The Irish standard., 1902-12-20

BRENNAN came to Anoka in September,
1883, and proved Il faithful Iastor OF
his church aud an g cnplaiy citizen.
After taking charge OF the church, he
decided that a better and Il larger
church WAS an actual ne.cssity and
like Il careful business man he lsry;r
to censiGrr ways and means 10 meet
the urgent nce,,S OF his lcnlle. Hav-
inc at heart the interests OF his poo
pie, he did not TsiSh in precipitately and
hiiild tlIA church. but he went to work
earnestly and carefully. con sulting the
wishes Of the members of his flock.
n start was made and the Catholic
portion of this community resp nd Il
lihrrally. Little by little tlln funds
We're collected. until IL sufficient
amount WAS raised to gu;lr;,n.ee the
success of the enterprise, aud Father
Brennan had plans prepared for the
handsome cdii,c that is now Il credit
to our city. 1t is hy f;r The finest
church cdilicc in the city. costing
about &iS.uuO.
The present church occupies the site
Of the old one: it is 2lN5O feet, With
Il wing for Il a.riSty. 32N24 feet; the
body of the church is 10nXl0, contains
ing four rows of pcws of twenty-five
each. or one hundred in Ill. having Il
seating capacity for 6 o. The gallery
is 2nX.U feet, and will accommodate
iOO persons. There is ST III room in the
rear for more peWS that will increase
the seating capacity when needed. The
interior is lighted by sixteen stained
glass windows and a number of small
er ones. The walls of the building
are twenty feet high and from these
the ceiling rises much higher till it
reaches the center Il Point only a few
inches below the roof. The building
is made from cream Co.Orel brick,
trimmed with rcd stone from Lake
Superior. 1t is heated hy two fur
lllces. Recent improvements have
added much to the beauty of the
church. a substantial stone walk has
been laid, together with a flight of
stone steps leading TO the front on
trance.
Father Duane took charge OF st.
Stephens Church us pastor October 26,
1891. aud has presided efficiently over
the deStinies of the parish for the past
eleven years. When lie entered upon
the active duties of his rastorate the
parish was $4,000 in debt. Many
members of the congregation felt that
the Indebtedness was more than they
could hope to liu,lidate. and they con-.
>idrrrh 1t useless t" continue payments
of interest aud the other expenses.
Some advised IL possible sale, while
others remained rcticcrt. An effort
had been made by the former pastor
to enforce the payment of !, subscrip-
| ton and an assessment held against
/ several of the members. but failed of
success.
Father Duane u.dersto Il that the
problem Of luuidail@ the debt was Il
serious one, and it wslS with the great
est difficulty that lie inspired hope in
the discouraged souls of his people Ii
was a time of financial depression in
! AmoE:l: the mills that had contributed
: much to the prosperity for years We're
beginning to pass out Of existence. In
the surrounding country the condition
was no better: th" crops were poor and
prices low. no large contributions
most prosperous, and il was uniy by
encouraging the members of his Goa
::rtGnt0n to the giving Of small sums
1u fairs and festivals, THAT amy success
WAS possible. The good ln,licS Of the
parish mohly Sc,o#,lcd is c.Iorts ;,ui
mnly Il fair and festival has since hcrii
given I" tlc credit of the parish,
Through this means The ind lrdnrSS
OF til" parish has b,cn completely
wiped out. and the repairs and I'M
pr"Sements of til" church aid for in
N't' w ''l. i!t property ilS Iitt'l III
creased materially. adding in The lin,
of improvements three fire y tnrs. Il
splendid hell. church decorations.
stone steps and Il tine crlncit side.
walk.
The congregation is now in ~ pros
porous conditions its members :ire in
perfect harmony With one ;ll:sinrr. lIi
! willing to second the c.fcrts of their
pastor in advancing the spiritual and
nltrrial interests of the pjri >h
Many things remain yet to be done
In the sphrr" of completion; Il pipe or,
gan is advised as Il necessary adjunct
for the completion of the church, an
Il pastoral residence will he soma.
thing to he contemplated i'm the near
future. We predict for st. Stephens
Church Il bright future
THE CONVERTS LEAGUE.