The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-09

Last Tuesday evening thirty of the
leading men of st. Michaers parish
assembled at the Ryan Hotel to par
ticipate in banquet at which the
guest of honor was the Reverend
Patrick O'Neill, pastor of the parish,
who was accompanied by his assistant,
the Reverend Lawrence Lynch. The
banquet was a tribute to Father
O'Neill in commemoration of the
twenty-fifth anniversary of his pas
torate 1t also marked the successful
completion of the efforts made by his
parishioners to pay off the mortgage
on the church.
Some months ago movement was
set on foot by the people of st.
MichaePs parish to signalize in a be-
coming manner the completion of the
twenty-fifth year of Father O'Neills
pastorate 1t was their intention to
offer him a personal tribute; but as
soon as a whisper of this reached his
ears he made a public announcement
to the effect that he would not allow
a formal celebration or accept any
personal gifts; but if his friends
wished to mark the occasion in a
manner that would please him beyond
expression he recommended that they
make a special effort to pay off a
mortgage of eight thousand dollars
outstanding against the church.
Mortgage Paid OFF.
The suggestion was accepted at
once, and at meeting of the parish
toner's it was decided to pay off the
whole debt. Accordingly, the parish
was divided into ten districts and two
men were selected to canvass each
district, calling upon the members of
the parish only. The work was done
during May and June and, as the mort
gage came due on August first, that
date was set as the latest on which
the subscriptions should be paid. So
successful was the canvass that the.
entire amount, was subscribed and
about seventy-five per cent of it was
turned over by the committee on Au-
gust first to be applied on the mort
gage months extension of time
was granted to some of the subscrib-
ers and the whole amount will be paid
in and the mortgage burned during
the next thirty days.
1t was to signalize the successful
completion of this work that the ban
quet was held last Tuesday evening.
Short speeches were made by many of
those present in which personal tes-
timony was given in regard to the
good work performed during these
twenty-five years by Father O'Neill.
Reference was made to the rapid
growth of the parish in numbers as
we'll as in the extent and value of the
church property Nor was the
spiritual aspect of Father O'NeilPs s
ministrations forgotten by those who
were in a position to testify to the
good work accomplished under his
direction One evidence of this is the
splendid attendance at Mass and all
the services on Sundays and holydays
of obligation, as well as the large
number who approach Holy Com
munion.
At the close of the evenings
festivities Father O'Neill made brief
address in which he complimented the
members of the committee on the sue
cessful completion of their self-im-
posed task and thanked them, and
through them, the members of St
MichaeTs congregation, for the loyal
support and encouragement which he
had received during the quarter of a
century of his association with them
He attributed whatever success had
attended his efforts to the whole
souled loyalty with which they had
responded to his appeals.
A Priest of the Old School.
Reverend Patrick O'Neill is native
of County Longford, Ireland, where he
was born on June %, 1856. He com
pleted his philosophical and theologi
cal studies at All Hallow's College
Ireland, and was ordained for the Dio
cese of st. Paul on June "a, 1884
Shortly after ordination he came tc
ST. Paul and for a year was assistant
pastor of the Church of the Immacu
late Conception, Minneapolis, of which
the present Bishop of Duluth was
pastor.
During the following three years he
was pastor of the Church of st. Ann
GAINESVILLE, MINI. In April, 1888, ne
came to st. Paul and assumed charge
of the parish of st. Michael where he
has since labored. During the twenty
five years of his pastorate the congre
CATION has increased from one hun
dred and fifty to six hundred families
To accommodate them Father O'Neill
enlarged the Church of st. Michael a
few years ago and remodelled and
renovated it throughout. During his
incumbency he built the commodious
brick school in which the Sisters OF
st. Joseph give instruction to nearly
six hundred children, as well as the
parish house in which he resides. In
addition to this, he bought the resi-
dence now occupied by the Sisters oi
st. Joseph who teach in his parochia
school. All this represents an ex
nondituro 0f about 5000 O0O nakins