The San Francisco call., 1896-03-23
The Late Father Arden Planned
and Built the Present
Edifce.
PROGRESS OF THE NEW CHURCH
Fourteen Hundred Barrels of Cement
Will Be Needed for the Foun.
dation Alone.

Father Cottle is very progressive
man. He is worker and builder as well
as preacher. Six years ago the Archbishop
made him pastor of st. Bridget's Church,
corner of Van Ness avenue and Broadway.
1t was then burdened with debt, and the
manner IN which he swept it away during
his brief pastorate is q matter Of history.
That is why the parishioners look upon
Father Cottle as great worker, and he
always works to a good end; he plans. he
builds, he accomplishes something at
every step.
st. Bridget's parish was established in
1862 by the late Archbishop Alemany.
Father Arden, who died a few days ago at
Benicia was the first pastor. He was a
Domini can, and for many years guided
the destiny of the parish. Like Father
Cottle he, too, was a builder. The old
church which has been moved to one side
of the lot to make room for the new and
handsome edifce that will soon occupy
the site was planned and built by him. 1t
was constructed in sections.
AS the demands of the parish increased
the little church was enlarged. Father
Arden built the altar and confessionals
with his own hands. He also designed the
sanctuary. Being carpenter himself, he
had no difficulty in executing his plans.
And thus the church was enlarged from
time TO time as the parish grew. Strange
to relate, on the very day that Father
Arden passed away at the monastry at
Benicia the old church which he had built
was moved away and began the his
tory of its end.
Father Callaghan, now at San Mateo,
succeeded Father Arden as pastor at st.
Bridget's, and he in turn was succeeded by
Father Birmingham, deceased, who built
the school which adjoins the church and
which is known as ST. Bridget's Academy.
1t is presided over by the Sisters of Charity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. an excellent
teaching community from Dubuque, Iowa.
There are eleven Sisters on the teaching
staff. They also teach the boys until they
pass into the grammar grade. There are
500 children attending the academy in all.
Father Cottle took charge of the parish
in 1890. He had been educated for this
archdiocese. Father Cottle was born in
New York, but came to California with his
parents in 1862. He received his collegiate
training at st. -Mary's College, Oakland.
and took his theological course in the
Grand Seminary, conducted by the Sui
pician fathers at Montreal. He was Or
dained in the old Canadian city by the late
Archbishop Fabre in 1879, and came direct
to the California mission.
Father Cottle takes great pride in his
new church, which, when completed, will
certainly be one of the handsomest
L. Al t. L
gem.
Shea & Shea prepared the plans. Fat
Cottle said yesterday that he had no hes
itancy in undertaking the work of build
ing the church. Thus far he has superin-
tended all the work himself. The excaya-
ton is now finished and the concrete foun-
dation will be laid at once. It will take
1400 barrels of concrete to lay the founda-
ton. The concrete foundation for the
tower viii be 26 feet square and will be
feet deep and girded with iron. The tower
will be 120 feet in height. 1t will have an OBJ
servatory so that the entire country. for
miles around can be seen. The first story, or
basement. will be solid granite and will be
eighteen feet in height. Father Cottle has
already secured the altars which are of
marble and onyx, and the five handsome
Munich windows. The two side sanctua-
ries will be minia lures of the main.
The material to be used will be brick
and granite throughout One of the many
beautiful features of the new church will
be the entrance, which will be through
three grand arches having span of ff-
teen feet. The approach will be by stone
steps rising gradually from the sidewalk
and protected by balustrades. From the
first story to the roof over the center aisle
the height will be forty feet and the
side aisles twenty-five feet from the main
floor of the church. The finish of the in
terror will be after the Italian renaissance.
The nave will be fifty feet wide, and the
walls on either side will be supported by
columns and arches handsomely carved
and ornamented
The sanctuary will be circular in form
and have depth of thirty feet and width
of thirty-five feet. The wall over the sanct-
uary will have circular windows behind
Romanesque arched colonnades. The whole
arrangement of the interior will be such as
to give an unobstructed view of the altar
from all parts of the church.