USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume V > Part 16
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REV. JOSEPH J. CZUBEK-St. John's Roman Catholic Church of Salem, Massachu- setts, has for the past twenty-six years been presided over by the Rev. Joseph J. Czubek, the present pastor, who has been in charge
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from the beginning of its existence, he having organized it in 1903.
Rev. Joseph J. Czubek was born in Toledo, Ohio, August 4, 1874, and received his early and preparatory training in the public schools of his birthplace. At an early age he deter- mined to prepare himself for the service of the Church, and when his course in high school was finished he entered the Detroit Polish Seminary, at Detroit, Michigan, where he completed his course with graduation. He then entered St. John's Seminary, at Brighton, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated and ordained a priest in 1898. After his ordination he was given charge of a Polish Church in Boston, where he remained for four and a half years, gaining during that time a valuable store of useful experience and making himself thoroughly acquainted with the duties of his high and holy office. At the end of that time, in 1903, he came to Salem and organized the parish of St. John's which he has continued to serve to the present time (1929). At the time of its organization the parish numbered only about one hundred and fifty souls, but Father Czubek knew that there was a promising field for growth in Salem, and he devoted his ability to the task of so organi- zing the activities of the parish that a firm and lasting foundation for growth might be laid. The parish had a small church which seated about two hundred people, but Father Czubek from the beginning was planning to accom- modate a larger membership when it came, and in 1910 the parish purchased a Baptist church, which was no longer in use, rebuilt and remodeled it to suit their own needs, and since that time they have centered the activities of the parish there. The original building was put to use as a school and is still used for that purpose. In 1925 a second school building was started and since that time both have been in operation. The second building was purchased from the city of Salem and remodeled for a school, and provides four classrooms. The school has an enroll- ment of six hundred pupils, who are under the direction of the Felician Sisters, and is
steadily growing. It is well organized and provided with all the modern conveniences for instruction, and is an object of special interest to Father Czubek, who understands fully the importance of early training and the value of early influences.
During the twenty-five years in which he has been developing St. John's parish and bringing it to its present state of prosperity and usefulness, Father Czubek has been a leader in all that makes for progress. He has made constant changes, in order to meet the needs of a rapidly growing organization, the present upper church seating about seven hundred people, while the basement provides seating for five hundred. There are three altars in the upper church, the central or main one being especially attractive, and the choir loft, provided with a beautiful Estey organ, seats about seventy-five people. The pews are of oak, and the interior is pleasantly and at- tractively decorated. A convent was provided for the Felician Sisters when the parish was organized in 1903, and since that time has been somewhat improved. The sodalities for men and for women are taking an important part in the work of the parish, and there is a branch of the Polish Catholic Alliance here which owns its hall, a building which seats about two hundred and fifty people.
On September 16, 1928, St. John's parish celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of its organization, and the occasion was honored by the presence of several church dignitaries. Prominent city officials of Salem, including the mayor, also county officials, judges of the coun- ty courts, were also present, and the event was one long to be remembered. As the service of Father Czubek had run parallel with the history of the parish, from its organization to the present time, the occasion was one of special import to him, marking the twenty- fifth mile-stone of his unusually long and valuable service here. Father Czubek has the utmost confidence and the deep admiration of his many parishioners, and there is every pros- pect that the coming years will but add to the value of his past service.
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REV. LADISLAUS A. SIKORA-As the years have passed, the population of the North End of Boston has greatly changed. Long before 1892 Italian and Portuguese Catholics began settling there, and early in the twentieth century, beginning with 1900, a new national element began to pour into that section of the city-namely, the Poles. The regular parish churches of the district, St. Stephen's and St. Mary's, met the problems of a changing popu- lation as well as they could, but as each new nationality increased in numbers, the best pos- sible answer to the problem was the organ- ization of a new church for each group. This meant that the earlier churches, though among the largest in the city, must be willing to see their own congregations dwindle, while the new churches added as steadily to their numbers. When the Poles demand adequate facilities for worship and service, St. Stephen's aided in the work of preliminary investigation and in the laying of the foundations of the new parish. Rev. Ladislaus A. Sikora was chosen for the important work of founding the new church ---- the Church of Our Lady of Ostrobrama, now located on Chambers Street, Boston. Father Sikora is a native of Poland, but has been in this country since 1907, and is a graduate of St. John's Seminary, Brighton, Massachusetts.
Born in Poland, in 1893, he received his early education in his native land, graduating from the high school there. In 1907 he came to this country and went to Detroit, Michigan, where he entered the Polish College, from which he was graduated in 1911. He had chosen to be- come a servant of the Holy Church, and after completing his college course he began his theo- logical training in St. John's Ecclesiastical Sem- inary, at Brighton, Massachusetts, where so many of the noble and consecrated priests of New England have lived the rigorous lives of prayer, mortification and study, which that famous institution requires as preparation for the priesthood. In the summer of 1916 he was ordained at St. Ann's Church, Nantasket, by His Eminence Cardinal O'Connell, who had him in mind for a special work. The Poles of the North End Section of Boston had been in-
creasing in numbers for ten years. When they first demanded separate provision for religious service and worship, Rev. John Chmielinski, of South Boston, attended to their needs, coming to St. Stephen's and holding services on Sun- days. Finding that they needed better facilities, His Eminence Cardinal O'Connell gave per- mission to establish a church in the North End District.
To this important work, the founding of a new church, Father Sikora was appointed. He gave himself to the task with full devotion. From 1916 to September, 1920, services were held in St. Stephen's Church, while Father Sikora ministered in every possible way to the growth and development of his Polish charges. In January, 1920, the present church building on Chambers Street was purchased, remodelled and dedicated under the name of the Church of Our Lady of Ostrobrama, being dedicated at that time by Rev. Francis Malley, a personal representative of the Cardinal. The church seats nearly four hundred people, and the splen- did service which Father Sikora has given during the eight years of his pastorate since the dedication of the church, has brought a rich harvest of increased membership, deeper religious life, and material prosperity. In ad- dition to the church there is a large hall and two small halls and parish offices. The parish now (1929) numbers about thirteen hundred souls, and as the Church of Our Lady of Os- trobrama is the only Polish church in the city proper, it has become a center for the con- gregating of the Polish people in Boston and vicinity. This not only for the religious de- votions, but for the patriotic, civic and social gatherings as well. They come in large num- bers and are deeply and enthusiastically inter- ested in the work of the church. The member- ship and interest are steadily increasing, and under the wise leadership of Father Sikora the inany organizations of the parish are very active. Father Sikora has assisted in organizing special societies for men and women, also for young girls and young men, including St. Joseph's Society, for the aid of women, St. Mary's Benevolent Association, for men, also
n. Properzi
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local groups of the Polish National Alliance of America, or the Knights of St. John the Baptist; the St. Therese Guild, for young ladies; the Polish Young Men's Catholic Club; Polish Amalgamated Societies; Pulaski Post, No. 269, American Legion; St. Mary's Polish Band; St. Cecelia's Choral Society; and the "Polonia" Political Club. The Polish Welfare Association of Boston was founded, and has its headquarters here in the parish of Our Lady of Ostrobrama. When this article went to press we were in- formed that under the auspices of Rev. L. Sikora there is being formed a Professional Men's Club.
During the twelve years which have passed since Father Sikora first took charge of the work of building up the parish, even while services were being held in St. Stephen's Church, he has spared no effort, but has poured out his love and devotion in the work of development. As a pastor and priest, as a citizen of the community, and as a man of high standards and deep devotion, he has won the high regard of his own congregation and of all others with whom he has been associated.
All these various activities, whether of social or patriotic nature, tend to develop the minds of the Polish people toward the love of Amer- ican principles, with the idea of inculcating within them the highest possible conception of the true American citizenship, as well as to keep the American citizens in contact with and informed about the noble Polish characteristics and activities. The Polish people of Boston, proud of their Polish heritage, gladly bring the vast riches of Polish history, science, art and culture to enrich American science, art, and culture. They adopt the citizenship of America for whose liberty and freedom Kosciuszko and Pulaski fought.
REV. NAZARENO PROPERZI-In Som- erville, Massachusetts, one of the very active efficient pastors is Rev. Nazareno Properzi of
St. Anthony's Church. He has been laboring in this field since June, 1915, and the term of his service here is co-extensive with the life of the parish, he being the organizer and the first pastor.
Though Italian Catholics have been living in Somerville for many years in was not until very recent years that the necessity of a parish of their own in this city was recognized. As num- bers increased, however, it became apparent that some provision should be made whereby they might receive the ministrations of the church in their own language in the city in which they lived. In June, 1915, His Emi- nence, the Cardinal, assigned Rev. Nazareno Properzi, of the Sacred Heart Church, North Square, Boston, to attend to the spiritual needs of the Italian Catholics of Somerville. On Sunday, June 6, 1915, Mass was celebrated in a vacant store at No. 9 Elm Street, and during the following two months Father Properzi traveled regularly from his Italian church in Boston to perform his new duties. The new parish dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, was limited to no particular bound- ary lines, having been organized to serve the Italian Catholics of the whole city, and it is still unlimited. In order to secure a more central location for a place of worship a change was made, and on Sunday morning, August 1, 1915, Mass was said for the first time in another store, this one located at the corner of School Street and Somerville Ave- nue. Father Properzi established his parochial headquarters over the store, and from that time to the present (1929) he has been steadily en- gaged in building up the parish. During the early months of the life of the new parish, he made no appeal for funds, but early in Sep- tember, 1915, the first parish re-union was held, and at that time the first official collection was made. A canvass of the parish in the spring of 1916 increased the parish funds considerably, and late in June, 1916, Father Properzi pur- chased from Katherine Grosser, for a church site, over 7,500 square feet of land on Vine Street. Efforts to increase the building fund now met with enthusiastic support, and the
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first parish fair, held in September, 1916, was attended by nearly 5,000 people. In Novem- ber, ground was broken for the erection of a church basement and work was begun on a parochial residence on the rear of the lot. The basement was completed, without dedicatory services, three months later, and on Sunday, February 11, 1917, Father Properzi said Mass there for the first time. The basement, which is forty by eighty feet, seats five hundred peo- ple, and served the congregation for some years. In the same month the parochial res- idence was finished. This building was used as a rectory for four years and is still owned by the parish, being rented out to private indi- viduals. The debt on the church was cleared by the spring of 1917. Meantime, soon after · the completion of the lower church, several parish societies were organized, including a Sacred Heart Society for young men, the Chil- dren of Mary for the young girls, which two are the popular societies of the parish, also Madri Christiane, for married women, which has a large membership, and the Holy Name Society. In 1916 a Sunday school had been es- tablished with an enrollment of twenty, and this has steadily grown until at the present time (1929) it has a membership of four hun- dred children, who are instructed by two Sis- ters of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, assisted by twenty young ladies of the parish. The Sisters come from their convent in East Bos- ton to perform this service.
Recognizing the importance of adequate provision for social activities, Father Properzi planned for the future needs of the parish, as well as the present. Late in June, 1920, over 9,000 square feet of land adjoining the church, with a spacious wooden residence, No. 12 Vine Street, was acquired, and the work of renova- tion and remodelling into a new parochial res- idence was at once begun. Plans for suitable club rooms, besides the pastor's office, were drawn for the first floor, and Father Properzi's residence was planned for the upper story. In the spring of 1922 the building was ready for occupancy, and at this time St. Anthony's Catholic Club was organized to further the
social affairs of the parish. This club meets in the parish house twice a week, one evening for young ladies and another for young men, and is very active and progressive. Within two years after the purchase of the property all debts were cleared, and the pastor then made plans for the completion of the church edifice. The building fund drive was started early in 1923, and when $5,000 had been raised the work was begun. The church is Romanesque in style, built of red brick with white stone trimmings, and at its greatest elevation has a height of sixty-seven feet. It was planned by the archi- tect, Andrew Cipollini, a member of the parish, and the decorating was done by the architect's brother, Benedict Cipollini, a local sculptor. Seating is provided for about six hundred per- sons, and the total cost of the finished church aggregates about $75,000. A monster bazaar, held December 7 and 8, 1924, greatly increased the available funds, and the parish is rightly proud of its new church building. The parish numbers more than 2,000 souls, and the pastor has secured a fine spirit of cooperation, which does not hesitate to sacrifice for the further- ance of the welfare of the church. The com- pleted church was dedicated October 4, 1925, by Cardinal O'Connell. The interior, as well as the exterior, is very handsome and a credit to those who planned and decorated it, as well as to the parish and its pastor. The marble altars were made in Carrara, Italy; the windows, all of which are made of stained glass, were pro- duced in Boston, and a beautiful Skinner organ peals forth melody through the place of wor- ship. In 1927 the parish purchased an eight- een-family apartment house, which they razed in order that the ground might be used for a lawn about the church. A great deal of atten- tion has been given to these grounds and they have been made the most beautiful, for their size, in the city. This is the only Italian church in Somerville, and the congregation of about fifty which listened to the first ministrations of Father Properzi has grown to one of five hundred.
Rev. Nazareno Properzi was born February 5, 1890, in Pausula Marche, Italy, and received
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his early education in the public schools of his birthplace. Later, he attended college in Pia- cenza, and then entered a theological college in Rome, where he was ordained a priest, April 12, 1914. He had always been interested in the spiritual welfare of those of his countrymen who emigrated to other lands, and is a member of the Missionary of St. Charles Borromeo, or- ganized for service to the emigrated Italians. Therefore, after his ordination he was sent to America, arriving in Boston June 2, 1914. His first assignment was as an assistant curate at the Church of the Sacred Heart, North Square, Boston, and there he remained until he was transferred to Somerville, in June, 1915, to care for the Italian Catholics of this city. Here he has accomplished a splendid work, building up both the spiritual life of his people and the material resources of his parish. As founder and organizer he has been the directing and formative influence of the entire life of the parish, and under his guidance the Church of St. Anthony of Padua has become a vital force in the community.
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REV. PACIFICO CHENUIL-The story of the growth of the Italian Colony in the North End, Boston, is one of interest and sig- nificance in the progress of the development of what may well be called the peaceful invas- ion of this country by the inflow of a vigor- ous life stream from Italy. As far back as the time of Samuel Sewall, who was a justice in Boston and kept a diary from 1674 to 1729, there were Italians in Boston, and in that old diary appears the first mention of these people in this section. It is a surprising fact that in this diary appears the name of a family called Bigello, which name, in later records, became Anglicized into Bigelow. In 1679 there is rec- ord of a Guiseppe Brisco who belonged to the commission of vigilance known as the "South Company." Another of the name men-
tioned in Sewall's diary was Robert Brisco, who lived in Beverly, then a small village, and who was a member of an expedition sent out against a band of armed pirates who threatened the peace and safety of the population in the vicinity of Cape Ann. This expedition was made June 9-10, 1704, and with such effect that the pirates were arrested and brought to justice and the courage and valor of Robert Brisco were extolled in the local "News Letter," of June 9-16, 1704. Gio- vanni Mico, the name of "an honest merchant," appears in the records of Boston, 1686-90, as holding various civic offices, including that of selectnian, and as marrying, on August 20, 1689, Mary Brattle, of the celebrated family of Brattle, whose name is commemorated in the name of one of the well-known streets of the city. Other Italian names, too, appear in the diary and records of Samuel Sewall, among them a Timothy Cruso (pronounced Caruso by the Americans) called in the records an "emi- nent non-conformist minister," who died No- vember 27, 1697. It was not, however, until more than a century later that the Italians in Boston became numerous enough to plan for a separate religious organization of their own. Still later, a church for Italian Catholics only, known as the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, North Square, Boston, was organized.
Though there were Italians in Boston at an early date, it was not until after 1870 that the current of immigration from Italy, which has steadily increased in late years, set in. From 1850 to 1870 about twenty thousand Italians, in all, came to this country, mostly Genoese merchants, though many were from middle Italy and from Sicily. In 1870 there were about 25,000 Italians in the United States. From 1870 to 1880, 55,759 Italians came to this country, most of whom engaged in farm- ing in Pennsylvania; from January, 1900, to December, 1910, the number increased to 1,852,362. In Boston, the , Italians settled in what is known as the North End, where Fan- euil Hall, the "cradle of liberty," and Christ Church, famous for its part in the famous ride of Paul Revere, draw thousands of visitors
Bos.ii-7
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each year; and in this section of the city by 1913 eighty-five per cent of the residents bore Italian surnames.
It was natural that these people should de- sire a means for receiving the consolations and directions of the Church, and as far back as 1868 the Italians of Boston had special serv- ices in St. Mary's Church on Prince Street, conducted by a priest of their race, Rev. Simon Dompieri. Later, they joined with the Portuguese in an old Baptist meeting-house on North Bennett Street. Meantime, the Genoese Italians had conceived the idea of a Catholic Italian Society, which had greatly forwarded the task of securing for them the benefits of the Church. This society was later known as the Society of St. Mark, and from its activities developed much of the impetus which brought into existence the Italian Catholic churches of the city. The old meeting-house on North Ben- nett Street served the Portuguese and the Ital- ians until 1874, when the Italians moved to the first church built for their exclusive use, loca- ted on Prince Street. This congregation later developed into the present parish of St. Leon- ard of Port Maurice and built a fine new church.
Later, priests of the Order of St. Charles were sent from Italy. They founded a con- gregation and held services in a hall, or chapel, on Beverly Street, but in 1888 they purchased the North Square Methodist Chapel, known as "Father Taylor's Bethel," from the celebra- ted clergyman who formerly occupied its pul- pit, and who, having been a seaman himself in his youth and a prisoner in Dartmoor Prison, England, during the War of 1812, returned to this country and established a mission and home for mariners in the brick building which the Italians purchased. By his wit, his elo- quence, and his boundless charity he had a mar- velous influence over the rough seamen. Father Taylor's "Bethel," refitted for Catholic wor- ship, soon became popular. Increased Italian immigration swelled the numbers of its con- gregations, the usual sodalities and societies were established, and by 1899 the original cost of the church, representing a debt of $28,000,
had been reduced to $4,000, and plans had been drawn for a new Roman edifice, large enough to accommodate 1,000 people, on the site of the old Baptist Bethel. This was accomplished by rebuilding and restorations; the first of which occurred in the spring of 1900, provided for extensive repairs of the upper church and necessary changes in the lower church. The cost, while considerable, was fully met by the spontaneous offerings of the people.
The other changes of the church occurred in 1909, during the pastorate of Father Vit- torio Gregori. The interior was greatly beau- tified by the gift of the two large and artistic "invetriate" behind and beside the altar of the upper church, which represent the nativity of the Saviour and the appearance of the Sacred Heart to Margherita Alacoque, generously given in memory of Antonio Gardella and Pasquale Zarella. The windows were given by other families, and throughout the interior are lasting memorials of former members and of the generosity and devotion of the living. On April 10, 1910, occurred the solemn ceremonies of the opening of the upper church, when the principal discourse was delivered by Padre Giacomo Gambera.
On November 26, 1911, the beautiful new façade was dedicated with solemn and appro- priate ceremonies, in which a special feature was the singing of 1200 boys and girls of the Sunday school, directed by their singing mas- ter. When Father Gregori came to the Church of the Sacred Heart in 1908, he at once turned his attention to the important matter of the education of the young of his parish, and in 1911 the parochial school was established by Archbishop O'Connell, who gave the Italians the privilege of using the old St. John's school next to the Sacred Heart Church. First a pri- mary course was provided for, and opened with an enrollment of fifty boys and fifty girls. An- other class was added in 1912, and in 1913 three more classes were added for boys and three more for girls, the plan being to keep adding to the work until the full course paral- leling that of the public schools is established.
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