The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-02
REV. C0RRIGAN'S STORY.
He Doesn't Blame the
Bishop, But He Does
His Advisers.

Inc Rev. Patrick COrFlgan OF HoD0ken,
In an open letter to the press this morn
ing on the subject of his controversy with
Bishop Wigger. acknowledges that he
apologized to the Bishop, as stated in
The JERSEY CITY NEWS Friday evening,
November IS. In his letter this morning
he says
Iregret very much that the Bishop did not
allow the thing to drop, as | had earnestly
requested him, while expressing my sorrow that
had inadvertently occasioned Archbishop Cor
rigan and himself any annoyance while was
dscharging what regarded a sacred duty to
my Church and country.
REFUSED AN EXTENSION OF TINE.
Speaking of the approaching eccleslas-
tical trial, he says
I received two weeks notice of the coming
trial, and when | asked reasonable extension
of time | was peremptorily refused though l
explained how the approach of Christmas and
the care of my great school. and the lack of one
of my assistants eftame hardly moment to
spare. Besides had to secure an ecclesiastical
lawyer, for the Bishop has engaged for himself
the only one in the diocese, thus forcing me to
seek one outside the diocese, and one who per-
haps may be unwilling TO come.
Father CorrIgan reiterates his conten
tion that he has opposed two things only
In his letters, namely, the attempt to
Germanize America by means of the
church, and the denunciation of the pub
lie schools by the German Catholic
schools as denominations. He says
his criticisms were substantially
those which appeared in some of
the New York dailies, and which criti-
cisms included Bishop Wigger and Arch
bishop Corrigan No attempt at refuta-
tion were made by either of these prelates,
although the criticism appeared month
previous to Father Corrigan's letters,
HIS RIGHT TO RESENT.
INokh 10 r1sir DO no 11o
feet right to resent the attacks of these
foreigners, aud if his references
to Archbishop Corrigan and Bishop
Wigger were somewhat pointed,
he does not think they give reason
able grounds for trial. He
says he never spoke disrespectfully
of the Bishop. and remained silent when
the newspapers represented Bishop Wig
ger as characterizinR him as crank. He
says he never had the slightest personal
feeling against the Bishop, though they
disagreed on matters of church pol1ty.
Continuing Father Corrigan writes:-
do not precisely blame the Bishop for many
of his very extraordinary actions, those against
myself included He Is man of uutiring zeal
perhaps the most extraordinary Bishop of the
country in this respect.
Archbishop Corrigan was instrumental in his
appointment (and here l may mention with
perhaps some palliation of my own case that
= the Metropolitan and himself found more
Than subject en- which they agreed to dis
agree). Archbishop Corrigan and Bishop Wig
ger were not on speaking terms for years till
CahenslyiSm united them against Archbishop
Ireland and Cardinal Gibbons.
The Bishop began work with the best posi-.
bic intention and with the good will of all the
clergy. He naturally turned for counsel in
direction where he had ample reason to expo ct
it. but the little Machiavelian clique abused
his simple confidence and poisoned his mind
against the priests who were his real
friends and the very soul of the diocese. One
act after another followed, to the aston ishment
of the clergy and the modification of those who
had made MIN Bishop
THE LITTLE MACHIAvELLI
These acts were certainly foreign to the
Bishops character and intentions, and can
only be explained by the extraordinary infiu-
ence of the little Machiavelli, who seemed to
manifest special hostility against Archbishop
Corrigan's friends, though he had bsen or years
most obsequous admirer of that prelate, and
had wormed himself into the confidence of the
young priests who were supposed to reflect the
Archbishop's mind. The Archbishop's selec
tion of DR.. Wigger as his successor put quietus
on the episcopal ambition of the alien to whom
| refer.
He, however, managed to retain his influence
for time with the young priests by telling
them that he had the written promise of the
Vicar Generalship from Bishop Wigger. When
they found that this statement was untrue
and that influences were at work against Arch
bishop Corrigan's friends they dropped him
as a person would a hot iron. This being
the case it was difficult for those behind the
scenes to determine whether the INSCRIPTIONS
ecclesiastc was laboring to mortify the Arch
bishop OF to rule the diocese by means of his ex-
traordinary influence over Bishop Wigger.
The "llttle Machiavelli" referred to
above is Mgr. de Concilio, pastor of st.
MichaeI's Church. this city. Father
Corrigan refers to an instance in the his
tory of the diocese when Mgr. de ConciIio
endeavored to persuade the Bishop that it
would be impossible for any one
but him to borrow $4,000 to
meet note due the following day.
Father CorrigaD, on this occasion, placed
$50. 600 at the disposal of the Bishop. He
writes further of personal matters affect
ing the Bishop and his management of
the diocese. and concludes as follows:-
The case is not tri6ing one it has already
attracte the attention of the whole country
The refusal to grant ample time only
shows how imperfect is our tentative legsla-
tion and how completely it places priest at
the mercy of the Bishop. who for one reason or
another may render it very difficult, if not al
most morally impossible, for priest to obtain
justice save by an appeal to Rome, and this nee
cessarily requires much time and money, and
not infrequently ends in breaking the heart of
many noble priest