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 Pensioners
Satisfied in Their
Vindication.
OF HIS CAREER

at a quarter to nine O'Clock last night, at the
rectory on Willow avenue. To within u
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
parishioneIs 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 SICKNESS.
Father Corrigan's actions that day were
| those of a man who had received yindlcatlon.
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 Corri-
gan grew worse and had to take to his bed.
Sunday, at all the masses, he was prayed
i for. Monday a change for the worse took
| 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 momentarily expected.
A oai y, no 20 1liaH and ar noon Yesterday WAS
reported very well.
The Improvement continued during the
law, 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,
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.
| 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
| parishioners 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 misfor-
tunes, n the poor men felt they had lost a
friend.
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
Father CorTigan was fifty-nine years old.
| He was born in Ardmore, county Longford,
| Ireland. When he was thirteen years old
= ~ %l.- 1o-r,f " aa1
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 kelly'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 HaIlows College in Dublin, where he
completed his theological studies. he re-
turned to Mount st. Mary's and was ordain-
| ed by Archbishop Kenrick for this diocese.
He was assigned to st. Peters Church, of
which the venerable Father Kelly was still
pastor.
begun the erection of a new church at Van
| Worst and Grand streets. Father Corrigan
| completed it, and also built a new parochial
1 CuOOl kb. L " . AOLO wa -
| was sent to Fort Lee, where he remained
| long enough to build a new church. IN 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.
Father Corrigan agreed to give up the
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 next work was to organ
ize st. Bridgets parish in this city. He
built a modest church there, and had in con-
temptation the erection of the present inn
posing building, when he wass 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 have 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
| al11cdUle dfTduSeIuSuu was Iidu0 ny WAlSu
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, enot to say quarrels,
| with other ecclesiastics gave him a reputa-
ton 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 Q o of the phanphlet 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 have 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
| seouently the Third Plenary Council of
| Baltimore gave him a complete vindicatlon
| by adopting his views.
From the time of his suspension until the
day before his death the relations between
Father Corrigan and the Bishop were
| strained, but there was no open rupture
| until a little more than a year ago, when
| a+har Cor1Soau mnde a hitter attack uDOn