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6 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC L AY MEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA FEBRUARY 15, 1930 Fr. O’Boyle Pioneer Pastor of St. Paul’s Beloved Priest Who Died in 1927 Was Pastor There for Over 37 Years Settlements along the east coast of Florida fifty years ago were not num erous, neither were they large. Few people ventured into the state but recently reclaimed from a wilderness. Daytona was one of the few commun ities then which showed distinct promise of population. Comfortable homes, stores and churches had sprung up, and with their advent there came a call for a missionary priest who could make regular visitation to the place and serve the people of the Catholic faith. It was in 1886 that Father John F. O’Boyle was first assigned to the dis trict of which Daytona Beach was a part. His headquarters were in Ti tusville, at that time head of naviga tion for the east coast; supplies being brought there by boat and taken by mule cart to the little settlements of the surrounding country. Travel was slow and uncertain then, and Father O’Boyle usually made his rounds in a small rowboat which car ried him along the river where he could administer to the needs of his scattered people. He was not only friend and advisor to the people of his own faith, but a comrade of all religions. There were no means of communication in those days, other than that which was brought by passing travelers, and Father O’Boyle carried news from one home to another and he was eagerly greeted by the pioneers who settled along the east coast in the early days, and welcomed to what ever fare the house provided at that time. Children were the special friends of the missionary priest. He was never too tired or too busy to stop for a word with them, and the pockets of his worn black coat were always sagging from the oranges or nuts he carried to give the children he should happen to meet in his travels. It was Father O’Boyle who inaugurated the custom of the picnic party and the annual Christmas tree of the St. Paul’s parish. Once a year the chil dren were provided with all the cake §nd ice cream they could eat, and at Jhristmas time the tree and gifts were an annual event. From 1890 to 1903 Father O’Boyle came to Daytona to say Mass once a month, for by that time several Cath olic families had settled in the lit tle town. Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Smiley, from Mayport. and two young sons, accompanied by Mrs. Smiley’s sister, Miss Leonie Turner, were the second Catholic family to arrive. Celebrations were made in the old Palmetto House on, the river front, then the only hotel in town, and at the William Jackson Hall, now the Daytona Beach Hardware Store, as well as in the old depot on the corner of Beach Street and Orange Avenue, and the old opera house mown as the Atlantic block at the present time. Altar fixtures were of the crudest; a kitchen table serving as the altar itself, while Mass book stand and can dlesticks were made of red cedar wood carved out by Mr. Alexander Achstetter. The first collection bas- get was made out of bleached palmet to. Tne altar cloth was given by a friend of Mr. Achestetter’s who kept the things at his house until Father O’Boyle should send a message tell ing of his coming. Daytona Beach’s Pastor Realizing that Daytona was devel oping as a center of the east coast, Father O’Boyle was transferred to Daytona in 1895 which was the be ginning of the parish now known as St. Paul’s. That year marked the first Catholic Church bazaar. It was held in the Atlantic block, and the proceeds amounted to $130. In 1895 Father O’Boyle received permission to buy a lot, 100 feet by 150 feet on the corner of Myrtle and Palmetto. The funds of ’he church were limited at that time, and the parish was small. Father O’Boyle took this carefully into account, yet determined that the building which would stand on the new lot should be - • Compliments GULF REFINING CO. . U. W. CUNNINGHAM. Agent DAYTONA BEACH FLORIDA REV. Wm. J. MULLALLY of the best, in spite of the stumbling blocks besetting his path. Piece by piece Father O'Boyle inspected the lumber brought to the lot to be used in the building. Knot holes and im perfections were quickly detected by his sharp eyes, and he insisted that none but the best materials go into the church. While the building of St. Paul’s was in progress, Mass was held every Sunday in the old opera house, but- in the fall of 1901 the little church was partially completed and on Sep tember first the opening Mass was held there. The altar was a small home-made affair constructed as well as possible under the circumstances. There were no pews; rough boards were supported by boxes, even nail kegs and barrels were utilized,. It was a church, However, and their own; a place of worship which be longed to them. During the summer the congrega tion shrunk to less than 50, but in the winter tourist season, it became necessary to hold three masses each Sunday, for the parish totaled nearly four hundred souls throughout the few months when Daytona blossomed as a resort town. lot to make further addition, This situation existed in January, 1923, when Father O’Boyle officially resigned from the church. Strenu ous labors were beyond his physi cal endurance and he realized that his work should be passed on to a man of younger years. On the 8th of April, Father O’Boyle celebrated his last Mass as pastor of St. Paul’s On the 27th of April, 1927, Father O’Boyle passed to his heavenly. re ward. More than 50 of his 85 years had been spent in church work, and he was mourned not only by those of the Catholic faith, but by the Prot- testant peoples as well. His kindly spirit and his zealous work for the church were only a part of the Father O’Boyle beloved of the people. Martin J. Hanley of Charleston Dead With the growth of Daytona, came the expansion of the St Paul's parish. Three times the Palmetto Avenue Church was rebuilt to ac commodate the ever growing demands made upon it. A rectory was added to the grounds, and the tiny build ing at the rear of the church, for merly the quarters of Father O’Boyle, was used as a Sunday school room and meeting place. It soon became evident, however, that St Paul’s par ish had outgrown the church, and there was no available space on the Member Quality Bakers of America. By Invitation Only Phone '79, A. B. C. BAKERY 524 VOLUSIA AVE. BUTTER-SPUT AND KEW-BEE BREAD DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (Special to The Bulletin) CHARLESTON, S. C.—Martin J. Hanley, 78, one of the most widely known members of St. Patrick’s par ish, died here January 17 after a short illness. For many years, Mr. Han ley was assistant city electrician, in stalling the first fire telegraph alarm in Charleston; he supervised the sys tem for a number of years until his retirement five years ago. He was a member and officer of N. Lynch Council, Knights of Columbus, of the Fourth Degree Assembly, past presi dent of the Ancient Order of Hiber nians and a member of the Catholic Laymen’s League and the Holy IName Society of St Patrick’s. His funeral was held from St. Patrick’s Church, Rev. Jos. L. O’Brien, pastor, officiat ing interment was in St. Lawrence Cemetery. Surviving are two sons, Martin J., Jr., and Stephen A., two daughters, Miss Katie F. Hanley and Mrs. A. I. Whiteside, and a sister, Mrs. M. J. Kelly, the latter of New York. Two Fascist Books Are Placed on Index (BY N. C. W. C. News Service) ROME.—The Osservatore Romano has printed the text of a decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office placing on the index two books recently published by the leading Fascist publishing house in Italy, Liberia del Littorio. They are “Render Unto Caesar: the Religious Polity of Mussolini, with Documents Hitherto Unpublished,” by Mario Missiroli, and “The Fascist State, the Church and the School,” pub lished under the nom de plume of Ignotus. _ Both volumdfe are saicr to contain the gravest errors against Catholic, doctrine. , . Signor Missiroli’s book is a history of the negotiations and solution of the Roman question and the speeches made by Premier Mussolini before the Chamber and the Senate on the Laternn treaties. Daytona Book and Stationery Company Incorporated 1914 232 South Beach Street Daytona Beach, Florida. HARRY WILCOX MOTOR COMPANY AUTHORIZED SALES AND SERVICE LINCOLN F0RDS0N CARS—TRUCKS—TRACTORS DAYTONA BEACH FLORIDA The Baggett Weatherby Co. 736 S. Beach Street Expert Ambulance Service Phones 67 and 68 Daytona Beach Florida