Funeral and burial of Lawrence McMahon

1. The three main entrances to the cathedral were heavily draped in black bunting.
2. Chopin’s “Funeral March” was played on the organ while and after people left the cathedral.
3. Three Hartford police officers – Dunlap, Maloney, and Grady – were on duty at the cathedral during the entire funeral.

1. T. J. Shahan was a priest at the Catholic University of America. In the article published the day before the funeral, he was named as T. J. Shan of Washington University.  Shahan had also been a priest in Hartford in 1887.
2. “J. Hughes” the organist was probably not James Hughes the vicar general, but oddly James Hughes the vicar general is not mentioned at all in the reporting on the funeral and burial.
3. Monsignor Griffin was likely Thomas Griffin, a priest from Worcester, MA.
4. There is some confusion surrounding the sealing of McMahon’s casket after the funeral mass ended. The account of the funeral had the priests on the altar heading for the vestry, while the article on the funeral published the day before had the procession forming in front of the casket and leading it out of the cathedral via the center aisle.

The body of Lawrence McMahon arrived in Hartford yesterday and lay in state at the cathedral overnight.

1. “The body of the Right Rev. Lawrence S. McMahon was yesterday laid away in the crypt of St. Joseph’s Cathedral, after one of the most impressive services ever held in this city.”
2. From Thomas Beaven’s sermon: “From his galaxy of virtues one might select one characteristic and some one else another, but the speaker, for himself, would choose his great generosity, his strict integrity, and his deep-running religious devotion to his people.”

1. Father Leo of Winsted was Leo Rizzo de Saracena.
2. John J. Quinn was a priest in Lakeville who had been with McMahon when he had died and had accompanied his body to Hartford.
3. John J. Williams was the Archbishop of Boston. His participation as celebrant at the funeral was known on August 23, 1893, after James Hughes returned from Boston.
4. Michael Tierney was a priest in New Britain and will be the next Bishop of Hartford.
5. Thomas W. Broderick was a priest at Saint Peter’s Catholic Church.
6. Thomas Beaven was the Bishop of Springfield, MA.
7. John Michaud was the Bishop of Burlington, VT. He’s mistakenly named as John Michand in the article on the funeral.
8. Denis Bradley was the Bishop of Manchester, NH.
9. A thurifer is an acolyte carrying a censer.
10. As to the several stops, the casket with McMahon in it weighed 750 pounds.

Unattributed.  “Bishop M’Mahon buried,” Hartford Courant, August 25, 1893, page 6.

Unattributed.  “Many view the body,” Hartford Courant, August 24, 1893, page 2

Unattributed.  “Funeral of the bishop,” Hartford Courant, August 23, 1893, page 6.