The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-05-24
In Point of Age 1t Ranks Second
Only to ST. Johns, in
Mulberry Street.

celebrated its golden jubilee last year.
is the second Oldest Catholic church in
the city, the fir 1t being st. Johns, in
Mulberry street.
The beginning of st. Mary's parish
dates back to The year of 1895. when
the Rev. John stephen Raffeiner, of
81. Nicholas's Church., in Second street,
New York, came to Newark twice a
month and held services for the Ger
man Catholics in st. Johns Church.
When about sixty families had been
gathered. Father Nieholaus. o. S. b.,
assistant to Father Raffeiner, was per-
manently stationed here and he caused
TO be erected a frame building at
Grand (now Court and Howard streets.
1t was thirty feet wide and fifty feet
deep and had a basement. 1t was
dedicated to the Immaculate Concep-
ton, in the fall of 1912 by Bishop John
Hughes, of New York.
About four years later the present
church property at High and William
streets was purchased. and the old
frame church was moved on to it. 1t
required three weeks to move the
building, but there was no interruption
in the services, and that parish has
the distinction of having had the only
movable church in Newark.
Father Balleis obtained from st. Vim
cents Abbey, Pa, an assistant in the
person of Father Charles Geyerstanger,
o.. S. b.. AT the same time that the
church was established a school was
opened, with forty children.
Church Sacked and Plundered
On September 4, 1854, the old church
was sacked and ~plundered by a mob of
Orangemen from New York. Father
Geyerstanger succeeded in saving the
Blessed Sacrament before the mol got
into the church. AS a OF
that s~acrilegious outbreak a statue OF
the Blessed Virgin that had been dis
figured by the mob is still kept under
glass In the church near the side altar
on the gospel side. In 1855 Father
BalIeis resigned from the passionate to
take a trip to Germany. For a time
services were conducted by a German
secular priest. the Rev. Father Hass-
hinge In 1856 the Right Rev. Bishop
Bayley gave the parish into the hands
of the Order OF Society OF Benedlctine,
in the person of the superior. afterward
Arch abbot Boniface WINNER, OF ST.
vincent's, Pa. The latter appointed
the Rev. Valentine Fielder, o. 5. b.,
pastor, and he took charge in August
1856. He saw that the old church was
not large enough to the
fast-growing parish, and In
of that year called a meeting or the
parishioners to-discuss the a~dvisaplllty
of erecting a new structure. A COM
n,ittee ompose of Charles Vellinger,
T-z1~L. Criortf aud Herman
Plagge was appointed TO assist Father
Fielder in erecting the present ehureh'
priest Killed by Car.
Before the building was finished
Father Fielder was killed by a horse
car in New York on May rs, lS5h
Shortly before the Rev. Father Eber-
hard Gahr, o. S. b., had been appoint
ed to assist Father Fielder. He carried
on the work until Father Rupert Seid-
enbusch, o. S. b., was appointed ana
the latter finished the building which
was dedicated by Bishop Bayley on De-
cember 20, 1859. In the same year a
plot of ground in East Orange was
purchased for a cemetery, and 1t IS
known as st. Mary's Cemetery. 1t is
the resting place OF a number of
Renedictine Father and Benedictine
Sisters. The Rev. Father Utho Huber,
O. s. B., who succeeded Father Seiden-
busch, built the present parochial
school. The next pastor, Father Os-
valid Moosmueller, o. 8. B.. had the
two side affairs erected. They were
h,,ilt by Brother Cosmos Wolf, o.. s. b.,
Of st. Vincent College, Pennsylvania.
When Father Oswald Moosmueller
was called to Rome a few years later
Father Roman He'll, O.. s. b., sue
eeeded him. The latter remained in
charge until 1871, when, owing to sick
ness. he retired and died two years
later at st. Vincent's College. Pa. The
next pastor was the Rev. p. Leonard
Maver. o. s. B., who died on May Is,
1917. He was succeeded by the Rev.
p. Bernhard Manser, o. S B., who
was succeeded by the Rev. P. William
Walter. O. S. B. After his death, on
June II, 1882, came the Rev. P. Gerard
Pilz, O. S. 3. 1t was during his pas
torate that the present rectory anu
abbey was built and was dedicated by
Bishop wigger on April 16, 1888, as
sisted by Arch-Abbot WINNER.
The First Abbot.
From the time of the appointment
of Father Valentine Fielder in 1856 to
Father Gcrard's appointment in 1882,
the parish had been ruled by men sent
there by the abbot of st. Vincent's col
lege. A request was made to Rome to
raise the priory to the independent
position Of an abbey. 1t was granted
on December 10, 1884. The brief ar
rived here on January IA, 1885. An
election for an abbot was held at st.
vincent's College. February II, 1885,
and the Rev. Father James zilliox, o.
S. b., a child of st. Mary's parish, was
chosen.
Father Hilary Pfraengle, o. s. b.,
who was director of st. Vincent's Col
iege, was chosen as second abbot on
November Is, 1856. He was installed
on February II, 1887. He appointed
Father Polycarp Scherer as pastor and
he still performs that office His as
sistant is the Rev. Father William, o..
s. b. q young man full of energy who
has made an able assistant.
On August IL, 1890, after the church
had been thoroughly renovated. it was
solemnly consecrated by the late