Tag Archives: Catholic Church

Martin Maloney and his Daughter Margaret :  Catholic Nobility

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Martin Maloney, a “rags to riches” Irish Catholic immigrant, supported the Roman Catholic Church so lavishly that he was named a Papal Marquis by Leo XIII and a Papal Chamberlain by Pius X. He built not only the beautiful St. Catherine’s in Spring Hill, New Jersey, near his mansion Ballingarry, he financed chapels in South Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania. He built the Maloney Memorial Home for the Aged in Scranton, Pennsylvania and the elaborate Maloney Chemical Laboratory at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C.

After Martin Maloney’s died in 1929. his daughter, Margaret, and her husband, Louis Ritchie, had to deal with his estate that included mortgages on much of downtown Stuart.
This photograph, taken by Arthur Ruhnke, shows some of the property on which Martin Maloney held mortgages, including the Lyric Theatre. Taken the year after a church was moved from Camp Murphy and placed on what was then 4th Street, the “new” St. Joseph Catholic Church can be seen in the middle of this photograph.

Margaret, following in her father’s footsteps, was made a Catholic Marchioness in 1930.

Although I had photographs of Martin Maloney, I could not find a photograph of Margaret Maloney Ritchie. Since I know photographs are needed to draw interest, I kept looking. When I read that 400 people attended Margaret’s wedding at Ballingarry, the family’s palatial estate, I fired off an email to the Spring Lake Historical Society to complain that I could not find a photograph of her.

Nancy Smith, who manages the Spring Lake Historical Society, sent me images on her cell phone of two easily accessible photographs. More digging will be required to find others.

Four hundred guests attended the wedding of Margaret Maloney and Louis Carbery Ritchie at the grand mansion Ballingarry in Spring Lake. New. Jersey.
So for now this is the best photograph we have of Margaret Maloney Ritchie.

Since Martin Maloney was the largest mortgage holder on Stuart property when he died in 1930, Margaret and her husband Louis Carbery Ritchie, as trustees of his estate, had to decide what to do. In addition to the Martin Maloney huge interests, Louis purchased even more property between the St. Lucie River and 4th Street (now East Ocean Boulevard) that went from Florida Avenue to Georgia Avenue. From this, land was given to the Catholic Church for a new St. Joseph Church—really, a hand-me-down church from Camp Murphy, as well as for a rectory overlooking the St. Lucie River.

St Joseph Catholic Church, being moved to Stuart, 1947. The interior of the church was destroyed by fire in 1961 (Elliott Museum Collection)
This served as St. Joseph Church from 1947 until it was damaged by fire in 1961. The Pelican Hotel can be seen in the background.
This photos shows Wilma Glass and Konrad Bobinski leaving the St. Joseph Rectory in 1957, The rectory was built on riverfront land purchased by the Ritchies .

The Ritchies and Margaret’s younger sister, Helen Maloney Osborn and their families enjoyed winters and vacations at Cashel until it was sold in 1952

https://archive.tcpalm.com/yournews/martin-county/historical-vignettes-cashel-martin-maloneys-palatial-estate-ep-382068872-343035652.html

The above link connects to “Cashel, Martin Maloney’s Palatial Estate” a Vignette by Greg and Alice Luckhardt published by Treasure Coast News on September 5, 2012. It includes some of this blog’s information and much more.

February 17, 1992

The outdoor shrine built by Martin Maloney still stands on the grounds of his beautifully preserved mansion, Cashel in Port Sewall.