The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-06-07
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
ST. STEPHENS CHURCH.
Minneapolis, Mimi, June 2, 1913.
Editor, The Catholic Bulletin:

your correspondent attended the IL
o'clock Mass at st. Stephens Church
on Sunday, the LIST day of June. A
great transformation has taken place
in the course of ten years, since the
writer last heard Mass in that sacred
edifice where he listened with adj
miration to the eloquent voice of the
late lamented Father Danehy.
The writer missed many familiar
faces in St. Stephens Church last
Sunday, and he saw many new faces
for the first time, glowing with the
bloom of youth, and praying with as
much fervor as their fathers and
mothers did before them. Ten years,
after all, is long time in the life of
man, whether in youth or old age, and
1 noticed it last Sunday.
The date on the cornerstone of st.
Stephens Church is 889-showing it
was erected tWenty-four years ago.
Father Kenny, now pastor of ST. An
thony of Padua Church, was the
priest who built it, and an imposing
structure he made it for that time
when Catholics were not so numerous
and prominent in business and pro-
fessional circles as they are today in
the city by the Falls of ST. Anthony
now one of the most progressive in
the whole country and destined to
grow to stupendous proportions with
in the next ten years. Father Ken
ny was succeeded in regular order as
pastor by Father Christie, now Arch
bishop of Oregon; Father Fitzpatrick,
who was educated in France, and died
at his parents home in st. Paul;
Father Danehy, native of Mime
apolis and a man of brilliant parts,
whose death was lamented by the en-
tire city, by men of all creeds and
classes; and Father Dolphin, who re-
signed because of ill health and is
now officiating as priest in Oregon
under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction
of Most Rev. Archbishop Christie of
Portland.
The present pastor of st. Stephens
is Father Gaughan, man of splendid
achievements in the Lords vineyard.
He was ordained to the priesthood in
December, 1883, and had spent TWEEN
ty-two years in Red Wing as pastor
of st. Joseph's Church before he came
to this city on the oath of March,
1912, to assume charge of st.
Stephens. He is fluent, interesting
speaker whose motto appears to be
Deeds, Not Words" He has consid-
cradle executive ability and is pro-
gressive and successful in his under
takings for the advancement of re-
ligion and education. While in Min
neapolis only a little over year, he
has accomplished a great deal with
the financial means at his disposal
and demonstrated his capacity for
pushing things in quiet and unosten-
tatious way of his own. The improve
ment in the church edifice, both in
side and outside, recently made by
him, speaks volumes for his energy
and progressiveness, and l may add
his taste for the beautiful and artistic
in decoration and ornamentation OF
main altar and side affairs of ST. 10
seph and of the Blessed Virgin, and
the painting and frescoing, will not
attempt to describe. Suffice it to say
that everything appeared more elab
crate and artistic to my untutored
eye than originally when the church
was new, nearly quarter of a Gen.
fury ago.
w. Lalonde, of Merriam Park, did
the decorative work and is undoubt.
edly proud of his handicraft, as he
has good reason to be. The Fama
stonewood in the sanctuary is some
thing of unique character and the
white marble affairs with the pillars
in Mexican onyx add much to the
beauty and effect of the artistic work
of the Merriam Park church decora-
tor.
l must not forget the heating and
ventilating of the church by a Twin
City MANN. ]. McGrath. The main
body of the church is heated by di-
rect radiation, the apparatus consist
ing of massed coils, through which
the air is passed and tempered before
being conveyed into the church by
means of a fan. This insures a con-
slant supply of air. In ventilating
the church the same system is en-
ployed and the use of windows is en-
tirely abandoned. The plant is the
design of Mr. McGrath himself, and
st. Stephens is the only church heat
ed and ventilated in this manner in
the Twin Cities.
Father Gaughan is assisted by Fa-
Their Charles E. Hovorka and Father
M. A. Condor, who are kept quite
busy in a parish containing about
five hundred families, scattered over
wide territory. Eight blocks in
that part of the city make mile.
Father Gaughan himself is indefati-
gable in promoting the religious, edu-
cational and social interests of his
big parish. Next Sunday at S:15 in
the evening, Dr. Charles F. McGinnis
of st. Thomas College will deliver an
address on Church Art at st.
Stephens in connection with a sacred
concert to be given to help defray
the expense incurred by the recent
work. It is worth while to attend
the concert and lecture and see the
church.
Father Gaughan viii start to build
a parochial school after the coming
Fourth of July. He has the lot on