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Home : Quarterly Archives : Volume 9 |
Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society |
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Source: October 1957 Volume 9 Number 4, Pages 76–83 History of St. Monica's Church : Berwyn, Pennsylvania St. Monica's Roman Catholic Church on Main Avenue in Berwyn is one in a cluster of churches in the immediate vicinity - such that on Sundays the entire community seems to be gathering in one small area of Berwyn. In a way, this is reminiscent of the days about 1880 when the Catholics and the Methodists and the Baptists met at different times in the same hall back of the Presbyterian Church. Now St. Monica's tall steeple is a prominent silhouette against the southern sky to an observer traveling through on the Pennsylvania Railroad's Main Line. St. Monica's is named, as are most Catholic churches, for a saint - in this case, for the mother of St. Augustine, which is most appropriate since St. Monica's owed its first beginnings in Berwyn to the Augustinian Fathers in Villanova. Before 1873, the Catholics in the Berwyn area were few in number and, to attend Mass weekly as they were obligated to do, had to travel in to the Chapel of Villanova College, some 8 miles away, the nearest other service being in Downingtown, 14 miles to the west. In 1873 a mission chapel from Downingtown was established in Exton, but Villanova remained more accessible by train. Mr. and Mrs. James Kelley took up residence in Berwyn in 1870, and Mr. Kelley soon decided that a Catholic church in Berwyn was most desirable. He therefore talked it over with a boyhood friend who was then a priest and pastor at Villanova, a Father John Fedigan, later to become Provincial (Head) of the Augustinians in America. Mr. Kelley persuaded Father Fedigan to attend a meeting at his home, at the corner of Lancaster Pike and Waterloo Road. Seeing the group of about 25 at this meeting convinced Father Fedigan of the need for local services, and he set in motion arrangements resulting in Masses being celebrated in Berwyn by the Augustinians starting January 12, 1879. The first Mass being said by Father Fedigan, and on alternate Sundays at first for about ten years. Other Sundays, the long trip to Villanova had to be made.
Father John Fedegan Actually, the first few services were held in Mr. Kelley's home until the rental of the Odd Fellows Hall on the west side of Main Avenue, south of Berwyn Avenue -- newly built in 1877. This was used by the Catholics in the morning, by the Methodists (whose church in Devon had burned down) in the afternoon, and by the Baptists in the evening. This meant that the altar had to be erected before each service and dismantled promptly thereafter. The West Chester Daily Local noted in the April 14, 1879, issue that "The hall at Berwyn which has been rented as a Missionary station for the Roman Catholic services by priests supplied by Villa Nova (sic) was packed to capacity. The hall was handsomely decorated with flowers and much interest was manifested by the audience." And again in the May 14, 1879, issue "The pastor of Villa Nova (sic) Catholic Church makes weekly pilgrimages to the village (pop. 150) and reinspires those of his followers by masses, prayers, and good works such as seldom fall on barren soil. They too worship in the borough hall, that building being a place wherein the several creeds are expounded and with that unity and harmony which tradition accords to the time of building of King Solomon's Temple." On October 28, 1887, permission was given by Church authorities in Philadelphia to erect a church in Berwyn, after newspaper reports of rumors that the Catholics were buying land in Berwyn, and of objections by some local residents due to fear of a cemetery being laid out and depreciating surrounding property values. On December 24, 1887, the Philadelphia Record reported that Thomas Aiken of Berwyn had sold three acres of land to Charles Jones of Paoli, but legal proceedings were being discussed since it was discovered that Mr. Jones was acting for the Villa Nova (sic) R. C. Church for a church site instead of using the land to erect two residences as reported. This land is where the present Berwyn Fire House is. Apparently the Church dropped this piece of land, because on June 6, 1888, the West Chester Daily Local reported that George Tobler had sold a lot on Main Avenue for $2,800 (approximately two acres) to the Catholic Church which would immediately build a church and parsonage. Excavation for the new church was begun on January 16, 1889, and the cornerstone was laid on June 30 of the same year. The announcement of the cornerstone laying recorded that the lot was on an elevated site in the central portion of town, that a frame building 42 x 160 feet was to be erected over a stone basement already in place, and that the tower would be 70 feet high with a belfry. The cornerstone laying was a very elaborate occasion, with a special train coming out from Broad Street Station. It might be of interest to name a few of the articles put in the cornerstone: fragments of the Rock of Lourdes Sanctuary in France, a one-cent piece of 1805, other silver, copper, and nickel coins, medals, a silver-mounted pearl crucifix, list of subscribers' names, and newspaper accounts. A fair (the first of many) was held November 4 - 19, 1889, and $1,700 was netted. One newspaper reported that "At the Catholic Fair at St. Monica's last week, John Nugent and T. F. Maguire contested a horse. The former collected $370 and the latter $350. Rather a high price for a horse." On December 24, 1889, the first Mass in the new edifice was held in the basement, and services continued there until the full completion in April of 1893 - a four-year project costing about $15,000 and substantially free of debt through necessary fund-raising as the work progressed. The wooden altar was donated in 1891 by the Sisters of St. Joseph and had formerly been used in Chestnut Hill. Father Edward Daily of the Augustinians was the guiding force during this period, but the Augustinians found it necessary to turn over the new church to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in June of 1893, at which time the Augustinians ended their association with St. Monica's. For a while St. Monica's operated as a mission church under the supervision of Father Hand and Father Ward of St. Katherine's of Wayne, but on January 11, 1897, St. Monica's became a full-fledged parish church, and Father Hugh J. Dugan was assigned as pastor.
Original St. Monica's Church Father Dugan was a much-loved pastor and was well known for his financial assistance to the poor, for his sense of humor, and as a source of spiritual encouragement. He was on the friendliest of terms with Rev. Quimby of the Methodist Church and Rev. Aiken of the Presbyterian. These religious leaders of Berwyn, and Martin Van Buren Yerkes, father of the China missionary, had a common hobby, astronomy, and met frequently to search the heavens with Rev. Quimby's telescope. During his tenure, Father Dugan bought the cemetery plot in Daylesford on what was then Lancaster Pike, built the present rectory, and initiated Saturday afternoon classes in Christian Doctrine for parish children from 1 to 4 P.M. Nuns from West Chester were the teachers, and some of the older Berwyn residents can still recall seeing the sisters in their habits "flying" down Main Avenue to catch the train back to West Chester - a rail line from the Main Line to West Chester existing then.
Rev. Dugan P.R. Yearly bazaars were held in the basement of the church at which local "fancy work" was sold, and chance wheels, "fish ponds", and chance books all helped raise funds towards clearing the parish debt. Youngsters then can remember as oldsters now the ice cream and homemade cake and the drawing for the grand prize on the final night. On June 11, 1906, after nine years, Father Dugan was transferred to Philadelphia, and a new pastor, Father John Carey, was assigned.
Father Carey Father Carey was of stern manner, quite opposite to his predecessor, but parishioners soon learned that this was a disguise for a very kind-hearted man. During Father Carey's tenure, the parish school was built in 1917 and a house purchased and remodeled as a convent, a marble altar and railing with brass gates installed, the wooden front steps replaced with concrete in line with an enlargement of the main entrance, a side entrance to the church added, and the wooden exterior stuccoed. The old horse sheds were taken down about 1917 as they had outlived their usefulness. The Chester County Historical Society preserves to this day bills receipted in. Father Carey's hand for "6.00 for rent of horse stable to Mr. W. W. Hoopes, dated April 16, 1911." On September 8, 1916, the parish school was formally started with Sister M. Donata Kane, Sister M. Adele McCrickard, and Sister M. Salvator Shield of Immaculata College as the pioneers. They travelled each day from Immaculata and taught in the church basement until the school was completed, March 19, 1917. Nine years later a house adjacent to the church property was purchased from the Armstrong family, and on March 19, 1926, nuns took up residence for the first time in the parish. A play area for the school children near the convent (paved in 1957 to provide additional parking area) was donated by one of the oldest living parishioners, Mr. William Gallagher, in consideration of $1.00, and one of Mr. Gallagher's prized possessions is a letter of appreciation from Cardinal Dennis Dougherty. Father Carey also took great pride in beautifying the grounds,and the fountain outside the church entrance was a local point. The lawns were beautifully kept and Father Carey occasionally reminded his people from the altar that the sidewalks were there to walk on and kindly to stay off the grass. The annual bazaars continued. In 1939, Father Carey's health began to fail and Rev. Dr. Adrian Kilker was assigned as Administrator. On November 6, 1939, Father Carey died, a few days after his 75th birthday, having been pastor of St. Monica's for thirty-three years. Father Carey left a lasting imprint on the parish in many ways. Music and poetry were dear to him and he installed a new electric organ in the church toward this end. He had the church interior redecorated and added beautiful paintings on the walls of the dome above the altar. Pews were rented to families, and absence therefrom of a Sunday would have Father Carey calling the family and asking after the one who must have been sick to be so absent. He was a boxing fan, having engaged in that sport in his younger days, and perhaps that is why the altar boys never protested at having to wear felt slippers while serving at the altar - or perhaps it was the yearly fried oyster and cider supper that Father Carey gave for the altar boys that kept them in line. With his death ended an era for St. Monica's. The church bells are no longer rung, but Mr. John Kelly of Strafford recalls the raising of the bells in the remodeled belfry in Father Carey's time. (In 1957, a wiring short circuit caused an air-raid siren in the belfry to shriek for some fifteen minutes unabated, causing the conjecture to arise that going from bells to air-raid sirens in a church belfry is a sorry sign of the times). The bells were a familiar sound in Berwyn and were rung for every service by the faithful sexton, Peter McCann, until he left for World War 1. Mr. Larry Keohane recalls that Peter McCann started his duties at 4:30 A.M. when he put railroad ties in the church furnace to heat the building for the first service. Dr. Kilker was appointed pastor in January of 1940, and assistants were Rev. Gerald W. Chambers and Rev. Robert E. Carr in turn. Father Kilker died in January of 1944. The Rev. John L. Gallagher was assigned as pastor January 6, 1944, with Father Carr continuing as assistant, followed by Rev. Thomas D. Graham and Rev. Charles B. Convery, but the war-time shortage of priests soon left Father Gallagher without an assistant. Upon Father Gallagher falling ill, the Rev. John A. Barron became Administrator and Father Daniel J. Dunne Assistant. Father Barron redecorated the church interior in mid-1954 and made other improvements. In 1955, Father Gallagher returned to resume as pastor but on November 25, 1956, he died at the age of 57. The Rev. John J. Driscoll, D.D., M.A., Ph.D., was made pastor in January of 1957, coming from the faculty of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook where he was a Professor of Fundamental Dogmatic Theology and History of Philosophy. Father Dunne continues as Assistant. Dr. Driscoll is currently studying plans for the improvement of St. Monica's, after having had many of the parishioners in the Paoli area, leave to join the newly created St. Norbert's to relieve overcrowding at St. Monica's. The two parishes are very close, with St. Norbert's Parochial School using the auditorium of St. Monica's School until the completion of their new school building in late 1957. Who is to say what lies ahead for St. Monica's under the aggressive leadership of Father Driscoll and our dear Father Dunne and an ever expanding parish. |
