The
History of St. Anthony's Shrine Parish
A.
H. Marshall
A century after St.
Anthony Shrine Church was dedicated on October 26, 1897,
the Parish publishes this book as a record of how the
beautiful stone church was built, how the parish was
administered over the years, how the buildings and
grounds have changed, and how it has all been made
possible by the support of a faithful congregation.
Actually, the story of our faith community is a much
older story. The parish now known as St. Anthony Shrine
dates back to Colonial times. By about 1740, Catholic
settlers in northern Frederick County were gathering at
a site less than a mile from the present church to
receive the sacraments from traveling priests. This long
history includes three distinct periods: The Missionary
Period, 1734-1805, The College Period, 1805-1894, The
St. Anthony Shrine Period, 1894-present
The first two periods are briefly summarized in the
following account. They provide a historical background
for the events of the third period. The events of the
third period, the past hundred years, are reported in
greater detail since they lead directly to our
centennial celebration.
I. THE MISSIONARY PERIOD
The congregation now known as St. Anthony Shrine
Parish began 250 or more years ago when Maryland was a
colony of the British Crown. Maryland, founded by Cecil
Calvert, Lord Baltimore, in 1634, was at first a place
of religious freedom. Many Catholics, persecuted and
oppressed in England, settled with a sigh of relief in
Southern Maryland.
The relief was short. Freedom of worship ended in
1692 when the Church of England became the established
religion of the colony. Catholics were double-taxed,
forbidden to worship in public, forbidden to hold office
or bear arms. Many decided to flee persecution once
again and seek safer territory. One such westward-bound
group pushed as far as the Blue Ridge Mountains and then
settled in the fertile Monocacy Valley in northern
Frederick County.
The leader of this group was William Elder who moved
about 1728 from St. Marys County. He was soon joined by
the Livers, Owings, Wheelers, and other Catholic
families. The Brawners, already on the scene, became
fervent converts. Some other family names from this
period are Delosier, Brooke, Ogle. and Neale. The early
settlers were able to sustain their Catholic faith
because they were served by missionary priests. These
circuit-riding (or walking) priests, many of whom were
Jesuits from Conewago Chapel, said Mass and administered
the sacraments in private homes since it was against the
law to build a Catholic church. Whenever a priest
arrived, a signal was sent to the Catholics in the area.
In the archives at Mount Saint Mary's College is a
boatman's or conch shell said to have been brought from
Southern Maryland and used to call the faithful settlers
of the valley to worship.
William Elder, whose home stood about half a mile
from the present church, set aside a large room for
worship. Tradition tells that the first Mass in the
neighborhood was celebrated in the Elder "house
chapel" in 1745. Other records suggest that Mass
was said in what is now St. Anthony's district as early
as 1734. It is a happy fact that William Elder's
great-grandson, Archbishop William Henry Elder of
Cincinnati, said the Mass when St. Anthony's Church was
consecrated in 1897.
II. THE COLLEGE PERIOD
The missionary period ended when Rev. John DuBois
came to the parish as a resident pastor in 1805. That
same year he bought land from the Elder family and
started building a church on the side of St. Mary's
Mountain. In 1808, he founded Mount Saint Mary's
College. From that time until 1894 the local
congregation and the college/seminary students worshiped
together at St. Mary's Church, also known as "The
Mountain Church" or "The Old Church on the
Hill." The College president was also pastor of the
church.
By this time the new Constitution of the United
States guaranteed freedom of religion to the
"papists." Also, the bias against Catholics
lessened because of their ready participation in the
Revolutionary War. Certainly, St. Mary's Church on the
Hill seems to have been built in a fine spirit of
ecumenism.
In The Story of the Mountain there is a heart warming
account of the ground breaking: Some 50 or 60 men of the
neighborhood were present-women and children, white and
black, on that 19th day of November 1805, many
Protestants also, among them Mr. Hoover, a Mennonite
preacher, conspicuous by his long beard. All worked
together. Father DuBois himself took an axe.., gave the
first blow and down went the trees on all sides. There
were few but were eager to have a hand in the work... A
good old fashioned barbecue with an ox roasted whole
closed the happy day's proceedings and the Catholic
Church on the hill was assured. Fr. Dubois was resident
pastor at St. Mary's Church for 21 years. St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton came to the area in 1809 and was among his
early parishioners.
The Grotto
It is appropriate here to write a few words about the
Grotto for its history has been long entwined with that
of St. Mary's and St. Anthony's churches. The Grotto of
Lourdes, high in the mountain behind Mount Saint Mary's
College, is a natural amphitheater which Fr. DuBois
discovered as he rambled through the woods seeking a
site for St. Mary's Church. In all the years since, the
Grotto has been a place of peace and prayer. It was
beloved of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton who wrote that she,
her sister companions, and their students often attended
Mass in ‘‘this wild and picturesque spot.
For many years the Grotto was under the care of Mount
seminarians. In the nineteenth century, they gathered
native stones and shaped the lovely dell to closely
resemble the Grotto of Lourdes in France. The basic work
was completed in 1879. Now formally known as the
National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes, it was declared a
public oratory by Lawrence Cardinal Shehan in 1965. Over
a million people have visited this Mary-shrine.
At the entrance to the Grotto, on the spot where St.
Mary's Church stood, the Pangborn Campanile topped by a
statue of Our Lady rises 120 feet into the sky. Visible
for miles, the golden statue seems to watch over and
bless the surrounding area-including St. Anthony Shrine
Church.
St. Anthony's cemetery lies adjacent to the Grotto.
It was the graveyard for St. Mary's Church and dates
back to 1806. College, seminary, and parish have buried
their dead there; it holds several members of St.
Elizabeth Seton's family as well as the ancestors of
many of today's parishioners.
III. THE ST. ANTHONY SHRINE PERIOD
Before reading this section, please note that the
name St. Anthony Shrine was not heard in the two early
periods. The name was given to the congregation when it
was declared an independent parish in 1894. The present
period began a little over one hundred years ago when
the old congregation received a new name and built a new
church. The history which follows tells the story of
this third period.
In June 1894, the College Council met at Mount Saint
Mary's with James Cardinal Gibbons presiding. It was
decided that the local parish would no longer be served
by the college priests. Rev. John B. Manley, who had
been teaching at the Mount, was appointed pastor of the
newly independent parish.
There was great commotion among the Catholic
community when they heard of the separation and added up
the costs. Their new pastor's salary had been set at
$800 a year plus board, an amount in excess of the
annual parish income. Fr. Manley would no longer reside
at the college so a rectory must be built. It soon
turned out that they also needed to build a new church.
It appears that the parish rallied quickly after the
first shock of the separation. Father Manley proved an
energetic leader and the next four years saw remarkable
activity.
The formal separation of the parish and the college
was announced on November 27, 1894. Ground was broken
for a rectory on July 10, 1895. A decision was reached
to build a new church rather than make much needed
repairs on the Mountain Church. As if to make clear its
independent status, the parish was given a new name: St.
Anthony Shrine. The cornerstone for St. Anthony Shrine
Church was laid on Sunday, May 2, 1897. The new church
was dedicated on October 26, 1897. (This book marks the
church's one hundredth birthday.)
The cornerstone for the new church was laid Sunday,
May 2, 1897. The square block of Gettysburg granite was
a gift of the pastor, Father Manley, and he noted in the
parish records that it "contains rare coins and
some new coins dated 1897, names of subscribers, copies
of The Catholic Mirror and of The Emmitsburg
Chronicle."
Cardinal Gibbons was represented at the cornerstone
laying by Monsignor James O'Brien, pastor of St. Peter's
Church, Washington, D.C. Mr. Michael Lingg was in charge
of masonry and set the stone in place. Michael Lingg's
father Henry, along with Hiram Taylor had built the
rectory two years earlier.
The design of the church was furnished by Mr. Frank
Hobbs, Decatur, Ill. Contractors were Mr. Hobbs and Mr.
Walter for $10,500. Subcontractors ere Michael and
George Lingg (masonry); F.A. Adelsberger (tinning); A.
Kreitz (plastering); James Gelwicks (painting); and
Felix Wallace (furnace).
The Church is built of native stone and has a seating
capacity of 350. It is located two miles south of the
town of Emmitsburg on St. Anthony Road which roughly
parallels U.S. Highway 15. College Mountain, part of the
Catoctin Spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rises behind
the church.
Some treasures from "Old St. Mary's" helped
furnish the new St. Anthony Shrine Church and are still
in use. These include six bronze High Mass candles for
the main altar and the statues of the Blessed Mother,
St. Joseph, and the Sacred Heart.
The large stained glass window in the choir loft has
been called "the pride of the Church". Rich in
emblems and unique in design, it was a gift from the St.
Vincent's Branch of the Emerald Benevolent Association.
(The EBA was a mutual aid society of a type which came
into being after the Civil War to provide insurance and
other benefits to Catholic churches.)
The cost of the church ($10,500) cannot be easily
expressed in today's dollars. For one thing, we are
talking about a building without electricity, air
conditioning, and other modern improvements. At the end
of the nineteenth century, a workingman might bring home
a weekly salary of $5.00. A farmer would probably see
even less cash on a regular basis. Therefore, the
contributions listed below would have represented a very
meaningful part of a parishioner's income.
According to church records, the following persons
gave one hundred dollars each towards the building of
the new St. Anthony's, and their names are perpetuated
on a marble tablet as chief benefactors. The record
continues, "The total amount paid on subscriptions
is four thousand and eight hundred dollars. There are
about five hundred still unpaid, but as good as
cash." In addition to cash contributions, the new
church received many specific donations which were given
to beautify the House of The Lord. Gifts are recorded as
follows: The main altar was given by Miss Mary Cosgrove
and her sister Eleanora of Baltimore. The Blessed Virgin
altar was given by the Elder family and is called the
"Elder memorial." (Archbishop Elder
contributed one hundred dollars with other donations
from Mrs. E.G. Eckenrode, the Elder family in Charles
County, Mrs. Mary R. Elder, Miss Josephine Elder, and
Mr. James A. Elder.)
The St. Joseph altar was donated by Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas Griffin of Baltimore. Three costly and devotional
art figured glass windows adorn the chancel. That of the
Sacred Heart was the gift of the Members of the League
of the Sacred Heart; that of the Blessed Virgin was
given by Fr. Pius P. Hemler in memory of his parents;
and that of St. Joseph was the gift of the Sanctuary
Society. The stained-glass gem in the Blessed Sacrament
chapel was given by contractors Messrs. Walter &
Hobbs, as was the vestibule lamp. The large window in
the choir is a gift of the Emerald Benevolent
Association. The Benevolent Association promises a
desirable and valuable donation... to be called St.
Anthony's Benevolent Grove. The Sanctuary lamp is a gift
of Mrs. Ann Coffay of Baltimore. Mr. John Hoke and Mrs.
H. Seton gave altar goods. Dr. J.B. Brawner provided the
gilding for the tower cross. M.F. Adelsberger and Mr.
James Gelwicks made donations in labor.
Fr. Manley presented his parishioners with a
financial statement on January 1,1898. The church and
its furnishings had cost $12,925.00. He wrote: The
church debt is less than four thousand dollars. This
speaks volumes for the zeal, practical piety and
generosity of the old mountain congregation. The new
church property, as it stands, cost over eighteen
thousand dollars. [This larger sum included the rectory.
I In less than four years this amount has been raised.
The Story of the Mountain recounts the October 26,
1897, dedication of the new Church in these words:
Today, the comely new Church... of St. Anthony was
dedicated by Cardinal Gibbons with Abp. Elder saying the
Mass and Bps. McGovern and Chatard assisting, with
twenty-four other priests one of whom, Fr. George W.
Devine, preached instead of Bp. Curtis who was storm
bound on Solomon's Island. A stone at Clairvaux (i.e. in
the Elder Cemetery) marks where, as we saw, the
great-grandfather of Archbishop Elder had raised
"the first altar to the living God" in this
locality.., and one of the marble altars of this new
temple was donated by the Abp, and inscribed "the
Elder Memorial." Ten thousand five hundred dollars
was the contract price for the mason and carpenter work
alone.
Thus we have the solemn blessing and dedication of
St. Anthony Shrine Church. Few rural parishes, then or
now, can claim such an assemblage of prelates-the
Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore, Archbishop William
Henry Elder of Cincinnati, and two other bishops.
Church records show that in the year St. Anthony was
dedicated these marriages took place: John Roddy and
Laura Orndorf, Michael Lingg and Margaret Henly, Edward
Fitzgerald and Agnes Keepers, Thomas Jacobs and Louisa
Rosensteel, George Sanders and Emma Brown, Robert Hobbs
and
Mary Walter, Charles Emery Colliflower and Barbara
Eliza Freshman.
Pastors
Since St. Anthony's was dedicated, eleven pastors
have attended the spiritual needs of the congregation.
Some of their special accomplishments are included in
the section on parish changes and improvements. An honor
roll of their names and dates of service follows:
- Father John B. Manley - 1894-1904
- Father George H. Tragesser - 1904-1923
- Father Edward F. Reilly - 1923-1931
- Father J. Leo Barley - 1931-1940
- Father Thomas Reinhart - 1940-1948
- Monsignor Stanley J. Scarff - 1948-1954
- Father Vincent J. Tomalski - 1954-1972
- Father Edward T. Sargus - 1973-1978
- Father William A. McEvoy - 1978-1983
- Father Edward B. Hemler - 1983-1991
- Father Leo R. Tittler - 1992- present
Old Saint Mary's Church
As soon as St. Anthony's Church was built, the Old
Church on the Hill was abandoned except for an
occasional summer Mass. Even this limited use was
stopped in 1900 because of the dangerous condition of
the building.
Nevertheless, the centenary of the church was
celebrated on October 19, 1905, and attended by a large
crowd. Cardinal Gibbons presided; the Pope sent his
blessing. The College administration was well
represented and many graduates returned for the
ceremony. From St. Anthony's congregation came the
descendants of those who had helped build the church.
Many of their descendants, in turn, now help celebrate
the centenary of St. Anthony's. Old St. Mary's was
accidentally destroyed by fire on July 4, 1913.
Changes and Improvements
St. Anthony Shrine Parish has steered a sure course
through the wars, depressions, and amazing inventions of
the busy twentieth century. The congregation, always
steadfast in the Catholic Faith, has coped with new
lifestyles, new technology, and the changes of Vatican
II. The parish rolls reflect this blending of old and
new: many family names appear for the full hundred
years; many newcomers have been welcomed.
A parish school, staffed by the Daughters of Charity
from St. Joseph's Central House in Emmitsburg, was
opened in 1903 under the leadership of the first pastor,
Fr. John B. Manley. The school was located across the
road from the church in a two story hall which was
donated to the parish by the Emerald Benevolent Society.
An account of the first day of school, September 14,
1903, states that "fifty-two lovely children were
enrolled." Later in the same document it is noted
that one of the two teaching sisters "broke
down" the first day and had to be replaced. No
explanation follows but one might conclude that
fifty-two children-even "lovely" ones-were
quite a handful. The Daughters of Charity taught gratis
at the school for about a year and a half. It was next
staffed by the Sisters of St. Francis and then,
beginning in 1911, by lay teachers. In 1923 the
Daughters of Charity resumed teaching St. Anthony's
children and they continue that charge today although in
a consolidated school.
Electric lights were installed in the church in 1919
at a cost of $700 and the rectory was electrified the
following year. Soon afterward, the parish upgraded its
water supply "with electrical pump and suitable
piping." In mid-century Fr. Stanley Scarff
installed a new altar railing and had the stonework of
the church repointed. The beautiful inlay floor on the
top altar step was put in place by William Wivell, a
longtime parishioner. Improvements were also made to the
school including replacing the old outhouses with modern
lavatories.
In 1956 the Daughters of Charity opened Mother Seton
School in Emmitsburg to serve the children of four local
parishes including St. Anthony's. The parish schoolhouse
then became St. Anthony Hall, providing much needed
space for church dinners and other social events and for
parish offices. Father Vincent Tomalski continued the
careful maintenance of parish buildings with a major
overhaul in 1961. The church was renovated with new
lighting, flooring, pews, and an ornate decor in
lavender, gold and red. Both church and rectory were
rewired and the Minshall-Estey organ was repaired. Also,
the large porch across the front and side of the rectory
was replaced. All this for $22,500.
Martha J. Corry deeded to the church in 1962 a piece
of land which extended the church property on the north
to the boundary of Mount Saint Mary's College. This
bequest made possible the building of the spacious north
parking lot. In response to decrees of Vatican II, a new
altar of sacrifice, designed by Fr. Tomalski and Carl
Wetzel, was placed in the church sanctuary in the early
1970's. Further repainting and renovations, including
air conditioning, were undertaken in the 1980's under
Father Edward Hemler's administration. New altar
furniture-podium, chairs, offertory and credence
tables-was made by Carroll Wivell around 1986. Margaret
Jennings Dickerson bequeathed over a million dollars to
the church when she died in 1987. The resulting trust
fund provides specifically for the upkeep of the parish
and cemetery and for perpetual care for Mrs. Dickerson's
grave site.
In preparation for its one hundredth birthday
celebration, St. Anthony Shrine Church has recently been
repainted and redecorated. A Baldwin organ has been
installed in the choir loft. These improvements are
gifts of the parishioners and friends of St. Anthony's.
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