Allegany County MD Archives News..... Annual Christ the King Celebration, 1947
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Shawn McGreevy [shawnmcgreevy@geatz.com]


Evening Times, Cumberland, Maryland, 23 Oct 1947:
Catholic Men
To Hold Rally
At St. Patrick's
Holy Name Society Members
From 11 Parishes
To Observe Feast
Here Sunday
A homecoming spirit will pervade the atmosphere of St. Patrick's Church this Sunday 
afternoon when the men of Western Maryland's 11 Catholic parishes meet there for 
their annual "Christ the King" celebration.  One of the oldest and largest Catholic 
churches in Maryland, established in 1790, St. Patrick's is the mother church of 
this area. Formerly known as St. Mary's, it once served as a mission for the 
surrounding territory.  Its circuit riders penetrated the Georges Creek Valley 
before rich coal deposits were discovered there.  And they served the outposts of 
Garrett County when bears and wildcats were as numerous there as farm animals are 
today.
 
The presence of Rev. Alban Hammal, O.F.M. Cap., pastor of SS Peter and Paul's parish, 
as principal speaker at Sunday's celebration will recall an event of special 
significance in St. Patrick's history.  The church received its Irish name from a 
German priest, the Rev. O. L. Obermeyer, who served as its pastor from 1841 to 1851.
 
Many members of his parish were German carpenters, glassblowers carriage makers, 
stonemasons and cabinet makers. But the building of the B. & O. Railroad and the C. 
& O. Canal had brought Irish laborers by the scores to this area and his church. 
 
No Racial Lines Now
 
Father Obermeyer was instrumental in having SS. Peter and Paul's Church established 
here as a German parish, and then, to honor the
predominance of Irish who were members of old St. Mary's, he changed the name to St. 
Patrick's.  In Cumberland's three Catholic parishes racial lines are no longer 
recognizable.  German, Irish and Italian names are on all the parish rolls.  At St. 
Mary's in South Cumberland the Murphys and Lisantis at St. Patrick's the Reinharts 
and Ryans at SS. Peter and Paul's the Stakems and Stegmayers, all work and worship 
together. Poles, Lithuanians, Hungarian and other immigrants who joined many Irish 
in moving on to the Georges Creek area when coal mining began to boom there, helped 
build the church in which the descendants will meet Sunday to honor "Christ, the 
King."'
 
As mining declined in the Georges Creek section, many branches of families that left 
St. Patrick's in the early days returned when they found work in the industries of 
Cumberland.  Thus will relatives meet with the pleasantries of a family reunion to 
add to the homecoming atmosphere of the “Christ the King” celebration.
 
Cavanaughs Numerous
 
This is particularly true of the Cavanaugh clan. There is scarcely a town in Western 
Maryland in which they fail to find a branch of their family tree.  The coming solemn 
religious ceremony will bring together under the Cavanaugh banner, the Creegans and 
Carrolls, the Malloys and the Farrells, the O'Briens and O'Rourkes and O'Toole--just 
to name a few the family branches to be represented.  Another historical twist enters 
into the celebration at St. Patrick by way of association with the name of the Very 
Rev. J. Lawrence Kilkenny, pastor of the host church dean of Western Maryland, and 
celebrant of the Solemn Benediction ceremony at the "Christ the King celebration.   
One of his predecessors at St. Patrick’s, the Rev. Edward Brennan, who was pastor 
from 1858 to 1884, was born in County Kilkenny Ireland--from which the current pastor 
gets his name.”



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