I stumbled upon this amazing story
about Father Everett Briggs, who was instrumental in creating the St. Barbara Memorial
Nursing Home and the Heroines monument in Monongah dedicated to the wives of
fallen miners.
The bridge over the West Fork River that divides
Monongah is named for the great unifier.
The article is from The Defender web
site.
Father Briggs came to Holy Spirit
Church long after I left Monongah.
Father John McNulty, who served in
the military, was my favorite priest. Father McNulty started the Catholic Youth
Organization chapter in Monongah, setting up weekly gatherings in the basement
of the now-gone St. Stanislaus Church where I spent a lot of years as an altar
boy for Father Albert.
Later, Father Reardon, an Irish
priest from Boston, served Monongah, which was created in 1891 and got its name
from the Monongahela River, which never ran through Monongah. Since 1886 it had
been known as Briar Town.
Father Everett Frances Briggs – the bridge
across the West Fork River was renamed in his honor in 2002 – was born in
January 27, 1908 and passed away in December 20, 2006. He died, appropriately,
in the St. Barbara’s facility he founded, at the age of 98. He was a prisoner
of the Japanese, where he was a missionary, in World War II. They never
broke his spirit although they broke his health.
Father Briggs and Mother Agnes, whose
elementary teaching skills gave me a solid stairway to a good life and career
with spelling, reading and grammar skills, made a powerful team to set up Saint Barbara.
Monongah's Sts. Peter and Paul School was razed
in 2011.
The school in Oak Hill, also
run by the Sisters of the Auxilaries of the Apostolate, also was named Sts.
Peter and Paul School. The Oak Hill school began in Scarbro in 1913 when the parish
organist began to teach the children. In 1967 the school moved to Oak Hill.
When I gave my Monongah Sts. Peter
and Paul School valedictorian speech written by Mother Agnes, Scarbro was
scratched out and Monongah written in. So I gave the same speech that a child
in Scarbro and probably one in Oak Hill gave for my valedictorian speech.
Mother Agnes also was legendary for
driving her brother’s Jeep so fast down Church Street that Saint Christopher
was heard screaming for mercy.
Once when she was stopped by the police for
speeding, she asked the children: “Was I speeding, children?” The reply, of
course, was a sweet and obedience “No, sister.” The cop had met his match and waved her on for fear
of being struck by lightning.
Father Briggs died a few days after
his beloved Monongah Heroines monument was erected.
After 16 years at Monongah, Father
Briggs was transferred to Grant Town and Rivesville parish, where my sister,
Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, was a member till the Rivesville parish
was merged into Fairmont St. Peter the Fisherman Church. Jackie lives in
Rivesville.
The Defender article about the
amazing Father Briggs (the commentary gave no author):
When I began writing this article, I could not decide
whether or not to include it under our ‘Modern Day Saint’ category. Although
Father Everett is a modern day saint, a near martyr, an outstanding priest, an
author, a poet, a professor, a crusader and a remarkable man, it is too early
to submit Father Briggs’ name for sainthood. He is still alive at age 97 and
more mentally alert and active than most people of any age. He demonstrates
this in everything from his enlightening letters to The Defender to
utilizing billboards to fight injustices against the Church and inform people
of the Catholic faith.
Father Everett comes from a missionary family. Influenced by the devout faith of his mother, he became a Maryknoll priest at the age of 25. His younger brother, Arthur, followed his example. In the 1930’s, Father Everett was assigned to Japan where he established a Catholic Mission. A few years later, his brother, Father Arthur, was assigned to a mission in China. Father Arthur spent only a few years in China before he was brutally stabbed defending the Sacred Tabernacle during a robbery of his mission. Father Arthur achieved a partial recovery and in 1944, was taken from China to the United States by two other priests. He was hospitalized in the US for some time and recovered enough to teach in Maryknoll Colleges. He went to his Lord in 1987 at the age of 78.
Meanwhile, Father Everett suffered similar experiences. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese on the day after they bombed Pearl Harbor. On that eighth day of December 1941, when he emerged from his church after conducting morning Mass, six local policemen waited for him. He was asked what he knew and had heard over his radio. He replied that he had given his radio away to his housekeeper a few months before. At that point, the church catechist told Father the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Both were imprisoned. Other parishioners were imprisoned in an attempt to coerce them to denounce Father as a spy. As Father said, “It came with poignancy[.] I shall not soon forget that the Good Lord was suffering in the persons of these poor, frightened souls. I determined that I never would be maneuvered into the position of a spectator who looks [with] resigned and indifferent mien upon the sufferings of his hapless friends. So I would go on a hunger strike. Somehow I felt this would allow me access to the fray.”
He went on the hunger strike in a very unprofessional way, denying himself fluids as well as food. After three days of no food or liquids, his natural immunity was affected. He suffered kidney failure, joint problems, and his general health declined. His jailor worried that Father would die on his watch and talked of releasing the parishioners, none of whom had incriminated the priest. The jailor did not want to be blamed for derailing the prospective exchange of prisoners.
The next day, his captors sent a doctor who gave him an injection of sorts. As the doctor pushed the needle into his right arm he felt his heart coming to a stop. Just then, a Maryknoll Missionary, Brother Hansan, came in to the room and shouted to the doctor, “His face is turning black!” The doctor panicked and immediately withdrew the needle. The blood leaped out of the vein, empurpled and then angry red. The doctor exclaimed, “This is the first time this has happened to me!” Father Everett lived through this experience and to this day is unable to fathom the mystery of why he was almost killed as a prisoner of the Japanese. To the police he was a conundrum – an enemy who was willing to suffer for his parishioners, but his jailors did not want him to die. If he were a spy, his crime was punishable by death – but they had no evidence. Did the doctor make a mistake? Not likely a mistake of that magnitude. Father was sick for years with heart disease until he was miraculously cured at Lourdes years after his repatriation in 1942.
Father subsequently served as professor of Japanese languages with the United States V-12 Training Program. Thereafter he taught on the high school and collegiate level for seven years. From 1950 to 1956, he served as a chaplain in hospitals and nursing homes in the Los Angles area. It was here he developed compassion for the elderly and the ill.
In 1956, he was sent to Monongah, West Virginia, to take over priestly duties in a small parish. The year 1957 brought with it the 50th anniversary of the Monongah Mine Disaster. Father realized that no one had done anything to memorialize the hundreds of men and boys who died on that tragic day in December 1907. As Father noted, “There was not even a fence post to honor the coal miners who died in one of the nation’s worst coal mine disasters.” He called together Sisters and volunteers and told them the memorial should not be a statue, a plaque or a picture to admire, but rather a living, working memorial to help those in need in this area. That is how St. Barbara’s Memorial Nursing Home was born – to meet the needs of the elderly ill, many of them stricken with coal miners’ lung disease. St. Barbara’s, named after the patron saint of miners, grew to be a great facility housing over 1,500 patients during its many year of operation, some residing as long as 20 years. A friend of his stated, “What a beautiful legacy to leave.”
His other legacies are numerous. His poetry has been published in American journals since 1925. In 1996, he published Across the Bridge, an anthology of some 650 poems. It was his twelfth book! Six were written in Japanese. He is a member of the International Poetry Hall of Fame, and his books are available on the Internet.
In addition to building memorials and monuments to others, Father has received many awards himself, including the American Freedom Medal. And, because his ancestral name was Bridges, he has had three bridges named after him including one in Monongah. He and his brother, Father Arthur, share a memorial scholarship awarded by St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham, Massachusetts, where both were alumni.
Even though Father Everett is himself, at 97, a resident of St. Barbara’s Nursing Home, his accomplishments continue to this day. He has designed and financed billboards attacking the anti-Christian leanings of our social institutions and the desecration of the painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary at a museum in Brooklyn. Another billboard depicted the tears and message of Mary at the miracle of Akita, Japan. One to be completed is to Jiang Zongxiu the woman martyred in China as reported in the last issue of The Defender. His billboards have been written up in The Catalyst.
Father’s latest dream is to build a memorial to the wives of the coal miners of West Virginia who (in his words) worked seven days a week, often raised six, eight or ten children in a company camp house without indoor plumbing and only an open fireplace for heat. They grew big gardens and washed clothes on a washboard. These women deserve a fitting memorial.
God Bless You, Father Everett! We all pray, every day, for more and more priests like you.
Father Everett comes from a missionary family. Influenced by the devout faith of his mother, he became a Maryknoll priest at the age of 25. His younger brother, Arthur, followed his example. In the 1930’s, Father Everett was assigned to Japan where he established a Catholic Mission. A few years later, his brother, Father Arthur, was assigned to a mission in China. Father Arthur spent only a few years in China before he was brutally stabbed defending the Sacred Tabernacle during a robbery of his mission. Father Arthur achieved a partial recovery and in 1944, was taken from China to the United States by two other priests. He was hospitalized in the US for some time and recovered enough to teach in Maryknoll Colleges. He went to his Lord in 1987 at the age of 78.
Meanwhile, Father Everett suffered similar experiences. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese on the day after they bombed Pearl Harbor. On that eighth day of December 1941, when he emerged from his church after conducting morning Mass, six local policemen waited for him. He was asked what he knew and had heard over his radio. He replied that he had given his radio away to his housekeeper a few months before. At that point, the church catechist told Father the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Both were imprisoned. Other parishioners were imprisoned in an attempt to coerce them to denounce Father as a spy. As Father said, “It came with poignancy[.] I shall not soon forget that the Good Lord was suffering in the persons of these poor, frightened souls. I determined that I never would be maneuvered into the position of a spectator who looks [with] resigned and indifferent mien upon the sufferings of his hapless friends. So I would go on a hunger strike. Somehow I felt this would allow me access to the fray.”
He went on the hunger strike in a very unprofessional way, denying himself fluids as well as food. After three days of no food or liquids, his natural immunity was affected. He suffered kidney failure, joint problems, and his general health declined. His jailor worried that Father would die on his watch and talked of releasing the parishioners, none of whom had incriminated the priest. The jailor did not want to be blamed for derailing the prospective exchange of prisoners.
The next day, his captors sent a doctor who gave him an injection of sorts. As the doctor pushed the needle into his right arm he felt his heart coming to a stop. Just then, a Maryknoll Missionary, Brother Hansan, came in to the room and shouted to the doctor, “His face is turning black!” The doctor panicked and immediately withdrew the needle. The blood leaped out of the vein, empurpled and then angry red. The doctor exclaimed, “This is the first time this has happened to me!” Father Everett lived through this experience and to this day is unable to fathom the mystery of why he was almost killed as a prisoner of the Japanese. To the police he was a conundrum – an enemy who was willing to suffer for his parishioners, but his jailors did not want him to die. If he were a spy, his crime was punishable by death – but they had no evidence. Did the doctor make a mistake? Not likely a mistake of that magnitude. Father was sick for years with heart disease until he was miraculously cured at Lourdes years after his repatriation in 1942.
Father subsequently served as professor of Japanese languages with the United States V-12 Training Program. Thereafter he taught on the high school and collegiate level for seven years. From 1950 to 1956, he served as a chaplain in hospitals and nursing homes in the Los Angles area. It was here he developed compassion for the elderly and the ill.
In 1956, he was sent to Monongah, West Virginia, to take over priestly duties in a small parish. The year 1957 brought with it the 50th anniversary of the Monongah Mine Disaster. Father realized that no one had done anything to memorialize the hundreds of men and boys who died on that tragic day in December 1907. As Father noted, “There was not even a fence post to honor the coal miners who died in one of the nation’s worst coal mine disasters.” He called together Sisters and volunteers and told them the memorial should not be a statue, a plaque or a picture to admire, but rather a living, working memorial to help those in need in this area. That is how St. Barbara’s Memorial Nursing Home was born – to meet the needs of the elderly ill, many of them stricken with coal miners’ lung disease. St. Barbara’s, named after the patron saint of miners, grew to be a great facility housing over 1,500 patients during its many year of operation, some residing as long as 20 years. A friend of his stated, “What a beautiful legacy to leave.”
His other legacies are numerous. His poetry has been published in American journals since 1925. In 1996, he published Across the Bridge, an anthology of some 650 poems. It was his twelfth book! Six were written in Japanese. He is a member of the International Poetry Hall of Fame, and his books are available on the Internet.
In addition to building memorials and monuments to others, Father has received many awards himself, including the American Freedom Medal. And, because his ancestral name was Bridges, he has had three bridges named after him including one in Monongah. He and his brother, Father Arthur, share a memorial scholarship awarded by St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham, Massachusetts, where both were alumni.
Even though Father Everett is himself, at 97, a resident of St. Barbara’s Nursing Home, his accomplishments continue to this day. He has designed and financed billboards attacking the anti-Christian leanings of our social institutions and the desecration of the painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary at a museum in Brooklyn. Another billboard depicted the tears and message of Mary at the miracle of Akita, Japan. One to be completed is to Jiang Zongxiu the woman martyred in China as reported in the last issue of The Defender. His billboards have been written up in The Catalyst.
Father’s latest dream is to build a memorial to the wives of the coal miners of West Virginia who (in his words) worked seven days a week, often raised six, eight or ten children in a company camp house without indoor plumbing and only an open fireplace for heat. They grew big gardens and washed clothes on a washboard. These women deserve a fitting memorial.
God Bless You, Father Everett! We all pray, every day, for more and more priests like you.
When Father Briggs passed away, the extraordinary honor being the
Maryknoll priest’s pallbearers fell to John DeMary, Joseph Eates, John Koloskie
Jr., James Tarleton, John Urso and Christopher Wolfe.
Joe Eates,
Class of 1945, lives in Monongah with his wife, Ann DeMary Eates, also Class of
1945, the godparents of my son, John Larry Olesky.
Junior
Koloskie, Class of 1944, widower of Julia Monell
Koloskie, also Class of 1944, is the father of Jerry
Koloskie, Class of 1975, who is deputy athletic
director at the University of Albany in New York.
Father Briggs’ obituary in the Fairmont Times:
The Rev.
Everett Francis Briggs, 98, died at St. Barbara’s Memorial Nursing Home on
Wednesday (Dec. 20, 2006) at 8:20 p.m.
Father
Briggs was born in Fitchburg, Mass., on Jan. 27, 1908, the son of the late
Thomas Everett Briggs and Mary Lillian Hughes Briggs. Father Briggs’ early
education was at St. Patrick’s School in Fitchburg and the Maryknoll Seminary.
He graduated from Holy Cross College in Worchester, Mass., and the Maryknoll
Major Seminary in Maryknoll, N.Y., where he was ordained to the priesthood in
June 1933.
He also
received a master’s degree from Fordham University in New York. After his
ordination, he was assigned to Otsu, Japan, as a Maryknoll Missionary. He
worked in the missionary endeavor until 1941 when he was incarcerated by the
Japanese. Father Briggs was repatriated when American and Japanese nationals
were exchanged in 1943.
Broken in
health, he served in Japanese parishes in California. In December 1956, Father
Briggs came to Monongah to serve as pastor of St. Stanislaus and Our Lady of
Pompeii until 1972.
During this
time, he became fascinated with the history of mining, especially the human
element during and after the Monongah Mine Disaster of 1907. This prompted the
founding of St. Barbara’s Memorial Nursing Home by Father, the Sisters of
Monongah, and local residents in 1961.
His later
endeavor was the Monongah Heroine Statue to honor the women who had to bear the
burden of life after the deaths of their husbands.
Father
Briggs has authored 14 books, seven of them in Japanese. He also is the
recipient of several awards from the American Freedom Foundation, Sons of the
American Revolution, and is a commander of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher.
He was the
last surviving member of his family, having had one brother, the Rev. Arthur
Briggs, also a Maryknoll priest; and sisters, Catherine Rita D’Mello and
Willetta Ann Rall. One nephew, Joseph D’Mello, was killed in the Vietnam
conflict.
Most of all,
Father Briggs was a priest for 73 years who served the Lord every day of his
life. The Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated by Monsignor Frederick P.
Annie, V.E., Episcopal Vicar for Clergy and Religious, with co-celebrants the
Rev. Andrew F. Lukas, the Rev. Larry Wrenn and other clergymen of the
Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, at noon Wednesday at the Holy Spirit Catholic
Church. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until services.
Pallbearers
will be John DeMary, Joseph Eates, John Koloskie Jr., James Tarleton, John Urso
and Christopher Wolfe. Interment will be in St. Bernard’s Cemetery, Fitchburg.
Ross Funeral
Home, 801 Fairmont Ave., Fairmont, is entrusted with the services.
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