USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Beautiful Newton the garden city of Massachusetts > Part 9
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Newton Upper Falls has a primacy of parochial establishment over every other Catholic parish in the Garden City of Massachusetts. St. Mary's Church in it was dedicated in Novem- ber, 1867, an event anterior to any, sim- ilar fact or ceremony in the Catholic history of the city. That memorable occasion was illustrious by the then Bishop, but afterwards Archbishop Williams of Boston presiding over the dedicatory services and the Rev. James Healy, soon to be bishop of Portland, preaching the sermon of the day. Many priests also assisted.
But this old church has now been
relegated into comparative insignifi -- cance by the glory of the new one. Ar- chitecturally Mary Immaculate of Lourdes' Church, is a perfect specimen of Romanesque, rennaissance style, with a beautiful Campanile attachedin which are lodged the three large bells used for the service of the Church. Interiorly it is a marvel of beauty, surpassing all other churches in the whole archdio- cese, if not, any parochial church in the country. It is a revelation of perfect harmony of color, form and design, co- ordinating this galaxy of divers parts to the overpowering sense of religious de- votion, expressive of the unity and har-
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mony of the Catholic faith. A relig- ious art gallery it is, to boot, of marbles, woods, paintings, scenes scriptural and historic, and stained glass win- dows,-an edifice of which not only its own worshippers may be proud, but anybody and everybody who love art, the classics and the worship of God. An unquestioned glory it is to this cel- ebrated city.
Another beautiful church, with brick foundation stands also, in Needham, a further testimonial to Rev. Father Danahy's zeal in behalf of his parish. The Cemetery,-a legacy from Rev. Father Dolan's administration,-has been beautified by him and made a charming repository for the dead.
This clergyman came to New- ton in 1890. St. Mary's parish had out- grown the limitations of one pastor's care, so it was divided into three par- ishes towards the close of that year, after the demise of the pastor, the Rev. M. O'Brien. This gentleman had ruled wisely and well during his incumbency of five years and added measurably to the temporalities of the parish. His predecessor, Father Dolan, had been a reverend gentlemen, who held sway for some fifteen years; one who had undertaken many things; and, of all. had made complete success. St. John's Church in Wellesley Hills was built by this indefatigable laborer in the vine- yard of the Lord. St. Mary's Church, enlarged and renovated, rectory added to, 35 acres of land purchased for ceme- tery purposes, house and land bought as an appenage to the temporalities of the parish, constitute the main features of the Rev. Father Dolan's material work in the parish; blessed, too, as it had been by the vast amount of spiritual good, that an apostolic man alone can do, assisted, as he was, so ably, by the Rev. Father Begley. Father Begley was subsequently professor and treasu- rer of St. John's Seminary, Brighton,
and afterwards died, pastor of the East Weymouth church.
Rev. Father Dolan's great work branched out into herculean labors at Newton. Thither he was trans- ferred in 1885, on the death of Rev. Father Green, who had built the church there, called Our Lady, Help of Chris- tians. This he has splendidly improved, outside and in, gleaming in its interior with magnificent marble altars, con- forming its decorations in kinship to these masterpieces; and in its exterior enlarging it by additions and im- provements, until it is now a church reflecting truly a distinctive Gothic style. A large parochial school and rectory ; both in brick as well as a beau- tiful convent of the same material, pro- claim his ceaseless activity and undying spirit of sacrifice. The evening of his holy life is now spent in preparing for his triumphant call into eternity. Since this was written he entered into his eter- nal rest July 26th, 1915.
A gifted, versatile, pious gentleman is Rev. Father Kelly, upon whose shoul- ders, now lies the burden of responsibil- ity, as administrator, who with his Rev. colleague, Father Malone, rules the parish with the prudence and zcal of his saintly veteran. Before him the Rev. Father Jas. F. Gilfether, now pastor at West Lynn, was, for long, a valiant coadjutor to the venerable pas- tor of Newton.
1878 saw this parish cut off as a sepa- rate one from Watertown, to which it had been, up to that time, a dependency, or mission, under the care of a Rev. Father McCarthy.
West Newton became a parish in May, 1875. Its pastor, Father M. Mc- Manus, now of the large and beautiful parish of St. Mary's of Brookline, was transferred to South Lawrence to fill an emergency call. Needless to say, there as well as at West Newton and
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MARY IMMACULATE OF LOURDES' CHURCH, NEWTON UPPER FALLS.
Brookline, his work made him a man of distinction. He was succeeded by Rev. Christopher McGrath, who labored in this field but a short time. This gentle- man's brief career was snapped short by death, affording little opportunity to display his talents and zeal. The Rev. Father O'Toole came after him. The church, St. Bernard's, was burnt down and by his exhaustless labor quickly rebuilt it and made it more com- modious than ever. His most po- tent co-laborers were the Rev. Chas. Galligan, now pastor of St. Margaret's Church, Lowell, and Father Cronin, who established the great work of the
Catholic Club, which has made itself felt under his able direction and ramify its influence throughout the young Catholic people of the city.
The Rev. Father Keleher, in 1911, after the death of Father O'Toole, was sent by the Cardinal to replace him. In his short pastorate he has recreated that church and made St. Bernard's, hence- forward, renowned for its beauty. He has shown great ability, auguring well for the social, spiritual and temporal glory of that parish.
Now, then, to resume the narrative, when we debouched to the two parishes,
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not immediately connected with old St. Mary's.
Another cut-off from this in the nine- ties, 1890, was what is called the Sacred Heart parish, Newton Centre. The late Father Wholey was the founder of this parish. A very beautiful church he erected, and made his influence so felt, that on his transfer to one of Bos- ton's large parishes, as a permanent rec- tor, a most unusual honor was paid him by the non-Catholic, social circles of Newton Centre.
The elite of that part of the City gave a splendid tribute to his urbanity, his facetious spirit, his learning and his zeal by a reception and farewell parting at Bray Hall. Last December the Lord, being pleased with his work, called him to his reward. Bereaved of their gracious pastor by the promotion to Boston, the people of the parish were at their wit's ends by prayer and solici- tude, that he may be followed by a man of like calibre and distinction. The Rev. Father D. C. Riordan came and was re- ceived with the caid mille faltha, peculiar to the Irish and their descen-
dants. His ability is enriched with recognized learning. This appeared in concrete form in the unique and beauti- ful rectory with which he has adorned his grounds, after a distinctive style of Spanish architecture.
A connecting link between him and the lamented Father Wholey is Rev. Father Haney. He is ubiquitous, in- tensely zealous and every where a living promoter of good.
The third part of St. Mary's parish went to the Rev. Father Callanan, the same year. That embraces Wellesley and a small section of Newton, or all of Lower Falls. The title of the parish is Wellesley Hills; and so is, improper- ly, called that of Newton Lower Falls.
This gentleman built a charming parochial house, rejuvenated the church, at much expense, and surrounded his
abode and church with every evidence of refined taste and horticultural skill.
The Rev. Doctor Knappe, coming from old St. Stephen's pastorate of the North End, Boston, on Father Calla- nan's removal to the charge of the large and flourishing parish of St. Peter's, Cambridge, fell into the succession. Rare ability, canonical learning with distinguished capacity for business, combined with grace of manner, make his characteristics a most valuable asset for his parish as well as a notable ac- quisition to that beautiful town. Co- operating with him is a former member of the Boston legal profession, whose charm of priestly manner and luminous piety attract all hearts; and make vir- tue, not self, nor power, nor worldli- ness, the paramount effort of every member of the flock.
Development of this historic tale has made us, unintentionally, overlook the efforts of some clergymen closely con- nected with the growth of Catholicity in this city. The Rev. Father Joseph Robichaud has the rectorship of the French population, that his Eminence, Cardinal O'Connell, has so recently made a parish. With such vigor and fi- delity has he prosecuted his work that, it is said, he has already accomplished "wonders."
Father C. Reardon, at the Falls in his twelve years of labor in that parish, left an unforgetable reputation for pie- ty, sincere charity and consuming zeal. First Rockport and now East Wey- mouth is the seat of his parochial activi- ties. The Rev. Father Allchin, a potent factor in the household of Rev. Bishop Anderson, spent three active years laboring in the same parish. He, in turn, was followed by Rev. Father Denis Donovan, who, for more than double the same length of time, is "never weary of doing good"; and, in every way, promoting Christ's doctrine and spirit under the pastor's methods of do-
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ing that good. Lately, he has been re- ligion among our citizens and compa- enforced by one, who though quiet in his triots. ways, is deeply entrenched in all the virtues characteristic of the Catholic priesthood, working steadfastly for the betterment of the parish, the Rev. Father Eugene Maguire.
In this parish, at Newton Highlands, a fine Industrial School was erected some twenty years ago, and as an insti- tution for poor boys, has achieved fame and done a power of good.
At the extreme northeast part of the city, trenching on Commonwealth Ave- nue, Chestnut Hill, has arisen a superb edifice dedicated to learning and the fine arts. In style it is English Gothic. Its stately tower commands magnificent views of all the surrounding country. Beside it is looming up a supplementary building, one of many to follow in due process of time, and fill its enviable site with the palpable, exterior, evidences of fame and learning and the splendid in- fluences these temples of learning will exercise, broadcast, throughout New England. Under the distinguished and famously historic divines of the So- ciety of Jesus this large plant will flour- ish and bring greater renown to the gar- den city of Massachusetts. These rev- erend gentlemen are commonly known as "Jesuits"; and this foundation an ex- tension of Boston College.
On Manet Road, close by, the Sisters of St. Francis have established a com- munity embracing several ladies conse- crated to the Lord, working faithfully to advance youth of either sex educa- tionally in all that concerns right living and the refinements of life.
This historic glance of Catholicity in Newton by no means gives a faithful, detailed, graphic record of our subject; but it has seized its salient points and brings before the non-Catholic as well as the Catholic, a more comprehensive view of the progress of this form of re-
Of the inception of Catholicity in these originally separated villages, now merged into such a beautiful city, no allusion has been made. The charity and freedom from bigotry of the cele- brated missionary, Eliot, sheltered with warmest, apostolic hospitality for two weeks a French priest in the bosom of his own family.
Sporadic appearances of members of his faith graced the annals of these townships, down to the incoming of Reverend Father Strain, afterwards Monsignor, and the first of such title in the Archdiocese, who died in February, 1893, pastor of the largest parish in Lynn.
This was in 1846; which was the first divine service of that nature in Newton. That was held in Mr. Cahill's house, whose descendants, as did his progeni- tor, live in the Upper Falls.
By the Rev. Father Flood of Wal- tham and by Rev. Father McCarthy of Watertown, religion was nourished, until the epoch mentioned herein at the beginning of this article, and brought down to date.
Catholicity has added, in these later years, splendid testimonies of the activ- ity of its members' faith by the estab- lishment of such beautiful churches within the pale of the City of Newton. Before another decade it will radiate out into other arms of ministration and edu- cation, both from its own innate powers of growth and from the distinguished direction of the illustrious Cardinal of Boston, William H. O'Connell, under whose guidance and sanction the rev- erend clergy labor and the people lovingly co-operate to carry on to sta- bility and perfection the initiatives of these, self-sacrificing, reverend, gentle- men, who have only in view the good of their respective flocks, that of the state and of our beloved country.
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NEWTONVILLE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
NEWTONVILLE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at formed numbering fifty-two, Mr. F. G. Newtonville was established in the carly Smith, Superintendent. spring of 1860, when certain persons At first the church services were held in the Dexter Piano Rooms in the old Leavitt Block at the Walnut Street crossing. They rapidly outgrew these accommodations and moved across the square to Tremont Hall. having a strong desire for a church of their own faith met at the home of Rev. G. W. Mansfield, and formally organ- ized the society, with Mr. Mansfield as the first pastor.
For some time previous, the Metho- dists in this vicinity had held class meetings with the church at Watertown, but a craving for a church home of their own, near enough to enable them to train their children in their own doc- trines, led to the establishment of a church in Newtonville.
The carly records mention the follow- ing among those present: Dustin Lan- cey, Amasa Dexter, Marcus Heywood, Avery Ellis, Ezra Wing, George Den- ton, F. G. Smith, and George Maynard.
The first list of church members num- bered nineteen. A Sunday School was
In 1861 the society moved to the chapel on Washington Street, after- ward occupied by the Congregational- ists. On March 11th it was dedicated and a new organ costing $450 was pur- chased.
The blessing of God was upon the church and the congregations grew so large that it was thought best to move into the Brick Church, the present home of the society. In 1863 they purchased the property for $6,000.
The Brick Church was originally built by the Baptists, but the panic of 1857 compelled them to leave it unfin-
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ished. The Unitarians in 1860 pur- try and class rooms for the prayer and chased the unfinished structure and wor- class meetings. shipped in the auditorium after com- In 1868 the work of completing the tower was begun, and a bell purchased and hung therein. The tower added greatly to the finished appearance of the church, but in 1896 it was rebuilt and many improvements made. pleting it; but they in turn, wished to dispose of it and, as the Methodists were looking for larger accommoda- tions than were afforded by the chapel, they came into possession of their pres- ent home.
At that time a fence with gates ex- tended from the church to Walnut Street, enclosing the churchyard, in which were many evergreen trees.
The entrance was on the side, and in order to pass from the auditorium to the vestry it was necessary to come out- side.
The first improvement made in the new church was the finishing of the ves-
Extensive alterations the same year changed the church into its present ap- pearance. The interior was newly fres- coed, a gallery built in the rear, beauti- ful stained glass windows, in memory of those early workers in the service, were placed on the walls, and the steeple on the tower removed.
The present minister, Rev. James W. Campbell, was installed in 1908.
NEWTON CENTRE UNITARIAN SOCIETY.
Unitarian services were first held at Newton Centre on November 11, 1877, and in April of the next year the parish
was regularly organized. The society used Whites Hall as a place of meeting until 1880, at which time it was pros-
ICHTECH NEWTON DENTRE, MASS.
UNITARIAN CHURCH, NEWTON CENTRE.
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perous enough to build a church of its own. This building has since been en- larged and greatly improved, making it suitable for the increased activities of the parish life.
The first minister was the Rev. Ru- fus P. Stebbins, D.D. His successors were Rev. Messrs. Horace L. Wheeler, Alexander T. Bowser, Benjamin F. McDaniel, Morgan Millar, Charles W. Wendte, and Alfred H. Brown. In 1909 the present minister, Rev. Alson H. Robinson, was called to occupy the pulpit which had become vacant. The past six years have witnessed a substan- tial growth in all of the activities and the general life of the church. The membership has been greatly increased; and the services of worship much en- riched and beautified by the installa-
tion of a new organ and the mainten- ance of music of a very high order. Per- haps the most notable contribution which this church can be said to have made to the life of the community dur- ing the past two years is the conduct of a series of Open Forum meetings in which a free platform has been pro- vided for the discussion of all sorts of public questions. That these meetings have filled an existing demand in the community is attested by the fact that they have been supported by the lead- ing men and women of all the churches. It is proposed gradually to extend and develop these meetings until they be- come free from any sectarian associa- tion, supported purely by public senti- ment and co-operation.
CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, CHESTNUT HILL.
This parish was organized at a meet- ing of the St. Andrews Guild, Chestnut Hill Chapter, held on the evening of September 23rd, 1890. The Warrant and Return was read by Col. I. F. Kingsbury, Justice of the Peace. After organization had been perfected accord- ing to statute and Col. Kingsbury had been elected Moderator, the following officers were elected :
Wardens, A. D. S. Bell, Robert H. Gardiner.
Vestrymen, John Lowell Jr., Chas. O. Stearns, C. S. Miller.
Treasurer, R. H. Gardiner.
Clerk, John Lowell Jr.
It was voted to authorize the pur- chase of land on Hammond Street for the erection of a Rectory and to ask the Rev. Henry S. Nash of the Cam- bridge Theological School to become Rector. In the spring of 1892 the first church building, the gift of Mrs. Au-
gustus Lowell, was dedicated. In Feb- ruary, 1903, the Rev. Dr. Nash was succeeded as rector by Rev. David Clai- borne Garrett. In October, 1906, Mr. Garrett was succeeded by the Rev. Harry W. Perkins of Burlington, Iowa. Rev. Lucian W. Rogers of St. George's Church, Central Falls, Rhode Island, became rector in May, 1911 and is the present incumbent. In May, 1907, the Senior Warden conveyed to the parish a lot of land adjoining the par- ish property with the proviso that a fund of $20,000 be raised within 20 years for the purpose of erecting a stone church edifice. In June, 1913, the parish voted to proceed with the erec- tion of a new stone church from plans by Henry Vaughan, Esq. The new church building was dedicated on Eas- ter morning, 1915, and five weeks sub- sequently was consecrated by the Bishop of Massachusetts.
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The officers of the parish for the year 1915 are as follows:
Senior Warden, Wm. Blodget; Ju- nior Warden, Wm. H. Aspinwall,
Treasurer, Wm. R. Cordingley ; Clerk, Edwin Ford; Vestrymen, A. Winsor Weld, Charles H. Kip, Andrew Adie, Louis B. Harding, Henry W. Bliss, Lincoln F. Brigham.
SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, WEST NEWTON.
When the early settlers of New Town public worship in 1654, built a meeting (or Cambridge, as it is now called,) pe- house six years later, and organized the First Church of Christ in Newton in 1664 (now the First Congregational Church, in Newton Center) . titioned for more land, the General Court gave them, among other tracts, nearly all of what is now Newton. After some years this large township was di- vided, the part in which the college stands was called Cambridge, and the name New Town was transferred to our present city. It remained "New Town" till a town clerk began to write the name as one word with a "w" omitted, and it has been Newton ever since.
Needing a church nearer than Cam- bridge, those early settlers, numbering only forty-three freemen, established
After one hundred and seventeen years, the residents in this part of the town, now called West Newton, thought the First Church too distant; and so in 1764, though still belonging to the First Church and taxed for its sup- port, they bought of the inn-keeper eight rods of land, where this church now stands, for about $12.00, and built a very plain two-story meeting-house, thirty by forty feet in size, without bel-
CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER, CHESTNUT HILL.
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SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, WEST NEWTON.
fry or porch, unpainted within and with- out, but with an abundance of windows in both stories, and furnished with a high pulpit and rude benches; and it stood with its side, in which was the main entrance, towards the street, on the ground between the present church and the City Hall.
Here for fourteen years without or- ganizing a church, the people gathered for worship, the school teacher (who was usually a theological student ) being engaged to preach or read a sermon on Sunday, while they persistently and an- nually, but vainly, petitioned the stub- bornly-resisting mother church for a
share of the town tax to support public worship, and finally appealed to the Legislature, which, in 1778, divided the town into an East and West parish by a line which ran from Watertown to a point a little west of Echo Bridge.
The new parish, therefore, included Nonantum, most of Newtonville, West Newton, Auburndale, Lower Falls, Waban, and all that portion of Wal- tham south of the Charles River- nearly half of the township, but con- taining only one-third of the popula- tion. For there were but fourteen houses along this highway from New- tonville to Lower Falls; only one house
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was between Newtonville and West Newton; only four houses were in West Newton, where one writer affirms "there were but fifteen houses in a re- gion two miles squarc." A tavern stood near the corner of Elm Street, behind the elm tree that fourteen years before this church was organized the landlord brought home on his shoulder and set out to please his wife. South and east were the wooded hills and rocky pas- tures. North and west were the tilled farms reaching to the river, and up the road a little distance was the school- house.
On October 21, 1781, the very day after Cornwallis surrendered, and be- fore the news could have reached Bos- ton, the people of this parish gathered one Thursday on this very plot of ground. One can picture them coming from several directions under the Oc- tober colors and sunshine, with tanned faces and hard hands, clad in homespun, riding on horseback, men with women behind them, the young people walking, the land sloping more rapidly than now to the babbling Cheesecake brook, the horses tied to the nearest trees, the wooded hills, the open fields, the crooked and ill-made road. Probably all came who could, for to organize a church in the new parish was an event of univer- sal interest. And when they had as- sembled in the now seventeen-years-old meeting house and listened to a sermon from the pastor of the church at Brook- line, thirteen men, including the pastor- elect, Mr. Greenough, who had preached for six months, stepped forward as their names were called. Some of them lived in what is now Waltham, and along the Charles River towards Nonantum, one near the Pine farm, one in Waban, onc north of Auburndale and four on the Lower Falls road. Six of them had probably served somewhat in the war; two, and perhaps thrce of them were over seventy years old; four were about
fifty; and five, thirty or under. And standing there they assented to no creed, but covenanted together to form a church of Christ, and devoting them- selves to the service of God, they agreed to walk in brotherly fellowship as a church, and signed their names to the covenant.
Two weeks from the following Mon- day the young pastor (aged 25) was ordained and installed; a week later thirteen women were added; and so the church was formed with twenty-six members, all save two from the First Church, which for seventeen years had fought the existence of a second church, and for twenty years longer continued to dispute with it about the ministerial wood lot, but sent it as part of the com- munion furnishings a pewter dish and four pewter flagons.
Its first pastor, and its pastor for 50 years, was Rev. William Greenough, valedictorian of his class at Yale, and later a student at Harvard, from which he received the degree of M.A .- a tall and genial gentleman of some wealth and great good sense, who dressed in knee breeches and wore silver-buckled shoes and a cocked hat long after that costume was generally abandoned, but who was greatly beloved, and wielded a wide influence, both within his parish and beyond it. His hospitable homc was behind the abundant lilac bushes and tall elms still seen on the west side of Washington Street, beyond Auburn Street, where was his farm. For many years his salary was about $266, paid in rye at four shillings, or corn at three shillings a bushel, or pork at three pence and two farthings, or becf at two pence and two farthings a pound, to- gether with fifteen cords of wood, and it never was very much more. Indeed, he is said to have given more to the church financially than it ever paid him.
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