Very Rev. John T. Burns V.F - Connellsville, Pennsylvania
N 40° 01.713 W 079° 34.433
17T E 621684 N 4431900
This monument to the Church of the Immaculate Conception's first priest is located at the Saint Joseph Cemetery, located off of Breakneck Avenue in Connellsville Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
Waymark Code: WMR9W6
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 05/28/2016
Views: 2
Very Rev. John T. Burns V.F - Connellsville, Pennsylvania
John T. Burns was born May 26th, 1857 in Gallitzin, Cambria County, a second generation American Irishman. He attended St. Vincent's College in Latrobe to prepare for his priesthood. Father Burns was ordained in 1892 and came to Connellsville from New Brighton on December 22nd, 1896, in time for Christmas. The parishioners here came to recognize him as their gift. The Father arrived in Connellsville with his sister Bridget serving as his housekeeper. He helped to complete the newly begun Immaculate Conception Church and it was dedicated on September 13th, 1897, the parsonage in 1898. The total cost of the building was 50 thousand dollars or nearly a million and a half dollars today. Father Burns retired that indebtedness during his term as pastor. The property would have occupied an entire block from Crawford to Apple with the church, parochial school, rectory and convent contained there. He was a strong supporter of Connellsville's Knights of Columbus and the local council was named for him. Father Burns was a friend to the railroad unions here during those days also. He was asked to give the opening address during a 1899 August weekend national union gathering held at Soisson Park in South Connellsville that numbered over 7000 people. He was always close by when there was a basketball game going on in the parochial hall and he could be found in our mountains during hunting seasons. He was a catcher when he played baseball in seminary school without a catcher’s mitt. Father Burns passed away May 2nd, 1922 less than 2 weeks before his 65th birthday with more than a quarter century of serving Connellsville. The church arranged for this marble memorial stone in the center of the 40 acres added to the new St. Joseph's Cemetery the year following his death.
MONUMENT TEXT READS
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED
IN LOVING MEMORY
OF VERY REV.
FATHER JOHN T. BURNS V.F.
BY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
CONGREGRATION
----
ETERNAL REST GRANT UNTO HIM
O LORD - AND LET PERPETUAL
LIGHT SHINE UPON HIM