Evening star., 1909-06-13
DEATH OF OLD Man OF P|ETY
FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF
THE HOLY NAME.
Passing Of Stephen Therry, Whose
idea Was Adopted by q Million
Members Of Catholic Church.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, June 12.-Stephen Therry,
who founded the Holy Name Society IN
1854, died this afternoon at his home al
No. 2094 9th avenue.
He had seen the growth OF the society
organized to honor the name OF God
from the small handful Of men who went
into the organization in 1854 in the par
tshes OF the Church of the Immaculate
Conception and St Francis Xavier. up to
its present inclusion OF more than a mil
lion devout Catholics. banded together
to pay homage to the Holy Name.
The old mamie had passed his seventy
seventh birthday-had been under the
care Of Coroners Physician O'Hanon for
several weeks, but he realized that his
end was near and as last wish asKeo
cration-by which he devoted himself to
the cause-with him to the grave.
'It may serve as passport to heaven"
he told DIR. O'Hanlon. as he was given
the precious document.
Foundation Of the Society.
The act OF conservation was made at
the church Of St. Francis Xavier, April
26, 1854. It held the following pledge:
20. Divine Jesus. redeemer OF man
kind, L. Stephen Therry, convinced that
thou deservest to be loved, praised,
honored and glorified by all men, resolve,
on this day, to love Thee with my whole
heart and soul, and as long as live, and
to use all my influence In promoting Thy
love and the honor OF Thy holy name
among others, and particularly among
those with whose welfare may De
charged.
II resolve as far as my fate or cir
cumstances will permit to make whatever
reparation 1 can to Thy blessed and holy
name, for the many insults or oias-
phemes heaped upon 1t by the wicked
This act was witnessed by Father John
]. Ryan, s. j., Of ST. Francis Xavier s
Church, who was in charge of the
Church OF the Immaculate Conception on
1ith street. near Avenue A.
1t was to Father Ryan that Mr.. Therry
went with the idea Of founding a so
ciety among men to end the profane and
blasphemous use of the Holy Name. The
priest Joined heartily in the project and
the nucleus OF the present powerful body
was founded in the parishes of st. Fran
els Xavier and the Immaculate Concep-
tion which adjoins each other.
The movement spread to the other
churches and presently was taken up by
priests and laymen in the other cities
church Of the United States has a Holy
Name branch as an adjunct of its work
among the men. and 1t numbers more
than a million Observation-Disclosures by
the small button worn on the 1apels
which gives the name and object of the
society.
Native Of Limerick.
The deyout old man was born in Lime
rick in 1892, his mother being related to
Judge Ferguson Of Dublin. He was
twenty-five years old when he started
the Holy Name Society, and has been
identified with the activities Of the or
ganiza ation ever since. For thirty years
he was a member of the board of edu-
cation and one of the trustees Of the city
college.
one of his sons is now a yeoman on
the battleship New Jersey. His daughter
Mary married DR.. F. L. Christian the
superintendent Of the Elmira reformatory.
Another of his daughters is the wife OF
Georse/ T. Norton. He had another
daughter and three sons and a wife.