were Catholics ,

Whi le the Englishes were Presbyterians ; a brother o f Thomas being a minister of that denomination . After the death of

n an un Thomas English, who , possessi g a large tract of l d der f an interminable lease, left his widow in com ortable circum

a H stances , Ele nor oey English , with her children , followed two 182 brothers and two sisters , in 7, and took up a residence in

Brooklyn , Long Island . From Brooklyn She removed to New 3 A M E MO R IAL T o AR C H B I S H O P CO R RI GAN

o n -first 1831 ark, where, the thirty day of July, , her daughter,

d . Mary English, marrie Thomas Corrigan

da Fairly well educated for their y, father and mother were m gifted with that love of learning which, i planted by nature

ul al in the so of their race , has , through all the centuries of tri ,

o f been nurtured by the traditions a famous past, if not by the

m 185 0 a hope of a more fa ous future . Before there was no p ro chia l school in Newark, nor were there any other public

o f. o n schools to boast However, at least e scholarly teacher had been tempted to seek a livelihood in Newark—Bernard

o f d son Kearney, a native Malahi e , near Dublin ; the of a school master who had himself made thorough studies in an eccle i n siastical sem nary . Faci g many discouragements , Bernard

t his Kearney slowly earned a reputation for abili y, and private

a th o school , in Plane Street, attracted Protestant as well as C th lic youth . Under him, Michael Augustine , who , by e way, 1848 was the godson of his tutor, beginning in , made his pre i paratory stud es in the English branches , in mathematics, and

’ - o f . in Latin also . At the Sunday school St John s Church a school organized by the priest who baptized him, and the — first Sunday- school in New Je rse y h e was a pupil under

Father Patrick Moran, one of the pioneers ; and of this church

’ o f . e he was an acolyte , as, later,he was St Patrick s , the pr s

o f 185 1 ent Cathedral , where, on the fourteenth September, , he

first received the Holy Communi on .

his hi ’ At the age of fourteen parents sent m to St . Mary s

r . College, Wilmington, Delawa e There he passed the two scho

— 5 a 4 ’ 185 5 . 5 185 3 . lastic years On M rch , , in St Peter s

m o f fi Church, Wil ington, the sacrament Con rmation was a d ministered to him by the saintly Bishop John Neu mann of

’ i hi . . W mi Ph ladelp a From St Mary s , il ngton, he went to

A o rr a n M icha el . C ig

’ M ry Mou nt St . a s College

‘ ( O rri a n M i ch a el A . g

r c C o R o Ame i an lleg e , me A B I O G RAP H I CAL S KE T C H

’ Emmitt sbu r ar a Mount St . Ma ry s College at g , M yl nd, entering in the autumn o f 185 5 and remaining until the summer o f

185 7. — A glance at the portrait of young Corrigan the Ope n , bright

n - fi eye, the pleasi g smile, the full , well rounded brow, the rmly — framed reposeful face assures o ne that the testimony o f

- r . um schoolmates and school records may be t usted Good h ored, S fin sensitive , enj oying all the ports of youth, modest, re ed,

al d — i studious , t ente , and pious such was the M chael Augus

’ ’

f f n . a . tine Corrigan o St . Mary s and o Mou t St M ry s In

18 5 5—5 6 i 18 5 6—5 7 wa s , and aga n in , his record exceptional , tak

z ing, as he did, the class pri e in Greek, Latin , mathematics,

hi . story, and French

Thomas Corrigan had prospered with the years . Putting

d c aside his trade, he Venture into business as a gro er ; proved to be a wise manager ; invested with foresight in Newark prop

18 5 7 be consid erty ; and in , when fortunes were small, might

- - ered a well to do man . To Catherine, the oldest child and only daughter, a change of climate had been recommended, her health being delicate . Her favorite brother, Michael Augus

u wa s a s . tine , seven years her j nior, chosen her companion

l m N o rth ta r 5 Sai ing fro New York in the S , on September ,

t o they j ourneyed from Southampton Havre , Paris , Dij on,

c a Lyons , Marseilles , Genoa, Pisa, Leghorn , Civita Ve chi , Na

. m e e ples , and thence to Palermo The fa ous city they nter d 4 o n Octobe r 2 .

After a stay of a couple of months in the Sicilian capital,

R n s . a they returned to Naples In ome , th k to good letters , bro ther and sister found friends— friends they retained as long R as life lasted . From ome they travelled to Terni, Spoleto , n fin Assisi, Perugia, Arezzo, Florence, Mila , Como, and ally to 6 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

9 . 2 Paris once more . There Catherine remained On June ,

F l n m 185 8 d u t o . , her brother saile , in the , for ho e

- d Were the school fellows all dea , the college records de

d mm d ul ll find stroyed, the ambrotyp e i ed, fade , we sho d sti it easy to make a lifelike sketch o f Michael Augustine at the age

o f and of eighteen ; for in a diary this j ourney, in letters to his

a nd d . parents brothers , he sketche himself unconsciously

o f Thanks to the training Bernard Kearney, no doubt, as

’ . r well as to that of the two St Mary s , he w ote English freely,

correctly, and with a rare good taste . Of pe rsons as well as things he was a keen observ er . Nature he loved ; art he a d

m m n . ired judiciously . I agi ation he had, fresh , lively Details ,

o r mem historical legendary, he accumulated rapidly ; a sure i o r a . ou rne n y ret ined them all J y g after the good old fashion ,

tt m o r dili ence in v e u g , he could associate with townspeople and Vi llagers , and, after a leisurely fashion , inspect the natural d d beauties that crow one another along the roa he followed .

m d un Tact he possessed in a re arkable egree , and a prudence common at his age . With a genial good humor he was full to — overflowing j oyous . Though bashful , he was fond of com i i a n o nsh and . p p, made agreeable acquaintances in all places

firm a nd His faith was , soulful , lively ; his piety, like that

o f d . his sister, ar ent To brother and Sister, the real world, the m f most beautiful world, was that one made up of the to bs o

o f Christian martyrs , confessors , Virgins ; altars grand or mean

— e l fi altars of p rpetua sacri ce ; of grottoes, fountains , valleys ,

o f hilltops, reminiscent the glories, the sorrows, the j oys , the mm l mercies of the I aculate Mother . Pi grimage after pilgrim age they made in Sicily, in Italy, in France . Emmi With autumn , Michael Augustine returned to ttsbu rg . i A B . 1 w . f 85 9 Graduating th the degree of in the summer o , he

' A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B IS H O P C O R R I GAN

B same Mgr . edini who had a few years before been welcomed so civilly in New York City by the polished gentlemen who then claimed to be the representatives of American ideas as

ul they Sho d be .

a l i i N b esse o bl e . R g Mgr. ed ni wa s the gracious patron of the American College . The old convent that, during nine

s a s be years, had erved a barrack for the French soldiery i came habitable under h s supervision . Chapel and church he renovated and beau tified ; the lemon trees in the court were witnesses to his taste and care ; the statue of the Immaculate

o n e and Mother o f God was lifted high in his pres nce ; there,

fi one ec before Mary most blest, he was the rst to kneel, r iting

B e ini d . d the R osary . If Mgr owed a debt to America, he repai

R a. it at ome , in the Via Umilt As the first student coming from the United States especially

e mi u to se k ad ssion to the American College, Michael Aug stine

! fi . Corrigan received a warm welcome . The rst fruits , Mgr i fi B ni . ed entitled him The new college was un nished, so that

Ur he, and those who soon followed him, were housed in the

!

k . O ban College, familiarly nown as Propaganda n the

o f hi s m fi octave All Saints , with A erican companions , he rst — put o n a n ecclesiastical habit that worn by the Propaganda

e o f stud nts , the costume the American College being as yet

o n D e undete rmi ned . Ceremoniously the college was opened cember 8 a — , the feast of the Imm culate Conception the patronal

i i ffi . r . Bed n feast of the United States , Mgr o ciating Du ing the

o f afternoon the same day, a rector was chosen for the college

W Mc lo ske Father illiam C y, the present venerable and vener ated Bishop of Louisville . Elegant scholarship , unfeigned

n r an d humility, win ing manne s , exquisite tact are all united in

— u e him thus, when he heard of the appointment, the fut r A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H 9

on 17 185 9 Archbishop of New York, November , , in a letter to

is u . h sister Catherine, pict red the rector elect

While awaiting the Opening o f the American College , nei

- ther he nor his fellow students had been idle . Under the rules of the Urban College , they began their work . The course of

i mmi ts e . E t philosophy Mr . Corr gan det rmined to enter At

’ r m o f c bu g he had ade a year s study the g reat scien e , but now

! he looked upon the course there pursued a s fragmentary .

s o f . Be ides, he had acquired no habit speaking Latin Putting

fo r e away, a time , mathematics and Gre k, he could compress the

’ two years philosophy into one . With freedom in the u se o f

hil s the Latin language , and with a thorough course of p o o

— —he be t phy thus he argued, and wisely argued would be the ter prepared for the proper understanding o f theology. R ev . . k a s The Dr Bernard Smith , better nown perhaps Dom

r o r i o f Be nardo Abbot Sm th, acted as rector the American

1860 R c lo ske College until March, , when ector M C y arrived in

f m ru R ome . Four years o se inary life passed under his p dently liberal rule brought many j oys to Micha el Augustine Corrigan ;

i d . a s r j oys not unm xe with sorrow Bright his eyes we e, they

R r had never bee n strong . The oman heat and gla e tried them

his exceedingly, but, wearing green spectacles, he counted eyes

i h a s s a s e . a a useful the b st A f thful , an anxious student, he — o n o f . a o but e regret the hours study are too few Visiting,

o f o f an cording to the custom the students , the monuments Pag

o f R ri his and Christian ome , he familia zed himself with their

r and tory, legends, mechanical const uction, architectural artis

and tic features ; this he did with sincerity, without vanity,

s with a keen power of ob ervation ; and, what is more charac i i ter st c a s his . , with delight, letters prove During vacations, long or short ; rambling ; or when pilgri ming to an old o r a 10 A M E MO R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

r new Sh ine of Our Lady, his pen is busy describing the pic tu res u e men m q in nature, the human in and wo en, the incidents

da — d ff of a y or a week inci ents a ecting, amusing, devotional, n instructive . The lives of the sai ts he has by heart ; a church, m i a convent, onastery, a ru n, recalls one, recalls another . He

. d tells their story Neither preacher nor pe agogue , he is an

! . R me and agreeable Cicerone ome grows on more more , he w 1862 rites in , but pagan admiration dies away and Christian

! . r a n veneration grows stronger Italy was in a tu moil , d so was his o wn country . Hearing less of the latter than of the

m n d. for er, he was all the more concer e Of many interesting R facts illustrating the conditions in the Papal ome of his day, a nd a - - al m d , as well , the Fr nco Sardinian Garib dian tragico e y — he has preserved the memory facts that will bear the retelling .

Contented, nay, happy, he would have all others equally so . d To father, mother, sister, to grandmother, to brothers ol er a n n r : l d you ger, he is ever counselling chee fulness cheerfu ness is the secret of happiness : in trials let o ur endurance be n i j oyous . In correspondi g with his fam ly he is most duti is ff . r e ful , most a ectionate The youngest brothe rememb red dm equally with the venerable gran other . To each one he writes intimately, lovingly ; and of every letter the substance and the w d style , adapted with uncommon is om to the age, character,

sa dd pursuits , and, we may y, needs of the person a ressed, evi m dence a mind accusto ed to reflection and a generous heart .

o f r Among the j oys semina y life , the most delectable to

a s him were those he experienced , step by step, he was per mitted to ascend higher and higher in the sanctuary : j oys that were complete when he stood in the priest ’ s exalted station at the altar of the Holy of Holies . Having received minor orders

ai 21 a few days earlier, he was ord ned subdeacon on March , A B I O G RAPH I CAL S K E T C H

in . 1863 f . , the Church o St John Lateran To the order of dea

nshi m co p he was promoted in the sa e year, on the thirtieth o f

o f R o f . August, the feast St . ose Lima, Mgr Pietro Villanova ffi Castellacci being the o ciating prelate, and the place the pri

o an vate chapel o f the Vicariate f R ome . By the h ds of Cardi nal

R o f Patrizi, Vicar of ome, on the nineteenth September follow — ing, the feast of St . Januarius and Companions, martyrs , in the same historic church in which the subdeaconship had

fo r been conferred upon him, he was ordained a priest the diocese of Newark . On the following day, the feast of Our

Lady of the Seven Sorrows, in the church attached to the Amer

o n ican College , the altar dedicated to Our Lady of Guada ff fi lupe, in behalf of his beloved parents , he o ered up his rst

sa Mass . The choice of this altar, we venture to y, was a choice t 8 inspired by gratitude ; for, on the af ernoon of December ,

18 5 9 r - , before that altar, he, with his Ame ican fellow students ,

o f i began a triduum in honor this most condescend ng Lady.

an Though not a Singular favor , the adv cement of Michael Augustine Corrigan to the priesthood a year before the com — pletio n o f his theological course was a favor and may we not — t sa y a grace . At the end of his four h year he purposed taking the examination for the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Were it not for the consolations of the priesthood, he might not have borne with perfect resignation the trials a twelvemonth brought him e e . With a de p wound in his heart, he present d himself 1864 for examination toward the end of June, , and won the degree with honor . Even a slight sketch of the life of Archbishop Corrigan — o ne Should not attempt without narrating here if one may be — pardoned the word a romance ; a spiritual romance , in which he was one o f the leading characters ; a romance whose begin 12 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

d ning and ending doubtless influence strongly his whole life .

set al m m 18 5 Perhaps when he sail for P er o , in Septe ber, 7, with — his sister Catherine , he knew that for nine years ever since

—she h a d her sixteenth year longed for a religious life . She

n 18 5 1 sh e d was ni eteen when , in , gra uated at the Convent o f

Manh a ttanv ille the Sacred Heart, , New York, gaining the prize “ o f nf Excellence , a prize co erred on no other pupil un til ni gh

fifty years afterward. Her father and mother were not unaware

o f f her desire ; but, blinded by fond a fection for their oldest

‘ a nd d child only aughter, they discouraged, if they di d not

m e wholly discountenance, a senti ent which was inde d a passion . 18 5 8 R In the winter of , while brother and sister were in ome, im she disclose d her heart to h . There She would enter a con

sh e vent . To live solely for God, in retirement, felt an irre

sistible . calling He argued, protested again and again, but all

: in vain . As he wrote soon after when he had ended, she stated

a an d was . her c se , then he quickly vanquished Nevertheless,

R r She left ome with him , travelling by the route we have e

a Sh e m corded . In P ris pro ptly sought the Convent of the d Sacred Heart, and soon announce to him her decision to enter

fl o f ai h s . e the novitiate at C o n a n . His words were no av l S had counted the cost ; so She thought . Her parents would freely

d d a nd acquiesce , convince , as they must be , of the eliberation conscientiousness o f her act . The pain of parting would be d h . S e spared them and herself Besi es , her novitiate over,

a nd could return to her own country, , as a nun, be near her

hi r family . A touc ng letter written by the brother to thei

h a d him d d mother, after his sister forsaken , displaye pru ence ,

- n self control , and tenderness . He condem s, defends , consoles ,

d t u plea s, with that art which is na ral only to a man religious,

m . dutiful , gentle, sy pathetic A B I O G RAP H I C AL S KE T C H 13

R But the mother wou ld not be consoled . eas on could not

l . medicine to her sore heart . Such a parting She wou d not have Her very life see med to depend on the speedy return o f Cath

a s erine . Bishop Bayley w appealed to ; her oldest brother took

fi o nfla ns the rst steamer for France . At C he presented a letter

m o f d fro the Bishop Newark . Obe iently the daughter returned m ho e . Once more She devoted herself to comforting the aged m ’ i grand other, lightening a mother s cares , rej oic ng a father ;

ui i and, above all , to g ding and guard ng her three youngest h d a s s e e . brothers, had guar d and guided Michael Augustine

Her mother had imagined she could bear a home parting ; but

she once the only daughter was enfolded in her arms , would

h . so e e . old her forever The convent door, it se m d , was barred

’ However patiently borne , Catherine s burden was not light .

o f e . Having tasted the sweets the Cloister, she covet d them daily From the wise and faithful and gentle brother in R ome Sh e re ceiv e d her chiefest support in her trial. He was entirely grate fu l e sh e a s to her, b cause , as he acknowledged, w the one who, him from boyhood, had kept in the path of the seminary ; grat itu de was mingled with admiration , for now She had led a “ R . an younger brother, James , to follow him to ome A guardi R angel in their home he likens her to . esigned a s She tried

be She to , in the world as if were of the world, there came mo ments o f depression . Her health failed ; failed more than mo

o r d . 18 63 She ther father ared to see In October, , was per mi tted to accompany her brother James on hi s way to the

American College . The winter in Italy would remove a linger ing cold .

R so 185 8 ome , from which She parted unwillingly in , She

e 26 1863 . re ntered on November , Nigh to the Pincian Hill s h e took an apartment, where her two brothers might con 14 A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN v eni entl y visit her . For a time health promised a re

' b de rees m m turn ; then, y g , the cough ca e ore frequently, and pain made a companion of her . And now there were days when ff d the e ort of rising taxe her, and the bed was not irksome . A maid cared for her . Providence sent kind friends to the — stran ger noble friends ; friends attracted by the story of her

d . a extraor inary piety Her room was a verit ble oratory, where she passed the waking and wakeful hours of day and night

e in prayer, m ditation , thanksgiving ; in contrite expiation . So edified was her spiritual director, that he not only permitted, — but counselled, her to make a private vow a vow which was put in writing a nd was signed by her .

- an Spring came unkindly Spring that drove even hope away .

ri The physician advised Cathe ne to leave the Holy City .

e she Starting at onc , could, he imag ined, reach home alive .

Sh The thought that, before dying, e would see mother and

she k dl father, and that mi ght en in e in their heart s a still

o d . more generous love of G , cheered her But who would a c

! r company her A good F ench religious, a trained nurse , a

. R m sister of the Hospitallers of St Augustine, in ome te po

ril ra y, hearing of the exemplary American woman who was

. S ill , visited her charitably Learning the circumstances , he

offered to accompany the patient to France , and to care for

- d her until She sailed for home . On the twenty secon of May

Catherine bade farewell to her brothers . At Marseilles and

again at Paris She rested ; the j ourney taxed her enfeebled body . fi S From Paris , on the rst of June, he was conveyed to Meaux,

’ x — u B o ssu et s Meau , where the A gustinian sisters had a con S vent . There he took to her bed, realizing at last that her

earthly home she would never see with human eyes .

in She f d Su fi er g much, su fere most patiently ; winning not

16 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

Convinced of her perfect happiness , wrote the charitable Sister— one is tempted to mention the name—who nursed her

’ R Ma nifica t on the way from ome to Meaux , I sang a g , in

’ a s ‘ d thanksgiving, soon as I had word of her death . Blesse

! I called her .

And her ! H sa a beloved brother e w her gr ve, not herself ;

7 1900 a s a grave that he revisited on July , , he returned from

o f his last j ourney to R ome . Inside the laurel crown of

a the Doctor of Divinity there were sh rp thorns, whose wounds he could not disclose . What were they compared with those o f a stricken mother and father ! To his qui ck per ce tio n end p , apt choice of means to an , delicacy, tenderness

a ' t ribu te of heart, we have already paid based on sure know

No e m . ledge . w he exce ds hi self To each parent his letters brought something more than a spirit o f Christian resignation

e hi ‘ to the will of God ; som t ng more than human comfort . They brought a dee p feeling of gratitude to a loving Provi — dence gratitude for a Visible, indeed a marvellous blessing .

To -day the grave of Sister Amelie is held in veneration at

ul be a Meaux . Sho d one ch rged with imprudence, saying that ,

o f fi S l dead, the influence this unsel sh , blessed ister on Michae ’ i e Augustine Corr gan s after life was no l ss real , effective, — beneficial he cherished her sweet memory lovingly to the d i end, wearing about his neck her me al of the Blessed Virg n — Mary and the Signed vow sh e made in R ome than her living

hi s ! influence had bee n on boyhood, youth, and early manhood

5 18 64 . Arriving in Newark on September , , Dr Corrigan, placing first the hi gher duty, reported forthwith to his bishop , and tlien sought his happy, grieving parents . Appointed to

- t W R succeed his former fellow s udent in ilmington and in ome,

D u H D . . R ev . enry A . Brann, , he ass med the professorship

The Rev r n M D D e e . A . C o rr a n . . d ig ,

P resident of Seton H all Colleg e 1868 A B I O G RAP H I C AL S K E T C H o f dogmatic theology and of Sacred Scripture at the Seton

Hall Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, South Orange ,

1865 w ee - New Jersey. Though promoted in to the presidency o f al di hi o f Seton H l College , and also to the rectors p the

r Semina y, at the solicitation of the reverend president, Ber

Mc u a i — h d . d w o nar J Q , reserving due credit to the distin

u ished be g Bishop Bayley, might well called the founder of

— fi hi s both college and seminary Dr . Corrigan con ned labors t especially to the seminary until the deserved appoin ment, in

1868 Mc u aid July, , of President Q to the newly established R see . ff so an d episcopal of ochester, New York The o ice s long so honorably held by Father McQu a id in college and semi nary 18 8 . an 6 were now conferred on Dr Corrigan ; d in October, ,

ffi a s still retaining these o ces , he was named by Bishop Bayley

- di o f vicar general of the ocese Newark, a position that

u i Father McQ a d also had occupied . Twice during the su c

in ceed g four years Dr . Corrigan acted a s admini strator of the

: fi 1870 o f h diocese rst when, in , at the opening t e Vatica n R Council, Bishop Bayley was called to ome by Pius IX ; and a second time when the same prelate rec eived the nomination to

hi r the arc episcopal see of Baltimo e .

e B sides dogmatic theology and Sacred Scripture, Dr. Cor

s e mi rigan , during the e eight years , taught in the s nary moral theology, liturgy, and church history ; lecturing also in Seton Hall College o n profane hi story and on the evidences o f the Christian religion ; and, for a time , giving lessons in h 1 e . T 868 Latin to scholars far advanc d e appointment, in , the year following his return from R ome and his ordination — l o f R ev . e . a s at Seton Ha l , his brother, Jam s H Corrigan , di re rector of the seminary, lightened in a measure the

i ili i f ini hi . s ons b t es o . an s p Dr Corrig , without dim shing labors 18 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

u A tireless st dent, he took no recreation other than that a o d e n . cor ed to the s minaria s Indeed, all the rules by which

they were bound he obeyed freely. Favorites he had none ,

. e m either in or out of class Deeply respect d by the , he treated hi s pupils rather as if he were only a senior student, and not

. wa s a superior As a teacher he patient and thorough . In x his lectures he seemed to e haust a subject . Until his a p pointment to the presidency of Seton Hall College he had

no association with the pupils of that institution , but after ward his relations with them were not merely friendly, they

f in al were a fectionate . Just, he was almost brotherly de ing with them .

To Seton Hall Dr . Corrigan had been more than a president ; m R ev . . with two of his brothers, Ja es H and Joseph F . Corri

. d it s fi gan, M . D . , he had been its preserver Timi about nancial

o n prospects , Bishop Bayley was the point of transferring it to

f ed a religious order, when the three brothers o fer , and in fact bound themselves in writing, to provide a considerable capital, S hould the same be needed, in order to assure that the diocese Should be freed from all risk of an extraordinary tax for its

’ support . Under the youthful president s administration, the courses of study were ordered anew and methods were re

o di al ! vised . The c llege buil ngs and grounds were materi ly

an improved : d the chapel , enlarged and adorned, was dedi ca ted. The institution prospered . On the Board of Trustees ecclesiastics and laymen of eminence were pleased to serve .

Former benefactors and patrons remained true ; new friends among the clergy and laity were attracted by the learning,

ability, and intelligent zeal of Dr . Corrigan . A burse , bearing f i the family name, two o h s brothers , Philip and Joseph F .

o rr1 an .D . C g , M founded A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H

Few men have been better equipped for the exacting office

o f . was r 18 a bishop than Dr Corrigan when, in Februa y, 73, — he received word of his elevation to the see o f Newark a n

dl . honor unsought, and that he would gla y have forgone

o ne his Added griefs , and another and another, had strained

- - . ul 18 65 heart strings In J y, , at the age of eighty three , the d m m venerated grandmother die ; a handso e wo an, of a dig nified bearing, a strong, vivacious character, to whom he was

a fl ectiona te attached by an sentiment not second to her own .

W o n 5 186 ithin less than two years, January , 7, his revered

’ o ff father had been carried without a moment s warning. The m i ’ loved, the loving other, Cather ne s mother, he and his bro 1 18 thers 3 69 . laid in the grave on August , How humbly and proudly father and mother would have kneeled at — his feet to receive a heart felt episcopal benediction the ! blessing of gratitude Inasmuch as nature disposes a man, he owed certain characteristics to father and to mother ; sh l o wn o f e , ike her mother, being a nervous temperament,

d d al energetic, and rarely well en owe ment ly ; while the father

o f was gentle in manner, slow speech, charitable in word and deed ; in all things moderate and modest ; a man of good prae tical sense and most industrious .

’ 4 1873 . Consecrated on May , , in St Patrick s Cathedral , New

His l k ark, by Grace Archbishop McC o s ey of New York, Michael Augustine Corrigan was welcomed not only by the

rov mce o f bishops of the p , by the priests the diocese , and

al - a by the laity, but so by man y non Catholics who had le rned to esteem his virtues and his courte sy . To the clergy he was no stranger ; the younger men had been guided by him in the se minary ; as vicar-general o r as admini strator of the dio cese , all had bee n subject to his rule . 20 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

his o fli cial Seton Hall he made residence, though his duties more frequently compelled him to pass three days of each week

o f in the parish house the cathedral , whose rector, Mgr . George

. n . Mc u ai d H Doane , succeeding Father Ber ard J Q , became ,

- in time, the vicar general of the new bishop .

o f d a Seven years unceasing activity, pru ent enterprise , p tience o f o f — , courage , and always gentleness, charity thus , in

o ne su m f few words, may up the episcopal rule o Bishop Cor

o f — a d rigan in the diocese Newark iocese which, divided only

o f after his promotion to a higher post duty, comprised in

. o flice his day the whole State of New Jersey Entering , he was confronted by a serious financial problem in a c onspicu o u s — a parish problem not of his making, and one that would have tested the executive ability of men even more experienced.

W o f ith the hearty, generous support clergy and laity, and d at a cost to his patrimony of ten thousand ollars , the prob lem was in good time and happily solved ; the credit of the d m Catholics of the whole iocese being, at the same ti e , perma nently and solidly established .

The waifs of the diocese appealed to him ; the neglected boys and girls whose health , morals, souls were endangered . A protectory soon housed and cared for the one sex ; in a House of the Good Shepherd the girls too were guarded and trained .

To the orphan s he was a devoted father . Close by St . Pat

’ m . d da h rick s re ctory stood the asylu Har ly a y passed t ere, m when he was in the city, without a visit fro the bishop

hi sa ' just to watch over the c ldren , to y pleasant words to them, to lighten their hearts , and to encourage the motherly

Sisters of Charity. In the hospitals he could be found when a Confirmation or any needed sacrament was urgent . A sick call he answered gladly ; and there were times when, being the

Au u st n Co rr a n D . D . The Right Rev eren d M icha el g i e ig ,

Bishop of Newark 1874 A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H 21

l ou only ecclesiastic who spoke Ita ian, he hastened t of the city R to comfort a dying immigrant . eturning from Europe in

1877 a August, , fat lly ill , Bishop Bayley sought rest amid the

f fi o f scenes o his rst episcopal labors , and in the company

e . friends to whom he had long been attach d There , on the

- hi s third of the following October, twenty four years after

’

. e consecration to the see of Newark, in St Patrick s r ctory,

Au he found rest, an eternal rest . At the hands of Michael gustine Corrigan he must have known that he would receive — — an attention sincerely filial a n attention he deserved and

fi n . u eri such an attention he did receive S g intensely, the

’ Archbishop constantly craved the comfort of the Bishop S pres

- o r ence in the sick room . To read to the patient, piously lightly,

t o a to distract pleasingly, assist, became a p rt of the daily rou

o f — o f ul rv tine duty a gratef , sympathetic se ice that, ending late at night, began again long before daybreak .

’ During Bish o p Corrigan s administration the number o f parish and mission churches in the di ocese increased from o ne hundred and twenty- one to o ne hundred and eighty-two ; the number of parochial schools was doubled, and more than

an mi doubled ; new orph ages , new asylums , new acade es were instituted . In Jersey City a college wa s opened by the learned Jesuit fathers . Communities of religious women,

o f vowed to a life charitable work, the Bishop fostered . His — cathedr al the ground for whi ch had been purchased ni gh

his thirty years earlier by faithful friend, Father Moran, the s ’ i — pa tor of old St . John s during h s boyhood free d at last 1 from debt, he consecrated in 876 . Only in this year did Bishop Corrigan resign the presidency of Seton Hall College , a resignation that implied no severance i of the int mate relations of the past twelve years . A s a mem 22 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H BIS H O P C O R R I GAN — be r of the board of trustees a n office held by him until 1891 a nd d as bishop , he continue to Show a lively interest in the progress o f the institute to which he was bound by the many

a nd ties formed both as a teacher as a governor . Kn owing well d hf the tra ition of the Church, his watc ul eye was ever di re cted to the seminary, the garden in which the very seed of the Church is planted and cultured. Choosing competent and earnest professors , and broadening the courses of study, his aim was not simply to send forth priests intellectual in their fi tastes , but it was especially to train men who , xed in the ways d of Virtue and ecorous in manner, would be calm and zealous in the performance of all the priestly duties . In order that, once out of the seminary, and burdened by the cares of the fi ministry, the clergy Should not be satis ed with the sole pur

f r fi d suit o literary o of scienti c studies, or perhaps distracte

ra tifica tions by vainer g , he, following a wise rule of the Church

- d R ff one constantly lau ed by the oman ponti s , though one — hithert o unpractised in the diocese assembled the clergy,

r quarterly, for the explication in w iting and in speech , and for l the discussion , o f theological questions , doctrinal and mora , and, as well , of questions of ritual . Subject in part to New York a nd in part to Philadelphi a 18 5 3 until , it was only by Slow degrees that, among the small

r and scattered Catholic communities of New Jersey, se ved

o f originally by priests who, because the necessities of the

d e as times , coul have no tenure whatso ver parish rectors , cer tain abuses o f law in th e administration of the sa cra menfs could be corrected . An ins tance of one of these abuses the

Bishop had before him in his own case ; the sacrament of

e f on i Baptism having be n con erred him , accord ng to the cus

o f . u ncere tom the day, in the house of his parents How A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H 23 mo ni ou s the celebration of the sacred offices of the Church had

he ex e been, and continued to , may be estimated from the p ri n o ha d l e ce of Father M ran , who, though he been a most fi fli thi rty years a priest of the diocese, yet for the rst time o cia ted at a solemn Mass during the obsequies of Eleanor 185 6 18 8 1 . 6 Hoey English in 865 Twice, in and in , looking to the due ordering of priests and people through the inculca tion of a more exact knowledge of the law and through a closer application of its requirements, Bishop Bayley had united the 18 8 clergy in a diocesan synod . Only in 7 , after having by t m hi s udious and reflective observation ade, mself thoroughly acquainted with the conditions prevailing in his rapidly grow

n ing charge , did Bishop Corrigan call the third Newark Sy od a synod that was considerately followed by a fourth, in the very next year . Should there be any one who doubts the learning of the n Bishop , the clear ess , the precision, the logical power of his

e t mind, the eas , sinceri y, and moderation o f his manner of ex — — pression a n c a se not hampere d by the Latin language the

the an modesty of man , d his loving reverence for the holy

ffic d ser o e of the priesthoo of Jesus Christ, the doubter may v iceably consult the little volume in which the statutes pro mu l ate d r m g in the Third Synod are prese ved, co paring them with those handed down to him by his distinguished pre

d . s ecessor Taking no credit to him elf, Bishop Corrigan not t d only revised, reordered, reinforced the s an ing local laws, but m fi d he also a ended, developed, clari e them ; adding, besides , such regulations a s were of obligation in order to conform with the decrees of the Second Plenary Council o f Baltimore, and with the latest decisions of the sacred congregations . By refer fi ence to authorities , the statutes were forti ed , as well as by a 24 A MEMO R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN lucid presentation o f the doctrine or custom of the Church on all the subjects involved .

A resemblance be tween Michael Augustine Corrigan and St . Fran cis of Assisi has be en suggested by a writer in the press and by an illustrious archbishop . Certainly, inasmuch as we measure the one wi th the other by their veneration for the

’ e m t mple of the Divine Majesty, for all Christ s sacra ents , and

“ ! abo ve all for the Mystery of Faith ; by their zeal for the

o f i nl decency divine worsh p, and their conscientious , e ight

e e d ened, and, consequently, punctilious car that ob ience to

r s the ve y letter of the sacred liturgy Should be perfect, the e

Influ n — n . e ced two were o e in heart and soul nay, rather, com ll d— b pe e y these motives , the Bishop of Newark at an early

hi s m day advised clergy of an intention to make , syste atically, An the episcopal Visitations required by the Canons . d these

Visitations he thereafter performed at regular intervals , and

l . most thorough y, observing acutely every detail The con ditio ns he found in each church were by him set down in

c — writing . Ac ording to these records records that are at — hand pastors were commended or corrected .

’ Because of the Bishop s patiently acquired habit of method, it would cost only the time used in Copying to detail here every

o f his : public act industrious life in Newark pastorals , ordi

- nations, the laying of corner stones, receptions of religious ,

fir dedication of churches, con mations, retreats, marriages , mee t

c - ings of dio esan committees, letters open or quasi private,

in r speeches Latin or English , inst uctions and sermons . Of all l the priests of the diocese , secular and regu ar, he personally compiled a list, with the dates of appointment, change of place, absence or death . The progress of the ecclesiastical students he recorded with equal care : where and what they were study A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H 25

in a t o f . W r e g , their rank in cl ss, and their da e ordination a n d

hi s ak a by early experience, he had t en simple me sures to con trol the finances of every parish in the diocese . Through the fi annual reports he rst exacted from the pastors, at a glance he could tell the income and the debt o f each church subj ect m hi . R all an d to eceiving reports comparing, he exercised a

fi o f e as proper control over the nances the dioc se a whole , and

t . over each par The annual baptisms and marriages, church

o f — by church, he also made a note , doing all this work wi th

o wn a . ak his h nd At any minute he could t e a view, general

o r o f hi s . particular, charge Theologian, legist, rubricist, he

. wa s was also an archivist So well this recognized , that Arch

see o f al bishop Bayley, entering the B timore, sent for Dr . Corrigan to put in order a nd to systematize th e records of that comparatively ancient see . m One i portant item we have not forgotten, but indeed most

s —an r i deliberately re erved item conce ning paroch al schools .

S r a By peech, sermon , w iting, by public cts , from the day of

al o f his consecration , and thereafter by a renew the diocesan sta tute , Bishop Corrigan warned, urged, encouraged , com

n ed ma d clergy and laity to build, patronize, support, improve l the parochial school , as a protection to faith, to mora s , and h i as a guarantee of the healt ful prosper ty of the citizen . — How earnest he was , how wisely insistent and the value men fi m set upon a right principle , intelligently stated and r ly — 1880 a m . W pressed one may g ther fro the record hen, in , he

di - left the ocese , in every parish except thirty two a parochial school had been established ; and the parishes lacking schools were so small and so poor as to be patently excusable . The promotion o f Bishop Corrigan to New York as the l k coadjutor o f Cardinal McC o s ey, however unexpected by the 26 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

u laity, was not a complete s rprise to either prelate . For sev

o f eral years , because declining health and increasing labor, the Cardinal had been considering the choice of an auxiliary

o r . 1 8 of a coadjutor Finally, in the Spring of 8 0 he consulted

. O his suffragans His choice they made their own . f the three R ’ names selected for presentation to ome, Bishop Corrigan s m f was one . For the re oval o his name from the list he pleaded

- . n l e su fi r in strongly Una imously, Cardina and f llow a g an s

. O sisted nly after the lapse of several months did he learn that,

h a d d ! meantime , the Cardinal advise the Holy Sec of hi s pref erence for the Bishop of Newark . Writing at once to the Pre

imeo ni feet of Propaganda, Cardinal S , the Bishop begged that his name be withdrawn . The answer was that, if appointed

e - by the Pop , his duty was obedience . On the twenty seventh of September he had word of hi s nomination . Late in Octo ber came the papal bulls appointing him Archbishop of Petra and coadjutor to the Archbishop of New York, with the right 1863 of succession . It is worthy of note that when , in August, ,

d e . Mr . Corrigan was or ained a subdeacon , the c lebrant, Mgr

se e Castellacci, was the titular of the of Petra ; a title later R ff held by Mgr . u o Scilla and also by the present illustrious

f d al Prefect o Propagan a, His Eminence Cardin Girolamo

Maria Gotti .

s Congratulated on all sides, publicly honored, praised by hi

hi s an re diocesan clergy, seminari s, the college students , the li io s hi s a nd g u under charge, the laity, old young ; by many

- and non Catholics , by the greater number of the prelates of the — country ; welcomed publicly in New York the young Arch — — bishop o f Petra but forty- one years of age making his home 1880 in the seat o f the archdi ocese on the octave of All Saints , ,

ffi e entered upon his new o ce, not as one whose ambition had be n

28 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

a conscientious duty, Bishop Corrigan, though the hours had m been co pulsorily shortened, continued while in the Newark

c t u . dio ese to be a daily s dent, just as Mr Corrigan, Father Cor rigan, Dr . Corrigan, had been . More than ever a student was

o f fiv e the Archbishop of Petra ; and, at the end the years, more than ever a scholar .

o f The powers exercised by the Archbishop Petra were, there

: i fore, principally those of order the consecration or ded cation o f d o f mini churches, or aining priests , ad stration of other sacra

- ific ti n o nt a n . ments , layi g of corner stones , p g on solemn feasts

Lesser duties were also committed to him : attending college hi and convent commencements, preac ng at church celebrations,

u . t speaking at public or private f nctions Impor ant duties , too,

‘ o f ofli cial he fulfilled, such as the carrying on correspondence demanding more than ordinary privacy or care . In the early

see fi fi days, until the of Newark had been lled, he served his rst

o f . An diocese as if he were still a part it d a part of it he was .

o f To leave his native city, the old home his parents ; to be sep a ra ted from hi s brothers ; from the clergy he affectionately trained ; from the college an d the semin ary where he had passed so man y happy years ; from the schools, convents, hospitals , charitable institutions of all sorts that he had lovingly created and as lovingly nurtured ; to sever the ties that bound him to

‘ sincere friends ; friends of youth, friends of the riper years all this cost him naturally more than o ne regret ; regret that “ a time may not have lessened . The me ning of the word tur

! moil he knew partly ; what wa s in store for him he could fortunately not foresee .

o f ar c lo sk Upon the death the beloved C dinal M C ey, to whose

ru di conservative le the arch ocese of New York owed so much, 10 188 the Archbishop of Petra, on October , 5 , succeeded to the A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H 29 title and charge of Archbishop o f New York ; though the pal lium was conferred upon him only on the fourth of March of the following year .

’ Bishop Corrigan s respect for law, familiarity with the law, appreciation of the benefit necessarily associated with the

o f gradual Operation wisely developed legislation, he had proved . In the archdi ocese o f New York he was not permitted to wait un til 1885 in order to apply his ecclesiastical erudi tion

hi s and wisdom to public uses . The Cardinal and his suffragans knew the man . Purposing to assemble the bishops o f the arch i l diocese n a provincia council , to the end that the existing

ffi m m e fi d general law should be a r ed, e endat d , uni ed, adapte to

a s the immediate future well as to the present, the Cardinal charged his coadjutor with the duty of preparing a complete m f sche e of legislation for the province o New York . Called to R 1883 ome by His Holiness Leo XIII in the autumn of , as were all the archbishops in the United States , to consult over the leg isla tio n to be submitted to the thi rd plenary council of the

o f Catholic Church in the United States North America , a coun cil held in Baltimore during the months of November and De

mber 1884 Mc lo ske ce , , Cardinal C y sent the Archbishop of Petra as his representative. A draft of the decrees collated by Arch bishop Corrigan for the New York provincial coun cil not only met with the approval o f the Sacred Congregation of P rOpa

an ganda, but then d there a goodly number o f the decrees by him proposed were introduced into the legislative scheme adopted at R ome for the consideration of the Baltimore coun cil . Their ena ctment by the American hierarchy at the plenary council explains the identity of man y of the decrees printed in the official reports o f the New York an d of the Baltimore councils . 30 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

al Mc Clo ske Again, as the representative of Cardin y, the Archbishop of Petra attended the third plenary council at Bal n m d timore, where, because of his ack owledged learning, his o e stly expressed views were not without influence upon his

- un m e . e d f fellow prelat s Inde , til his death, by me bers o the hi o n erarchy he was often consulted questions of doctrine , morals , canon law, rubrics, on forms of procedure , and on dm — methods of a inistration, being expert in all expert without pretension .

o f In the diocese New York, prior to his accession, synods

a fi o f the clergy were called at irregular interv ls , the rst having

1842 1883 . O 1 188 been held in and the fourth in n November 7 6 ,

an fi a an d Archbishop Corrig Opened the fth dioces n synod, every third year thereafter he convoked the clergy to a synodal

f u 188 . o 6 meeting The text the decrees prom lgated in , Slightly amended from time to time so a s to keep them in complete har mony with the most rec ent decrees of one or another o f the

R da . oman Congregations, holds to this y Of this text one may repeat what has been already said of the order, precision, learn ing, apt expression, moderation , and piety that marked the matter and the manner o f his first Newark synod .

his f To emphasize reverent a fection for the priesthood, his sense of the obligation of providing for its intellec t tual and moral stan ding and likewise for its comfor , the mention of the new seminary at Dunwoodi e will su ffice a seminary that, materially at least, is not surpassed in

Europe or on this continent . However, the Archbishop had 18 1 not waited until 9 , when he announced the purchase

e of a site for the s minary, to Show a true interest in

i Mc l sk his clergy . Under Card nal C o ey theological con ferences e i had be n introduced . Developing these, attend ng Th e o st R v r n h M e e e d M ic a el A u u stine Co rri a n D D g g , . .

A B I O G RAP H I CAL S KE T C H

them all, showing his lively interest in them by reading every o ne of the written theses presented there , Archbishop Corrigan

o f assured a closer application to the study theology, an assur ance made doubly sure in the cas e of the junior clergy by the

o f fi im i examinations to which, during each the ve years med ately succee ding their ordination, they were and are subjected .

wt o f The rapid, the extraordinary gro h of the archdiocese

New York had taxed even hi s able predecessors . To develop

o f m s the system govern ent o that, with due facility, all the

a demands made upon it could be nswered, a way had not yet

ni z . been found . Archbishop Corrigan reorga ed the system

There had be en a diocesan council , honorary rather than active .

To this council he gave a legal form , legal duties ; the Chancery

m e fi a o f system he re odell d , the n nces each church in the arch

- diocese he brought not only under the eyes of his vicars general ,

t de si but also under his own eyes . Irremovable rec ors were g

R al ff nate d. ural deans were appointed to supervise loc a airs ; in time the parochial schools were placed under an ecclesias tical superintendent ; for the city and for various subdivisions of the archdiocese school boards were named ; a board o f ex — a miners was created a board whose certificate was necessary in order to receive an appointment a s a teacher in a parochial school ; over all Catholic charities an ecclesiastical supervisor was appointed . During the seventeen years o f Archbishop Corrigan ’ s rule

a the churches , ch pels, and stations of the archdiocese were in

- creased by one hundred and eighty eight . To the numbe r of the clergy two hundred and eighty-four were added ; seventy

fiv e new schools were opened . Not only were the existing chari ties fostered, but new demands , to the number of thirty and

: more, were supplied day nurseries, hospitals , schools for the 32 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

a l and blind, for de f mutes, industria reform schools , homes for immigrants . The labors of the Archbishop of New York were i not limited to govern ng and overseeing . Besides the routine di of episcopal duties, the or nations, blessing of altars or of

d ffi e ed churches, consecrations, an the solemn o c s of his cath ral , the tax o f administering the sacrament o f Confirmation was by itself a heavy one ; from his coming in 1880 to the close of — R 1895 in hi Rev . . the year w ch year the ight John M Farley,

D . D . e d , b coming his auxiliary, divide the labors with him he conferred this sacrament, to be exact, on one hundred and

- - ninety four thousand six hundred a nd seventy eight persons .

o f ffi Even with the aid a most e cient auxiliary, if we except the

1 00 r i a limin year 9 , when the A chbishop paid the V sit d a , his — Share of this exacting duty wa s counted by thousands from six to ni ne thousan d annually.

so canonIca l o f As in Newark in New York, the visitation all the churches o f the diocese he made periodically an d wi th in vigilance . Of defects observed, pastors were promptly in ’ formed, the Archbishop s own handwriting, as they were of

ri oversights in the annual statements o f pa sh accounts . Presi

o f o f dent o f the board of trustees the cathedral, the orphan

o f o f e asylum board, the trustees the s minary, of the Mission

f o f o f o the Immaculate Conception , the trustees the as

fi o f di c o f sociation for in rm priests the o ese , the coun f cil o f the Sisters o Charity, he attended all meetings

a . with regul rity, advising everywhere modestly and wisely

- l . and . Through his vicars genera , Mgr Preston Mgr Don nelly, and their successors , Mgr . Farley and Mgr . Mooney, ff all the ordinary a airs of the diocese were administered . Every

- Friday morning he gave to his Vicars general .

Graciously he accepted from the rectors of churches, grea t

34 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

e wa s a nd engagement absolut ly hindered, he at their service , always with kin d words even when correction was not u n

earned . By the laity he was no less approachable . With them hi s office not unfrequently associated him as an arbiter among

e d d angry disputants, a p acemaker in families divi e , a pro tector of honor endangered if not lost, an adviser, a comforter i in sore trials . H s charity in all these cases made no measure

of time, labor, of money if need be . Every Catholic bishop has a bride—his cathedral —to whi ch

S an ff d i it is his duty to how a ectionate regar , enhancing co mel

e ness by a chast ornamentation, beautiful apparel ; showing

an m be sides a solicitous desire for honorable aintenance . The

’ m ! new Spires of St . Patrick s , the chi e of bells, the many aisle

chapels and the altars therein ; the statues of Doctors of the

s a Church , of Apostles , Evangelists, Confessors, Virgins ; the t

the t an d d — tions of Cross , the rich ves ments sacre utensils all these are lasting evidences of the fidelity of Archbishop Corri

gan to his church bride .

m r dd Besides the spacious se ina y, he a ed to the di ocesan buildings the two stately orphan asylums for boys an d for

d R oland inau u girls , an the School , in which he was about to g rate a preparatory seminary . With What delight did he wit 20 1901 fi ness on July , , the removal of the rst spadeful of earth — from the Site of the new Cathedral Lady- chapel a precious ex — ample o f private mu nificence to whose plan a nd architectural detail he had devoted so much thought and attention ! The publicly known be nefactions of Archbishop Corrigan were

. 1884 most generous To Seton Hall College in June, , he con tributed nine thousand dollars as a fund for a burse ; the beau ’ m o f . a nd tiful chapel St Joseph s Se inary at Dunwoodie , begun d completed at his sole expense, the cost being sixty thousan Th e L a y Cha pe Ke M e mo r a St P ’ d l ( lly i l), . a t rick s Ca the d ra l Ne w , Yo rk

A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H

dollars, not only absorbed the greater part of his patrimony, but also every dollar that came to him from lay fri ends ; to the m m library of the se inary, besides many valuable volu es, he m n donated the su of ten thousand dollars ; the alta r of St . Joh

n his set o f the Eva gelist in cathedral , up in memory his prede — c sso rs se e o f O . P . e in the New York, John Connolly, , John

l McClo ske — Dubois , John Hughes , and Cardina John y, was the gift of Michael Augustine Corrigan . Privately he advanced considerable sums to charitable institutions and to lay folk in

— his straits advances that often grew to be gifts , because of gra cious way of discharging the debts o f others to hi mself . Calls made upon him by the deserving for aid in finding em

a n ployment commanded anxious d untiring service . Known as

the t m he was world over, let ers ca e to him from strangers in many lands who were seeking stray relations . To these he gave

S di e r the most faithful attention , however light the in cations , p sisting as long as persistence admitted hope . Never did he di smiss unattended a letter of this character . Outside of the archdiocese the meetings of the archbishops of the United States summoned him ; and so did his duties as secre tary and treas u rer o f the executive board of the Cat holic Uni

W be fi versity of ashington, duties ful lled as conscientiously as i d d . he all others In fact, only his deep sense o f duty could have prompted his attendance at a meeting of the University

am board a few weeks before his l ented death , when the pre

o f carious condition his health should have held him at home . h R . e It was Mr Eli u oot, the pres nt secretary of war, who, in

d d o n 1 1898 a speech elivere May , , at the public celebration of

’ the twenty- fifth anniversary of Archbishop Corrigan s episco “ him : m fi pate , said of He has been anly, digni ed, and courte o u s his e in social int rcourse , contributing to the grace and 36 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O RR I GAN

charm of life . There was no compliment in these words ;

they expressed heartily the sentiments of all those that h a d d m ever enj oye the pleasure of eeting the Archbishop socially. h As a ost or as a g uest he was equally agreeable , attractive,

m o r - whether a ong rich poor, Catholics or non Catholics . Al

- d o f da ways good humored, rea y to converse on the topics the y,

‘ prompt with a timely anecdote , thoughtful of each one in the m d co pany, polishe , mo dest, more interested in bringing out

’ S u n another entertaining qualities than in displaying his own , in d nn pretentious ress as well as in ma er, and seemingly u n

o f nd conscious his distinction , he won Sincere respec t a cordial good will everywhere . The promise of his youth bore new fruit “ m ! each year . Char ing is the epithet applied to him by a w di stinguished prelate of the Newark diocese , one kno ing him from his youth a nd for years living in the same house with him “ as bishop : charmi ng with all his priests and with all per m m sons , the ost pleasant of pleasant co panions .

1880 m d o f m In , im e iately after hearing his pro otion to the see o f d New York, Bishop Corrigan venture to forecast a W d n heavy cross, one hose full weight shoul be k own only with m d time . When ti e lai a heavy cross upon his Shoulders he

and men sa w bo re it bravely, patiently, , as far as , with the cheerfulness that in early youth he h a d rightly convinced him self to be the secret of happiness . Silent as he was during

al him h e the harassing tri s that beset for years, would have b o rne them even more silentlv were it not for the appeals o f

d m un the laity, who ee ed total silence on his part inopport e lest the episcopal authority might be weakened and grave injury m n he done to the cause of religion . So e pers o s represented the

Archbishop then a nd thereafter as the maker o f certain ecclesi a stical the and policies in United States, the leader among the A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H 37

hierarchy in urging these policies . Time proved conclusively — that he ha d been no more than he aimed to be an archbishop who defended frankly and with courage the whole doctrine of

o f the Catholic Church , who obeyed dutifully every decision d the Holy See , and who waite not in advising his flock of the warnings , instructions , judgments that issued from that Centre

u of Tr th .

O m d him o f f the reckless attacks a e upon , some, because their m d d him . en malice , woun e Few would have consoled them

he did m m selves, as , with the thought that there ust co e a time d when even malice would exhaust itself . Quietly, assi uously, d he performe the duties of each day, devising meantime new measures by which the Spiritual welfare of all those committed to his pastoral care might be advanced . One malevolent insinuation he did not leave unnoticed— the insinuation that he had been false to his episcopal oath . With d great ignity, by the admirable sermon he delivered on August

’

15 1893 . , , in St Patrick s Cathedral , Mgr . Satolli , the Apostolic

an Delegate , being present, Archbishop Corrig , while di sdain f ing to answer those who had maligned hirn, still ef ectually closed their lips . Hardly had he entered upon the duties of a professor in Seton Hall when he began to inculcate publicly the necessity of Catholic unity with the see of Peter ; o f humble obedience to the teachings , monitions , decrees emanating from A . S ul the Vicar of Christ bishop , a s archbishop, from the p m pit, fro the platform , in synods , in the retreats of the clergy, through letters to the clergy, through pastorals , he had reit

c d f d . 0 o ne rate the teachings o the earlier, priestly ays N of his brethren preceded him in the publication of Papal briefs or encyclicals ; even those addressed to nations other than o u r

o fli ce own were often noticed officially by him . The conferred 38 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN upon Archbishop Corrigan by His Holiness the illustrious 4 188 — ffi Leo XIII on May , 7, the o ce of Prelate Assistant at fi l the Ponti ca throne , a dignity reserved to noted Defenders of

—testifi m the Faith, ed to the esti ation in which he was held at

m s R . hi o e itself Charitable, indeed, was he when his honor, i d fa th, being assaile , he repeated in his cathedral pulpit the “ o f m prayer his Divine Master, Father, forgive the , for they

! know not what they do . Just as upon his installation the clergy a nd laity of New

m d firm York had welco e Archbishop Corrigan , so during his an d benign rule they bore witness publicly again a nd again ff d to the a ection, the evotion, the admiration that his holy life ,

o f o f incessant labors, and fearless vindication law, order, of l right principle had compelled . Especially notab e were the

o f ff d o e 20 1888 manifestations regard o ere t him on Septemb r , ,

- fif h o f the twenty t anniversary his ordination to the priesthood,

4 1898 c -fifth and on May , , when he elebrated the twenty anni v ersa ry of his consecration as bishop . Not alone from laymen and priests an d from eminent members of the hierarchy did he receive on these memorable days outspoken tributes of

fid an esteem , con ence , good will , but from m y also who , though

o f d hi s not his faith, had learne to appreciate justly Virtues as an ecclesiastic and his liberality and patriotism as a citizen .

“ ! d . Ever mindful of the public good, sai Mr Elbridge T . Gerry at the reception tendered the Archbishop on the night 4 1898 “ ff d of May , , his e orts have resulte in the enlarging and increasing of the prosperity of what is now kn own as the City

! ! o f . New York A son of Puritan New England, Mr . R oot, d at the same meeting, having describe him as one who had been

“ ! a nd and i d upright just k n ly to all men, added these words : m He has been a great conservative force , ai ntaining the social order of civ ilization against all socialistic and ana rchis

40 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

’ partisanship , Archbishop Corrigan s public influence was con

i r l s de a b e . To his representations our government listened favorably when the Italian monarchy threatened to confiscate the American College at R ome ; and when obstacles were placed in the way o f the proposed chapel for Catholic soldiers at

W nfi in est Point he was instrumental in removing them . U tt g

n him for a partisan, even if the wise tradition a d custom of the Church in this country h a d not precluded him from meddling

a a nd fi with politics , both n ture training had tted him for m fi the gentler, the more beco ing, the more bene cial art of i d plomacy. d As an essential part of the daily round of uties, Archbishop

Corrigan accounted study. A Greek scholar, a Latin, Italian, a nd a nd al d French scholar, , in the Seton H l days, a close stu ent o f r d fi Heb ew, he place rst among the studious pursuits of his episcopacy those subj ects in which expertness was a requisite

o ne wa s to who to be a judge , an instructor, a guide , a protector,

r d and an exemplar . Eve y learne work, wherever published, — that could a id him to be full in front of the times works doc

i ru l—he tr nal , moral , legal , brical , historica commanded for

m . his library . Of every book that ca e to him he knew the inside

Gifted with a quick mind, he was also a rapid reader . Having a sure memory and rare powers of attention an d ana ly

is a m h a d fi d s , when volu e been nished he had absorbed and coul

m . com unicate whatever in it was novel, harmful , or useful Fol

a s did lowing continually, he to the end, the decisions of all the R oman Congregations , he was a veritable authority on the minute details o f the manifold questions submitted to their d judgment . An extensive library, well arrange , he could not help being fami liar with ; for he it was who placed every book

c on its proper shelf . On the instant, needing a volume, he ould A B I O G RAP H I CAL S K E T C H

m i direct who soever to the l brary section , the shelf, and even

e the place on the shelf . L arning, knowledge , he loved ; a good

d . book he rea with eagerness In the Scriptures , in the works of

o f wa s i al l v the Fathers the Church , he except on ly we l ersed ; he ff turned to them again and again . How constantly, una ectedly, a nd yet with apparent motive he quoted from these ever flowing

a nd sources of Christian truth , his pastorals sermons bear witness .

Versed in the classics , Greek and Latin, as well as in English ,

and did in Italian, in French , in Spanish literature , he not

r re neglect contempora y work . To j ournals, magazines , and d views he subscribed, rea ing, however, only those articles that l id d dea t with serious questions . A novel he d not isdain when travelling .

A S 1876 1883 Bishop of Newark in , as Archbishop of Petra in , a nd 1890 a nd 1900 as Archbishop of New York in in , he j our m 18 m neyed to R ome . The visit a d li ina in 76 was ade in the

R v . e W . company of his youngest brother, George Corrigan, d who , having been ordaine by Bishop Corrigan in the college

o n 15 1874 m chapel of Seton Hall August , , had meanti e taught

as d R Greek, as well the Evi ences of the Christian eligion, in

. O t u that institution n the way to the Holy City, and re rning, the Bishop Visited many places that were still unknown to him. We shall mention only those to which he was led by motives

: m of piety Monte Cassino , re iniscent of St . Benedict and of

’ ’

. u . St Scholastica ; St . Anthony s Pad a , St Catherine s and

’ ’ St . Bernardine s Siena , the Blessed Virgin Mary s Loretto ,

Venice of all the saints ; Annecy, home of St . Francis de Sales ; d Lourdes , and then Spain , Monserrat, Manresa, Burgos , Ma rid,

a nd i Toledo, Cordova, with the holy week in Seville the k ng and 18 hi queen among the worshippers . In 90 s companion was 42 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

R v e . D l . . Mc o nn l .D S Charles E e , D , then his secretary and, ince 1892 , the bishop o f the diocese of Brooklyn . Absent from the

o f m eighteenth January to the tenth of Septe ber, he made a

m fi a nd R pilgri age to the Holy Land rst, then , leaving ome in

and June going by Trent, over the Brenner, he visited Inn s ru ck O mm p , Munich, bera ergau, Prague, and Bresla u . At the

l o n Shrine of Einsiedeln he ha ted the way to Paris . With Scot land a nd with the north of Ireland he made an acquaintance al e am m 1900 so b fore taking the ste er for ho e . The j ourney of ,

hi R n s ev . . made with secretary, James N Con olly, began on

2 19 0 a n 2 0 d a . m April , , ended in August of the s me year Fro

R a Obera mmer ome he travelled to Milan, Piacenz , Treviso ; to

- - m a nd i le . gau a second ti e, to E nsiedeln ; to Paray Monial ; to St

d ai Gallen ; to Lour es once ag n ; to Meaux , to Paris , London ,

O n . W xford, Dubli , Maynooth here devotion did not carry

o n . him these j ourneys , duty was the motor In the archdiocese o f New York there are nationalities within nationalities . To

m all . care for the is obligatory, and the task is arduous Com mu nica ting personally with ecclesiastical authorities in many

r al lands , Archbishop Corrigan sought to assu e a supply of ze ous priests and to establish closer lines o f communication . In 1886 the spiritual care of the B ah ama Islands was trans

a nd ferred from the see o f Charleston to the see of New York, 1887 therefore, beginning with January, , every three years a — P . V . a V isit was paid to Nassau , N isit made by the Archbishop

him . 1899 . c himself, except in , when Mgr Farley repla ed At d dmin fi ’ Nassau, besi es a istering con rmation, he gave the week s time to Visiting the little churches and schools , to encouraging the good Benedictines and the generous Sisters of Charity who

ru ad ca re for the small flock, and to inst cting as well as to gl dening the simple colored folk, old and young . A B IO G R A P H IC A L S K E T C H O n all the j ourneys , wherever made , thanks to his letters a nd diaries , it is possible to follow the Archbishop day by day . Until 1891 he corresponded faithfully and most agreeably with

R ev . Rev . am H . one or another of his three brothers, J es ,

. 1 90 R v . W h . . 8 e George , and Josep F . Corrigan , M D In , James

. i t wo H Corrigan dy ng, the only brothers left were all the more

rr n thoughtfully favored . When at home his personal co e spo dence was extensive , and it grew with the years . A rapid writer

o ne . and sure , his written work astonishes Though nature had

s not favored him with a trong voice , he was from his priest fi hood a constant preacher . On the rst Sunday o f each month he stood in his cathedral pulpit ; in other churches he spoke d frequently, as he did at or inations or consecrations, at synods ,

o f mm m at the conferences the clergy, in convents, at co ence ents ,

r a d at mar iages , at lay meetings , not to mention the many fi d d d a t . resses elivere civil gatherings From rst to last, all

e these address s , Speeches , sermons were carefully written

a inv a ri before delivery . Spe king, he used no manuscript ; but d ably he wrote beforehan , no matter how inconsiderable the d fix occasion , in or er to his thought in the most orderly fashion and to ensure precision in the language . Corrections in the m anuscript were few . As in Newark, so in New York, he was

a s industrious in editing church records ; and here , there , he h a d with hi s own hand made a list and a sketch o f all the priests — of the diocese from the beginning a list that has been in part “ ! published in the Catholic Historical Magazine . Remarkable tributes were paid to the character and vi rtue of Archbishop Corrigan after his death . The action of the Holy Father wa s Significant o f the exceptionally high place he

i and held in the esteem of the most venerable , erud te, sagacious ff f Ponti . A renowned prelate o the American Church who , 44 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C OR RI GAN

“ b a s 18 88 him as far ack , pronounced to be a perfect e ccle si ! did “ ! ast, not hesitate now to use the word saintly when

m . O ourning ther venerable bishops have repeate d the word . m ! The ter ascetic, owing to the defects of imperfect educa d tion , is too often use contemptuously, though no man wholly

o r al unascetic can be either decent he thful , and still less can he

dl . n a nd be go y That traini g of the body of the will , that con

o f a nd o f trol the passions emotions , that exercise the intellect d m in high and noble thought, that isciplined com union with

Heaven, that fortitude , patience, forgiveness , gentleness , j oy o u sness , which the ascete daily, nay hourly, strives for, Arch

an m bishop Corrig sought fro his youth to attain . The notes

d his d of his retreat for the priesthoo , the notes of me itations — in R ome after his ordination notes o f reflections made in his

and leisure hours, his daily walks , then committed carefully to writing—the notes of his retreat before his consecration as

Bishop of Newark, were they printed here , would demonstrate how steadfastly he pursued to the end the ideals of early man

o f m i d a s hood . The life a se inar an which he live a priest, he R lived as bishop and archbishop . ising at or before daybreak, his meditation made , his Mass said , the appointed portion of fi the office recited, from that time until the xed hours for Sleep, excepting only the too often begrudged interruption o f the sim m ple meals , he was a willing laborer . A si ple member of the

Diocesan Union o f Priests , who freely endeavor to perform the daily devotions with regularity, he was a member who rarely had to report any neglect . At the annual retreats of the clerg y

d a t he was one of themselves . To the Blesse Virgin Mary his t a chment was amiably fervent . The visit he made to Mexico

v Rev . in 1895 with the Right Re . Bishop Farley and with the

r James N . Connolly, his t usty secretary, will be remembered A B I O G RAP H I CAL S KE T C H

O d o f a Visit to the Shrine of ur La y Guadalupe, under whose patronage the American College students commenced their

first retreat . To the Sacred Heart o f Jesus he consecrated 18 3 i solemnly the diocese of Newark in 7 , and at h s request the

feast was created a Double of the Second Class . People and clergy he urged to be more than ever mindful of the Passion o f

Our Divine Lord in Lent . Of the many titles by which the loving devotion of Catholics to the Virgin Mother of God is

b n — figured e favored espe cially o e Our Lady o f Good Coun se l . ‘ In fi New York, as in Newark, he named in her honor the rst

church built in either diocese after his installation . A mem

o f ! ber o f the third order o f St . Francis Assisi he was pro

fessed, in the Church of St . John the Baptist, West Thirtieth

Rev . o n street, New York City, by Lawrence Vorwerk, January

30 1887 . To erudition , industry, tact, decision ; to the super

a id o f natural his patrons , the forceful Archangel Michael and n the contrite Doctor, Augusti e , the Archbishop of New York

a dd was careful to , when proud men threatened, an appeal to

“ ’ ! h a s e him w o w proud in b ing a fool for Christ s sake . Among the Archbishop ’ s devotions we have not named the

r — fi st devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar .

o m e f . Se king the Sisters St Do inic in their convent near Lyons ,

o n a limina 18 76 France , while the visit d in , he made arrange

d o f ments for the foun ation a convent in Newark, to be dedi ca ted to the Perpetual Adoration o f the Most Blessed Sacra

. O ment vercoming many obstacles , the convent was at length

d 1880 . d opene in The altar, donated by himself, was consecrate

1884 a nd in , at this altar he said his farewell Mass in the city f o . Newark Coming to New York, he was intent upon founding 188 . O 9 hi s fi a similar convent there nly in was desire ful lled, when the Monastery of Corpus Chr isti was established at ‘ 46 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

’ a nd Hunt s Point, in charge of the Dominican Sisters governed d by the Superior, an American, who had organize the Newark 1900 . O institution In ctober, , the Archbishop , introducing into the centre o f the city the Fathers of the Congregation of the

Most Blessed Sacrament, still further incited his flock to piety, while seeking increased blessings upon the diocese through this new sanctuary of Perpetual Adoration .

At Milan, at Annecy, we have seen the Archbishop . To these memorable sites his tw o foremost episcopal models drew him : d “ . e the mee k St Francis Sales, who studied as much at the foot

! fi . of the cruci x as in books ; and St Charles Borromeo , the

! model of pastors and the reformer of ecclesiastical discipline .

o ne Following the , he could not help being a pupil of the other .

As St . Charles conscientiously applied the law of the Council

so n of Trent, Bishop Corrigan and Archbishop Corrigan e dea v o red to make effective all the decrees of the Councils of fi d Baltimore . Of his delity to the cause of Catholic e ucation in

so - did the archdiocese, world wide his critics insist on proclaim ing and declaiming it, we have said no more than to quote figures Showing the increase of parochial schools during hi s dd rule . And yet here we cannot pass over his a ress to the — clergy in the last synod he held an address pointedly rea ffirm in f g the decrees o the third plenary council of Baltimore .

O . n the eve of the feast of the Dedication of St Michael, in 1884 the year , the Archbishop of Petra, residing then in the

d Mc Clo ske d same house with Car inal y, receive a message from — the venerable Cardinal asking an interview a n invitation that

d. was promptly answere An attendant on the Cardinal had, d by his irection, selected from a private drawer the Pectoral

Cross most valued by His Eminence . When Archbishop Corri ’ gan had entered the prelate s room, the Cardinal said to him

A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I’ GAN

d ri h ri When to My love thou ost b ng c a ty, v Sh e m m w rd rt a n ’ E en ust co e ith o er gi d gown d. Look h o w the trees are bound d r r To or er, bea ing f uit ; A nd m by one thing co pute , ’ i r d r r In all th ngs ea thly, or e s g ace or gain .

All earthly things I h a d the making of Were numbered a nd we re measured then by Me ; A nd wa s d d it s end each or ere to by Love , r rd m r Each kept, th ough o er, clean for inist y . r m t w w Cha ity os of all, hen kno n enough, h er t r rd Is of very na u e o erly . no w ! w i n Lo hat heat thee, v d r u t ! Soul, can ha e bre this o ’ u n s rd o u Tho p t t t all o er t . ’ Even this love s heat must be its cu rb and rein .

In charity, as in all things else, Michael Augustine Corrigan

i d la a nd a med at order . In or erliness y the secret of his doing of his eminence . Habit grew to be nature . Gentle , too , was

. o ne this Spirit of order Ever Visible , no associated with the

Archbishop was incommoded by its presence . Chiding never, — efficient b . never constraining, it was none the less y example

o f thi v irtu e Thanks to this Spirit order, s of order, he worthily earned the eulogy o f the prudent and discerning Apostolic

di — o ne Delegate , Car nal Martinelli , a holy man himself, d — experience in men and in ecclesiastical affairs , who , leav

o u r n ai o f o f ing la d, s d him The Archbishop New York was a man of great learning and eminent piety, with a mind moulded to advance the welfare o f the Church by precept and by practice . His loss to the Church is grievous . He was con

se rv tiv e f a , and he has left behind him institutions o great

! v al ue , whose usefulness will be progressive with the age . H JO N A . MOONEY . THE OBSEQUIES

St P ’ . atrick s Cathedra l

Ne w York THE OBSEQUIE S

TH E RE . V JAMES N . CONNOLLY

FORMERLY SECRETARY T O T H E ARCHBISHOP

HE body of his Grace the Most Reverend Archbishop was m re oved from the room wherein he died, to the west par

an lor, d after it was dressed according to the prescriptions of

R o ntifica l m on the itual in the p vest ents it was laid a high,

- m u fi black covered bier . A s all cr ci x was in his j oined hands , a d m white damask mitre was place on his head, and the palliu , the distinctive emblem of archiepiscopal rank, with its three stone

n . set set pi s, fell across his shoulders Candles were at the head

and and foot of the catafalque , a small table with a book, can

wa s . dles, and holy water placed near it At the foot of the bier

- was the episcopal gree n Silk corded hat .

al d The general public was not lowe to enter the house , but there was a continuous stream o f nuns entering all the day to

o fi er look for the last time upon their spiritual father, and to at his feet a fervent prayer for his happy repose . On Wednesday morning the remains were carried in solemn l a R . procession to the Cathedr by the ight Rev Mgr . Edwards

Rev . McGe an McCrea d a nd and the Fathers , y, Phelan , Flood, Colton On leaving the archiepiscopal residence the procession t d urne to the right, through Fiftieth Stree t, to Fifth Avenue , a nd The ' de e then into the Cathedral by the main portal . p

' tones o f the great bell in the tower announce d to all that the 5 1 5 2 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN chief shepherd o f the flock was being borne on the shoulders of his beloved priests to the majestic Cathedral he h a d done so much to beautify. Arriving at the elevated catafalque which had been espe ciall d mai y constructe to receive his re ns , the body of the Arch

u c d bishop was raised p and pla ed in an incline position, with his face turned toward the thousands of mourners who were anxious to look again upon his saintly countenance and to j oin in the prayers for his eternal repose . At the head a large cluster of unbleached wax candles were

d wa s c d . lighte , and the episcopal hat pla e at the foot

R ev . W. . . The George Corrigan ; Dr Joseph F Corrigan,

r h . . t e with his children ; Father D J Curley, the secreta y of

Archbishop ; and the attendants o f the archiepiscopal house

d in an d be hol , who were the procession walked immediately

d in the . hin the corpse , took seats church near the catafalque When the long line of clergy had taken their places in the

Cflice o f sanctuary, the solemn recital of the the Dead was

end beg un . The absolutions were given at the of each Noc

L nds R R a nd a ev . turn , after the chanting of the ight Bishop

Mc Qu a id gave the last absolution . When the versicles a nd prayers had been sung the clergy re

fi m a nd r d tired, and the nal arrange ents at a oun the catafalque m m were then made . A guard co posed of pro inent Catholic lay

f d al men o the city, under the irection of a speci committee of

d m - the Catholic Club, together with a etail fro the Sixty ninth

Regiment o f the National Guard, took their places about the catafalque and were in attendance all the time until the funeral services were ended o n Friday morning .

The public were then allowed to pass by the catafalque , and from that moment until the da y of the interment a continual

5 4 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

began the procession to the Cathedral . It may be safely said that on the streets of no other city in the world, at the present day, could such a sight have been witnessed . There was first a long line of distinguished Catholic laymen, members of the

m a ll ff Catholic Club, and any representatives of the di ere nt

n Catholic societies of me in the diocese . Then came the young

d fi u clerics , one hundre and fty in n mber, from Dunwoodi e

in su r Seminary, walking two by two , and dressed cassock,

lice a nd e . p , ber tta Following them came the representatives

o f d . the various religious or ers There were Augustinians ,

ed s Augustinians of the Assumption, Ben ictine , Capuchins ,

m an can Car elites, Dominicans , Fr cis s , Jesuits , Fathers of

o f Mercy, Fathers the Pious Society of Missions , Missionaries

. a . Re of St Charles, Mission ries of St Paul the Apostle, dem to rist s l p , Sa esians , Sulpicians , Brothers of the Chris tian Schools , and Marist Brothers . These were in turn d followe by the secular priests of the diocese , and their num bers were augmented by clergy from many parts of the United l a nd . o States Canada There were young and d in the line ,

and types of almost every nation and people on the ea rth .

h a d a Thousands of persons, who given up all hope of g ining

all i admission into the church, crowded the surround ng streets

d and o and avenues , and it required a double line of sol iers p

lice to make room for the march o f thi s grand army o f priests .

o f The general good order which is characteristic New York, d especially when large crowds are gathere together, prevailed d throughout the day. The city j ournals commente on this fact,

so noticeable was the decoru m an d composure of the multitude .

- It was not a gathering o f idle curiosity seekers. It was the

’ spontaneous outpouring of the city s people to Show respe ct

to the dead . All wished to enter the great church, but all could T H E O B S E Q U I E S 5 5

so not, and those without were content to stand in respectful

and a s r a s silence as the procession went by, to take much pa t they could in the service . A ’ A s the last of the priests passed by the rchbishop s house , the bishops and archbishops , in rochette and mantelletta, and

al hi s Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of B timore , in cappa magna, j oined them .

- R st a The guard of honor from the Sixty ninth egiment,

i n l a s t o ed on the outside of the church, sa uted the prelates they l entered . The high portals of the Cathedra were draped in black and purple, and the mournful colors surrounding the ma ssive columns of the interior brought out in bolder relief the exqu isite lines o f the vaulted roof and clerestory . The

ix u n white marble altar at the eastern end wa s unadorned . S

o n o f ifi bleached wax candles , three either side the cruc x, were burning . The sanctuary floor was entirely covered with purple cloth , and the vacant throne of the third Archbishop o f New

York was festooned with black and purple hangings . The celebrant of the Mass wa s his Eminence James Cardinal f o . R Gibbons , Archbishop Baltimore The ight Rev . Mon s ignor Joseph F . Mooney was the assistant priest . The Right

R v e . R ev . Monsignor John Edwards and the Charles H . Colton f f were the deacons o honor . The deacon o the Mas s was the

v R v . a Re . . McGea n e James H , and the subdeacon , the Mich el

J . Lavelle . The Revs . James N . Connolly and Thomas F .

M h an ni y were the masters of ceremo es . There were present a rchbishops , bishops , mitred abbots, monsignori , and nearly o ne thousand priests . It was estimated that there were from s ix thousand to seven thousand people in the Cathedral . Three times as many more were in the plazas surrounding the church and on the Sidewalks in Fifth and Madi son avenues and Fif 5 6 A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

i - a d t eth and Fifty first streets . The demands for tickets of mission reached over fifty thousand . Seated in prominent places in the church were the mayor of

difi erent the city, and representatives of the departments of the city government, as well as of the Supreme Court . There were

m a nd ffi also any other city, State , Federal o cials present . At the foot of the catafalque was a touching evidence of the es teem o f the chief magistrate of the country for the dead prel

. W ate It was a wreath of flowers sent from the hite House ,

! with a simple card attached The President . i s . Seldom, indeed, such an assemblage witnessed The civil and religious honors Shown the dead Archbishop were unusual . It is more than rare to find under one roof at the same time m m such a co plex gathering, fro the little orphan children and

m chu rch in the hu ble poor to the most exalted in and state ,

h o cluding even many of those w were teachers in other folds .

h a d and There was no doubt but that a great man died, it was more than evident that the noble e fi o rt s of his life had been justly appreciated and acknowledged . The Gregorian chant of the chancel choir and the figured music of the large choir most feelingly interpreted the mind of the Church and the thoughts o f the Silent throng of wor

R ev . o f . . R shippers . At the end the Mass the Most P J yan ,

and d d Archbishop of Philadelphia, ascended the pulpit elivere the oration over the dead .

AR CHBISHOP RYAN ’ S EULOGY OF HIS DEAD FRIEND

Venera ble Fa thers dea r brethren o the la it , f y BEHOLD a great priest who in his day pleased God and was found just ; behold him in the vestments of his order a s he stood at that altar to o fi er sacrifice and prayers for you and yours ; behold him who but a few days ago spoke from this pulpit of tru th those great doctrines that are to save society from social ism d m and anarchy, and who now, being ead, yet speaketh fro that funeral pulpit by the eloquence o f his past life . Behold the cardinal and his brother bishops are here , to do him honor

His who was the example to u s of every episcopal virtue . priests are here , both secular and regular, they who had s k o many opportunities to look into his heart, and new that every fibre of it breathed the sacerdotal spirit ; and the Chris

o f tian Brothers, the representatives that Christian education of which he was the fearless defender— they are here to receive — new inspiration in their great work ; a nd you you spouses of

o f Jesus Christ, you gentle Sisterhoods every order and of — every work o f charity you are assembled around his bier to offer the tribute of your prayers and your te ars ; to look for the last time i nto the face of your dead Father and friend ; and

— en you you his people , the people in whose heart is ever

ed f r shrin the memory o the t ue priest and the true bishop, the

S d o f Sheep who know the hepher ; you , who by an intuition find faith will out, though you may be deceived for a time , who

5 7 5 8 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN — was the real bishop you are here around his coffin ; a nd you m d “ of who the Lor hath said, and other sheep I have that are ! — not of this fold you are here because you know the a dv a n

m n o tage to a great com u ity such as New York, f a char acter like that of the late Archbishop , the influence of that — character for truth, for order, for disinterestedness you are

o f here to Show your appreciation hi m . But what can I say in d !“ such surroun ings How can I, how can any man translate

o f m d o f into words the thoughts the in , the emotions the heart that must well up in an environment like this !

m - da But, y dear brethren , we are not here to y merely to m m f honor the e ory o the dead Archbishop . We are here to do fi ff that, but not that alone . A Sacri ce has been o ered on that

— o f i altar not a Mass thanksg ving for his achievements , not a ' — c ommemoration of him and all his deeds no ; that awful Sac rifice was offered that God might have mercy on his soul ; that pure Host, that holy Host, that Immaculate Host, that Bread o f i Him Eternal Life and Chalice of Everlast ng Salvation , by Whom and in Whom are offered to the omnipotent Father in f the unity of the Holy Ghost all honor and glory, o fered whilst Angels praise a nd Dominations adore and Powers tremble ;

fi ff d o d i m . that Sacri ce was o ere , that G m ght have ercy on him

— m o n him d Strange words ercy , whose chil hood, whose boy hood, whose seminary life , whose priestly life , whose episcopal

so so — O ! is life , was pure , beautiful but yet, God how awful t ! Thy sancti y Yet, because of the responsibilities of his sta

defiled t ion, because nothing , in great or little , shall pass the portals of eternal life ; therefore we meet to ask God to have mi mercy on his soul . From that bier he ght this morning cry “ u s o n me . out to : Not praise , but pity have At least, you my f riends, you my people, you my priests, you my brother

60 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

does honor only to the magnanimity that despises its vain

prai se . The permanently great are those who act from higher

m . I In otives The nner life , the life hidden God, the life of pure

- sa cri fic intentions, the life of self e, producing great actions

this is the life that is truly great . We often hear men o f the “ world say nowadays The age of merely ascetic bishops a nd

h as priests passed away. Asceticism di d well enough in d ! . We m n the Mi dle Ages want the stirring, public a .

But the truth is , brethren, we want both , the combination of both, the combination of the ascetic with the public i man, but the larger element of asceticism n that combi

. a s nation Such w the departed Archbishop of New York .

u fficientl d S y of the worl , yet in that inner life , in that sense

e Go d of the pres nce of , in that purity of intention, in that restrained force , he attracted public men, who will not mis h judge . There is something in a real man, wit true manhood and d l nh — , a ded to that, spiritua ma ood there is something in nearness to Jesus Christ that attracts men as He Himself a t

hi o f tracted them . There is somet ng in the priesthood our

Lord that attracts even the worst, for the worst men have yet mi good in them . They are won by genuine virtue, and ad re it in others even though they do not possess it themselves .

- His aim was to a ct purely for God and for his fellow men,

c not to please, but to displease when ne essary, but always to l fi r . u bene t . Hence his life of ma vellous labor It was wonderf

se e s how much this one man did . The people only the public act ,

his his but his daily life , anxieties , labors in silence, the world i did not heed, and all these labors he undertook and d scharged with a boyish enthusiasm . Some one has said, that enthusiasm belongs only to youth , and the aged and the grave should not

is o f . be enthusiastic . No ; enthusiasm born motive The T H E O B S E Q U I E S

fir young, ed by the ambition to be great, to love , and, higher

- an en still , to aid their fellow men by pure phil thropy, they are

i s ic . Wh thu s a t until the ends are attained en love is satiated, when ambition is disappointed, when philanthropy is chilled by f fi the ing ratitude o those bene ted , enthusiasm dies . But he

Go d nn die d who works for God , as ca ot , and ivine love cannot — be satiated for many waters cannot quench it , and floods can

’ not drown it —when men act for their fellow- men for God s m sake, the motive continues and the enthusias is perennial .

o ld Tertullian, in the second century, speaking of men amongst

enthu the early priesthood, called them boys , boys in their sia sm , boys in their love for God, boys in the motive that

m - sa crifice nerved the with the freshness , the self , the beauty,

m re the intensity of youth in their old age , because the otive mained perennial . The three Archbishops of this see represented three features

v . n of human character . The Most Re Joh Hughes represented courage , invincible courage , at a time , too , when it was needed . Cardinal Mc Clo skey represented marvellous prudence that wo n m Without fighting . The late Archbishop ight be regarded as

Mc lo ske belonging to the class of Cardinal C y, yet, when a prin ci le p was at stake , the lamb became a lion , and he was found

fearless as ever was Archbishop Hughes . D o minu s pctra

mea : be , the Lord is my rock because he leaned upon God, cause he knew his motives were supernatural , he worked with D m the inspired intrepidity of God . o ina s petra mea was

the motto of Moses the meek, and Moses the unconquerable .

im a s ro ck i The Archbishop was h self a , gentle , yield ng, mossy on the surface ; but beneath all that gentleness strength and

m o f power and im ovability principle were found . The late Cardinal McClo skey told me that Archbishop C or 62 A M E MO R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN rigan did all that he could that his name should not be sent R to ome as coadjutor with right of succession to this see . H e was afraid of its responsibilities . So the greatest bishops that

ai o f ever lived were afr d the responsibilities of the episcopate , and because they were afraid they were great, but when m Am they were obliged to accept, they beca e the bravest . St . brose hid himself lest he should be made Bishop of Milan . Am Yet St . brose faced the master of the world at the R portals of his own cathedral . He faced the oman Emperor, “ Theodosius the Great, and he said to his very face , I will not admit thee to the sanctuary of God until thou hast done pen

! an ce for thy sins . The R oman Emperor in the R oman Em pire dared by one o f his own subjects ! This Emperor deserved

o f the title of great, not only because his achievements in battle ,

a but because he knew when to submit, and the fearless but p “ a rentl m a nd p y ti id bishop said to him , David had sinned was m i imi received . Thou who didst i itate David in his S n go and

! tate David in his penance and then I shall admit thee . a So with Thomas Becket, so with the great bishops who desired not the dignity and were apparently timid , but became great with the greatness and courage that God communicated “ ! an to them . No man has dared to speak to me, said the pag “ d magistrate to St . Basil ; no man has ared to speak to me as

!

. d thou hast Perhaps , sai the Bishop , it is because thou ! m hast never met a Christian Bishop . In that co bination of modesty, humility and moral courage is the perfection of the

a nd a nd d man the priest the bishop , because they are mo elled

o n ou r Wh o . Divine Lord, was perfect humanity How gentle

m . He was . How hu ble . He washed the feet of His apostles

He washed the feet of Judas Iscariot ; yet when the time came

o f and for the exercise power authority, how He scourged the buyers and sellers from the Temple of God, how He claimed T H E O B S E Q U I E S 63

His ffi the right of o ce , how He said to His apostles whose feet “ He washed, You call me Lord and Master, and you do right,

’

so . i m for I am How He vind cated His dignity, how He beca e

ff - the model of the bishop , kind, tender, a ectionate , self sacri

ficin ! g , bold, strong in the discharge of His great duties A newspaper o f this city of high literary standing has said of the late Archbishop that as the perfume of the virtues of St . Francis of A ssisiu m still remains amongst men after so many

so al centuries, also sh l the perfume of the Virtues of Arch

b his . ishop Corrigan survive amongst people Oh, the impress o f ff such a character, its e ect , the love that it will call out will

did kn k grow with time . Men who not ac owledge it will ac now

m . ledge it as time passes by . The little children wi ll reme be r it

O d ! Wh e h, what is eath to such a man as this at a lib ration ,

! m l a nd su f an illumination , a union A liberation fro the tria s fering s and responsibilities of this life ; an illumination when he Shall look into the very face of God a nd be made like unto “ Him H im . We Shall be like unto for we Shall see Him as He

! is . So the apostle declares . It is an illumination by which he

’ will see the length a nd breadth and height and depth of God s

o f love . The problems human life Shall be solved for him, the “ O illumination of intellect , the touching of hearts . h , when ! ! i . wilt Thou take me to Thyself, O Spouse sa d St Peter o f “ Alcantara, and When Shall I be dissolved and be with

! ! o f Christ said the apostle the Gentiles .

O Wh o God, Thou didst give such graces to Thy servant,

‘ grant that we , who are left a little while longer, only a little while , may imitate his virtues , that we may be united to him

al ri in etern life, through Ch st our Lord . Amen .

A T the close of the sermon the preparations were begun for

fiv e the solemn absolutions . 64 A M E MO R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

W P o ntifi d a hen the Supreme , a car inal , a metropolit n , or a bishop of a diocese dies there are fiv e absolutions performed

his end over remains at the of the Mass of Re quiem . In other

o ne cases there is but absolution . These fiv e absolutions were

Mc u a id R given in turn by Bishops Q of ochester, Ludden of

o f O d a nd o f Syracuse , Gabriels g ensburg, Burke Albany, and m — d by his E inence the Cardinal , all attire in copes and mi tre s . The four bishops took their respective ’ places at the cor

o f m sa t fi ners the bier, and his E inence facing the cruci x which wa s d him held by the sub eacon , with acolytes on either Side of ,

o f at the head the ca tafalque . The celebrant read the opening prayer and then each bishop

h a d in turn , as soon as the responsories been sung by the chan

d m and cel choir, encircle the re ains , blessing with holy water incensing . The fifth and final absolution was admi nistered by

i a nd the Cardinal . During th s long impressive ceremony the

m r vast congregation re ai ned standi ng . When the little su

liced p orphans, whose new home their dead benefactor had all R but Opened to them, had shrilled out the last equiescat in

! “ ! pace , the Amen rose instinctively to the lips of all ; and

d o f l with that eep , suspended feeling emotion which on y such i surround ngs could evoke , the long procession quietly wended it s way out of the Cathedral . When all h a d withdrawn from the ch u rch preparations were

- made for the fin al interment . A death mask of the prelate was

ibbel u an d taken by Mr . Joseph S , the sc lptor, the body, just

d ffi . as it had been exposed to View, was lifte into the co n After the Archbishop ’ s brothers and relatives had taken a last fare

c well , a white linen cloth was pla ed over the mouth, and a sealed glass bottle containin g a sheet of parchment o n whi ch was written the name a nd a short history of the Archbishop

a d was enclosed, and the lid was pl ce over the remains of one of T H E O B S E Q U I E S 65

’ n r the great champions of God s Church . The i sc iption on the lid was surmounted by a cross and read a s follows

MICHAE L AUGUSTINUS CORRIGAN

ARC H IEP ISC OP U S N EO -EBORAC E N SIS TERTIUS

A D N AT U S N OVAR C I DIE 13 AUGUSTI . . 1839

E T E BRIS A . D PRESBYTER DIE 19 S P M . 1863

I IE A E P ISC OP US N OVARCE N S S D 4 MAII .B . 18 73

AR C H IE P ISCOP US PETREN SIS E T COAD J UTOR N EO - EBORAC E N SIS

D IE 1 O CT OBRIS A .D . 1880

- AB CH IEP ISC OP U S N E O EBORAC E N SIS DIE 10 O C TOBRIS A. B . 1885

A D OBIIT DIE 5 MAII . . 1902

Those present formed in procession to the chamber in the

e crypt under the sanctuary, and aft r the prayers of interment had been read by the venerable Dean of the Province of New

R Rev . Mc u aid a s York, the ight Bishop Q , the body w put in a metal - lined casket which was then placed in a niche alongside

al Mc lo sk the remains of his predecessors , Cardin C ey and Arch bishop Hughes . The chamber wa s closed with a marble slab

r which bo e an inscription in Latin . Above the inscription was a cross, and below it the coat of arms of Archbishop Corrigan . The inscription is as follows

MICHAEL AUGUSTINUS CORRIGAN

SOLIO PONTIFICIO AS SISTE N S

ARC H IE P ISC OP US NEO-EBORAC E N SIS TERTIU S

ANNO MDCCCLXXXV BE N U N C IATU S

C H RISTIAN AE IN STIT U TIO N IS IN VIC TU S ASSERTOR

VIXI T AN . LXIII OBIIT DIE V MAII M CMII S T I L US U I N PACE OC F J S . 6 6 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

MICHAEL AUGUSTINE CORRIGAN ASSISTANT AT THE PONTIFICAL THRONE

THIRD AR CHBISH OP OF NEW YORK TH E STAUN CH DEFENDER OF CHRISTIAN EDU CATION

TH DIED MAY 5 , 1902

MAY HIS PLACE BE IN PEACE .

Archb i sho p C orrig a n

1890 Rome , EULOGY OF THE LATE AR CHBISHOP

D . D . E E . BY R V. H NRY A BRAN N ,

AT T H E AMERICAN COLLEGE ALU M NI M EETING

i en a n B ro ther Alu mni Mr. P res d t d T is hard for me to control my emotions when I have to speak

on this theme ; to Speak of the character and virtues of my

s d d d o ld schoolmate and lifelong cheri hed frien , the ea Arch

n him . bishop of New York . I k ew long, well , and intimately

The Specific attribute of Archbishop Corrigan was his piety . This was the center from which all his other qualities and all

him ma n his actions radiated . His piety made a of tender con

uld d science . No one co understand him perfectly while he live , and no one can understand him properly now that he is dead , who di d not and who does not measure him and his acts by the standard of conscience enlightened and regulated by law . Long before the America n College at R ome existed he was my classmate in an American college at home ; a nd there he

o f R was the white lily all the flowers in the garden . In ome he was the Aloysius of the Levites of the sanctuary ; a nd as a

a nd e priest, bishop , archbishop the whit ness of his life was d i unstaine , and the frag rance of his V rtues was universally diffused . If all prayed as he did there would be no critics of his character . Piety was the swee t dominant note in the oratorio of his life . His piety inspired the application which made him also a 5 9 70 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

great scholar . We have had among our alumni men of more him d brilliant parts and men who excelled in special stu ies, but none equaled him in thorough comprehension of the ency

lo i f c ped a o ecclesiastical science . He conscientiously a nd per sistently cultivated his well-endowed and well-balanced mind to f R the very end o his life . The venerable Bishop of ochester told me that Dr . Corrigan , when professor at Seton Hall , st udied m eight hours a day . He knew the atter of all the theologies

t a nd and of Canon Law and of the Holy Scrip ures , he knew also the form in which to give adequate expression to his know

o n ledge . No e did more than he in the last Council of Balti more to suggest , Shape , and mould the decrees which are tod ay the rules o f conduct and discipline of the clergy in the United

States . He was an indefatigable worker from his boyhood to

o r his grave . Although never strong sturdy, he did the work of a Vigorous man . In him intelligence , informed by truth, mi in illu nated and dominated by the idea of duty, ruled with him exorable sway . His intellect, endowed by grace, made me

h dical . t o , precise , careful , correct , and cautious He crossed every t and dotted every i . From the early morning watch until late at night all his actions were guided by rule ; and in spite of the variety and multiplicity of his occupations and dis tractions as priest, bishop , and archbishop , he was as regular in the discharge o f his spiritual duties as a fervent seminarian .

When his frail body flagged, his soul spurred and whipped it fi into action , making every ber and muscle work in the service hi of his Divine Master . All knew t s ; and therefore when,

a nx under the strain of worry caused by constant annoyance ,

’ iet a nd y, overwork, the crows feet began to gather around his tired eyes a nd his brain and heart began to Show the efi ects

a . of the str in , no one was surprised T H E V O I C E S O F F R I E N D S 71

- hi The late Vicar General Preston, mself a man of parts, who had enj oyed the intimacy of the first t wo archbishops of New f York, the Lion of the Fold o Judah and the magnetic Fenelon “ : of our Church, said of Archbishop Corrigan This one is the

an equal d in some respec ts the superior o f all .

Although the Archbishop was impulsive by temperament,

his . r his piety held impulses in check He he e no resentment .

He fostered no dislikes . He forgave easily . The facts which

so kn prove this are well own that they need not be enumerated . i His battles were not of his seeking . He shrank from confl ct ;

u se but when discipline or faith req ired it, his conscience rai d the flag and his achievements followed it to the end . In ‘ the great fight for Catholic education he Simply repeated the cry of faith of Pius IX ; the battle -cry of all the popes “ from Peter to Lee the Illu minator : Non possumus . No man ever lived more loyal or devoted to the great P o ntifi and

o f the See o f Peter . When the ripples recent controversies shall have di sappeared from the sea on which the bark of Peter is always breasting the waves and the storms , some historian of the future, studying the acts and circumstances of Michael

’ t his Augustine Corrigan s life in detail , will por ray character hi m in all its beauteous colors , and place in the galaxy where

B ru té and Dubois , Newman and England, the Kenricks and

di Mc Clo ske and i Spal ng, y Hughes, are shin ng in the splendors

z . of scholarly fame , apostolic eal, and angelic sanctity MONSIGNOR DOANE ’ S TRIBUTE TO AR CHBISHOP CORRIGAN

(FROM THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE OF THE SEVENTH OF MAY )

T o the E dito r o f the T ribu ne

fi Sir, I have just nished reading your notice of Arch

be bishop Corrigan , whose death, so much to deplored,

. n occurred last night In ma y respects you do him full justice , but there is one point upon which you have but slightly

o f touched, and that is the loveliness his character and the

r cha m of his relations with others . He seemed to walk in

o f . an the footsteps Fenelon and St Fr cis de Sales . I have

w him fi sa kno n nearly fty years , and used to y that at one

a s time he was a parishioner of mine, Since , a young man , I ’ i used to see him in his father s pew n the Cathedral . When he went to Europe I gave him a letter of intro m duction to Dom Bernardo S ith, afterward Abbot Smith, the

Benedictine professor at the Propaganda in R ome . After his return we were much thrown together while Bishop Bayley was still here .

W - l hile he was Bishop of Newark, I was his Vicar Genera , and dai ly in consultation with him at a time when much was d l one in the growth of the diocese , especia ly in the establish

a s ment o f the religious communities , such the Sisters of the t Good Shepherd, the Little Sis ers of the Poor, and the

Dominican Nuns . Anybody more laborious and methodical in 72

74 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

him admiration and friendship for , whose death h as laid the d d great arch iocese low in grief, a grief that will be share by all,

nd far a near, who ever knew and loved him, for the two were

sure to go together in every case .

w None kne thee but to love thee, ’ r Nor named thee but to p aise .

l an 0 a nd Eterna rest gr t unto him , Lord, may light per petu a l shi ne upon him ! THE VOICE OF THE

Fa rle The M o st R ev eren d J o hn M . y

Fou rth Archb ishop of N e w York 1902 THE VOICE OF THE LAITY

N order that the laity might have an Opportu nity of testify Ing In a special manner to their appreciation of the loss

a they had sustained in the de th of the Archbishop , a great

a s meeting w called at Carnegie Hall , on Sunday evening, June

8 e , under the auspic s of

TH E CATHOLIC CLUB CATHOLIC BENEVOLENT LEGION CATHOLIC KNIGHTS OF AMERICA CATHOLIC SINGING SOCIETIES HOLY NAME SOCIE TY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ST NC N E Y . VI E T DE PAUL SOCI T YOUNG MEN ’ S ARCHDIOCESAN UNION X AVIER ALUMNI SODALITY

The arrangements were in charge of the following commit tees representing those different organized bodies of the city

of New York :

. I h irma n GEORGE J G LLESPIE , C a

S ecreta r CHARLE MURRAY, S y m n Genera l C ommittee of A rrang e e ts .

77 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

COM MITTEE ON INVITATIONS

M . Y h airm n THO AS M MULR , C a H L BAN N IN AE . M MIC E WILLIA R . GRACE

S . N L NICHOLA E BE ZIGER WI LIAM E . ISELIN N Y N JOH B R E JAMES G . JOHNSON

. N LAWRENCE J CALLANAN JOH P . KELLY K E FREDERIC R . COUD RT ROBERT KELLY JOHN CRANE THOMAS LENANE I CORNEL US CONKLIN JAMES E . MCLARNEY D N JOSEPH ILLO MARTIN T . MCMAHON

D N . Y A IEL J EARL AUGUSTE P . MONTANT D JOHN UNCAN EMMET JEREMIAH A. MAHONEY P ’ AUL FULLER JAMES J . O BRIEN

FRANK T . FITZGERALD JOSEPH E . OWENS JEREMIAH FITZPATRICK CORNELIUS O ’ REILLY N N P ULLEYN LEO ARD A. GIEGERICH JOH J .

JOHN F . GIBBONS CLARENCE J . RAMSEY

COM MITTEE ON SPEAKERS AND CERE MONIES

hairm JOHN H . SPELLMAN , C a n

M EN H . Y WILLIA J . AM D THOMAS KELL K H THOMAS BARRETT MARTIN J . EC G D N N . Y . . MICHAEL BRE AN EDWARD L KE ES, M CHARLES ASTOR BRISTED HENRY MCALEE N AN

A N W. CK JOHN J . B RRY JOH MA AY W M ’ NN N B . JUA M . CE ALLOS ILLIA P O CO OR ’ MICHAE L COLEMAN DANIEL O DAY H M N GEORGE B . COLEMAN ER A RIDDER

. B N N JAMES E . DOUGHERTY GEORGE B RO I SO M C K JOSEPH F . DALY WILLIA S HIC EL TH EBAUD ADDI . D . . THOMAS s EMMET , M PAUL L

N . S JAMES R . FLOYD FRA CIS C TRAVER

JOHN FOX RICHARD S . TREACY S HUGH J . GRANT AUGUSTIN WAL H W A C Y . ISA C A. HOPPER S HU LER N ARREN

A MEMO R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

COM MITTEE ON HALL , DECORATION S AND MUSIC

. M K h air a ANDREW A MCCOR IC , C m n

N . D . JOH ASPELL , M JOSEPH F . MCCOY M S N JA E BYR E JOSEPH J . MEEHAN M A Y N THO S F . B R E THADDEUS MORIA RTY H N Y AN N E R A. BR THOMAS MOSHER CORNELIUS CALLANAN ROBERT MCGINNIS

VICTOR J . DOWLING OSWALD MAUNE

K H . D NN PATRIC U E EDWARD J . MCGUIRE D MICHAEL H . ONOVAN BERNARD NAUGHTON ’ M ILLERAN THO AS G MILES M . O BRIEN ’

. H N Y H Y I J E R AGGERT DAN EL J . O CONOR MM ’ PAUL T . KA ERER JOHN J . O NEILL

Y N . NN Y P BR A L KE ELL . TECUMSEH SHERMAN

. E N N P ADRIAN T KI R A JAMES . SILO E J REMIAH C . LYONS JOHN B . SEIZ

EDWARD E . MCCALL JOHN TRUNK

COM MITTEE ON RECEPTION

NK M hairman FRA W . S ITH , C F AMY P AL RED V . ERCY J . KING

N . EUGEN E L . BAR ARD JOSEPH H MCGUIRE

NC H . CK NICHOLAS J . BARRETT CLARE E MA EY N NK M . K . JA ES J BUR E JOH MO S , JR

WILLIAM J . BOWE TIMOTHY J . M . MURRAY

JOSEPH T . BRADY GEORGE R . MURPHY

EDWARD S . CONNELL TIMOTHY A. MCCARTHY ’

D . H H . N . MM N JOHN CRI I S, JR AROLD O CO NOR

K K . W . BOUR E COC RAN JOSEPH T RYAN

H . FF N S JOHN J . DEERY SCHIE ELI SAYER IA WALM JOSEPH H . FARGIS WILL M J . S

. Y JOSEPH P . GRACE LOUIS M THIER

N . FR . LL FRAN K S . GA NON , JR AL ED J TA EY

Y IE . FORBES J . HENNESSY M LES T RNEY , JR V EDWARD V . HOLLAND V . PAUL TRA ERS T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 81

The meeting revealed the deep love possessed by the people

r for their prelate . Long befo e the appointed hour the great d auditorium was packed from floor to dome , and to hundre s of pe ople admission h a d to be refused . The boxes were fille d with representatives of the Catholic society of New York, the chairs crowded to overflowing with delegates from the vari

in ous societies . The platform was occupied by specially v i o f ted guests , representing every order our municipal life , ffi o cials of the city government, judges of the courts , clergy men o f c , among whom were noticed the authorities the dio ese together with the prominent pastors of the city churches , hun

o f dreds of the more notable Catholic citizens New York, with numbe rs of non- Catholic gentlemen repre senting various creeds and charitable organizations who had come to testify by their presence to the esteem in which they held the deceased mi i Archbishop . As it was deter ned that th s meeting should be exclusively the mouthpiece of the Catholic laity, no speeches

d . R A i were ma e by any of the clergy The ight Rev . dmin s R Re v . trator, Bishop Farley, supported by the ight Mgr .

. G . R Rev . . a s Mooney, V , and the ight Mgr Edwards , w seated

ffi . at the side of the presiding o cer, Mr Eugene A . Philbin , a

r devoted pe sonal friend of the Archbishop . Despite the se r

a s row that marked the speeches, there w evident a note of eq t a tion at the Splendid character o f the man whose memory they m were praising, and at the greatness of his achieve ents . For the first time in public were the laymen who loved him so sin ce rel and so a y deeply able to say what their hearts dict ted, because at other times his presence and his indefin a ble modesty d t checke the ut erance of what it was felt would be di stasteful . The plaintive chant of the surpliced choir of the Paulist

Church and the robust magnificent Chorals of the united Ge r A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN man Catholic societies added deep pathos to an occasion whose sombre character was relieved by the dominan t fee ling that the memory of a saintly priest, gone to his everlasting reward, was being celebrated . The immense audience waited until the

a nd last word had been spoken, the last note sung, and then dispersed— the spell of reverential awe still hanging over them n fi as they went homewards . The meeti g was a magni cent

’ token o f the depth of the people s a fi ection for their dead

a nd . Archbishop , the words spoken at it deserve preservation An account o f the proceedings is therefore embodied in this memorial .

. R HON LEONA D A . GIEGERICH

Ri ht R ev erend Bish o R ev erend Fa ther L i g p , s , a d es a nd Gen

tiemen :

I AM instructed by the committee which has arranged for this meeting to announce that it has selected as the presiding ff . . I o icer thereof, Mr Eugene A Philbin , whom now have the

pleasure of introducing .

. R O . H N EUGENE A PHILBIN, CHAI MAN

Ri ht R ev erend Bi ho R er F h r L i g s p , ev end a t e s , a d es a nd Gen

tlemen :

E may well put aside, for the moment, all thought of fi the great sorrow that lls our hearts, even those who f have su fered a real personal loss, and consider rather the virtues a nd achievements of our beloved Archbishop . It is bet ter to contemplate the characteristics o f a great and pious career and to appreciate the lesson it teaches than to utter

m o r . ere words of sorrow praise In this great country of ours , t where all men are equal , cer ainly in opportunity, the pe rsonal

l co nse attributes are the potent factors for good or evi , and, d quently, they are to be judge , and not the position in the community of the individual . Not merely to those who had the privilege of being under his care were the great qualities

k hi s of the Archbishop nown , but even to those outside of 84 T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 85

faith . He has be en justly described as one of our noblest citi zens by a leading newspaper of this city . That such a term was well deserved will be realized when we remembe r the beneficent influence b e exercised over the g reat maj ority of

a nd those in communion with him . By example precept he taught those who yielded to his influence that if they would be true Catholics, they must be loyal citizens ; that they must

- perform their duty to their fellow men, whether the obligation was - r in private or public life , with no thought of self inte est, but with a sincere appreciation of the opportu nity to render service for the betterment of others . Time and time again it has been proved that those who were amenable to his influence d erived real inspiration from it, and were faithful to the pri

o r r fi vate public duty cast upon them, no matter what sac i ce was entailed . The Archbishop made a most valuable contribution to the cause of good government in the erection and maintenance of the many parochial schools organized during his a dminis i tra t o n .

Nothing is so esse ntial to the making of good citizens as

d o moral training and e ucation , and where b th are combined the best possible results may be expected . The educational system of the Church , by placing the child under the immedi a te r o f supe vision the pastor, insures attendance at the school m l and thus obtains not only religious develop ent, but a so proper secular education .

His work was unceasing, and while it might well be supposed that such a high office would be surrounded by the luxury and ease of rank, yet it was a fact that his life was most simple , a nd that he personally gave attention to the merest details of his administration . 86 A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

He was always accessible to even the humblest of his flock , and ever patient and courteous . The responsibility of his great office never ceased to weigh upon him and to produce the sincere humility so characteristic of men great in intelligent appreciation of opportunity and duty . The Archbishop h a d a sincere a fi ectio n fo r his priests and a genuine interest in

e all that concerned them . Exc pt in so far as official etiquette

- d r d co a nd . deman ed, they were t uly regar ed as workers equals His great success in the material development of the interests of the Church is eloquent testimony o f the Splendid and willing c o Opera tion given him by his clergy . It was his nature to avoid anything like ostentation or honor not made necessary by etiquette or the dignity of his office . m He was , as far as circumstances would permit, the same hu ble

fi d . priest that I rst knew in my boyhoo days as Dr Corrigan, when he was then president of Seton Hall College . di The scipline of the college was perfect, although no harsh

d . words ever passe his lips He was gentle in manner, but

i i d r i r firm . v r mo r u a te n e o t te in e . in purpose S , f When the

f rm occasion arose for sternness , there was an expression o fi ness in his face that at once conveyed the idea that resistan ce was useless a nd submission inevitable . He shrank from contro v ers a nd d y contest, but with un aunted courage ever stood ready d to uphold the principles it was his uty to support . Gladly would he escape such ordeals so foreign in every way

to his true nature , the avoidance of which would often have brought no criticism but the most serious of all consequences

him . to , the rebuke of his own conscience We all know how leniently the world judges an e missio n of

n duty a d how often it criticizes the performance . n His utter lack of desire to appear in public was well k own,

88 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

d Catholics . Un er his administration, bigotry or prejudice

a nd h practically ceased, when the Church sought anyt ing it

h r was entitled to it found supporters among those of o t h faiths . — We are to day working hand in hand with the great Protestant a nd Hebrew charities, and there is a spirit of brotherly love

mmun never before known . The co ity where all the moral forces are united may hope to attain the ideal of good govern ment . The Archbishop was most strict in his observance o f

o f h a nd u the tenets the Catholic Churc , felt there co ld be no compromi se as to it s teachings a nd doctrine ; but he also felt that mankind could and would be benefited by co e ra tio n f d in the fields of charity and moral ef ort . Those who enj oye the privilege of intimacy with him knew how thoroughly broad — he was in Chr istian charity what real interest he took in hi s

- o f fellow man , no matter whether he was his faith or not . History will tell of the public works the Archbishop has a c

n inis complished . The many structures erected duri g his a dm t ra tio n will remain as monuments of his devotion to the inter

hi s u ests of the Church ; but of his love for his people , solicit de

o f for the welfare of the humblest them, we who have lived

- under his administration , by assembling here to night, give testimony to the coming generations . We may well thank God that it has been given to us to have had our lives influenced by a character so saintly, and by one who stands for all time as a model of a Catholic and a citizen .

mi -n T H E com ttee , in arranging the program for to ight, felt

that this should be a tribute , purely and simply, by the Catholic laityo f New York ; and while we knew and appreciated that there were many prominent people not o f our faith who would i have been glad to add their test mony here , we felt that it T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 89 should be characteristic of the devotion of hi s own people to his Grace , and therefore we have confined ourselves to the

lai so a s n Catholic ty far addresses are concer ed .

I regret very much to announce that owing to illness the

’ Hon . Morgan J . O B rien will be unable to appear here to

. t I night I shall read the let er which he has sent to me, and want to sa y that there was none among the friends of the Arch

’ B ri n bishop who was more valued than Judge O e , and the

a fi ectio n great which the people of this city, irrespective of

religion, have for the Judge was shared by the Archbishop ,

and n i he wa s o e o f h s very close st friends .

M r r y dea M . P hilbin

r m r il ss s I egret o e than I can express that an a tta ck of lne , not eri

ous ffi m me r m m wi r m but su cient to co pel to e ain at ho e, ll p event y being present at the Memorial Serv ices this evenin g which are in tended to honor the name a nd perp etuate the memory of our late d r h is r love Archbishop . No one could have g eater respect for vi tues a nd and his d a nd talents frien ship than I . Brought into frequent m him w to and man inti ate personal contact with , I gre know love the and r r in him n was to eve e the scholar a d the saint . He not only a r d d and e w h is since e frien , a goo priest, an able prelat , but , vie ing and m m s r d d character achieve ents as a whole, he u t ever be egar e as r ma — in h is d d r in a nd a g eat m great fi elity to uty, g eat the sincerity m his i an d w m fir ness of conv ctions, great because of hat he has aeco lish d r w man wh o as so h is p e . Neve have I kno n a w unsparing of o wn m r and r a n d wh o in r m co fo t pleasu e, the highe planes of hu an d v r in h is d w in s m en ea o or ivine calling, hether the cau e of hu anity or m d m m h is m and r religion , so usefully e ploye every o ent of ti e eve y h i i m s r m an . faculty of natu e , ental d physical W th such senti ents of r r d a nd m w i d ‘for him it espect , f ien ship , estee hich I have enterta ne , is a great disappointment that I a m un able to -night to publicly pay m m to hi m mor o a h ow y si ple tribute s character and e y . F rtun tely, 90 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

d mm d m his ever, he nee s no co en ation of ine, for he lived to see life d wi r d dl won an d d d m r fille th hono , eserve y , he ie la ent ed by an enti e i ed a nd wi d in d re population , rrespective of cre , ll be ever hel fon membranc e wh o m d l an d of all those estee e the true , the beautifu , the d in r goo the lives of othe s .

H d and won fo r h as a r e has fought the goo fight , , he left on e th a r o d d d a nd m and ob p iceless heritage of go ee s noble achieve ents , has t a in ed r m H imm r i e t r r w and f o eaven o tality of ex st nce, an e e nal c o n ; in h is d is m m r And life he has prove that blessed the e o y of the just . o ur t and r r w w him we a de and though hear s p aye s ill follo , h ve a ep abiding faith that he will ever rest in p ea ce .

There was no phase of our great Catholicity that the Arch bishop took a greater interest in than the work for the young men ; and he lived to see the work that h a d been planned by men who were young in his day carried into successful execu

e e tion . It is therefore most appropriat that the next sp aker

o u i fo r has been appointed to address y upon th s subject, he has devoted untiring interest to the welfare of Catholic young

i r n . me I have , therefore, the priv lege of p esenting to you the

’ iv an . H a . Su ll on . Thom s C O

92 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

rate a father ’ s glorious and illustrious deeds which have added S with the flight of years new plendor to the Church of God . fi hi So it is tting that we, in t s metropolis of the Church in the W est, Should do honor to the memory of that Chri stian chi ef tain whose life amongst us was given to the completion of the

d d wn him hi s labors hande o to from illustrious predecessors .

Theirs was the work o f rough- hewing the rock ; his the task of

d a n a orning it . Theirs it was to break the soil d protect the i fi spring ng elds from the storms that assailed them . His was the gathering of the harvest a nd the stori ng of it for the hap i p ness of all . The requirements of the differe nt epochs in d which they live demanded men of the stanchest character, but ff men of di erent attainments .

r all Our count y has never known , and not in the time to come can it know, better, braver, truer men than those of that gen cration just gone before us . Of it but a venerable few remain ; the others Slee p in the bosom o f a land where they won the right to rest in honored graves . In their youth legions of them came fi d in to this land lle with promise for them, and, wherever toil v ited , there they found the way ; and wherever they went the

a nd e m church with the cross was reared, b side it the hu ble

. W school hen clouds of Opposition darkened their horizon , manfully they stood for the faith that was in them ; when our Union tottered in the havoc o f war their names were written

an on the scroll of Americ glory . To that generation belonged the patriot prelate, the giant of the American hierarchy, Arch

n an bishop Hughes . Defendi g the faith wherever attacked,

werin a nd di s g his country whenever called, lea ng his flock to fruitful heights , he left to his successors a task which none but

d c m . strong men , men of apostolic zeal , coul hope to a co plish

But the gentle , the modest, the unassuming prelate, champion

d ! of the faith , efender of justice and order and lover of his coun T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 93

d try, Archbishop Corrigan , responde to every requirement of his high calling in a manner worthy of the great prelates who preceded him . That the sacred mission intrusted to him was carried to com

“ pletio n countless proofs proclaim . It is attested where suffer ing and misfortune find solace . It is known where the hand of religion leads the prattling child or closes the eyes of age in

m d institu their long, last sleep . It is proclai e by the stately m tions of learning , rising where the hu ble schools of our — fathers stood the cross- crowned spires looking out into the arches o f the American Sky proclaim it . In the days of our beloved Archbishop the Am erican Church had passed the period when her mi ssionary services were due m m to her children alone . He held that the ti e had co e for society at large to learn her saving truths ; he maintained that civil government based upon principles whi ch find their origin in the Church ma y look to her with confidence a s the conser v a to r of justice and order ; but beyond all this , inspired with the love of truth and native land , he believed that his country men had a right to kn ow the salutary teachings of the Church

d r which he serve , and fo th amongst them , throughout the land ,

o f an s zealous men God, encouraged by his support d coun el , went revealing to their countrymen not o f the faith the sublime truths of the old Church before the altars of which in a day long gone their ancestors bowed in prayer with yours and mine .

- And to night, within the Church and without, wherever there

fo r m is love truth and honor for patriotis , there is sorrow for the fatherly shepherd now resting from labor in the peace of

Go d . Though o n earth his hand shall never again be raised in benediction above us , we know that from his place on high his blessings Shall fall on the land which he loved and the faith which he served . 94 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

THE CHAIRMAN

IN the great field of charity the Archbishop lived to see a thor oughly organized system developed to the highest possibility

d . in the evelopment of the St Vincent de Paul Society, and we

could have no one more fittingly represent that splendi d o r

a nizatio n t e g than the speaker whom I now shall introduce , h

Hon . Thomas M . Mulry.

R HON . THOMAS M . MUL Y

r Cha irman Ri h R r Bi h r F h r M . t ev e en s o ev e en a t e , g d p, R d s ,

La dies a nd Gentlemen :

T o - NIGH T for the first time I find myself wishing that I were

an eloquent man : for if ever there was a time when o ne would

’ o f O C o nnell o n wish to be blessed with the eloquence an , it is

d r this occasion , for it woul require bu ning words to picture in

u n their true light the character, the lovable qualities, and the bounded charity of o u r sainted Archbishop . In the few minutes given to me I wish to speak particularly

o f d in of his love the poor, and the eep, practical , and earnest terest he took in every good work . The magnificent qualities which have made his name one of the greatest in the hierarchy of the Church in this country have been and will be most eloquently dilated upon by others to

sa night . The few plain words which I have to y deal with that

quiet inner life , that life which is a distinguishing mark of every true man of Go d ; and those who have h a d the privilege of association with him in this field know full well that no labor

96 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B IS H O P C O R R I GAN

quent contact with our dear Archbishop . No one could meet him often without conceiving for him the greatest admiration , and so gracious was his manner that deep affection necessarily followed admiration . It seems hard to realize that he will be no longer with us .

His help was a tower of strength to every good cause . With “ it there was no fear of failure . His motto was : What should d ! m m be one can be done . I re e ber a beautiful incident in his life which brought out very strongly his great love of the poor . A feeble old woman was climbing up the stairs o f the elevated road with a very heavy bundle . His Grace took it from her

d . and carrie it to the top A simple act, but it showed the no ili b ty of his character .

n hi s He was continually overru , as are most men in position , wi th begging letters . His custom was to refer such letters to

e de l the Society of St . Vinc nt Paul , with instructions to he p

a nd . the applicants , if worthy, send the bill to him

o f fre I never heard him speak an unkind word any one , and quently have seen a look o f uneasiness in his face when others i in his presence spoke uncharitably of absent ones . An ed to “ “ rial in the Christian Advocate says of him : He exerted his power chiefly through personal influence and not by au th o rit y, and could not only forgive but forget personal insults . One of the greatest works the Archbishop accomplished was the development of movements among the laity in the field of charity. The last few years have witnessed a wonderful prog

e - da ress on those lines . W have , to y, Catholic ladies busily engaged in settlement work, in the care of cancer patients , in

mi e rescuing infants and mothers , and as auxiliary com tte s to

We hospitals , etc . have Catholic men engaged in the work of T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 97

i ’ organ n boys clubs , placing out of children , visiting the

d n . poor, and oi g other works of charity Never was the out

is look for good works more promising, and certainly this largely due to the fact that we have been blessed with an arch

f n f o ma o . bishop who was , in every true sense the word, a God

o f o ne The history his episcopacy is a grand , and will be an incentive to those who come after him .

h a s The Society o f St . Vincent de Paul an especial reason

a t for honoring the memory of our sainted Archbishop . He

o n tended the meetings every occasion possible , encouraged

r wa s eve y work in which it engaged, keeping himself in close d touch with all its oings , and was SO intimate in his relations m with its me bers that he was looked upon as a brother member .

m his He will be with us no ore , but memory will remain, and our hearts wi ll ever swell with pride and affection when the

- da name of our dear departed Archbishop is mentioned . To y every membe r o f the Society feels that his loss is a personal le ss a nd , a loss which we will long feel which will take a long

m o f ti e for us to recover from ; but his memory, the fragrance his f good and holy life , will incite us to greater e forts and make us try to follow in the footsteps o f him who was one of the greatest archbishops New York has ever seen .

THE CHAIRMAN

I HAVE already referred to the Archbishop ’ s devotion to the

man young , and I will now ask you to listen to o ne who has been more active than any other Catholic in organizing the fra

n ternal societies, not o ly in this great city but throughout the

H . United States, the on . John J Delany. 98 A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

HON . JOHN J . DELANY

Mr. Cha irma n Ri ht R ev erend Bish o R ev erend Fa ther , g p, s,

La dies a nd Gentlemen :

ON behalf of the fraternal societies , I venture to pay a tribute of reverence a nd love to the memory of our departed Arch bishop , and to attempt the faint expression of a grief unspeak d able . I would not procee on this occasion beyond this brief utterance were it not that I feel that such a course would do

v a nd m injustice to the li ing ight seem like dishonor to the dead . It is but just to ourselves that we should acknowledge before all men the loss which we bear, and but honorable that we Should avow the gratitude which we cherish toward hi m who has left us . In moments of great grief the human heart yearns to give expression to its woe , and what law of matter or of mind can keep back the tears or suppress the anguish of children as they stand around the bier of a well - beloved father ! The intensity of this sorrow impels us to the contemplation o f h hi s - t e greatness of character, and through the tear drops of our overladen Spirit there arises a vision of that ext ra o r dina ry personality now crowned with the chaplet of immo r m tality . At this sole n moment, with the eyes of the flesh made clear, we realize how great was the man and how great his career .

In filial pride , with almost choking sobs , we yield to the de sire to tell the story of his life a nd to indulge in reflections upon its meritorious living . He was born at a time when bigotry against his religion swayed even some of the most benevolent minds, but his death

100 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H BI S H O P C O R R I GAN

h a a leader in Israel . Moses d learned the wisdom of the world

’ man in the schools of Egypt, whereas this s life had been spent

in m . the conte plative cloister But the oil of the unction, which poured down upon the beard and fell upon the vesture of

d o f Aaron, saturate the entire nature this High Priest, and he received from Heaven , to supply his inexperience , an unerring intuition which all the learning of the world cannot give .

’ R apidly passed his remarkably successful seven years a d ministration o f the diocese of Newark . But the boyi shness d d had har ly vanishe from his face , at a time of life when holy men tell us the spiritual nature has to meet its worst assaults

its W and the virtue of perseverance greatest test, hen the Holy See appointed him for succession to the Metropolitan of no doubt the largest and most important subordinate see in

Christendom . ’ ’ hi This is no man s testimony . It is God s . T s priest was indeed another Christ .

It was then he came to us . He lived among us and died

- o u r among us , and we assemble to night to mingle gratitude for his life with our lamentations for his death . We owe this — duty to a father it is o ne of the consolations of paternity

‘ o u r m u and we offer ho age to his memory for the strong, p right, provident spirit which he displayed in our behalf. But we offer him more than this . Hidden away in the very holy of holies o f the heart o f every true man there is a sweetly refined — love the love for his mother . It is unlike any other human d love . It is born of her unconscious evotion and solicitude and tenderness for her child . It wells up within us as we think

’ - of him to night . Did he not watch over us with a mother s care ! Well may we say that in him was the heart o f a woman mi ! ! combined wi th a heroic Spirit and governing nd . Oh we T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 101

’ f speak of him with reverence for a father s worth, and o fer to hi s shade a sentiment akin to that which softens us at thought of a dear, dead mother .

I shall not review his work in our midst . A sage h a s said that that country is indeed a happy o ne which h a s no history fi whose kings have won no magni cent victories , whose banners i — . s have never gone down in defeat Such our story, simply

an d m a s one of progress , , arvellous though it be , quiet and be ni n f g as the operation o natural law . An d his life was like his administration — one of ceaseless t d ac ivity, shunning notoriety, suppressing anxiety , utiful ,

d . d o f brave , and iscreet A ju ge stainless life himself, he met the erring with a broader charity and a greater benignity than

S n d . any in er converte into a saint A great churchly monarch, he walked our streets with a humility of demeanor which hi s — l a . An d owliest subject could not imit te his kindliness oh, n how the romping children returning from school , rushing i to

n their homes and breaking the silence , would a nounce with gleeful voices and sunny faces that they h a d met the Arch bishop o n his daily walk and had basked in his smile . And m well might they be j oyful , for that s ile was a veritable bene di ction . But on su ch recollections it is perhaps better that we should

di as his l h not linger . Let us vide , children shou d, the in erit m h a s . ance he left us I do not ean the bricks and mortar, the

a fi st tely churches , the magni cent schools, the hospitals , the orphanages , and the rest . These are material things . The m t waters may rise and engulf the , the ligh ning may Shatter d them , or perhaps the time may come when a go less age Shall i raze them to the ground . I speak of h s enduring heritage to

— his u s the memory of life . 102 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

Of all of us , whose share of this dear inheritance shall be

s ! O ! We greate t h, marvellous providence share alike, bishops,

a nd a nd S priests , people , each of us hall have it all . But has ! O it not been entailed Has our posterity been forgotten ! h,

n ! We wo derful patrimony each can eat of it, we each can

ri d nk of it, we each can satiate every appetite with it, and it d Shall not be exhauste , but shall increase from generation unto generation to be a sustenance to our children and their heirs forever .

Wh o f him d ! O y have I spoken as if he were dea h, pardon me ; they were the thoughts and words of the worldling that

. i escaped me He is not dead . Such men never d e . He lives

a nd in our hearts will live in the hearts of millions . Bishops not yet born shall live his life over by the practice o f his virtues ; priests shall be ennobled by the contemplation of hi s example ; and the people for whom he strove so hard, for the ‘ d Christian education o f Whose children his heart burne out, d have learne from him loyalty to the Holy See , and they shall perpetuate his spiritual sovereignty by transmitting to their

so — n posterity the saving message his life well spoke , to tur d their eyes ever for gui ance to Peter, for where Peter is there is the Church . To tell all these things is but to tell how this Christlike man ’ di went about his Father s business . For he d his duty to us

’ r . for Christ s cause , and the glo y was all for God The pebble which the child casts into the se a sets concentric waves in mo

a nd — tion , the force thus liberated shall never cease its energy

Shall continue until the material world Shall have passed away, but the influence of this holy life shall outlast the anni hilation o f the universe and shall go on for all eternity. O fi d h, what a stupendous miracle is this , that God, so glori e fi hi m ! in him living, is even more glori ed in dead

104 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN so fi m well tted, or be they the embo di ent of the higher aspira tions of the mind, the social or the literary life . That life which he spent in all the noble works which keep m ’ m d en s me ories ever green , that life which he evoted to the

fi o f ff l o f bene t the su ering, for the a leviation pain , that life at the same time was devoted to the highest efforts for the social

d . home of great literary min s It is , therefore , my great honor, a nd m m a e orable event of my life, to briefly allude to the great

n work which he , in conju ction with those who have stood faith

him did in . fully by , this direction The life of our late illustrious Archbishop during his early days has been referred to eloquently by the preceding speak

a nd m ers, ti e being limited, I deem it most appropriate to briefly refer to my pleasant and close business relations with the lamented Archbishop , especially during the erection of the

so Catholic Club, and by doing I hope to clearly illustrate the great interest his Grace ever manifested in the literary and

o f hi social life s flock and o f the community . As the then presi

o f d a c dent the club , the pleasing uty devolved upon me to quaint his Grace o f the intention o f the members to erect a

’ building suitable for the club s constantly increasing library, also to correspond in its appointments with the taste and standard of Catholic social life, and, to more fully insure the

’ o f success the work, I called to express the club s desire for his

l ra i valuab e co bpe t on and friendly encouragement . He listened so intently as to at once assure me of the entire success of my

o f hi c mission . I shall never forget the radiance s countenan e

his l o f i a as he spoke , in memorab e gentle tones , his cord al p

’ an d proval of the club s enterprise , of his continued interest in “ i o n s . t behalf Gently he rested his hand my arm, saying, Yes , it is time that the social work of the Church Should be repre T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 105

! His sented by a central home of art, literature , and science . constant, loving , and generous interest in the welfare of the d club is too well known , not only to you here assemble , but throughout the Christian world, to need description here . To show the club to his friends and notable Visitors seemed to

a nd afford him the greatest pleasure , those institutions which caused him pleasure Should be and are the monuments endear ing the memories o f his life and worth t o present and future generations . To prove therefore our love and veneration for our late

Archbishop, we must sacredly guard and foster the welfare of

exem those institutions which his prayers blessed, and which

’ plify his solicitude in any work for sweet charity s sake and for the benefit of mankind .

’ Scenes of life s experience are living pictures . Therefore dl scenes wherein we behold the kin y motive , the loving interest,

a e fi o rt the const ncy of purpose , the resolute will , the fearless ,

o f e fo r the consciousness b ing right in good deeds man, the

o f m o f clear conception duty in har ony with the will God, made d our frequent association with the eceased, endowed with those noble attributes, the source of the most tender remembrance .

’ He was a most worthy and faithful teacher during life s career,

o f o f the tried , the true friend , in hours j oy and sorrow, of fail

e ures , of succ ss , indeed the priceless compani on of life . It

a so surely were desirable to ret in with us noble a character,

mm t u but the i utable law of na re invites death . The truer the friend the greater the affection ; the more noble and numer o u s the deeds of the departed, the more heartfelt the grief, the

m . more lingering the sorrow, the ore irreparable the loss If

u this is true , and who dare deny it, then how feeble the lang age that essays to portray our sense of bereavement at his depar 106 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

! ture from us The silent, restless force ever moving onward to material success , courageously overcoming obstacles , because d inspired by esire for the weal of man, with the approbation

o f of God and the hope reward hereafter, is stilled forever and m must re ain with us only as a memory .

W d o u r d d ell we may allu e to him as value frien , whose love

for and interest in us ever prompted kindly thoughts, loyal d d . wor s, consi erate acts in our behalf The ring of friendship was in the sound of his voice . Death came unexpectedly and d d ru ely awakene the community, the world ; its knell in solemn ,

’ sa d tones near midnight s hour announced to a flock that loved him , because he was worthy of their love , that in the prime of

h a d life God had called His servant, who given the measure of labor in the field of the Lord . But Death has not conquered — d for it has not ried the spring of love, nor weakened the pulse

d be of our hearts , nor lessene the ardor of our prayers in his half, nor will it diminish the sweetness of memory or eliminate fi i his deeds for the bene t of relig on, charity, education, and our ffi beloved country . Su ce it to say that the life of the late Most Reverend Archbishop will become more a nd more resplendent as age ripens the fruit in the vineyard of the Lord, wherein with Christian fortitude he ever la bored for the Spiritual wel f fare o man .

THE CHAIRMAN

IT hardly needs any words of mine to introduce to vou the

gentleman who is now to address you . I will only say that among the friends of the Archbishop there was none that he valued more highly or for whom he had a more sincere regard

than the Hon . W. Bourke Cockran .

108 A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN ti on to realize the triumphant success with which that task wa s discharged .

A s h a s m we survey what Archbishop Corrigan acco plished, a s we behold the growth o f eleemosyn ary institutions and the

o f multiplication churches , as we count the schools that have bee n erected and the number that have been maintained during his e d administration, we b hol a marvellous record of glorious

. d d achievements In ee , when I was invited to participate in these exercises I thought my most e fl ectiv e contribution would be a description of the various enterprises which Archbishop hi m Corrigan had undertaken, w ch he had ad inistered, and which he had carried to completion . But that idea was soon

e fi abandoned, because to give even the most sup r cial account of them would take more than one hour, and more than one night . In the whole field o f human wants and su fi ering it is impossible to find a difli cu lty with whi ch he did not grapple or a moral ff nece ssity which he did not seek to supply . Nowhere has su er

r m e d ing w ung the hu an heart, nowhere has doubt threat ne the foundations of belief, nowhere has temptation dogged the d footsteps of youth , that he does not seem to have establishe some institution of piety or charity which remains a light of h O e o f a s p , a fountain consolation , an outpost of morality, well as a monument to his efficiency .

The immigrant arriving at our Shores , ignorant of our lan guage a nd our customs, is greeted now by a welcoming friend, eager to give his first steps upon this soil that direction to in du stry and thrift which often decides the whole character of

h a s his life . Wherever frailty fallen before temptation, there

er generous forms a re bending to lift it from abasement . Wh ever indigence is unable to provide youth with a proper prepa ration for life , there pious volunteers supply the training and T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 109 develop the skill that command ready employment and high f wages . Wherever children have been bereft o their natural m protectors , there holy wo en are supplying for the love of Christ the natural affection of which these orphans have been d bereft . Wherever a olescence appears to have missed its path

ri and to be d fting toward idleness, vice, and the prison , there

o u t a hand is stretched to reclaim , to educate, to make useful citizens o f those in imminent peril o f becoming additions to the

mi n cri nal classes ; a d the record of the Catholic Protectory is,

I believe , unparalleled for its success in reforming youth . In accomplishing these beneficent purposes to which he devoted

no t o ne all his life he necessarily acquired extensive lands, but i d a cre h s . could be called own He erecte stately buildings , yet m mi in not one could he dispose o f a Single roo . He ad nistered

fin vast undertakings , involving great ancial risk, yet he left behind him barely sufficient money to cover his funeral ex i i penses . H s sole estate s that which wa s describe d so elo m quently by the gentle an who preceded me , an estate which

- — o f we are administering here to night, which we are the heirs

— a n o f and the inheritors , estate which consists noble works

o f to which we all j oin in paying the tribute our praise , and a memory for saintliness and patriotism to which none refuses

o f the tribute a tear . Wh en we consider the talents , the industry, the judgment, the business ability which this man displayed in carrying to d success all these varie enterprises o f religion and charity, can anybody doubt that if he had exercised the same qualities to gain wealth for himself he would have died among the very

men m ! richest in this co munity Yet, what estate real or per sonal that he could have amassed would have so endeared him to his fellows a s to have provoked the profound grief with 110 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

o f which they learned his death , and which even this vast meet ing is inadequate to express ! It is true that if he had used his

talents to acquire an enormous fortune he might have be

qu ea thed it to charity or he might have Spe nt his declining days in distributing among educa tional institutions the money

d d c which he had evote his active years to a cumulating, and so m his life might have been fruitful of so e general benefit . But accepting as his monument all the agencies for good estab lish ed o r m — , maintained, i proved through his zeal now active — in every field o f human existence and which seem to be sup plying almost every deficiency in organized society— contrast ing their beneficent fruits with the fruits of institutions d founded upon bequests or onations of money, however exten fi m sive , I believe I am justi ed in saying that the ost valuable

man m gift which can ake to his fellows is the gift of himself,

and that was the gift of Archbishop Corrigan . Of course these vast agencies were almost without exception d m a ministered by me bers of his clergy, but no clergy, how d ffi ever evoted and enthusiastic, can be e cient unless they ‘ i are efficiently directed by their Bishop . Wh le , therefore , the

a nd wealth of this diocese in ecclesiastical , educational , phil

anthropic institutions Shows that the clergy are zealous , loyal ,

a nd efficient in an extraordinary degree, they are also Shining monuments to the devotion and the capacity of the Archbishop who so guided and directed his faithful priests that their ener

gies bore the conspicuous fruits which we see on all sides . This

efi ciency in leadership would have been wholly impossible if he had not himself be en the very embodiment of the priestly

—o f Spirit, that priestly spirit which you and I can admire , but which none save those anointed can wholly appreciate or

o n understand . His eulogy as a priest was pronounced the

112 A M E MO R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

sh she was established to defend. Wh at e was in the beginning

- da of her mission , that She is to y ; and that we have the promise of God she will continue to be until the consu mmation of the world . With the progress of civi lization the field of a Catholic prel

’ s i m ate activit es has changed to so e extent, not because the faith committed to his guardianship has changed in the Slight

a nd est degree , but because the social , economic, political con ditio ns men l of have changed, and these changes are large y the product of Catholic faith, Catholic teaching, and Catholic coura ge .

It is said, for instance , that the Catholic Church has been hostile to liberty and to republicanism, whereas in truth and

o f in fact Catholicism is the true fountain rational liberty. It i m infl s to Catholicism that republicanis owes its birth . The u ence of the o ne has kept pace with the growth o f the other throughout the world ; and Catholicism is the only basis upon which republicanism can rest with any security. There is but o ne m argu ent against republicanism, and it is that if control o f government he intrusted to a whole people its powers would

o f su fli cientl be abused, because the masses men are not y vir tuons to be trusted with control over the lives and property of m each other . The mission o f the Church fro her foundation by our Divine Lord has been the moral improvement o f each individual . If Christianity and Catholicism were triumphant

— sa e throughout the world, that is to y, if all men , b sides pro fessing belief in Catholic doctrine , actually governed their lives

it — ma n by , then each would be pure, each man would be just, each man would be loyal ; and with a people composed o f such units no government but republicanism would be possible . Ca

li i i . th o c sm becom ng general , republicanism becomes universal T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 113

a n This is not abstract speculation, but inevitable deducti on from the unquestioned truths of hi story . Every right which we deem essential to the enj oyment of civil liberty h a s its

fi rel origin in Catholic truth, and was rst asserted by Catholic p

is u ates for the welfare of their flocks . It certainly tr e that f at the threshold o modern progress, when the ancient civili za tion had fallen, and while the barbarians who had over

m r whel ed it were still swa ming over Europe , j ustice seemed to be without champions , freedom without advocates , and

r mercy without ministers , except as we can disce n through the ru f o f in of war, the con usion battle , and the smoke of pillage the figures of Catholic missionaries—confessors and prelates

w o n always follo ing close on the heels of invading hosts , lab ri g

ri to alleviate the horrors of invasion and the gors of conquest . The savage warriors who held in profound contempt the ef femi nate and incompetent defenders o f the old Empire looked fi fi w rst with interest, then with respect, and nally ith awe , upon

d i o f these intrepid champions who, isda nful their own safety, watched jealously over the welfare of others , who could not be deterred by fli ghts of arrows o r charging squadrons from fields of carnage while there remained a chance to succor a wounded or to Shrive a dying man ; and through the moral in

flu ence hu established by their piety, courage, and devotion to manity, Catholic prelates succeeded in securing from the con qu erors the first concessions of civil rights which were the foundation o f modern civiliz ation and the dawn of modern liberty . To Show the part which Catholic prelate s played in establish

man ing civil liberty, I need mention but one , Stephen Lang

n ton , who by combini g the English clergy and the English barons in a demand that the laws of the good King Edward be 114 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

restored, succeeded in wresting Magna Charta from King

- . u s John And yet, men who tell to day that Catholicism is inconsistent with liberty will at the same time declare that all civil freedom in America and England dates from Magna

a n Charta, itself the fruit of episcopal zeal d patriotism in

Great Britain . Times have changed and improved since Catholic bishops were compelled to face the sword of tyranny that the personal rights of those whom they fed with the bread of life might be saved from savage Oppression . Archbishop Corrigan lived in an age when there was no longer occasion for priests to con front kings and bid them pause before they outraged justice ; but if during his incumbency of this see an occasion had arisen which made it necessary for him to risk his life in order to save d his flock from injury, moral or material , could anybo y who knew him doubt that he would have been ready to die upon the steps of his altar like Thomas a Becket ; or if a pestilence had ravaged this city a nd terror of it had driven all others to seek

t re safe y in flight, that he , like Charles Borromeo , would have d fi maine in his eld of duty, helping the sick, visiting the dying, risking his life ten thousand times rather than let the humblest of his subjects go unshriven into the presence of God ! While the heroic days have passed away when loyalty o f mis Catholic prelates to duty involved peril to their lives , the sion of a bishop is still as important to the state as ever it was .

o f The elementary rights man are now conceded everywhere , at least throughout Christendom . The right o f every man to enj oy the property created by his labor is acknowledged in

e every civilized state . The peril to lib rty is no longer in the

o f tyranny of kings or classes , but in the possible failure the masses to exercise with wisdom and moderation the extensive

116 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

dience to law without the intervention of policemen or any

form of coercion ; and the good Catholic is therefore nece s

sa ril y the good citizen , the reliable pillar of republican gov

’ ernment . r d Eve y day of Archbishop Corrigan s sacer otal life, every hour of hi s episcopal service was devoted to making men loyal to civic duty by developing a nd encouraging the virtues

m fit u i i which ade them for comm n on w th the Church , and the success which he achieved made him preéminently the cham

a nd pion of justice the upholder of order in this metropolis . In no way did he contribute more effectively to the main tenan ce o f peace and order in this commu nity than by the zeal and fervor with whi ch he maintained the principle of a u

h ri ni t o t . y Some people believe that we Catholics , in recog zing the right of the Church to interpret authoritatively the Scrip tures, are surrendering some natural freedom of intellect . Thi s mi sapprehension might be natural in an autocratic gov

ernment l . , but it is a most incomprehensible in this republic The one feature which distinguishes this highly successful gov ernment from all the republican experiments that have ended in failure and disaster is the prin ciple of authority which it d establishes , by equipping one epartment with the right to de te rmine authoritatively and finally the limi ts of power for all other departments in our political system . It is not the Consti

io n t ut as written by its authors , but the Constitution as inter

rete p d by the courts, that as the supreme organic law of this country has established a nd maintai ned the most durable and in beneficent government in the whole experience of mank d .

Now, Catholics believe that the bounty of the Lord was not

e be exhausted when he uttered the Word of salvation . W

- lieve His mercy went further, that he not only revealed to u S u s His Word, but He gave an infallible means of interpret T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y 117 ing it when He established the Church of which Archbishop hi Corrigan was the head in this diocese . The moral law w ch governs Christians we Catholics believe is not merely the gospel as it is written , but the gospel as it is interpreted by the

Church . During the month o f April last it was my high privilege to

P e e in have an audience with our Holy Father the p , the course

i o f of wh ch, alluding to this very principle authority, he said that in this country, above all others, the Church should be

fo r sh e h a d i cherished by men of every faith, always mainta ned in things Spiritual that principle of authority which all Ameri cans believe absolutely essential in civil government . That authority, however, was not a privilege to be enj oyed by the

o f him Pope who governed her, but a burden duty imposed on

ff . by his sacred o ice For, said he , with that impressive man ner and in that vibran t voice whi ch lends such weight and “ mm charm to all his utterances , this authority co itted to these — — hands all unworthy though they be cannot be used for my benefit or my glory . Every interpretation of the law that I make is binding upon me as it is upon the humblest of my su b jects ; authority is g iven to me only that I may exercise it to kee p open before the footsteps of men the pathway to salvation m marked out for them by our Divine Lord Hi self .

o f My friends, the Archbishop New York is the deputy of the Pontiff to keep that pathway Open and unobstructed in this m diocese , and never during the incu bency of Michael Augus tine Corrigan was any obstacle o f false philosophy or of false f d theology su fere to encumber it or to obstruct it . As the

wa s depositary of the law he was faithful unto death , but if he inexorable in declaring it he was scrupulous in obeying it . He

t o some hi s had the right dispense in respects , but dispensa 118 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C OR R I GAN

. R fi d i tions were always for others igid, unquali e , unceas ng obedience to the law in its eve ry letter he always imposed o n m hi self. It has been said that he was not a member of what is called — . W if the liberal school of thought ell , he was not , by liberal ism is meant to observe outwardly the ceremonies o f the Cath e lic Church while inwardly doubting her doctrines . Archbishop

d w o rd o f m Corrigan believe that every the Gospel ust be true ,

no ne W or else that of it is true ; that it is all the ord of God,

’ o r it is the w o rk of God s enemy ; that unless it is Revelation

d d man it is imposture . He could not un erstan how any pro fessing t o be a Catholic could doubt a single wo rd o f the reve

o n lation which Catholicism rests , or how any man clothed with episcopal powers and charged with episcopal duties could per mit a person to remain in outward communion with the Church

d d . no who rejecte any one of her octrines The faith was t his,

that he could relax it o r be liberal with it . He was but the d f f o . no o custo ian it He was t the fountain it, but the channel A . S through which it flowed to the faithful an honest, an hon o ra ble a nd t o , a truthful man he had, therefore , no course but insist that implicit acceptance of every wo rd o f that sacred revelation was the condition of belonging t o the communion

o r . of the Catholic Church . A man was a Catholic he was not i If he was a Catholic he believed . If he d d not believe he was not a Catholic . If he was not a Catholic he might be prayed d for, but he could not be recognized as one . If he refuse to believe in the doctrines of the Church o r to comply with her discipline , that refusal placed him outside her communion . If

no t re he repented, gladly was he welcomed back . If he did pent he was pursued by love , by interest , by prayers , never by dislike or rancorous words . No man could be excluded from

120 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

firm In every relation of life he was gentle , , charitable , loyal , courageous, and capable . Upon the altar his piety wa s con spicu ou s . When he assumed his po ntifical robes a nd engaged

his he a rin in an episcopal function g was impressive , even ma i est c . j In the pulpit he was convincing and always interesting .

a s ! You may ask, W he eloquent The answer would depend u n po how you interpret the word . Once asked to discuss ele

u ence fi a s q , I de ned it sincerity, and I have never had any rea so n to change the definition . The man who never speaks except to convey an idea which he believes will benefit his auditors ; who never seeks to display his own capacity in verbal gym

e nasti s , and never uses a word that is not necessary to express his — meaning, that man cannot fail to be impressive, that man

. I cannot fail to be eloquent, because that man is Sincere know of nothing more remarkable than the instinct of an audience for sincerity on the part o f a speaker . It is matter of com mon remark that elaborately framed sentences and highly polished periods from the lips of o ne man sometimes fall upon listless or inattentive ears , while another man whose language is wholly unstudied will be listened t o with rapt attention ; and the explanation is not far to seek . One man is sincere ; the

fi hi s a other is not . One man speaks for the bene t of he rers ; the other, to exploit himself . Archbishop Corrigan never went into the pulpit unless he wa s under the spur of a conviction , a principle, a truth , that he felt it his duty to explain for the wel fare o f the people . He never obtruded his own personality between his audience and the subject under discussion, and the upturned eyes o f his hearers showed the hold that he had es

a s ele t ablished u pon their hearts and minds . His w not the

u ence wa s q that men talk about, but it the eloquence that men

wa s listen to . It was not the eloquence that amuses men, but it T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y

the eloquence that convinces them . It was not the eloquence that left persons discussing the phrases that he had used or the rhetoric that he had employed, but it was the eloquence that left them discussing or considering the truths that he had ex

I . pounded . f this be not eloquence , then he was not eloquent But if that be the highest form of eloquence which rivets atten tion , awakens reflection, and stimulates discussion, then he was o ne of the strongest pulpit orators that I have ever heard in this o r any other community . i His learning was remarkable . From h s very early youth it had attracted the attention of his superiors and won for him fi the chief prizes of scholastic pro ciency, while in later years it was undoubtedly a decisive element in winning for him rapid promotion to the archiepiscopal throne . But the subjects which he loved to study and o n which his mind loved to dwell

don o th er were not the injuries e by men to each , but the bene

fits wrought by men for the human race . He cared little about d wars or conquest . He stu ied them only that he might under sta nd the causes which had operated to promote civilization and those which had retarded it . But he loved to read the lives ifi of the saints . He loved to dwell upon the sacr ces o f those holy men who had Spent their lives in renunciation of them

e u nfla in s lves and in gg g devotion to others . Following their

hi s o wn example , he never thought of interests, but always of the souls committed to his charge ; and because he was never occupied about himself he be came the preoccu pation o f all his friends . His learning was not a torrent that bore him into vio lent controversy, but a placid though majestic tide that carried others with him to the sound conclusions that he had reached,

t o his and the lofty purposes animating own life .

I ui a If were asked to mention his disting shing char cteristic, 122 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

I Should sa y it was simplicity ; a nd with men as wi th machines

m o f Si plicity is the characteristic excellence . He was , I think,

o f n h e the shrewdest judge human nature that I ever k ew, yet d was singularly simple and irect in all his mental operations . From my observation and knowledge of him I have come to the conclusion that nobody is so little likely t o be deceived as

man o f a who is himself incapable deception . Indeed, I begin

o ne d to doubt if any can be deceive by a lie except a liar . It seems as if the candid are endowed with an instinct for truth m which warns the of the approach of mendacity. Archbishop Corrigan did not seem to have the intellectual capacity to di

gest a falsehood ; by instinct rather than by judgment he re im ected . s j it immediately In his ear, attuned to truth and

licit o r p y, an equivocal doubtful statement rang false , just as a counterfeit coin rings false in the ear of a bank officer accus t emed to the sound o f honest money ; and though he met all men

’ fi do n t su c with generous con dence , I believe any person ever ceede d in deceiving him .

d o f his Toward iscussion his administration , of himself or c onduct , his attitude was that of the broadest charity, and,

e therefore , of the most perfect philosophy. He regarded riti

ism d fi c not as an injury to be resente , but as a bene t for which

re everyma n Should be grateful . If it were well founded it vealed a fault and was therefore a step toward its correction ; while if unfounded it was a high compliment, because it Showed that in order to criticise you one had to invent his grounds of criticism . His critic, therefore , he held was always either a benefactor o r a fla tterer ; under no circumstances would he re g ard him as an enemy . ’ on I believe he was without a single enmity . I d t believe there was a human being he would not have taken infinite pains

124 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

the love of God and the love of God ’ s chi ldren ! Can any man

measure the influence of the light which bathed this earth in

o r the course of the last year, even of a single ray of sunshine

’ n da escaping from the dark clouds of a wi ter s y, or of the winds that last March bent the trees in yonder park, or even of

a single gust which , blowing through some distant farmyard,

ho m e s may have caught up a single seed, it across the ea , and m dropped it on so e coral reef, there to become the source of a gorgeous vegetation of swaying grasses, fragrant flowers, and

l e stately pa ms, which ages henc will delight the eyes of count less thousan ds ! Yet it would be easier to measure the influence o f all the sunshine that falls upon this earth in all the years hi — that t s sidereal system has witnessed, the influence of all the

sea rivers that have flown to the , and of every drop of water

an — be tween their b ks , the influence of every bree ze that has blown from the four quarters of the globe , than to measure the — — influ ence the permanent growing influ ence for good of a life fi ni spent in unsel sh devotion to God, to huma ty, and to country. No wo rd of admonition that Archbishop Corrigan has spoken can ever be lost . No deed of piety which he wrought

efi ectiv e . can be destroyed . They will be while time lasts

Their fruits will be better men and purer women, a broader conception of citizenship, and keener loyalty to its duties among all who acknowledged his authority or admired his vir tues ; and the influence of a generation so inspired will extend

' N o f to all the g eneratio ns th a t are to follow . t the towers o the Cathedral which he completed ; not the Seminary which he bui lt at Yonkers ; not the churches which b e dedicated ; not the a sy lums which he established ; not the schools which he maintained ! m . shall be his monu ent Oh, no The structures of stone in which he exercised his functions shall all pass away ; their very T H E V O I C E O F T H E LAI T Y

peri sh ; but hi s influence will remain and survive Hi i hi them all . s enduring monument will be th s see w ch he has fil hi hinin led, which he has adorned, w ch he has made a S g light — of progress thr oughout Christendom this city which he left

o f nfl the capital the Unite d States, and which, under the i uence of the Virtu es inculcated by his words and illustrated by his

is n example , desti ed to become the capital of civilization throughout the world .

130 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

interest in the Seminary, and the influence which his memory

Should long exert over them . With a s little delay as possible the facade an d the chapel

were draped in purple and black . The exterior drapery wa s not removed until the departure of the students for their su m

l t o m mer vacation, while that in the chapel was a lowed re ain

until after the annual retreat o f the clergy. O 17 n June , two days before the departure of the students, — another Solemn Requiem was sung in the Seminary the Very

it z im R ev . R R . . F s ector again being the celebrant, and evs Jas

R . min mons and John Mahoney, professors of the Se ary,

deacon and subdeacon respectively. The sermon (the full

in R v text of which is given these pages) was preached by e .

i r . R . . . K . Wakeham, S S , also of the Sem na y

R v . . m th o se Rt . e Rt A ong present were John Edwards ,

K nn . P . Rev . . . . a Rev . . Mc e a J S M Lynch, of Utic , Very Fr , O ,

Rev . n . o f George Corriga and Dr Joseph Corrigan , brothers

ne the Archbishop . Besides these nearly o hundred priests as

c . sisted, chiefly from the city and archdio ese On June 18 the Feast of the Holy Priesthood was cele

bra ted as the usual closing exercise o f the Seminary.

v The Meditation o n the occasion was given by Re . Joseph

. o f Bruneau, S . S , who spoke feelingly and forcibly the Arch hi bishop as the model priest in s faith, piety, and self fi sacri ce . The following tribute to the Archbishop is taken from the last issue of the Seminary Catalogue :

Archb ish o p Co rrig a n

b rd 190 1 From a port rait in oil y Gaglia i , Rome ,

132 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

of m d in hi to accept the best results o ern invention , s adoption of all the latest methods and improvements ; a nd hi s intense devotion to a nd t d its O r in religion s rict a herence to bse vances, the construction and i m m r equ p ent of the chapel of the Se ina y .

h is s it is d wi or H As for genero ity, beyon sho ng telling . e defrayed from h is private fortune the entire cost of the beautiful chapel ; he would allow no one to contribute as much as a window or a statue t o it it was his own r t o work and it r i ; to be cont ibution the , ce tainly s a w —a m m his an H orthy one onu ent to generosity d piety . e considered i r e d w - the l bra y as, aft r the chapel , a secon po er house of the institution . He contributed to it at the beginning the PRESTON and MAGOON col a nd m h is r s it was d lections , , fro f equent benefaction , evi ently much

i h is m d i r n . w n e two d d in On the happy occasion hen , p sence of hun re a n d h is was to s e m r fifty of priests , he able con crate the Se ina y chapel, he presented a paid-u p life insurance policy of t o endow the

library . H is interest in the Seminary was not merely that of a mun ificent il nd e m n its bu der or financial patron . It exte ed t o ev ry a within walls nd r i m m o d in a t o eve y deta il of ts anage ent . Though he f llowe this m r in his d w h is r his w confi atte , as all ealings ith p iests, ise policy of d in men d t o d h is n in ff r ence the appointe a uty, i terest the a ai s of m w as d in m r s All ma r m r the Se inary evince nu e ou ways . tte s of i po in m m i w r m d h im tance the anage ent of the nstitution e e sub itte to , a nd r m d mod in m r whi , though he ra ely a e ifications atte s on ch the h a d d m r his e faculty a efinite settle ent to p opose, quick appr ciation , h is d i h is r m w r for e rm eep nterest, hea ty sy pathy ith eve y plan b tte ent, im made it a pleasure as well as a duty to consult h . There is a certa in sad pleasure in knowing that the Seminary was

in his . his d his thoughts until the last On the evening of eath, as r wa s his m d h im him b other leaving roo , he calle back to ask to look over the plans for the contemplated addition to the Seminary build in I was d d ri th e m d a nd g . t in ee approp ate that active in energetic will which h a d been busied so long in the service of religion should be occupied even to the time of death with plans for further labors and sacrifices in the serv ice of Go d and humanity to which this institution d is dedicate . He h ad frequently expressed to those intimate with him h is int en w rd d come u on h im if it w tion that, hen the bu en of years shoul p , ere ’ d w old in H is w ld d e t God s will that he shoul gro service, he ou el ga e T H E M O U R N I N G O F T H E L E V I T E S 133

the more onerous of his duties and would hi ms elf retir e to his beloved

m n d his r m n ar in a and r r Se i ary, there to spen e aini g ye s pe ce p aye m d ul m n a ongst the quiet surroun ings of this restf spot . I agi ation dw w r and r z h im ells ith pleasu e regret over this un eali ed plan . For it w d i a nd r m a oul have brought, after a life of to l st uggle, a e sure of and r r his r d that peace ecollection so ag eeable to natu al isp osition . The directors of the Semin ary would have h a d the strength of his his - d m d his d d presence, the help of strong, well store in , eep knowle ge m and his and m of hu an nature of life, fine Catholic spirit, the char i d an w r m Go d . of association th this unobt usive, kin ly of The future w ld d r d generation of priests ou e ive the a vantage of knowing, by per r d now w his sonal intercou se, the kin ness which they can kno only by d d a nd in ee s of generosity, of having before their eyes the venerable r and m d d d in Go d p iest prelate a o el of stu y , of prayer, of confi ence , of humility and simplicity of life and character which no loftiness

r of position h a d powe to change . h as d w m It has been ordered otherwise . He been calle a ay fro us i i d d Go d in the he ght of h s power for goo . We accept the ecree of w d w fid in H is P d w was ith sa ness , but ith that con ence rovi ence hich is the comfort a nd support of the departed . It a solace to Be able to n is in m w a c d thi k that he receiving, a easure hich no pl ce on earth oul r r m and and his give, the only t ue efresh ent, light, peace ; that by r H P in can m p ayers to the great igh riest heaven , he still help us ore than he could by his continued pres ence t o acquire the virtues he m d and r w for rm anifeste , to car y on the ork he began the fo ation of n f od the Christian priesthood and the upbuildi g o the Church of G . THE SEMINARY A MONUMENT OF THE ARCH BISHOP ’ S ! EAL FOR THE GLORY OF THE HOUSE OF GOD

RE R . W . . B V. . S S U 1 (SERMON Y K AKEHAM , , J NE 7)

d d a and I have love , O Lor , the be uty of Thy house, the place where l P XX S . V : 8 . Thy glory dwel eth .

R t . R ev . Ver R ev . a nd R ev . Fa thers a nd Yo u n en lem n , y , , g G t e ,

’ n o t J os h emina r S tu de ts f S . ep s S y

THOUGH six wee ks ago to - day our altars were draped and our first Solemn Requiem was offered up for the repose of the soul — of o u r beloved A rchbist even before the sleeping millions

had awakened to be startled a nd grief- stricken by the a n neu ncement of the sa d loss that had fallen u pon this a rchdio — cese , and upon the whole Church in the United States never

thele ss m fi m o n o f o u r it is ost tting that once ore, the eve

closing, we Should give expression to our love and our grati tude by offering up the Adorable Sacrifice o f Propitiation in

behalf o f our Father a nd Benefactor . d fi R ev . It is most tting, too , Fathers , that you shoul have a

fi rin fo r c o share in this e e g ; , by your presen e here t day, you add t o this act of impetration a completeness and an appro

s l pria tenes than which nothing cou d, I am sure, be more pleas

ing or consoling t o the heart of our beloved Archbishop .

O fi - a s is fi ur rst thought then, to day, it also our rst duty, is

to beseech God to deal mercifully with His faithful servant,

134

T H E M O U R N I N G O F T H E L E V I T E S

t a s whose stewardship was so vast, and whose responsibili y w proportionallygreat . 1 — Forty years of priesthood, even the humblest and least try

o f ing position that may fall to the lot a priest, is, indeed, a

o f te rrible responsibility . Thirty years episcopate, in the s mallest diocese and under the most favorable circumstances , — is a responsibility incomparably greater and I need not sa y

h o a c why . W then can form an adequate conception of the count to be rendered for such a stewardship as was intrusted to him during the last fifteen or seventeen years of his life ! Wh o would wish t o stand before the tribunal of Eternal Justice and answer for the reckoning !

u d res o n St . Pa l oubtless understood the full extent of this p sibilit m u s o u r S y, and he re inds of own hare in it when he says “ t o us : Remember your prelates who have spoken the word of God to you . Obey them and be subject to them . For

! a ha in o r n r they watch s v g t e de a n a ccou nt of y ou r s ou ls .

1 . . : 7 7 Heb xliii ,

Hence our sacred obligation, not only in charity and in ff d gratitude , but also in strict justice , to o er up the A orable Sacrifice and our o wn feeble prayers for one who has ho m e so

no t i - great a burden , for h mself alone , but for his fellow men, a nd h ono r a n for the d glory o f God .

R v e . But, Fathers , however appalling this responsibility,

d m r however rigorous the account e anded, whatever errors o defects ma y have been revealed by the search-light o f Divine

A one r n l a Justice , our rchbishop had, at least, g a d p e to enter in his own behalf, one which few other mortals have ever

f ri been able to o fer with more since ty , more unfaltering confi

1 Orda ned ri e st 1863 c onse c ra te d b sh o 1873 m i p , ; i p, ; b e c a e rchb sh o of N ew Y rk 18 A i p o , 85 . 136 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

l dence, when standing before that dread tribuna , the greatest, the mo st powerful plea that any priest or prelate may ever fl e e er. a m Rev h pe to For I sure , . Fathers, that there is not one among you that will not affirm (and those among you who have known him long e st a nd most intimate ly will assert it most emphatically) that you have never known any one who could stand before the Sovereign Judge and say with greater fi O con dence and more absolute truth, I have loved, Lord, the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth . You have seen numberless proofs of thi s in hi s syn odal de

so crees ; in his canonical visits , regularly made to the par ishes of his vast diocese ; in his constant solicitude for the erec tion of magnificent churches a nd beautiful chapels ; in his untiring zeal for the decency, splendor, and ritual accuracy of

Divine worship . But I think it may be said without fear of contradiction or d issent, that the greatest evidence we have of this love of his

e is h ere in this v er insti for the b auty of the house of God, , y

ti n i d int o t tu o , wh ch he founde and brought ac ual existence, — d which he loved as the apple of his eye, which he regarde as — the crowning work of his life, and which was almost the last — subjec t o f his thoughts a nd interest save alone the affairs of his own soul , and his relations with God . What the Archbishop accomplished on the broader lines and in the more public affairs of his arduous a nd important a d

a nd r ministration , has been fully admirably set fo th by two of m the most eloquent, justly popular and revered me bers of the American hierarchy, and has received commendation from prominent members o f the laity, as well as from the press of

r . the cou nt y, regardless of creed or party, religious or political

138 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN ture ! What is his reputation as a man o f prudence and experience ! Is he known as being fond of the novel and the sensational ! Does he strive or manage to keep himself before the public by startling novelties ! Or does he belong to the so called ultra liberal and progressive school ! Has he the repu t a tio n o f making little account of sacred traditions , the decrees

- of Councils , and the well known Spirit and teachings o f the

! O o ne Church r is he who would wish , for the sake of vain

ff fii ant an display, to raise up a generation of e eminate , pp , d ’ worldly-minded priests ! Perhaps if some o f these questions had been asked (more W seriously and honestly, of course, than Pilate asked, hat is

the suspicion , at least, might have arisen that, after m all , there ust have been some prudence , and some wisdom,

m so t k and so e zeal for religion behind great an under a ing, however much it may have the appearance of a new and radical departure .

ma R v e . Be that as it y, we, Fathers, need not ask any of — these questions . But I think it well worth our while, and the

is — m n occasion appropriate, to exa i e as far as we may into the

’ o o f Archbishop s wn concept this great work . For I believe

fin com reh ensw e that we shall d it to be as broad, as lofty, as p , a nd as thoroughly adapted to the attainment o f the greatest and best results to be expected from a seminary a s any plan that has ever been conceived and carried into execution . I am speaking now merely of the material edifice ; but I hope to show d d that it is , as he inten ed it shoul be , a great moral factor in producing the desired results .

fi o ne kn In the rst place, no who ew the Archbishop can doubt for a moment that he desired to have in his Seminary three

hi : o lid iet t ng s which all consider to be absolutely essential s p y, T H E M O U R N I N G O F T H E L E V I T E S

i i li i r ri i r h c ne a nd a n ic en cou o cle ca l tu d es . tho oug d s p , efi t se f s

But to these three he wished that a fourth should be added,

r fin viz . : a training in proper ecclesiastical deport ment and e e

o f ment . These, and all these, he was determined to have at all

e a s costs . This , however, was far from b ing all that w com

o f r . prised in his idea a semina y He did not consider that, even when these results were attained, and attained in the most

h h o l mi ion o f perfect manner possible, t e w e ss a seminary in a diocese is fulfilled . He did not regard the seminary as merely an institution organized to subject young men destined fo r the fi i priesthood to a xed course of training, moral , ntellectual ,

i ou t and d sciplinary, and then send them upon their mission, generation after generation , like the output of a factory . Nor did he consider that the relations bet ween the Seminary and the priests that were to go forth from its walls should cease

o r with ordination, be merely such as exist between an ordinary college and its alumni . He wished his Seminary to — be a potent moral infl u ence the very heart and inspiration o f hi priestly life in s diocese . He wished it to be the foyer around

o l which all his priests , d and young, should gather frequently, m and strengthen among the selves the bonds of zeal , charity, and fraternal love .

n Hence , when after long and patient waiti g he felt that the time had come to build a seminary within the limits of his o wn diocese , the plan which he proposed to himself was not to make a vain display of the resources o f his diocese ; n o t to eclipse o r throw discredit upon other similar institutions a l ready existing in the country ; no t to impose a needless and u n

d n ! reasonable bur en upon his priests a d his people . Not at all

o r Nothing could have been further from his mind, more for i e n . hi s g to his thoughts But idea, noble and lofty as it was , 140 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN was simply thi s : To build a seminary that would not only be good enough for the rising generation that were to be educa ted

ul als be wo rt h o the cle r r a in it, but that wo d o y f g y a l e dy Id bo rin wi th him in hi dio cese g s , and from whose example a nd

t i l ifica i n vir ues he had h mse f derived not only ed t o , enco urage m u s n hi s ent, and s pport, but al o ma y of ideals of true priestly life .

in w l v a as o u ou r e v es Re . So that re lity it from y y s ,

d hi s i Fathers , that he rew inspirat on, and took the measure of the ta sk that he accomplished so perfectly. In the grea tness of hi s priestly soul he ardently longed to have a fitting place whi ther you could come and renew your i youth at the very founta in of your priestly l fe . And Go d only lm o ws th e rapt urous j oy that inundated hi s heart and soul when hi s work was completed and he saw you all e d a l fi ass mble in this be utifu chapel for the rst time, for

in th e R . your annual etreat Surely on that day he felt, enj oy

fir r a wa s ment of the st f uits of his gre t work, that it well worth

s . all that it had cost of labor, anxiety, and trea ure

Re v And God alone knows the j oy that you have felt here , . l hi i Fathers, when , knee ing before t s beaut ful altar, with hearts uplifted and gaze directed toward the Invisible Th rone

y s i be ond, your eyes have rested upon tho e blessed words wh ch ,

i t a d on the day of your ord na ion , were st mped in elibly upon

i r : T U E your souls, to rema n there fo ever S SACERDOS IN

E TEBN UM ! mi was The Se nary , therefore, according to the

its noble concept of founder, to be the welcome rendezvous, the

An i . d ce nt re o f frate rnal reun on , for his priests it would seem that the Almighty has signified in a strikin g manner His a p hi h proval o f t s part of t e great plan, and granted to its pious

i s . author the consolation of enj oying some of ts fruit For,

T H E M O U R N I N G O F T H E L E V I T E S 141 while ou r Archbishop was called to hi s eternal reward ere the

its first class that began its full course here reached completion , he had the happiness o f meeting you here many times in the enj oyment of the comforts and blessings which he had striven to procure and prepare for you . May these first fruits continue

- to be produced in ever increasing abundance, as a blessing and support to you here on earth , and as an augmentation of his glory and of yours in heaven !

Now, as to the new generations of priests that are to be

a m a s formed here , I sure that the desire of his heart w , that h w o rt su ccess o rs o ou Rev . a nd they should be y f y , Fathers , fitted to deal with whatever new conditions the progress of

m r i o o f . ti e , change social and intellectual life , may br ng about

m o f To the acco plishment this great end he considered, as I

: have said, four things absolutely essential solid piety, thor

d an ffi a nd ough iscipline, e cient course of studies , training in fi m proper ecclesiastical deportment and re ne ent .

As an inspiration to piety, this chapel , the monument of his

mu nificence personal , stands forth and speaks for itself ; while R ev . m you, Fathers, fro your own experience here within

ffi . its hallowed precincts , can bear testimony to its e ciency

As to discipline and intellectual training, no one who knew the Archbishop can hesitate for a moment to believe that his

o n - nd views this subject were as thorough, far reaching, a practical as the other portions o f his general concept . Of the ffi e ciency with which those views are being actually carried out,

I purposely abstain from speaking for obvious reasons . It is for you and others to judge of that by the criterion given us i d E x ru ctibu s c o noscetis . by our Div ne Lor Himself, f g

We cannot ask to be judged by any other ; and by it we are willing to stand or to fall . 142 A M E MO RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

n Finally, as regards traini g in proper ecclesiastical deport ment and the refinement which should make the priest the first m of Christian gentle en, we have in this whole edifice a most — excellent object-lesson which wa s undoubtedly intended by its founder .

There is , perhaps, no comparison more frequently used by spiritual writers than that of the ma teria l with the mo ra l and fi Spiritu a l edi ce . And hence when we examine in detail the

c various parts of this building, from ellar to garret , the most

- o f— - and out the way nooks corners , as well as the most promi

- m fin d nent halls , reception roo s , and chapels, and everywhere i the same attention to details , the same care as to mater als and

o f workmanship , we see in all this not only a reflection his own d personal character, but also his i ea of the care that should be in constantly taken, both by those charge of the Seminary

o f li and by the young men themselves , in the building up a s o d

— h r r ra l di ce a erfect riestl c a a cte . i mo e fi p p y He wanted no va n, conceited display of learning ; still less a vulgar affectation of worldly ways and fashions ; nor even solid learning, with gross neglect of social and clerical propriety ; nor that erro ne

and ous species o f selfish piety that excludes zeal , charity, gen ero sity in the service of Go d and in the labor for the salvation of souls . Nor did he consider that any amount of learning,

ru o f n d culture , exterior deco m, and suavity man er woul make

u i the tru e priest, so long as serio s nterior defects were fostered and indulged, or left uncorrected . In a word , he wanted his priests educated here to be at the same time true apostles—men — of Go d and Christian gentlemen, whose deportment would do honor to their high calling, and make them worthy to enter any door that would be Opened to them by the highest or the ou t lowliest in the land, in the spirit of simple faith or of d respect for the Ca th olic priesth o o .

144 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

principle, practised every virtue , that he professed to stand for in his public works and public utterances . We know his abso fi lute delity to all the practices of Catholic piety, from the simple recitation of the R osary to his daily Visit to the Most

o f Blessed Sacrament, and the performance the most solemn

n o f his episcopal functions . As he lived a d moved amongst us fi he was the personi cation of the ideal priest . Whether in the m midst of his people , or a ong his seminarians , or surrounded

his by clergy, his priestly bearing, which had become a second

' m e a cer o nature, arked him out as pre minently the S d s Ma g nu s .

Wh o fi d , then , could be more worthy or better tte to found a seminary ! Or who could leave a more precious legacy in the

edifi i n strength of his moral character, and in the ca t o of his ! personal , daily life

Our Archbishop has, therefore, not only planned the Semi

o n u nary broad lines , and completed its material constr ction, but he has endowed it with the priceless heritage of his o wn

sa fi personality. We may y with all the truth that the gurative

is hi expression can convey that his heart here beneath t s altar,

. D e u nct h lo u i r and that his Spirit abides with us f u s a d u c q tu .

His own work is indeed done ; but the seed which he has

’ so sown will, with God s blessing, continue to bear fruit long

his as his memory is cherished here, views carried out, and his m d exa ple imitate .

R v e . May you, Fathers , be spared for many years to reassemble often in this beautiful chapel , to receive new graces and an increase of zeal and love for the “ house of

! God ; and may those who spend here the years of their prepa ration go forth formed according to the desires and animated with the zeal and devotion of him whose example shall have been constantly before them . T H E M O U R N I N G O F T H E L E V I T E S

r s so God g ant that such may be the ca e ; and if , how glorious the results to be expected ! What a spectacle to contemplate as, in the course of time , you and hundreds of others, aided by

z n the example and emulating the eal of our fou der and patron, fi wi having fought the good ght and received your crowns , ll stand around the Great Throne , and behold, emblazoned upon hi hi s diadem, the plea by w ch he had won it “ I have loved, O Lord, the be auty of Thy house , and the

! place where Thy glory dwelleth .

Th R h R v r B n r Mc u id e ig t e e en d er a d J . Q a

Bishop of Rochest er

r Always ejoice .

Pray without ceas ing . n s for s is w od in In all things give tha k , thi the ill of G Christ Jesus concerning you all . i Extingu sh not the Spirit .

Despise not prophecies . l i d is od But prove al th ngs ; hol fast that which go . r rs From all appeara nce of ev il efrain you elves . And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you in all things ; that your whole Spirit an d soul a nd body may be preserved blameless in

mi our rd s t — r the co ng of Lo Je us Chris First epistle, fifth chapte .

An d these verses from the second epistle, third chapter

And if man O ‘ w d i man any bey not our or by this ep stle , note that , nd do m w him ma a amed. not keep co pany ith , that he y be ash do m him m h r dm im . Yet not estee as an ene y, but a onish as a brothe

di . i In rea ng these words of St Paul , addressed to h s disci ples, for the most part converts from Judaism and paganism, it struck me that he for whom we pray this day must have per mitted those passages o f inspired truth to rest in his mind and sink into his heart . The words are addressed to the Simple laity, but they are only in another form a repetition of the

o f counsels of the Gospel , or repetitions the words of Christ

e su m sen Jesus o u r Lord . W might them up in one Shorter — “ ! — tence Watch and pray watch in labor, in anxiety of soul , but pray, and pray always . In his early childhood he caught S m the pirit of the Gospel , and in his days of youth i bued soul and mind with eternal truths ; and when at length hi s prepa

mi r ration for the nist y began , they formed a part of his very life and soul . From those earliest days down through his preparation in the school and college and seminary, they I guided him in his whole life . n all his work, in all his aspira T H E M O N T H ’ S M I N D

’ his tions, in all aims, he looked to God, and God s law became his law ; and thus in college and seminary, in the ministry, and i n instructing others and administering the diocese o f Newark

hi s a dminis in the absence of Bishop , he was prepared for the i t ra t o n o f this diocese o f New York . New York has had fiv e administrators in its three quart ers fi o f a century o f existence . The rst was a remarkable man , though he made no note in the history Of the diocese . He was a man of years when chosen in R ome to come to New York ; he stood high in the ranks o f the order o f which he was a R member, and was well known to the authorities in ome and 18 15 justly appreciated by them . He came to New York in , and he found in the State o f New York and in the northern 1822 half of New Jersey four priests . By the number had grown to eight . Some had their permanent home in the city,

o u t and others were sent to the most remote parts of the State ,

o n some with knapsacks their backs , carrying their vestments ,

o f that wherever they found a poor, stray sheep the fold the i consolations Of relig on might be brought to such . One wa s m stationed in Paterson , one in Newark, one at the settle ents R along the North iver reaching toward Albany, one had his home in Albany, with what is now the diocese o f Albany as

R . his parish ; another was at Utica, and the last was at ochester fi d The Bishop himself, with all his learning and digni e and

r princely manners, was a Simple parish priest ; eve y work that him falls to the lot of a parish priest fell to ; in a few years , having brought on his last Sickness by attendi ng to the duties o f parochial work, God called him to his rest . But even he , in those early days when the resources were as nothing and the

—h R s people but a handful , e wrote over to ome expres ing hi s regret that it was utterly impossible to establish what his 15 2 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN — heart wished to establish a seminary for the education and training o f youth for the priesthood . H e wa s followed by Bishop Dubois, a man of distinguished parts . He had been obliged to escape from France during

and i l the Revolution, , land ng in America at Norfo k, he entered

Of upon the work the ministry in the diocese of Baltimore . i ’ H s chief work wa s the founding of Mount St . Mary s College

s r and Seminary at Emmi tt bu g . He was a man of eminent learn

fine m z ing, of acco plishments, and with the eal of an apostle eating up his soul . As Bishop of New York he found difficul

m : ties of any kinds he was a Frenchman by birth , Speaking the

English tongue imperfectly ; his people, except a few, were not

French . Then great contradictions arose before him. In his time , as from the beginning of the Church in the United States , the government of all parishes was in the hands of laymen, who dictated to bishops what should be done . In the archives o f f R the diocese o ochester we have a letter, addressed by the

u tr stees of the only church then in western New York, a letter characterized by impertinence and insolence and shameful in

a d terference with the rights and duties of a bishop . They

a dressed their Bishop letter covering four pages, with a species o f humility running through it contradicted by their acts . The children of those men would be very sorry to-day to have their ’ ’ d fathers or their grandfathers letter to their Bishop publishe .

This half- Catholic Spirit was the rule in all the dioceses of the

n r United States . Joh Dubois was a true missiona y, a true man

fo r of God . His ambition was to establish schools the young, colleges for the more advanced, and a seminary for priests .

He little comprehended the growth of the country ; as indeed no one of the fiv e administrators of New York was ever able

i s mi . to foresee t future, and anticipate what was co ng A semi

15 4 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

i New York, j ourney ng by stages to Albany and by Sloops to

o f d New York, a distance over four hun red miles . A notable

instance was that Of the late Senator Kernan . The cry in

’ r ! eve y bishop s ear was , Send us a priest

’ One of Bishop Hughes s first acts was to give up Lafarge

a nd R ville purchase the osehill property at Fordham . It was R before the extension of the Harlem ailway beyond Harlem . 1841 m Here , in , he opened a college and se inary under R ev .

McClo ske d John y, afterwar Cardinal Archbishop of New

a s fi . York, its rst President Whatever was left of Lafargeville 1 44 was brought to Fordham . In 8 the theological department

’ Of Fordham was removed to old St . John s Literary Insti

al tute , that then stood where now is the high tar of this

Cathedral .

m an In six onths it was brought back to Fordham, d the

o f di Lazarists, who had had charge it, retired from the ocese 1 184 844 . I 6 R in n the osehill property was sold to the Jesuits, with the reservation o f the new Seminary building and ten acres of land . By 1860 Catholics had so increased in number and the de mand for priests in proportion that it was determi ned to estab

o f lish a seminary for the province New York, comprising at that time the Six New England States , New York and New — — Jersey . A central point Troy, New York was chosen . Large buildings formerly used by the Methodists were bought . Bishop McClo skey o f Albany went to Belgium and secured f m n the services O an e i ent corps of professors , graduates of

Rev . . Louvain , who , under the presidency of the Very Dr

’ n nh ende 18 63 . Va de , in , opened St Joseph s Provincial Semi nary. Here , for a while , it was thought that a seminary would be founded to answer all the requirements of the growing T H E M O N T H ’ S M I N D 15 5

Church of Northeast America for many years to come . No one seemed to doubt its permanence and sufficiency for all the f wants o the Church . What appeared to be wonderful far

dn - sighte ess then was soon seen to be Short sightedness . Yet m d the Troy Se inarywas a blesse boon to the Church, and in its day turned o u t over seven hundred priests . By this time it became evident that another problem faced hi the hierarchy . T s was the Christian education of the young o m f the inco ing immigrants . Bishop Dubois and Bishop

Hughes , like others at a later date , thought that a compromise with the state might be brought about by which education with o u t positive and distinctive religious instruction might suffice .

The price to be paid was the money Of the taxpayers . An edu

r t cation without Ch ist in the school , as at empted in the old

m v Cathedral School , proved a la entable failure , but a ser ice I able lesson . t was then that Bishop Hughes was led to declare publicly that the day had come for the Catholic school to pre i i . n cede the Church With th s thought mind, he turned all his energies toward making the Catholic school possible every m in where . Brothers and sisters of various co munities were v ited to the diocese, and encouragement was freely lent for

is growth and successful work. There a change tod ay from

a fi o f o f th t rst colony religious , children Mother Seton , herself

’ a convert and child of the diocese , baptized in old St . Peter s

o n Church B arclay Street , and the multitudes engaged in

’ Catholic schools before Bishop H u gh es s death in 1864 . m h ! Ti es had been stormy under John Hughes . W y not The Maria Monk troubles had disgraced the country and cut to the heart the timid Catholics o f America . This outbreak wa s followed by the Native American disturbances and riots ; four or fiv e mobs at different times had gathered to destroy 15 6 A - M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

the old Cathedral on Mott Street . The last time I witnessed

wa s an assault upon it the Mayor there , and artillery, cavalry,

and regiments of infantry, to protect the Church in New York

sa city. They were, I y, troublous times when John Hughes

’ h o ffi e reigned, w found it more di cult to d fend the Church s

rights be cause of the timi dity of his own people . The Gatho lics o f New York were afraid to hold up their heads . They

ffi a were few in number, but su ciently numerous to m ke m the selves felt had they had the courage of men . But Bishop fi fi Hughes de ed all those enemies ; he de ed the press, that with o u t him exception was bitter against , that reviled him day by day, that misrepresented his actions, that excited the lowest f bigots o the country to rise up against the Catholic Church .

His heart never failed, his courage never gave way, not even when struck in the back by his own people ; not even when a

t e him y trus ed memb r Of his flock took Sides against privatel , and caused the politicians at Albany to withdraw from their intention to render just rights to the Catholics of the country.

Often had I occasion to listen to Catholics out in rural districts ,

— chiefl who, having read the New York papers y the New York “ ! — d Herald had their min s poisoned by those attacks, who had grown ashamed of him who of all men that had ever lived in the country was best able from his bravery of soul to lead

His I sa us . own friends , y, stabbed him in the back, and he went to his grave not knowing the names of the traitors . But when the storm was passing away a nd the merits o f the ma n were about to be thoroughly appreciated , when he was called upon by the government of the country to assist them in secu r

ing peace in Mexico , and later on to hold back the interference

Wa r of European powers during our desperate Civil , his

merits were better understood .

15 8 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

fi o f rst Sisters Charity to this island . They were the chi ldren

. m of Mother Seton She had, just a few years before, for ed a colony of pious women for work among the poor, and especially in the schools . Bishop Dubois increa sed the number of those

a nd that were thus to work, by the time Bishop Hughes came into action it was necessary to widen the boundaries and bring in more help o f men and of women ; and SO religious communi

o ties were multiplied . But nt one of them had any conception of the future of this Church Of New York .

O sa - S I y to day, in view of the past, there is no one living that would presume to Spe ak of the future o f this diocese in

nd the course of the next fifty years . Where is it to e ! What

o f fi is to be the outcome its possibilities in the next fty years, fi if the past fty years, under adverse circumstances, have brought forth so much ! At the end o f the fourth admini stration the fifth ruling power came into play. This was the illustrious dead, whose memory we honor this day, Archbishop Corrigan . His prepa ration was a most excellent o ne : from his childhood a young saint, in college a bright and successful student, in the Ameri

a t R can College ome, where his theological course was com

leted p , crowned at its close with the doctorate ; then for four years after his return to America at Seton Hall College, Pro

r fesso Of Dogmatic Theology and o f Sacred Scripture . I speak mi of what I know well . No young student in that Se nary was

more observant of rule than its director ; no one there kept

more faithfully the hours of study and of rest than Dr . Cor i r gan . In those four years his life was beautiful , simple, truly

pious , devoted to his work and to God ; no evidence was there

o f any desire ever to distinguish himself or to rise above others ,

warranted by his : superior ability ; no evidence in those four T H E M O N T H ’ S M I N D

years other than that he meant to be professor, there to live and there to die . When at length, in the providence Of God, i he was called to take charge of the College and Sem nary, in

his S succession to the former President, Bishop , when poken “ i ! : n . O to, said I can ot place him there ; he is only a g rl ne “ who knew him well answered : He may be a girl in appear

! is ul firm . ance, but he a man of God in his so and as as a rock And so he was almost forced into o fii ce as President of the Col

- lege and Seminary and Vicar General of the diocese . In three or four years Bishop Bayley of Newark was re moved to Baltimore , and a successor had to be found . When

a s n the name of Dr . Corrigan w mentioned there was a smile o

’ “ o f every one s face . How can we think making him a

! bishop ! His o wn Bishop did not desire him for his succes so r ; quite the contrary ; he had another choice . But when the matter came before the Board of Bishops I spoke from my cer tain knowledge and assured the bishops that they had little comprehension Of the capacity and the learning and the

o f strength of will power that mere boy, as they regarded him ; and upon the pledge o f my word in ten minutes he wa s placed m first on the list . He then spent four years to prepare hi self in New Jersey for coming to New York . They were four years

Of most excellent discipline . He lea rned to do everything ex cept to construct a building . That he never learned . He

u se learned how to organize men, to them to do his work, sys tematicall i y, orderly, according to rule, seek ng to throw upon them the responsibility of work for whi ch they were well I adapted and he was not adapted at all . n New Jersey, during mi his years there , you might call him almost a ssionary bishop, going from place to place with the same sweet simplicity o f manner . When at last he was chosen for New York by the 160 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN — — Archbishop Cardinal Archbishop McClo skey though still

- very young looking in appearance and very young in years , too , he came here not unprepared, but he came here to find dif

ficulties m that he never dreamed of, that did not Show the selves

i l sk in the lifetime of Card nal McC o ey, whose princely dignity and past record in Albany and New York had held in check slumbering disappointments . There never wa s a man holding the office of Bishop against whom such Opposition should have arisen . He had hi s duty to do and he did it . In the doing of it if troubles broke ou t

’ as his there w never a moment s anger in soul , and I know of what I am speaking . There was grief that the humble laity might be scandalized and some might break away from the

his fold . But duty was clear ; he had one great advantage h his e knew theology ; he knew not only his catechism, which

n the humblest member Of the flock may know, but he k ew pro

n n fou d, scholastic theology ; he k ew it in all its application to changes of times and circumstances ; he had learned it in the

sa o f —in R m source , I might y, Catholic truth and teaching o e

’ itself. In his mind he thought as God s Church thought, and

o ld in his soul he felt as the apostles Of felt, or as those great bishops of the Eastern and the Western Churches in their days of trial and persecution a nd martyrdom felt . They grieved that God Should be o fi ended by the unguided and dis

’ orderly ; but they held to God s truth, as their conscience obliged them to hold steadfast to their faith . In those davs d your Archbishop had one frien , one upon whom he relied, one before whom he went at every moment, one to whom he could

Open his heart, and that friend was Jesus Christ in the taber l na c e . Day and night he gave way to prayer, and no angry

look ever came from his countenance . He felt for others ; he

162 A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN he has accomplished here in the city and all through the dio i cese . You know all these th ngs ; you know how he bravely dared to plan and carry o u t that noble Seminary at Dun woodie ; you know how anxious he was that your children should all be gathered into Catholic schools ; and you of the

. clergy who last met with him know that he announced his will

di - with regard to buil ng school houses, when he declared that every one who within t wo years had not established his Catholic

school should give him in writing the reasons therefor . With

o f him it was a matter conscience . He understood that no bishop can be negligent in his duties o f caring for the young without sinning before God ; and with no thought of death in the near future he wanted not to have his soul burdened with the crime of depriving the young through any neglect on his part or on the part of his priests, of that Christian education to which they were entitled by the laws of God Himself . When

fi his rst I heard Of death, or of his approaching death , the

: thought came to my mind How good God was to him, that although all through his administration he had sought to pro

hi s vide for the young of the flock, yet among his last acts was “ e a dmirable promulgation to his clergy, W must have schools

! for our children . He knew the past of this diocese, how Bishop Dubois and then Bishop Hughes sought a combination

— a with the city combination , an arrangement, a compromise with an unbelieving state—that the city officials would pay their money if we would put Christ and the crucifix and the Blessed Mary and all the saints and God out of our school houses , and permit no mention of God or Christ . I felt that at

r last, before he died, he did a noble act that covered over eve y

’ if was thing, ever there a weakness in the man s life or char

e e l acter, by this noble pronouncem nt in b ha f of Christian education . T H E M O N T H ’ S M I N D 163

a s There are t wo little incidents to which I shall refer, they

sa t illustrate his character so beautifully. I near him on that memorable evening when his silver jubilee as Bishop was cele

r o f b a ted in the largest hall your city, and I listened to men

an of eminent ability, clerics and laymen , Catholic and Protest t , pouring out testimony and tributes of excellence, of worth and f m o o f . virtue, upon the head that hu ble little man I tried to read his countenance . I wondered how he could listen to

ul u n it ; no proud man co d . He listened to it all absolutely

a s a . moved, just saint might listen to such praise of another

As c see I scanned his countenan e I could no exultation of heart , no j oy of spirit ; he was simply passive . When he rose to speak he gave due thanks to all who had been so kind to him ; he thanked them for that noble gift o f coming from his priests and his people ; he thanked them for all that they had done . The next evening we met 5 000 in this church ; and here were children , the pick and representatives of Catholic children in the Catholic parochial schools of this city. He ascended this pulpit and

o addressed those children . There was j y of soul ; then he was uplifted ; then beautiful passages from the Scriptures and the i h s . Fathers came to his mind ; they were children The sweet ,

his e innocent ones were children ; they told of his succ ss , of

his the labors of priests and his people . He wa s a happy man that evening . I will not say he was never so happy before ; d but he was grateful and gla , and that outbursting o f the soul overflowing with j oy because of what was being done for the little ones of his flock, shone upon his countenance and lighted it up .

The second incident is this : Some years ago your Arch ’ t bishop s loyal y to the Holy See was called in question . We 164 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN who were behind the scenes kne w what wa s passing and under stood well how it came to pass . We had read the newspapers some Catholic ones were the worst . Through covert insinua tions that were believed in many places your Archbishop was R charged with lack of loyalty to ome, and he was called on to

o f make public profession his faith and loyalty . Of all the bishops that these United States had ever known he was the last to be put to such a test ; he was the last to have his faith and loyalty called in question . I never could have gone through what he so gently and so sweetly did in his Simple way .

n : He came into this pulpit, like the sai t that he was he had

sa little , if I remember rightly, to y about himself ; he did not seem concerned even that he should be assailed ; but that which troubled him was that this diocese of New York Should ever have its loyalty to the Holy See called in question . So he

n recou ted the acts of the past, how this bishop and the other

wa s d had stood ; it not to defen himself, but the clergy and the

o f people this diocese , that he spoke those beautiful words, wor thy o f any confessor of the faith in all time to come . He knew his religion ; he knew the authority o f the Church of Rome ; no doubt ever crossed his mind ; he was not afraid to announce its teachings whenever occasion offered ; he feared not the

o n world . He never would yield e iota to win the applause of

- on a non Catholic community ; he won it, but he w it by the no

ili o f b ty his character, his honorable upholding of what was right and true ; he won it as a man might win it and not have to bow his head through shame .

His administration has come to a close . But what will be the administration of the next fifty years ! From the four priests and a bishop in 18 15 to the two bishops a nd seven hundred and more priests in 1902 ! Europe stands amazed at

166 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

hi s s this diocese , was the education of priests, o that not only

fi n Should their minds be lled with all ecclesiastical learni g, but that every one of them should be endowed with a spiritual

e t u charact r and lead a spiri al life . It is noble to inform the mi nd and fill the soul wi th courage ; it is noble to preach and work for the people , to build up the Church ; but what Arch

all bishop Corrigan wanted, above , was to make hi s priests

superior men , priestly priests, who would think and talk and

u act like priests everywhere , SO that when o t among the people

ul every one wo d know that they were priests, priests of the great diocese of New York, with nothing boyish or careless

- fi . about them, always dig ni ed and self respecting Above all — things , he desired them to be men of prayer men devoted to their work . The ambition of your late Archbishop wa s most pra isewo r thy . Why God did not permit him to live longer and carry out his grand ideas , God only knows . Perhaps he can do more for you in heaven than here on earth ; perhaps hi s powerful in terce ssion before the throne of Eternal Mercy will benefit priests and people more effectually than hi s presence among fi you, and enable his successor to take up his un nished work and carry it forward to completion . He was planning a pre paratory seminary that would gather withi n its class- rooms the pick of the diocese—the chosen ones—the very ones on — whom the hand o f God seemed to rest and by Special care and training prepare them from their young days for entrance into the Seminary at Du nwoodie ; thus guaranteeing a priest — hood for New York unsurpassed in the world a priesthood that would make its influence for good felt the whole United

States over .

O f Pray pardon the coldness my language , for I have not T H E M O N T H ’ S M I N D 16 7

Of dared let my heart speak . To no one has the death the Arch bishop brought more sorrow than to me . He was to me and to ff all his su ragans a most brotherly prelate , always patient and i helpful . To me in particular, who watched his career from h s

his boyhood to the closing of life , he lived the life of a saint, and died the death of a saint .

172 A M E M O RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

hereas W , Archbishop Corrigan , no common type of man ,

hi s his by wise direction , his thorough scholarship, saintly life,

hi s a e fi io n and sterling attributes comm nded the reverenc , a ect ,

a nd co - respect, love, not only of his own religionists, but of

o f all classes citizens and residents of this country, irrespective

of religious ties ; and,

h re v W e as , His conser ative and enlightened influence was always strenuously exerted fo r good in behalf of his native

o f i o country and of the City New York, wh ch he loved s well ; the high status enj oyed by him in the Church of which he wa s

so i a nd noble an exemplar, his abstem ous , frugal life , his

a nd wide universal charity to all , made him, if not the most conspicuous , at least one of the greatest characters in this

r metropolis of the Weste n Hemisphere ; therefore, be it

R e o lv ed s , That we , the members of the Board of Aldermen

o f of the City of New York, mindful the courageous, heroic, and patriotic sacrifices o f the Most R ev . Michael Augustine Corri

o f gan of the diocese New York, hereby express our admiration

and appreciation of his unsullied life, his ever outstretched

hi s a i -su fi erin hand to charity, and patient be ring w th the long g

‘ a nd afflicted ; a nd dee m him a meet and worthy succe ssor of the l fi mi itant and noble John Hughes, rst Archbishop of New York,

c Mc lo ske a nd his gracious Eminen e the late Cardinal John C y, and hereby give utterance to our Sincere sorrow at his early death ; and, be it further

e o l e al R s v d, That a speci Committee of seven members be appointed by the President of this Board to make arrange ments for suitable participation in the obsequies ; that his R E S O L U T I O N S 173

Honor the Mayor be and he is requested to display the flags at half-mast o n the City Hall from now until the day of the s funeral , and that this Board attend the ceremonie in a body ; that the City Clerk be and he is hereby authorized and direc ted to ca use a copy of this preamble and resolutions to be suitably engrossed and duly authenticated, and transmit a copy of the same to the authorities of the R oman Catholic Church in this city .

o f 6 1902 a In Board Aldermen, May , , un nimously adopted by a rising vote , all the members elected voting in favor thereof .

R R ’ R T USTEE S OF ST . PAT ICK S CATHED AL , NEW YORK

’ Th r e B o a d o T ru stees o S t . P a trick s C a thedra l a t a s ecia l f f , p

meetin ca lled o n Ma 6 1 9 0 2 a t its o ices in the Cit o g y , , fi , y f

N ew Ya rk o rdere d the fo llo in minu te o its roceedin s , w g f p g t o be pu blished i n the newspa pers o f the city o n the da y of the fu nera l o f the la te A rchbish o p of N ew Yo rk:

Rev . a s The Most Michael Augustine Corrigan w , by virtue

hi s ff of O ice , president of this Board, which has charge of the l dis temporalities of the Cathedra , and the members , in the charge of their duties hav ing been in frequent and close inter course with him during his life, make this reverent and i affectionate offering to h s memory .

s e He was a Christian gentleman, pos ess d of great intel

and lectual abilities , great learning, and great power of will , would have shone highly in any walk of life whi ch he mi ght have chosen . But these characteristics were the lesser part of 174 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN his an d his nature, message to the world would have been un delivered if his spiritual energy had not an Opportunity to dis fi play itself in its deep and varied magni cence . Coming into office at a time when our civilization was appar

m r ently triu phing through its material energies alone , he exe cised d his influence over the forces within his juris iction , l mainly through a gentle and meek spiritua power, strong in

it s - its faith , ardent in hope, and self forgetting in its charity . And it came to pass that duri ng his life as a rchbishop the period of great material development and influence in the arch diocese was coincident with and caused by a period of greater

Spiritual devotion on the pa rt o f its head . By his a ccomplishments he emphasized the truth that the

’ Church progresses in the world no t th ro u gh material a gg ran

z m n it s c o f it s di e e t , but by equal are for all children, and that the gre atest force in life , whether religious , civil , or political ,

— u r is love love of God, love of co nt y, and love of our fellow man .

THE R OMAN CATHOLIC ORPHAN ASYLUM

The B o a rd ofMa nag ers of the R o man C a th o lic Orpha n Asylu m in the City o f N ew Yo rk inscribes this minu te in the pro ceed

a l meetin held o r tha t u r ose on Ma 6 ing s of a speci g f p p y ,

e r The death of o u r beloved Archbishop, though a great p

h a s d sonal bereavement to each member of this Board, a wi er

fi an signi c ce , as it causes an irreparable loss not alone to charity, ff . r religion , and the state, but to Christianity itself His e o ts were directed not only to the amelioration of the condition of

R E S O L U T I O N S 175

an a the downtrodden d the poor, but to the m intenance Of the

in highest ideals of religion, exerting by them an extended

flu ence o n good government and the perpetuation o f the insti i m tu t ons of our country . Though his heart and sy pathy went

u o f out to the poor and the unfort nate , his sense right and justice made him an inflexible conserv ator o f vested interests and the rights of property . He was strongly imbued with the

o f ff sentiment patriotism, which it was his constant e ort to have inculcated in all the schools under his jurisdiction .

e i no t W recogn ze in him only a great prelate , but a great

a s man, who may well be described a model of every virtue

rm which adorns a priest and a citizen . Conspicuous for his fi ness, courage , and justice, he was no less noted for gentleness ,

s . meekne s , and mercy On the occasion of his silver jubilee the public expression o f affection he received from the entire com munity, irrespective of creed, evidenced the high place he had d n attaine in the esteem of men, and those who k ew his self

Sa crifice fi , devotion to duty, and priestly life may con dently believe that he merited an eternal crown . We who have be en intimately associated in one of the many charities dear to his heart —the care of orphan children—feel

o f e most deeply the loss his wise couns l and guidance, and sym pathize with the orphans who are deprived of his fatherly

. As o f hi care president t s Board for more than twenty years , he assiduously labored for the comfort and happiness Of those

mi its o n n com tted to care , and e of the crow ing acts of his life , which in a special manner emphasized his loving solicitude in

r their behalf, came at the ve y end in the erection and comple

o f tion a permanent home for them, which will long remain as d a splendi monument built by him to religion and charity . Mindful a s we are of his great and import ant work for the 176 A M E M O R IAL T O A R C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

t a nd communi y in which he lived the Christian religion, we deem it especially appropriate that there should be entered upon our records a minute expressive of his invaluable services to the homeless orphans , and of their a nd our sentiments of

ff and o u r esteem and a ection, of sense of the irreparable loss sustained by his untimely death ; a nd as a testimonial of our lov ing respect it is ordered that this minute be Spread upon our records, that our asylum be draped in mourning for the m space of thirty days , and that the me bers of this Board attend his funeral in a body.

THE PAR TICULAR COUNCIL

SOCIETY OF ST . VINCENT DE PAUL IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Where a as , It has ple sed Almighty God in His infinite wis do m un and to call to Himself our revered beloved Archbishop , whose whole life was a living example o f the virtues of humil i fi ty , patience , and charity ; whose rst thought was the love and glory of God, and next to it his love for and interest in the poor, in whom he always saw Christ his Master ; whose hand and heart were ever ready to aid struggling youth as fi well as to provide homes for the orphan, the aged and in rm ; whose life work is a monument which will perpetuate his name to posterity ; and,

Wherea s O h as r and w , ur society lost a wa m friend a ise counsellor, whose interest in all of its various works was well

e s e known to all our memb r , who strongly indors d and actively supported all our special works ; and,

178 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

h rea W e s , In the death of our beloved Archbishop the Superior

n Council of the Society of St . Vi cent de Paul in New York has sustained a heavy loss , in that he was at all times active in n t furtheri g by word and deed the work of the socie y, lending the aid of his influence over the entire circum scription ; there

be fore, it

R es o lv ed , That the members o f the council attend his funeral in a body ; a nd be it further

R eso lv ed , That a circular letter be addressed to each confer

o f ence the circumscription, asking the prayers of the members for the repose of the soul o f one of the most devoted friends and advocates the society ever had .

BOARD OF MANAGER S OF THE NEW YORK CATHOLIC PROTECTORY

A t a specia l meeting of the B o a rd o f Ma nag ers of the N ew

Yo rk C a th olic P ro tect o r the f llowin reso lu ti o ns were y, o g a dopted

Grieved in heart and with heads bowed in resignation to d the will of the Eternal Father, the Boar of Managers of the New York Catholic Protectory unite in the general sorrow R and deeply mourn the loss of the Most everend Archbishop ,

Michael Augustine Corrigan, beloved for his personal virtues, reverenced for his charity, revered and respected, admired and

a a a s appreciated for his piety, cour ge , and le rning ; great a

r prelate, g eat as a citizen , and, withal , an exemplar of modesty and humility. The suavity of his manners and the forcefulnes s of hi s dig R E S O L U T I O N S 179 nity have brought forth abundant and fruitful results in the

i e admin stration of the dioc se , and the New York Catholic Pro tect o r h a s y, upon which he bestowed a solicitous care , received its full share of those many blessings resulting from his unspar ing devotion to his flock ; therefore, be it

R e o lv ed o f s , That we , the members the Board of Managers fi o f the New York Catholic Protectory, mindful of the bene ts R received through the Most everend Archbishop , by reason

o f v of the wisdom of his guidance , the gentleness his super ision, and the mi ldness of his authority in the affairs o f the Pro tect o r sa d y, do solemnly express on this occasion our great appreciation o f the pious and paternal power by him exercised over u s . While offeri ng to the Almighty o u r most fervent prayers for

h O e the repose of the soul of our deceased pastor, may we p that our management of the Protectory, so benignly influenced m by his exa ple in life , will still remain SO influenced by his memory in death ; further

R es o lv ed o f , That the members of the Board Managers attend the funeral in a body.

MISSION OF THE IMMACULATE VIR GIN

At a specia l meeting of the B oa rd of T ru stees of the Missi on of

the Imma cu la te Vir in held a t N o L f . 2 g , a ayette P la ce o n

Ma 7 1 9 0 2 th e fo llowin reso lu ti on er y , , g s w e a dopted

Wherea s nfi , In His i nite wisdom our Almi ghty Father has

ak ou r e t en from us most beloved pr sident, the Most Rev .

Michael A . Corrigan . 180 A M E MO R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

Wherea s e d fie d m u , He had always b en i enti ost partic larly wi th the work of the Mission , by his constant presence at the mee t

O f ings this Board, by his gentle and kindly advice at the same, a nd by the keen interest which he ever manifested in all matters pertaining to the advantage of poor children and the success of the Mission .

R es o lv ed A S e m , tru Catholics we bow in hu ble submission to the will of God .

R es o lv ed d d fi al , That the Boar of Trustees atten the Ponti c R Mass of equiem .

R es o lv ed , That the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin be d m raped in ourning for thirty days .

R es o lv ed O f , That on Monday, the eleventh of May, Masses Requiem be offered up in each of the chapels of the Mission of the Imm aculate Virgin .

XAVIER ALUMNI SODALITY

Th e c o ncil o the X a v ier Alu mni o da lit a t a s ecia l meet u f S y, p

in held on Ma 8 1 9 0 2 t o ta ke a cti on on the dea th o the g y , , f D l A in rr n D . A r h i h Mi ha e u u s t e o i a . c b s o Most R ev . c g C g , , p

o N e Yo rk a do ted the fo llo win res o lu ti on f w , p g

l m m a R eso v ed, That the e bers of the Xavier Alumni Sod lity j oin in the universal grief at the death of o u r revered Arch

d o f ov erflow bishop, but are console by the memory his life ,

. ing with deeds of charity, love , and devotion to his people While at all times wisely maintaining and fostering the Church

182 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

r D . D . ai Michael Augustine Co rigan , , whose f thful soul , on the fi night of the fth of May, answered the call from the throne of God ;

h rea s W e , In his death a chieftain of the Church has fallen in

ar o f Go d the vangu d service to and country, where, with Chris mi R tian hu lity, but steadfast as the ock, he stood for the faith

Wh o Ow ’ of Him taught, To sar the things that are Cae sar s

’ ! a nd to God the things that are God s ; and

Whereas , During his apostolic career he maintained the stand a rd of Catholicism in the high place where his illustrious pre

set fl decessor had it, and fostering every in uence that made for t the advancement of religion and socie y, he aided and honored

the Catholic Club of New York with hi s counsel and friendship .

Therefo re Be it reso lv ed e , , That we , the memb rs of the Catholic w Club, bo ing with resignation to the mandate which takes from

h s his c ildren in the faith a father, desire to give expres ion to sentiments Of profound reverence and sorrow for our de

parted prelate .

R e o l e fi s v d, That the most tting tribute which we , as Catholic

his a laymen, can pay to memory is devotion to the Christi n patriotism which he professed and fidelity to the truths of re i i fi l g on planted by him in the eld where he fell , surrounded by

harvests which he had reaped for Christianity .

es o lv e R d, That the club house of the Catholic Club be appro pria tely draped in mourning during a period of thirty days m fro the fifth inst . ; that all social functions at the club be can

celled during said peri od ; that these resolutions be Spread R E S O L U T I O N S 183

’ c upon the club s re ords , and that a copy be transmitted to the

i o f adm nistrator the archdiocese of New York.

CATHOLIC HOME BUREAU

The ll i fo o w ng reso lu ti ons were a dopted a t a meeting o f the

B o a rd o D irect o rs o the C a th o lic H ome Bu re h f f au , eld Tu es

da Ma 6 1 9 0 2 y, y ,

Wherea s i , The dawn of th s day ha s brought us the news that

ha s al o u r Almighty God c led unto Himself beloved Archbishop, wherefore our a flliction is heavy and our grief profound ; let it be

R es o lv ed , That we give expression in the mi nutes of thi s meeting to the sentiments of love and filial affection which we

fo r hi m i hi s n i cherished , of adm ration for sai tly life , of sat sfa c tion over the successful results o f his wise archiepiscopal a n o f dmi istration for nearly a score years, and above all to the se ntiments of gratitude whi ch we must ever feel for his noble attitude o f encouragement in the foun dation of the form

r of charity to which we are mo e particularly devoted, and for the public recognition and strong support which his enlightened mind and noble he art prompted him to give it ; and let it be

R es o lv ed Al i , so , that in entering upon our m nutes this tribute to our beloved Hierarch, we mean it to be an incentive now to the prayers of ourselves and our wards for the repose of his

ul r so , and ever after a memo ial in our archives to the great and good founder, Michael Augustine Corrigan . 184 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

HOLY NAME SOCIE TY

Wherea h a s d His s, It please Almighty God in wisdom to take from us our beloved Archbishop , Michael Augustine Corrigan , thus bringing to an earthly end the life of a g reat bishop of the

n an d a Church, a learned theologia schol r, a gentle , holy man ; and,

Wherea s O all , ur late Archbishop had endeared himself to the m e th e r emb rs of his flock by kindliness of his manner, ea nest

a nd ness in his discourses , the sincerity sweetness of his m character, and the Christian piety and hu ility of his life ; had m won the admiration and respect of the entire co munity, of every Shade of religious belief, by the dignity with which he m i a s t O f ainta ned his position, as well the intensi y his patri o tism and the strong love of country he manifeste d at all times ; had earned the thanks of the faithful by his untiring

f s e forts in the cause of religion and Holy Mother Church, o that his charge expanded to enormous proportions and became the — home of every active religious movement, his whole life and m m d t character, ai s and achieve ents , redoun ing to the grea er honor and glory of Go d and the lasting credit of our American

be institutions ; therefore , it

R l d m es o v e d, By the Arch iocesan Union of the Holy Na e

m s Society, co po ed of seventy branches , representing Sixteen

l Of thousand Catho ics the archdiocese of New York, that we hereby express the deep sympathy we feel with the grief of the archdiocese in being deprived Of a noble pastor an d a loving father ; of the city and nation in the loss of an exemplary man

t and and citizen , an American by bir h, training, sentiment ;

186 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

cc - sembled, with our religionists throughout the country and

d e the world , eplore the death Of this resp cted prelate, and testify to the dee p and earnest interest he had in the Catholic

Benevolent Legion and all kindred organizations ; we testify

a to the earnestness , piety, le rning, and zeal which character ize d his life and the admini stration of the hi gh and exalted duties he was called upon to administer .

R es o lv ed th e , That a Copy of these resolutions be forwarded to administrator of the dioce se and spread upon the minutes of

thi s convention .

THE ALUMNI OF THE AME RICAN COLLEGE

R es o lu ti o ns a dopted a t the a lu mni meeting o f the America n

ll h R o ma n a th o li hu rch h ni a tes C o eg e of t e C c C of t e U ted S t ,

R o me Ita l held a t the N ew Willa rd H o tel Wa shin t on , y, , g ,

M 1 4 1 9 0 2 : D . . Wednesda a C , y, y ,

Wherea s m o u r e , Al ighty God has taken to Himself b loved

Rev . and most distinguished alumnus , the Most Michael Augus

o f and tine Corrigan, Archbishop New York ;

Wherea s wa s , He from the beginning a staunch and devoted

friend and zealous supporter o f the College , and of this asso

cia tio n ; and,

Whereas We e e hi s e ul , de ply fe l and mourn loss as p c iarly per

sonal to ourselves ; therefore, be it

- t . a R es o l ed fi n . v , rst, That the alum i of the American College

hi s ff R ome express their sincere sorrow at death, and o er their R E S O L U T I O N S 18 7

hi s heartfelt sympathy to clergy, who have lost their saintly, learned, and loving pastor and father .

R es o lv ed , second, That we extend to his relatives our profound condolence .

R es o lv ed , third, That a copy of these resolutions , suita bly en R graved, be forwarded to the American College in ome, and to the archiepiscopal curia of New York City .

THE UNITED STATE S CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY

At a meeting of the E xecu tiv e C ou ncil of the United S ta tes

Ca th o lic Histo rica l S ociet held J u ne 1 8 1 9 0 2 the fo llowin y, , , g prea mble a nd res o lu tions were a dopted :

Whereas d Al , In His divine wis om and providence , mighty Go d

h a s Rev . . called to Himself the Most Michael A Corrigan,

Archbishop of New York ; and

Wh erea s, The late Archbishop was for many years the Hon orary President o f the United State s Catholic Historical Soci ety ; therefore , be it

R e l s o v ed, That we record our sense of the great loss we have

f e su fered by the death of one who , by word and de d, again and again proved the esteem in which he held the purpose s and objects Of our society . By his influence and by his example he aided u S in the im portant work of preserving and recording the history of the

Catholic Church in ou r country . 188 A M E M O R I AL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

His presence at our public meetings was a continued evidence i of the interest he took in our proceedings . H s kindly and wise d a vice , especially at times when our society was contending

a difli cu ltie s with vit l , gave most inspiring encouragement to f our e forts . “ To every number of o u r Historical Studi es and Re cords

Archbishop Corrigan contributed valuable papers, which Often rescued from oblivion facts and incidents of the greatest inter est and importance in the history of the American Church .

R es o lv ed e , That we share the sentiments of regret, of resp ct, and o f veneration which the death of the great Archbishop h a s

d his elicite , not only in own archdiocese , but in the whole of

d . the United States , and, indee , in the whole world

R es o lv ed mmu tes , That these resolutions be entered in the of

a s our society proceedings, a perpetual memorial of a most dis tin u ish an g ed member, d that a copy thereof be duly prepared and attested and sent to the archi ves of the Archdi ocese of New

w i s York, and that a copy be like ise sent to the mourn ng relative , in whose grief we dee ply sympathize .

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHTS OF AMERICA

The supreme officers of the Catholic Kni ghts o f America desire to place on the records of our order an expression of deepe st

ui d sorrow at the death of our disting she brother, the eminent

v . . Archbishop Of the City of New York, Most Re . M A

Corrigan . For four years he was the supreme spiri tual director of our

TELE RAMS LETTER S G , NEWSP AP ER NOTICES

196 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

The fo llo wing ha s interes t a s the descripti on o f the Arch

’ i h ner l i r Mr li b s o s fu a b a n o u ts de . J u an H a wth o rne in p y , , “ ! Y r Am ri n the N ew o k e ca .

d i DEAD on his bier lay the bo y of Michael Corr gan , a good

o f . man , a zealous priest, an Archbishop the Catholic Church

m m n e He had risen fro hu ble begin ings, and in little mor than Sixty years he h a d become eminent in ecclesiastical

a nd . o n authority honor But he now lay dead his high bier, rigid and pale , with his hands , between which was a small

fi o n . cruci x, crossed his bosom That, after all had been said m f and done, was the central and most i pressive feature o the d Splendid ceremony performed yester ay. The dead man was clad in his priestly vestments —the

princely purple , the high white mitre ; the bier was richly

draped ; around it burned a score of candles , shining in the transparent gloom o f the great cathedral like flowers of

soft fire .

He lay before the holy altar ; upward on every Side rose

the silent rows of fluted columns, draped to the carved

capitals in black ; higher still was the delicate tracery o f the

airy galleries ; above them the broad windows glowing with

an d sacred scenes pictured in stained glass ; , surmounting all ,

the fretted design of the arched roof. The altar which rose behind him as he lay was rich with

harmonious decoration a nd twinkling with lights ; and a ll the elaborate splendor Wa s strikingly contrasted with the cold n fi pallor of the enclosi g walls of the edi ce . Near by stood

the pulpit, graceful and imposing, with its great sounding

board, on which was painted the Dove of the Church, seeming

to poise itself in air just above the head o f the preacher . W T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R S , N E S PAP E R N O T I C E S 197

wa s m It , in its entirety, a sole n and glorious spectacle , well t m calcula ed to stir the most sluggish e otions . But the eminent

hi s ff priest lay quiet on bier, una ected by what moved all the living ; for he was dead ; his race was run and his work

r perfo med .

CHURCH CROWDED WITH SPE CTATORS

T H E wa s fi church lled to the walls with spectators , from whom

arose a subdued sound of reverent talk and comment . Many m of them had come fro afar ; they were old people and young, m hi men and women (but wo en c efly) , rich and poor (but

s chiefly, it seemed, poor) Catholics and Protestants . Nor wa the Hebrew race unrepresented ; in a pew o n the central aisle R h il sa t o tt e n . the abbi G , silent a d absorbed The civilized

is e world divided now, as it was in the beginning, betwe n the — — Jews the democrats and the imperial Church of Christ .

o f The essence what the one believes , the other , now as a lways , denies . But in these days , though the academic dif f r n s iu m theo lo icu m e e ce persist, the o d g is subdued , and men of varying o r hostile cree ds meet as men and friends ; the stoning of infidels and the inquisition on the heretics are no more . The Church o f R ome is the mightiest of all human organiza tions ; it is substantial and perfect down to its last detail .

the R From the central Christ of the creed, down through oman

ff s d i Ponti , and o on , branching and issem nating from the red

- ca ppe d cardinal to the humblest black cassocked priest, the

e august and absolute Spiritual authority is pass d along, and

and . exercised, obeyed Every phrase used by the fathers in their speech with the

ul faithf , in their prayers and addresses, in their ritual for 198 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

r d h as eve y human and ivine occasion, bee n repeated since the earliest days o f the Church ; there is an endless vista Of history

and tradition behind them, giving them an awful weight and

sanctity of influence and obligation ; they possess something

akin t o a magical power ; they are the refined and crystallized

essence of the will of the Most High ; the spiritual spontaneity

which we cultivate in the dissenting churches is not c ou nte

nanced n o f in in the a cient Church Christ ; that Church, what

has been , ever shall be , world without end .

CEREMONIES OF HOARIEST ANTIQUITY

NOR can we pause in o u r backward view of these wonderful ceremonies with the organization which dates from the early

Christian centuries . Beyond them the tradition and the forms ‘

' recede into an infinite perspective ; pagan Greece and R ome

ci and hoary Egypt, and those yet more remote religious exer ses which we dimly trace in the records o f Elam and the unknown

a East, h ve their contemporary representation in the Catholic

solemnities of this twentieth century . And over against these stand the not less antique and endur

an ing beliefs of the great d mysterious Hebrew race, who

a o d believe in one unch ngeable G , ancient Of days , and who d yet look for His Messiah . Before Him they stan in an unal

fir tera ble and everlasting equality ; the st of commonwealths, and possibly the last .

But they mingled yesterday with the others, and bowed their heads with them in harmonious respect to the memory o f an

- honorable and worthy fellow creatu re . But the dead Archbishop lay motionless and u ndemon

o r Stra tiv e o n his bier and paid no hee d either to Jew Gentile,

200 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

a d upon scores they p ssed, hun reds treading in the steps of

a nd hundreds ; they walked with heads bowed hands folded, the priests and dignitaries o f the Church in their Official vest ments . Some wore on their Shoulders surplices o f white lawn

r or lace, others were clad in the seve e garb of the monks ; fil others appeared in plain black ; still others , as the long e con tinned, Showed the richer garments Of the higher ecclesiastical orders .

i defilin Slowly and interm nably they marched, g and deploy ing, passing up and onward until they were silently absorbed i in the great space before the altar, behind and around the h gh bier with its august occupant . And still others came and others till the broad ai sle wa s filled and the marchers paused and seated themselves , each man on the folding chair which had been provided for him . It was a marvellous sight to see the profile of these priestly heads passing successively one after another, bowed and h serious . Endless was the variety of types ; inex austible the

o f Ol di versity character ; they were d and young, high and

a nd fi an d low, noble plain , digni ed and awkward, stern mild, l humble and proud, strong and weak ; none was ike another in all that multitude ; and yet all had in common one look — the look O f the Catholic priest the look of mingled authority and obedience . There is no other look that could be mistaken for it in the tribe of mortal men ; it told of such a training and discipline

a a s no other men are called on to susta in . It w s the look worn by those who Spread the doctrines Of the Church over the face of the earth ; who worked and su fi ered and died to save souls in the primeval wildernesses ; who have built up in

- their fellow men this mighty fact o f the Catholic Church . It R W T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E S , N E S PAP E R N O T I C E S 201

o ne allied them with another and brought them into unity, one t s upendous organism, the body o f Christ .

TH E AIR OF TRAINING

THEY constituted one of the greatest forces ever created on

ni - r earth ; quiet, subtle , om present , well nigh ir esistible . Behind

o f them lies a history deeds unparalleled . And after two thou

as sand years they seem strong, as compact and purposeful a s in the days o f the early fathers .

- These are the men who overthrew paganism, who ru le to day f the larger part O the Christian world . From them emanated the holy army of martyrs and the company of the saints ; from their ranks were chosen the popes who governed Europe and turned the tides of history . Their outward te mporal power is no longer what it was ; but the power of no temporal monarch equals theirs . Authority and obedience mingle in their aspect ; these are

e the virtues to which the world succumbs . Each as he pass d the bier cas t a glance upon him who lay there ; but he gave

no answering look . He had looked his last in the face of man ; he wa s now facing a Countenance not mortal nor finite . He was r dead, and immo tally wedded henceforth to interests beyond the grave .

and The long procession was stayed at last, then ensued another interval , followed by the entrance of the Cardinal who wa s to oflicia te at the requiem mass . He came walking with feeble steps amidst a company Of his brethren ; on his head wa s the crimson beretta and he wore the red robes of his

d wa s princely rank . His face was turne earthward ; it a worn and ascetic visage , scholarly and gentle . 202 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

Cardinal Gibbons is an older man than his fellow- priest who lay on the bier ; but he still lived a nd the other had passed on a l ri to life whereof the Cardina knew nothing expe mentally .

d e He , too , lifte his face as he w nt by the rigid fig ure out

i stretched yonder, and he bowed himself aga n In reverence to death . There came no answering Obe isance ; priestly rank had no further concern with Archbishop Corrigan , and had the Pope o f R ome done homa ge to him he would have been

e ff met with the same sil nt and appalling indi erence .

o f There is no respect persons with God, and the Archbishop had been invested with a democratic dignity surpassing any that mortal authority can be stow. To death must we all come

al at last, and in the dust be equ made, and that equality is greater and more impressive than any nobility or royalty of liv ing men . It endures forever .

F r Now preparation was made for the mass for the dead . o O O give thy servant, Almighty ne, for his sins ; raise him up from the grave as Thy beloved Son was rai sed up ! The organ pours forth its sublime notes and voices rise in music , praising and beseeching the Lord . At the high altar priest and acolyte perform their homage and deliver their ritual .

a le The c ndles shine in the holy dusk, the vestments g am ,

o f there are bowings and prostrations , the plaintive voices

e the worshippers implore the Unseen Power, the swe t, faint

o f notes bells sound from sacred recesses , the censers swing and the delicate precious perfume floats through the still air and dims with its light haze the adoring figures and the shrine at which they kneel . ' Nothing done by man is more subtly moving in its infl u ence than the Catholic mass ; no other dramatic representation m approaches it in significance and sublimity. It is the ost

204 A M E MO RIAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

Yet it was a spectacle and a ceremony well worth seeing,

a - and to be t ken deeply to heart . Doubtless those stern visaged

- - men, dressed in steeple crowned hats and sad colored gar m m ents, who came to us , when A erica was a wilderness, S desiring to worship God in implicity and freedom, doubtless these men would have looked strangely had they been told that their descendants after two hundred and fifty years would assemble in sympathetic thousands at such a celebration a s this . But the world moves and rises in each successive generation to a higher spirit ual level and to a more complete compre hension of the brotherhood and companionship of man . The scene in the Catholic Church to - day is not a Sign that we have

o fallen beneath the level f those stern forefathers of ours . It is a sign that humanity is be coming too great for the di visions i of churches ; that it s approaching a unity o f all dissensions .

We o d fil have learned that G ful s Himself in many ways, and that it is for Him and not fo r us to determine the man ner o f the fulfilment . The dead Archbishop on his bier rebukes

a nd al all partisanship , looking upon his p e, still countenance we may be prompte d to compose o u r differences in favor o f an accord which is so much wider and dee per than any — ifi r n H . d e e ce . JULIAN HAWT ORNE

N ew Yo rk T ribu ne

IN the death of Archbishop Corrigan the American R oman

A s dm . Catholic Church loses , perhaps , its ablest a inistrator

Ar ofli ce chbishop of New York, without doubt the greatest

wa s in the American Catholic Church , he one of the most influential personages in the metropolis . He did not seem, P 2 T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R S , N E W S AP E R N O T I C E S 05

however, to take a leading public part in general movements

e o f for the b tterment the community . As a result he wa s personally o ne of the least known of the city ’ s eminent men f to the general public outside O his own communion . But even if he had desired to take p a rt in the larger civic life of

o r the metropolis nation , he would have found no time to do so f , for the a fairs of the archdiocese required his close and con

. o ne o f stant attention He was, indeed, the busiest men in the city, and only succeeded in getting through the enormous mass Of work laid upon his shoulders by his unweari ed industry

. I re re and system n the administration of the archdiocese, p m senting, as it does , great and co plex interests , he showed

firm m himself to be an able and ruler, who never for a mo ent allowed the reins to fall out o f his hands . His winning per sonal traits greatly endeared him to those who came to know him m well , and he had the respect and estee not only of

o f saw Catholics , but Protestants , who in him a strong and unswerving churchman and a sagacious ruler . To those who had the privilege o f knowing Archbishop Corrigan personally he showed a Side of his character that the general public did not suspect him of possessing . He was

an d an accomplished scholar, especially in Church history the classics , and a delightful conversationalist, with a keen though quiet sense of humor . He was a conservative churchman , but o n terms o f pleasant social intimacy with many who were not f o his faith .

’ The N ew Yo rk Freema n s J ou rna l

T H E Catholic Church in America has lost by the death of

Archbishop Corrigan one who for years has stood in the fore m front in defence of Catholic interests in this country. Al ost 206 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

t - forty years a priest, wenty nine years a bishop, and seven

R ev . ae tee n years an archbishop, the late Most Mich l Augustine Corrigan spent hi s life in loyal service to the

a s Church Of which he was so devoted a son . Whether Bishop

r a ll o f Newark o Archbishop of New York, he concentrated hi s energies o n the work he set hi s hand to . The first Archbishop o f New York was compelled to descend

an d into the arena, and with pen voice hold back the legions of bigotry which in the days o f Know -Nothingism gathered to

A S the assault . we view, through the retrospect of the years ,

u nflin hin l th John Hughes c g y facing e gathering storm, we W i ! instinctively exclaim, hat a splendid protagon st The work o f - the quiet, gentle mannered Archbishop Corrigan lay in other

s fields . The more thorough organization of the archdioce e and the completion of the works begun by his predecessors in — office wa s the task he set for himself a ta sk in the perform ance of which he never faltered for o ne moment till the hour that death struck him down . Churches , schools , con

an o r vents , d especially the theol gical semina y that crowns i the heights near Yonkers, w ll remain during the coming years as enduring monuments attesting to future genera tions the g reat work accomplished by the thi rd Archbishop of

New York . When it is stated that in his archdiocese there are a million two hundred thousand Catholics whose Spiritual wants have to be attended to , we can form an estimate of the magnitude

Of the labors that devolved upon Archbishop Corrigan . Never

S e e hi s shirking them, he p nt the last sevent en years of life in laying deep and broad foundations on which his successors will be able to build . First and above all things a priest, he h him r w led a priestly life, and as left behind a memo y hich

208 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R RI GAN

The S u n

AR CHBISHOP CORRIGAN h a s died in the prime of his career of

- R an thirty nine years in the om Catholic priesthood . Th e schola rly bent a nd acquirement which had distinguished him even in his prep a ratory studies seemed to mark him out for a distinction which would be apart from the strenuous life of administrative and disciplinary activity upon which he entered with his appointment as Bishop Of Newark in 18 73 .

o f He was , moreover, a Slight and wiry physique, and o f a d isposition which was shrinking rather than aggressive . His vigor was rather in his head, in his intellect and his will, than in his body. Archbishop Corrigan wa s distinguished by a repose and serenity both scholarly a nd o f the cloister . His administra

firm o f r tion was and a dete mined persistency, but it was

fo r o f without harshness , he was naturally a gentle and amiable ‘ i o f fo r h m . disposition , and strife itself had no attractions His be a ring was always marked by a priestly dignity which won for him the respect o f a large social circle outside the ranks

a of Catholicism . In the pulpit he was a graceful , an e rnest, and a persuasive speaker who appealed in simple and direct language to conviction rather than to the emotions . The dead Archbishop was a religious figure entitled to respectful and even affectionate consideration from this com

o f munity generally, even from people not his own faith or

H see o f no religious faith at all . e lived to the last traces of animosity to the Roman Catholic Church obliterated in

S his wa s every church, O that death, on Monday, looked on by a ll as a g riev iou s loss to the cause o f religion and good morals W 2 T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R S , N E S PAP E R N O T I C E S 09

in New York . He left his archdiocese in a condition of greater prosperity and harmony than it had ever known throughout its history . The R oman Catholics of New York were not suffered to enj oy the unmolested exercise of their religion un til after the

Evacuation Of 1783 . Then came and continued the suspicion and hostility which were inflamed into the passion of the

- Know Nothing movement of the middle of the last ce ntury . But meantime the Catholics went on increasing steadily and d in rapi ly, till now they are a vast communion , overshadow g in its magnitude all other churches . By the efforts of the dead Archbishop this great army of religion had been brought to a condition of disciplined compa ctness an d unity notable in the history of the whole R oman Catholic Church .

T h e Ma il a nd E xp ress

T H E death of Archbishop Corri gan falls as a heavy blow mainly upon the Church withi n whose ec clesiastica l limits his l whole world lay, but it is none the less a loss to the intellectua e an d religious life of the city and the State . His influenc ,

o f l direct and indirect, upon the multitude those in his episcopa charge was felt by the entire community .

By temperament and training he was scholastic . He had none o f the traits o r tri cks that win easy popularity . He

r became a master o f men by mastery o f mind . A conse vative

r e m of conse vatives , his life duty he de ed to be the preservation inflexibl of the faith o f his fathers . To that line he held y, viewing all innovations as encroachments upon the strength

and safety of the Church . Beneath all the grace and modesty

i . o f a singularly sweet personality, his will was mmovable 210 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

Once convinced that a certain course of action was ri ght an d

c c ne essary, no argument and no influen e could move him, save the command of his superiors , to whom he always gave the will m ing fealty that he de anded from his churchmen O f lesser rank .

He was rich in ecclesiastical scholarship , in executive power, a nd fi al nanci ability, and his place in history is fixed among t h e hm f great churc en O America .

The Su nday D emocra t

R v . T H E e . n f Most Michael A Corriga , Archbishop o New York, is dead . In those few words is recorded the great mi sfortune which has befallen the Catholic Church in Am eri ca . Around that august and gentle figure of bishop an d father the enthusiastic love of his children and his lovable character had already created an aureola of immortality. Every one avoided the sa d thought that for him the last day in this vale of

e tears would come , the day when he would be compell d to leave his faithful priests and loving people an d when he would fly from the ca res and storms o f terrestrial life to Paradise to receive his eternal reward . The great and solid merits o f Archbishop Corrigan , to Whom history and the Church ! will accord the rank which is his due , cannot well be over

OO iou s e estimated . Of him it may be truly said that the p grac o f devotion poured out upon his flock Showed how great was the piety and efli ciency of his Spiritual government .

’ Archbishop Corri gan s gentle kindness to visitors was d remarkable . His goo humor was apparent not merely in his kindly welcome of unwelcome visitors . It was seen in every trial of his life . He was never caught with a frown on his

ffl . face . Nothing seemed able to ru e him Many instances

212 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

The scenes at the Cathedral , while the body lay in state, were so many mani festations of respect for his memory and

o f all s grief at his loss . People religion and man y of no religion patiently waited their turn to take a last glance at

dec d d the ease prelate, and as they passe his bier few could

- . R an d restrain their tears ich poor, Catholic and non Catholic , m gentle and si ple , learned and unlearned, all alike paid tribute m f to the emory of the third Archbishop o New York . On e u f very side one heard encomi ms o his gentleness and charity .

! His memory is an eternal benediction . R The oyal Prophet, rapt in the contemplation of future i d ’ ages , may be sa d to have pronounce Archbishop Corrigan s praises in the beautiful words My tru th and my mercy are with him . During the years Of episcopacy we can see d the reign of unbounde charity, unostentatious sanctity, and

- priestly zeal . For the past twenty nine years his love of

' Christ appeared in its brightest colors a nd also his respect

’ and a fi ectio n fo r God s poor . Well might the poor weep

o f over his bier an d lament his loss . In the words the

!

o f an d . We sacred writer, he was beloved God men are justified in applying to his life Cardinal Newman ’ s description o f the round o f days o f many a pastor up and down

Christendom ; a life barren o f great events and rich in small

o f a nd d ones ; a life Of routine duties , happy seclusion inwar peace ; o f an orderly dispensing o f good to all who came within his influence morning a nd evening ; o f a growth and blossom

n O f Go d ing a d bearing fruit in the house , and of a blessed death in the presence of his brethren .

his - The grand cathedral , now last resting place on earth ,

and resounded with the dirge of death , the hearts of those present beat in unison with the mournful cadences of the W T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R S , N E S PAP E R N O T I C E S 213

ae . m Dies Ir A ong holy things, says Schelling , there is an hi none holier th story, that great drama of the world m ! that everlasting poe of the Divine wisdom . And the future historian of the church in the United States will have no holier

episode to relate than the obsequies of Archbishop Corrigan . R ev . R . a The orator of the occasion , the Most Dr y n , Arch o f d bishop Philadelphia, justly applie to him the text, He

sanctified him in his faith and meekness and chose him out O f d m all flesh ; and place a crown of gold upon his itre , m wherein was engraved holiness, an orna ent of honor ; d a work of power , and elightful to the eyes for his beauty . d Therefore he ma e to him a covenant of peace, to

r a nd o f be the prince of the sanctua y his people , that the dignity of priesthood should be to him and to his seed

! forever . We would add that a full and true description Of the funeral

r n cannot be w itten . It is o t given to human intelligence to gauge the depths of grief of the sorrowful congregation who

an d fi were present at the obsequies . He was a gr gure in the

m firma A erican hierarchy, a bright star in the ecclesiastical

m d ru ment, and his loss was ad irably painte in the t ly eloquent sermon of Archbishop Ryan . To the world Archbishop Corri gan was a gentle and exalted dignitary of the Church , to his d faithful priests he was a father a nd a friend . The rec or ing angel has in the book of life the only full biography of

is the deceased prelate of the Church . And when that book n Opened, and not till then, will ma kind know the great services

an d which he rendered to the United States to the Church, of which he was such a distinguished ornament . From the day

fi m fire when His infant Church received her rst baptis of , the Almighty has never ceased to pour out His Spirit on all 214 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

m flesh , but from ti e to time He chooses some who may receive

al m these s utary strea s , not for themselves alone, but for a posterity which lives on their spirit and finds therein a bond

f o f o social unity and a source spiritual life and grace . And when thi s happens the grace o f the Holy Ghost clothes itself m with a particular outward for , puts on flesh and blood, and gives to each of these social bodies a tone an d coloring of its o n w . And that this may not seem unworthy of the Spirit

o f o d it . o f G , is enough to call to mind what St Jerome says the workings of the Holy Ghost in the Prophets . The same

l e sa Spirit inspired them al . W may y of Archbishop Cor

o f o f rigan what the holy Doctor says the speech Isaias ,

There was nothing vulgar about him, for he was a man of

! noble and gentle eloquence . Wh en God called Archbishop Corrigan to the episcopacy He gave him all the graces and gifts

d a nd cO - t necessary for his exalte station , he faithfully Opera ed m ’ with the . Hence his wonderful success in the Lord s vine

! yard . He was a true shepherd, and his faithful flock la ment his loss .

Th e E v ening P o st

TH E sudden death of Archbishop Corrigan, who was supposed to be in the way to early recovery, is a heavy blow to the

Church of which he was the loca l head . But it is something more than a cause Of grief in the R oman Catholic communion . n The Archbishop had made himself know to all New Yorkers, n not merely as a type of the Christia walk and conversation , but as a man of nobility in every aim and endeavor that human life is capable o f. He was a man who never did a thing or said a word for effect o r to win applause . His way of serving

216 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

charitable and educational institutions , it holds a disting u ished place . A mere scholar would have found the load too heavy m . an o f to bear Hence , being a capable business , and of not able physical endurance , the late Archbishop wa s able to meet the responsibilities o f hi s pla ce . Throughout the period of R his spiritual rule , the oman Catholic Church in New York kept pace with the amazing material development of the community .

Th e N ew York H era ld

NO T only the Church o f which he was so distinguished a prel ate , but the city and the whole nation have sustained a loss in the death of Archbishop Corrigan .

an By nature of a retiring d modest disposition, he seldom participated in public affairs outside his immediate eccle si

s ica l fl a t sphere , but when he did so his voice and in uence were always to be found working for all that was best for the general good .

a s He w an exemplary ecclesiastic, reflecting the greatest honor on the metropolitan see over which he presided a nd the

m o f American branch of his Church . The nu ber new parishes d he organize , the increase in the numbe r of clergy, the impetus

a d d m given to C tholic e ucation , and the great iocesan se inary

i m hi s l at Dunwood e bear a ple testimony to zea , and will be m m his most la sting e orials .

Th e B ro oklyn Citizen

TH E death of Archbishop Corri gan leaves a gap in the religious field which the Church of which he was SO sturdy an upholder will find it difficult to fill at once ; for he was cast in a mould W T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R S , N E S PAP E R N O T I C E S 217

that seems to fit no other a s yet well - known member o f the priesthood of his time ; a nd though a ll his great life work

was done in and for the Church, it wa s naturally marked by his o wn strong and purposeful individuality, and carried o u t along lines that his kn owledge and foresight assured of

success .

o f He had all the zeal the missionary, combined with the executive ability which enabled him to oversee the whole field f o the work that wa s carried on under his direction ; and the d e ucational institutions established under his guidance, the increase in the number of th e clergy and the organization of

the many new parishes as well as the progress a nd so lidifica

tion of the Older ones , are all living memorials of his fitness

for the high position he held in the Church .

The Alba ny E xp ress

TH E R fact that the late Most ev . Michael Augustine Corrigan was at the head of an archdiocese containing 220 m parishes and more than a million com unicants , was sufficient in itself to excite interest in the prelate ’ s condition prior

i a fi i rs to h s death . The director of the spiritual a of SO many people must necessarily have been gifted with excellent judg ment as well a s untiring zeal in behalf o f the interests which he represented to meet approbation at home and abroad .

Archbishop Corrigan was a brilliant, conservative prelate, d and, as the head o f the richest iocese in the world, exerted

man o f great influence in the Church . That he was a lovable nature was shown by the deep grief which thousands o f per sons o f all denomi nations manifested upon the announcement

a s . of his death . His very important work w well performed 218 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

o f He was a faithful servant the Church , and in his exalted office was ever mindful o f the strength and inspiration whi ch come through reliance upon the Lord . May the good and

’ true prelate s successor find inspiration in the noble life which has just ended !

Th e Albany Times- Uni on

BY the death o f Archbishop Corrigan the arrow o f sorrow Wi . V th went home deep in the public heart friends , a host, d and a mirers , a multitude , but few men prominent in the public eye were as beloved and admired as was he . Power always

n al e brings faw ers , ways b gets followers , but never produces the friends that stick through the thunders of Opposition and

n o f the lightni g Shafts disappointment, unless that power is m te pered by justice, love, and mercy. These were the qualities

’ that clothed Archbishop Corrigan s power and rule and made

o f a it always as attractive as the loadstone a m gnet, never repellant as princely sways sometimes become . There is no aspect Of Archbishop Corrigan ’ s life that is not a monument tohis memory and a credit to his Church . Broad

m o f of ind and liberal heart , he ever conducted himself in his episcopate as an exponent of the theory that his Church is

all n n the mother of the livi g, and as such never recrea t to

o f o r dry the tear sorrow allay the anguish, whether among

o f o r . As the mightiest the mighty, the lowliest of the earth

a s Of a nd benefa c a m a n he w the pink generosity, while the tions of others may be blared from public trumpets o r writ o n marble columns , those of Archbishop Corrigan were given in accordance with the biblical injunction of “ let not thy

! s left hand know what thy right hand doeth . He wa meek n o f manner and kind of heart . Owe no man anythi g, but

220 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

public welfare at every opportunity . He was broad and liberal

- al in his views, and this quality, associated with a well b anced

o f a nd fi him combination gentleness rmness , gave uncommon m power over those that ca e under his influence .

His Church mourns him as a prelate ; all Americans will

him eem - a s mourn as a loyal , progressive , est ed fellow citizen, a friend of humanity.

The N ewa rk Adv ertiser

IT is well observed by the New York Evening Post that the sudden dea th o f Archbishop Corrigan is something more than a cause of grief in the R oman Catholic communion . As

n the Post truly says , the Archbishop was know , not merely

a nd as a type Of the Christian walk conversation, but as a ma n of nobility in every a im and endeavor that human life f o f. o is capable His way serving his Master was unobtrusive , but his faithfulness to duty and his sweetness of disposition f ! could not go without the reward o public recognition . The Post adds that such a man leaves behind him a fragrant memory akin to that which after seven hundred years f ! o . still clings to the name o f St . Francis Assisi This noble tribute to a noble churchman is that O f the great metropolitan spirit which judges all men according to their characters and works . The Post speaks the mind o f every

a nd man who has Observed the career of the late Archbishop, can appreciate exalted qualities of character such as he pos

him m o ne sessed , qualities which raised from a hu ble priest to f of the proudest positions in the prelacy O his Church . Had d his career not been cut Short by eath, he would undoubtedly have received the red hat of the cardinalate . T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R S , N E W S PAP E R N O T I C E S 221

The P hila delphia P ress

No photograph o r other counterfeit of Archbishop Corrigan ’ s

features wa s satisfactory or more than a remote resemblance

to the face Of this distinguished prelate . There was some

o f quality feature , of expression, some characteristic by which

Ar fi d the chbishop was peculiarly identi e , especially to those who knew him best, which the camera could not catch an d

imprison , nor did any engraver ever master it by his art . The

’ portrait- painter found the Archbishop s feat ures not easy to

Oil reproduce in , While the characteristic expression, a singular

o f combination force and gentleness , seriousness, and kindly

al interest, the very qu ity which Matthew Arnold praised when

! O f did he spoke sweetness and light, not communicate itself

’ to the painter S brush . And this difficulty of transferri ng more than a remote like

’ ness of the Archbishop s features to canva s or to print was also experienced by those who attempted an analysis of o ne i of the most nteresting, in many respects brilliant, profoundly intellectual , and yet peculiarly practical and forceful char a c rs o ne e Of fl te of his time , and that has b en much in uence and in a certain direction Of pre -eminent authority a nd value

nd . in New York a , to some extent, in the entire country

’ For Archbishop Corrigan s personality, not meaning by

o f that hi s physical appearance , but the aggregate intellect and

m am o ne te per ent, was which baffled analysis at times, or, at d least, eluded analysis, excepting for those capable of stu y of n that kind, and having abunda t Opportunity through an acquaintance and friendship maintained for many year s with m the Archbishop , which made possible a revelation of his any sided character . 222 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

A peculiar distinction o f Archbishop Corrigan ’ s was that

and m of seeming to be young always , at the sa e time seeming

a nd always to be mature , he was , in fact, apparently thus

inconsistent . He was young in the freshness and vigor of

e o f his s ntiments in the innocence and purity all his emotions , and in his appreciation o f and fondness for the natural world

around him , a disposition which he always kept thoroughly

so in check that it would not master him . There was a sort

- - of child like innocence , Simplicity, and lack of self conscious ness which contributed strongly to the impression o f perma nent youthfulness of nature which was always Obtained by those who saw much of the Archbishop .

H IS KNOWLEDGE OF M E N

B UT o n u al the other hand, he was sing larly mature, most pre co ciou s d m , even in his boyhoo , not SO uch in respect to books o r fi d m pro ciency in school stu ies as in accuracy of judg ent, a capacity to look upon life and its responsibilities and the rela tions o f men and women to the life about them as well as

th e al o r m to mor higher life that indicated al ost precocity, f O . sometimes his instructors thought profundity, thought And this quality remained with the Archbishop throughout his life, so l that friends, especially those who met him in the socia life that he graced a nd in the companionship where he felt m m free from restraint, were so etimes a azed by listening to

a nd d mm brief but very lucid, clear, often profoun co ents upon

ff o f t the greater a airs this world, the in ellectual character of men hi who had ac eved or were achieving, while at the same

m difli dent time these com ents were made in an almost way, but

diffident not exactly , either, for the Archbishop was utterly

224 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

His executive capacity and performan ce may be traced to a remarkable power of concentration , a gift for economizing and systematizing time , an ability to direct those who carry out d n t d etails and to himself admi ister to the u most eta il . H a d d l his vocation been that of business , he woul easi y have taken place among the organizers o f great force s and among the

o f directors them, but it would not have been through any impressive physical demonstration . He did not have the fiery personal and physical characteristics of o ne o f hi s dis

i u ish t ng ed predecessors , John Hughes, who was a mighty force

Wa r in this city and in the nation at the time of the Civil , who could be Splendid in worthy passion and righteous indig nation and at times , too , when those qualities were necessary .

’ Archbishop Corrigan s achievement a s a business leader m would have been co passed partly by sheer intellectual force ,

o f as partly by consummate tact, of which no man New York w ever greater master, and partly by a singular power of gentle persuasion , which would, had he been a politician , have made him a masterly one .

H IS SPIRITUAL LIFE

H E had mastered whatever weaknesses o f hi s nature there ever

r so d we e , that he was completely ominated by spiritual force m and impulse . And when an exa ple was sought in this city

i o f so that the power of spiritual commun on , of piety, relig d ious, a s distinguished from moral, influence to ominate the

l o f man whole character, intellectua and temperamental , a ,

Archbishop Corrigan received that tribute . Others have been

e m di of saintly charact r, as was his im e ate predecessor,

Mc l k Ar i a s Cardinal C o s ey, but chbishop Corr gan w of that T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R S , N E W S PAP E R N O T I C E S 225

l qua ity, while at the same time maintainin g Often physically excessive and always exacting admin istrative an d executive w relations ith the diocese, which upon its business side h ad

e nl fi - b come not o y a great nancial , but a great cO Operative i — community . As a financ er and he had much o f that employ

l n ’ a . l ment, especi ly in con ection with St Patrick s Cathedra , and with the endowments o f the many charities an d philan th ro ies d p which were under his irection , as well as the finan ces — Of the Church , which were in the aggregate very large hi s m judgment was always keen and see ed to act intuitively . The

n an d an d a s able ba kers like Kelly Crimmins Grace , who, lay men, were often associated with him as advisers upon the

r O f r financial unde takings his diocese, lea ned not only to fi respect his judgment and to have con dence in it, but to look to him for the initiative . In some respects the fin ancial administration o f such a see as that over which Archbishop Corrigan was in authority

as an d a n is a s comprehensive , delicate detailed, d, in the f amounts o f money involved, as large as is that o some of o u r larger banking institutions . And when to this it is added that he was the administrative as well as the religious author ity over instit utions numbering in their membe rshi p nearly

o r persons , dependent upon philanthropy or charity,

di o f l upon the gentle, corrective scipline the Church, it wil be

o f seen that here was a veritable army itself, of which he was hi the head, and w ch , nevertheless , was only a small division

c re re o f that army, great in numbers and in influen e , which p i sented the whole of his archdiocese . From th s there will be some un derstanding of the purely administrative qualifications that are demanded of him who successfully directs as great

affairs as these . 226 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

AS A SCHOLAR

AN D yet this wa s only one side of this brilliantly complicated

’ character . The Archbishop was able to turn , after a day s labor at the archiepiscopal residence , not to lighter, but to dif ferent e things, and to b come on the instant the profoun d

al m scholar, the re acade ician . The breadth of his cultivation and the cosmopolitan character o f his learning may be illus tra ted d a m by an inci ent that occurred l st sum er . The Arch

wa s bishop taking his recreation in the late afternoon , as he was fond of doing, by a stroll upon Fifth Avenue . He liked

r the animation, the b illiant moving picture , the health and activity that are displayed at that hour o f the day anywhere

- Of from Twenty third Street and Fiftieth Street, a stretch a mile and a half. If he wa s a conspicuous figure upon the ff f . avenue , it was not by reason o any posing or a ec tation He

hi s h was conventional in dress , and to a stranger would ave

e o ne se med no more than any of the well , though modestly,

a s so o f dressed pedestrians ; but he w well known , he was such — high authority, his influence had been of such pre eminent

l one o f va ue , especially at time dangerous crisis, that he was a conspicuous object—more conspicuous than he himself ever

m wa s rea lized . He met one day last sum er, as he turnn at

- Twenty third Street to return , an humble parishioner, a

an Frenchm , teacher in a private school , a man of learning and o f fin e characte r, but who had always struggled for a liveli hood, and the Archbishop invited this teacher to walk back I with him, saying, I fear am a little rusty with my French, and if it will be agreeable to you I should like to talk with you in French as we stroll back . And there began then a con versation in the French language carried on by the Archbishop

228 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

Th e Utica Observ er

’ AR CHBISHOP CORRIGAN S career as admi nistrator o f the great see a nd of which New York is the centre , whose authority

a s a extended far away as the Bah ma Islands, was ended by

. H a s death at a comparatively early age e w , at the time of

ai his death, but little older than his predecessor, the s ntly — McClo skey who was elevated from the archbishopric of New — York to a cardinalate was when he entered upon hi s admi n i r i st at v e duties in this archdiocese . Archbishop Corrigan was nearly ten years younger at the time of his death than the mi age at which Archbishop Hughes passed away, after an ad n is ra i n f t t o o this di ocese in one of the stormiest o f times . But

— an d Michael Augustine Corrigan was always a mature , in — his boyhood, almost a precocious person . In his childhood

e ri b he was s ous, contemplative , studious, and was deemed oth

an by his teachers d by his boy associates to be, as the saying

Th al im . e h is , beyond his years same qu ity distinguished when he was passing through the university, and also when engaged in his theologica l and sacred studies . Of him it can

r hi s be said with perfect t uthfulness that, although intellect

so i ripened early, his intuitions were great and his capac ties s d o profoun that he was able to pass any instant, while still a young man in years, on the threshold of a career, from the

’ academy to the professor s chair, to the administration of o ne of the most important bishopri cs of his Church in the United

States . The facts that outlined the career Of Archbishop Corrigan as the public saw it have already been published ; and there has bee n appropriate , sympathetic, and most adequate com ment in the newspape r press upon the character and achieve T W 2 T E L E G RAM S , L E T E R S , N E S PAP E R N O T I C E S 29

o f ments this distinguished prelate . But it may be o f interest

set a fi a to forth briefly the more subtle qu li c tions, intellect u al

a s and moral , of Archbishop Corrigan, they were discovered by those wh o were privileged to have a closer intimacy with him than was possible for any who came in contact with his personality in no other way than through the administration of his ecclesiastical or his executive functions . In tempera m ent, the Archbishop was a singularly happy combination of those qualities which produce perfect serenity, even poise, tact , i and a kindly, gracious approach and communication with h s

- fellow men . He was blessed with a very keen sense of humor

m . and, within proper li itations , he allowed it full play For this

o f an reason he was , in his moments leisure d on those delightful occa sions o f social intercourse which he too seldom permi tted

one o f m o f - himself, the most char ing story tellers ; and he had

o f m a fund anecdotes , tinged with gentle , delightful hu or,

m s someti e with harmless , gentle satire , that, as he spoke , reminded those of hi s hearers who had been readers of the style and manner of Cha rles Lamb . If he had great passions , m he h a d thoroughly conquered the in his early life . He could be indignant, even earnest and passionate, but only n against wrongs or harmful tendencies, never agai st indi v idu a ls . It was probably easier for him than it would have

v hi m been for many men to preser e t s equableness of te per, d since it was a native quality, not needing much iscipline to m d e aintain ; but if iscipline had b en required, it would have

e - fo r be n self administered, Of all the citizens of New York

da m of his y and generation, none had his faculties , his e otions, his passions under such complete subjugation to his will and m to the subli e purpose which actuated his life, to a greater degree than Archbishop Corrigan . 230 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN His temperament was of the character that enabled him to Obtai n the highest results from his intellectual and his execu tive qualifications . His was an unusual combination Of very great executive ability with very profound powers o f reason ing, in the abstract as well as the concrete , with capacity to absorb, perfectly to digest and assimilate learning ; SO that he might o ne day be found devoted to the vocations o f a

n scholar, pure and Simple, and o the next be wholly occupied with the tremendous energies , with the swift and accurate

m and o f judg ent, the skilful use authority which the business administration of the vast machinery o f the archdiocese of which he was the head required . In this respect Archbishop Corrigan was peculiarly distinguished from his two immediate k al Mc lo s e . predecessors, Cardin C y and Archbishop Hughes

a s o ne o f Archbishop Corrigan w the most saintly of men .

But his archdiocese had grown SO enormously, it required such

o f constant and excessive employment executive faculties, even — fo r the purely business administration of it a n administra tion that involved the handling o f very large amounts of

o f money, the wise direction great landed or other prop

r i s m e t e , the ad inistration of estates and trusts , as well as the oversight o f many clergymen an d authority exercised over the bishops—that the remarkable business and executive fi d quali cations Archbishop Corrigan displaye were, with busi m ness men , ore apt to cause striking and impressive measure

’ o f S al ments the Archbishop qu ities , than did the saintly or scholarly character which was really even more fully devel oped than his executive and business capacity . It is an unusual m co bination . We have had a saintly administrator, pre eminently and conspicuously o f that quality, and we have had i a statesmanlike, aggressive , and wise business adm nistrator ;

232 A M E M O R IAL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

and of good some of evil, and that both together represented the Am erican people . He easily separated the vital from the unimport a nt ; and while there was never any toleran ce on his part for any partisan o r political action that involved what

d be o f he believe to a breach the moral law, there was , on the

an an c other h d, the greatest toler e for difference of opinion upon matters that were purely questions of expe diency o r of

o ne m policy. While of the fore ost and truest and most loyal and conscientious of the supporters Of the doctrine and author

so t ity of the Church he nobly represen ed, he was nevertheless

a al no bigot, and welcomed in all phil nthropies , in all great mor

i . works , the support of people of every denom nation Arch

man bishop Corrigan was a very great in intellect, in executive

b o f force , and in the perfect and a solute subordination his qualities o f tempera ment and o f intellect to his vocation and to his duties . He was a great man intellectually ; and he had

o f e m sh . the modesty true greatness , s eming at times al ost y

His death is a great loss to New York , a keen bereavement to a

ou t vast circle of friends , both in and of his Church ; and his m name will be honored and beco e a tradition , not only within the circle o f his Church an d o f his important authority in the

al . Church, but so throughout this community

In the great Cathedral leave him ; nd o m r s a G d hi . Ch i t accept, receive

THOMAS L . JAMES .

The Bu fia lo C ou rier

HARDLY was the public prepared for the intelligence that Arch bishop Corrigan died late Monday night, for it had seemed that the crisis of his illness had favorably passed, that the S W T E L E G RAM S , L E T T E R , N E S PAP E R N O T I C E S 233

o f all Of his o f prayers faith, the wishes his countrymen of fi whatever faith, were to be satis ed . But the peaceful rest whi ch stimulated hope for his recovery was to merge quickly into the rest eternal . His labors were finished and he went to hi s reward . The deceas e of this prelate is an event of sor rowfu l fi interest to the Christian world, for few in a eld SO great have performed SO vast a temporal as well as Spiritual

an work, increasing the t gible agencies of religion by the cre

o f ation churches , schools , and institutions of benevolence which veritably are a multitude .

Michael Augustine Corrigan was an appreciative, patriotic

f d o f citizen O the Unite States , ever regardful the welfare and jealous Of the honor of the land of his birth . While his life

d e labor was primarily for the a vanc ment of religion, he ever

r conducted himself to fu nish an example in good citizenship . Of his rapid and brilliant rise in ecclesiastical position and influence it is not needful to repeat the details here .

The Archbishop was a splendid combination Of moral ,

A S mental , and physical force . there are captains of industry

m so in our odern business life, was he a captain Of relig ion in

s beneficent America . His work was enormous, its re ults and enduring . Precious in the Sight Of the Lord is the death of His saints .

T he P rov idence Teleg ra m

f T I H L G ST G D .D . O MOS R EV . M C AE AU U INE CORRI AN , , Archbishop l New York, whose death occurred at the episcopa residence in

o f New York City last night, was one the foremost prelates in

first- d the United States . He was rated with the gra e scholars

wa s Of the Catholic Church in America, and renowned for his 234 A M E M O R I AL T O AR C H B I S H O P C O R R I GAN

l - sa crificin ff f i piety, zea , and self g e orts in the line o h s duty.

wa s Old as e The Archbishop not an man, churchm n go , being

- two . H hi but sixty e had lived the strenuous life, but s labors had been strictly in the line of, closely in harmony with, the

in . duties of his sacred call g Unlike some other noted prelates, Archbishop Corrigan never mingled in politics ; his life work wa s in the Church, which had honored him and which he had honored .

u i e r To the Ch rch, wh ch he lov d , was given his eve y thought, and in its servi ce he expended his energies with no care for

- f the hardships to self . In fact, self e facement was the key i O f a . h s note his priestly ch racter His flock had constant care , and the growt h o f hi s archdi ocese is the best monument to hi s memory.

The Buffa lo Times

T o f ri H E predictions the physicians of Archbishop Cor gan, as dl announced in The Times of yesterday, have been sa y fi veri ed, and the distinguished prelate breathed his last Shortly

’ after 11 o clock last evening. Archbishop Corrigan was a man of extraordinary educa

ional o f t u t attainments , loving and affectionate na re, broad minded an d generous ; loved and reverenced by his own

r Church , and held in the highest esteem by othe s . He was

fi and essentially the right man for the position which he lled, his death h a s created a grievous loss, which will not easily be replaced .