The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-07
THOUSANDS AT
 PRIESTS BIER
All Business in Danbury Suspended During Obse-
 quies of Father Kennedy
Special to the Farmer.)

Danbury, Conn.,, Jan. T-Men and women in all walks of life laid aside all thought of creed in their partici- patton in tn eobsequies held today over the remains of Rev. John D. Kennedy, the deceased pastor of St. Joseph s Roman Catholic church. and one of the best known Catholic priests Of Connecticut.
 The little church, where was chanted @ solemn high mass of requiem. with its capacity of 700 people. could ac- conmodate but a small fraction of the multitude that pressed about the of people, many of them with barred heads. hundreds of them kneeling in prayer as the solemn sacrifice of the mass progressed.
 When Rev. James J.. Egan, pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier, New Milford. raised his voice in eul- ogy over the remains of Father Ken nedy. the throng pressing about the doors and open windows of the church. was hushed to a most impress sive silence. to listen to Father Egan's tribute.
 Father Kennedy's remains reposed upon a catafalque before the altar. Within the altar rail -sat nearly 200 priests. gathered from all parts of the diocese of Hartford. Bishop Milan and other dignitaries of the church oc- cupied seats of honor. The funeral music was most impressive.
 Admission to the church was neces- sarily restricted. PewS were reserv- ed for Mayor Gilbert. the Common Council, the school board on which the deceased priest served for years, tie hospital board, the leading edu- cetorsv of the city, and representatives Of the Eilks the Ancient Order of Hi- berr ians and other organizations.
 The solemn requiem high mass end- ed with a eulogy pronounced by Math1 e; Egan. His simple recital of the virtues Of the deceased priest touch stole down the features of many of the pf rishioners of the beloved pastor as they knelt in silent prayer for the rers SC of his soul.
 At the conclusion of the ceremonies the church was thrown open to the waiting thousands, and those who. were unable to gain access during the serV ces filed past the bier. This com piefed, the coffin was borne to the hearse, and escorted to the railroad station. The Danbury band played a dirge as the procession, the largest cortege ever seen in Danbury, pro- ceeded from the church to the sta tion, with an escort of 1000 marchers, Including delegations from the Hat ters, both the manufacturers and the workers, the various fraternal organi- zations aud military and civic bodies In the military parade the Kennedy Guards, organized when Father Ken nedy was assistant pastor at St. Pe- ter's. figured conspicuously and the Irish volunteers also made a splendid showing.
 Leaving Danbury on a special train the funeral party arrived in New Haven at 2:45. Nearly 500 were in cluded on the train. The remains were borne from the station to St Bernard's cemetery, where interment was made in the Kennedy family plot.
 Practically all business in Danbury was suspended for the day. All the hat factories and other industries were closed, and most of the stores closed their doors until late in the afternoon Manufacturers and em- ployes alike held the virtues of Fath- CT Kennedy in high esteem, for it was principally through his efforts that the recent strike was brought to satisfactory close, and both work man and employer took advantage of th' opportunity to show their appre- ciation of his splendid efforts.