The Press., 1921-02-10

of dollars all told. On Father O'Neill's arrival his trustees showed him two feet of, water in the rectory cellar and the church basement. Water and sewer pipes had to be renewed on the
 whole plant. The church roof took $500 to repair, the school roof $500 more. Leaks ruined nearly all the in- terior decorations and plastering of
 the church. This can never be re-
 paired till it's faulty architecture has
 been changed by removing the four
 annexes which hold the snow and cause the water to back up under the slates. With the present debt that is
 impossible. For this reason nothing
 but the bare essentials was done in or around the church. Five bushels of plastering were picked out of the organ pipes. An electric motor to
 run the organ was installed and the
 organ was improved by the addition of more stops. The boiler too was half rebuilt and the most of the steam
 pipes renewed. Besides this the church was twice painted and the
 rectory also twice painted and once
 shingled. About $40O had to be spent
 on the church windows. Many hum
 dred dollars had to be spent on the
 school and hall Every thing inside
 the school rooms and hall was renew
 ed. The stage and hall were entirely
 remodeled, and teautiful scenery add
 ed Many persons had asked for
 horse sheds. Eight sheds were built
 at a cost of about $500 Only a few
 dollars were spent on the pastors own
 residence. The most visible change
 in parish property during this period
 was the purchase of the adjoining
 Desmond house and land, and the sale
 of the house across the street used as
 a convent. Each house was bought
 and sold for $4000. In 1920 the
 Desmond house was so completely
 remodeled for a convent as to con-
 tain nothing of the old structure but
 the frame, clapbOards and shingles.
 All this work, with labor and mate
 rials the highest in history, entailed
 an extra expense of nearly $4000. The result is, that with years of ad- ditions, repairs and improvements, hard times and other difficulties, the present administration could not put much of dent in the mortgage debt. As fast as a thousand was paid another thousand had to be added for new property. .-
 In 1920, it may ke said that St. parish is in very pros- porous condition, speaking compara lively. The financial burden of $16, 00e is, however, rather weighty matter to pay interest on annually. Yet this difficulty is easily met with out oppressive collections The chief source of revenue is the pew rent, which is paid quarterly at the rate of 10 cents a week for each person over 16 years of age. Ninety-nine out of every hundred church -goers in St. Edwards parish gladly pay this volun- 5ary tax regularly. We say voluntary, because no one is really obliged to pay t, for the laws of the Catholic church prescribe 'Let there be reserved in every church a free space for all who Ire unable, or even unwilling, to pay"
 Even the most uninstructed Catho- ic knows this universal law, and yet here may be found in St. Edwards parish, as in every other, few relig- ous cranks who cannot afford to go o church"
 Priests who give missions here re- port that they find no other parish to sQual this in the regularity of church going. Parents and children of the many races composing St. Edwards parish are truly one Christian family n religion, and also a unit in pa riotism. The World War was 8 proof ,f that. They were true to the Cross md Flag. The parish sent more young men to defend the colors than lid. the other denominations of Staf- ord and it could boast of the only gold stars in the whole township. Of hese it had six, and could justly ,laim eight. Of blue stars it had nOre than a hundred. Let it be put town here, for future historians of his neighbOrhoOd, that the only Staf- ord soldier killed on the firing line, n the World War, was young man 'f Italian birth and blood, who held, 1 md paid for, and regularly occupied l fitting No. 262 in St. Edwards church. l Hold my seat till come back, Father, if ever do," said he to ] Father O'Neill, on bidding good bye. But, like thousands of other boys, l Agostino Strazza never came back. With his face to the foe, in charge le was not obliged to make, he fell, hot through the head-an honor to an honor to the Italian race, D American citizenship and to Catho- lc faith. Not with dry eyes did his 'astor afix little gold star and a lny American flag to the sitting which he dead soldier would never occupy
 gain. Sacred to his memory the | eat was kept vacant a year.
 The other young men who died in he service were George Bartek, Ed yard Swift, Martin Cunningham, Wal er Bousquet and Corp. Charles Rob- rts. Bartek, of the navy had the
 onor to die first. The parish gave
 i'm a special lot apart, and special ervices. Cunningham was a parish rustee. He died just before touching he shores of France. The first of the rmy branch to die in service was
 wift, who, like Bousquet, died in ann Drnnarinc tn po nvoraaos Norn