Newspaper Page Text
Published by the
Catholic Lay
men’s Association
of Georgia.
“To Bring About
a Friendlier
Feeling Among
Neighbors Irre
spective of Creed”
VOL. XVII. No. 3.
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, MARCH 28, 1936
ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR
Anderson, S.C., Center of Great Mission Territory
Pastor at Anderson
THE REV. HENRY L. SPIESMAN,
for the past six years pastor of St.
Joseph’s Church, Anderson, and the
Anderson missions, including Abbe
ville, Clemson College, Fairplay, Mc
Cormick, Greenwood, Newberry, Wal-
halla, S. C., and Hartwell, Ga. Father
Spiesman, a native of Buffalo, N. Y.,
was ordained for the Diocese of
Charleston, has served in every part
of the state, and was formerly pastor
of St. Paul’s Church, Spartanburg.
Assistant Pastor
THE REV. CHARLES J. BAUM,
assistant pastor of St. Joseph’s Church
and the Anderson Missions covering
seven counties in South Carolina and
one in Georgia, is a native of Charles
ton. where he received his early ed
ucation, then entering St. Charles
College, Catonsville, Md., where he
made his classical studies, and St.
Mary's Seminary, where he made his
course in philosophy and theology,
receiving the degrees of Bachelor of
Arts Master of Arts and Bachelor of
Sacred Theology.
Father Baum was ordained for the
Diocese of Charleston by the Most
Rev. Emmet M. Walsh, D.D., Bishop
of the Diocese; he was assigned to
the Cathedral and was a member of
the faculty of Bishop England High
School in Charleston after his ordi
nation. He was also previous to his
assignment to the Anderson Missions
assistant pastor at St. Joseph Church,
Charleston. In Anderson and its mis
sions as in Charleston Father Baum
has won a warm place in the hearts
of the people by his kindly, zealous,
priestly character.
ORIGINAL CHURCH
DEDICATED IN 1861
Bishop Lynch Officiated at
Ceremony—Present Church
Erected in 1910
The history of the Anderson Mis
sions, if completely written, would
form several sizable volumes. Here a
brief mention must suffice with ref
erence to the Church of St. Joseph,
the Mother Church of the Anderson
Missions.
The first Catholic residents of An
derson settled here about the middle
of the last century. Some of their
descendants are at the present time
members of this parish.
Miss Agatha Spellman of Anderson
assures us that civil records certify
that the lot at the corner of E. Earle
and N. McDuffie Streets (where the
church, stands at present) was deeded
to the Right Rev. P. N. Lynch, D. D.,
Bishop of Charleston, on December
23. 1868.
On May 10. 1861, the original
Church of St. Joseph was dedicated
by Bishop Lynch who was assisted
in the ceremonies by Fathers H. P.
Northrop and J. J. Monaghan, both
of whom later became Bishops. At
this period Father Woolahan was in
charge of the Anderson congregation.
Dr. O’Connell, the historian of the
Church in the Carolinas and Geor
gia, gives credit to Capt. John Mc
Grath and Mr. M. D. Kennedy for
their untiring efforts in the labor of
paying off the debts of the new
church.
1910 marked an important date in
the history of the Anderson church
for in that year the building was
completely renovated and enlarged;
this work was carried to its comple
tion through the efforts of Monsig
nor Gwynn, then in charge of the
church. On October 10, 1910, the
building was rededicated to the ser
vice of God, with Bishop Northrop
officiating at the services and Bishop
Monaghan of Wilmington. Del., de
livered the sermon. Bishop Keiley
of Savannah graced the occasion with
his presence and spoke at the eve
ning service.
In 1919 St. Joseph's Church was
canonically established as a parish
with the Rev. T. J. Mackin as the
first pastor. At the end of three
years Father Mackin was succeeded
by the Rev Timothy McGrath who
also remained here for three years.
The Rev. E. P. Sweeney followed
Father McGrath and was pastor for
one year. At the end of this time
Anderson again fell under the juris
diction of the Graniteville Missions.
In 1929 Father McGrath returned
as pastor, having as Tiis assistant the
Rev. Christopher O'Sullivan. In 1930
the new rectory, one of the many
ecclesiastical buildings erected dur
ing the time since Bishop Walsh has
come to the diocese as the sixth Or
dinary, was completed.
In the latter part of 1930 the Rev.
Henry L. Spiesmai*- took charge of
the Anderson Missions and is the
Dresent pastor of St. Joseph’s Church.
The Rev. James Guinea was assist
ant pastor from 1933 until 1935. The
Rev. Charles J. Baum was appointed
assistant pastor in September of last
year.
On October 16, 1935, the Silver Ju
bilee of St. Joseph's Church was ob
served. The principal features of this
celebration were Solemn Benediction
of the Most Blessed Sacrament and
a sermon. The celebrant at the Bene
diction was Father McGrath, the dea
con was Father Dean, and the sub
deacon Father Baum. Father Mackin
preached the anniversary sermon and
he with Father Spiesman served as
acolytes. Monsignor Gwynn. who
was unable to be present, telegraph
ed greetings.
Brother Leander of
Memphis College Dies
MEMPHIS, Term.—Brother Lean
der of the Christian Brothers, who
spent most of his fifty years as a
teacher and religious at the Chris
tian Brothers College here, died late
in February after a short illness.
Brother Leander came to Memphis
first in 1885, and thirty-four of the
intervening years he spent as a
member of the faculty of the col
lege here. He taught the grandfath
ers of some of the present students,
and all whom he ever taught held
him in affectionate memory. He was
a native of Ireland and three years
ago went back there on a visit. The
funeral was held here from St. Pe
ter’s Church, with interment in Cal
vary Cemetery.
Anderson Church and Rectory
Dean of District
The Chapel at Clemson
THE RT. REV. MSGR. A. K.
GWYNN, V. F., pastor of St. Mary’s
Church, Greenville, dean of the
Greenville district, including Ander
son and for over 40 years a priest of
the Diocese of Charleston.
MSGR. GWYNN LEADER
IN LITURGICAL ART
H’is Work in This Field in
Deanery Widely Commended
The Right Reverend Andrew K.
Gwynn, V.F.. pastor of St. Mary’s
Church, Greenville, and head of the
Greenville deanery, and for many
years in direct charge of the territory
now included within the area of the
Anderson Missions, has been an in
defatigable worker in the cause of
advancing the liturgical movement, a
work which is becoming more wide
spread throughout the county and
one which has the hearty approval
and endorsement of the Holy Father.
The Churches of Our Lady of
Lourdes in Greenwood, of St. An
drew at Clemson, and the chapels of
St. Mary’s Convent and St. Francis
Hospital, both in Greenville, have
elicited generous praise from those
who are students of what has been
called the Liturgical Revival. These
churches and chapels measure up to
the strictest requirements of the
liturgy and are some of the examples
of the work in this regard that has
been accomplished. by Monsignor
Gwynn within the last decade or
more.
Saint Andrews’ Church ,
The religious needs of the Cath
olic students of Clemson College
were first ministered to from Green
ville. and in late years have been
supplied from Anderson. A recent
communication from Father Edward
A. Duff, a priest of the Diocese of
Charleston and now head of the U.
S. Army Chaplains, with headquar
ters in Washington, D. C., informs
us that in the early years of his
ministry he celebrated Holy Mass
from time to time at the college.
A step in progress in the work of
the Church in this area was made
last December 8 when the magnifi
cent new Church of St. Andrew was
solemnly blessed by the Most Rev.
Emmett M. Walsh, D. D., Bishop of
Charleston. The new church build
ing, of which the Very Rev. Michael
Mclnemey, O. S. B.,, A. I. A., of
Belmont Abbey, N. C., was archi
tect, was described in the previous
issue of The Bulletin.
St. Andrews’ (which is named af-
Clemson College, S. C.
ter the patron saint of Msgr. Gwynn)
was a gift of the lately deceased dis
tinguished Catholic layman, Mr.
James F. Gallivan. of Greenville.
The building embodies the spirit of
the “Medieval English Country
Chapel,’’ and is complete in every
liturgical appointment.
Monsignor Gwynn celebrated the
first Mass in the new church on the
day of its dedication. The Dedica
tion Mass was offered by Bishop
Walsh who also delivered the ser
mon. Assisting in the dedicatory
exercises were Father H. L. Spies
man, in charge of the church, and
Father Sydney F. Dean, assistant
pastor of St. Mary's Church in
Greenville.
At the present time there are
about twenty-eight Catholic stud
ents at Clemson College; these with
the Catholic families resident in the
neighborhood of the college form the
congregation of St. Andrews’, where
the Holy Sacrifice is offered every
Sunday during the school year.