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By MARTY PERRY
DALLAS. A movement to attain “saint-martyr” status for a priest who died of smallpox in the 1800s has gained momentum, thanks to several family members, a priest and a group of interested Catholics.
Father Jeoffrey Hartnett, who went to the bedside of the sick during the smallpox epidemic of 1899, contracted the disease and died. The first priest ordained in and for the diocese has long been remembered for his heroism.
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OF FR. HARTNETT'S CANONIZATION CAUSE
Texas Catholic recalled the life of the priest in a May 23 article, fueling efforts to promote the cause for his sainthood. Many readers logged their support in an on-line petition at www.texascatholic.com.
Newspaper accounts of Father Hartnett’s death reported that he “contracted the disease while administering to the spiritual wants of the patients at the pesthouse. Complications developed and he died.”
Sister of St. Mary of Namur Patricia Ste. Marie, whose great-grandfather, C.D. Hartnett, was a brother of the priest, supports the cause for canonization.
“The idea of having saints is to have both intercessors and people who are examples of how we should be living,” said Sister Ste. Marie, a member of Our Lady of Queen of Peace Parish in Wichita Falls. “We will be praying for his intercession for the miracles needed for his beatification and canonization.”
Father Hartnett, who became known in area folklore as “the martyr priest,” is memorialized in a stained-glass window in the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas. At the time of his death, he served as rector of the cathedral, then called Sacred Heart.
Born on April 28, 1859, in Ireland, Father Hartnett came to the United States as a boy. His family migrated to New York, then to Texas, where he worked for the railroads.
He attended St. Mary University in Kansas, then entered the seminary in Cincinnati to study for the priesthood.
Father Hartnett was ordained a priest in June 1892 by Bishop Thomas Brennan, Dallas’ first bishop.
Father Hartnett became known as a builder of churches. He was pastor in Ennis when Holy Redeemer Church was built and later erected a modern brick church at St. Patrick in Dallas. He was then asked to be rector of Sacred Heart.
When Dallas had an outbreak of smallpox in February 1899, the 39-year-old priest was called to administer the sacraments to a dying woman. He braved a six-mile freezing walk to the “pesthouse,” saying it was his priestly duty as pastor to go.
Several days later, Father Hartnett contracted smallpox. He died on March 7, 1899, and, at his funeral, lighted candles placed on his coffin on a windy day remained lit.
Father Hartnett has been called a martyr priest because of the circumstances surrounding his untimely death. Descendants of his family and others who believe he should be proclaimed a saint are seeking to advance his cause for canonization.
Information about Father Hartnett’s story was sent to Bishop Charles Grahmann and to the Congregation for Sainthood Causes in Rome in 1998.
Several After diocesan review, the Vatican can determine if a person was a martyr by virtue of making a supreme sacrifice for the faith by giving up his or her life. Generally, one miracle is required for beatification and a second one for canonization.
Father Tom Cloherty, pastor of All Saints Parish in Dallas, supports the movement to attain the fellow priest’s saint-martyr status, saying that he finds the story “especially poignant.”
Rose Marie Nieswiadomy also would like to see Father Hartnett receive recognition. A member of St. Pius X Parish in Dallas, she is related by birth: her great-great aunt married C.D. Hartnett.
Nieswiadomy has a letter sent to her great-uncle, George Duncan, by his stepfather, Pat Langan, dated Feb. 16, 1899, the year Father Hartnett died.
In the letter (see inset photo) he said that Father Hartnett had sent him a “fine gold cross” for a watch chain. “It is splendid. The devil has to keep away from me now.”
Nieswiadomy also has another letter that was sent to her grandmother from Langan, mentioning the cross and also saying he had read in a Dallas newspaper that the priest was getting better. However, Father Hartnett died on the day the letter was written.
The cross has long been lost, but the Dallas woman said she hopes to keep the priest’s memory intact.
“I hope Father Hartnett is ‘keeping the devil away’ from many people,” Nieswiadomy said.
Mary Ellen Guay, a great-niece whose mother was a Hartnett and a member of St. Stephen’s Parish in Weatherford, said her great uncle deserves to be canonized because “he was a true Christian martyr to duty.”
Dennis Hartnett of San Antonio, whose grandfather was C.D. Hartnett, said he believes the renewed emphasis on the priest “is a good idea from the standpoint of the Catholic Church in America and the Catholic Church in Texas.”
Hartnett, who is a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Helotes, said the canonization effort should be interesting not only for his family, but for other Catholics throughout the state.
“The truth is there weren’t that many Catholics here in those days,” he said.
Dennis Hartnett’s son, Jeffrey Hartnett, of Austin, championed the cause, saying, “It is from the shrine of Father Hartnett that I carry forth my torch, in both name and conviction.”
Geralyn Railey Sanders of Breckenridge said Father Hartnett, who was her great-great uncle, “not only gave his life to Christ, but he also gave unconditionally to the suffering, the poor and the
homeless. And he did all in the word of the Lord.”
Brian Hartnett of Fort Worth, whose great-grandfather was C.D. Hartnett, said one of his prized possessions is a Bible that belonged to the priest.
“It just got passed down in the family,” he said. “I keep it in a cabinet that is dedicated to relics of saints.”
Memorabilia he has inherited include vestments that belonged to the priest. There is also a huge portrait of Father Hartnett at the family ranch, Rock Crossing Ranch, in Possum Kingdom.
“I sort of inherited the bug of keeping the family documents together,” said the self-appointed family historian. “I think it would be an incredible blessing upon Dallas-Fort Worth if he would become a saint. I think people would pray directly to him and good things would happen. With all the things going on in the church today, it’s nice to hear good things about the clergy.”
Not all those who expressed interest in the priest were related. Several dozen people contacted Texas Catholic about advancing the cause because they found the story inspiring.
Bill Barker of St. Rita Parish in Dallas supported the movement, saying, “Father Hartnett’s actions as a priest are consistent with the actions of Jesus Christ. “What a great example to all of us."
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