Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-09-05
st. Nicholas of TOlentino Was
Cradle of the Religion
There.
Father Michael Francis Gal.
Iaghcr an Earnest aud Faith
full Worker.
REPETITION OF The old STORY
By James A. Rooney. Ii. D.

BY James A. Rooney, LII. ID.
The alumni of Niagara Uni
versity who will gather at Atlantic
City next month in their regular an
nual session, as we'll as Catholics in
general, will be interested in review
ing the Catholic history of that now
famous watering place, whose old
Indian name of Absecon or Absegami
little Water) was changed at the
time of it's Incorporation in July,
1854. The Catholics among the
throngs at the noted resort will have
something to regret IL they fail to
visit the Augustinians' Church of St.
Nicholas of Tolentino, real gem of
architectural genius, built of Mount
Airy granite and the center Of a
stately cluster of buildings on
Pacific avenue, between Tennessee
and New York avenues, free from
debt and representing an outlay of
$350.000. This new church was
begun in 1902 under the present
worthy rector, the Rev. F. ]. Nc
Shane, o. s. A., and was solemnly
conScrated irrevocably to the serv-
ice of God and religion by the
Apostolic Delegate, the Most Rev.
John Bonzano, on June of this
year.
The cornerstone of the original
church was laid on the feast of its
patron, the wonder-worker of the
fifteenth century, on Thursday, Sep
TENDER 10, 1857. by the Rev. Dr.
Patrick f. Moriarty, o. S. A. But
Catholicity had made some little
progress even before that, for the
first mass was celebrated by Father
Michael Francis Gallagher, o. S. A.,
in the large room of the Bedloe
House, at what is now the corner OF
Atlantic and Massachusetts, avenues.
The date was probably about April
Is, 1855. When the need of a more
suitable place for Divine worship
became apparent Col Daniel Morris
and Patrick O'Reilly, a contractor
building the Camden & Atlantic
railroad, presented Father Gallagher
with a plot of ground on the south
side of Atlantic avenue, near Ten
nessee, and on this he built a two
story chapel. This first place of
Divine worship was blessed and
placed under the patronage of st.
Nicholas, the preacher of the
dedicatory sermon being the Rev.
Daniel Sheridan, rector of st.
Michael's church, Philadelphia, who
on July IL, 1856, lost his life with
a large number of his Pensioners
in collision on the North Penn
sylvania railroad at Camp Hill.
In very few years the Catholics
had increased so in numbers, espe-
cially during the summer seasons,
that larger church became a neces-
sity, and the cornerstone was laid, as
stated, September 10, 1857. The
building was constructed of material
intended for the Church of st. Denis
at West Haverford, Pa. also in
charge of the Augustinians, and the
frame and timbers were transported
to Atlantic City and used there. The
church was blessed and opened for
divine service June "a, 1858. All
this work devolved on Father
Gallagher, the founder of the mis-
sion and an indefatigable worker.
He was born at Drummore, Ireland,
in 1902. Coming to America in his
youth, he studied under Bishop
Francis Patrick Kenrick, of Phila-
delphia, by whom he was ordained
Mn 1897.
II AS st. Nicholas has always been
attended by the Augustinians as it is
how, they continued their ministra-
Ptions after the departure of Father
Gallagher, and among those who
labored there both during his time
and afterward up to 1880 we're
Fathers Edward NJ. Mullen, Louis
NJ. Edge, Patrick A. Stanton, Patrick
E. Moriarty, ID. d., Philip o'Farrell,
Mark Crane. Joseph ID. Bowles, Jo-
seph Biggin, George A. Meagher and
Peter Crane. During the summer
there was always daily mass and
once a month on Sundays for the rest
OF the year In 1880 the Very Rev.
John j. Fedigan, President of Villa
nova, became permanent resident
rector of st. Nicholas. He entered
the church to double its former
capacity. and today, with a new
church, The parish has grown beyond
the fondest dreams of its founders
in numbers and influence, with
Father McShane as rector. The
planting and growth of the faith in
kAtlantic City is only repetition OF
the story of Catholicity throughout
bur country. The seed sown in the
Door little mission by the sea and its
handful of Catholics in 1855 has in
Creased many hundred fold, and now
lthe capacity of four Catholic
Fchurches is taxed by the adherents
OF the old faith who make up the
permanent population or seek health
and relaxation from the cooling
breezes OF Absecon Island.