USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume V > Part 13
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St. Mary's parish was the first organized parish south of Boston and today is known as Old St. Mary's of the South Shore. About 1845 St. Mary's was made a mission to the newly created parish of St. John's and continued as a part of St. John's until 1900, when it was again made a separate parish. The parish is a large one, and the church, which seats about twelve hundred in the upper church and the same number in the basement, was completed on Christmas Day, 1917, on which day the first Mass was said there. Both the upper and lower churches are beautifully finished and furnished, the pews of the lower being of oak and those of the upper church being of mission to harmonize with the rest of the furnishings there. The choir loft, which seats about one hundred, is furnished with a beautiful toned organ, and all the ap- pointments of the interior are of the finest work- manship. There are three altars in each of the upper and lower churches, those of the upper church being of marble and very beautiful, while the ones in the lower are also of artistic design and of the finest of workmanship. There
is a well organized Sunday School of six hun- dred pupils, and the usual church sodalities and societies are in prosperous condition. A vig- orous St. Vincent de Paul Society takes care of all charitable work in the parish, and in all the numerous activities of St. Mary's the leader- ship of Father O'Connor and his two assistants is bringing splendid results. Since the coming of Father O'Connor in 1918 the membership of the parish has greatly increased, and with the increase of membership has come a marked increase of the property holdings of the parish, several separate pieces, including St. Mary's Temperance Hall, having been purchased.
In addition to the usual church and parish work, Father O'Connor also has charge of the two Catholic cemeteries which are located near the church and which contain more than two thousand lots. Twenty-five thousand people have been laid to rest here and the yearly in- crease of the numbers buried here is large. Father O'Connor gives much attention to the laying out of lots, the grading and beautifying of the cemeteries and the general upkeep of their acreage, and these two burial grounds are rightly regarded as being among the most beautiful in the vicinity of Boston. He is about to begin the erection of a parochial school of eight rooms, that will accommodate four hundred pupils, to be built with all the latest improvements, which he expects will be com- pleted September 1, 1930.
A decade of earnest work has greatly en- deared Father O'Connor to his many parish- ioners, and he has won in a full degree their cooperation and interest. As time passes the ties of earlier years are strengthened by new labors undertaken together, the result repre- senting progress, prosperity and successful achievement.
REV. TIMOTHY A. CURTIN-For nearly forty years the Church of the Sacred Heart in Newton Center, Massachusetts, has been a
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source of pride to the community. Since 1917, Rev. Timothy A. Curtin has been the pastor of this church.
The parish was founded during the latter part of 1890, its territory being set apart from St. Mary's at Lynn, and from the parish of Our Lady's Church at Newton. Land had been purchased at Newton Center, and Rev. Denis J. Wholey came as the first resident pastor. Father Wholey was a native of Law- rence, Massachusetts. He received his edu- cation in Baltimore and in Montreal, and had served for thirteen years as curate of St. Joseph's Church in Boston before coming to Newton Center. Services were held in Asso- ciates Hall, on Center Street, formerly known as the old Baptist Church Associates, where the first Mass was celebrated on December 7, 1890. Father Wholey promptly began the task of erecting a suitable church building, and on Christmas Day, 1890, ground was broken for a new church. The lower church was completed August 5, 1891. The pews of the lower church are of oak, and light is admitted through four- teen stained glass windows on each side, also two in the rear of the altar, making thirty in all. At the end of the center aisle is a large altar, and on the right and left are two smaller altars. Here the congregation wor- shipped until 1897, when the upper church was completed on April 25 of that year, and dedicated by Right Rev. John' J. Williams. The building, which is of Romanesque style, is beau- tiful in design and artistic in its appointments. It is built of brick, with trimmings of pink granite, and provides seating for about 1,000 people. It is among the most beautiful of the churches of the Boston Diocese. Entering the front door, one is immediately impressed with the beauty of the entire interior.
The ceiling which is some sixty feet above the floor is supported by sixteen beautiful pol- ished arches of Italian marble, and which form eight arches through which the right and left aisles extend. At the top of these arches, directly under the ceiling, are eight beautiful stained glass windows, representative of events and men of the early Christian era, and under these, in
the body of the church, are fourteen beautiful memorial windows typifying the principal events of the life of the Saviour. They were given by various members of the church as memorials for deceased relatives, among them being a memorial to Rev. Denis J. Wholey, who was the first resident pastor of the church. The pews are of oak and the choir loft, which will seat about one hundred and fifty, is supplied with a magnificent Woodworth organ. At the end of the church centre aisle is a hand-carved oak rail with two solid brass gates through which entrance is made to the altar, which is of the most unique and original design to be found. It is of white marble, beautifully hand carved, by sculptors of great skill, the light being admitted through five beautiful stained glass windows. On the right and left are two smaller altars, each of equally exquisite work- manship.
The ceiling of the church is also of unique and original design, the centre being in the form of seven squares, beautifully carved. Around the walls of the church are fourteen plaques portraying the stations of the cross. When necessary, the church can be lighted by some two hundred lights, forty of which are located in the ceiling, the remainder on the posts and the two side aisles. Thus by design and execution the entire interior gives an im- pression of reverence and devotion. A rectory was begun September 26, 1897, and completed in July, 1898, but the present rectory was built by Father David C. Reardon in 1912.
Rev. Timothy A. Curtin, the present pastor, was born in West Lynn, Massachusetts, April 30, 1870, and as a boy attended the parochial schools of his birthplace. When his elementary and preparatory work was completed he en- tered Boston College, and after graduation from that institution of learning he began his theo- logical training at St. John's Seminary, Brigh- ton, Massachusetts. Here he completed his course with graduation and was ordained a priest in 1896. He was then appointed to St. Mary's Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, as an assistant, remaining there until 1915, when he was ordained a pastor and placed in charge
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of the church at Middleboro, Massachusetts. Two years later, in 1917, he came to the Church of the Sacred Heart in Newton Center. Since that time he has labored faithfully and effective- ly for the advancement of the interests of the parish. The parish numbers about twenty-six hundred souls, and is steadily increasing its enrollment. Among other improvements, Father Curtin has to his credit a monument of lasting significance in the splendid school building of brick, trimmed with light sandstone, two stories high, which was dedicated in 1922. It is located in the rear of the parsonage, fronting on Cres- cent Avenue, and provides accommodations of the best for about five hundred and fifty pupils who are in the care of ten Sisters of St. Joseph, who reside in the splendid building erected by Father Curtin in 1922. There is also an Assem- bly Hall which provides seating for about four hundred and fifty. The work of the parish re- quires, in addition to Father Curtin, the as- sistance of two priests, Father Ambrose B. Walker, and Father Jeremiah L. Driscoll.
Since coming to the parish in 1917, Father Curtin has greatly developed the spiritual life of the church, has stimulated the activities of its various societies and sodalities, and has endeared himself to his parishioners. The en- graving of the interior of the church will un- doubtedly be a source of great pleasure to the members of the congregation.
REV. CASIMIR J. URBAN-For the past nine years the Rev. Casimir J. Urban has been pastor of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, which is located at No. 75 North Fifth Street in South Boston, and which is Lithuanian in its membership. St. Peter's is the only Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church in this section of the city and is a center of religious and social ac- tivity for the many people of this nationality living here. The parish is more than a quarter
of a century old, and the church was completed in 1902 but services were begun some time before that.
Rev. Casimir J. Urban was born in Lithuania, January 1, 1874, and after receiving a careful education in the parochial schools of his native district began training in a theological seminary in his native land, from which he was gradu- ated and ordained a priest in 1897, at the age of twenty-three years. He then served in vari- ous churches in Lithuania for a period of seven years. In 1905 he left the land of his birth and his friends and associates there and came to this country, where he was assigned to St. Michael's Church at Shamokin, Pennsylvania. After five years of service there he was ap- pointed pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Lowell, Massachusetts, and three years later he was again transferred, this time being assigned to St. Rocco Church in Brockton, Massachusetts. On January 24, 1919, after a pastorate of six years in Brockton, he came to St. Peter's Lithu- anian Church in South Boston, and here he has sinçe been devoting his best energy and his splendid ability to the work of the parish and the service of the church.
St. Peter's Parish was organized in 1902, about twenty-six years ago. As the years passed the little struggling parish waxed large and strong and a succession of able pastors carried forward the work of building and of spiritual develop- ment. In 1916 the rectory was built, and since that time the church has been greatly improved. As frequently happens, a disaster paved the way for the improvement of the interior when, in 1923, the interior of the church was practi- cally destroyed by fire. Father Urban, who had come to the parish as pastor in January, 1919, then had the interior very beautifully redecora- ted, and in many ways made more attractive and convenient, and since that time he has continued to improve the church buildings in every pos- sible way, as well as to inspire the people with the highest ideals of service and right living. The church has a seating capacity of one thou- sand, and the parish includes about five thou- sand souls in its membership.
The personality of Father Urban, as well as
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his education and talent, combined with his deep devotion and spiritual influence, have com- bined to make him a powerful influence for good in the parish and community. His linguis- tic ability greatly enlarges his sphere of useful- ness, also his popularity among his people, as he speaks Polish, Italian, French, German, and English. A gentleman of charming manners and attractive personality, he has won the hearts of his people, among whom he is doing a won- derful work. The church has the following benefit societies in which Father Urban acts in official capacity: SS. Peter and Paul's, St. John's Evangelist, St. Casimir's, Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Daughters of
Lithuania, Apostolic Prayership, Young Ladies' Sodality, Children's Sodality, Knights of Lithuania, and Holy Rosary Society.
He is assisted by one curate, Rev. Francis W. Strokoskas, who has been associated with this church since 1924. He was born in Boston and educated here in the public schools, then in Boston College for three years. He was or- dained a priest at St. John's Seminary, May, 1924, and assigned to this church.
REV. PAUL L. DESPOUY, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church at East Boston, was born in Paris, France, July 22, 1876, and received a thorough education in the parochial schools of the Christian Brothers. Having chosen to dedicate his life to the service of the church, he went to Portugal, where he entered Oporto Seminary. There he completed his course with graduation and was ordained in 1903. Some months later he received his first appointment. For eight months he served as a curate, and then came a call from across the seas. Archbishop Williams wished him to come to this country and serve in the Archdio- cese of Boston. This was an opportunity for
the young man, and when he arrived he was sent to St. Anthony's Church in Lowell, as curate. In this connection he found opportunity he had come, to make the acquaintance of his new countrymen, and to gain experience. After eleven months' service as curate he was ap- pointed pastor of the Church of SS. Peter and Paul, at Lawrence, Massachusetts. There he found plenty of opportunity to make use of his to learn the customs of the New World to which constructive and administrative ability. He at once began work with all the courage, energy, and enthusiasm of youth and ability. In nine years he had built the church and the rectory, and had organized and strengthened all the various societies and sodalities, inspiring his people with the faith and love which "removes mountains.'
It was natural that success in this first im- portant charge should bring new responsibilities, and on February 14, 1912, he came to his present charge as pastor of the Church of St. John the Baptist at East Boston, and here again he found a great task awaiting him.
From early times Portuguese folk, chiefly natives of the Azores, had come to New Eng- land as sailors and fishermen, settling in the seaport towns. They became numerous in Providence, New Bedford, Provincetown, Fall River, and at Nantucket, Hull, and Cohasset. Wherever maritime skill is in demand, there families of this race will be found. In Boston and in Cambridge, however, the Portuguese, by 1900, were not confined to the sea-faring life but followed a wide range of occupations, and some were well-to-do merchants. Practically all Portuguese are Catholics. Portuguese im- migration to this country began early and much of it came to Boston. In 1873 those living in Boston made every effort to obtain recognition in religious affairs. Being located among the other seamen and foreigners at the North End, they usually worshipped at St. Stephen's. Their church was established in 1873 on North Ben- nett Street, in an old Baptist meeting-house. The first Portuguese pastor, Rev. John Ignatius, re- mained from 1872 to 1878, and he was succeeded by a Welsh priest, Rev. Henry B. M. Hughes,
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who was a remarkable linguist, speaking Portu- guese like a native. Partial blindness caused him to resign in 1886, and the next pastor, Rev. Joseph Theodore de Serpa, died in 1892, and was succeeded by his young assistant, Rev. Antonio J. Pimentel, who was still pastor in 1899. The church at this time was a modest structure, with profusely decorated altars, and certain customs which appear to be peculiar to the Portuguese, such as the gowning in red, during vespers, of certain men in the congrega- tion who hold lighted candles in their hands, were observed.
On February 14, 1912, Rev. Paul L. Despouy came to the parish of St. John the Baptist. The congregation were then worshipping in Steven- son Hall, East Boston, and Father Despouy immediately began preparing for the building of a suitable church edifice. So successfully did he go about the work that on Christmas Day, 1913, services were held in the lower church. With unflagging zeal Father Despouy kept at the task of raising money for the completion of the building, and on June 3, 1926, a little more than fourteen years after his arrival as pastor, the present building was completed and dedi- cated. In richness, for its size, the Church of St. John the Baptist is unsurpassed by any in Boston. Its floors are of maple, its pews of solid oak, and the altars, of choicest Perugian marble, designed and made in Italy, are the result of years of work by the best artistic skill that could be found in that country of artists.
The various organizations, sodalities and so- cieties of the parish are in vigorous condition and include a Holy Name Society, the Children of Mary, the Ladies of St. Anne, and numerous others, in all of which Father Despouy takes an active interest.
As a devoted pastor, a vigorous administrator, and a successful builder and developer, Father Despouy is much revered, and on June 2, 1926, in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, his parishioners, comprising Portuguese and Acadians, residents of northern Greater Boston communities, ten- dered him a banquet, which was held in Merid- ian Hall, East Boston.
REV. LODOVICO TOMA came to this country after the completion of his education in Italy, and was made assistant of the Church of the Sacred Heart at North Square, Boston. Four years of successful work there prepared him for the important work of building up a younger parish, and in 1911 he took charge of St. Lazarus' Church, at Orient Heights, East Boston, Massachusetts. Here he has remained to the time of writing (1928), and he is still con- tinuing the work of development. When he took charge here the small wooden building used as a place of worship seated less than three hun- dred people. Since then Father Toma has built a new church, which seats more than a thousand people, and has strengthened every department of the parish.
Rev. Lodovico Toma, pastor of St. Lazarus' Church of Orient Heights, Massachusetts, was born in Pioccenza, Italy, where he was edu- cated and ordained. He came to this country in 1907 and was at once assigned to the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at North Square, Bos- ton, where he was brought very closely in touch with the needs of Italians in this city. There for four years he worked faithfully, making his ability and influence felt in all of the many avenues of service which were the province of that church during that period. In 1911 he was entrusted with the important work of de- veloping from a small beginning a church of influence and power. He was made pastor of St. Lazarus' Church, at Orient Heights, East Boston, Massachusetts. Here he found a small wooden building in which not over three hundred people could be comfortably seated, and he at once began to plan for the enlargement and improvement of this place of worship. He made extensive repairs, redec- orated the building, and devoted his energies to the task of strengthening the spiritual life of the parish, while adding to its material resources. The congregation grew rapidly, and in less than ten years the old building, with all its repairs and additions, was no onger ade- quate to the needs of the rapidly growing work of the parish. The necessity for a new church building had long been apparent and land had
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been purchased in anticipation of this need. Ground was broken in 1922, and on Armistice Day of that year the cornerstone of the pres- ent church edifice was laid, with appropriate ceremonies. The church building, which was completed in 1923, is a beautiful structure of brick, with outside walls of pressed brick, built in the Romanesque style. The body of the church seats eight hundred, and in the gallery provision is made for the seating of two hun- dred. Three altars, imported from Rome, grace the Sanctuary, and a magnificent organ, built and installed by the Estey Organ Com- pany, adds the beauty and solemnity of ma- jestic harmonies to the church services. Twelve exquisitely beautiful stained glass windows, dedicated to the twelve apostles, sift and mellow the light as it enters the sacred edifice, and the artistic skill and taste of those who su- pervised the work saw to it that all the details of the interior furnishings were in harmony with each other and with the spirit of reverent worship. Within the Sanctuary, the floors are of oak and elsewhere of hard pine. By the time the new church building was completed the congregation had grown to about thirty- five hundred and the parishioners desired to have a school of their own. Success in the work of raising the money for the building and equipment of the church had brought the members and the leaders in the work into close and well organized relations, and had in- spired the people with enthusiasm for still greater achievement. The money was readily subscribed, the building was planned and com- pleted, and in September, 1927, the school was opened with three grades in operation. The building provides accommodation for eight more classrooms and two offices, a library and an infirmary, and is modern in its appointments and in equipment. The rooms are thoroughly lighted, the most improved heating and ven- tilating systems have been installed, and in each room is a fire alarm box connecting direct- ly with the city fire department. Five hundred children attend this school, which is in charge of the Sisters of St. Joseph. The church and the school constitute a valuable property, the
former having been built at a cost of $100,000 and the latter at a cost of $65,000. They also have a large club for men. The purchase of the land and the erection of all these valuable buildings has been the work of Father Toma, who is assisted in ministering to the parish by one priest, Father Berti. Seventeen years of earnest and consecrated service have brought Father Toma very close to the lives of the many members of the parish and have built into its development the best energies and ability and the fervent devotion of its able pastor. The growth from the little struggling parish of 1911 to the strong, flourishing church of today has been largely through the instrumentality of Father Toma, and the members of St. Lazarus' Church, as it stands today, recognize the quality of the service which Father Toma has so freely given.
REV. WILLIAM B. WHALEN-The oldest Catholic church in East Boston is the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, located on Maver- ick Street, at the corner of London Street, of which Rev. William B. Whalen has been pastor since 1924. The church is in its eighty-fifth year and has to its credit long years of honor- able service to the community which it graces. Built in the Gothic style, designed by P. C. Keely, it raises heavenward its beautiful tapering spire in the typical manner of the school of architecture which originated during the Middle Ages when the soul of man was groping its way from the ignorance and superstition of the so-called Dark Ages, outward and upward to- ward God. It has been said that the Gothic architecture is a material expression of the re- ligious aspiration of the soul, and certainly the architect of the Church of the Most Holy Re- deemer caught and made permanent expression of that spirit.
Rev. William B. Whalen was born in Boston, and after attending the public schools of this city matriculated in Boston College, from which
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he was graduated. Having chosen to dedicate his life to the Holy Church, he then entered St. John's Ecclesiastical Seminary, at Brighton, where he prepared for his priestly duties, grad- uating in 1895. His first appointment was as curate at SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Broad- way, South Boston. This is one of the large churches of the city, and at the time Father Whalen went there as curate it had a seating capacity of one thousand, and numbered ten thousand souls in the parish. Father Whalen remained there for a period of nineteen years as curate, and then was sent to Rockport as pastor, where he had been located only eighteen months when he was sent to St. Monica's Church, South Boston. There, for eight years, he ministered faithfully to the needs of his parish, and in 1923 he was appointed pastor of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, located at the corner of Maverick and London streets, in East Boston.
The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, as has already been stated, is the oldest church in East Boston, dating back to 1844. It was founded by Rev. Nicholas J. A. O'Brien, who was pastor from 1844 to 1847. The Catholic pioneers in East Boston, like their brethren in many other localities, first made use of a dis- carded Protestant chapel, the Maverick Congre- gational Church, which was dedicated for them under the patronage of St. Nicholas. Rev Charles McCallon succeeded Father O'Brien as pastor, serving from 1847 to 1851, and Rev. William Wiley served from 1851 to 1855. Then came Rev. James Fitton, known and loved throughout New England, who was pastor of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer for more than a quarter of a century, from 1855 to 1881. The natural impulse of Catholics is to build churches of outward grandeur in keeping with the divine ceremonies conducted within them, and the East Boston Catholics did not long re- main contented with their renovated meeting- house, first known as St. Nicholas' Chapel. Un- der Father Fitton's able leadership a larger, more suitable, and more beautiful edifice was erected and the old building was converted into a convent, which became the mother-house in this district of the Sisters of Notre Dame.
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