The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-14

been remarkabIe, Sacred Heart high school for girls was built in | this city, caring for many who | wished high school education under Catholic influences. Also in Wat erbury, and under encouragement from the bishop, the now flourish | ing Waterbury Catholic high school was formed. Receiving support from all parishes in the city its brief history has been one of | genuine achievement. Elsewhere throughout the diocese, interest in Catholic secondary education con tinued to expand and lead to ac- tion.
 Albertus Magnus Established In 1925, with permission and ap- proval of Bishop Milan, the Sisters of St. Mary's of the Springs, branch of a Dominican order, established AIbertus Magnus college in New Haven. In the eight years of it's existence, the college has seen its enrolment grow by leaps and | bounds and it's influence spread far beyond the confines of the diocese. Also with the bishops approval. Mt St Joseph's academy in Hartford began a college department, which now promises to rank soon as a leading collegiate institution. The established post-secondary institu- tions in the diocese, mainly those of | religious orders, have all expanded under his patronage.
 One of the greatest steps of educational progress made under l Bishop Milan was the building of | the beautiful new St. Thomas | Seminary at Bloomfield. Previous l to it's opening, students for the priesthood were obliged to, make their pre-philosophical studies at 1 the old St, Thomas Seminary in Hartford proper, in quarters that had out1ived their usefulness.
 Sponsored New Seminary
 The new seminary, in the rustic latmosphere of the Hartford suburb,
 has the most modern of equip ment and facilities. Beautifully de- signed and substantially built, it | is a monument to the progress of the Diocese of Hartford. Several hundred students are educated there each year, many Of them pre- pairing directly for the priesthood. Each fall, the retreats of the priests of the diocese are now held there in surroundings, of beauty and peace.
 Churches of the diocese, too, fared we'll under Bishop Milan. Many new and beautiful structures were built, notably Waterbury's s Church of the Immaculate Concep-
 tion, built under the direction of the late Rev. William J. McGurk. with the approval and support. of the bishop. All over the state, | AH rn
 built, further marks of the per-
 manency of the once struggling diocese.
 Organized Diocesan Bureau
 A believer in social equality and in love of neighbor, Bishop Milan in 1920 announced the formation of the Diocesan Bureau of Social Service, which since that time has grown to be. one of the. leading welfare organizations in the East. Hartford and branches established soon afterward in four other cities, Waterbury, New Haven Bridgeport and New London. Into this enterprise the bishop brought the credo that charity should never be macfine-like. Believing that love of neighbor should be the mo- tivating influence in all assistance, he urged that belief on the bureau and it's personnel. Maintaining a staff of trained social workers, the bureau now functions efficiently, and humanely, as an organization offering help to Catholics in need of material or spiritual assistance and advice.
 Of SaintIy Character | Into everything he entered. Bis | hop Milan brought those qualities that have made him beloved to the state at large. Each new ven- ture found him filled with the en- thusiasm of youth, tempered with the thoughtful restraint of matur- | ity. In every enterprise he was willing to do more than his share, to take part of another's burden. l To the Catholics of Connecticut, particularly, and to all who knew him, in general, Bishop Milan was a man at once human and saintly He was genuinely human in the crinkly smile that illumined his face when pleased, in the delight, with which he welcomed little children, in the appreciation he had of timely comment or an apropos jest. He was genuinely saintly in his private and public devotion to the ideals of Catholic | ism, in his willingness to make per- sonal sacrifices and in his innate and unfailing self-modesty.
 Admired As Man. And Priest
 Possessing a personality that kept friends ready to do his bid- ding for years, he was a man and a priest who had all the qualities that are nok only liked, but loved. | Never purposely attempting to make friends, he found that people | Hooked to him naturally, finding in him one they could confide in and trust.
 To the priests of the diocese, he was more a father than superior. He was always willing to give ad- vice to clergymen. particularly the younger ones, who came to him | The wisdom of his experience be- | hind it, his counsel was almost invariably wise and thoughtful. Priests having problems they could not settle themselves found in him a gracious advisor. The priests of Connecticut revered him as a priest and bishop and loved him as l man.
 To the Catholics of Connecticut. whose churches he visited every now and then in the course of his episcopal duties, he was a beloved spiritual ruler. His pastoral letters were heard with interest and at tention, for both his orders and his opinions were respected by all.
 Death--A Great Loss
 l His death takes from Connecti-s cut one of its leading citizens and leaves place that will be difficult to fill. Under him the church in Connecticut has grown beyond the widest dreams of those early Cath olics of a century ago. Under him the Catholics of Connecticut have had real inspiration to live the lives of loyal and patriotic Amer