The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-11-20


goodness of God who has blessed this
portion of His vineyard so abundantly.
The monuments of their piety and zeal
may be seen in every section of the
State, the churches, colleges, schools, or
phanages, hospitals and other institutions
of benevolence in which the divine vir-
tue blossoms and bears its life giving
fruit. The twenty-five churches of 1858
have so multiplied that today there are
in the diocese of Newark 155, and in the
diocese of Trenton ia, total of 269
in the State. The number of priests has
increased from % to 3S7. In the two
diocese there are now $50 parochial
schools with an attendance of nearly
$4,000 children. The religious orders,
too, with their venerable traditions, have
flourished and prospered among us,
keeping pace with our development, and
sharing in it's rewards and blessings.
To mention one instance, the little COM
munity of FIVE sisters of charity, who
came to this diocese from New York fifty
years ago, has grown like the mustard
seed until at present, with nearly 900
members, it spreads its benign branches
not only over the dioeeses of Newark
and Trenton, but far away to the land
of the Pilgrim Fathers in the dioceses
of Boston and Hartford. The Benedic-
tines, the Passionists, the Carmelites,
the children of st. Dominic, st. Francis,
St. lgnatius, and the various commune
ties of religious women are all arranged
in compact and devoted phalanx con-
secrated to the spiritual and temporal
welfare of humanity and especially to
the duty, of training the minds and hearts
of those of whom Christ said, Suffer
the little children to come unto Me, and
forbid them not. for of such is the king
dom of heaven"
The first laborers in the vineyard who,
with Bishop Bayley and his most efficient
aid and counsellor, Bishop McQuade,
bore the burdens of the day and the
heat, haye in great numbers passed to
their eternal reward But while priests
and people disappear from the earthly
scene, the everything church survives in
undiminished vigor. There are at pres
ent in the diocese of Newark alone 3OO,-
600 Catholics, of whom it can truthfully
be said that nowhere in the world are
they surpassed in loyalty and devotion
to their faith, in the excellence of their
bic institutions, or in the thorough
equipment of their schools and churches.
Needless to say, these facts are not re-
called in a vain spirit of pride and boast
ing. God forbid! They are mentioned
with a profound sense of our own un-
worthiness, but with deep and heartfelt
sentiments of gratitude to God. They
should be for us of the present genera
tion an inspiration and incentive to con-
tinue with increased zeal and charity so.
nobly begun by those who have gone be-
fore use. The results hitherto accom-
plished have provided for our essential
needs. But there is one very important
requisite of a well organized diocese still
in abeyance To crown the magnificent
tedi6ce we have erected and to complete
the task assigned us by Divine Provi-.
dence, it is necessary for us to continue
the work, inaugurated by my predeces-
sor, of building cathedral--a temple to
presence, typical of the grandeur of our
religion, fitting embodiment of our unit
ed faith and zeal, and a centre from
which the blessings of episcopal guidance
and authority may radiate to every por-
ton of the diocese.
From the very beginning of our history
as a distinct diocese the thought of this
4
view. But its fulflment has been de-
ferred until recently, so that all other
needs might be first supplied. When
every parish had been amply provided
for, in all that concerns its spiritual pro-
gress, Bishop Wigger concluded that the
time had arrived when we could, without
injury to any local interest, devote our
energies to the realization of the grand
diocesan idea so fondly cherished by
Bishop Bayley and his successor in the
See of Newark. -Four years ago the
work was begun. Nearly three hundred
thousand dollars have already been con-
tributed by priests and people, and the
generosity thus far manifested, justifies
proves our ability to carry on to sue
cessful completion. The glory of God.
the honor of the diocese, the welfare of
religion, all demand that we make every
effort to attain that end as speedily as
possible. How can we celebrate more
fittingly the golden jubilee of our diocese
or furnish more convincing proof of
our gratitude to God for His innumer-
able blessings during the past fifty years
than by an earnest endeavor to raise the
funds still required for the execution of
design so charitable to our faith, loyal
ty and zeal?
If all tho, Catholics in the diocese
would contribute for this purpose in pro-
portion to their means, the question of
the necessary funds would be answered
during the coming year. There are
among us many devoted children of the
church who have been endowed with an
abundance of worldly means, and it is to
them more particularly we appeal to
manifest their fidelity to the faith and
traditions of their fathers by their gem
erous subscriptions. The total amount
required could be donated at once by the
wealthy men of our diocese, without i'm
posing on themselves an excessive burden
Oh.