The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-30
Anniversary
of Death of Bishop
O'Reilly.
CEREMONIES AT ST. JOHNS.
Church Filled With the
Former Practitioners of the
Famous Catholic Priest.

Grandly solemn and impressive were
the services yesterday morning at St.
Johns church, where a high mass Of
requiem was celebrated on the seventh
anniversary of the death of the late
Rt. Rev. Patrick Thomas O'Reilly, D..
D., bishop of the diocese of Spring
field.
The church was taxed to it's utmost
capacity by the flock which had learn
ed the lessons of Christian charity and
fellow love from the lips of their be-
loved shepherd, the larger part of them
being the elderly portion of the congre-
cation of that parish, who had, in
years gone by, listened to the words
of advice as they dropped from the lips
of the holy man of God. But there was
also present a large number of the
younger element, to whom the sainted
bishops name was but a memory.
How dearly he was beloved by his
flock was evident from the numbers
and the great devotion that was mani
tested during the services. st. Johns
was his first home, and there he spent
many years of his sacredotal life, and
it was while pastor of this flock that
the divine hand sought him out and he
was called to the charge of the diocese
which was created with his elevation
to the office of bishop.
Yesterdays services commemorated
in manner the great life which, spent
in the work of mankind, was finally
given up to It's Creator after the days
work had been well and nobly done The
mass was of a solemn high order, with
the Ri. Rev. Mgr. Thomas Griffin, rec
tor of the church, acting as celebrant,
assisted by his two old curates, the
ReVs. NJ. 7. O'Brien and c. A. Sullivan,
as deacon and sub deacon, respectively.
Rev. j. A. Hurley was master of cere-
monies. The altar was a portrayal of
the grief of which the bereaved con-
gregation gave every evidence. No
where was flower to be seen. The
high altar at which the mass was Of
fered up, was stripped of all it's orna-
ments, and the bare necessaries of the
sacrifice of the mass, indicative of holy
week, the season of sorrow, alone We're
to be seen.
Six darkly colored heavy wax candles
lighted the priest celebrating the sacri-
~ VI bAAI mass, w me ptIudll before
the altar was suspended the black vel
vet antependium with it's monogram
of the Savior, heavily laced with silver
braid, and covering the face of the
tabernacle was the veil of black. indie
atlVe of the mass which was being eel
ebrated. The celebrant, with his two
assistants, were vested in chasuble and
dalmatica of black, with silver laced
trimmings. The sanctuary choir and
q a tnN h,v- e . l.
new vestments of black soutans and
white surplices, with cinctures of black
velvet
The full choir of the church, under
the direction of NJ. w. Handlin, assist
ed at the mass and rendered Dumont's
royal Gregorian mass of requiem. At
the offertOry a quartet of male voices
sang the hymn de Profundis."
Resting at the foot of the altar, with
the head facing the people, was a ca
tafalque heavily draped with silk and
velvet trimmings, about which, placed
at intervals, were six burning wax can
dies set in high stands. At the conclu-
sion Of the sacrifice Of the mass Mgr.
Griffin, assisted by the clergy, gave the
benediction of the church, while the
choir rendered Schmidt's Liberia"
The litany of the saints was also
chanted by the clergy to which the
sanctuary choir responded
Rt. Rev. Patrick Thomas O'ReilIy|
was born in county Cavan, Ireland, in
1888, and died in Springfield, in 1892,
bishop Of the diocese. His early edu-
cation was received in the schools of
his native island and this country, to
which he came in his youth. He was
raised to the Catholic, priesthood Aug
10, 1857, and his first assignment to
clerical duties was in Worcester at St.
Johns church. of which later he was to
be pastor. After remaining in Worces-
ter for a few years he was transferred
to ST. Josephs church, Boston, of which
Rev. William Byrnes, V. G., is now the
pastor
The diocese of Springfield, as It is
now set apart, was a portion of the
archdiocese of Boston, and hence the
removal of FIR. O'Reilly. Later on he
was sent back to St. Johns church Of
which he was pastor till he was chosen
by the see at Rome to be the first bish-
op of the new diocese of Springfield,
which was set apart from the archdio-
cese of Boston in 1870.
In the same year FIR. O'Reilly was
consecrated bishop of the new diocese
September %, by the then Archbishop
McCluskey of New York, later Cardinal
McCluskey. Most Rev. John J. Will
lfams. archbishop of the archdiocese of
Boston, was an assistant at the cere-
mony. The new diocese over which
Bishop O'Reilly governed was compos-
ed of the counties of Worcester, Ham0-
shire, Hampden. Berkshire and Frank
lin, with only 40 priests and little over
so 900 Catholics The diocese grew I'M
der his hand. and at the time of his
death. % years later, there were 1870
priests with over 100000 Catholics.
Churches were built and schools erect
ed during his regime and the church
Nourished and at the time of his death
the sorrows expressed by both Catho-
lie and Protestant alike showed the I'M
fversal esteem in which he was held by
all who knew him. He was succeeded
as rector of st. Johns church by the
present incumbent, Rt. Rev. Mgr.
Thomas Griffin.
PUPILS OF G. N. MORSE.