St. Elizabeth’s Parish History
1908
to Present Day
(Click for Pictures)
Prologue
One of these events was the foundation of the National Society Colonial Dames of
America. Mrs. Henry Geddes Banning
acted as a hostess to the infant organization at its meeting in the south parlor
May 19, 1892. (Significantly, the name Geddes derived from an ancestor, Captain
Geddes, who aided the American cause in the Revolutionary War.)
That original home
and property became in time the rectory of St. Elizabeth’s Parish and the
location for the church.
Dedication
Day
The date for the
formal opening of the new parish was set for June 1, 1908.
Colorful ceremonies accompanied the event, with the full participation of
both civic and church organizations. Ensuring
the success of the day were members of the clergy and parish of St. Paul’s,
the mother church of the fledgling parish.
An escort, provided
by these organizations, formed at the residence of Bishop Monaghan, at the
corner of Third and Jackson Streets, and led the way to Wyckoff Hall for the
Bishop and clergy, who followed in coaches.
The keynote address
of the occasion was given by Very Reverend John A. Lyons
The
First Pastor
Father Temple
was born on November 5, 1868, while his parents were on a visit to Camden, N.J.
The Temples were members of one of the oldest families in Delaware.
Young William Temple attended the Dudley School near Sudlersville in
Queen Anne County and the old Academy at Centreville, Maryland.
He then went to St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland and Saint
Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. He
was selected to attend North American College in Rome, receiving his Doctor of
Divinity degree there. Father
Temple was ordained on July 25, 1895, by Cardinal Parocchi.
When he returned to
the United States, Father Temple was assigned to Dunwoodie Seminary, New York,
where he distinguished himself as a teacher. His additional work among the poor and underprivileged
children in New York City was so acclaimed that, when Father Temple died in
1939, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia sent a representative to the funeral.
In 1898 Father
Temple became pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul, Easton, Maryland.
There, too, his work among the poor became well known.
In empathy with the plight of the downtrodden, Father Temple deprived
himself of material things, a characteristic he maintained throughout his life.
From 1904 to 1908,
Father Temple served as first assistant to Bishop Monaghan at St. Paul’s
Church, Wilmington. He devoted
himself to instructing the children and youth of the parish and achieved renown
as a public speaker. In a
biographical sketch in 1947, it was stated: It was at St. Paul’s that Father
Temple’s gifts as a public speaker of marked ability were first recognized.
At this post of duty, he showed himself a priest of unusual scholarship,
deep sincerity and that Catholicity of spirit which embraces groups of divergent
interests.
Before the parish
was officially opened on June 1, Father Temple baptized James Hamill and Michael
Gardner. The first official Baptism
in the new parish was that of Elizabeth Duncan on June 14.
Celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony for the first time in the parish
were Lewis Rodman and Anna Slavin on June 24, 1908.
The first Nuptial Mass was held on November 15 of that year for George
McConaghy and Marie Seery.
In keeping with the
tradition of founding a church and, almost immediately thereafter, a parochial
school, Father Temple arranged for the Benedictine Sisters of Ridgely, Maryland,
to open the parochial school in September, 1908.
Soon, a wing had to be added to the Gregg mansion on the grounds of the
Wilmington Military Academy. The
mansion was then used as both a convent and school.
A short time later, the former gymnasium had to be renovated for
classroom use.
When Father Temple
became pastor of St. Elizabeth’s, the parish was composed of 1,300 members.
The parish kept growing and by 1920, an addition to the church was built
to accommodate another 150 people. Foreseeing
the continued growth of the parish, Father Temple wisely acquired the Banning
estate in 1922.
The property
included a stone mansion, several garages and gardens.
The home became the rectory, allowing the second floor of the church,
which had served as the rectory, to be used for additional classrooms.
The site itself, resting on one of the highest points in the city,
provided a beautiful setting for the parish buildings.
The wisdom of this purchase was demonstrated in 1929 when a new parish school
opened, evidencing the tremendous development of the parish.
The building, covering a city block, contained eighteen classrooms,
cafeteria facilities, an auditorium and a large play court.
Eighteen Benedictine Sisters administered to the enrollment of about six
hundred students. Funding for the
new school was materially aided by the generosity of the Delaware State
Foundation, P.S. du Pont and John J. Raskob.
This beautiful new
facility provided a center for parish activities. St. Elizabeth Church groups included the Holy Name Society,
the Newman Clubs, the CYO and Boy and Girl Scout Troops. Taking some of the luster off the joy of the parishioners was
the onslaught of the Depression. But
the new school provided space for parishioners to work together to alleviate
impoverished conditions of their fellow human beings. Sewing rooms were set up to make and distribute clothing.
Breakfast was prepared and served daily for 150 children.
Lunch was also served to the same group via the support of the St.
Vincent de Paul Society.
Somehow, the people
of St. Elizabeth’s Parish, as those throughout the country, survived the
difficult 1930s. In 1932, Franklin
Delano Roosevelt was elected on a program of economic and social reform.
He instituted a number of changes, and by the end of the decade the
Depression showed signs of abating. Meanwhile,
across the Atlantic Ocean, a World War I German Wehrmacht corporal had become a
dictator, and launched the beginning of World War II.
It was the end of an era, and the beginning of another.
A
New Pastor
In this new
historical period, the Reverend James M. Grant, D.D., came to take up the reins
of St. Elizabeth’s Parish on February 8,1940.
Undaunted by the challenges of the times, Father Grant began a memorial
fund for a new church and before the year was out established St. Elizabeth’s
Catholic High School, the second Parochial high school in the Wilmington
diocese.
By 1947, enrollment
for the high school reached 200 students, who represented every parish in the
city. By then, four graduation
exercises had been held for 101 students. The high school department became fully accredited, offering
a college preparatory course with commercial subjects as electives.
The school boasted a fully-equipped laboratory for the science department
and a well-stocked library. Students
brought honor to the school through their participation in religious, scholastic
and civic events.
With the war barely
over, Father Grant lost no time in making preparations for the building of St.
Elizabeth’s Church. The
establishment of schools had always taken priority in the parish, and now, after
thirty-seven years, it was time to build a house of worship worthy of the
parish. With several years of hard
times behind them, parishioners were enthusiastic about marshaling their efforts
towards this goal.
On
October 21, 1945, Bishop Edmund J. FitzMaurice, Bishop of Wilmington, broke
ground for the new church at the corner of Clayton and Cedar Streets.
Wearing gold vestments suitable for the occasion, Bishop FitzMaurice
intoned the prayers of dedication, then commended priests and parishioners for
the work they were undertaking. Almost
two years later, on June 29, 1947, Bishop FitzMaurice officiated again when the
cornerstone was set in place.
A souvenir booklet
from the church dedication services on November 9, 1947, states: This is the day
which the Lord hath made; this is the day of the dedication of the new St.
Elizabeth’s Church, a day so long desired, a day that witnesses the
fulfillment of the desires of many souls. Today
it stands a finished work resplendent with its shining gold and gleaming white,
a monument to the faith of the people, the memorial to Father Temple, the
crowning work of Father Grant’s many noble achievements.
It is important
that we take the time here to relate some of Father Grant’s personal history.
He was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 2, 1879.
His birth date, as was Father Temple’s, was associated with St.
Elizabeth, for it was the feast day of the Visitation of the Blessed Mother to
her cousin, St. Elizabeth.
He graduated from
St. Paul’s and Wilmington High School, attended St. Anselm’s in New
Hampshire, and St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland. He, too, was
ordained from the North American College in Rome.
The ceremony was held in St. John Lateran Church on September 18, 1909,
by Cardinal Respighi.
He established a
reputation as an orator during his service at St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s
Cathedral. When World War I began,
Father Grant enlisted as a chaplain, serving with the Dixie Department in
Georgia and in France. Following
the war, he was assigned to St. Patrick’s and was named pastor of St.
John’s, Hockessin, on June 1, 1925. He
served that parish until his appointment to St. Elizabeth’s.
Father Grant was
almost sixty-one years old when he became pastor of St. Elizabeth’s.
It is an age when most men look back on their accomplishments, not ahead.
Not so, Father Grant. In his
first year, he established the high school and looked forward to the building of
a church. His zeal and industry
were recognized in July 1949 when Pope Pius XII elevated him to the rank of
Domestic Prelate with the title Right Reverend Monsignor.
Fiftieth
Anniversary
On November 2,
1958, the parish celebrated its Golden Anniversary. In honor of the occasion, Bishop FitzMaurice sent a letter of
congratulations to the parish. In
it, he wrote: You richly deserve these felicitations of mine because of your
achievements, not alone in spiritual fields, but also in a material way.
Indeed, when I contemplate the glorious temple you have reared to the
honor of almighty God, view your spacious schools, and other parish buildings, I
marvel at what you have been able to accomplish within a comparatively brief
period, and I hold you up to the entire Diocese as a shining example of what
priests and people can do in a parish when, animated by one mind and spirit,
they work together in closest harmony.
The parish had much
to celebrate in 1958. Three years
earlier, 1955, two more classrooms, a modern chemistry laboratory and a large
typing room had been added to the high school.
On January 27, 1957, an additional eight classrooms and a modern
gymnasium completed the largest parochial school in the Diocese.
Besides these
material achievements, the spiritual life of the parish was vigorous and
healthy. The souvenir booklet for
the anniversary celebration estimated that 120,000 Communions were annually
distributed, that attendance was high for nightly devotions in October and May
and for Forty Hours Devotions. Further evidencing the parish’s strong faith
were the numerous vocations fostered there.
Fifteen young men from the parish were ordained, and fifty-two girls
entered the sisterhood. Of the
fifty-two girls, twenty-four had spent most of their early years in the parish,
while twenty-eight attended the high school and represented several parishes.
The high school,
since its founding in 1940, had graduated 641 students.
The faculty of Benedictine Sisters had worked in the classroom to give
the children of our parish not only lessons in the three R’s but, most of all,
a firm foundation in the Catholic Faith.
After a
distinguished tenure as pastor, Monsignor Grant died May 8, 1966.
The Reverend Francis X. Burns became Administrator for four months until
the new pastor, Rev. John M. Donohoe, arrived in September.
Father Donohoe was
born in Wilmington on September 19,1913. He
studied for the priesthood at St. Charles Seminary in Baltimore, and the North
American College in Rome. He was
ordained on July 31,1938, in Rome.
Father Donohoe had
served as an Assistant Pastor at St. Elizabeth’s in 1939 and 1940, and
although he found many exterior changes to the flourishing high school and the
new church, essentially he found the parish had remained the same.
Father Donohoe worked in all
areas with his people and could be seen on any day with his index cards visiting
homes. His tenure was filled with a
real pastoral sense of duty. He is
well remembered and loved.
Father Donohoe
served in St. Elizabeth’s until his transfer in May, 1977.
During that period of service the rectory addition was completed, the
cafeteria was moved from the school to the church basement, and the church was
renovated in keeping with the new liturgical changes.
He was also on hand for one of the major highlights of parish history,
when, on April 6, 1968, Thomas J. Mardaga was installed as the sixth Bishop of
the Diocese of Wilmington. In
attendance were Lawrence Cardinal Shehan, Archbishop of Baltimore, and
Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, Apostolic Delegate in the United States, who
officiated at the ceremony.
Monsignor Donohoe
was succeeded by Reverend James T. Hammel.
Father Hammel was born in Jersey City, N.J., and attended Seton Hall
University and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington.
He studied theology at St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, and was ordained
in Wilmington in 1952. He served as an Associate Pastor at St. Peter’s Cathedral
and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Wilmington.
He was appointed pastor of St. John’s, Milford, in 1965, and then
pastor of Corpus Christi in 1968.
During Father
Hammel’s pastorate, the energy crisis spurred the updating of the heating
systems in the school, church, convent and rectory.
Father O’Brien
was born in the Bronx, N.Y., attended St. John’s University and St. Mary’s
Seminary, Baltimore. He was
ordained on May 26, 1962, for the Diocese of Wilmington.
He served as an associate pastor at two parishes before being named CYO
Director in 1968. He became pastor
of Our Lady of Fatima Church in 1972. He
was named dean of the New Castle Deanery in 1978 and was reappointed to that post
in 1981.
A new breath and a
new spirit arrived in the parish with Father O’Brien. From his installation Mass presided over by Reverend Thomas
Gardocki, Dean of the City of Wilmington, until he left there were many
important improvements made to St. Elizabeth’s parish.
Father O’Brien served at St. Elizabeth’s with zest and enthusiasm from
1982-1997. Just prior to his
arrival, the parish began its 75th Anniversary year with a special
Mass on Easter Sunday, 1982. The
theme for the year’s celebration was “Coming Home,” and several parish and
school programs incorporated this theme into their year’s activities.
During the years of
Father O’Brien’s ministry, every year brought about many changes.
The Computer Curriculum grew and adult courses in computers started to
increase revenue. The auditorium multipurpose room was turned into a Theatre,
the gym was renovated, and the Church interior was restored.
In 1990, a new wing was completed, dedicated and occupied by the high
school, grade school kindergarten classroom.
In the mid
nineties, a Long Range Facilities Plan and Maintenance and Renovation Plan were
developed, which then led to a New Millennium Development Fund to finance
facilities, tuition assistance and special educational programs.
Progress must go on, so what Father O’Brien started, Father Dillingham
would continue.
Previously, Father
Dillingham was an Assistant Pastor of St, Elizabeth’s from June 22, 1983 to
June 24, 1987.
The parish, grade
school and high school, under the faithful, intelligent and dedicated leadership
of the Pastor and Benedictine Sisters, the parish spirit and facilities
continued to improve with the replacing of the church roof, interior and
exterior renovations to both grade and high-school, and an updating of its
educational programs which offer our children a sound basis for preparing
themselves for higher education.
On October 7, 2000,
the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the St. E Center took place
— a project whose goal was
to strengthen the bonds of the parish, grade school and high school in the spirit of the
1908 founders, when they began the tradition of building the future together . .
. a future in which our forebears envisioned a strong parish, a beautiful new
church and a thriving educational institution for boys and girls from the
primary through the secondary grades. We
have reaped the benefits of their dreams and labors and we will continue their
commitment for many years to come.
The tradition
continues . . .