The Press., 1921-02-03

$37O.0O On November g, 1872, the Rt Rev.
 Bishop Mcfarland appointed a resi-
 dent pastor for Stafford in the person
 of the Rev. Peter Paul Shahan, at
 that time assistant to Father De-
 Bruycker in Willimantic. A man of
 great executive ability and energy,
 Father Shahan placed the new parish
 on a firm footing in short time.
 He purchased more land about the
 church, remOdeled the edifice itself, erected a pastoral residence, founded
 the parish school, introduced the Sis
 ters of Mercy from Hartford, pur-
 chased 30 acres of land belonging to the Farley Converse estate, to 'be set
 apart for cemetery purposes. Father
 Shahan built also a chapel in Staff
 fordville, though the Catholics of that
 place were not legally incorporated
 till June 10, 1878, by Father Sha-
 hans successor, the Rev. Thomas w.
 Frederick. who was appointed pastor
 of St. Edwards in the spring of 1878, and who latOred well in the struggling little parish for IS months.
 The Rev. Patrick Donahue succeed
 ed Father Frederick. To him the
 parish records ascribe the purchase of the house employed as 8 convent till
 1920.
 The next pastor on the list is the
 Rev. M. McKeon. Under his ad-
 ministration the parish debt became
 liQuidated, and upon his promotion to
 larger parish he left in the treasury
 5000 to his successor and former as-
 sistant, the Rev John D. Coyle, who
 assumed the burden of the pastorate
 January 1, 1886.
 Father Coyle spared no time or
 money to increase and beautify parish
 property. Finding the rectory, the school building and the little church too small to accommodate the increas- ing number of parishioners, he began at once to enlarge the school and the parish hall. The rectory also was reconstructed on a more extensive plan, while the church was almost entirely rebuilt. These improve ments entailed nearly $4O,OOO of ex- pense, but Father Coyle labored so en- Enthusiastically and his people cOntri- buted so generously that upon his pro- motion, in May, 1895, he left the property encountered with only $12,- 900 indebtedness. The present church was begun in 1887, the corner stone having been laid on November 18th of that year.
 For some time previous to father COyle's departure, and during a dozen years afterwards, the condition of Stafford was extremely discouraging. Hard times and the burning down of factories depleted church membership Low wages completed the havoc. Par ish buildings were beginning to need repair. People were too poor to be pressed for money. Pastors too, could not get 8 living wage. All the priests of Connecticut put St. Ed wards at the foot of the list of poor parishes. Under such conditions the Rev. Daniel H. Lawler assumed pas- toral charge on May 20, 1895. After twenty months of self-denial, and without being able to pay any mort. gage or make any repairs, Father Lawler died, Jan. Il, 1897, greatly mourned by devoted flock. The Rev. Richard c. Gragan succeeded him on Feb. l, 1897 During Father Gragan's pastOrate conditions grew worse in- stead of better. More small factories went up in smoke: more people moved away; buildings were faster going to pieces; money was slower coming in: pastor and people were discouraged. The pastor asked his superior to tighten his load by removing him to a less difficult field of labor. Father Gragan's pastorate terminated on Sept. 2S, 1900, when he was promoted to Portland, Conn. On his departure the debt was $11.7OO, namely $500 less than Father Coyle had left it five years before. The diocesan history says Father Gragan paid $15OO debt ! This is an error. His own figures on quitting the parish put the mortgage reduction at three hundred dollars. But he could not spend cent for re- pairs during his whole charge. It | was this very sore need, of repairs to ! decaying buildings, and the emptiness of the peoples pockets, that made a l successor to Father Gragan so hard l to be found. Bishop Tierney almost l begged eight priests, all in poor par lshes, to accept Stafford Springs. ! They in turn begged not to be sent l there. He finally asked priest of his own household, who had been first | assistant at the cathedral for two | years, to accept the place. This priest, the Rev. Felix J. O'Neill, took lp the gauntlet and assumed pastoral charge on Sept. 23, 1900. He has oc- cupied the office for more than twenty