The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-02-13
BISHOP WIGGER'S RULING.
Father Anne May Preach in German
ST. RenrY's the Priucinal Church


st. Henry's the Principal Church.
The Rev. Father Thomas M. Killeen of
st. Mary's Star of the Sea Church, and
the Rev. Father Bernard William Ahne
of St. Henry's Church of Bayonue, read
to their congregations yesterday auta-
graph letters from Bisho Wigger, ruling
upon the controversy between those tw Q
priests. Th letters are identical exec pit.
ln0 the necessary difference In addresses
Father Ahner read his letter as follows
"SEToN HALL COLLEGE.
"SoUTH ORANGE, Feb. .. 1893.
9Th Rev. Father Ahne:
DEAR REV. SIR-Haying had a confer
ence on the matter with the most Rev.
Delegate Apostolic. Archbishop Satolli, !
lows:-The limits of ST. Mary's will ex.
tend to st. Henry's Church, Twenty
sixth street; the new parish to be called
the United Churches of st, Thomas aud
st. Henry, Will begin at St. Mary's,
Twenty-sixth street, and thence run
uorthWard.
"The Rev. Father Ahne will be rector
of this new parish and the congregation
will worship In St. Henry's Church.
''On Sundays the rector will preach in
English at the first and in English and
German ut the second mass, as he has
done in the past.
ION feast days, If the congregation SO
wish, the rector will, at his discretion,
say mass in st. Thomas's.
"St. Thomas's will henceforth be used
exclusively for divine service. except, of
course, the four class roo ms which are on
the first aoor.
please read this notice to your con-
gregation at every mass next Sunday. l
send a similar notice to Rev. Father
Killeen. With best wishes I remain,
yours very truly, ". M; W5saER.
"N. B.-The Bishop also promises that
in case of Father Ahne's death or of his
removal to another parish, he will appoint
an English-speaking priest in his place.
"W. M. w"
The reported decision of Monsignor
Satolli said that st. Thomas's was to be the
principal and st. Henry's the subordinate
church, and all ermon and instructions
In both churches were to be given in En-
glish. Bishop Wigger makes st. Henry's
the principal aud ST. Thomas's the sub
ordinate church. Father Killeen's terri
tory is excluded from Twenty-fourth
street to Twenty-sixth street, rs it was
announced Monsignor Satolli had direct
ed. Father Ahne commented on the let
ter as ~follows:-
lin all probability my Bishop and 1
will be accused of Cahenslyism by out
slders. My people have never complain
ed, and it is surprising that at the very
masses at which / preach Id German The
largest congregation is present. Now,
what is Cahensiyism? 1t Is the earnest
effort and endeavor TO Keep immigrants
from falling away from the Church by
instructing and exhorting them in the
only language they understand.
ttCahenSlyism is often understood to
mean the fostering of foreign Institutions
in the Church. This is an Interpretation
which las nothing TO do with the short
sermons preached in German to the
Catholics in this church."
Father Anne discussed the financial
reasons for not maintaining st. Ihomas's
Church as a separate parish. He said st.
Henry's had paid $12,2 200 on properly
worth S22, 400. That property, of course,
was controlled by Germans. GA ST.
Thomas,s less than 81, 600 hap been paid.
and a debt of $40, SOB had been assumed
by the congregation OF st. Henry's. The
question remained which congregation
benefited most. by the abandonment Of
Thomas's. The Germans no longer
constituted d majority In the united con
docs this show that the
Bishopsfavored the Germaus?" he asked.
.Why did the Bishop select this church
In preference to St. 1homas's? This
has 300 sqaare feet of room more
than ST. Thomas's and is too small at
Father Killen made no comment from
pulpit. He said 10 reporter that the
Bishop's ruling was "a complete somer-
He had a letter from Mgr.
Satolli which might put a new APP
GU affairs, but be was
not ut liberty to disclose now. He did
not see how ST. Thomas's Church could
be reopened right away. IL was dis
aud had been used as a dance
hall, Father Ahne did net pay the inter-
est on 5000 advanced bv an insurance
comp my toward ST. Thomas's, aud
kiileen had to pay II. The mat
ter waa by no setllel.' he said.