History of St. Rose of Lima

1914 ~

This document incorporates several histories of 
St. Rose of Lima

a great parish with a long, and sometimes tragic, history.

Click on any choice to go directly to that selection.

 

·        75th Anniversary Booklet

·        60th Anniversary Booklet

·        Servant Priests and Sisters

·        History of Fires and Tragedies

        +  Arundel Fire 50th Anniversary

·        First Sacraments Book Insert

·        History of Odds and Ends

·        First Saint for the New World

·        A History of Brooklyn Curtis Bays

 

              Photos:  Church roof collapse

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75th Anniversary Booklet

1914–1989

 

During the mid to late 1970’s, St. Rose continued to maintain itself in a good spiritual and material condition.  The weekend Mass attendance usually included about 1800 people, and an emphasis was placed on good liturgical celebration.  Special attention was given to the development of the Altar Boys, and our Church was always beautifully decorated for the major seasons of the Liturgical Year.

 

It was during this time that the first Parish Mission in several years was conducted at St. Rose.  Also the financial structure of St. Rose was greatly solidified in 1976 with a very successful appeal that was made as part of the new, Archdiocesan wide Stewardship Drive.

 

Another important undertaking during this period was the taking of a door to door Parish Census that was conducted by the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart.  The census, which took about one year to complete, gave the parish a better grasp of its membership and brought the files up to date.

 

A notable event during this period was the formation of the St. Rose Seniors organization.  As the number of senior citizens in our parish continued to grow, it seemed important for St. Rose to provide the opportunity for our older men and women to gather for fellowship, recreation and service to the parish.  The Seniors have continued to be a vital part of our parish life.

 

It should also be noted that, during this period, the parish was served by three Associate Pastors including Fr.  Charles Klein, who later became Pastor, along with Fr.  Howard Boyle and Fr.  Ronald Michaud.  In addition, Mr. John Poland served as the first Director of Religious Education at St. Rose.  John was later succeeded by Mrs. Geraldine Fialkowski.  The Parish was well served during this time by Margaret Neff as Secretary.

 

St. Rose of Lima School continued to flourish during this period.  The enrollment usually stayed above 500 students, and the faculty included the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, as well as many lay teachers.  It was within this period that an open-space format was introduced for the 7th and 8th grades in the Lower Church.

 

In July, 1978, Fr.  Charles Klein succeeded Fr.  James Hobbs as Pastor after serving here as an Associate Pastor since 1973.  It was during this time that a major effort was made to reduce the long-standing parish debt incurred during the building of the Church in 1968.  The parish continued to progress liturgically as many more parishioners were chosen to serve as Lectors and Eucharistic ministers.  Fr.  John Moore served as Associate Pastor during this period, and Geraldine Fialkowski continued as Director of Religious Education.

 

During this time, St. Rose of Lima School began to experience many changes.  Increasingly lay teachers were being added to the faculty as the number of Sisters at St. Rose decreased.  Also, the School continued to decline in enrollment, with the number of students decreasing to a level of about 215 with the start of the 1981-’82 school year.  Also, as an economy move, the 7th and 8th grades were moved from the Lower Church to the main School building.  Sr.  Joan McCann continued as Principal until June of 1981 when she and the other remaining Dominican Sisters concluded their service to St. Rose.

 

On August 7, 1981, Fr.  Michael Orchik was assigned as Pastor of St. Rose, after having served as an Associate Pastor of St. Patrick’s in Baltimore and Sacred Heart of Mary in Graceland Park.

 

It was during this time that the parish began to solidify its financial structure.  The leasing of the Convent to the Benedictine Sisters in July of 1981 and the moving of the Junior High to the School building had provided the parish with a significant decrease in expenditures.  The Offertory collection continued to increase at a good rate, and the fundraising income began to increase dramatically as well.  As a result, St. Rose was able to meet its ongoing expenditures while steadily reducing the parish debt.

 

A key event in recent parish history was the making of the final payment on the note to the Archdiocese in June, 1983, thus finally cancelling the parish debt.  A great celebration was held on October 30, 1983, to commemorate the event, including a con-celebrated Mass in Church, followed by an informal reception in the Hall.

 

Because of our improved financial strength, we were able to also move ahead in the areas of staff development, adult education and pastoral care.  The parish began a custom of special spiritual programs during the Lenten Season.  In addition to our Lenten Speaker Series, we have hosted two small group discussion programs entitled Genesis 11 and Romans 8. Another new tradition at St. Rose has been the annual “Mini-Mission” held during the Advent Season.  Also, throughout this time, the parish has continued to offer Scripture Study and some other adult education series from time to time.  Along with all of these offerings, the parish began in the Fall of 1985 to conduct the RCIA program, or the Rite for the Christian Initiation of Adults.

 

The emphasis on good liturgical planning and celebration has continued throughout recent years.  St. Rose has been served well over the years by two fine musical groups, our Choir and Folk Group.  Mr. Joseph Jancuk has served as Music Director since 1981, having succeeded Mr. John Igoe.  Diana Davis, Maria Bonacci and Charles Haupt have served as organists.

 

St. Rose has continued in recent years to express its concern for the poor, sick and elderly through the reactivating of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, serving of casseroles at the Beans and Bread Soup Kitchen, the formation of the Pastoral Visitors Program, and participation in the Homemaker Service sponsored by Catholic Charities.

 

Societies that have also been reactivated in the 1980’s have been the Holy Name Society, the Blessed Virgin Mary Sodality, and the St. Rose CYO.

 

St. Rose of Lima School experienced even more changes throughout the 1980’s.  The School has been staffed by a totally lay faculty and Miss Dorothy Freeman and Mrs. Jean Delcher have served as Principal.  The enrollment, which dropped to a low of 180 in June of 1985, has steadily increased to a level of near 250.  New offerings have included the Kindergarten, School Band, Choir and Computer Class.

 

The number of students in Religious Education or CCD has declined in recent years, with just over 100 students enrolled.  However, many dedicated parishioners continue to devote their time and talent as teachers and aids in our CCD program.

 

St. Rose has developed a rather large and active professional staff during this period.  Fr.  John Lesnick and Fr.  Joseph Krach have served as Associate Pastors, while Sr.  Kathleen White, O.S.B., and Sr.  Shannon Libbey have served as Pastoral Associates.  Sr.  Mary Fennell, S.N.D., has been our Coordinator of Religious Education.  Barbara Bryl and Donna Bilek both served as part time coordinators.

 

Bishop T. Austin Murphy, who retired in the Spring of 1984, continues in residence at St. Rose.  The parish honored the Bishop at a special retirement celebration on October 21, 1984, and again on June 7, 1987, upon his 50th Anniversary as a priest and his 25th year as a bishop.

 

A Parish Census was undertaken over a span of four Summers, beginning in the Summer of 1982.  The Census revealed large numbers of people who, though registered at St. Rose, seldom or never attend Mass or other parish activities.  Thus, as we look forward to the future, the parish must continue to reach out with an effective Evangelization effort to welcome back many of our friends who were once active in our parish life.

 

St. Rose of Lima Parish began as a mission of St. Athanasius Church in 1914.

 

The school under the direction of the Dominican Sisters opened on September 7, 1926, with an enrollment of 170 pupils.  There were four sisters and a lay teacher.  The school was destroyed by fire in December of the same year.  A new school was built and reopened in 1927.  The school grew, by 1951, the over crowded school rooms made it necessary to schedule double sessions.  In 1953 a nearby house was purchased to provide additional space.  This was known as the “white house.”

 

In 1956 the cornerstone for our present building was put in place at that time there were approximately 750 children in the old school and some children needed to be bused to neighboring schools.

 

The enrollment dropped in the late 1970’s early 1980’s to a low of 172 in 1984 in grades 1-8.  Our enrollment has increased steadily since 1985.  We presently have 234 students enrolled in grades K-8.

 

We opened a kindergarten in September 1986.  Our school is presently staffed with 10 full time teachers, part time teachers include a librarian, a kindergarten aide, physical education teacher, music teacher, and art teacher.  We also have a full time secretary and part time development director.

 

We have an instrumental band program and a computer program available to students.

 

Extracurricular activities include altar boys, a children’s choir, safeties folk group, yearbook and newspaper.

 

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60th Anniversary Booklet

1914–1974

 

The history of a church is the spiritual history of its people.  A church stands as a mediator with towers projecting ever upward as if praying and pleading for God’s blessing on the congregation nested at its base and extending in ever widening circles until a fringe is reached or is enfolded by a backdrop.

 

St. Rose of Lima’s church has something far greater than towers or steeples - it has a LIVING FAITH.  It has a story of great love, great courage and a great people.  In the annals of the archdiocese of Baltimore, St. Rose of Lima holds a unique place.  Four times fire and disaster struck and took their toll.  Yet each time the people and pastors have cried, “Fiat!” and started to rebuild and rebuild, like the Phoenix consumed by fire rises in youthful freshness from its own ashes.

 

When land was bought along the Patapsco River across the Bay from Fort McHenry by the Globe Shipbuilding Company of Baltimore, later known as the Maryland Drydock Company, it requested skilled shipbuilders to come from Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin.  Pioneers moved from some of our sections nearby and also from Baltimore City.  Jobs were plentiful.  The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad needed workers.  The Coastguard Yard was looking for workers for the constant repair and upkeep of ships.  Leather tanning and sugar refinery factories as well as farming brought further settlement of the area.

 

Father Paul Sandalgi, pastor of St. Athanasius, had already a flourishing parish for the Curtis Bay Area.  The influx of so many new parishioners expanded the bounds of the parish, making it difficult for one man to minister to the many needs of this growing congregation.  Mass was said in various homes on Sunday.  Old timers recall attending Mass in Helmstetter’s at 416 Patapsco.  The Odd Fellows Hall provided space for Sunday Mass later.  Helmstetters gave land to erect a small wooden church for the scattered settlers on the site of the present St. Rose of Lima Church.  Clara Neff, recalling old times, says, “The church was very small and rustic, with no basement and no heating facilities.  On cold winter mornings the water in the cruets for Mass would freeze.”

 

New beginnings are small.  So it was with this first established church.  The first Mass was celebrated in the church in 1914.  Proudly the people led their offspring to the rustic pews.  Margaret Blank played the small organ, accompanied by the sweet voices of young ladies, two of whom were Margaret Bemrick and Estelle Gibson.  Assisting the choir with her violin was eight-year old Catherine Fischer.  Two Fischer boys, Milton and Willy, and Francis Neff, served as altar boys to Father Kunnecke.  The boys were proud of their Latin, having been trained by Joseph Grimm, a graduate of Loyola.  At last St. Rose of Lima was a parish!

 

Remembered with gratitude and affection are the Mission Helpers who taught the children Catechism every Sunday and organized the Children of Mary Sodality.  John Seifert established the first Holy Name Society and was its first President.  Catherine Fischer played “Nearer My God to Thee” for the first funeral.

 

This little church of great joy to its people was destroyed by fire on February 7, 1915.  No explanation was ever given as to the cause of the fire.

 

A new church of brick was started immediately.  It was dedicated February 6, 1916.  The pastor and parishioners buckled down to pay the cost.  Dinner parties, bazaars, outdoor carnivals followed in succession.  People got to know each other.  Togetherness, cooperation and acceptance were as needed then as they are now.  The parish of St. Rose was putting its roots deep into the ground.  In 1919 St. Jane Frances de Chantal and Holy Trinity were missions of St. Rose of Lima until 1947 when both these missions churches became parishes.  Father Sandalgi continued his priestly ministries to St. Rose until June 28, 1922 when Father Leonard J. Ripple was appointed pastor.

 

Father Ripple was an able educator.  His first priestly act was to build a school.  Dominican Sisters from Sinsinawa, Wisconsin were requested to staff it.  Four came: Sisters Elvara Dooling, Oswald Burns, Alphonsus McNicholas, and Gertrude Thomas.  The Sisters started to teach at once.  The first three months of school passed happily for students and teachers.  Christmas time drew near.  Children were alive and active.  Classrooms donned festive appearances.  Holly, red ribbon, silver bells and creative religious art flaunted their colors.  Each room had a Christmas tree.  Whispered secrets permeated the atmosphere.  On December 21, 1926 a fire started on the first floor of the school.  The firemen called to put out the fire were trapped by a passing freight train.  When they finally arrived, the water pressure was so low only a drizzle could reach the second floor.  Pastor, Sisters and children watched as their school burned to the ground.  The next day in the rubble and debris Father Ripple found a part of a movie film face upward as if inviting inspection.  It said, “Keep smiling.”  Accepting this as a heavenly message.  Father decided to make it his slogan.  For the text of the next Sunday’s sermon, he said, “We refuse to be discouraged.  We will build again.  Keep smiling.”

 

1927 found a new school with 224 pupils, four Sisters and two lay teachers, Mrs. M. Buchanan and Miss E. Dunn.  The years following the ordeal of 1926 Father Ripple turned his attention to the growing needs of his parish: Catechism classes for public school children demanded attention; expenses increased as enrollment doubled; attention to church singing and liturgical worship; altar boy training; additions to the convent in the form of a front and back porch; administering to poor and needy and victims of war disaster and a host of many other parish duties demanded his constant concern.

 

On April 22, 1950 fire and water destroyed the brick church built in 1916.  James Park, an altar boy, discovered the fire which was said to have been caused by vigil lights.  The church was so irreparably ruined by flames and water that it was imperative to rebuild.  An American Colonial style architecture with limestone trim made an imposing site on Fourth Street.  The new church was dedicated by Archbishop Keough on November 23, 1952.  A flag was raised outside while the school children sang, “The Star Spangled Banner.”  While the machines and cranes were in operation digging on the ground, the former rectory was moved one-hundred feet and placed on the present site.

 

Mention should be made here of the devoted housekeepers, three in number, who made a home for curates and pastors: Mrs. Mary Ripple, Mrs. Clara Neff and Mrs. Louise Ramanauskas.  Faithful choir directors and organists through the years have included Mrs. Jean Zephir, Olive Heagy and Patti McKewen.  Margaret Clifton’s glorious voice has added beauty and joy to numerous liturgical functions.  Anna Spencer directed the first choir.

 

Grief and suffering came to the parish on February 3, 1956 when a fire in Arundel Hall took the lives of eleven persons and sent two-hundred fifty to hospitals.  The fire occurred when an oyster roast was being held in the Hall for the benefit of St. Rose of Lima Parish by the Holy Name Society.  Father Ripple died Feb. 10, 1961.

 

On February 7 and 8, 1967 school was closed due to snow.  On February 9 during the 8 o’clock Mass the roof of the church collapsed.  At the offertory of the Mass there were two noises sounding like snow falling from the roof.  Almost instantly the entire roof, from sanctuary to choir, caved in.  Approximately a hundred children and twenty or thirty adults were at Mass.  Some escaped via the doors uninjured.  Others took refuge under pews and escaped injury.  However, thirty-five or so children and adults were taken via ambulances to hospitals.

 

The present beautiful church was rebuilt on this spot by Bishop Murphy successor to Father Ripple.  It is a masterpiece of richness, simplicity and inspiration.

 

Due to the pressure of work at the Archdiocesan office, Bishop Murphy resigned as Pastor of St. Rose, and in 1972 Father James V. Hobbs was appointed to succeed Bishop Murphy as pastor of St. Rose.

 

The first religious vocation from St. Rose of Lima parish was Brother Lambert Bents, C.F.X. who made his religious profession of vows as a Xaverian, September 19, 1938.

 

Reverend Ardian Ramanauskas, S.A., was ordained a priest on June 7, 1958 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. He was the first priestly vocation from our parish and celebrated his first Mass at St. Rose June 8, 1958.

 

Sister Louise Kvech, S.S.N.D. made her religious profession July 29, 1961 and was the first young woman to profess vows from St. Rose. [Note.  This entry in the 60th Anniversary Booklet is incorrect.  The first young woman to profess was Sr. Dolores Linsenmeyer, S.S.N.D., 1929.]

 

We thank God for all the vocations given to the church from the good families of St. Rose parish.  We implore God to give the grace of generosity to the young men and women of our parish today so that some may continue to spread the Gospel of the Lord through the religious and priestly life.

 

Churches are picturesque spots on landscapes whose exterior generally harmonizes with the surroundings; yet the interior artistic decor elicits exclamations of admiration.  The interior of St. Rose of Lima church has an invisible tapestry whose warp and woof have been sixty years in the weaving.  Like threads of gold the names of the forerunners of today’s parish runs through the cloth revealing a commitment to the faith laid down in the sacramental life of St. Rose.

 

With this anniversary let each and every parishioner of our parish give praise to God for His continued guidance.  With a smile on our lips and joy in our hearts let us confidently place our trust in Our Father.

 

Reverend F.L. Kunnecke

 

The parish of St. Rose of Lima was organized by Reverend Paul Sandalgi, Pastor of St. Athanasius Church in Curtis Bay, as a Mission to that Parish.  The frame Chapel were Mass was held was destroyed by fire and a new brick Church was built.  This Church was dedicated February 6, 1916.  Later Reverend F.L. Kunnecke became Pastor, but established his home on Hartford Road.  According to our Church records this is the only information available on our First Pastor.

 

Monsignor Leonard J. Ripple

Father Leonard J. Ripple became the second Pastor of St. Rose of Lima in 1922.

 

Father Ripple was born in Baltimore in November, 1877, the son of Leonard J. and Mary K. Ripple.  His parents gave two other children to the service of the church.

 

He received his elementary training at St. Mary Star of the Sea School.  While a student at Calvert Hall College, young Leonard heard the call of God, and in 1896 dutifully followed the Master’s urgings and entered old St. Charles College at Ellicott City to begin his studies for the priesthood, He graduated from St. Charles in 1901 and entered St. Mary’s Seminary on Paca Street in the Fall of the same year.  On June 20, 1906 Leonard Ripple reached his long-desired goal when His Eminence James Cardinal Gibbons conferred on him the powers of the holy priesthood.

 

In 1906 he was assigned to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and then to the Catholic University in Washington.  After receiving the Licentiate of Sacred Theology, he was assigned in June of 1908 to the Church of St. John the Evangelist as an Assistant Pastor.

 

In 1922 Father Ripple was appointed Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church which had formerly been a mission of St. Athanasius Church.  Zealous as always to spread the word of Christ, Father Ripple soon acquired property to meet the future needs of his parish.

 

While actively engaged in the pastoral care of the souls in his own parish, Father Ripple was not unconcerned with the needs of those in the neighboring sections of Anne Arundel County.  He soon established the mission church of St. Jane Frances de Chantal at Riviera Beach and expanded the mission ‘ of Holy Trinity at Glen Burnie.  These he cared for many years before they were finally constituted independent parishes.

 

From the very beginning of his pastorate, Father Ripple began to plan the construction of a parochial school.  In June of 1926 the plans became a reality and the school was opened to the children of St. Rose.  In December of the same year the school was destroyed by fire.  Despite their discouraging incident Father Ripple immediately planned once again for the reconstruction of his own parochial school.  The new school was opened in the Autumn of 1927.

 

As the community of Brooklyn grew and new developments sprang up in the surrounding areas, Father Ripple kept pace with the expansion by supplying and caring for his parishioners every spiritual need.

 

His zeal was once again put to the test when in 1950 the parish church was destroyed by fire.  Using the parish hall as a temporary church and a private home as his rectory, Father Ripple kept up his untiring pace, faithfully discharging his pastoral duties, while the new church was under construction.  Finally, on November 23, 1952 the new St. Rose of Lima Church was dedicated by his Excellency, the Most Reverend Francis P. Keough, D.D., Archbishop of Baltimore.

 

In recognition of his many accomplishments for God and souls, the Sovereign Pontiff, Pope Pius XII named Father Ripple a Domestic Prelate with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor.  Their honor was conferred upon him on February 29, 1956.  That year also marked the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

 

Monsignor Ripple was taken ill, and for over two years was confined to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he died on February 10, 1961.

 

Monsignor Ripple will always be remembered by the parishioners of St. Rose with much esteem for his many long and dedicated years of service to the Parish.

 

Most Reverend T. Austin Murphy

Following the death of Monsignor Ripple, Father T. Austin Murphy who had been Assistant Pastor at St. Rose since June 2. 1951 became the third pastor of St. Rose of Lima.  Father Murphy was born on May 11, 1911 the son of Thomas and Ella Murphy.  He was the second of five children.  Father Murphy attended elementary school at St. Martin’s and then continued his educational undertakings at St. Charles College, Catonsville, St. Mary’s Seminary, Paca Street, and his university training at St. Mary’s Seminary, Roland Park.  It was on June 10, 1937 that Father Murphy received the Sacrament of Holy Orders from the hands of His Excellency The Most Reverend Michael J. Curley at the Basilica of the Assumption.

 

His first assignment brought him back to his native parish, St. Martin’s, where he became Assistant Pastor on June 25, 1937.  He spent seven years there and then was assigned to St. Dominic’s until 1950.  He spent a short while at St. Mary’s in Govans, and then began his tenure at St. Rose.  He served first as Assistant Pastor, then as Administrator under the ailing Monsignor Ripple, and finally on June 24, 1961 he became pastor at St. Rose.

 

Father Murphy’s encounter with the Parish of St. Rose must have been a startling one, to say the least.  When he arrived he found a hole in the ground where the church had been, the Rectory which at that time contained only the middle section (and that was on rollers waiting to be moved), the old school which has since been removed.  Time passed and Father Murphy not only saw a new church rise, a renovated rectory and a new school which opened its doors in 1952 but also a parish that was beginning to flourish.

 

The year 1962 was a joyful one for the parishioners of St. Rose when the then reigning Holy Father, Pope John XXIII, deigned to name Father Murphy the Fifth Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore and Titular Bishop of Appiaria on May 23, 1962.  The benevolence of the Holy Father brought great joy to the parishioners, the community and the Archdiocese.  It also marked the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

 

Then in 1972 in an unusual move, Bishop Murphy stepped down as pastor of St. Rose.  He gave the following reason: “Due to the time I have to spend in Archdiocesan work, I am unable to give all the time I would desire to the needs of our parish.  I have therefore asked that a new pastor be appointed to our parish.  This decision has been made by me solely for the betterment of the parish.  I will continue to live at St. Rose, for in all honesty I find that I cannot leave the people with whom I have been associated for the past twenty years.”

 

During Bishop Murphy’s years at St. Rose he has been largely responsible for our present church, the building of a new and modern convent and the opening of a Junior High in the basement of our church.  The Bishop has always been a father in spiritual matters, a friend to those in need, a source of consolation to those in sorrow.  St. Rose of Lima parishioners fervently hope that Bishop Murphy will be with us for many years to come.

 

Reverend James V. Hobbs

Upon the resignation of Bishop Murphy, Cardinal Shehan appointed Reverend James V. Hobbs as Pastor of St. Rose of Lima parish on June 7, 1972.

 

Father Hobbs, the son of Mr. and Mrs. E. Guy Hobbs, was born in Thurmont, Maryland.  He received his early education in the local public school and later in St.

 

Anthony’s School, Emmitsburg, Maryland.  In 1945 he entered St. Charles College Seminary, Catonsville, where he received his high school and junior college education.  In 1951 he entered St. Mary’s Seminary on Paca Street in Baltimore for two years study of Philosophy.  The following September he went to St. Mary’s Seminary at Roland Park, Baltimore, for four years of Theology.

 

On Saturday, May 25, 1957, Father Hobbs was ordained to the Priesthood in the Basilica of the Assumption by the late Archbishop Keough.

 

Archbishop Keough appointed Father Hobbs as Associate Pastor to St. Mary’s Parish, Cumberland, Maryland, on June 15, 1957.  Father remained in that assignment at St. Mary’s until his appointment as pastor of St. Rose of Lima parish.

 

During his stay at St. Mary’s in Cumberland, in addition to his pastoral duties, Father Hobbs held some Archdiocesan positions.  He was Archdiocesan Chaplain to the Boy Scouts of the Western Maryland Area for twelve years.  He served on the steering committee for the Priests’ Senate as the representative of the Priests of Western Maryland for three years.  He was a member of the commission for total Christian education.

 

Father Hobbs is now a member of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council as the Priest representative for the parishes in the South Suburban Area.

 

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Servant Priests and Sisters

 

A partial list of the saints who offered memorable service to St. Rose of Lima appears below.  In addition to clergy officially assigned to St. Rose, many others (too many to list) gave dedicated service as well.  Most notable was Fr. Vincent Oberle, S.S., who assisted for forty years!

 

Though Father Kunnecke was appointed the first pastor of St. Rose of Lima in 1916, the parish started as a mission of St. Athanasius two years before.  Until the first church was built in 1914, the pastor of St. Athanasius, Father Paul Sandalgi, attended to the new mission by offering Mass in the homes of parishioners, principally the Helmstetters who resided at 416 Patapsco Avenue and who donated the land for the church.

 

Pastors

Fr. F. L. Kunnecke

Pastor  1916-1922

Msgr. Leonard J. Ripple

Pastor  1922-1961

Fr. T. Austin Murphy

Assoc. & Admin. 1951-1961

Bishop T. A. Murphy

Pastor  1961-1972

Bishop T. A. Murphy

In Residence 1972-1991

Fr. James V. Hobbs

Pastor  1972-1978

Fr. Charles Klein

Pastor  1978-1981

Fr. Michael J. Orchik

Pastor  1981-1992

Fr. Charles O. Rouse

Pastor  1992-1995

Fr. Joseph M. O’Meara

Pastor  1995-

 

Associates

Fr. Adam Wachowiak

Associate Pastor  1926-1930

Fr. Robert J. Froehlich

Associate Pastor  1930-1932

Fr. James H. Brooks

Associate Pastor  1932-1936

Fr. James V. Lannon

Associate Pastor  1933-1939

Fr. Philip J. Brown

Associate Pastor  1936-1948

Fr. George T. Bowling

Associate Pastor  1939-1948

Fr. John J. Murphy

Associate Pastor  1946-1949

Fr. Stephen D. Melycher

Associate Pastor  1948-1951

Fr. Thomas Fannon

Associate Pastor  1948-1952

Fr. V. Herbert Howley

Associate Pastor  1949-1951

Fr. Francis X. Wills

Associate Pastor  1951-1967

Fr. Stanley J. Zukowski

Associate Pastor  1952-1965

Fr. Francis O’Brien

Associate Pastor  1962-1969

Fr. Francis X. Moran

Associate Pastor  1966-1972

Fr. Thomas Pugh

Associate Pastor  1967-1970

Fr. Frederick J. Dalton

Associate Pastor  1969-1974

Fr. Howard T. Boyle

Associate Pastor  1973-1976

Fr. Charles R. Klein

Associate Pastor  1973-1978

Fr. Ronald N. Michaud

Associate Pastor  1976-1978

Fr. John C. Moore

Associate Pastor  1978-1981

Fr. John F. Lesnick

Associate Pastor  1981-1983

Fr. Joseph W. Krach

Associate Pastor  1983-1990

 

Sisters

Sr. Shannon Libbey, S.N.J.M.

Pastoral Associate 1985-1988

Sr. Kathleen White, O.S.B

Pastoral Associate 1982-1990 1st term

Sr. Kathleen White, O.S.B

Pastoral Associate 1994-        2nd term

Sr. Mary Fennell, S.N.D

Pastoral Associate 1984-1997

Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa

School Staff 1926-1981

Benedictine Sisters of Baltimore

In Residence 1981-1991

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

In Residence 1991-1997

Br. Lambert Bents, C.F.X.

1st Brother St. Rose Vocation 1938

Fr. Adrian Ramanauskas, S.A.

1st Priest St. Rose Vocation 1958

Sr. Dolores Linsenmeyer, S.S.N.D.

1st Sister St. Rose Vocation 1929

 

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History of  Fires and Tragedies

 

St. Rose of Lima Parish and School have endured four major fires and two major tragedies since it was founded in 1914:

1917 – First church burned to the ground, one year after it was built

1926 – First school burned to the ground, three months after it opened

1950 – Second church burned to the ground, caused by candles

1956 – Holy Name Society Oyster Roast in Arundel Bingo Hall, where eleven died in panic from electrical fire

1967 – Third church entire roof collapsed during Mass, with only one individual serious injured [see photos below]

 

1950 Church Fire Report #1  [4/22/1950]

 

[4/23/1950]  The Sun    Fire Damages Brooklyn Church

 

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, at Fourth Street and Washburn Avenue, Brooklyn, was damaged extensively last night by a two-alarm fire.  The Rev. Thomas Fannon, assistant to the pastor, dashed into the burning building to remove the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle and take it to safety in the rectory.  The fire, apparently, started at the front of the church where the vigil lights are burned.  It was discovered by James Parks, an altar boy, of the 3500 block Horton street, on his way to the rectory.  The boy saw a glare in the windows and, opening a door, was met by a puff of smoke.  He ran to the rectory to give the alarm and firemen were called from there.  The Rev. Leonard J. Ripple, pastor, said today that the church roof and some of the walls may have to be replaced.  The roof was ruined, he said, the interior of the church was damaged by smoke and water.  The church was built in 1917, replacing a frame structure burned the year before.  In 1926 the parish school was burned.  Despite the damage, Father Ripple said, masses will be said in the church tomorrow at 5:45, 7:30, 9, 10:15, 11:30 and 12:15.

 

Church Here Damaged by 2-Alarm Fire

 

Roof of St. Rose of Lima’s Destroyed;  Interior Burned.  A two-alarm fire last night destroyed the roof and damaged the interior of the St. Rose of Lima Church, Fourth street and Washburn avenue, Brooklyn.  No one was injured, but the Rev. Leonard J. Ripple, pastor of the church, said the roof undoubtedly will have to be torn down and rebuilt.  He added that some of the walls also may have to come down.  The flames started in the front part of the church, apparently right in the area where the vigil lights are burned.  James Parks, of 3552 Horton road, an altar boy, was on his way to the church rectory when he noticed a flickering through the stained-glass windows.

 

Runs To Rectory

 

“I opened the door and saw the smoke and ran to the rectory,” the boy said.  He told the priests and others there, William Todd, who was in the rectory, called the Fire Department.  The Rev. Thomas Fannin, an assistant to Father Ripple, ran over to the church.  Despite the flames licking up the north front side, he entered, removed the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle and carried it to safety in the rectory.  The flames on the roof leaped into the air for about twenty minutes after they broke through.  The smoke and flames could be seen several blocks away.  The first alarm was sounded at 7:15 p.m.  The fire was reported under control within half an hour.

 

Statues Carried Out

 

As soon as it was under control, men, boys and girls aided the firemen in carrying out the statues, stations and other devotional items.  Father Ripple said he thought someone was careless with a vigil light and the flame burst forth from it.  He recalled that about twenty years ago, some children were careless while lighting devotional candles and started a small fire.  He put it out with a hand extinguisher, he said.  The present brick structure was dedicated in 1917, replacing a frame church which was burned the year before.  St. Rose of Lima has been beset by fires.  In 1926 the church school was destroyed.

 

Tear Shingles Off Roof

 

Last night the firemen tore off many of the shingles on the roof to make certain no embers were smoldering.  Most of the interior damage, other than at the front end, was caused by water, despite heavy tarpaulins laid down by the firemen.  The parish of St. Rose of Lima consists of about 6,000 persons.  The church could seat 300 at a time.  Father Ripple said that mass will be said tomorrow in the church hall.  The hours are 5:45, 7:30, 9, 10:15, 11:30 and 12:15 a.m.

 

1956 Oyster Roast Fire in Arundel Hall Report #1  [1/29/1956]

 

[1/30/56]  The Newspost    10 Dead In Fire Here 250 Hurt As Crowd Panics

Flash Blaze Wrecks Hall.  1,200 Persons Were Attending  Church Oyster Roast, Dance

By Lee Miller and James C. Mullikin

 

At least ten persons, all of them women, died tragically last night in a fire which swept with terrifying rapidity through a community auditorium in Arundel Park, at the city’s southern edge, where a church dance and oyster roast was being held.  The victims, knocked to the floor and trampled by a stampeding, panic-stricken crown of 1,200 fighting to escape from the blazing building, were burned beyond recognition.  Nine of the fire-blackened bodies were found huddled together at one end of the smoking wreckage about 7 P.M., nearly two hours after the fire began.  A tenth body was found in another part of the wreckage.  In addition to the dead, more than 250 persons were burned or otherwise injured as they clawed their way to safety from flames which swept toward them with lightning-swift speed.  Fourteen of those treated at 11 hospitals were injured sufficiently to require admission, and several were reported in critical condition.  Police and firemen by no means certain that the 10 bodies constituted the full toll of the devastating blaze, searched the ruins this morning for other bodies.  Their search was hampered by ankle-deep water in the ruins and by the precarious condition of concrete-block walls still standing.  Bodies of the dead were taken first to a funeral home in Glen Burnie, later were removed to the City Morgue in Baltimore.  There a list of 10 missing persons, all women, was compiled from reports by anguished relatives and friends.  Authorities concluded the bodies were those in the list of missing, but delayed definite announcement of names of the dead.  Two of the bodies, however, were tentatively identified by relatives early today.  Survivors, shocked by their harrowing experience and still trembling hours after their escape, described the holocaust as “the most terrible thing imaginable.”  One said:   “They shrieked, they screamed, they cried.  I’ll never forget it.”  Another called his experience “a terrible nightmare.”  All agreed that the flames spread through the wooden roof of the auditorium building with a speed that defies description.  Scene of the blaze is on Belle Grove road, in the Brooklyn section about a half mile from the city line.  The building, owned by the Arundel Park Corporation, was the largest structure of its type in the northern section of Anne Arundel county.  It consisted of a large hall, in which dances, oyster roasts and bingo games were held.  The main hall was surrounded in part by other rooms which included a lunch room, an office, and a cloak room.  Various annexes, several of frame construction, had been built adjoining the main structure with doors leading into them.  These included a raw bar, a cocktail lounge, a kitchen, and rest rooms.  Nearby were picnic grounds and a parking lot.  Altogether the place constituted a community center which was widely used.  Yesterday the place had been rented by the Holy Name Society of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Brooklyn, for a dance and oyster roast.  Approximately 1,200 tickets had been sold.  Most of those in attendance were from Brooklyn, Curtis Bay and northern Anne Arundel county communities, but there was a sizable number of persons from other sections of the city.  Many children were in the crowd.  At 5 P.M., four hours after the affair began, the band was playing “Tea For Two,” and many guests were dancing.  Others were sitting at tables having oysters and beer.  In the kitchen, women of the church were busy preparing food for the multitude, and other church women were hurrying about, serving as waitresses.   Tragedy struck in the midst of a scene of festive activity.  Accounts Vary as to exactly what happened.  Survivors agree that smoke or sparks were seen in the ceiling of the building’s southwest corner, near the kitchen, and that one or more men mounted a ladder with a fire extinguisher.  Albert Evans, 900 block Pontiac avenue, one of the survivors, said:   “When the smoke or fire was first noticed, it was announced over the loudspeaker from the bandstand that there was a slight fire caused by a short circuit.  The band kept on playing, and announcer did not advise anyone to leave the building.   “I looked up and saw a Negro raise a ladder and climb it, carrying a carbon-dioxide fire extinguisher.  Sparks and some smoke were visible around an electric fixture in the ceiling.   “The man placed the extinguisher on the fire, and it seemed to die down.   “Then the man opened a trapdoor in the ceiling, evidently trying to discover if there was any more fire up there.   “Suddenly There was a terrific ‘whoosh’ – not an explosion, but a sound like a high wind.  And in an instant the ceiling was in flames.”  Evans said he grabbed the arm of his wife, Mrs. Arbutus Evans, and started with her for the nearest exit.  Hundreds of others started a mad rush for the doors at the same moment.  In the confusion Evans and his wife were separated and he was knocked to the floor, but he managed to get up and flee the building.  He found his wife, alive but with a leg injury, two hours later.  Other Survivors told approximately the same story as Evans, although there was disagreement as to whether one man or more than one was on the ladder.  George Knoor, 700 block South Clinton street, said his aunt, Mrs. Anna Brandt, and her daughter, Mary, both of the 3200 block Foster avenue, went to the church party.  It was Mrs. Brandt’s first oyster roast, he said, and she was preparing to celebrate her sixtieth birthday today.  Knorr said: “Mary told me that when the man opened up with the fire extinguisher, my aunt said ‘Let’s get out of here.’   “She and Mary started for a door.  As they neared it the panic started.  People began rushing for the exits, knocking down anyone in their way.  She said the lights went out, and that added greatly to the confusion.  Mary became separated from her mother.  Outside the building she could not find her, or other members of her party.  She returned home in a state of shock, and called me.”  Knorr told his story at the City Morgue.  His aunt, Mrs. Brandt, was one of the missing and was believed dead.  All survivors agreed that the speed with which the fire spread through the composition-board ceiling was both spectacular and frightening.  One man said:     “It burned like an egg-crate.”  In five minutes or less, according to witnesses, the flames had raced almost across the ceiling, some 12 feet above the heads of the crowd.  There Were shouts of “Fire!”, but panic did not develop immediately.  William Walterhoefer, a survivor, said the crowd watched curiously or went on dancing as the man on the ladder squirted the fire extinguisher on the sparks around the lighting fixture.  And when the fire appeared to be out, he said, “everybody yelled hurray, as if it was a big joke.”  Walterhoefer and his wife were already edging toward the outside and were nearly out of the building when the first great flash of flame was seen.  He said even then pandemonium did not break out instantly.  But before he got out, he said, he saw the panic spread quickly and “one guy dived off a table into a crowd trying to get out.”  The building had two major exits, one at each end of the auditorium, and at least six other smaller doors, some of them leading directly outside and others to the adjoining cocktail lounge kitchen or lunchroom.  Those Close to the exits made good their escape.  But others, farther from the doors, joi