Harold Stansell, S.J. The Foundation of the Church in Cheyenne 1867-1884 Father William Kelly, 1867-1869

Harold Stansell, S.J.

The Foundation of the Church in Cheyenne
1867-1884

Father William Kelly, 1867-1869

The first town in Wyoming reached by the Union Pacific going west is Cheyenne which came into existence when, on July 2, 1867, General Dodge staked out land for a town and reserved 320 acres for a railroad terminal. He named the town “Cheyenne” to commemorate “one of the most important tribes of Indians on the plains.”>Chey1867>1 Among those who were interested in the progress of the railroad, not the least was the apostolic vicar of Nebraska, James O’Gorman, who was particularly concerned about the spiritual welfare of the railroad workers, many of whom were from his native Ireland. In the fall of 1867, before the railroad reached Cheyenne, Bishop O’Gorman dispatched the Reverend William Kelly to minister to the Catholics who worked for the Union Pacific.

William Kelly, a native of Ireland, was the first Catholic priest to be canonically assigned to the territory which eventually would become the diocese of Cheyenne.>Chey1867>2 Kelly had visited the United States in 1853 as an Irish Christian Brother on a fund raising tour seeking financial support for All Hallows College, Dublin, which had been established as a training school for Irish missionaries destined to work in English speaking countries. Kelly traveled extensively while working on that project. He was favorably impressed with the work of the Church in the United States, so much so that shortly after his return to Ireland he decided to leave the Christian Brothers, return to America, and study for the priesthood. He attended the Vincentian seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, from 1856 to 1857. During the year 1858 he sought a bishop who would take him on and found Bishop O’Gorman who accepted him for the vicariate of Nebraska and ordained him in June, 1859. For eight years Father Kelly exercised his ministry in various places in the vicariate. Then he was sent to Cheyenne in 1867 as a seasoned priest who was very familiar with life on the frontier. His assignment to Wyoming was reminiscent of the scriptural commission to the disciples when they were given a mandate to proceed to preach the “Good News” with only the bare essentials and to be sustained by the peoples’ hospitality. Kelly traveled to the railroad camps of the Union Pacific where he made contact with the people who were anxious to have a priest to minister to their spiritual needs.

Father Kelly did not keep an exact record of the day to day events of his ministry, but he made an impression and his presence in Cheyenne was appreciated by those who were interested in some kind of orderly development of the booming railroad town. The priest exercised his ministry for about six months before he was able to establish a permanent residence and base for his operations. The base was provided by the authorities of the Union Pacific who donated four lots on the northeast corner of 21st and O’Neil Streets to the Catholic Church. (McGovern, 27) Father Kelly with some of the members of his flock lost little time in undertaking the task of building a church and a parochial residence. The project was completed by the end of the summer of 1868 and the Catholics of Cheyenne had a proper, if not majestic, place for worship and the pastor had his own residence, all at the cost of around $4,000. (McGovern, 246)

Father Kelly not only provided for members of the parish to attend Mass on Sunday, the pastor made generous provision of time for those who might wish to go to Confession on Saturday by making himself available from two to six in the afternoon and seven to nine in the evening. Sunday was also a busy day for the pastor because he knew that he could not neglect the children and taught catechism at two o’clock in the afternoon.>Chey1867>3 He took a dim view of the practice of the saloon keepers of opening their places of business at 9:30 every morning, especially on Sundays, and he let his views be known. Consequently, the owners of the bars agreed to keep the saloons closed from 9:30 A.M. until 12 noon on Sundays.

Gradually, Father Kelly became more familiar with the extent of the territory that was entrusted to his pastoral care and did his best to minister to those who needed his services. When possible, he offered Mass in Laramie City and Fort Sanders. On the other days of the week he exercised his pastoral ministry along the railroad where the section houses were converted into temporary churches. (McGovern, 247)

Father Kelly was anxious to have Bishop O’Gorman visit Cheyenne to witness the progress of the church there and to administer the sacrament of Confirmation. The Cheyenne pastor had more than sufficient time to prepare the candidates for the sacrament because the bishop had many pressing problems in the vicariate and his efforts to solve those problems kept him occupied for a period of ten months after he had received Father Kelly’s invitation. Finally, in July, 1869, Bishop O’Gorman, accompanied by the Reverend James M. Ryan and Reverend Millany arrived in Cheyenne and on the eleventh day of that month confirmed twenty children and adults. Father Millany preached the sermon.>Chey1867>4

The next day the bishop and his companions, including Father Kelly, traveled to Laramie City, a mission of Cheyenne. Some Catholics gave the bishop a document in which were recorded the names of persons who pledged $1327 to build a church. J.W. Donnellan was chosen to be treasurer of the congregation.>Chey1867>5 Bishop O’Gorman presided at the laying of the cornerstone of the proposed church. No further progress was made in building the church until the first local pastor arrived in Laramie early in 1872. (McGovern, 119)

Shortly after Bishop O’Gorman returned to Omaha following his Confirmation tour in Wyoming he recalled Father Kelly from Cheyenne. Father Kelly had labored in Wyoming for some two years. During that period he had established a sound foundation for the Catholic Church in that territory. He had supervised the building of the first parish church and parochial residence in Cheyenne and had traveled far and wide to bring the sacraments to those who desired the ministrations of a priest. During the brief period of his tenure as pastor he assisted at thirteen marriages, baptized forty-eight persons and prepared twenty for the sacrament of Confirmation. (Casper, I, 208)

1869-1884

On October 9, 1869, Philip Erlach became the second pastor of the church in Cheyenne. In the year and six months of his pastorate he baptized forty-three persons. Father Erlach extended the area of his responsibility when he responded to the needs of people interested in reports that gold was being mined in South Pass City and Atlantic City. He also visited Fort Laramie and Fort Fetterman. In April, 1871, Father Erlach was transferred to a parish in Nebraska. (McGovern, 31)

The next pastor, William Byrne, was destined to remain in Cheyenne for two years and five months. He was the first pastor to have a priest to assist him, namely, Eugene Cusson, a French-Canadian, who had been ordained for service in the vicariate. He arrived in Cheyenne in May, 1871. It is clear that Father Cusson took some of the pressure off of the pastor; the baptismal register indicates that he baptized twenty-two persons. But Father Byrne did not enjoy the luxury of having a priest to assist him for more than seven months. Early in 1872, Bishop O’Gorman requested Father Cusson to move to Laramie City to minister to the Catholics in a town that was growing rapidly as an important Union Pacific Railroad center. During Father Byrne’s incumbency, Bishop O’Gorman made his second visit to Cheyenne and on September 15, 1872, confirmed thirteen persons. The bishop’s health failed after that and he died in 1874.>Chey1867>6

Reverend John McGoldrick succeeded Father Byrne as pastor; he held office from September, 1873, to October, 1877. Father McGoldrick realized that the church, which had been built in 1868, was no longer adequate for the parishioners. Consequently, “he secured two lots at the northeast corner of 19th and Carey Avenue as the site for a new church.” The pastor was also concerned about obtaining land for a Catholic cemetery. with the generous assistance of the mayor of Cheyenne, Lawrence Bresnehen, arrangements were undertaken for the transfer of ten acres of land as soon as the legal technicalities could be resolved; negotiations were initiated in April, 1876, and it took some time before a final settlement was reached. (McGovern, 31-32)

In Cheyenne, the fourth pastor, John McGoldrick, succeeded Father William Byrne in September, 1873. He realized that the Church which had been built in the time of Father Kelly was no longer adequate to accommodate the growing number of Catholics in Cheyenne, consequently, he purchased two lots at the northeast corner of 19th and Carey Avenue as the site for a new church. The pastor was also anxious to acquire property for a cemetery and this project was successful because Lawrence Bresnahen, as mayor of the city, used his influence to arrange for the transfer of ten acres to the church authorities. Father McGoldrick was not able to capitalize on these opportunities because he had contracted tuberculosis and did not have sufficient energy to carry out his plans for a new church. He steadily lost ground from August, 1877 on and finally succumbed on October 18, 1877. He was the first pastor in Cheyenne to die while in office. His body was taken to Omaha for interment. Bishop 0’Connor who was aware of the situation, dispatched John T. Lee to Cheyenne to assist the ailing pastor. Father Lee remained in the city until July 1878 as assistant to McGoldrick’s successor, John J. Jennette, who needed all the help he could get because he was also responsible to the parish in Sidney, Nebraska. Father Jennette supervised the construction of a church in Sidney as well as the laying of the foundation for a brick church in Cheyenne on the property that had been acquired by Father McGoldrick. Jennette’s Sunday schedule was published in the Cheyenne Daily Sun for March 17, 1878 under the heading “Church Services”, “...Mass at 9:00 A.M. followed by a High Mass and sermon at 10:30 A.M. Sabbath (sic) School at 3:00 P.M. Rev. J. Jennette, pastor.” He accomplished much in less than a year as pastor (December, 1877 to August 4, 1878). Father Jennette was transferred to Omaha in August, 1878. (McGovern, 31-32)

Father Jennette’s successor, John A. Hayes, concentrated on the project of bringing to completion- the building of a church and a parochial residence and both were finished in due time. Father Hayes planned a public celebration to commemorate the event. On May 25, 1879 The Cheyenne Daily Sun reported that the church was dedicated and placed under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. Since Bishop O’Connor was in New York where he attended the dedication of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, his Vicar General, Daniel I. McDermott, presided at the ceremony assisted by Hugh Cummiskey of Laramie, Michael F. Cassidy of Rawlins and the pastor. Rev. Daniel Hayes was also present; he seems to have disappeared from public scrutiny soon after the dedication. A number of lay persons were recognized and identified by a reporter from the newspaper, namely, “Luke Morris, Mayor Lawrence Bresnehan, John Crowley, John Phillips, Daniel Fitzgerald, Timothy Dyer, Mrs. McKnight, Misses Mollie Moran, Annie McKay and Toulson.”

During Father Hayes’ tenure, the parish became firmly established but growth required more financial support than was provided by thee Offertory collections. The pastor and leaders in the parish decided to organize a fair. The venture was a social and financial success, so much so, that the promoters kept the fair operating for a couple of sessions beyond the advertised evenings of January 17-20, 1882. (The Cheyenne Daily Sun, January 24, 1882) The promise of continuing growth under the guidance of Father Hayes faded when he was struck down by typhoid fever. He survived a first attack and was on his way to recovery when a recurrence of the fever proved fatal. An obituary note of November 19, 1882, in The Cheyenne Daily Sun, that Father Hayes “quietly passed away like a child sinking to peaceful slumber.” Father Hayes was the first priest to be buried in the cemetery which the Church had acquired some years earlier.

By the time of Father Nugent’s incumbency the parish had gained recognition as a notable institution in the city of Cheyenne. A daily newspaper noted that, “St. Mary’s Catholic Church membership is probably the largest in the city, and is in a very prosperous condition. Rev. Father Nugent was unable to furnish the necessary information relating to the Church, being engaged with his ecclesiastical duties. It is unnecessary to state that he meets the approbation of his congregation.” (The Cheyenne Daily Sun, July 13, 1884)

The pastor’s preoccupation included the negotiations that culminated in the purchase of the square block bounded by 24th and 25th Streets, and by Central and Warren Avenues. This property was deeded to the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus with the stipulation that they build and staff an academy. If they failed to do so the property would revert to the diocese. (McGovern, 43-44) This and other projects of the busy pastor involved a considerable expenditure of money which depleted the financial resources of the parish and established an indebtedness which proved to be an embarrassment to the bishop who had returned to Omaha in 1886 after an extended visit in Rome. Bishop O’Connor removed Father Nugent as pastor in Cheyenne and sent him to Rawlins.

In 1884 was the arrival in Cheyenne of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus. The acquisition of these teachers was due to the efforts of Bishop O’Connor and Reverend Francis J. Nugent, the pastor who succeeded Father Hayes in Cheyenne. High on Father Nugent’s list of priorities was his determination to establish a parochial school. He was fortunate in being able to obtain the services of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus whose American headquarters were near Philadelphia. The sisters opened a school in Cheyenne in September, 1884. The first group of sisters included Mother St. Michael, Sister Ambrose and Sister Genevieve. Later Sister Imelda and Mother M. Philomena joined the staff. The student body soon numbered one hundred and thirty pupils. Father Nugent, anxious to foster his education endeavor, supervised the building of an addition to the school known as St. John’s Hall; this made it possible for the sisters to add the fifth, sixth and seventh grades. (Casper, II, 176)

Notes

>Chey1867>1 Grenville M. Dodge, How We Built the Union Pacific Railway and Other Railway Papers and Addresses (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1910), 31. Microfilm edition. Charles Edgar Ames, Pioneering the Union Pacific: A Reappraisal of the Building of the Railroad (NY: Appleton Century Crofts, 1969), 129.

>Chey1867>2 Henry W. Casper, S.J., History of the Catholic Church in Nebraska: The Church on the Northern Plains, 1838-1874 (Milwaukee: Catholic Life / Bruce, 1960), I, 207.

>Chey1867>3 Casper, I, 208. Father Casper noted that this account must be read with caution because it is dated 1886, seventeen years after Kelly left Wyoming.

>Chey1867>4 Father Millany soon disappeared from the scene. Father Casper, who has researched the archives of the archdiocese of Omaha thoroughly, could not so much as find a first name for the priest. See Casper, I, 209.

>Chey1867>5 Casper, I, 209. Father Casper discovered this information in an Account Book, Laramie, 1869, in the archives of the archdiocese of Omaha, O’Gorman Collection.

>Chey1867>6 Baptismal Register, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Book I, April 12, 1868 to Nov. 21, 1886.

Back to INDEX		Harold Stansell, S.J. The Foundation of the Church in Cheyenne 1867-1884 Father William Kelly, 1867-1869 The first town in Wyoming reached by the Union Pacific going west is Cheyenne which came into existence when, on July 2, 1867, General Dodge staked out land for a town and reserved 320 acres for a railroad terminal. He named the town “Cheyenne” to commemorate “one of the most important tribes of Indians on the plains.”>Chey1867>1 Among those who were interested in the progress of the railroad, not the least was the apostolic vicar of Nebraska, James O’Gorman, who was particularly concerned about the spiritual welfare of the railroad workers, many of whom were from his native Ireland. In the fall of 1867, before the railroad reached Cheyenne, Bishop O’Gorman dispatched the Reverend William Kelly to minister to the Catholics who worked for the Union Pacific. William Kelly, a native of Ireland, was the first Catholic priest to be canonically assigned to the territory which eventually would become the diocese of Cheyenne.>Chey1867>2 Kelly had visited the United States in 1853 as an Irish Christian Brother on a fund raising tour seeking financial support for All Hallows College, Dublin, which had been established as a training school for Irish missionaries destined to work in English speaking countries. Kelly traveled extensively while working on that project. He was favorably impressed with the work of the Church in the United States, so much so that shortly after his return to Ireland he decided to leave the Christian Brothers, return to America, and study for the priesthood. He attended the Vincentian seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, from 1856 to 1857. During the year 1858 he sought a bishop who would take him on and found Bishop O’Gorman who accepted him for the vicariate of Nebraska and ordained him in June, 1859. For eight years Father Kelly exercised his ministry in various places in the vicariate. Then he was sent to Cheyenne in 1867 as a seasoned priest who was very familiar with life on the frontier. His assignment to Wyoming was reminiscent of the scriptural commission to the disciples when they were given a mandate to proceed to preach the “Good News” with only the bare essentials and to be sustained by the peoples’ hospitality. Kelly traveled to the railroad camps of the Union Pacific where he made contact with the people who were anxious to have a priest to minister to their spiritual needs. Father Kelly did not keep an exact record of the day to day events of his ministry, but he made an impression and his presence in Cheyenne was appreciated by those who were interested in some kind of orderly development of the booming railroad town. The priest exercised his ministry for about six months before he was able to establish a permanent residence and base for his operations. The base was provided by the authorities of the Union Pacific who donated four lots on the northeast corner of 21st and O’Neil Streets to the Catholic Church. (McGovern, 27) Father Kelly with some of the members of his flock lost little time in undertaking the task of building a church and a parochial residence. The project was completed by the end of the summer of 1868 and the Catholics of Cheyenne had a proper, if not majestic, place for worship and the pastor had his own residence, all at the cost of around $4,000. (McGovern, 246) Father Kelly not only provided for members of the parish to attend Mass on Sunday, the pastor made generous provision of time for those who might wish to go to Confession on Saturday by making himself available from two to six in the afternoon and seven to nine in the evening. Sunday was also a busy day for the pastor because he knew that he could not neglect the children and taught catechism at two o’clock in the afternoon.>Chey1867>3 He took a dim view of the practice of the saloon keepers of opening their places of business at 9:30 every morning, especially on Sundays, and he let his views be known. Consequently, the owners of the bars agreed to keep the saloons closed from 9:30 A.M. until 12 noon on Sundays. Gradually, Father Kelly became more familiar with the extent of the territory that was entrusted to his pastoral care and did his best to minister to those who needed his services. When possible, he offered Mass in Laramie City and Fort Sanders. On the other days of the week he exercised his pastoral ministry along the railroad where the section houses were converted into temporary churches. (McGovern, 247) Father Kelly was anxious to have Bishop O’Gorman visit Cheyenne to witness the progress of the church there and to administer the sacrament of Confirmation. The Cheyenne pastor had more than sufficient time to prepare the candidates for the sacrament because the bishop had many pressing problems in the vicariate and his efforts to solve those problems kept him occupied for a period of ten months after he had received Father Kelly’s invitation. Finally, in July, 1869, Bishop O’Gorman, accompanied by the Reverend James M. Ryan and Reverend Millany arrived in Cheyenne and on the eleventh day of that month confirmed twenty children and adults. Father Millany preached the sermon.>Chey1867>4 The next day the bishop and his companions, including Father Kelly, traveled to Laramie City, a mission of Cheyenne. Some Catholics gave the bishop a document in which were recorded the names of persons who pledged $1327 to build a church. J.W. Donnellan was chosen to be treasurer of the congregation.>Chey1867>5 Bishop O’Gorman presided at the laying of the cornerstone of the proposed church. No further progress was made in building the church until the first local pastor arrived in Laramie early in 1872. (McGovern, 119) Shortly after Bishop O’Gorman returned to Omaha following his Confirmation tour in Wyoming he recalled Father Kelly from Cheyenne. Father Kelly had labored in Wyoming for some two years. During that period he had established a sound foundation for the Catholic Church in that territory. He had supervised the building of the first parish church and parochial residence in Cheyenne and had traveled far and wide to bring the sacraments to those who desired the ministrations of a priest. During the brief period of his tenure as pastor he assisted at thirteen marriages, baptized forty-eight persons and prepared twenty for the sacrament of Confirmation. (Casper, I, 208) 1869-1884 On October 9, 1869, Philip Erlach became the second pastor of the church in Cheyenne. In the year and six months of his pastorate he baptized forty-three persons. Father Erlach extended the area of his responsibility when he responded to the needs of people interested in reports that gold was being mined in South Pass City and Atlantic City. He also visited Fort Laramie and Fort Fetterman. In April, 1871, Father Erlach was transferred to a parish in Nebraska. (McGovern, 31) The next pastor, William Byrne, was destined to remain in Cheyenne for two years and five months. He was the first pastor to have a priest to assist him, namely, Eugene Cusson, a French-Canadian, who had been ordained for service in the vicariate. He arrived in Cheyenne in May, 1871. It is clear that Father Cusson took some of the pressure off of the pastor; the baptismal register indicates that he baptized twenty-two persons. But Father Byrne did not enjoy the luxury of having a priest to assist him for more than seven months. Early in 1872, Bishop O’Gorman requested Father Cusson to move to Laramie City to minister to the Catholics in a town that was growing rapidly as an important Union Pacific Railroad center. During Father Byrne’s incumbency, Bishop O’Gorman made his second visit to Cheyenne and on September 15, 1872, confirmed thirteen persons. The bishop’s health failed after that and he died in 1874.>Chey1867>6 Reverend John McGoldrick succeeded Father Byrne as pastor; he held office from September, 1873, to October, 1877. Father McGoldrick realized that the church, which had been built in 1868, was no longer adequate for the parishioners. Consequently, “he secured two lots at the northeast corner of 19th and Carey Avenue as the site for a new church.” The pastor was also concerned about obtaining land for a Catholic cemetery. with the generous assistance of the mayor of Cheyenne, Lawrence Bresnehen, arrangements were undertaken for the transfer of ten acres of land as soon as the legal technicalities could be resolved; negotiations were initiated in April, 1876, and it took some time before a final settlement was reached. (McGovern, 31-32) In Cheyenne, the fourth pastor, John McGoldrick, succeeded Father William Byrne in September, 1873. He realized that the Church which had been built in the time of Father Kelly was no longer adequate to accommodate the growing number of Catholics in Cheyenne, consequently, he purchased two lots at the northeast corner of 19th and Carey Avenue as the site for a new church. The pastor was also anxious to acquire property for a cemetery and this project was successful because Lawrence Bresnahen, as mayor of the city, used his influence to arrange for the transfer of ten acres to the church authorities. Father McGoldrick was not able to capitalize on these opportunities because he had contracted tuberculosis and did not have sufficient energy to carry out his plans for a new church. He steadily lost ground from August, 1877 on and finally succumbed on October 18, 1877. He was the first pastor in Cheyenne to die while in office. His body was taken to Omaha for interment. Bishop 0’Connor who was aware of the situation, dispatched John T. Lee to Cheyenne to assist the ailing pastor. Father Lee remained in the city until July 1878 as assistant to McGoldrick’s successor, John J. Jennette, who needed all the help he could get because he was also responsible to the parish in Sidney, Nebraska. Father Jennette supervised the construction of a church in Sidney as well as the laying of the foundation for a brick church in Cheyenne on the property that had been acquired by Father McGoldrick. Jennette’s Sunday schedule was published in the Cheyenne Daily Sun for March 17, 1878 under the heading “Church Services”, “...Mass at 9:00 A.M. followed by a High Mass and sermon at 10:30 A.M. Sabbath (sic) School at 3:00 P.M. Rev. J. Jennette, pastor.” He accomplished much in less than a year as pastor (December, 1877 to August 4, 1878). Father Jennette was transferred to Omaha in August, 1878. (McGovern, 31-32) Father Jennette’s successor, John A. Hayes, concentrated on the project of bringing to completion- the building of a church and a parochial residence and both were finished in due time. Father Hayes planned a public celebration to commemorate the event. On May 25, 1879 The Cheyenne Daily Sun reported that the church was dedicated and placed under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. Since Bishop O’Connor was in New York where he attended the dedication of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, his Vicar General, Daniel I. McDermott, presided at the ceremony assisted by Hugh Cummiskey of Laramie, Michael F. Cassidy of Rawlins and the pastor. Rev. Daniel Hayes was also present; he seems to have disappeared from public scrutiny soon after the dedication. A number of lay persons were recognized and identified by a reporter from the newspaper, namely, “Luke Morris, Mayor Lawrence Bresnehan, John Crowley, John Phillips, Daniel Fitzgerald, Timothy Dyer, Mrs. McKnight, Misses Mollie Moran, Annie McKay and Toulson.” During Father Hayes’ tenure, the parish became firmly established but growth required more financial support than was provided by thee Offertory collections. The pastor and leaders in the parish decided to organize a fair. The venture was a social and financial success, so much so, that the promoters kept the fair operating for a couple of sessions beyond the advertised evenings of January 17-20, 1882. (The Cheyenne Daily Sun, January 24, 1882) The promise of continuing growth under the guidance of Father Hayes faded when he was struck down by typhoid fever. He survived a first attack and was on his way to recovery when a recurrence of the fever proved fatal. An obituary note of November 19, 1882, in The Cheyenne Daily Sun, that Father Hayes “quietly passed away like a child sinking to peaceful slumber.” Father Hayes was the first priest to be buried in the cemetery which the Church had acquired some years earlier. By the time of Father Nugent’s incumbency the parish had gained recognition as a notable institution in the city of Cheyenne. A daily newspaper noted that, “St. Mary’s Catholic Church membership is probably the largest in the city, and is in a very prosperous condition. Rev. Father Nugent was unable to furnish the necessary information relating to the Church, being engaged with his ecclesiastical duties. It is unnecessary to state that he meets the approbation of his congregation.” (The Cheyenne Daily Sun, July 13, 1884) The pastor’s preoccupation included the negotiations that culminated in the purchase of the square block bounded by 24th and 25th Streets, and by Central and Warren Avenues. This property was deeded to the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus with the stipulation that they build and staff an academy. If they failed to do so the property would revert to the diocese. (McGovern, 43-44) This and other projects of the busy pastor involved a considerable expenditure of money which depleted the financial resources of the parish and established an indebtedness which proved to be an embarrassment to the bishop who had returned to Omaha in 1886 after an extended visit in Rome. Bishop O’Connor removed Father Nugent as pastor in Cheyenne and sent him to Rawlins. In 1884 was the arrival in Cheyenne of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus. The acquisition of these teachers was due to the efforts of Bishop O’Connor and Reverend Francis J. Nugent, the pastor who succeeded Father Hayes in Cheyenne. High on Father Nugent’s list of priorities was his determination to establish a parochial school. He was fortunate in being able to obtain the services of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus whose American headquarters were near Philadelphia. The sisters opened a school in Cheyenne in September, 1884. The first group of sisters included Mother St. Michael, Sister Ambrose and Sister Genevieve. Later Sister Imelda and Mother M. Philomena joined the staff. The student body soon numbered one hundred and thirty pupils. Father Nugent, anxious to foster his education endeavor, supervised the building of an addition to the school known as St. John’s Hall; this made it possible for the sisters to add the fifth, sixth and seventh grades. (Casper, II, 176) Notes >Chey1867>1 Grenville M. Dodge, How We Built the Union Pacific Railway and Other Railway Papers and Addresses (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1910), 31. Microfilm edition. Charles Edgar Ames, Pioneering the Union Pacific: A Reappraisal of the Building of the Railroad (NY: Appleton Century Crofts, 1969), 129. >Chey1867>2 Henry W. Casper, S.J., History of the Catholic Church in Nebraska: The Church on the Northern Plains, 1838-1874 (Milwaukee: Catholic Life / Bruce, 1960), I, 207. >Chey1867>3 Casper, I, 208. Father Casper noted that this account must be read with caution because it is dated 1886, seventeen years after Kelly left Wyoming. >Chey1867>4 Father Millany soon disappeared from the scene. Father Casper, who has researched the archives of the archdiocese of Omaha thoroughly, could not so much as find a first name for the priest. See Casper, I, 209. >Chey1867>5 Casper, I, 209. Father Casper discovered this information in an Account Book, Laramie, 1869, in the archives of the archdiocese of Omaha, O’Gorman Collection. >Chey1867>6 Baptismal Register, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Book I, April 12, 1868 to Nov. 21, 1886. Back to Top