The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-23
CORRIGAN EXPLAINS
Why He Didn't Divide the
All Souls Day Money
With His Assistant.
A VERY BAD SYSTEM.
Hints That Mgr. Satolli is Con-
sidering Very Serious Charges
Against Rev. DR.. Fabris.

The Rev. Patrick Corrigan made state
ment this morning to JERSEY CITY NEWS re-
porter explaining his position respecting the
recent difference between himself and Father
Fabris of the Church of Our Lady of Grace,
Hoboken. Father Corrigan spoke as fol-
lows st
FATHER coRRIGAN's STATEMENT.
Il absolutely declined to saysa word yes
terday when your reporter called on me in
relation to the story which has appeared
this morning in relation to alleged diff
culties between myself and my assistant
priests and alleged conflict of authority be-
tween the Apostolic Delegate and Bishop
Wigger occasloned by those difficulties l
still decline to enter into any discussion of
the matter, as it is in the hands of the
Delegate. l may say, however, that it is
the result and, trust, the last dying effort
OF most shameless conspiracy that has been
waged against me since | wrote the little
pamphlet which Bishop Wigger condemned
at its appearance in 1888 The little work
was an honest and earnest cry for new legis-
lation for the American Church, and it
found an echo in the heart of every Ameri-
CdA Wu6buer CdLDOllc OF nOu-CaGlOuc. Ouo
OF its results was the Baltimore Council of
1884, and its first triumph was the estab-
llshment OF Papal Delegation at Washing
ton and the consequent promulgation of the
Pope's liberal policy on the relation of
Catholics to the public schools.
FALSEHooD.
'1The only things worth nothing in the
communication do not bear ON the merits of
the case at all; besides they are absolutely
false refer to the statements that asked
DIR. Fabris to work against Bishop Wigger
and Archbishop Corrigan,' and that in
sisted that he should undertake the defense
of a certain priest All that l ever asked
the doctor to do was the translation of few
letters into Italian and these letters have
already appeared in all the newspapers, as
they related to the discussion on the school
question. As to the alleged defense of the
priest, told him, when | had ascertained
that he was interfering in the matter, that
the priest could make no possible defense of
his conduct.
THE statement that the Papal Delegate
and DR.. Fabris were intimate friends in
Italy needs considerable modification, for,
according to the Delegate himself, his first
acquaintance with the reverend doctor was
made in California. The reverend doctor
seems to have travelled extensively.
THE MONEY MATTER
''The question of the disposition of the
money offerings for the masses on the feast
of All Souls requires some explanation
About ten years OF more ago some priests
started the practice of announcing to their
people that in place of offering the mass on
November for all the souls in Purgatory,
as was the custom, they would offer it only
for the deceased whose friends would send
their names to the priest on slip of paper
enclosing sum of money. The offerings in
a parish like mine amount to about $500 in
prosperous times Many priests at first re-
garded the practice and the motives with dis
favor, and protested against it to the ecclesi-
astical authorities. They were told that,
though not favoring the practise, it would
beSolerated on condition that the priest
made the people to understand distinctly the
terms on which the masses were to be said.
Gradually all the priests of the diocese
adopted the custom, but there was no special
law regarding the division of the money.
Some gave portion to the assistants, but on
what conditions do not know, others gave
all to the poor and nothing to the assistants.
1.-The terms on which the mass was or
masses were to be said were binding on the
priest, and formed a kind of contract be-
tween him and the people. l always told
them before any offering was, the number
of masses they were to expect. Sometimes
I guaranteed one mass, sometimes more.
but always made it distinctly known that
the money would be spent for the poor.
Whenever l asked the assistants to say
extra masses for the same intention, I
always made it known to the people; I
always allowed the assistants to take care
of the box which contained the money and
to count the latter and give me an equal
share with themselves. | never thought it
necessary to tell them that they We're to
spend the money in charity, for they had
always heard the announcement made to
the people of the use to be made of their Of
ferlngs, and have never questioned the fact
that my former assistants ever made any
other use of it. think that the practice Of
gathering money in this mannar should be
absolutely abolished, as a great scandal, if
the offerings are not used, as they are, for
charitable purposes.
CONTRACT WITH THE PEOPLE.
''Now to the question of your correspond
ent. Previous to the Feast of All Souls. last
November 2, made known on seven or
eight occasions from the pulpit that there
would be three high masses and no other
masses offered for the intention of those who
should make pecuniary offering, and that
the money was to be used in charity
celebrated the three masses myself without
any help whatever from any of my three
assistants. did this to shut off any possible
claim on the part of the assistants and to
control the distribution of the funds for the
poor on account of the great severity of the
winter. My extra precautions were
not in vain, for the money had
hardly been taken from the box when
the Rev. Dr. abris asked me for his share
of the money. | told him. in surprise, that
neither he nor any of the others had any
claim at all on the fund, as l had made dis
tinct contract with the people, and that their
money would reach the poor. He then told
me that he was very poor, and that / should
give him share on that account did not
suspect the sharp game which the Rev Doc
tor was even then playing, but subsequent
developments proved it, and proved that 1
was too much on my guard against any pos
sible surprise; for had / given him a share
of the fund on such plea he would
have claimed an equal share for the
others, in whose interest he was evidently
acting, and for whom, as your. correspon-
dent claims, he appealed to the Delegate,
though in vain. Failing in his efforts to get
any for himself on the plea of poverty, he
told that his brother in Chicago was poor
out of employment on account of Just
having lost an eye. In the light of
subsequent events, which I have resolved
not to touch, this last appeal may have been
used for the same end as the first, but with a
like result. l said, however, that even if a
division had been made his share would not
be much over fifty dollars, and that would
give him that amount of the fund in charity,
but not because of any claim to it in Justice
gave him the fifty dollars and / subse-
quently gave him ten dollars, and yet the
reverend gentleman joined his fellow asssis-
ants in appealing to the Bishop for his share
of the money. The Bishop,as your informant
says, has commanded me to pay the money
to Father Callaghan of Fast Orange, as
sistant, at that time, to Father Fitzpatrick