The Growth of the Incarnation Community

The cornerstone of the church was laid on August 5, 1917 with Archbishop Ireland presiding. Inscribed on the stone was the text taken from the Gospel of St. John: "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us': There were placed in the copper box in the cornerstone a sheet of vellum upon which was written the date of the ceremony and stating that it took place when Woodrow Wilson was president, when J.A.A. Burnquist was governor of Minnesota, when John Ireland was Archbishop of St. Paul, and when Father James Cleary was pastor of the church. Copies of the daily newspapers and three local Catholic weeklies were also included.

M.J. Murphy was head of the drive for funds which was carried on in 1918. The mens' club raised at the initial meeting about 1/4 of the $50,000 sought in that section of the campaign to pay debts on the new church. The opening was postponed until the second week of October due to the death of Archbishop Ireland. The civic opening was actually held on a Tuesday evening, the 8th of October. The principal address was given by Reverend J.M. Reardon. His subject was "Religion and Patriotism': The civic opening followed the first mass in the new church by 2 days, that having been celebrated the previous Sunday. Solemn blessing of the edifice was deferred until after installation of the pipe organ. On October 3, 1920, the church was dedicated at services conducted by Father Cleary, founder and pastor, Archbishop Austin Dowling who succeeded Archbishop Ireland, Monsignor George Herr of Dubuque, Iowa, and several Twin Cities priests.

In July of 1922 Father Cleary celebrated his golden jubilee, and on May 4, 1924 was elevated to the rank of Monsignor at special services conducted at the church. Archbishop Dowling officiated at the ceremony of investiture. This was the crowning achievement for a man who had devoted his life to God and to help work for the good and welfare of God's people.

Beginning in the year 1909 and extending into 1922 a great influx of people into the parish took place. In just 17 years the number of families grew from 200 to 1500. Many factors contributed to this substantial expansion. The parish was situated in a very desirable location with its proximity to the lakes and its access to major streets on the south side. Father Cleary's popularity and reputation certainly played a very important role, as did that of Archbishop Ireland. Ireland, who many people during this period believed was the most important religious figure in the United States, and Monsignor Cleary were very close. The friendship between these two very dedicated Irishmen may have been one of the contributing factors for the physical size of Incarnation and that Masqueray was the architect. Most assuredly Archbishop Ireland's role in the population growth of Incarnation cannot be understated. He recommended many a Catholic couple to move into Monsignor Cleary's parish on the south side of Minneapolis.

In 1922 the facilities at Incarnation still could not keep up with the increasing number of young families moving into the parish. A division of the parish was attempted to relieve some of the demand that this growth had brought on. A daughter parish was established in 1922 -- the Church of the Annunciation located on 54th and Lyndale. But still there was no appreciable improvement of the problem. In fact, despite the decreased size of the parish, the enrollment of the school still climbed.

With the enrollment of the school going up, the number of sisters coming to teach was also on the rise. The parish purchased a vacant lot from the city on the southwest corner of 37th Street and Pleasant Avenue to construct a new convent. After eight months, in December of 1923, it was completed at a cost of $84,412.00. It could accommodate 30 sisters and afforded a chapel, kitchen, dining room, community room with sun porch, four small parlors and two music rooms as well as a spacious lawn area. A bazaar was held the following November and the proceeds were used to defray part of the expense of furnishing the convent.

The following year the school was still congested so a new room was opened in the old convent. An addition to Cleary Hall was completed in October of 1929, increasing the number of classrooms to 16. June 28, 1928, was a very happy day for all when Father Kenneth Kelly of the Order of Preachers and a graduate of Incarnation school celebrated his first mass at Incarnation Church.

On May 25, 1933, the beloved pastor and founder of Incarnation, Monsignor James M. Cleary died at the age of 83. Hospitalized with a hip fracture since March 30 of that year, it was still believed that he would be able to celebrate the 61st anniversary of his priesthood which would have been on July 9th. His death and funeral made front page headlines in the Minneapolis paper. Monsignor Humphrey Moynihan stated in his funeral sermon for Monsignor Cleary that "his glory was his simplicity of heart and his conviction of conscience".

Monsignor Humphrey Moynihan was appointed pastor of Incarnation on July 1, 1933. He was born on October 22, 1864 in Limerick, Ireland and established a brilliant record in the schools he attended. His marked scholastic abilities caused his superiors to recommend him to Archbishop Ireland as a promising candidate for the faculty of the new St. Paul Seminary. Accordingly, he was sent to Pome for further study where he acquitted himself with distinction. In 1892 he was appointed to the faculty of the St. Paul Seminary, carrying out his duties as a prefect of studies so ably that he was given the presidency of St. Thomas College in April, 1903. In that capacity he increased the enrollment of the school from some 253 students to the record figure of 1059 students making it one of the ranking military schools of the country. In 1921 he became rector of the St. Paul Seminary and while holding this office was raised to the dignity of Monsignor in February, 1924. And then on July 1, 1933, at the age 60, Monsignor Humphrey Moynihan became the pastor of one of the largest parishes in the St. Paul diocese, Incarnation.

In 1934, Incarnation celebrated its Silver Jubilee. Archbishop John Gregory Murray delivered the sermon for the high mass, Monsignor Moynihan was the celebrant and he was assisted by the Reverend John Ryan, Reverend John Phelan, Reverend Paul Colbert and Reverend Harold Duan. The secretary of the parish at that time was Peter Carter, who had held that post since the founding of the church.

Also in 1934, even with the pressure of the depression, construction of a new school was begun. It was located on the site of the old convent and would tie all four corners of 38th and Pleasant together as the parish of Incarnation. The new school was completed in February of 1935 at a cost of $135,000.00 and was named Moynihan Hall. It was considered by many to be the newest and finest educational facility of the time in the city of Minneapolis. The new school consisted of 8 classrooms, a gymnasium, and a new auditorium. Monsignor Moynihan also furnished the parish with a library containing 5,000 volumes. A kindergarten as well was located in a house near the new Moynihan Hall. Over a span of 26 years, the - school had expanded from 6 to 24 classrooms with an enrollment of 937 pupils. In the fall of 1942 the school lunch program was aided by the Federal Lunch Program. Under the Works Progress Administration a seven cent lunch was provided and served by government employees. This signified the beginning of direct government aid to the school lunch program. In 1943 sirens screamed and many came running from all corners -- Moynihan Hall was on fire! There was much smoke, but very little damage, however. Defective wiring in the ceiling proved to be the cause.

On December 24, 1943, Monsignor Humphrey Moynihan, pastor of Incarnation for 10 years, passed away at the age of 79. He had influenced the parish in a two-fold manner: by example of his own life and by the ministrations of his assistants who had been trained under his regime in the seminary. The dignity, holiness, kindliness, and love of God which so marked his own life inevitably communicated themselves to those under his charge and welded the people of his parish into a congregation outstanding for its support of many worthy causes. Father James Moynihan was appointed to succeed his brother and took up his new duties on December 29, 1943.

Father James Moynihan was born in Abbeyville, Limerick, Ireland in 1882. He received his early education at Rockwell College, Tipperary, and at St. Munchins College, Limerick. Coming to the United States at the age of 16, he continued his education at the St. Paul Seminary, studying philosophy. He was then sent to the American College in Rome. Upon the completion of the theology course he was ordained in Rome in 1907. He returned to St. Paul and was assigned to the faculty of St. Thomas College. In 1933 he became president of the Institution where he served until his appointment to Incarnation.

In 1948 the parish boundaries were changed. Two new parishes bordered Incarnation: Visitation on the southwest and St. Joan of Are on the southeast. This new division was to help alleviate the enrollment problem again, but the school still housed 984 in the fall of 1948. On June 19, 1951 Father James Moynihan was elevated to the rank of Monsignor. Archbishop Murray officiated and a reception was held in the school auditorium. Enrollment for that year was up to 1005.

On February 12, 1959, Monsignor James Moynihan who had suffered from a heart ailment died at the age of 76. Archbishop William O. Brady celebrated the requiem mass. One of Monsignor Moynihan's crowning achievements at Incarnation was the finishing of a biography of Archbishop John Ireland which was started by Humphrey Moynihan many years earlier. On March 2, 1949 Father Donald Gormley assumed duties at Incarnation. Monsignor Gormley was born in Minneapolis on August 15,1895 and studied at St. Thomas College and the St. Paul Seminary. He was ordained in 1924 by Archbishop Dowling. He spend almost 35 years at St. Thomas Academy and College. He was principal at the academy for a time and was registrar of the college when he was appointed to Incarnation.

1959 was an important year in the history of Incarnation. Not only was there a new pastor, but also it was the golden jubilee year. The highlight of the jubilee year was the consecration of the Church of the Incarnation on October 19, 1959. The 4 hour ceremony was performed by Archbishop William O. Brady.

A Catholic church is deemed appropriate for consecration when it is essentially complete and free of debt; is built of substantial and monumental materials and when it is certain that the building will never be put to secular use. In 1959 the only other Catholic church in Minneapolis to have been consecrated was the Basilica of St. Mary. Sealed in the altar of Incarnation church during the ceremony were the relies of 2 martyrs: St. Clement who was pope from 88 to 97 and St. Adrian who was martyred about 303.

The present day organ was also installed in 1959. The organ was built by the Wicks Organ Co. of Highland, Illinois, designed by Father Kuncl of St. Paul, and installed by Alfred Bender, a local Wicks representative. The organ is installed behind the facade of the original organ, which was rebuilt and installed in another church in the area. The design of the organ is "middle of the road" between Classic and Romantic styles, very typical of organs installed in Catholic churches at the time, when there was comparatively little congregational singing. The organ has 4 divisions: great, swell, choir and pedal. There are 29 ranks, or sets of pipes, controlled by a three-manual and pedal drawknob console. Action is direct- electric, a system pioneered by the Wicks Co.

Father Donald Gormley was elevated to Monsignor on February 16, 1960. His concern, like that of his predecessors was the imbalance between the growing student population and the dwindling available space in the school buildings. Through studies of the current school facilities and projections of what the future enrollment could be, it was decided with much debate that an additional school facility was needed. The new addition was to be situated adjacent to Moynihan Hall and even though of contemporary design it was to be complementary to the older building. It was also decided that the building would be supported by stilt-like columns, thus providing an all year playground and parking lot as well as a covered area for parish activities such as Oktoberfest. Construction began late in 1961 and extended into the winter of 1963. The new facility provided 9 additional classrooms. Each room had tiled walls, an equipment closet, blackboards in front and on the sides. There was a sink and drinking fountain at the rear of each room. Also the building housed a modern science lab, an equipped library and general offices. It was proposed during the planning sessions that if the student population should decrease in the future, Moynihan Hall, including the addition, could easily be converted into a high school accommodating 500 students. To finance the new addition an appeal was initiated, a minimum weekly collection of $6,151.00 was established and the goal of $300,000.00 was met in one year.

The 1960's were a boom period for the school at Incarnation. Enrollment during this period would be consistently over the 1,000 mark. 1961 marked the Golden Jubilee for the Dominican Sisters. From the original four sisters in 1911 the convent had grown to now house 23.

Monsignor Gormley retired from Incarnation in the year 1970. The new leadership of the parish would have to adjust now to a downturn in the membership and steady decreases in enrollment of the school. Several factors contributing to this were the growth of the suburbs which were drawing many young families out of what now was considered an inner-city parish, the average size of families being cut almost in half, and new grade schools which were opening in surrounding parishes. But the people of Incarnation were undaunted. Like the past leaders of their parish, they too, believed that a Catholic school education was invaluable.

Father Frederich Mertz took over the administration of the parish between 1970 and 1975 and Father Stephen Adrian started in 1975. Father Adrian had been one of the first Roman Catholic priests to run for state political office in the history of Minnesota. His stand against legalized abortion epitomized in many ways the feelings of the people of Incarnation community and their willingness to take a stand against issues that they felt were socially and morally unjust.

In 1978 Father Robert Monaghan became pastor of Incarnation. Father Monaghan was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and was previously pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in St. Paul. Father Monaghan brought to Incarnation not only much needed spiritual leadership as did his predecessors, but also a strong background in administration. This would prove to be invaluable in the difficult economic times that earmarked the late 70's and early 80's.