The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-07
DlSSENSION IN A CHURCH.
TIE CRITICISM or FATHER O'DWYER
BY SOME or MS PEOPLE.
Something Like n Feud between Two Priests
-Chnrges OF had Financial Management
A Congregation Rcseutfui OF Plain Talk.

congregation in NOrwalk. Conn. is In n fever
ish state of dissatisfaction. meeting OF some
OF the members was recently held. in which n
committee was named to lay the troubles COM
planned of before the Bishop in Hartford. Mr.
Sherry. ono Of the committee. arose and said
that ho would not serve. lie would checrfully.
he snid. be one Of acommittee to lay the troubles
before the pastor. This proposition was not re-
coivcd with favor. and the meeting had no re-
suit except to deepen the feeling Of discomfort.
The church property Is said to be worth over
100000. II consists Of large and handsome
church edifce. built Of blue stone in 1870. and
of several houses including commodious pnr-
sonagc. Toward the construction Of tho church
Tweed. Connolly. and Woodward. who were at
that time investing money in Connecticut con-
tributcd $500. Ex-Gov. English gave 800.
Two years ago. in the holiday season. Father
Smith. tho late pastor. was thrown from car
riage. He died. and tho Vicar General as
signed Father O'Dwyer OF the Ansona
parish. to the charge. About six weeks
later Father 0'Dwyer displaced Miss Kate
shea the orYanist OF ihe church, and appointed
Miss Shea was well liked in tho church. and her
friends were greatly irrltatcd Several excel
lent singers Withdrew from the choir. Soon
rangcments for position rs orRanist in the
Daneury chprch, vis,t was made by The pas
| this. negotiations were peremptory broken of
by the Danbury pastor. NIiss shea's friends
unfriendly representations OF Father O'Dwycr
| Th9 friends ot the pastor say that he had cause
% dlsplaace MISS shea on account of criticisms
ny that he had made threats that he would pro-
y"nt her from getting another engagement.
creased 10y remark. repeated among tho CON
grcgation as coming from Miss Howe. that the
| congrcgaiion was unfit To- be played for
| Father Smith sudden death left the congro-
cation in doubt as to its financial affairs. owing
ps7 , 9f y records aad ~ qny ,6 81 g g2pe
| k"ena grocer and saloon Keeper. and John
fahyi who is semployed on The Danbury Railroad
freight wharf. for carelessness in not having
with the affairs Of the church. The congrega-
falling on In the collcctions To increase the
weekly revenue. Father O'Dwyer established
what is called am@ng the congrcgation " the
| Every member who attended the g., A. VI. mass
was requested 10 pay ten cents at the door.
| whether or not he was pew holder. Father
| O'Dwyer would frequently stand at the door
himself it Is said. 10 see tha, his request was
| carried out. The majority of the congregation
are working mon and women, who usually
attend this carly mass IN order that they may
| Many did not give tho money. aud there are
| loud comp laints that the .priest. while standing
| al the door, reproved them in vigorous
language. In the pulpit, 50 members report. he
called the congregation thick headed Micks.
grizzly bears" "impudent. bold men and
ton than ourselv,s" Arcrward he is said to
have cOmpla aimed Of n falling on Of the revenues
which he claimed were NJ, morethan one-thiri
| OF what they had been. He said that he would
make the people pay. and that they could not
In meeting called to make arrangements
| for new survey ol the church cemetery. the
Old maps and records were called for. Father
ODwyer said there were no maps 10 be found
| Messrs. Nj Nation and Hartford blamed Trus-
tee keena for their loss. 1t is claimed that they
icnied Mr. Keona i in the meeting. and on the
following sunday, said 70 the c9ngregati9n that
and violent language in the house - God as he
had heard In the me'ins; committee was
ne -ald that hc had made man 81 the ceme-
tcry. hui that he did nnt know where It was.
the congregation say Father Onwyer put the
church IN debt about 500 for picnic that did
the sumect ihey claim thnt he said he wished
he had put them IN debt twice as much. .
We have an excellent band In Norwaik.'
but Father O'Dwycr was not satisfied with
that, lie had 20 send way 70 AnsJnia for a
Father Smith was able 10 make payment. ~
$1,000 year on tn" church debt and hat few
collections. while Father q Dwycr. Il is claimed.
l. not paying of the debt, and has special
needs
Another accusation made against the priest
hy many OF the Temperance incmh"rs of the
congregation Is that b" ol"nly advised hi- Ia-
ai the snme time donouncing In opprolrious
terms, the women AT the hcad ofihc tnmlerau' 'e
! movement ia ilif tlMi. llll1 llNliil WIS lf-
-uhlrri ola bitter coulrov.r.y. Toths charge
another Is added. that his personal nahlt- in
the matter Of drinking DO ~ form good eN-
ample 10 the young men of his ilork. II Is not
charged TINT ho gets ntoNlrated. but that he
late.'i that at The iasi men pcnit al Grcsory
Point h.. with the members of his household
AMI some friends attended. and that Riterward
they went IN boat to Peach Leland. carrying
with them u keg Of lager beer. He Is known in
Norwalk as a man of fin" conversational powers
| al
pnri of the abstraction of the congrega-
ton expresses itself in sympathy for Father
Byrne the assistant pastor member Of the
congregation Yesterday told reporter for TIE
SrN that on New Years eye Father Byrne was
the morning Then he was obliged TO got up %
say mass at 3 \. o'clock. Hethen went out max
n nr 6 S on INV wb iS Rt9anI IS gn mads
ly visit 10 one Of his parishioners. Al about
"a he arose. rcmarkng that. # he ala not go
home ~ once, the door would be locked against
him. Whom he went homo no found the door
locked. but managed TO gnin ,admttancre. lie
Friends who knew ~ this were very Indignant
What, however has created The most talk OF
Christmas. aud which. tho members say. was
intended tofrlhe two priests Jointly. II amount,
ed to about $500, Father Byrne i was believed
this. So great was the indignation that q sub
5erlplion was ,startnd' uhknowh T. Rather
. subscribed In the northern part Of the town
alone II is estimated that If subscriptions ar,
lnhlH I'D lllf INrl 81 llN lulNu ~ lNIhllf, lili
total amount will be swellcd TO 81 600. No one
Is giving less than 81. One memhrr Of III,
church told the writer that Father Byrno had
repeatedly been oblisod To- borrow an oVefcoat
In the hcat Of last summer he made all his calls
on the sick on foot. through parish at leas
four miles wide. All this time q horse that be-
longed to the church was turned out to pasture
Such ia the story told by his sympathiZinl
parishioners. On the other hand 1t II said tina
The horse was sick and needed to be kept oi
grass. II is said also that the extra work I'M
posed on Father Byrne results from Fathe
O'Dwyer's sickness. Ho suffers from acut
rheumatism.
As "A last complaint, 1t IL imputed to Fathe
ODwyer AS AN offence against hi congregation
that no retains Messrs. Fahy and keena rs trus
tees Of the church. The trustees. according L
section 10. article H. Of the Revised Statutes o
Connecticut. shall be appointed annually b.
the committee Of the congregation and thre
: members OF this corporation lthe corporation
consisting OF the Bishop. the Vicar General, tn
pastor and the two truSteesl, OF which one shnl
be- a layman, shall constitute u quorum Tor tn
transaction Of business" On Now Years Day
committee OF four mombers, appointed 10y Faith
er o 'Dwyor reappOinted Fahy and keona. II 4
claimed that tho expression in the Revised Stat
utes " committee OF the congregation refers Il
a committee 10 be elected by the congregal ion
The dispute over this point ~ very wnrm. TN
two trustees are not personally QDjectiunable L
many OF the congrogationi but It IL held tina