The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-10
CORRIGAN DEAD.
The Hoboken Priest Passed
Quietly Away Last
Evening.
OF HIS CAREER.
His Last Words to His Practitioners
Satisfied in Their
Vindication.

| at a quarter to nine o'clock last night, at the
rectory on Willow avenue. To within \
! quarter of an hour of his death hopes were
| entertained of his recovery. He had rallied
| during the day. Just previous to his death
he raised himself in bed as if to relieve him
self of the feeling Or numbness that is oc-
casioned by lying still. He then sank
back exhausted and expired.
Father Corrigan's last u%tterances to his
congregation were On New Years day.
Though he was suffering from a cold and
could speak but above a whisper, he assembled
the pulpit at all the masses and thanked the
parishione1s for their Christmas offering.
He said it was the largest ever taken up in
the church, and considering the hard times
and other matters which he did not feel at
liberty to talk about, he felt that they had
done nobly for him, and by their actions
had expressed faith in their pastor and the
work he was performing. He then spoke OF
the New Year. wishing all happiness and
prosperity. urging all to be ever watchful of
their spiritual welfare, for no one can tell when
death win step in. He hoped, he said, That
they would be many years together as pastor
and congregation.
HIS CKNES
Father Corrigan's actions that day We're
CHOSC OL d HILL II letd ACSN1fNNt
Every person in the parish knew of his
troubles, but of them he would not speak,
as. if he did SO, it would give scandal, he
said. That day and next day Father CORR
gan grew worse and had to take to his bed.
Sunday, at all the masses, he was prayed
for. Monday a change fer the worse LOOK
place, and the doctors became alarmed.
But the priest rallied in the afternoon. To-
wards evening he relapsed into a high fever,
and his death was m~omentarlly expected.
Again he rallied, and at noon yesterday was
reported very we'll.
The improvement continued during the
dav. and towrad evening DIR. Chabert said
he might possibly live. Father Hennessy
and Father Sheehan of st. Patrick's Church,
this city, and Dean McNulty of Paterson,
who had been in almost constant attendance
upon him since Monday, thought they
might safely go home and take a much
needed rest. Dean McNulty went away IN
the afternoon, and Fathers Hennessy and
Sheehan left about eight O'Clock in the even
ing.
Half an hour later a sudden change came
over Father Corrigan, and fifteen minutes
afterward he was dead. Dr.. Chabert, several
Sisters of the Poor from st. Mary's Hospital,
and some of the priests relatives were at his
deathbed.
When it became known Sunday that
Father Corrigan was seriously i'll, crowds OF
p~arishioners gathered on the street IN front
of the rectory every night, remaining there
till midnight. They talked in whispers.
Last night the crowd was dense, and when
the sad intelligence was conveyed to them
old men cried like children. Father Corrigan
had helped many of them in their mlsfor-
tunes, and the poor men felt they had lost a
friend.
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
Father Corrigan was ffty-nine years old.
He was born in Ardmore, county Longford,
r. H. -" uua- hIrfan yva0 arc Dld
his parents emigrated to this COUNT y, n
his father engaged in the furniture business.
At that time Father Kelly, a brother of
Eugene Kelly, was pastor of old st. Peters
Church, this city. Young Corrigan's mod
esty and piety attracted Father Kely's at
tention and he took the boy under his
special charge. After receiving a prelim-
mary education in the parochial school,
and afterward in a select school, Corrigan
was sent to Mount st. Mary's Seminary in
Wilmington, Del. From there he went to
All Hallows College in Dublin, where he
| completed his theological studies. He re-
turned to Mount st. Mary's and was ordain-
ed bv Archbishop Kenrick for this diocese.
He was assigned to st. Peters Church, of
which the venerable Father Kelly was still
pastor.
Shortly before his death Father Kelly had
| begun the erection of a new church at Van
| Worst and Grand streets. Father Corrigan
| completed it, and also built a new parochial
| school. From st. Peters Father Corrigan
| was sent to Fort Lee, where he remained
| long enough to build a new church. On the
| death of Father Kelly, Archbishop Corrigan,
| who was then Bishop of the diocese OF New
| ark, appointed Father Corrigan to succeed
| him. He continued in charge of st. Peters
until the project of building a college was
suggested.
| church and turn it over to the Jesuits on
| condition that they build the proposed col
lege, The condition was accepted, and st.
| Peters Church and College, and st. Aloysius
Academy are now among the finest church
| properties in the diocese or in the State.
Father Corrigan's mex work was to organ
lie st. Bridget's parish in this city. He
built a modest church there, and had in con-
| temptation the erection of the present i'm
posing building, when he was assigned by
| the Bishop to take charge of st. Mary's, this
| city, one Of the most desirable charges in
| the diocese. Although considerably in debt
at that time, it is now free from debt, and
| for that reason forms one of the two churches
in the diocese that ave been consecrated.
The venerable Father Senez, who had
been Pastor of st. Mary's was sent to Hobo
ken. He had grown old and gray in the
| service, and he was discontinued with his
| charge in Hoboken because a new church
| building had just been started by Father
| Duggan, and Father Senez did not care to
| face the arduous work of completing it. An
| amicable arrangement was made by which
| Father Corrigan went to Hoboken, and
Father Senez returned to St Mary's. where
| he is yet.
With his accustomed energy Father Cor
rigan completed the church, which is named
the Church of Our Lady of Grace. He also
built a new rectory and a new chool.
HIS FIGHT FOR PRIESTS RIGHTS.
Father Corrigan's aggressiveness and his
| misunderstanding, not to say quarrels,
with other ecclesiastics gave him a reputa-
tion which is not confined to this country.
His first quarrel with Bishop Wigger oc-
CURED some years ago, when Father Cor
| rigan issued a pamphlet which he intended
to send broadcast among the Catholic
| clergy.
A copy of the phamphlet fell into Bishop
Wigger's hands, and he promptly ordered it
suppressed. Father Corrigan in the pamph-
let advocated a complete change IN the
method Of appointing Bishops. He held that
the priests of a diocese in which there was a
vacancy should nave a voice in the matter.
He refused to suppress the pamphlet, hold
ing that his views were correct. Bishop
| Wigger suspended him, and he spent a few
| DAYS in the Passionist Monastery in West
Hoboken. The difficulty was settled on his
promise not to circulate the pamphlet. Sub
seduently the Third Plenary Council of
Baltimore gave him a complete vindication
by adopting his views.
From the time of his suspension until the
day before his death the relations between
rather Corrigan and the Bishop were
strained, but there was no open rupture
until a little more than a year ago, when
Father Corrigan made a bitter attack upon