The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-14
PRIESTS ESTATE
 TO HIS PARISH
Rev. Father Ducey Leaves All to St. Leo's Church,
 Which He Founded
WROTE THE WILL HIMSELF

New York. Sept. 14.-By the will of the late Rev. Thomas J. Ducey. pastor of St. Leo's Church. who died at St. James. L.. T.. on Aug. 22 all of his estate goes to St. Leo's. founded by him over a quarter of a. century ago. subject however, to an annuity of $500 a year, which is to go to Ellen Toomey. described as tmy devoted friend and faithful servant and a direct bequest of s1,500 to Thomas Murray of Will liamsbridge.
 15, 1903,/ and executed May 2S, 1905, was somewhat of a departure from the usual form of will and seemed to have been drawn up by the testator him. self. The testator stated that he had given to St. Leo's the best years of his life and had been it's chief bene- factor, spending of his own means more than $1O0,000 and ''latpring like a slave in every way for it's useful ness.''
 at 16 East Twenty ninth street. with its contents. except the silverware. goes to the rectory for the priests at tached to St. Leo's. The silverware he directed to be melted and used as chalice ciborium for, holy mass. The the Stranger Dead" adjoining the church, goes to St. Leo's, and he di- rects that the chapel must be used to carry out the corporal and spiritual the dead who die in hotels and may need the kindly charity of Christian consideration before interment. Catho- lies and Protestants alike"
 Its use. however. is restricted to those who died within the district be- tween sTwenty-third and Fifty-ninth streets and Broadway and Four+'- ave nue; neither can it be made a recep- tion place for those dying in public or private hospitals unless they be mem bers of St. Leo's.
 :. Other clauses in the will read:
 wish the Most Reverend Arch
 bishop to see that Master Timothy
 Foley an altar boy of St. Leo's
 Church, now attending at the
 Cathedral College. is provided for
 during the years of his preparation
 for the Holy Priesthood, if he con-
 tinues to give evidence of good
 character and ability which he now
 manifests for that holy state.
 As during my lifetime I have
 never sought my own security. and
 have always given freely but quiet
 ly, without ostentation, to every
 case of charity appealing to me.
 now give and bequeath all that I
 have left herein named. to St. Leo's
 Church and Parish, for the inter-
 est of religion and for good of
 souls in St. Leo's Parish. I re-
 quest of the Most Reverend Arch
 bishop and the pastors who may s follow me. and my executors. to see
 that I am remembered daily in the
 Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at St.
 Leos altar until the end of time.
 Giving directions as to his funeral the testator said that it was his wish that the obsequies be simple. He de- sired his body to rest in a plain white wood box, with a plain wooden cross cut out on top and running the length and width of the box, the interior to be lined with simple white linen. and that no mountings of plated silver or other metal should adorn the coffin. The grave he desired to be marked with a simple stone cross, the tablet on which the cross rests to contain the date of his birth and death. together with his inscription:
 In your charity pray for the eter-
 nal repose of the soul of Thomas
 J. Ducey, the founder and first
 pastor of St. Leo's Church.
 In about the last clause of the will he provides that if his country estate at St. James. L. l.. should not be dis posed of before his death it be sold at a proper price and the money used to reduce the debt of St. Leo's. The testator added that the house and the fifteen acres of land, together with improvements. cost him more than s25, ,O00.
 He appointed William D. Iseiin and
 AT T,sr