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- REV. EUGENE MARY McGINNITY, the able and popular pastor
- of St. Patrick's Church, has been one of the valuable and
highly esteemed citizens of Janesville for the past nine years.
He was born in County Monaghan, Province of Ulster, Ireland,
on the 1st day of September, 1840, and was one of a pair of twins.
The family of which he was a member consisted of eight children.
The father died at the town of Willow Springs, Lafayette County,
Wis., about the year 1870, and the mother departed this life
in Janesville, at the home of our subject, Oct. 4, 1880. Her
remains were taken to Willow Springs and laid to rest by her
husband. Of their children but one daughter and three sons are
yet living.
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- The life of Father McGINNITY has been an eventful and interesting
one. His boyhood days
- were spent upon a farm where but little occurred to break
the quiet and monotony, but when eight years of age his parents
removed with their children to America. Sailing from Liverpool,
the voyagers crossed the Atlantic and landed at New Orleans,
where they boarded a river steamer and sailed up the Mississippi
and Fever rivers to Galena, Ill. Here they secured a team and
continued their journey to Mineral Point. Until 1870 they remained
residents of that town, but at that time removed to Willow Springs.
- When sixteen years of age Eugene was sent to the St. Francis
Seminary at Milwaukee, where he
- remained seven years studying for the priesthood, and graduated
with high honors. He was ordained priest in Milwaukee in 1863,
and his first charge was at Meeme, Manitowoc County, Wis., where
he built St. Isadore's Church. After a year at that place he
was stationed at Maple Grove, Brown County, where he was pastor
at St. Patrick's Church for ten months, and while there built
the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Cato, four miles distant.
Going to Fort Howard, he became pastor of St. Patrick's Church
at that point. The entire State was then under one diocese, but
is now under three - Milwaukee, Green Bay and Lacrosse. After
five months Father McGINNITY left Fort Howard, having remained
there only long enough to erect a house of worship and place
the church on a good working basis. His next pastorate was at
Darlington, LaFayette County, where he had charge of the Holy
Rosary Church, and there, as at other points, he constructed
the church, an imposing stone edifice. For about five and a half
years he remained at Darlington, and in the meantime built two
other churches, one at Seymour and the other at Wiota, LaFayette
County. Laying aside pastoral duties he accompanied his sick
brother to Denver, Col., where for six months he was the guest
of Bishop MACHEBREUF and frequently preached in his pulpit. His
brother having recovered his health, Father McGINNITY went to
Geneva Lake, Walworth County, and for one year had charge of
the church known as St. Francis of Sales. He did not there erect
a house of worship, but enlarged and otherwise improved the one
already built. From Geneva Lake he received a call from St. Victor's
Church at Monroe, and going to that city found affairs in a deplorable
condition. A debt of $5,000 was resting on the church, but during
eight years of pastoral labor he succeeded in clearing the debt
and establishing the church on a sound financial basis. In the
meantime he also performed pastoral duties of St. Francis Xavier
Church, in the town of Adams, Green County, and enlarged that
building.
- On the 28th day of June, 1880, Father McGINNITY became a
resident of Janesville, and
- succeeded the Rev. Father James M. DOYLE as pastor of St.
Patrick's Church. On his arrival he found that the church had
been closed for three weeks, and in fact he could not at first
obtain admission. Notwithstanding his pastorate was assumed under
circumstances of a most discouraging nature, it has been eminently
successful in a spiritual way, while the church has a membership
of 2500. The house of worship, which has a seating capacity of
1000, is crowded every Sunday at the two early masses by different
congregations, and many of the members are then not present.
Nor has the financial part of the duties of the pastor been overlooked
by Father McGINNITY, for the original debt of $20,000 has been
reduced to $3000; and when another year of prosperity shall have
passed the last vestige of indebtedness will be swept away. In
the summer of 1886, accompanied by his brother John, a wealthy
lumber merchant of Denver, Col., he made a trip to Europe and
visited Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, France and Belgium.
He observed closely the advantages and conditions of the people
in those several countries, and though he saw many things to
admire, he was firmly established in the belief that the people
of America possessed, as a whole, a greater degree of education
and intelligence than the masses of the European countries, and
that no land can compare with ours in the prosperity and happiness
of the people.
- In 1869 Rev. McGINNITY was called upon to mourn the loss
of his twin brother, who in early
- life had shared his thoughts and in after years also entered
the priesthood. He was ordained at the same time as Eugene, and
served as pastor of the churches at Waukesha, Potosi, Grant County
and Mazomanie. He was obliged to give up his charge on account
of ill health, and died of consumption at Darlington at the home
of his brother, six years and four months after his ordination.
- Father McGINNITY is a genial, kindly-spirited and warm-hearted
man, and commands not only
- the admiration and respect of all within his church, but
is highly esteemed by a large circle of Protestant friends. He
extends a hearty hospitality to all who visit his home and greets
every one with a pleasant word and cheery smile. He exerts his
great influence on the side of right, and is liberal in his contributions
whenever an opportunity presents. Although not taking an active
part in political affairs he casts his ballot with the Republican
party. His life-work has been indeed successful, and his varied
experience in its different departments has made him a power
for good in this locality, while all who listen to his words
of wisdom are at once convinced of his bright intellect and large
mental resources. He enters upon his labor with energy and enterprise,
and the same characteristics distinguish him as a citizen. On
the 27th day of December, 1888, he celebrated the 25th anniversary
of his priesthood, having been ordained at twenty-three years
of age.
- A fine portrait of this honored man is shown upon another
page.
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-
- Taken from "The Portrait and Biographical Album of
Rock County, Wis." (c)1889, pp. 373-374; lithograph from
same book.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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