The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-14
STAMFORD

Stratford, April 14.-Rev. M J. O'Connor, pastor of St. James R. c. church, read the list of contributors to the annual collection of the parish for the past year at both masses at the church yesterday, the amounts contributed ranging from one dollar to eighty dollars and making a grand total of $1,146.O0, the largest annual collection in the history of St. James parish.
 Father O'Connor thanked and con- graduated his people on the spendid way in which they contributed to the support of the church and stated that they had just reason to feel proud that in such a small parish such a fine annual collection could be taken up.
 He announced that work on the new church will be started about the first of May and that the edifice will be one of the finest in Stratford.
 ''The new church will cost in the neighborhood of $4O,OOO to build." said Father O'Connor, "and besides being a magnificent church, will be handsome ornament to the town. Many of my non-Catho1ic friends as well as the members of my own con gregation. realizing that the new church will be a credit to the town. have come forward and volunteered to assist me in a financial way in the building of the structure. Naturally I was delighted to see that the people of the town, regardless of creed, were prompt to come forward with of fers of help.
 Although my annual collection this past year was the largest ever taken up here, I expect that the collection for this coming year will be bigger than ever with the people realizing that their dream of a new church for Ta1 T1or ~iG1 is a f0 he T-n- o1ized.''
 Father O'Connor is certainly to be congratulated on the showing he has made since he came to Stratford. In the couple of years he has been here he not only cleared the parish of debt, paying for the magnificent piece of church property on Main street, but he purchased and paid for the rectory property adjoining the site of the new church, and is now ready to begin work on the erection of the new $4O,- 900 church, a record which few priests or ministers in the state could sur pass.
 To Sing At Concert.
 Walter Lawrence, the noted boy singer of All Angels church, New York city, will sing at the concert to be giv- en for the Parish House fund of the Stratford Congregational church, Fri day evening, April IS. It is expected that there will be a fine attendance at the concert.
 Outing Club Dance a Success.
 The informal dance given by the members of the Stratford Outing club at the 'Auditorium'' Saturday evening was a fine success in every sense of the word. The music, which was fur nished by Umbehagen's orchestra, was above criticism, the decorations were pretti1y arranged, there was a fine crowd and everything went off smooth as clockwofk. The costumes worn by the young ladies were stun ming to say the least, and with the combination of the pretty dresses, the prettier young ladies, and the soft red glow from the shaded electric lights, the scene was one which the partici- pants in the dance will remember for @ long time. There were about 40 couples present and there was not one among the whole number who did not agree that the dance was one of the most enjoya ble affairs of it's kind ever held in the old town.
 Requests Return of Books.
 Philo Haven, who was chairman of the committee in charge of the Strat- ford Board of Trade banquet which was given in Red Mems hall last Thursday evening, states that a num- Der of the songbooks used at the ban quet were taken away by some of the diners. He requests that they be were simply loaned to the Board of Trade and will have to be paid for if they are not returned.
 Ranblers To Meet.
 The Rambler basketball club will