If you're a history buff or have roots in northeast Marshall County and a wee bit of Irish blood in your veins you'll want a copy of the new book, "History of St. Bridget Parish, St. Bridget, Kansas," compiled and written by the St. Bridget Historical Society and the Rev. Tom Dolezal, who serves the Catholic churches, St. Michael's, Axtell, and Holy Family, Summerfield.

Two years of research which went into this publication are evident in the layout and completeness of the contents of the book.

St. Bridget has had a place on the county map as a church, post office and township. The post office was established in 1869 in Michael Murray's trading post near the Church. Later Miss Maggie Minnehan ran a general store across the road from the churchyard; she was postmaster until Axtell established rural mail routes in 1903. Later still, John Creevan had a store and gas pumps north of the church.

St. Bridget began in 1857 with a colony of Irish immigrant settlers who brought their deep abiding Catholic faith to an area some six or seven miles north of Axtell. They had no house of worship or a priest until mission priests of Atchison began riding horseback across the lonely prairies to celebrate Mass and baptize children in settlers' cabins.

Early family names in the book are Carroll, Clark, Coffey, Coughlin, Creevan, Gallagher, Gossin, Hoffman, Hughes, Hynes, Loob, Lynch, Madden, Maddigan, McCaffrey, McGrath, Moriarty, Murray, O'Neil, Plunkett, Reilly, Shaughnessy and Straub.

Their church was officially organized in 1862 and called St. Bridget in honor of the Patroness of Ireland. The book devotes a page to the history of this saintly Irish nun revered for her charity and compassion.

The first 30x40 foot log cabin church built on land donated by Elizabeth Hoffman burned down before it was completed. There was contention among parishioners about the location of the second church, a frame building erected at a site that later became the St. Bridget Cemetery. An often-told legend has the dissenting group going with oxen and skids and moving the church further north by lantern light in the dark of the night.

At daybreak they were discovered by the other faction at the midway point between the two disputed sites. A compromise was reached and the church left there on land donated by Patrick McGrath. The new book now tells us there are older parishioners today who think the legend is untrue for their ancestors never told about this "moving" event. They think it began as a parishioner's joke in 1940. However, Emma Forter wrote in her 1917 "History of Marshall County" that the second church was moved.

The third church was built of limestone donated and quarried on Patrick McGrath's farm. The fourth church (frame) was built west of the present rectory; it became the parish hall when the fifth and present church was built in 1902-1909.

St. Bridget is a "closed church," but the 50 x 100 foot red brick edifice still stands high and handsome as a monument to the self-sacrificing Irish pioneers, founders of the parish. It is architecturally unique with high vaulted ceilings unsupported by pillars. The sanctuary has beautiful statuary and eight stained-glass windows, magnificent in their coloring and holy symbolism.

The parish had three rectories. The first two burned and the third built of red brick is now the home of the Terry Stallbaumer family. Anyone wishing to visit the church is asked to contact the Stallbaumers by phone, 736-2910.

The St. Bridget Rodeos, annual summer events on grounds northwest of the church, were a colorful part of the parish history. This fund-raiser was started by the Rev. Jerome Twomey in 1922. Father Twomey was an amateur Golden Gloves boxer and ardent horseman and scheduled wrestling and boxing on the program that featured "Red" Latta of Marysville.  Evening events were chicken dinners and platform dances.

The rodeos which brought entrants and crowds were discontinued when Father Twomey left in 1932. The summer event became a one-day fair with band music, baseball, food and dancing and political speeches in election years.

St. Bridget School District 52, a Marshall County rural school organized in the 1870's, was taught by two Benedictine sisters until enrollment dropped to eight in 1948. Other teachers were hired until the school became part of an unified district. Enrollment figures in the early 1900s were staggering -- 67 in 1917.

Sisters used the second rectory for their convent. When it burned in 1935 the parish built a new six-room convent with a small chapel often used for weekday Masses.

The parish is rich in folk lore and the book has stories of the drowning of the six McGrath children in 1897; Anna Mitchell, mother of 14 children, dying of a heart attack at the funeral of a neighbor and a freak accident at the church that injured the Rev. Leo Ahern severely.

There's a humorous anecdote about Father Sullivan's greyhounds showing up when the bishop came to visit. You have to read it to enjoy it.

Parish population continued to decline, and in 1949 St. Bridget became a mission parish of Holy Family Church in Summerfield. In 1967 Archbishop Hunkeler authorized the closing of the church and the 25 remaining parish families sought new church homes in Sacred Heart, Baileyville; St. Michael's, Axtell; and the Holy Family.

The crushing blow came in 1969 when the Archbishop declared the closed church should be demolished before it deteriorated and became an eyesore. The Irish rebelled. Demolish their church? Never!

When they were unable to talk directly with the archbishop, Father Pickert of Holy Family interceded for them, but the Archbishop refused to reconsider his decision. All the Irish could do was wait and pray.

Later Archbishop Hunkeler retired because of illness and the new prelate, Archbishop Ignatius Strecker, approved the preservation of St. Bridget Church.

A St. Bridget Historical Society was organized, but it took several months of "the legal process" before the property was transferred to the society with stipulations on the use and care of the building.

The book has a listing of all repairs and restoration work done since 1969. The most recent project was the repainting of the statuary in 1993 by Johnson Restorations, Vermillion. It was funded by donations.

Genealogy groups are told the society has a complete computer copy of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths and burials. The book has a cemetery plat with lots numbered land listed with family names. Names and addresses of persons to contact for this information are in the book.

Two hundred books have been printed. The cost is $15 each plus postage, with $10 going for preservation of the church and the remainder for production costs. For information about the book contact Leo and Doris Glynn, RR1, Box 56, Summerfield, KS 66541; phone: 402 248-6243.

Marysville Advocate
October 13, 1994
page C1