Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
In 1904, Rev. J.P. Bresnahan, a Diocesan missionary, began establishing churches in North and Central Florida. In the beginning, services were held in private homes and at the courthouse in Madison. The small Catholic community in Madison soon began a building program, assisted greatly by Mrs. Eugene West, of Jacksonville, Fla. St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church came into its first sanctuary after the Methodist church sold them their former property. The sanctuary was remodeled into a residence for the priest.
Just as their new building was completed, an African-American family asked Bresnahan to conduct a mission in their community. Since there was no place to meet, Bresnahan offered the new church as a location for a week-long mission. Early into the services, Rev. Bresnahan found a note on the front door of the church that advised him to discontinue the meetings. He promptly took the message to the mayor, who stated, “Anyone who would resort to such a tactic was a coward.”
However, just to keep things safe, the town marshall was stationed near the church for the rest of the week. A church member was also stationed at the front door, brandishing a shotgun, while another member was positioned behind the altar with his shotgun. For the priest's convenience, a pistol was hidden on the altar. All of these precautions were hidden from the African-American congregation so that their worship was unhindered, and no further trouble presented itself.
The information for this article was taken from Elizabeth Sims book, “The History of Madison County, Florida.”