Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1908-03-14
Are to Be the Scenes During
New YOrk's Solemn
Centenary.
st. Patrick's Cathedral Will BE
ThrOnged With Church
Dignitaries.
Grand Structure Is Monument
to Self-Denial of Working
People.
CARDINAL LOGUE TO PRESIDE

st. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
City, is the largest and most mag
nificent house of worship in the
United States. In this edifice the
solemn celebration of the centenary
of New York as a diocese will be OBJ
served during the week beginning
April "a, and the entire Catholic
world is interested in the approach
ing event. The Catholic church wiz
lend her Princes and dignitaries to
add solemn splendor to the event,
and each special service will be at
tended by a gorgeous pageant. Each
function will have some symbolical
meaning. Every Catholic in the
United States will join with those
in New York in prayer that the
centenary celebration will not only
bring additional blessings to the
great archdiocese, but that it will
tend toward extending Catholicity
in the United States.
st. Patrick's Cathedral is an i'm
mense structure, but it will not be
ait all adequate to admit the vast
throng that will seek to enter and
witness the ceremonies. The clergy
alone would make a large sized con-
gregadon, and there viii scarcely be
room for all the Bishops and Arch
bishops in the sanctuary. In the
first place three Princes of the
church will be present-our own
Cardinal Gibbons, of Baltimore; Car
dinal Logue, of Ireland, and Car
dinal Moran, of Australia. Archbishop
Farley, head of the New York arch
diocese, expects all of the fourteen
Archbishops in the United States to
be present and a majority of the
ninety Bishops scattered throughout
the country. Add to these the
mitred abbots, the heads of various
Catholic orders, the Papal Delegate,
Monsignor Falconio, and his train,
the attendants on the various pre-
lates and more than 1900 visiting
priests, and you will find quite an
aggregation of clergymen.
Not only will the centenary have
its religious meaning, but it will give
to the world an ocular demonstra-
ton of the enormous growth of the
Catholic church not only in New York
but in the whole United States. In
1908 the United States had one
Archbishop, now il has fourteen.
Then there were only four dioceses--
Louisville, Boston. New York and
Philadelphia. The number OF
churches has grown from seventy to
12,513, and the number of priests
from sixty to 1865.
The first Bishop of New York was
the Right Rev. Luke Concannen, an
. Irish Dominican who had been for
several years previous to his conse-
years before the Irish Dominicans
had been missionaries to the new
world and had previously established
station in Kentucky. 1t was on
the idea that they were so well
fitted for missionary work in new
and growing country that DOmini-
can was made first Bishop of New
York. He was consecrated in Rome
on April "a, 1908. At that time Eng
land and France were at war, and
the new Bishop was unable after
repeated trials to reach his diocese.
He died at Naples on June 10, 1910,
without ever having seen the diocese
over which he was to preside. 1t
was not until November 6, 1914, that
a second Bishop was consecrated. He
was the Right Rev. John Connolly
another Irish Dominican, who died
in 1926.
Only few years before the Declar-
alton of Independence Catholics were
barred from entering or residing In
New York. The War of the Revolu.
ton served to sweep away many
barriers and at the opening of the
nineteenth century there were sew
eral Thousand Catholics on the Island
of Manhattan. These were of the
Irish, English, French, Scottish and
Mexican races. The Irish were the
most active in church work. The
troubles of '9S in Ireland helped t.
swell the number of immigrants, 81
that there were no less than 1900
Catholics in New York diocese whel
it was erected in 1908. Even befor,
a Bishop arrived they had projecte;
Cathedral on Mott street. The Irisl
predominated then as now and st
Patrick was the patron of the new
edifice. The corner stone was laii
in 1909, and the structure was com
pleted in 1915. 1t was to this edific,
that Bishop Connolly came and Their,
he and his successors reigned unit
the present Cathedral was completed
ia 1879.
1t was Archbishop John Hughes. o
illustrious memory, who projecte'
the new and present st. Patrick
Cathedral. He began without cen
but trusted to God to provide. II
1858 ne sent letters to many of tn
members of mis- flock whom he knew
were wealthy, asking for contribu
tions of $1,000 each. In response h
received contributions of $1,000 eacl
from 1903 persons, including severa
Professionals. With sos 900 as
nucleus ne laid the cornerstone o
the new Cathedral in 1859. He wa
created first Archbishop of New Yorl
in 1850, and died January 3, 1864. TIL
Cathedral was not completed TO
fifteen years after his death, a
which Cardinal McCloskey was Arch
bishop of New York.
The edifice is fine example of tn
thirteenth century Gothic, and unde
the direction of the architect, Jane