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In July, 1912 Father Welch received the appointment to take charge of the important parish of St. Joseph, Portage, which had been for some time temporarily attended by Rev. Fr. John C. Dumphy, then a young priest, who was appointed rector of the mother parish of St. Bartholomew, Wilmore, a position which he still holds, much to the spiritual and temporal welfare of the parish.
At St. Joseph's, Father Welch found a frame church, built by the late Father Thomas Ryan, while pastor of St. Bartholomew's, Wilmore, who also attended the Portage congregation, about the year 1908, and a brick rectory built by Father James B. Egan, who succeeded Father Ryan when the latter received the appointment of pastor of St. Brigid's, Lilly, where he died in 1910.
The parish of St. Joseph, having increased in numbers very rapidly, and the activities of a priest being required for this parish alone, Father Egan vacated his pastorate at St. Bartholomew's and removed to Portage in 1909 and was succeeded at St. Bartholomew's by Rev. Fr. Francis McKenna.
Father Egan having received the appointment of irremovable rector of St. Mark's parish, Altoona, was succeeded for a time by Father Farrell, and in July, 1912, as already stated, Father Welch's rectorate commenced.
Father Egan, during his pastorate at Portage, had purchased a plot of ground adjoining the rectory whereon to build a parochial school building, and upon this ground Father Welch has had erected a brick school house, the most up-to-date building for the purpose for which it is designed the writer has ever seen, with regard to the admission of light, ventilation, sanitation and all the requirements of a modern school building. Eight grades of pupils are being taught in this building by Sisters of Mercy, and it is Father Welch's intention to establish a high school and a commercial course next year in rooms which are almost ready for that purpose.
This building was erected by the direct contribution of the people of the parish without any resort to the expedients of socials, euchres, fairs or bazaars to furnish funds for that purpose.
Recently, as may have been noticed in the daily newspapers and in The Portage Dispatch, Father Welch has had
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