The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-31

As marking the success of a hand full Of devout families in establishing a church wherein, they and their chil- dren might worship God according to the dictates of their conscience, the commemorative services to be held in St. Roses church in Newtown on Sun day at the occasion of the fiftieth an- niversary of the parish will be notable. Not only will the commemoration. of that suspicious event be of interest to the parishioners in Newtown but also to the. great number of people in Bridgeport and elsewhere, descendants of those seventy-five families whose love for their God inspired them to seS- tablish the present parish of St. Rose.
 The services Sunday will comprise. a solemn high mass at 10. o'clock with Rev. Father Terrence Smith as cele- brant and Rev. Father Dominic Scan lon, O. F. M, as preacher. Grand musical vespers is to be sung in the evening at 2 o'clock and Father Scan lon will deliver a sermon
 It is one year more than two centur- ies that Newtown nestling at the foot yield was christened. In this quaint village in 1756 the first Catholics set foot. They did not come, voluntarily but were billeted to the town by an act of the General Assembly. Their fate is not recorded. However they were apart from their ministers and for a quarter of a century lived iso- lated from their church, when Count Rochambeau with the French army encamped on it's pleasant fields on his march from Providence to the Hud- son. He came on a Sunday and the handful of Catholics still adhering to their faith. heard mass and received the SacramentS from the hands of the French army chaplainS. Just who the next priest was who came to administer to the small flock in Newtown is doubtful. Some assert that the Rev. James Smythe, one of the pioneers in the diocese, went about the small country towns of that part of the State and administered to the scattered flock of Catholics. This was in 1S41. Then there are others who with equal positiveness assert that it was in 1847 that mass was first said. This was in the hom eof Peter Leary and the celebrant was Father John Brady. The Leary home stiu stands not far from the railroad station in Newtown. i
 After twelve years of services at the homes of the old Celtic families in Newtown it was thought a ripe time to establish a church of their own, and accordingly on August l. 1859 Father Francis Lenihan organized and became the first pastor of the parish. It was however no easy matter to mus ter the scattered forces and it was some years later before an edifice could be erected. In the interim mass was said at what was then the Universal1st meeting house and later at what is now the Town Hall.
 It is we'll to note the names of the sturdy farmers who insisted that they should have their own church and who eagerly took the responsibility. of sup porting it and caring for their pastor.
 These men, all of Celtic stock, fol- low:
 Thosa Daly, Denis Murray, Peter Leavey.- James Carley, James Farrel. John Matthews, John Harrigan. John Leavey, Maurice Leavey, Patrick Troy, Patrick Blake. Daniel Blake. John McNamara, Matthew Colgan. John Bradley, John Carmody. Patrick Michael Haugh, Patrick Scanlon. Mi chae1 Mccarthy. James Lester. Der nard Kelly, Michael Keenan. Andrew Collins, James McMahon, John Kelly, Martin Costello. Timothy Costello, Mi chaeI Bailey, Patrick Hartnett, Ed ward Finnel1, John Lynch (Mile HilD. John Scanlon. John Brennan. Patrick Cavanaugh, Denis Cavanaugh, Martin Curry. James Gallagher, Thomas Mai nor, Thomas Maloney. Denis Hayes. John Lynch (Berkshire). Lawrence Lillis, John Lillis, Patrick Heating, James Bradley. Daniel Keane. Darby Troy, Patrick L.illis (Zoar),. John Cav anaugh. Amos Sanford William Crib bens. Richard Reilly, John Houlihan, Patrick Hou1ihan, James Houlihan. James Kelly. Thomas Keane, John keane, Pdtr1ck Bradley, JOnn Iyncn, James Carrol Edward Cannon, Der nara Kilbride, Patrick Kilbride. John Ki1bride, Edward Kilbride, Timothy Harrigan. Patrick Harrigan, Patrick Carroll Michael Carol, Peter Carol, Daniel Harrigan, John Foren.
 Father Lenihan was followed in 1862 by Father James Daily, who served the spiritual needs of the people during the war of the Rebellion and until 1868. when Father John F. Rogers, the late pastor of St. Mary's church in this city, took charge. His successor, Fa- ther James McCarten, continued as pastor until his death in 1889. It was during his pastorate that the present St. Roses church was erected.
 The layingS of the corner stone was an occasion long to be remembered by the faithful in Newtown. It repre- sented the successful continuation Of a long ambition. Bishop Laurence Mo