USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume V > Part 5
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Patrick J. Supple
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St. Hugh's parish was set off from St. Joseph's parish in 1901. St. Hugh's beautiful church was completed and dedicated in 1913 and pro- vides seating for eight hundred people in the main body of the upper church, and the base- ment seats about five hundred. The choir loft of the upper church seats one hundred and fifty and is equipped with an organ made by James Cole of Melrose. The beautiful marble altar was executed at Carrarra, Italy, and shipped to this country in parts and set up in St. Hugh's Church. The Sunday school has an enrollment of one hundred and fifty. Here, as in St. John's, the spirit of cooperation on the part of the parishioners is very generous. With the care of these two parishes, Monsignor Patrick J. Supple, D. D., has a large field for his activities, and he is rapidly promoting the usefulness of both parishes.
Rt. Rev. Monsignor Patrick J. Supple, D. D., was born in Holliston, Massachusetts, March 14, 1865. He attended the public schools of his birthplace, graduating from high school with the class of 1881, and then matriculated in Boston College, from which he was graduated in 1885, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For his theological training he went to Rome, Italy, where he entered the American College. Five years later he was graduated and ordained a priest, May 31, 1890. Returning to his native land he was appointed a curate in the Gate of Heaven Church, South Boston, and there he remained for a period of five years. He then went to St. Peter's Church in Cambridge, as assistant, and there he gave most efficient service, for eleven years. At the end of this time, having had sixteen years of active ex- perience as curate and as assistant, he was made a pastor, in July, 1908, and assigned to his present charge of St. John's and St. Hugh's. At that time he was editor of "The Pilot," hav- ing held that position since April, and he con- tinued to meet the demands of that position, along with his pastoral duties, until August, 1909, when he resigned. In December, 1911, Father Supple received the signal honor of being designated a Monsignor by Pope Pius X. Four assistant priests aid Monsignor Patrick J.
Supple, D. D., in the care of the two parishes, and each year is showing marked progress for both churches.
REV. JOSEPH E. ROBICHAUD-The Church of St. John the Evangelist in Newton, Massachusetts, has been faithfully looked after by Rev. Joseph E. Robichaud for the past seven- teen years and the present church building, the rectory of fifteen rooms, and the school, are the work of his pastorate. Father Robichaud is greatly revered by his parishioners, and is known as a man of culture and ability. He was educated in Canada, but has been located in this country since 1903, a period of twenty-five years.
Rev. Joseph E. Robichaud was born in St. Hugues, Canada, July 31, 1871, and came to this country as a boy. He attended the Sem- inary of Joliette, Quebec, and Montreal, where he completed his course and was ordained a priest December 22, 1900. His first charge was in Canada where he remained three years, then was appointed curate of St. Mary's Church, Marlborough, Massachusetts, where he served for a period of eight years. At the end of that time, in 1911, he was appointed pastor and came to Newton to organize what is now known as the Church of St. John the Evangelist, and here he has served with ability to the present time (1929). At this time there was no parish here, in fact, nothing for holding services of any character. Soon after taking charge here he purchased a frame building on Dalby Street, where he began holding services. As soon as the funds could be raised, he remodeled that building into the present church, in which his congregation has since been worshiping. The building has been made most convenient and attractive, and Father Robichaud has shown much resourcefulness in adapting it to the needs
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of the congregation. In 1913 he purchased an ideal piece of land on Watertown Street upon which already stands the rectory and school. Upon this he will later build a beautiful church and also a convent for the accommoda- tion of the Sisters who teach in the school. In 1916 he further improved the church property by building a rectory on Watertown Street, which contains fifteen rooms, and in 1925, he still further advanced the interest of the parish by building a brick school which contains eight classrooms and also a large auditorium that can be used for the convenience of the parish for any gathering or entertainment.
Father Robichaud has greatly developed and strengthened the church and parish and deep- ened its religious life. Throughout the com- imunity he has made a place for himself in the esteem of those with whom he has been as- sociated, and the quality and the value of his service is well known and recognized. He has made the Church of St. John the Evangelist one of the rapidly growing churches of this section and there is every prospect that within the next few years there will be still greater development of the possibilities of the parish.
REV. MARK J. SULLIVAN-Well-known and highly esteemed in Roxbury, Massachu- setts, is Rev. Mark J. Sullivan, pastor of All Saints' Church, which he has served since 1917.
All Saints' Church in Roxbury occupies a central position among three of its neighbors, being about half a mile distant from St. Jo- seph's (of which it was originally a mission) on the east, the Mission Church on the north, and the Church of the Blessed Sacrament on the south-west. The building was begun early in 1893 by the pastor of St. Joseph's, ground being broken at the corner of Penryth Street, a small street connecting Pynchon and Centre
streets. In 1895-6 the parish was organized, and on Trinity Sunday, 1898, the completed structure was dedicated. The building is Gothic in design, built of brick, and seats about sixteen hundred, six hundred in the lower church and one thousand in the upper church. The first resident pastor was Rev. Thomas Moylan, for- merly curate at Amesbury and later pastor at Merrimac, and at the time he was appointed the parish numbered about two thousand souls. Father Moylan was assisted by Rev. James P. McGuigan, and the parochial residence at this early time was at No. 167 Centre Street. The ground upon which the church is built was part of the estate of Governor Dudley and the present rectory is the house in which Governor Dudley resided. It has been preserved in its original construction with very little change. It is built in the most substantial manner, the beams being of oak and hand hewed and all the frame work built in the same way. All Saints' therefore possesses an historic interest comparable with that which is associated with the site of St. Joseph's, where Eliot is said to have preached to the Indians, and to the Dearborn mansion, occupied by the Redemp- tionist Fathers.
As the years passed All Saints' parish grew and prospered and in 1917 Rev. Mark J. Sulli- van became the efficient and devoted pastor. He was born in New York City, May 21, 1865, son of Quinlan Sullivan, a native of Ireland. As a child he was taken to Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, where he attended a local pa- rochial school, later entering St. Thomas' Col- lege, for his advanced academic training. When his college course was completed he became a student in St. John's Seminary, at Brighton, from which he was graduated and ordained a priest, May 20, 1892. His first experience was gained in Somerville, as curate of St. Ann's Church, in which capacity he served for a year and a half. His next assignment was to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, in Re- vere, and after seventeen years of faithful and fruitful service there he was made a pastor and transferred to the Church of the Sacred Heart, Manchester-by-the-Sea. There he was most
Der. James T. In Cormick S.f
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energetic and successful, and in the course of eight years he built a rectory, completed the church edifice, and paid off all the debts of the parish. In 1917 he was appointed pastor of All Saints' Church in Roxbury, and here has ac- complished a fine work, both spiritually and materially. He has made many improvements to the church property, including the entire re-decoration of the church building, and has succeeded in strengthening and quickening every department of the parish activities. The usual sodalities, including the Society of the Blessed Virgin, for women, and a Holy Name Society, for men, are active and steadily growing, and the vigorous leadership of Father Sullivan is apparent in all the organizations of the parish, which now numbers about three thousand souls.
The interior of All Saints' Church is attrac- tive and harmonious, its furnishings and dec- orations giving an atmosphere of peace and of reverent worship. Both the upper and the lower church have the usual three altars, the main altar of the upper church being of es- pecial beauty, imported from Italy. Behind that altar are three handsome windows and three beautiful paintings, while around the sides of the church eleven stained glass windows ad- mit a mellowed light. In the spaces between the six double arches which rest upon twelve colunins and support the roof are exquisite religious paintings, and the choir loft, which seats about one hundred and fifty singers, is furnished with an organ built by Hutchinson and recently electrified by Father Sullivan. In the rear of the choir loft are three more mem- orial windows, and around the walls of the church are the fourteen stations of the Cross. In addition to the altars already mentioned, the church has also two shrines, one dedicated to St. Theresa, "The Little Flower," and a statue of St. Anthony. The work of the parish has grown to proportions which make neces- sary two assistants, the present ones being Rev. Edward P. Twigg and Rev. Francis A. Barry.
Father Sullivan is well known throughout the community and has the high regard of all classes of people, both Catholic and Protestant.
REV. JAMES THOMAS McCORMICK, S.
J .- No church in Boston is better known than the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Concep- tion, located at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Concord Street, and few parishes are older or have accomplished more in the education and the training of young men than has this one. As far back as 1892 a local record states that the "ceremonies here are marked by simplicity and taste rather than pomp," and adds that those services appeal to all classes, drawing a full congregation of regular attend- ants, "although no special district is assigned to its charge," and at the festival seasons turn- ing away thousands for lack of accommoda- tions. In 1892, its congregation numbered at times as many as ten thousand. Since 1925 Rev. James Thomas McCormick has been in charge.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception dates back to 1857, when the parish was organ- ized. Boston College and Boston High School buildings were erected in 1859, or rather part of the old buildings, and throughout the his- tory of the parish the primary service rendered has been educational. The beautiful Grecian building which is the church edifice, was de- signed by P. C. Keely, who has to his credit so many beautiful churches, and has a seating capacity of sixteen hundred. It was dedicated in 1861 and consecrated in 1875, and has been ministered to by a large number of able and faithful pastors, all members of the Society of Jesus. Rev. John McElroy was the first rec- tor, 1861-62. He was followed by Rev. John B. Bapst, who finished out the period of the Civil War and continued as rector until 1869 Then came the very short term of the Very Rev. Robert W. Brady, in 1869, but before the year was out he was succeeded by Very Rev. Robert Fulton, who served from 1869 to 1881. Rev. Jeremiah J. O'Connor served from 1881 to 1884; and from 1884 to 1887, Rev. Ed- ward B. Boursaud officiated. Next on the list came the Very Rev. Robert Fulton, who brought into existence the fine building which houses the Young Men's Catholic Association of Boston College. This building is fully equipped to meet
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the needs of its thousands of members, having a library, gymnasium, billiard, card, and smok- ing rooms, debating hall, and a large hall in which lectures, concerts, and plays are given, al- so the Commencement exercises of the students of Boston College. This building has for many years been the center for the activities of Catholic young men, a class of the population in which the Jesuits here have always been specially interested, and the Association has been a potent influence for good among them. Father Fulton served until 1890, when he was succeeded by Rev. Edward I. Devitt, who con- tinued as rector till 1893, when he was suc- ceeded by the Rev. Timothy Brosnahan, who served until 1898, when Rev. William G. Mul- len took charge, remaining until 1904. In that year Father William Gorman became rector, and continued till 1907; he was followed by Father Gasson, 1907 to 1914; Father Charles Lyons, 1914-1919; and Father Geoghan, 1919 to 1925. When the new housing for Boston College was completed on Commonwealth Avenue, in 1913, the old building erected by Father Fulton was occupied by Boston College High School. For education in the higher branches of learning the Jesuits have always displayed singular genius, and the many pro- fessional men and clergymen of Boston who have graduated from Boston College during the past sixty years reflect credit upon their excellent training and instruction. Among those who have contributed to the educational work of Boston College, Father McCormick won for himself an honorable place, and he has placed himself securely in the affection of thou- sands of the students with whom he has been brought in contact.
Father McCormick was not a stranger here, when he came to the Church of the Immac- ulate Conception, having already been con- nected with the work of Boston College and therefore well acquainted with the Church of the Immaculate Conception as far back as 1912.
Rev. James Thomas McCormick was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, Ferbuary 21, 1876,
son of Thomas F. and Maria A. (Supple) McCormick. After attending the public schools of his birthplace he matriculated in Boston College, in 1892, and continued his studies there until the completion of his course with graduation in 1896. He then entered the So- ciety of Jesus, at Frederick, Maryland, and from there went to Woodstock College, in Maryland, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1901 and Master of Arts in 1903. From 1903 to 1906 he was in- structor in mathematics in St. Francis Xavier College, New York City. During the school year, 1906-07, he was professor of mathematics in Holy Cross College, and 1907-08, he re- turned to St. Francis Xavier, in New York City, in the same capacity. During the next few years he was engaged in completing his theological studies and was ordained a priest in 1911. In 1912, he accepted a position as professor of mathematics in Boston College, teaching here one year, after which he went to Canisius College, in Buffalo, New York, where he remained from 1914 to 1917. In 1918 he was appointed assistant to the president of Boston College, which responsible position he filled most acceptably from 1918 to 1924. In 1925 he was made rector of Boston College High School and of the Church of the Im- maculate Conception, and since that time he has proved himself a worthy successor of the long line of able men who have preceded him in this charge. Father McCormick is a member of the American Mathematical So- ciety, and has long been known as one of the successful educators of his generation. A man of wide experience and thorough training, he brings to his work the rich fund of knowl- edge, the wide and vital touch with the life interests of hundreds of young men, and the peculiar gift in the art of instruction, for which the Jesuits have long been famous.
As an educator, as a faithful pastor, and as a man of high Christian character, Father McCormick is revered and honored and his past record is adding to the weight of his in- fluence in his present work.
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REV. JAMES H. FLANNERY-Of the four Catholic parishes in Framingham, Mas- sachusetts, the largest, both in membership and in extent of territory, is St. Stephen's, which includes the section generally known as South Framingham, and also includes in its work the section known as the Sherborn- ville district and the Catholic chaplaincy of the State Reformatory for Women, located in Sherborn. Since June, 1926, Rev. James H. Flannery has been the able and devoted pastor of St. Stephen's, and under his vigorous and able administration extensive improvements are being made, including alterations in the church property to the amount of $25,000, and preparations for the erection of a new paro- chial school building. Father Flannery is a graduate of Boston College and of St. John's Seminary, and before coming to St. Stephen's had had nearly three decades of successful ex- perience in other churches, in Medway, Neponset, and Hopkinton.
Rev. James H. Flannery was born in Wey- mouth, Massachusetts, October 23, 1870, and received his education in the local schools, in- cluding the high school. When his prepara- tory course was completed he matriculated in Boston College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1892. He was now ready for his special preparation for the service of the Church, and for his theological training entered St. John's Seminary, at Brighton, Mas- sachusetts, where he finished his course with graduation, after which he was ordained in Holy Cross Cathedral, in Boston, by the late Archbishop Williams, December 7, 1897. For five months following his ordination he served in St. Joseph's Church, in Medway, Massa- chusetts, and then was assigned to St. Ann's Church at Neponset, where he served as a curate for a period of twenty years. On Octo- ber 5, 1918, he was made a pastor and sent to the Catholic church in Hopkinton, and there he rendered most worthy service until June, 1926, when he came to St. Stephen's here in Framingham, as pastor. Since that date he has devoted his time and his energy to the advancement of the interests of this
parish with most satisfactory results, and he has accomplished much in the way of im- provement.
The history of St. Stephen's parish has its beginning in the work of earlier parishes in this section and goes back to humble begin- nings in the services held in a hall in Waverly block a little more than a half century ago. The first Mass was celebrated in the Saxon- ville section of Framingham in 1834, but it was not until the summer of 1876 that Rev. Dominic Rossi celebrated Mass in the south section, in Waverly Hall. The majority of the Catholic population of that time in Fram- ingham lived in the Saxonville district, which had a church, and those who lived in South Framingham walked the three miles to Saxon- ville to attend Mass. When Father Rossi be- gan holding services in Waverly Hall his com- ing was hailed with joy by the residents of the south section. A year later the new parish of St. Bridget's was organized, at Framingham Centre, as a result of the labor's of Rev. An- tonie J. Rossi, pastor of St. George's parish, with its church in Saxonville, and of Father Cullen, then pastor of St. Cecelia's Church in Ashland. This included the Catholics of Framingham Centre and of South Framing- ham, with St. Bridget's in the centre village as the church edifice. Rev. John S. Cullen was appointed pastor, in 1878, with parochial residence in South Framingham, but the com- ing to Framingham of the hat and shoe indus- tries greatly increased the Catholic population, and Father Cullen soon made plans for a new parish and a new church edifice, to be known as St. Stephen's. On December 16, 1883, Vicar-general Byrne laid the cornerstone of the present St. Stephen's Church. A year later, on Christmas Day, 1884, Father Cullen celebrated the first Mass in the present church building. St. Bridget's was a mission of St. Stephen's at this time and remained so until 1911, when it was made a separate parish. Two years later, December 12, 1886, the first bell, blessed, named for St. Thomas, and hung in the steeple, was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies, and the following year the pipe
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organ was put in service. Father Cullen not only provided a place of worship, encouraged church societies, ministered to the sick and infirm, and generally inspired and stimulated his parishioners, but he also laid the founda- tions of a lasting good will between the vari- ous denominations in Framingham, one of his best friends and closest companions being a clergyman of another denomination. He was repeatedly elected a member of the School Board and served as its chairman for years. He purchased land between South Framing- ham and Saxonville for a cemetery, and on November 8, 1889, St. Stephen's Cemetery was consecrated. On Christmas Day, 1892, he established the devotion of the Angelus, and in January, 1895, he was transferred to St. Patrick's in Watertown and was succeeded by Rev. John F. Heffernan, who came from St. Cecelia's Church in Ashland. He completed the church building, which was dedicated on September 17, 1897, by the late Archbishop John J. Williams, of Boston, but it was not until 1910 that the parish indebtedness was cleared. Father Heffernan continued as pas- tor of St. Stephen's for a period of thirty years and continued and greatly strengthened the friendly feeling and interest of the com- munity in general. He was deeply interested in the Framingham Hospital, serving as trus- tee and vice-president, and was a trustee of Framingham Library. On the twenty-fifth an- niversary of his coming to St. Stephen's the citizens of Framingham adopted resolutions expressing appreciation of his character and his work, and after his death all denominations joined in doing him honor. His death oc- curred on March 29, 1926, and he was suc- ceeded by the present pastor, Rev. James H. Flannery, who took charge in June, 1926. Since his coming he has made many changes and improvements in both the church and the rectory, the last-mentioned of which was built in 1884 and contains twenty-three rooms. The basement of the church has been com- pletly renovated and improved for use as a chapel and concert hall which seats about seven hundred people. There are the usual
sodalities for men and for women, a thriving troop of the Order of Boy Scouts, numbering one hundred members, and the entire work of the parish is flourishing.
St. Stephen's Church edifice is a wooden structure of Gothic design on a foundation of Milford granite, and it originally cost about $25,000, but has been extensively improved at great expense. Designed by the architect, P. W. Ford, it is most harmonious and attrac- tive. In the front a large stained glass win- dow of Gothic design contains three hundred and twenty-five square feet of glass, and the sanctuary is illuminated by three windows of stained glass, one representing the Blessed Virgin, the second Christ, and the third St. Stephen. One of these windows is a gift of the choir, the second was donated by August Richardson, from whom the land was pur- chased, and the third is in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. The interior is divided by two rows of clustered columns into nave and aisles, and the pillars of the arcades, the trusses, and the tracery of the ceilings are finished in yellow cypress. There are six columns and two pillars forming seven bays over each aisle, and each aisle is illuminated by seven windows of stained glass, geometric in design, while the clerestories supported by the main columns are pierced by seven triangu- lar windows of stained glass. The sanctuary is an apse and contains a main altar which was made by Mr. Thomas, of Worcester, and cost $1,000. The choir loft seats about one hundred singers.
The Sunday school numbers more than five hundred pupils, well organized in two sections, with nearly one hundred teachers, who are teaching under the direction of the parish priests. The Sunday school has been notably generous in its contributions to foreign mis- sions, as has the church, and in all the needs and demands presented to the parish St. Stephen's has been most prompt and open- handed. More than three hundred young men of the parish served in the World War, and when the service flag containing three hundred and fifty stars was unfurled in the summer
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of 1918 there was more than a sprinkling of gold stars. In October, 1916, the church was seriously damaged by a bomb placed by an anarchist. No lives were lost, however, and statues of St. Anthony and St. Rita placed in the church are expressions of gratitude for that fact. Catholic societies have had an im- portant part in the building of the prosperity and usefulness of the parish, and all of these are in a flourishing condition. Father Flan- nery and his three assistants are promoting in every way the interest and activities of these, and Father Flannery himself serves as chap- lain of the Knights of Columbus and of the Women's Catholic Club, also of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. In addition to the regular parish duties Father Flannery has charge of St. Stephen's Cemetery and is chaplain of the State Reformatory for Women, in which he takes a very deep interest and which is said to be one of the most humane institutions in the country. In 1928 Father Flannery visited the home of his, ancestors in Ireland and made an extensive tour of the continent.
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