USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The memorial history of Boston : including Suffolk County, Massachusetts, 1630-1880, Vol. III > Part 70
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88
537
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BOSTON.
was broken for the foundations, April 27, 1866, and the corner-stone was laid June 25 of the same year. The basement chapel was ready for occu- pancy towards the close of 1873, and was first used for divine service on December 7 of that year. The chapel was in use for some time previously.
In the mean time the cathedral congregation, after using the Melodeon Hall for some time, worshipped in Castle-Street church, which was pur- chased from Harvard College, and dedicated as a pro-cathedral, Dec. 2, 1861. This ceremony was performed by the Very Rev, J. J. Williams, V. G., who was then administering the affairs of the diocese, the bishop being absent in Europe for his health. The Rev. James A. Healy preached the sermon, and the Bishop of Burlington officiated at vespers.
Since the opening of the new cathedral, Castle-Street church is still used every Sunday for the accommodation of those in the immediate neighbor- hood. Recently a French congregation was organized, and given the use of it until they leased Freeman Place chapel, which they now use.
Jan. 3, 1861, by order of the bishop, mass was said in all the Catholic churches of the city and diocese, at which the people were invited to assist and pray for the preservation of the Union, and the maintenance of peace ; as the signs of the times unfortunately indicated the near approach of civil war.
The church of St. Francis de Sales, on Bunker Hill, Charlestown, was dedicated June 17, 1862. The Right Rev. Louis Goesbriand, Bishop of Burlington, officiated, and the Right Rev. Sylvester Rosecranz preached the sermon. There were present about forty priests, and a very great mul- titude of people. The present pastor is Father Supple.
The church on the corner of Hanover and Clark streets, known as the New North Church, was purchased by the Catholics, September 26, of this year. It was dedicated under the title of St. Stephen's, November 27, and took the place of the church on Moon Street, which had become much too small for the crowded Catholic population of the North End. The Very Rev. John J. Williams performed the ceremony, and Dr. Cummings of New York preached the sermon. The first pastor was the Rev. George F. Has- kins. This church was greatly enlarged and very much improved in its interior, in 1875, through the exertions of the Rev. M. Moran, who suc- ceeded Father Haskins as rector of this church. The debt contracted is being rapidly reduced.
During this same year 1862, the twelfth Congregational church on Cham- bers Street, at the West End, was purchased by the administrator of the dio- cese. This church was rededicated under the title of St. Joseph's. The Rev. Hillary Tucker, then in charge of a small chapel in the vicinity, celebrated the mass. The Rev. John Boyce, of Worcester, preached the sermon. The first pastor was the Rev. P. T. O'Reilly, now Bishop of Springfield. The first Catholic services in this vicinity were conducted in a small hall by Dr. Manahan, and afterward by the Rev. John J. Williams. Such was the in- crease of Catholics in this section of the city that it was soon found neces-
VOL. 111 .- 68.
1
538
THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
sary to enlarge this church also. This work was begun during the pastorate of the Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, and was completed by the Very Rev. P. F. Lyndon, vicar-general of the diocese, after he took charge of the church, Sept. 5, 1870. A fine house in the rear of the church on Allen Street was secured as a residence for the clergy. The basement of the church was fitted up for a Sunday-school, and the whole interior beautifully frescoed and elegantly decorated. The present pastor is the Rev. W. J. Daly.
A new church ncar South Boston Point, which was built under the dirce- tion of the Rev. P. F. Lyndon, was dedicated March 19, 1863, under the title of the Gate of Heaven, the corner-stone having been laid May 1, 1862. The Rev. Bernard A. Maguire, S. J., preached on the occasion. Bishop McFarland officiated, the Bishop of Boston being abroad at the timc. A commodious pastoral residence was afterward built in this parish on a lot adjoining the church, by the Rev. James Sullivan. The Rev. Emcliano Gerbi, O. S. F., was for some years pastor of this church. The present rector is the Rev. Michael F. Higgins, who has built a convent in the vicinity of the church to serve as a residence for the Sisters of St. Joseph, who conduct the schools of the parish. These schools were established by the Rev. William A. Blinkinsop, soon after the foundation of the Catholic school for girls near the church on Broadway, which is taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame. The convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph is a handsome brick structure, complete in all its appointments, and in its arrangement of rooms and apartments is a model in its way. Some of the rooms are used for classes studying the higher English branches and music. It is provided with a spacious play-ground for the children attending the parochial school.
This year also witnessed the erection of a large brick church in Dorches- ter, which was built and paid for through the exertions of the Rev. Thomas McNulty, its first pastor, and was dedicated April 7, 1864, under the title of St. Gregory. The Very Rev. P. F. Lyndon, V. G., performed the cere- mony, assisted by the Rev. Thomas Scully and the Rev. W. J. J. Denvir. The sermon was preached by the Rev. James A. Hcaly, chancellor of the diocese. The present pastor of this church is the Rev. W. H. Fitzpatrick, who has just completed a small church in Neponset, to be entitled St. Ann's. The Home for destitute children began this year.1
Bishop Fitzpatrick returned from Europe Sept. 1. 1864, and the priests of the diocese, to the number of eighty, assembled at his house to welcome him home, and presented him with a formal address and other testimonials of their regard. The presentation was made in behalf of the clergy by the
1 The Home for Destitute Catholic Children began as the Eliot Charity School, No. 9 High Street. In 1864 an association was formed con- sisting of the Rev. James A. Healy, Patrick Donahoe, Patrick II. Powers, Owen Lappan, Charles F. Donnelly, and others. In January, 1866, the Sisters of Charity took charge of the llome, which was soon afterwards transferred
to No. to Common Street. The corner-stone of the Home on Harrison Avenue was laid Oc- tober, 1870, and the building occupied the sum- mer following. The celebrated Irish Dominican preacher, Father Tom Burke, delivered in the fall of 1872, in the Jubilee Colosseum, a lecture in aid of the Home, which realized the extraordi- nary sum of $11,435.
539
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BOSTON.
Rev. Menassas P. Dougherty, of Cambridge. The bishop was not much improved in health by his stay in Europe, and about the middle of Decem- ber was taken so seriously ill as to cause great alarm to his friends. The Very Rev. John J. Williams was appointed, in 1866, Coadjutor, with right of succession, to Bishop Fitzpatrick.
Bishop Fitzpatrick died at the episcopal residence, near the site of the new cathedral, Feb. 13, 1866. The funeral services were conducted at the pro-cathedral, corner of Washington and Castle streets, February 16, the members of the St. Vincent de Paul's society having kept the night watches over the remains in the mean time. Bishop Goesbriand celebrated the mass of requiem ; the Rev. James Fitton assisted, and the Rev. Edward O'Brien, of New Haven, and the Rev. A. Sherwood Healy were the deacons. Arch- bishop M'Closkey delivered the funeral oration. The bishops present on this occasion were Archbishop Spaulding, of Baltimore, and Bishops Tinon, Loughlin, Bacon, Bailey, McFarland, Conroy, and Williams. A procession, formed of the clergy and the various Catholic societies of the city, moved from the church to the cemetery in South Boston, accompanied and followed by an immense multitude, and amid the tolling of the bells of the city.
Soon after this, March 11, Bishop Williams was consecrated at St. James's church, of which he was the rector, and immediately entered upon the duties of his office. He went to reside at the cathedral residence April 2, 1866, and the Rev. James A. Healy succeeded him in the rectorship of St. James's church. Bishop Williams was then about forty-four years of age, his birth- day being April 27. On the 2d of April of this year the Rev. William Byrne was appointed to succeed the Rev. James A. Healy in the office of the chancellor of the diocese. The Rev. T. Maginness, the present pastor of the church of St. Thomas, Jamaica Plain, was ordained priest this year.
The corner-stone of the chapel of the Carney Hospital was laid Aug. 12, 1866. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Fr. Hitzleberger, S. J. The late Andrew Carney, of Boston, had purchased in 1863, at a cost of $13.500, a house and a lot of land on Dorchester Heights, South Boston. This he presented to the Sisters of Charity for the purpose of having a hospital established there. By his will a sum of money amounting to $56,722 was also left towards this hospital and the chapel above mentioned. A part of the centre and one entire wing of the hospital has been for some years completed, at a cost of $108,423. The hospital was incorporated in 1865, but has no endowment, and subsists entirely by the charity of the public and the payments made by such patients as require, and can afford to pay for, private rooms. It is open to all classes and creeds, and its wards are con- tinually filled by charity patients. It has a staff of surgeons and physicians, recruited from the ranks of the medical profession of Boston, and is at present in charge of Sister Simplicia and fourteen other Sisters of Charity. The number of patients treated in 1879 was five hundred and forty. There is a debt of about $30,000 still due on the building. On the medical staff of this institution we find such eminent physicians as Drs. Bowditch,
540
THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
Blake, Shattuck, Langmaid, Dwight, and Hasket Derby, the celebrated ophthalmist.
The Sisters of the Good Shepherd, whose mission is the reformation of fallen women, established a house of their order in Boston, May 2, 1867. This was at first located on Allen Street. The sisters afterward moved to a larger house at Mount Pleasant, and now occupy a brick building erected for them and their wards near Brookline. This house is supported wholly by charitable offerings and the profits of the industry of the sisters and inmates, and continues to make every year many conquests from the ranks of vice and infamy.
A church in the fourth section of East Boston, built by the Rev. James Fitton, the indefatigable pastor of the Island Ward, was dedicated under the title of Star of the Sea, Aug. 16, 1868.
A portion of South Boston, in the vicinity of St. Augustine's chapel, was set off in 1868 as a separate parish, and the charge of building a new church and administering its affairs conferred on the Rev. D. O. Callaghan.1 Hc entered on his duties August 22, and has ever since worked with such zeal and energy, and has so completely secured the cordial co-operation of his flock, that the church is now completed. The church is of brick, in Gothic style, and is one of the most successful efforts of its architect, P. C. Keely. Nov. 8, 1880, the pastor had the happiness of seeing the crowning cross placed on the lofty and elegant spire of a church which is hardly sur- passed by any in the city. The work is so far paid for that the ordinary revenues of the church will probably suffice to meet the interest on the debt and the current expenses.
Jan. 4, 1869, the Rev. Thomas Maginness took charge of a church in Jamaica Plain, now a part of the city of Boston, which was begun by the Rev. P. O'Beirne, of St. Joseph's, Roxbury. The corner-stone of this church was laid August 15 of this year. The sermon was preached by the Right Rev. P. T. O'Reilly, Bishop of Springfield. The church was dedicated, when completed, under the title of St. Thomas Aquinas, Aug. 17, 1873. There is now attached to it a convent and a novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who teach the schools of the parish. The church is of brick, of a good style exteriorly, and very elegantly finished within. The third church in East Boston was begun Aug. 29, 1869, of which the Rev. Jos. Cassin is now pas- tor. The sermon on the occasion of laying the corner-stone was preached by the Rev. R. W. Brady, S. J. This church was dedicated Nov. 6, 1873, under the title of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. The Rev. James Fitton celebrated the mass, and the Rev. Edward H. Welch, S. J., preached the sermon. This church is also of brick, and is neatly frescoed by Brazer. There is a school here also.
During the absence of Bishop Williams in Europe, from Oct. 19, 1869, to June 27, 1870, - that is, during the period of the Vatican Council, - Vicar-General Lyndon administered the affairs of the diocese.
1 Ordained priest June 29, 1865.
541
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BOSTON.
The Rev. Thomas Lynch, pastor of St. Patrick's church, Northampton Street, died March 27, 1870, and was succeeded by the Rev. Joseph H. Galligher. Through the exertions of the latter, a new church of ample dimensions was built on Dudley Street, near Mount Pleasant.
The corner-stone of the new St. Patrick's church, on Dudley Street, was laid by Bishop Williams July 13, 1873. The Rev. Father Freitag, of the Redemptorist order, preached the sermon, and the music was rendered by the Boston Catholic Choral Union. St. Patrick's new church was dedicated, Sunday, Dec. 5, 1880, by the archbishop, assisted by the Very Rev. Wil- liam Byrne, V. G .; the Rev. M. Moran, the Rev. P. Ronan, the Rev. W. J. J. Daly, and the Rev. Michael Gilligan, acting as deacons. The Right Rev. P. T. O'Reilly preached, and about forty priests attended. There is also a fine pastoral residence, which stands on the lot adjoining the church.
The new house of the Little Sisters of the Poor, now so well and so favor- ably known in Boston, is located in the neighborhood of this church. These sisters came to Boston, April 20, 1870, and rented a house on Springfield Street, to be used as a home for destitute aged persons. In a short time they were able to purchase an estate on Dudley Street, Mount Pleasant, and had the chapel of their new home dedicated Dec. 8, 1874. They first occul- pied the new central part of their main building July 5, 1880. Mother Cecilia was the first superior. They now care for ninety old men, and eighty-six women. The sisters find no difficulty in procuring, through charitable donations, sufficient food for the poor under their care, and are only embarrassed in providing room to lodge them. This is one of the most deserving charities in the city, and citizens of all creeds and classes seem to recognize this fact, judging from the liberality of their donations in clothing, provisions, and money.
The corner-stone of the large and splendid church edifice at Meeting- House Hill, Dorchester district, which was projected and built of stone quarried on the site, under the direction of the Rev. Peter Ronan, its pres- ent rector, was laid Aug. 24, 1873. Father Freitag preached the sermon on this occasion also. The church is to be dedicated under the title of St. Peter's.
This year a small Baptist meeting-house on North Bennet Street was bought, and converted into a Catholic church for the use of the Portuguese and Italians. The old title of the Moon-Street chapel, St. John the Baptist, was given to this church. The Portuguese alone now worship in this church, the Italians having built a small chapel of their own on Prince Street, which is named for St. Leonard of Port Maurice. The present pastor of the Portu- guese is the Rev. H. B. M. Hughes, a venerable missionary father who has seen service in many lands, and speaks as many languages. The pastor of the Italians is Father Boniface, of the Franciscans.
Under the auspices and management of the Catholic Union of Boston a grand festival of three days' duration was conducted in Music Hall, about Nov. 13, 1873, in honor of Pope Pius IX. This was one of the most bril-
542
THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
liant and impressive demonstrations ever made by the Catholics of Boston. An eloquent address was delivered on the occasion by the Rev. Kent Stone, a recent convert to the church.
June 12, 1874, a fourth church in East Boston was dedicated in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Rev. L. P. McCarthy is the pastor. The church was built under the supervision of that veteran church builder, the venerable missionary and church historian, the Rev. James Fitton, from whose records these facts in relation to East Boston are gleaned.
A fourth church in South Boston was also dedicated this year. This was the new St. Vincent's church, built under the direction of the Rev. Michael Lane, since deceased. The mass of dedication was celebrated by the Rev. W. A. Blinkinsop, and the sermon delivered by Father Wissell, of the Re- demptorist missions.
July 31, occurred the lamented death of the Rev. George A. Hamilton, pastor of St. Mary's, Charlestown. At his funeral the vicar-general of the diocese celebrated the mass in the presence of the bishop, a large number of the clergy, and a multitude which not only crowded the church, but the space and street in the vicinity. Bishop Lynch, of Charleston, S. C., de- livered the panegyric. The Rev. John O'Brien, at present engaged in build- ing a large stone church in East Cambridge, was for several years a co-laborer of Father Hamilton, at St. Mary's, Charlestown.
August 30, the bishop solemnly dedicated the new St. Augustine's Church, South Boston. The Rev. F. E. Boyle, of Washington, D. C., preached in the forenoon, and the Rev. A. S. Healy at vespers. There is a fine brick pastoral residence attached to this church.
Sept. 7, 1874, the Rev. William Byrne was appointed rector of St. Mary's church, Charlestown, and was succeeded by the Rev. T. A. Metcalf.1 The St. Mary's Infant Asylum in Dorchester was opened, Sept. 8, 1874.
A church in West Roxbury, built by the Rev. Thomas Maginness, was burned down this year, December 15. It was afterward rebuilt, and was for some years in charge of the Rev. R. J. Barry, now building a church in Hyde Park.
The Rev. James A. Healy, rector of St. James's church, having been made Bishop of Portland, Maine, his brother, the Rev. A. S. Healy, for some years professor at Troy seminary, and for a time rector of the cathe- dral, was appointed pastor of that church, April 5, 1875. He died soon after his removal to St. James's. His funeral, which took place October 23, was attended by about one hundred and fifty clergymen, the members of the Catholic Union, and a congregation which completely filled the large
1 About this time arrived from Rome, where they had completed their studies, the Rev. Theo- core A. Metcalf, the Rev. J. B. Smith, the Rev. J. B. McMahon, and the Rev. J. E. Millerick. The two latter are now stationed at St. Stephen's, Boston; the Rev. J. B. Smith is the present rec- tor of the Cathedral, and the Rev. Theodore A.
Metcalf succeeded the Rev. William Byrne, in the office of chancellor. He was also for a time rector of the Cathedral, and conducted therein some of the most important ceremonics that it has yet witnessed, - such as the dedication, the conferring of the pallium, and the solemn re quiem for Pope Pius IX.
543
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BOSTON.
new church on Harrison Avenue. The Rev. Thomas Shahan succeeded him, Oct. 29, 1875. He has already made some progress in reducing a heavy debt which has continued to burden this parish ever since the build- ing of its first church. He has also established a parochial primary school for boys.
April 18, 1875, St. Stephen's church, enlarged and improved was re- dedicated, Bishop O'Reilly, of Springfield, preaching the sermon.
On May 2, 1875, occurred one of the most notable events in the history of the Catholic Church in Boston. This was the ceremony of conferring the pallium of an archbishop on the Right Rev. John J. Williams. The new cathedral, not then quite finished, was temporarily fitted up for the oc- casion. Bishop McNeirney, of Albany, celebrated the solemn high mass, Bishop Goesbriand preached the sermon, and the pallium, which had been brought from Rome by an ablegate of the Pope, - Mons. Cesar Roncetti, accompanied by his secretary, Dr. Ubalbi, and a nobleman of the Papal Guard, Count Marefoschi, - was conferred on Archbishop Williams by Car- dinal M'Closkey, of New York, in the presence of all the bishops of the ecclesiastical province of New York, and the clergy of this and the neigh- boring ยท dioceses, and before an assembly of about six thousand persons. The music was rendered in a creditable manner by the cathedral choir, aug- mented for the occasion. A sanctuary choir of boys and young men, which had been trained by Mdlle. Gabrielle de la Motte, sang portions of the ser- vice with rare precision, correct expression, and remarkable power. This choir continues to sing in the sanctuary of the cathedral every Sunday. The ceremonies were conducted in an admirable manner by the Rev. T. A. Metcalf and the Rev. Hugh Roe O'Donnell. The preparations for the oc- casion were made under the efficient supervision of the Very Rev. P. F. Lyndon, vicar-general of the diocese.
On June 6, 1875, in accordance with the provisions of a law which, through the efforts of Senator Flatley and others, had just passed the Legis- lature, the first Catholic religious service was held in the chapel of the State- prison by the Rev. William Byrne, pastor of St. Mary's church, Charles- town. These services were continued every Sunday for the benefit of the Catholic prisoners, and are still held in the chapel of the new prison at Concord. The same religious privileges are also enjoyed by the Catholic inmates of the reformatory and charitable institutions of the city.
The centennial of Daniel O'Connell, the emancipator of Ireland, was celebrated in Boston, August 6 of this year. The Rev. Robert Fulton, S. J., preached a sermon in St. James's on the occasion, and the evening was observed by a grand civic banquet, at which appropriate speeches were made by several distinguished citizens.
The Rev. Robert Fulton, S. J., having by his wise and energetic man- agement succeeded in paying off the entire debt of the church of the Immaculate Conception, the archbishop, Aug. 15, 1875, solemnly conse- crated the church, assisted by the bishops of Albany, Burlington, Spring-
544
THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
field, and Providence. The Bishop-of Burlington preached the sermon at vespers. The Rev. R. Fulton, S. J., is now pastor of a church in New York.
The dedication of the new cathedral of the Holy Cross, which with the exception of the spires was now completed, took place Dec. 8, 1875. His grace, the Archbishop, officiated. Bishop Lynch, of Charleston, S. C., preached the sermon. All the bishops of the new ecclesiastical province of Boston were present, together with about one hundred and fifty priests, and a congregation that not only filled the immense auditorium of the cathe- dral, but overflowed by thousands into the adjoining streets. The Catholic Choral Society rendered the music, a sanctuary choir of boys and young men taking their share in the work, to the great satisfaction of all.
The new episcopal residence being completed, the archbishop and the clergy of the cathedral began to occupy it about this time. This residence was built by the contributions of the clergy of the diocese, and stands at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Union-Park Street. The burial crypt under the cathedral being now ready, the body of Bishop Fitzpatrick, which had been temporarily deposited in a tomb in St. Augustine's cemetery, was transferred to the cathedral and laid in a vault with the usual religious rites and ceremonies.
April 20 of this year the Rev. John Delahunty succeeded the Rev. James Griffin in the rectorship of St. Francis de Sales' church, Vernon Street, and now occupies that position. On April 25 of this year occurred the death of a priest whose history brings us back to the palmy days of the old ca- thedral on Franklin Street. This was the Rev. Nicholas J. O'Brien, who was ordained priest in 1842, and was for some years pastor of the church in East Boston.
The mission fathers of the Society of the Holy Redeemer, who are chiefly engaged in giving missions in the various parish churches in aid of the regular pastors, purchased the Dearborn estate in Roxbury. On this site the corner-stone of a new church edifice, one of the finest in New England, was laid with the usual pomp and ceremony on May 28, 1876. Bishop Healy preached the sermon. On the night of that same day the house occupied by the fathers caught fire in some mysterious way, and was burned to the ground. They have since replaced the old mansion by a more com- modious dwelling-house. The church was dedicated April 7, 1878.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.