This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website
St. Bernard’s Catholic Church
1837
This was the prettiest valley I ever saw—standing boldly out in its
native grandeur; grand groves of oaks and elms and maples and basswood; the
banks of the river on either side fringed with red cedars; resembling hedge
fences. Within the forest abounded herds
of deer. I have seen at one time over
one hundred of these animals gamboling over the very spot where St. Bernard’s
Church now stands. Recollection by James Rogan in 1879.
1841
The
first Mass said in Watertown was celebrated in the Crangle home by Father Kundig
in the fall of 1841, and he continued to visit the village at intervals until
1845 when the first little church was completed on the site of the present St.
Bernard’s.
Patrick Rogan shared in ownership of some of the
land granted to James. Patrick Rogan and
his wife presented the land to St. Bernard's where the first frame church was
built in 1846. Patrick Rogan was active in community, church and civic affairs.
1860
1860 Church
1872 Rev. William
Corby, C.S.C was pastor of St. Bernard’s 1872-77
Cross Reference: Picture of Rev. William Corby granting
last benediction to Irish Brigade, at Notre Dame WG, 03 05 1909
1873 Laying of the corner stone
John Booney superintendent of the carpenter and wood work on
the new St. Bernard's
1875
Construction of new church alongside first
church
1876
10 18 The
steeple of the new St. Bernard's Catholic Church is surmounted by a fine cross of
the Latin design, cast at the foundry of Mr. J.
B. Bennett of this city. The height of the cross is 11 feet 1 inch, and
across the arms it measures 6 feet 3 inches. Its weight is 450 pounds. The
cross rests upon a lead cap weighing 430 pounds. The cross has a very fine
effect to the eye, and, of course, at its great distance from the ground,
nearly 200 feet, it looks diminutive compared with its actual size. WR
11 02 The new
Catholic edifice of this city will be dedicated, according to the usual
formalities, on Sunday, November 12th.
The exercises will take place at 10:30 o'clock in the forenoon,
during the course of which the dedicatory sermon will form the most important
part of the services.
The
ceremonies throughout will be unusually impressive, and none should fail to be
present at an occasion so rare in occurrence.
Arrangements have been made by Father Corby to have a special train
leave Milwaukee on the day of the dedication, when it is expected that a large
number of people will be in attendance from that city. It is earnestly requested that the people
living here and in the adjoining towns, be present, as the spacious edifice is
ample enough to accommodate a large assemblage.
An admission fee of fifty cents will be charged to witness the
ceremonies. WD
11 02 A New City Clock -- We have been informed that a
committee to consist of a few of our best and most public spirited citizens,
intends to canvass the liberal disposed portion of our people for the means to
put a clock in the tower of St. Bernard’s church. It will cost about $709. The
dial will be of ground plate glass, and will be illuminated with gas on the
four dials, so that the time can be seen at night from the most distance part of
the city; and as the bell will be three thousand pounds weight, the hours can
be heard as the hammer falls to strike the hours that will usher out this
centennial year, while it will be a lasting memorial to all who place their
mite in the silver-tongued monitor, which will tell the hour that each one of
us will be of earth no more.
We
think this latter enterprise deserves the liberal encouragement of our
citizens, as Rev. Father Corby has changed the plan of the new steeple at the
request of very many citizens, for the purpose of the clock, and as an
illuminated clock will add to the imposing beauty of the edifice, while it will
impart to the street throughout its entire length a panoramic view, which for
rural grandeur cannot be equaled in any other city west of the lakes. Put in
the clock by all means. Such a splendid opportunity should not be lost to test
our appreciation of the great effort of the pastor and people of St. Bernard's
Congregation, to place such a thing of beauty on the sight so prominent, while
it looks down from the tallest steeple in the state, from a height of 204 feet
over the city, and out over the country, furnishing to the eye of the beholder
one of the finest views imaginable. [NOTE: It would not
be until 29 years later, in 1905, that a clock would be installed in St. B’s
steeple] WD
1905 Clock installed in steeple
1908
07 31 Father Boland assumes charge of the
parish. Father Rogers, for seven years
pastor, left for treatment at St. Agnes' sanitarium WG
07 31 Portiuncula services will be held at St. Bernard's
church. WG
07 31 Ice cream social,
Young Ladies Society WG
1909
03 19 St. Patrick's Day High Mass celebrated
at St. Bernard's WG
04 09 Passionist
Fathers conduct week-long mission at St. Bernard's WG
05 14 St. First Communion
recipients WG
07 16 Rev. John Boland, pastor, becomes
president of St. Edward’s College; Father Hennessey succeeds; Father Phelan
his assistant WG
07 23 New heating system,
contract for WG
08 06 Ice cream social WG
08 27 Cemetery trustees elect officers WG
09 23 Monument to Father Corby on the
Gettysburg battle field WG
1910
01 07 St.
Bernard’s purchased the old Solliday home on Montgomery
St WG
02 11 Father Phelan
injured by cutter tipping over WG
02 11 Father
Hennessey’s sprained ankle WG
03 25 Cemetery
Association By-Laws WG
04 15 Fr.
Hennessey sailed Ireland WG
07 01 Fr. Hennessey
returned from two months' visit to Ireland WG
07 01 School
Dramatical and Musical Entertainment WG
07 15 Re-appointed Pastor and President: At the chapter of the Congregation of the
Holy Cross recently held at Notre Dame, Ind., Rev. Father Hennessey was
re-appointed pastor of St. Bernard's Church for the ensuing year, and Rev
Father O'Malley was re-appointed president of Sacred Heart College, with most
of the old faculty of the college, which has been one of the best in the
history of the college WG
08 12 Musical Comedy “Mother Goose Up To
Date" WG
1911
01 26 The ladies of the sewing circle of St. Bernard's
Church will give a social card party at the church hall on Thursday evening, January
26, 1911, the third of the series.
Suitable prizes will be awarded. Admission 25 cents.
The public is cordially invited. WG
03 16 St. Bernard’s Church Junior Choir Entertainment. Next Sunday evening at 8
o’clock the junior choir of St. Bernard’s Church will give a musical and
literary entertainment at Masonic Temple Hall, to which the public is cordially
invited. A small admission fee,
10 cents, will be charged. An excellent
program has been arranged and all who attend can count on being well
entertained. It was the intention to
give this entertainment on either Thursday or Friday evening of this week but
as it would conflict with the Sacred Heart College entertainment and the
Knights of Columbus lecture, it was decided to have it on Sunday evening. WG
04 13 Holy Week at St. Bernard's. Following is the program of services at St.
Bernard's Church for holy week:
Wednesday evening confessions.
Thursday morning at 8 o'clock High Mass followed by procession of the
Blessed Sacrament, exposition all day. Thursday evening at 7:30, sermon on the Holy Eucharist. [Good] Friday morning,
services at 8 o'clock; Way of the Cross at 3 p. m.; evening devotions at 7:30. Saturday morning, services begin at 7. Thursday and Friday evenings the Cecilian quartette under the direction of E. J. Brandt will
sing the "Lamentations," "Benedictus"
and the "Stabat Mater." The Cecelian choir are rehearsing a special musical program for Easter
Sunday. WG
07 13 Church Alms Boxes Robbed. Last week the alms boxes in St. Bernard's
Church were broken into and robbed of their contents, making this the second
time this summer. Suspicion rests on a
local party, and the possibilities are he will be arrested and receive just
punishment. WG
07 20 The members of St. Bernard’s Church will
hold a picnic on the Sacred Heart College grounds on Tuesday, August 15, to
which the public is cordially invited . . . Years ago it was the custom of this
congregation to hold an annual picnic on August 15th and it was always a fine
social affair and conducive to much social good, hence Father Hennessey, at the
suggestion of several of the members of the congregation, has decided to revive
the custom. WG
1921 E J
Brandt composed a "Festival Gloria" for church choir which he
directed for nearly fifty years.
1923 Church Jubilee Revives Styles of 1873
(Picture in paper)
Left to right – E. J. O’Byrne, G. A. Gallman, James W. Moore, J. D. Casey
Below
– Mrs. E. J. O’Byrne, Mrs. G. A. Gallman, Mrs.
Richard Irving, Sr. and Mrs. Hannah Griffin.
One of
the most interesting features of the golden jubilee celebration of St.
Bernard’s Catholic Church was the grand march at the dinner dance held at the
Turner Opera house on the last day of the four day celebration, and which was
led by eight persons who have been members of St. Bernard’s congregation for
fifty years. The four women wore
costumes of 1873 and with the rest of the brilliant assemblage the scene was
one of the most impressive on record here.
Four
generations of singers have taken part in the choir programs of St. Bernard’s
Church, it developed at the celebration of its diamond jubilee. At the laying of the corner stone fifty years
ago, Mrs. August Wiggenhorn, then a prominent singer
and musician in this community took part in the service. The four generations included Mrs. August Wiggenhorn, Mrs. Edward J. Brandt and Mrs. Earl W. Quirk,
who are at present leaders in the choir and Catherine and Lillian Quirk, great
grandchildren of Mrs. Wiggenhorn, who are members of
the children’s chorus.
All
but Mrs. Wiggenhorn took part in the jubilee exercise
last week.
1928
May 10, 1928. Farewell Banquet at the Green Bowl in honor
of Fr. Mahoney, by St. Bernard's ushers
1954
05 02 First
Communion
1960
02 24 New school and
gymnasium, construction bids on WDT
05 11 Rev. Delbert D. Klink, solemn High Mass WDT
06 23 The Rev. Patrick Dolan, C.S.C., pastor of St.
Bernard's parish, will mark the 40th anniversary of his ordination as a
Catholic priest on Monday. Father Dolan
has served as pastor of St. Bernard's for the last 10 years, coming here in
1950 from North Easton, Mass. He
received his education at Notre Dame University and Washington University. He was ordained at Notre Dame in 1920. WDT
08 27 The cornerstone laying ceremony for the new school of
St. Bernard's will be held after the 11 o'clock mass Sunday morning. Among the items to be placed in a copper box
in the cornerstone will be copies of the Watertown
Daily Times, pictures and a copy of St. Bernard's centennial booklet. The ground breaking ceremony for the new
school was held on March 17 with the pastor, the Rev. Patrick Dolan, C.S.C.,
turning the first spadeful of dirt. The general contractor for the school is Maas
Bros. Construction Company, Watertown.
Others are: Heating, Kehr Bros., Watertown; electrical, Gregory Electric, Oconomowoc, and
plumbing, H. Golden and Son, Oregon. WDT
1962
10 05 Exterior Renovations
Work
has begun on altering the steeple and the front of the church. Raue [Edward S.
Raue] and Sons, Inc., of Watertown, has the contract for the work. The steeple work will include giving it a
spire appearance, following removal of some of the steeple windows, installing
new sheet metal work, new shingles and painting it. The contract also calls for removal of
dangerous masonry and improving the front of the church. The project is of about three weeks duration.
1974
Restoration
after 1974 steeple fire
1984
03 18 Holy Cross Fathers announce they no
longer will provide priests for St. Bernard's parish WDT
2000
10 25 Stained glass window repair, 14 year
project completed WDT
2009
07 20 Examination of the church's finances and records needed WDT
The Diocese of
Madison has taken a preliminary look at the economic affairs of St. Bernard's Catholic Church and concluded
that a careful and independent examination of the church's finances and records
is needed.
Concerns at St.
Bernard's include the borrowing of funds from parishioners, the parish itself
and the overall handling of parish business affairs.
As a results of its preliminary
investigation, the Madison Diocese placed the Rev. Tom Marr on administrative
leave effective July 16. Monsignor
Daniel Ganshert, vicar general of the Diocese of
Madison, has been named administrator of the St. Bernard Parish. WDT
Church members get update on finances
10 12 Parishioners of St. Bernard's Church were
told at church services on Saturday and Sunday that approximately $55,000 in
church funds is missing. In addition to church funds, parishioners were told over
$340,000 was collected from 31 individuals or family units, including members
and others outside the parish.
Monsignor Dan Ganshert, vicar general of the Diocese of Madison offered
the information during services in lieu of the homily. After services, questions asked by
parishioners were answered by Ganshert, the Rev.
Brian Wilk, pastor of St. Bernard's and St. Henry's,
and also Harold Laufer of Madison, attorney for the
diocese and St. Bernard's.
The Rev. Tom Marr,
longtime pastor at the church, has been on a six-month leave of absence since
July while the church investigated irregularities in its bookkeeping. Marr has served the parish since 1985 as
pastor and administrator. The priest was ordered by the diocese to take a leave
of absence after concerns over parish finances were raised in May and confirmed
in mid-July through an audit.
Investigations are
being done by the Watertown Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of
Justice Division of Criminal Investigation independent of the diocese.
Marr invested the
money in a “non-traditional alternative investment” that allegedly would
greatly benefit the church. Marr conducted the unauthorized borrowing of funds
through the church's bookkeeper, who is no longer employed by the church. Neither
Marr nor the bookkeeper informed or consulted the church finance committee
about the borrowing of the funds.
A civil suit to
recover funds has been filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court by Laufer on behalf of St. Bernard Congregation against Arthur
Eith of rural Juneau, who is a member of the parish.
The case is listed on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Web site, commonly
known as CCAP. Ganshert invited parishioners to
follow the progress of the case through the Web site. The case was filed Sept. 8
and has a class code description of Intentional Tort.
Wilk said he has agreed
to continue as administrator of both churches until the end of the year, and
St. Bernard's is seeking a pastoral associate.
WDT
St. B’s sues member for alleged fraud
10 13 St. Bernard's sued one of its members for
allegedly ensnaring parishioners and the church itself in an investment
opportunity that was "fraudulent and non-existent," according to a
lawsuit. Fallout from the matter is
proving widespread. More than 30 individuals
are thought to have lost about $400,000 combined, and the church is out another
$55,000, according to church and Madison Catholic Diocese officials.
The church's
priest, the Rev. Thomas Marr, has been removed from the parish and put on
administrative leave by the diocese while his role is sorted out. Watertown
Police Chief Tim Roets said his department is
conducting a criminal investigation with the assistance of the white-collar
crime unit of the state Department of Justice.
The parishioner at the
center of the lawsuit, Arthur Eith, 66, of rural
Juneau, told the State Journal on Monday he is "just sick" about how
everything is playing out and that he will be vindicated once a windfall he's
anticipating comes through.
"I still
intend to make good on all this," Eith said,
adding that he knows he "looks like the heavy."
According to the
lawsuit, Eith approached Marr, his parish priest,
about three years ago regarding a "purported investment opportunity."
Eith claimed he was owed millions of dollars from the
Nigerian government for consulting work he'd done there but said he needed
money up front in order to retrieve his paycheck.
Eith promised to make
"substantial contributions to the congregation and various Catholic
entities and charities upon his receipt of the funds allegedly due him,"
according to the lawsuit, filed Sept. 9 in Jefferson County Circuit Court.
Marr then
apparently took about $55,000 from the church's account and gave it to Eith. He also solicited money from parishioners and others
and delivered it to Eith "supposedly in order to
increase the return Eith was promising to pay the
congregation," the lawsuit said. All of Eith's
representations "were untrue," the lawsuit said.
Monsignor Dan Ganshert, the diocese's second in
command, said that Marr "inappropriately borrowed" the $55,000 from
the church without the knowledge of the parish's various councils and trustees.
In addition, the diocese believes Marr borrowed the other money directly from parishioners,
friends, family and other priests, perhaps giving different reasons for needing
the money.
"Each of these
persons (was) unaware of others that Father Marr had approached," Ganshert said. Marr was placed on leave July 16 due to
concerns about parish finances.
Eith told the State Journal he has done international
agribusiness consulting work for 30 years, primarily in the area of restoring
land following the extraction of oil. He currently is owed several millions of
dollars from the Nigerian government, he said.
Eith denies that he
proposed an investment scheme to Marr. He said he went to Marr because he
didn't know where else to turn and needed money to pay taxes and legal fees in
order to get his Nigerian paycheck. He said he told Marr that if the church
could somehow help him, he would donate $1 million.
"As
self-serving as this sounds, I really wanted to do something for the
parish," he said.
Eith said he has been a
member of St. Bernard's for about eight years. He said he never asked Marr to
take money from the church or from parishioners and had no idea where the funds
were coming from. He said he used the money for business expenses, not personal
spending.
Eith said he expects to
be paid soon by the Nigerian government, perhaps within a week or two. Wisconsin State Journal article
Parishioner being sued has twice
been convicted on felony bank fraud charges
10 13 Arthur Eith, 66,
pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud in 2007 and was placed on probation
for five years, according to federal court records. The 2007 case references a
prior conviction in 1991 for federal bank fraud for which Eith
spent two years in prison.
Records from the
1991 case were not immediately available for review due to the age of the case.
Eith is at the center
of a lawsuit filed by St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Watertown. The
congregation alleges that Eith convinced his parish
priest, the Rev. Thomas Marr, that he needed a large sum of money up front in
order to receive a paycheck he was due from the government of Nigeria.
The lawsuit says
Marr provided Eith with at least $55,000 from a
church account and another $400,000 or so from parishioners, priests and
others. Eith allegedly had promised to donate $1
million to the church once he secured the Nigerian money.
Eith told the State
Journal on Monday he did not pitch the idea as an investment opportunity but
had simply turned to his parish priest for help. He maintained his innocence
Tuesday and claimed again that he has been to Nigeria "many times over the
years to do (consulting) business." He declined to provide proof to a
reporter of his trips there.
In the 2007
conviction, federal prosecutors said Eith's wife,
Barbara Haase, obtained a $305,000 loan from M&I
Bank in 1998 to purchase cows. As collateral, she pledged to maintain a herd of
at least 100 cows.
In March of 2002, Haase filed for bankruptcy and disclosed to the court that
she possessed 77 cows. In June of 2002, M&I Bank seized 32 remaining cows.
Haase, principal of
Saint Katharine Drexel School in Beaver Dam, a Catholic grade school, was not
charged. Although Eith was not a co-signer of the
loan, federal prosecutors say he handled the loan negotiations and sought to
deceive inspectors about the number of cows in the herd.
In two instances,
federal prosecutors say Eith approached other farmers
about short-term loans, suggesting to them that if they bought cows from him, Eith would buy them back within a couple of weeks for a
greater sum. Eith allegedly told the farmers he
needed money fast to "participate in an overseas investment
opportunity," according to court records.
Tuesday, Eith called the case old news and not relevant. WDT
2011 Former Watertown priest ordered to jail
02 23 A former priest at St. Bernard's Catholic
Church in Watertown was ordered Tuesday to serve seven years probation with
nine months in jail after being found guilty in Jefferson County Circuit Court in
December 2010 on one count each of theft in a business setting in excess of
$10,000 and theft of more than $10,000 through false representation.
Thomas Marr, 66, now of Madison, will be
permitted to serve the jail sentence in Dane County with Huber work release
privileges. The first six months of the
sentence will begin March 14 and after Marr completes the first three months in
jail his time may revert to house arrest.
Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge J.R. Erwin
on Tuesday accepted Marr's guilty pleas to the charges. The maximum penalty for each of Marr's counts
was imprisonment not to exceed 10 years or a $10,000 fine, or both, relating to
each count. Marr apologized Tuesday for
the crimes.
A criminal complaint in the matter stated,
between 2007 and 2009, Marr took money from various parish accounts. In addition, Marr also allegedly solicited
funds from members of the parish, family members, other clergy and friends,
representing that he intended to use the funds to assist parish members in
financial distress. Marr promised he
would repay these people quickly.
During this period, Marr provided the funds
he obtained from the parish and others to assist Arthur Eith
in recovering money Eith claimed was owed him from an
overseas business transaction. Eith had financial dealings in Africa.
Marr and Eith's
methods of funding became tangled up with numerous members of the church. It was believed by investigators that Marr
borrowed amounts as small as $800 and as much as $47,000 from particular
individuals.
Officials from the state's Department of
Justice said, at the request of the Watertown police, they investigated
allegations of misappropriated funds from St. Bernard's, where Marr had
served. Church bills went unpaid for a
period of time that is when an investigation began.
The problems with finances began to be
noticed around November of 2008 when St. Bernard's administrative assistant Sue
Nampel reported bills were unpaid. Thomas Levi, president of St. Bernard's
Church at the time, indicated to investigators he had learned the church had
approximately $100,000 to $125,000 in unpaid bills. St. Bernard's bookkeeper and business manager
Alan Reinhard could not provide a good explanation
for the unpaid bills and an IOU from Marr was subsequently discovered.
The books were reviewed by Thomas O'Connor,
an independent CPA and member of the church, and discrepancies were found. That led to getting authorities involved.
Marr's charges were the overall result of
investigations by the Watertown Police Department and the Wisconsin Department
of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant Attorney General
Donald V. Latorraca represented the state.
A civil case involving the congregation of
St. Bernard against Eith was dismissed in July in
Jefferson County and any criminal charges against Eith
relating to the St. Bernard's matter are not reflected in information provided
by the state.
St. Bernard's recovered about 60 percent of
its lost funds through payments from its insurance company.
Erwin also ordered Marr to pay restitution
to St. Bernard's Parish of Watertown in an amount to be determined by the court
within the next month. She specified, as
well, that Marr pay back various amounts of money he had taken from
parishioners. The amounts ranged up to
$27,500.
Marr must also pay a 10 percent restitution
processing fee and Erwin set a prohibition against any fiduciary responsibility
in Marr's future employment. He is to
comply with a DNA sample provision and was directed to pay court costs totaling
$210. WDT story
The current project at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church
includes the repair and reshingling of the steeple
and church roof and repairs to the clock faces and original downspouts. It is being handled by Langer Roofing and
Sheet Metal Inc. in Milwaukee, its cost is estimated at $976,825.
The church had originally planned for cedar shake
shingles on the spire, but Langer’s cost on a copper alternative was only
slightly higher. Given the estimated 100-year life of copper roof and less
maintenance costs, the church decided to go with that material for the spire.
Grand slate shingles, which have an estimated life span of 50 years, will be
installed on the church roof.
The exterior work will also include making the entire
steeple water- and air-tight once again.
The deterioration over the years has included some missing boards and
damage to the wood faces of the clock.
This has allowed both water and wildlife to enter through cracks and
small openings, further causing deterioration of the structure.
The contractor is expecting to have the majority of
the project completed by Nov. 1st.
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Cross-References:
Dr. Edward
Johnson gave largely of his means toward the support of St. Bernard’s. Most of the fine statuary in the church was
donated by him, and he also presented to the church a number of costly sacred
articles used in connection with the Catholic services .
. the erection by him of the fine school in West Main St, now the
property of St. Bernard's.
St.
Bernard’s Cemetery Association, chapter on
