Province
of boston
Pope Pius IX created the Province of Boston Massachusetts ,
Maine , New Hampshire ,
and Vermont
I have seen most of these cathedrals. I visited the Portland cathedral a few years
ago and the Manchester cathedral many years ago. I have not seen any of the basilicas.
Map of the Province
Massachusetts
Catholic History of Massachusetts
Various European explorers visited what is now Massachusetts , possibly as early as the year 1000, but
colonization did not occur until the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth
There were enough French and Irish Catholics in Boston to establish the first parish in New
England in 1788. Pope Pius
VII created the Diocese of Boston in 1808—one of the first six U.S. dioceses—to
serve all of New England. Boston was then the fourth largest city in the United States Boston
Catholics settled in other parts of Massachusetts Massachusetts Massachusetts New Bedford in 1821 and Fall River Fall River and New Bedford Fall
River
Archdiocese of Boston
The Archdiocese of Boston consists of 4 counties and part of
Plymouth County
in eastern Massachusetts
Bishops of Boston
John L. de Cheverus (1768-1836), first Bishop of Boston
(1808-1823).
- Born in France and ordained a priest in France in 1790.
- Also served as Apostolic Administrator of New York (1810-1815), Bishop of Montauban, France (1823-1826), and Archbishop of Bordeaux, France (1826-1836). Pope Gregory XVI named him a Cardinal in 1836.
John de Cheverus went to England in 1792 to escape the French
Revolution and came to Boston in 1796.
He and another priest ministered to a small number of French and Irish
Catholics in Boston and a group of Native American Catholics in northern
Maine—he spoke several Native American languages. Cheverus built Holy Cross Church on Franklin
Street in 1803, which became his Cathedral in 1808 when he was named the first
Bishop of Boston. Bishop Cheverus
traveled, often on foot, throughout his Diocese, which included most of New
England, to spread the Faith and administer the Sacraments. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was
gaining the respect of Boston
Benedict J. Fenwick, S.J. (1782-1846), Bishop of Boston
(1825-1846).
- Born in Maryland and ordained a Jesuit priest in 1808.
The Diocese had two priests and four churches to serve 7,000
Catholics at the time Fenwick became Bishop.
Bishop Fenwick established a seminary, schools, and a Jesuit
college—Holy Cross—in Worcester. He began
a weekly Catholic newspaper (now known at The
Pilot)—one of the nation’s first—and invited religious orders, including
the Ursulines and the Sisters of Charity, to establish schools and orphanages
and to serve the poor. Fenwick also initiated
rules and procedures for the Diocese.
Unfortunately, the large numbers of Irish immigrants coming to Boston
were not always welcomed by non-Catholics—a mob burned an Ursuline convent in
Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1834.
Fenwick tried to diminish the hatred through lectures and the
publication of pamphlets explaining Catholicism to Protestants. But there were also some prominent
conversions to Catholicism as well.
Bishop Fenwick died in 1846 at which time the Diocese had about 70,000
Catholics, 50 churches, and 50 priests.
John B. Fitzpatrick (1812-1866), Bishop of Boston
(1846-1866).
·
Born in Boston and ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Boston in 1840.
·
Also served as coadjutor bishop of Boston
(1843-1846).
Bishop Fitzpatrick served at a difficult time for Irish
Catholics in New England. Many new Irish
immigrants came there as a result of the potato famine in the late 1840s and
were often met with hostility by non-Catholics.
In 1854, mobs burned three churches in Massachusetts ,
Maine , and New Hampshire ,
and tarred and feathered a priest in Maine
Archbishops of Boston
John J. Williams (1822-1907), Bishop of Boston
(1866-1875) and first Archbishop of Boston (1875-1907).
- Born in Boston and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Boston in 1845.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of Boston (1866).
Williams became Bishop of Boston upon the death of Bishop
Fitzpatrick in 1866 and was appointed the first Archbishop of Boston in 1875
when the Archdiocese was created.
Archbishop Williams spent much of his time accommodating the large
numbers of immigrants coming to Massachusetts.
His diocese grew from 300,000 Catholics in 1866 to 600,000 thirty years
later, despite the creation of new dioceses, and he often dedicated as many as
ten new churches each year. These immigrants
were not only Irish, but included French Canadian, Italian, Portuguese,
Scottish, German, Syrian, Lithuanian, and Polish Catholics—all of whom wanted
priests that spoke their language and parishes that respected their culture. Archbishop Williams often stood up to those
who oppressed the new immigrants. A sign
of changing times was the election in 1885 of Hugh O’Brien, Boston’s first
Catholic mayor. Williams established
many new schools, hospitals and orphanages, St. John's Seminary at Brighton,
and dedicated the new Cathedral of the Holy Cross. He created a marriage tribunal and
centralized control of Catholic schools.
He was one of the bishops most responsible for the establishment of the
North American College in Rome.
Archbishop Williams died in 1907.
He was one of 19 U.S. bishops to serve more than 40 years as bishop of a
single diocese.
William H. O’Connell (1859-1944), Archbishop of Boston
(1907-1944).
·
Born in Lowell and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of Boston in 1884.
·
Also served as Bishop of Portland (1901-1906)
and coadjutor archbishop of Boston (1906-1907).
He was named a Cardinal by Pope Pius X in 1911. He and Archbishop John Farley of New York
were the third and fourth U.S. cardinals.
Cardinal O’Connell served as Archbishop at a time when
Irish-Americans became a force in the politics and culture of
Massachusetts. He used his position to
protect and advance the interests of Catholics in the Archdiocese and was noted
for being outspoken on the issues of the day.
(Until Pearl Harbor was attacked, O’Connell tried to keep the United
States out of the Second World War). He
upheld the Catholic Faith as being the defender of traditional moral and
cultural values, a role previously held by Protestants. He was not timid in wielding influence among
politicians, especially those who were Irish Catholic. He was noted for being a strong administrator
and he greatly increased the number of parishes and priests in the
Archdiocese. Cardinal O’Connell opened
dozens of new Catholic high schools, knowing that education would bring
respectability to Catholics. He placed
the Catholic newspaper and St. John’s Seminary under Archdiocesan control. He allowed one of his priests to start the
Maryknoll Fathers and he opened three colleges for women. O’Connell made one notable mistake by
appointing his priest-nephew as chancellor of the Archdiocese. The nephew was secretly married and was
forced to leave the priesthood when this was discovered. Cardinal O’Connell died in 1944.
Richard J. Cushing (1895-1970), Archbishop of Boston
(1944-1970).
·
Born in Boston and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of Boston in 1921.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Boston
(1939-1944). Pope John XXIII named him a
Cardinal in 1958.
Cardinal Cushing was perhaps best known for being a friend
to the Kennedy family and for presiding at President John F. Kennedy’s funeral
mass. He was Archbishop during a time of
growth in the Archdiocese and he increased the number of parishes by one-third
and opened many new schools, colleges, hospitals, and other institutions that
served the needs of the handicapped (especially children), aged, and homeless. He supported greater lay involvement in
Church activities and supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Cushing played a major role in the Council’s
document that made clear that we are all responsible for the death of Christ—not
just the Jews. He served on an ecumenical
committee with Protestants and Jews, started a mission that lent priests to
other dioceses, and established a seminary for older men. He was noted for his
strong anti-Communist views and did not hesitate to state his views on the
political issues of the day. He died of
cancer in 1970 shortly after his retirement.
Humberto S. Medeiros (1915-1983), Archbishop of Boston
(1970-1983).
·
Born in the Azores and ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts in 1946.
·
Also served as Bishop of Brownsville, Texas
(1966-1970). Pope Paul VI named him a
Cardinal in 1973.
Cardinal Medeiros, a Portuguese-American, served as
Archbishop during a time when growth in the Archdiocese was negligible and when
the laity did not always agree with the Church on key issues, such as school
integration and public funding for abortion.
Medeiros spoke out against racism, abortion, and the Vietnam War. He also refused to allow students to attend
Catholic schools just to avoid being bused to schools outside their
neighborhoods. Medeiros also inherited a
large debt from the building boom of previous decades, which he successfully
paid off. He encouraged greater lay
involvement in the Church through the authorization of eucharistic ministers in
each parish. He also established the
permanent diaconate program in 1976 and reinvigorated campus ministry. Cardinal Medeiros spoke six languages and was
noted for his piety. He died during open
heart surgery in 1983.
Bernard F. Law (1931-
), Archbishop of Boston (1984-2002).
·
Born in Mexico and ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Natchez-Jackson in Mississippi in 1961.
·
Also served as Bishop of Springfield-Cape
Girardeau, Missouri (1973-1984). Pope
John Paul II named him a Cardinal in 1985.
Cardinal Law modernized the administration of the
Archdiocese and established the Cardinal’s Appeal as a single fundraising
effort. He appointed lay people to key
positions and established a Catholic healthcare network within the Archdiocese. He also played an influential role in the
1994 publication of the English language version of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church. He resigned in 2002 as
a result of his mishandling of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the
Archdiocese.
Current Archbishop
Seán P. O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap, was appointed Archbishop of
Boston by Pope John Paul II in 2003. He
was born in Ohio St.
Thomas in the Virgin Islands
(1984-1985), Bishop of St. Thomas (1985-1992), Bishop of Fall River
(1992-2002), and Bishop of Palm Beach, Florida (2002-2003). Pope Benedict XVI named him a Cardinal in
2006.
The Cathedral
Cathedral of the
Holy Cross
1400 Washington Street
The Cathedral is the only U.S. cathedral dedicated to the
Holy Cross of our Lord. Christians
believe that Jesus died on the Cross to redeem the world from its sins. The Crucifixion is commemorated at each
Catholic Mass and in a special way on Good Friday.
Assist us, O Lord our God and defend us evermore by the
might of Thy holy Cross,
in whose honor Thou make us to rejoice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
in whose honor Thou make us to rejoice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Father Claudius Bouchard established Holy Cross as the first
Catholic parish in Massachusetts in 1788 when he bought a small brick church on
School Street to serve his small congregation of French and Irish
Catholics. Father John Cheverus replaced
this church with a new one in 1803 located on Franklin Street. This new church was designed by Charles
Bulfinch, who designed the Massachusetts State House and helped design the U.S.
Capitol. Many non-Catholics, including
President John Adams, donated to the building fund. This 4,400 square foot Italian Renaissance
church became Boston’s Cathedral in 1808.
The last Mass in the old Cathedral was celebrated in 1860 and the
building was torn down in 1862. [The
Cathedral parish met in a former theater from 1860 to 1862 and in a former
Unitarian church from 1862 to 1875—both were located on Washington Street.] The Civil War delayed ground-breaking for the
current Cathedral until 1866. The
Cathedral, designed by Patrick Charles Keely, was completed in 1875.
The Cathedral is designed in Gothic Revival style with one
tower and was built with Roxbury puddingstone and gray limestone. The Cathedral is 364 feet long and 90 feet
wide in a cruciform shape and is the largest church in New England. The Cathedral seats 1,700 people. The 120-foot high bell tower has five bells
recently obtained from the former Holy Trinity German Catholic Church nearby. Holy Trinity acquired the bells in 1877 from
former Army General Benjamin Butler.
Butler was the commanding general of Union forces occupying New Orleans
during the Civil War and he had confiscated them from a New Orleans church.
From Wikipedia
The Cathedral’s nave is very open with only two rows of
columns. The ceiling is made of carved
wood. To the left of the main altar is
the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, which has a tabernacle made in Spain. The Chapel’s crucifix contains a relic of the
True Cross and was a gift from the Cathedral’s first pastor. The Lady Chapel to the right of the main
altar has a statue of Mary that was made in Germany. The stained glass windows depict the Seven
Sorrows of Our Blessed Mother.
In addition to the Lady Chapel windows, there are 25 other
stained glass windows in the Cathedral.
They were made in Munich, Germany, by painting enamel on glass. According to a description once on the
Cathedral’s website, “the windows show intense colors that attract the eye,
decorate the interior, and yet let in a considerable amount of light. Examine,
for example, the windows of Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Brigid. A study of
their robes and faces shows that the glass painter used subtle tones of blue,
purple, red, and green, just as a portrait painter in oils uses such tones.”
The North Transept Window depicts The Revelation of the True
Cross of Christ. According to tradition
(and quoting from the website), “after the death of Christ, the three crosses
of Golgotha were lost. Their rediscovery came during the reign of Constantine,
the first Roman Emperor to embrace Christianity. It was Saint Helena,
Constantine’s mother, who led the search for the Cross of Christ. She summoned learned
Jews and questioned them about the location of Golgotha. Finding three crosses, they laid each on the
body of a person who had recently died. When touched by the True Cross, a woman
is seen to sit up and praise the Wood of her Redeemer. Her child appears at her
side, guided by her husband. The crosses of the thieves lie discarded by the steps.
The Bishop of Jerusalem gives thanks, while Helena is recognized standing to
his left, her crown and robe silhouetted against a dark stone.”
The South Transept Window depicts The Exaltation of the
Cross. Again according to the Cathedral
website, “in 615, the Persian Army conquered Jerusalem and carried off the
relic of the True Cross. Later, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius attacked Persia
and recovered the Cross. The scene in this window depicts the return of
Heraclius to Jerusalem. Legend recounts that when the Emperor arrived at the
Basilica dressed in imperial robes, an unseen force held him back until
Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem, told the Emperor that he must take off his
imperial trappings and imitate the poverty of
Christ.
So Heraclius shed his robes and then, barefoot and bareheaded, he was able to
enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and restore the Cross to its shrine.”
A
rose window showing King David is in the upper organ gallery. The other windows mostly depict saints. The
Cathedral’s pipe organ was built in 1876 by the E. & G. Hook & Hastings
Company. The organ is a three-manual, 70
stop instrument.
The Lower church of the Cathedral contains numerous wood carved statues of saints, including one of each of the Apostles. The altar in the lower Chapel came from the Franklin Street cathedral. The Crypt contains the remains of some of Boston’s bishops.
Additional information can be found on the Cathedral’s
website at holycrossboston.com and on the Archdiocesan website,
bostoncatholic.org.
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is located in Boston’s South
End and has six weekend masses
including one in Spanish, one in Latin, and one in Ethiopian (and one monthly
Mass in German). The Cathedral Grammar
School has 200 students and Cathedral High School has 270 students.
Pictures are from Wikipedia
Also in the Archdiocese
Annunciation Cathedral in Roslindale is the Mother Church for the Melkite Diocese of Newton, Massachusetts—the only Melkite-rite diocese in the United States. About 25,000 Melkite Catholics live in the United States and are served by 41 parishes in 18 states.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica is in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Pope Pius IX, in 1854, directed the Redemptorist Order to spread devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The Redemporists came to Boston in 1868 and built a wooden church dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This simple structure was replaced by the current church in 1878. The Romanesque Basilica is made from Roxbury granite and has a 110 foot dome and twin towers that rise 215 feet above the street. Many cures have been attributed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help whose picture is displayed prominently in the Basilica. Pope Pius XII designated the church as a minor basilica in 1954, the ninth U.S. church to be so honored. The Basilica is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship. The Basilica’s website is bostonsbasilica.com.
Diocese of Springfield
The diocese consists of 4 counties in western
Massachusetts. The diocese has 201,000
Catholics (24 percent of the total population) in 81 parishes.
Bishops of Springfield
Patrick T. O’Reilly (1833-1892), first Bishop of
Springfield (1870-1892).
- Born in Ireland and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Boston in 1857.
[From Wikipedia] Bishop O’Reilly saw the number of Diocesan
Catholics more than double and he ordained 150 new priests, opened 53 parishes,
built 28 schools, and invited over 300 nuns to work in the Diocese. He helped establish the hospital of the Sisters of Providence in Holyoke and the orphan homes in Holyoke and Worcester. He died in 1892.
Thomas D. Beaven (1851-1920), Bishop of Springfield
(1892-1920).
·
Born in Springfield and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Boston in 1875.
Bishop Beaven established several organizations to serve the
needy, including homes for infants, orphans, and the elderly. He built four hospitals, started a monthly diocesan
newspaper, and encouraged many priestly and religious vocations. He died in 1920.
Thomas M. O’Leary (1875-1949), Bishop of Springfield
(1921-1949).
·
Born in New Hampshire and ordained a priest in
1897 for the Diocese of Manchester.
[From Wikipedia] Bishop O’Leary established 24 parishes and
invited new religious orders to work in the Diocese. He established a weekly Diocesan newspaper
and was co-founder and first president of Elms College. He died in 1949.
Christopher
J. Weldon (1905-1982), Bishop of Springfield (1950-1977).
·
Born in New York City and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of New York in 1939.
[From Wikipedia] Bishop Weldon built Cathedral High School in Springfield and
other schools and institutions. He also
opened 10 new parishes and a center for the Hispanic apostolate in Springfield. He attended
the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965
and began implementation of its decrees.
He retired in 1977.
Joseph F. Maguire (1919-2014), Bishop of Springfield
(1977-1991).
- Born in Roxbury and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1945.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Boston (1972-1976) and coadjutor bishop of Springfield (1976-1977).
Bishop Maguire became Bishop in 1977 and was very popular in
the Diocese. He sought greater pastoral
care for the people of the Diocese through the creation of ministries directed
to Black Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, and young people, and offices for
communications and pastoral ministry. He
also started the RENEW program in the Diocese to energize Catholics and
welcomed refugees from many countries. Bishop
Maguire started the permanent diaconate program in the Diocese and strongly
supported ecumenical efforts. Maguire
also established an endowment program for the Diocese. Bishop Maguire was successfully sued for
failure to remove a priest from ministry who later molested a child. Maguire retired in 1991.
John A. Marshall (1928-1994), Bishop of Springfield
(1991-1994).
- Born in Worcester and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Worcester in 1953.
- Also served as Bishop of Burlington (1971-1991).
[From Wikipedia]
Bishop Marshall established a Misconduct Commission in response to
sexual abuse among the clergy. He was
also criticized for his handling of misconduct allegations against one
priest. He died in 1994.
Thomas L. Dupre (1933-2016), Bishop of Springfield
(1995-2004).
·
Born in South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts, and
ordained a priest in 1959 for the Diocese of Springfield.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Springfield
(1990-1995).
Dupre resigned in 2004 after the media reported allegations
that he had abused minors as a parish priest.
He was later indicted for this, but charges were dropped due to the
statute of limitations. Dupre was laicized
by the Vatican in 2006, according to media reports.
Timothy A. McDonnell (1937- ), Bishop of Springfield (2004-2014).
·
Born in New York and ordained a priest in 1963
for the Archdiocese of New York.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of New York (2001-2004).
[From Wikipedia] He closed several parishes in the diocese. He retired in 2014.
Current Bishop
Mitchell Rozanski was appointed Bishop of Springfield by
Pope Francis in 2014. He was born in Baltimore
in 1958 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1984. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Baltimore
(2004-2014).
The Cathedral
St. Michael’s Cathedral
254 State Street
St. Michael is the leader of God’s angels and is one of the
seven archangels “who stand before the Lord.”
He is mentioned several times in the Bible as the angel who, among other
things, defeated the Devil and his fallen angels and thrust them into Hell and
who guarded the body of Moses. He
executes the final judgment of God against all souls. He is the patron saint of soldiers, police
officers, and more interestingly, of grocers and radiologists. He is also the patron saint of several
countries. His feast day, which he
shares with the archangels Gabriel and Raphael, is September 29.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God
rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly hosts, by the
power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits who prowl about
the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
St. Benedict’s parish was established in 1847 as the first
parish in Springfield. The parish met in
a former Baptist church on Union Street until the current building was
completed in 1861. This current building,
designed by Patrick Charles Keely and renamed St. Michael’s, became the
Cathedral for the new Diocese of Springfield in 1870. St. Michael's Cathedral is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The pastor at the time of construction, Father Michael Gallagher,
acquired much of the land around that needed for the new Cathedral and sold the
surplus at a profit which was used to pay for the construction.
The Cathedral is described as having a classic New England
exterior and Victorian-Georgian interior.
The Cathedral is 215 feet in length and 90 feet wide. It seats 1,175. The bell tower rises 120 feet and contains a
bell crafted by Paul Revere's son-in-law and an illuminated statue of St.
Michael the Archangel.
The interior of the Cathedral features Keely’s original
ornate plasterwork and the walls, ceilings, and pillars are painted in blue,
rose and ivory with gold leaf accents.
The furnishings are made of either marble or oak. Behind the main
altar is a mosaic of the Burning Bush made by D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art
Studios of New York. The Cathedral’s
stained glass windows in the nave depict the responsibilities of a bishop. The windows in the choir loft depict Pope St.
Gregory the Great and Pope St. Pius X, who both influenced the development of
sacred music. These windows were created by Connick Associates of Boston in
1957.
The Cathedral has three pipe organs. Two Casavant organs were purchased in 1929. The gallery organ has over 6,600 pipes on
four keyboards and pedals. The smaller chancel organ is of two manuals
and pedals. In 1997, an American Classic organ of eleven ranks was
installed.
The Bishop Marshall Center, attached to the Cathedral,
contains a chapel dedicated to the Holy Spirit.
The Chapel’s tabernacle was the original tabernacle for the
Cathedral. The statues on the reredos in
the Chapel, the Holy Family portrait in the hallway of the Bishop Marshall
Center, and the stained glass windows in the cloister of the Center, all came
from the former Holy Family Church in Springfield.
St. Michael’s Cathedral is located in downtown Springfield
and has five weekend masses, including one in Spanish. Additional information can be found on the
Cathedral website at stmichaelscathedralspfld.org and on the Diocesan website
at diospringfield.org.
All pictures are from the Cathedral website.
Also in the Diocese
St. Stanislaus Basilica in located in Chicopee. St. Stanislaus parish was founded in 1891 to
serve Polish-Americans who had recently settled in Chicopee
Diocese of Fall River
The diocese consists of 4 counties plus part of Plymouth County
in southeastern Massachusetts
Bishops of Fall River
William Stang (1854-1907), first Bishop of Fall River
(1904-1907).
- Born in Germany, ordained a priest in Europe in 1878, and became a priest for the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island the same year.
Bishop Stang was well-educated and authored several books
and essays. He served as Bishop of Fall
River for just less than three years, but was noted for his hard work,
holiness, and charitable acts. He helped
establish St. Ann’s Hospital in Fall River, started 11 parishes, and improved
catechetical instruction. He died in
1907 following surgery.
Daniel F. Feehan (1855-1934), Bishop of Fall River
(1907-1934).
- Born in Athol, Massachusetts, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Springfield in 1879.
Bishop Feehan established 36 parishes and opened several
child care institutions. He also started
an office for charitable and social services.
He died in 1934.
James E. Cassidy (1869-1951), Bishop of Fall River
(1934-1951).
- Born in Rhode Island and ordained a priest in 1898.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Fall River (1930-1934).
Bishop Cassidy advocated strongly for workers’ rights and
temperance. He started several homes for
the aged, which became models for other dioceses. He saw the Diocese through the Second World
War, but opposed the establishment of the Women’s Army Corps as being
inappropriate for Catholic women. He
died in 1951.
James L. Connolly (1894-1986), Bishop of Fall River
(1951-1970).
- Born in Fall River and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fall River in 1923.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of Fall River (1945-1951).
Bishop Connolly built dozens of new churches and schools,
including four new high schools. He
ordained 130 new priests for the Diocese (and another 100 for religious
orders). Connolly started the Diocesan
newspaper and often visited the incurably ill.
He attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council. Bishop Connolly retired in 1970.
Daniel A. Cronin (1927-
), Bishop of Fall River (1970-1991).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1952.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Boston (1968-1970) and Archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut (1991-2003).
Bishop Cronin implemented the decrees of the Second Vatican
Council, including liturgical reform, restoration of the permanent diaconate,
and improved education for clergy. He
expanded the Diocese’s counseling and social services, family life ministry,
and pro-life ministries. He frequently
visited the sick in hospitals. He was
named Archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1991.
Seán P. O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap (1944- ), Bishop of Fall River (1992-2002).
- Born in Ohio and ordained a Capuchin priest in 1970.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands (1984-1985), Bishop of St. Thomas (1985-1992), Bishop of Palm Beach, Florida (2002-2003), and serves as Archbishop of Boston (since 2003). Pope Benedict XVI named him a Cardinal in 2006.
O’Malley became Bishop as the Diocese faced a serious clergy
sexual abuse scandal. He was generally
credited with successfully handling the scandal with compassion. He established an education fund to help
needy students attend Catholic schools and expanded social services. He opened offices to help AIDS victims and
immigrants. O’Malley began annual Masses
for those in the legal and healthcare professions and established an office to
assist him in merging parishes and assigning priests. He was appointed Bishop of Palm Beach,
Florida, in 2002. Cardinal O’Malley is
now the Archbishop of Boston.
George W. Coleman (1939-
), Bishop of Fall River (2003-2014).
- Born in Fall River and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fall River in 1964.
Coleman served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese for
eight months prior to being named Bishop.
Bishop Coleman continued the work of Bishop O’Malley in realignment of
the Diocese’s parishes due to changing demographics. He also reorganized the Diocesan Education
department and opened the first Catholic High School on Cape Cod. Coleman retired in 2014.
Current Bishop
Edgar da Cunha, S.D.V., was appointed Bishop of Fall River
by Pope Francis in 2014. He was born in Brazil
in 1953 and ordained a priest for the Society for Divine Vocations in 1982. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of
Newark, New Jersey (2003-2014). Bishop
da Cunha speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.
The Cathedral
The Cathedral
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Second and Spring
Streets
The Cathedral is named for Mary, the mother of Jesus, and
therefore, the Mother of God. From the
earliest days of the Church, Christians believed that Mary, upon her death, was
assumed body and soul into Heaven by her Son.
This belief was formalized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, who declared that
the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a dogma of the Catholic
Faith. The Feast of the Assumption is
celebrated on August 15.
Father in heaven, all creation rightly gives you praise, for all life and all holiness come from you. In the plan of your
wisdom she who bore the Christ in her womb was raised body and soul in glory to be with Him in heaven. May we follow her example in reflecting your
holiness and join in her hymn of endless love and praise. We ask
this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Cathedral parish was founded in 1838 as St. John the
Baptist parish—the oldest parish in Fall River.
The small wooden St. John the Baptist Church
The Cathedral was designed by Patrick Charles Keely in an
Early English Gothic Revival style and is constructed with native granite. It was originally able to seat 1,200 people,
but now seats less due to renovations.
The Cathedral is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The top picture is from the Diocesan website and the bottom is from the Cathedral website.
The Cathedral is supported by 18 giant granite columns—nine
on each side of the nave—that are supported by 15-foot bases below the
floor. The columns are topped with
Corinthian capitals. The high
hammer-beam ceiling features gold-leaf decorations painted by Conrad Schmitt.
The sanctuary has carved oak screens on each side and a
wooden altar. Other oak carvings and
statues grace the front of the Cathedral.
The most impressive is the crucifix created over 100 years ago by
Johannes Kirchmayer, a Boston artist originally from Bavaria. The sanctuary windows were crafted in 1915 by
the Alexander Locke studio of New York and feature the fifteen Joyful,
Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries of the Rosary. Locke was influenced by Victorian English
artists and by Louis Tiffany.
The nave windows were installed in 1891 and were designed
and made in Munich, Germany. They depict
various saints. The north rose window
above the choir loft depicts the Assumption of Mary and was partially designed
by John T. O’Duggan of Boston.
The Cathedral has two chapels. The Lady Chapel dates to 1869, but has been
renovated. The Chapel, where daily Mass
is celebrated, has windows depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary in many of her
titles. The Bishop’s Chapel was
completed in 1935 and was dedicated to the English saints, Thomas More and John
Fisher. It is directly above the Bishops’
Crypt, where the first four Bishops of Fall River are buried.
The Cathedral pipe organ was installed in 2015 by the Peragallo
Company of New Jersey. It is a
combination of three existing pipe organs as a result of the closures of St.
Louis and Sacred Heart parishes. The
Cathedral’s Kilgan organ was combined with the St. Louis pipe organ made by
Charles Chadwick (and recently rebuilt by Paul DeLisle) and the 1883 Hook and
Hastings Sacred Heart pipe organ. The
pipe organ has a three manual console.
Detailed information about the Cathedral, including several
pictures of artwork, is on its website at Cathedralfallriver.com. The Diocesan website is fallriverdiocese.org. The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
is located in downtown Fall River and has four weekend masses, including one in
Spanish and one in Brazilian Portuguese.
Two other English masses are said in nearby chapels.
Diocese of Worcester
The diocese consists of Worcester
County in central Massachusetts
Bishops of Worcester
I have limited information about the Bishops of
Worcester. I have included some
information from Wikipedia.
John J. Wright (1909-1979), first Bishop of Worcester
(1950-1959).
·
Born in Dorchester and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of Boston in 1935.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Boston
(1947-1950), Bishop of Pittsburgh (1959-1969), and Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation
of the Clergy (1969-1979). Pope Paul VI
named him a Cardinal in 1969—he was the first American to lead a Vatican
Congregation with worldwide duties.
Wright was named Bishop of Pittsburgh in 1959.
Bernard J. Flanagan (1908-1998), Bishop of Worcester
(1959-1983).
·
Born in Vermont and ordained a priest in 1931
for the Diocese of Burlington.
·
Also served as the first Bishop of Norwich,
Connecticut (1953-1959).
Bishop Flanagan attended the Second Vatican Council and
became a proponent of ecumenism—working with both Protestant and Orthodox
Christians. He retired in 1983.
Timothy J. Harrington (1918-1997), Bishop of Worcester
(1983-1994).
- Born in Holyoke and ordained a priest in 1946 for the Diocese of Springfield.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Worcester (1968-1983).
He retired in 1994.
Daniel P. Reilly (1928-
), Bishop of Worcester (1994-2004).
·
Born in Rhode Island ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Providence in 1953.
·
Also served as Bishop of Norwich, Connecticut
(1975-1994).
Bishop Reilly began a development campaign to improve the
Diocese’s finances, especially in light of lawsuits related to sexual abuse
cases. He was also the first Catholic
bishop to speak at the annual synod the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. He was sued multiple times for
allegedly mishandling sexual abuse cases while Bishop of Norwich and as an
official with the Diocese of Providence, but I could find no record of the
resolution of any of these suits. He retired
in 2004.
Current Bishop
Robert J. McManus was appointed Bishop of Worcester by Pope
John Paul II in 2004. He was born in Rhode Island Providence
The Cathedral
Cathedral of St.
Paul
38 High Street
O Glorious St. Paul,
after persecuting the Church you became by God's grace its most zealous
Apostle. To carry the knowledge of Jesus, our divine Savior, to the uttermost
parts of the earth you joyfully endured prison, scourging, stoning, and shipwreck,
as well as all manner of persecutions culminating in the shedding of the last
drop of your blood for our Lord Jesus Christ. Obtain for us the grace to labor
strenuously to bring the faith to others and to accept any trials and
tribulations that may come our way. Help us to be inspired by your Epistles and
to partake of your indomitable love for Jesus, so that after we have finished
our course we may join you in praising him in heaven for all eternity.
St. Paul’s parish was established in 1866 to serve Catholics
on what was then the west side of Worcester—it was Worcester’s third Catholic
Church. The Diocese of Boston originally
purchased property for the church on Main Street, but anti-Catholic sentiment
against such a prominent location led the Diocese to exchange properties with
the owner of a nearby pear orchard.
Construction of the church began in 1868 and was substantially completed
in 1874, although it would take 15 more years for the granite tower to be
completed. St. Paul’s became the Cathedral
for the new Diocese of Worcester in 1950. The Cathedral is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
St. Paul’s Cathedral was designed by Elbridge Boyden of
Boston in a Victorian Gothic style. It
is made of dark granite and is 168 feet long and 91 feet wide. A single tower rises 145 feet above the
street and contains a 2,500 pound bell.
From Wikipedia
From Wikipedia
The main altar in the sanctuary is made of green and white
marble with a bas relief of the Last Supper.
The ambo is made of the same marble.
The floor is made of green marble and the reredos behind the altar is
made of oak in a Gothic style. The
sanctuary crucifix dates to 1953. The
corpus was carved in Germany and the cross in Worcester. A statue of Saint Paul is on the right side
of the sanctuary and a statue of St. Peter is on the left.
The Cathedral’s stained glass windows were installed in the
1950s. They were designed by Clare
Leighton and crafted by the O’Duggan Glass Studio of Boston. The two transept windows and eleven 15-foot
windows in the sanctuary and nave depict the life of St. Paul. St. Paul is depicted in red garments in each
window. Fourteen 6-foot clerestory
windows depict the Twelve Apostles, St. John the Baptist, and St. Stephen.
There are various shrines and statues in the Cathedral
including those dedicated to Mary and Joseph, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Jesus’
Divine Mercy, St. Joan of Arc, St. Wulstan, St. Patrick, St. Pius X, and Our
Lady of Czestochowa. There is also a Sixteenth Century wood carving by
the German master Jorg Syrlin, a three hundred year old icon of Our Lady of
Kazan, Flemish tapestries illustrating scenes of the Passion, and a portrait of
St. Paul by Van Dyke.
The lower church has the Chapel of Mary, Mother of the
Redeemer. The Chapel’s sanctuary has a
painting of Mater Purissima (the Most Pure Mother) painted by Domenico Morelli
in the 19th Century.
The Cathedral website, cathedralofsaintpaul.com, has a
detailed description of the Cathedral, including the symbolism and spiritual
meaning of many of the features. Also
see the Diocesan website at worcesterdiocese.org. The Cathedral is located in downtown
Worcester and seats 1,400 people making it one of the largest churches in New
England. There are six weekend
masses—including three in Spanish.
Also in the Diocese
St. Joseph Basilica is located in Webster. St. Joseph’s parish was established in
1887 and is the oldest Polish-American parish in New England. It was established to serve immigrants from
Poland who had settled in Webster as early as the 1860s. The current neo-Gothic church was completed
in the 1930s. The Basilica is decorated
with beautiful mosaics and Italian Renaissance style murals depicting religious
themes. The Renaissance style stained
glass windows feature life-size figures and depict the life of Christ. The Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa is made
from white and brown Italian marble. Pope John Paul II designated the church as a minor basilica
in 1998. The Basilica’s website
is stjosephwebster.com.
The top two pictures are from the Basilica website and the bottom picture is from Wikipedia.
The top two pictures are from the Basilica website and the bottom picture is from Wikipedia.
Maine
Catholic History of Maine
Europeans explored the coast of Maine
possibly as early as 990, but it took until 1604 for French explorers to
establish a settlement on St. Croix Island , near Calais New
England was celebrated here by Father Nicholas Aubry. This French settlement was abandoned as were
others. Sir Ferdinando Gorges was
awarded control of Maine by King James I of England in 1622 and permanent settlements were
made at various places, including Portland ,
Saco, and Biddeford Massachusetts
bought Gorges’ land in 1677 and Maine became
part of Massachusetts Massachusetts
Missions were established along many of Maine ’s
rivers throughout the 17th Century and the early 18th
Century and French missionaries, especially Jesuits, successfully converted
many of Maine St. Ann Church
in Old Town
was established in 1688 and is the oldest parish in New
England . These missions
were the first Catholic places of worship in New England . The Catholic French and Protestant British
were often at war at this time in history and British forces began their
attempts to destroy the French missions in the 17th Century. A major campaign of destruction by British
forces from Massachusetts began in 1704 and by
1731 all of the Catholic missionaries were killed or forced out of Maine
Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore, the United States ’ first Bishop, sent Father John
Cheverus to Maine Maine after the American
Revolution and Father Cheverus established St. Patrick’s Church in Newcastle Maine Maine (except
for the Madawaska territory in Northern Maine) and New Hampshire New
Hampshire Portland had
21,000 people in 1850 and was and is the largest city in Maine
Diocese of Portland
The diocese consists of the State of Maine. The diocese has 173,000 Catholics (13 percent
of the total population) in 55 parishes.
Bishops of Portland
David W. Bacon (1815-1874),
first Bishop of Portland (1855-1874).
- Born in New York City and ordained a priest for the Diocese of New York in 1838.
The anti-Catholic attitudes of many
Protestants in Maine during the 1850s—churches were burned at Bath and Lewiston
and a priest was tarred and feathered—led to the decision by Father Henry
Coskery of Baltimore to decline the honor of being Portland’s first Bishop in
1853. Two years later, David Bacon,
having accepted the position, arrived in Portland
James A. Healy (1830-1900), Bishop of Portland
(1875-1900).
·
Born in Georgia and ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Boston in 1854.
James Healy was born to an Irish father and a mulatto slave
mother. After serving for over 20 years
as a priest in Boston, Healy was appointed the second Bishop of Portland in
1875 and became the first African-American bishop in the United States. As Bishop, Healy established many churches
and schools, but was especially noted for his concern for children and the
poor, for whom he began several institutions and organizations for their
care. He started missions in many
smaller towns and his fluency in French was helpful in ministering to Maine’s
Acadian population, which increased greatly during his tenure. Healy was a noted orator and also made
significant contributions in Church law at the Third Plenary Council of
Baltimore in 1884. Bishop Healy had two
sisters who became nuns and two brothers who were priests, including one who
served as president of what is now Georgetown University. Bishop Healy died in 1900 at which time the
Diocese had 96,000 Catholics served by 60 parishes and 68 missions.
William H. O’Connell (1859-1944), Bishop of Portland (1901-1906).
·
Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Boston in 1884.
·
Also served as rector of the North American
College in Rome, coadjutor archbishop of Boston (1906-1907), and Archbishop of
Boston (1907-1944). He was named a Cardinal
in 1911 by Pope Pius X, and he along with Cardinal John Farley of New York were
the third and fourth U.S. cardinals.
O’Connell dealt with increased tensions between
French-speaking and English-speaking Catholics in Maine. He visited every parish in the Diocese and
greatly enhanced the self-esteem of Maine Catholics. He also renovated the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception and conducted a successful diplomatic mission to Japan
for Pope Pius X. He started clergy
retreats and a youth organization. Bishop
O’Connell was named coadjutor archbishop of Boston in 1906.
Louis S. Walsh (1858-1924),
Bishop of Portland (1906-1924).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1882.
Bishop Walsh was a proponent of
Catholic education having previously served as superintendent of schools for
the Archdiocese of Boston and he established several schools, including
Cheverus High School. He was a founder
of the Catholic Educational Association.
Walsh established 36 new parishes, some to accommodate immigrants from
Poland, Italy, Slovakia, and Lithuania, and he defended the Church against
attacks by the Ku Klux Klan. These
attacks included proposed state legislation that would have denied state funding
for any activity associated with the Catholic Church. He also was an historian and helped establish
the New England Catholic Historical Society and the Maine Catholic Historical
Magazine. He supported the formation of
the National Catholic Welfare Conference—the first conference for U.S. Catholic
bishops—and dealt firmly with a group of French-speaking Catholics who disputed
ownership of parish property. Bishop Walsh
died in 1924.
John G. Murray (1877-1956), Bishop of Portland
(1925-1931).
·
Born in Connecticut and ordained a priest for
the Diocese of Hartford in 1900.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Hartford,
Connecticut (1920-1925) and Archbishop of St. Paul, Minnesota (1931-1956).
Bishop Murray worked to establish churches throughout Maine,
even in areas with few Catholics. He
established 30 new parishes during the first years he served as Bishop, but
construction of new buildings ended with the Great Depression. Bishop Murray, known for his compassion,
continued to try to provide charitable services to the needy, including the
unemployed and homeless, but put the Diocese in debt. He founded the “Church World” magazine in
1930 to provide Maine Catholics with information about their Faith and Church. He increased the number of priests from 172
to 216. He was named Archbishop of St.
Paul, Minnesota, in 1931.
Joseph E. McCarthy (1876-1955), Bishop of Portland
(1932-1955).
- Born in Connecticut and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Hartford in 1903.
Bishop McCarthy’s consecration as Bishop in May 1932 was the
first such ceremony broadcast over the radio in the United States. His first years as Bishop were spent dealing
with the Diocese’s severe financial difficulties, which he was able to resolve
(although it took until 1963 to pay off the debt). Bishop McCarthy, who spoke both Greek and
French, oversaw the building of many new churches and schools as the “baby
boom” began following World War II. Poor
health forced him to give up administration of the Diocese in 1948 in favor of
his coadjutor bishop, Daniel Feeney, although he officially remained Bishop
until his death in 1955.
Daniel J. Feeney (1894-1869),
Bishop of Portland (1955-1969).
- Born in Portland and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Portland in 1921.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Portland (1946-1952) and coadjutor bishop of Portland (1952-1955).
Daniel Feeney had already served
seven years as apostolic administrator of the Diocese when he became Bishop in
1955. Bishop Feeney was the first
Portland native to become Bishop of Portland.
As Bishop, he paid off the Diocese’s large debt and ordained many men to
the priesthood. He built several new
parish buildings and established several organizations within the Diocese,
including the Catholic Youth Organization and Catholic Charities. He attended the Second Vatican Council and
implemented the Council’s changes in the Diocese. He died in 1969, although poor health forced
him to relinquish control of the Diocese in 1967 to his coadjutor bishop, Peter
Gerety.
Peter L. Gerety (1912-2016), Bishop of Portland
(1969-1974).
- Born in Connecticut and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Hartford in 1939.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of Portland (1966-1969) and Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey (1974-1986).
Bishop Gerety expanded the Diocese’s charitable and social
justice programs, including housing for the elderly. He also built new suburban parishes, but had
to close some schools as the number of religious sisters declined. Gerety established a diocesan capital
campaign, in part to build a Newman Center at the University of Maine, expand
Catholic Charities, and build homes for the elderly. He took stands against legalized abortion and
in favor of California farm workers and conscientious objectors during the Vietnam
War. Bishop Gerety was named Archbishop
of Newark, New Jersey in 1974 and lived to be 104.
Edward C. O’Leary (1920-2002),
Bishop of Portland (1974-1988).
- Born in Bangor and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Portland in 1946.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Portland (1971-1974).
Both as a result of the Second
Vatican Council and declining vocations paired with an increasing Catholic
population, Bishop O’Leary encouraged greater lay involvement in the
administration of the Diocese and its parishes and appointed women to leadership
positions in Diocesan organizations. He
spoke out publically against abortion and pornography and increased Diocesan
assistance for those suffering from AIDS.
Bishop O’Leary visited hospitals every Christmas Day. Ill health forced him to resign in 1988.
Joseph J. Gerry, O.S.B. (1928- ), Bishop of Portland (1988-2004).
- Born in Millinocket, Maine, and ordained a Benedictine priest in 1954.
- Also served as Abbot of St. Anselm Abbey in Manchester, New Hampshire (1972-1986) and auxiliary bishop of Manchester (1986-1988).
Bishop Gerry issued several pastoral letters as Bishop and
also authored a book, “Ever Present Lord.”
He dealt with both parish consolidation and the clerical sexual abuse
scandal, although not without criticism.
He also spoke out against physician-assisted suicide and partial-birth
abortion. He ordained the first group of
permanent deacons for the Diocese and hosted a well-attended Eucharistic
Congress in Augusta in 2000. Gerry
oversaw a major renovation of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and
built a new St. Dominic Regional High School in Auburn. Bishop Gerry retired in 2004.
Richard J. Malone (1946- ), Bishop of Portland (2004-2012).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1972.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Boston (2000-2004) and serves as Bishop of Buffalo, New York (since 2012).
Bishop Malone consolidated several parishes in the Diocese
and worked to improve the Diocese’s handling of sexual abuse cases and
prevention of sexual abuse. Over 10,000
Diocesan priests, teachers, employees, and volunteers have been trained in
preventing sexual abuse of children and have received mandatory background
checks. Bishop Malone also hosted
programs for CatholicTV. He was named Bishop
of Buffalo, New York, in 2012.
Current Bishop
Robert Deeley was appointed Bishop of Portland by Pope
Francis in 2013. He was born in
Massachusetts in 1946 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in
1973. He previously served as auxiliary
bishop of Boston (2012-2013).
The Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
307 Congress Street
Portland Maine 04101
307 Congress Street
Portland Maine 04101
The Cathedral is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, and
specifically to her Immaculate Conception.
Many Christians believe that humans are born into sin—known as original
sin. This sin is erased through Baptism
and the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Catholics believe that Mary, through the grace of God, was conceived
without the stain of original sin—the Immaculate Conception. She was given the honor because of her role
as the Mother of God. The Feast of the
Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8.
O most Holy Virgin,
who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in body and
spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful
intercession. O most Holy Mother, who by your blessed Immaculate Conception,
from the first moment of your conception did crush the head of the enemy,
receive our prayers as we implore you to present at the throne of God the favor
we now request (state your intention here). O Mary of the Immaculate
Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon
this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain
for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine
Will. Amen.
Bishop Bacon selected St. Dominic’s Church—the oldest
Catholic church in Portland Portland
There are seven pillars on each side of the nave forming
seven Gothic arches on each side. The
interior measures 186 feet by 70 feet and can seat 900. The ceiling rises 70 feet above the floor. The Stations of the Cross are Venetian Glass
Mosaic—each Station contains 6,000 quarter inch tiles. All of the stained-glass windows, many over
100 years old, were designed by Franz Mayer of the royal Bavarian Glass Company
in Munich, Germany. The Henry Erben pipe
organ was originally installed in 1869, although it has been rebuilt several
times. It contains 3,336 pipes.
The baptismal font of Carrara marble was designed by A. P.
Nardini in 1921 and measures 13.6 feet high and 5.2 feet in circumference. It is adorned with bronze statues of Jesus
and four Old Testament prophets who prophesied His coming: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah. Standing beside the font is a French gothic
brass Paschal Candle stand, dating to 1869.
The floor of the Ambulatory is composed of marble chips dating to 1869,
which contains the IHS and Alpha and Omega symbols inlaid in color. The new
Sanctuary floor is of Italian Carrara marble.
The reredos and main altar are from St. Dominic's Church, the former
Cathedral which is now closed. The
bas-relief at the rear of the church is hand-carved marble and depicts the life
of Christ. This dates to the 1921 and was originally the front-piece of the
main altar.
The Cathedral has several paintings. Three contemporary paintings by Michael
Waterman depict the Crucifixion, Christ at the table with his Apostles, and St.
John the Baptist. There are also
portraits of Portland’s first two Bishops:
David Bacon and James Healy.
There is also a painting of the Madonna and one of the Baptism of
Christ, the later by the Bulgarian artist, Dimitar Todorov Malchev.
The Cathedral website, portlandcatholic.org, has some
additional information as does the Diocesan website at portlanddiocese.net.
The Cathedral is located in downtown Portland and has five
weekend masses—including one in Latin.
The parish supports an elementary school with 200 students. The Cathedral parish is clustered with four
other Portland churches. These four
churches have six weekend masses, including one each in Spanish, one in English
and Polish, and one in English and French.
Also in the Diocese
The Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul is in Lewiston. French Canadians immigrated to Lewiston in
the late 1850s to work in the mills and in 1870, Bishop David Bacon of Portland
established a separate parish for them.
A church was completed in 1873 but by the turn of the century was too
small to accommodate 10,000 parishioners.
The basement of the current building was completed in 1906, but it would
take until 1936 to complete the rest of the building. The French Gothic basilica was constructed
with Main granite and features both a sanctuary organ and a gallery organ. The Basilicas seats 2,000 and is the second
largest church in New England . Maine
The first picture is from flickr and the last two from the basilica website.
New Hampshire
Catholic History of New Hampshire
Martin Pring, an English explorer, came to the mouth of the Piscataqua River
in 1603, and likely was the first European to see New Hampshire Rye New Hampshire Massachusetts
officials sought to control New Hampshire
until New Hampshire Massachusetts New Hampshire
There was some Catholic presence in colonial New Hampshire Canada Durham New Hampshire Claremont in 1823, and the second, in Dover New Hampshire Manchester had a few hundred Catholics
when St. Anne’s Church—New Hampshire
The new French and Irish Catholics brought about a need for
more parishes and more than two dozen were opened between 1850 and 1884. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of
Manchester to serve New Hampshire’s 45,000 Catholics. Manchester had
become New Hampshire
Diocese of Manchester
The diocese consists of the State of New Hampshire. The diocese has 268,000 Catholics (20 percent
of the total population) in 88 parishes.
Bishops of Manchester
Denis M. Bradley (1846-1903), first Bishop of Manchester (1884-1903).
·
Born in Ireland, grew up in Manchester, and
ordained a priest for the Diocese of Portland, Maine, in 1871.
Bradley served as chancellor of the Diocese of Portland
prior to becoming pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Manchester in 1880, which he
selected to be his Cathedral once he became Bishop. The number of Catholics increased from 45,000
to 104,000 during his time as bishop, and he increased the number of priests
from 37 to 107 to minister to the larger population. He built many schools and charitable
institutions and focused on the needs of rural Catholics. He also encouraged the Benedictines to
establish St. Anselm’s Abbey and College.
He died in 1903.
John B. Delany (1864-1906), Bishop of Manchester
(1904-1906).
- Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and ordained a priest for the Diocese Manchester in 1891.
Prior to becoming Bishop, Delany served in parishes in
Manchester and Portsmouth and learned French to better communicate with some of
his parishioners. He established and
edited a monthly Diocesan magazine in which he offered strong and well-written
opinions. He died of appendicitis in
1906 at the age of 41 having served as Bishop for less than two years.
George A. Guertin (1869-1931), Bishop of Manchester
(1907-1931).
- Born in Nashua and ordained a priest in 1892 for the Diocese of Manchester.
Bishop Guertin was the first bishop in New England to have
both a French Canadian mother and father, and the first New Hampshire native to
serve as Bishop of Manchester. As the
Catholic population grew, Guertin kept pace, with more churches, schools, and
priests. He also appointed the first
layperson as superintendent of Catholic schools in the United States. He served during difficult times—World War I,
the great influenza epidemic, anti-Catholicism during the 1928 presidential
campaign, and the beginning of the Great Depression. Conflicts also arose between French-Canadian
and Irish Catholics that Guertin was not able to resolve. He died in 1931.
John B. Peterson (1871-1944), Bishop of Manchester (1932-1944).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest in 1899 for the Archdiocese of Boston.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Boston (1927-1932).
Bishop Peterson guided the Diocese during the Great
Depression and most of Second World War.
His knowledge of economics helped him to reduce Diocesan debt during the
Depression and allowed him to serve on civic boards seeking to improve the
economy after some of the textile mills closed.
He also successfully negotiated several labor disputes. Further, he was able to resolve many of the
tensions between English-speaking and non-English-speaking Catholics. He died in 1944.
Matthew F. Brady (1893-1959), Bishop of Manchester
(1944-1959).
- Born in Connecticut and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Hartford in 1916.
- Also served as Bishop of Burlington (1938-1944).
Bishop Brady established 17 parishes, built 47 churches, 11
elementary schools, and several other buildings, to provide for the 52,000
Catholics that moved to New Hampshire during his tenure as Bishop. He also established New Hampshire Catholic
Charities in 1945. Brady chaired several
educational committees for the national Bishops’ conference. He served as an Army chaplain during the
First World War. He died in 1959.
Ernest J. Primeau (1909-1989), Bishop of Manchester
(1960-1974).
- Born in Chicago and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1934.
Bishop Primeau was an active participant during the Second
Vatican Council. He believed in greater
lay participation in Church matters and he established several lay organizations
to promote this. He sought better
relations with non-Catholics, which eventually culminated in the Diocese
joining the New Hampshire Council of Churches.
He established a dozen new parishes and worked to improve missionary
activity in Latin America by establishing a mission in Columbia. Distressed by divisions in the Church as a
result of the Second Vatican Council, Bishop Primeau resigned in 1974 to become
Director of Villa Stritch (a private residence and hotel for U.S. priests in
Rome).
Odore J. Gendron (1921-
), Bishop of Manchester (1974-1990).
- Born in Manchester and ordained a priest in 1947 for the Diocese of Manchester.
Bishop Gendron built new parishes in southern New Hampshire,
but was forced to close some schools due to declining enrollments. He visited all of the Diocesan parishes and
developed programs based on those visits.
According to Wikipedia, he also continued the implementation of the
decrees of the Second Vatican Council, for example, by creating a permanent
diaconate program. Bishop Gendron established
Magdalen College and Thomas More College.
He retired in 1990.
Leo E. O’Neil (1928-1997), Bishop of Manchester
(1990-1997).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest in 1955 for the Diocese of Springfield.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Springfield (1980-1989) and coadjutor bishop of Manchester (1989-1990).
Bishop O’Neil consolidated some parishes due to having fewer
priests, but he did establish parishes for Hispanic and Vietnamese immigrant
groups. He established a program that
tried to unite Diocesan Catholics with a common vision. He also was an inspirational homilist and a
noted poet. O’Neil was very popular and
was known for his humor. He died of
cancer in 1997.
John B. McCormack (1935- ), Bishop of Manchester (1998-2011).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest in 1960 for the Archdiocese of Boston.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Boston (1995-1998).
Bishop McCormack sought to improve parish life, Catholic
school education for children, and religious education for all Catholics so as
to deepen relationships with Jesus Christ.
He also developed a strategic plan for Diocesan schools to insure their
continued existence at an affordable cost.
According to Wikipedia, in 2002, Bishop McCormack announced the names of
14 Diocesan priests accused of sexual abuse of children. Over the course of the next two years, the
Diocese agreed to a settlement involving 176 claims of child sexual abuse and
the Diocese admitted that its failure to protect children from abuse may have
been a violation of criminal law, although it was never charged. Bishop McCormack was praised by the state
attorney general for his cooperation.
McCormack retired in 2011.
Current Bishop
Peter A. Libasci was appointed Bishop of Manchester by Pope Benedict
XVI in 2011. He was born in New York
City in 1951 and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New
York, in 1978. He previously served as
auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre (2007-2011). He is bi-ritual and celebrates the liturgy in
both the Roman Catholic and the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church.
The Cathedral
145 Lowell Street
Manchester, New Hampshire 03104
O blessed Joseph,
faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of your chaste
spouse, the virgin Mother of God, I choose you this day to be my special patron
and advocate and I firmly resolve to honor you all the days of my life.
Therefore I humbly beseech you to receive me as your client, to instruct me in
every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all
the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect
me at the hour of my death. Amen.
Established in 1869 to serve Irish immigrants working in Manchester ’s mills, St. Joseph’s is Manchester’s second
oldest parish. The church was built
between 1867 and 1869 at a cost of over $60,000 and became the Cathedral for
the Diocese of Manchester when it was created in 1884. It was enlarged in 1892 at a cost of
$100,000. The Cathedral was designed by
noted architect Patrick C. Keely. The red-brick
Cathedral has a single 170-foot steeple.
New stained-glass windows were installed in the 1892
renovation. The windows were crafted in
Austria by the Tiroler Glazmalerei and depict the life of Christ and his
Blessed Mother. The Chapel of the Most
Blessed Sacrament has two windows from the original building. A recent renovation has included marble raredos
and Stations of the Cross from Holy Trinity Church in Boston, which was also
designed by Keely.
Both the Cathedral website, stjosephcathedralnh.org and the
Diocesan website, catholicnh.org, have information on the Cathedral. The Diocesan website also has a video of the
windows. St. Joseph’s Cathedral is
located in downtown Manchester and has four weekend masses.
Vermont
Catholic History of Vermont
A party led by the French explorer, Samuel de Champlain,
were the first Europeans to see what is now Lake Champlain and the State of
Vermont in 1609. Champlain and his
companions built Fort Sainte Anne on Isle la Motte in Lake Champlain in
1666. The first British settlement was
made near Vernon Vermont Quebec Bennington was
settled in 1761 under the first of several charters granted by New Hampshire Vermont
The French built a chapel at Fort Sainte Anne and the first
Mass in Vermont was celebrated there in 1666.
French Jesuit missionaries established several missions near Lake
Champlain in the late 17th Century, including one at Swanton. One Jesuit, Jacques Frémin, converted 10,000
Native Americans to the Faith. Most
Catholics left Vermont after it fell under British control in 1760, and when
Father Francois Matignon visited Vermont in 1815, he found only about 100
Catholics. Bishop Benedict Fenwick of
Boston (Vermont became part of the Diocese of Boston in 1808) sent Father
Jeremiah O'Callaghan north in 1830 to establish the first parish in Vermont—St.
Mary’s in Burlington
Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Burlington—Burlington being
then as now Vermont’s largest city—in 1853 to serve the 20,000 Catholics in
Vermont. At that time, there were only
about four parishes in the State, but by the end of that decade, there would be
a dozen parishes. Most of the parishes
were in the northwest portion of the State, near Lake Champlain between
Burlington and the Canadian border, but parishes were also found elsewhere,
including Bennington, Brattleboro, Middlebury, Montpelier, and Rutland.
Diocese of Burlington
The diocese consists of the State of Vermont
Bishops of Burlington
Louis J. de
Goesbriand (1816-1899), first Bishop of Burlington (1853-1899).
· Born in France and ordained a priest in France in
1840. He later became a priest for the
Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio.
Bishop de Goesbriand’s new Diocese had 20,000 Catholics
served by ten churches and five priests.
He traveled to Ireland and France to recruit new priests and brought in
religious orders to open schools. He
established a hospital and orphanage and built the first Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception in Burlington. He
convened the first Diocesan Synod in 1855, and attended the First Vatican
Council in 1869-1870 and the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884 (during
which he helped write the Baltimore Catechism).
He wrote several books and pamphlets.
At the time of his death, there were 46,000 Vermont Catholics, mostly
French-Canadian, served by 78 churches and 52 priests. When Bishop
Goesbriand died in 1899, he had served as Bishop of Burlington for 46 years—the
fourth longest tenure of any U.S. bishop of a single diocese.
John S. Michaud (1843-1908), Bishop of Burlington
(1899-1908).
- Born in Burlington and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Burlington in 1873.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of Burlington (1892-1899).
Bishop Michaud, of
both French-Canadian and Irish ancestry, had served as apostolic administrator
of the Diocese since 1893. Bishop
Michaud saw an increase of Catholic immigrants to Vermont, especially from
Italy and Poland (who came to work in the stone quarries). Michaud built new churches to accommodate the
immigrants—there were about 75,000 Catholics and 100 parishes and priests in
the Diocese at the time of his death. He
established the first Knights of Columbus council in the Diocese, built two
hospitals, and helped establish St. Michael’s College in Winooski. Bishop Michaud died in 1908.
Joseph J. Rice (1871-1938), Bishop of Burlington
(1910-1938).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1894.
Bishop Rice built de Goesbriand Memorial Hospital
(administered by the Religious Hospitalers of St. Joseph) and three high
schools. He established the Confraternity
of Christian Doctrine in the Diocese, established a Diocesan school
administration, and strongly supported Catholic Charities. He also invited the Sisters of Mercy to
establish Trinity College in 1925. He
resisted the bigotry of the Ku Klux Klan, which burned a cross outside of St.
Augustine Church in Montpelier in 1925.
Bishop Rice died in 1938.
Matthew F. Brady (1893-1959), Bishop of Burlington
(1938-1944).
- Born in Connecticut and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Hartford in 1916.
- Also served as Bishop of Manchester (1944-1959).
Bishop Brady, who had served as an Army chaplain during the
First World War, built several new parishes, mostly in towns that had not
previously had a Catholic parish. He
also strengthened Church activities for young Catholics, such as the Catholic
Youth Organization and the Boy Scouts.
The von Trapp family, of “The Sound of Music” fame, settled in Vermont
during Brady’s time as Bishop. Brady was
appointed Bishop of Manchester in 1944.
Edward F. Ryan (1879-1956), Bishop of Burlington
(1944-1956).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1905.
Bishop Ryan, who like Bishop Rice had earlier served as an
Army chaplain, established two dozen new parishes in the years following the
Second World War and established a weekly Diocesan newspaper—the Vermont
Catholic. He also established facilities
for Catholic youth. He invited the
Carthusians to establish a monastery, the Benedictines to establish a priory,
and the Sisters of St. Joseph to establish the College of St. Joseph in
Rutland. Bishop Ryan died in 1956.
Robert F. Joyce (1896-1990), Bishop of Burlington
(1957-1971).
·
Born in Proctor, Vermont, and ordained a priest
for the Diocese of Burlington in 1923.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Burlington
(1954-1957).
Bishop Joyce attended the Second Vatican Council and
implemented its decrees within the Diocese.
He also established groups to serve children with disabilities, to
provide missionary activities in Latin America, and to improve religious
education. He dedicated the new Rice
Memorial High School facility in South Burlington. He served for 10 years on the board of the
American Cancer Society. He retired in
1971.
John A. Marshall (1928-1994), Bishop of Burlington (1971-1991).
- Born in Massachusetts and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Worcester in 1953.
- Also served as Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts (1991-1994).
Bishop Marshall served as Apostolic Visitor to U.S. seminaries
on behalf of Pope John Paul II from 1981 to 1989 and was elected to represent
the United States at the World Synod of Bishops on the Formation of Priests in
the Circumstances of the Present Day in 1990.
Back in Vermont, he dealt with problems including fewer Catholics
attending mass, fewer vocations, and the opposition of some lay Catholics to
Church teaching on abortion. He
completed the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Burlington. He was named Bishop of Springfield in 1991.
Kenneth A. Angell (1930-2016), Bishop of Burlington
(1992-2005).
- Born in Rhode Island and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Providence in 1957.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Providence, Rhode Island (1974-1992).
Bishop Angell was forced to close or consolidate some
parishes due to declining church attendance and fewer priests—in 2004 there
were only 6 Diocesan priests under the age of 40. He also set up committees to help identify
and solve problems within each parish.
He opposed state legislation that approved civil unions for same-sex couples. He also spoke against the death penalty and
the war in Iraq. Bishop Angell’s brother
and sister-in-law were among the victims of the terrorist attacks on September
11, 2001. Bishop Angell retired in 2005.
Salvatore R. Matano (1946- ), Bishop of Burlington (2005-2013).
- Born in Rhode Island and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Providence in 1971.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of Burlington (2005) and serves as the Bishop of Rochester, New York, since 2013.
Bishop Matano addressed the shortage of priests by trying to
increase vocations and by seeking assistance from religious orders and other
dioceses. He also strengthened parochial
school programs, religious education programs, and health care facilities, all
to meet the pastoral and sacramental needs of Vermont Catholics. He also dealt with past cases of clerical
sexual abuse by seeking justice and reconciliation for victims and by improving
Diocesan procedures to prevent future abuse.
Current Bishop
Christopher J. Coyne was appointed Bishop of Burlington by
Pope Francis in 2014. He was born in
Massachusetts in 1958 and ordained a priest in for the Archdiocese of Boston in
1986. He previously served as auxiliary
bishop of Indianapolis (2011-2014).
The Cathedrals
Many Christians believe that humans are born into sin—known
as original sin. This sin is erased
through baptism and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Catholics believe that Mary, through the
grace of God, was conceived without the stain of original sin—the Immaculate
Conception. She was given the honor
because of her role as the Mother of God.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8.
O Mary, ever blessed
Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of angels and of saints, we salute you with the
most profound veneration and filial devotion as we contemplate your holy
Immaculate Conception, we thank you for your maternal protection and for the
many blessings that we have received through your wondrous mercy and most
powerful intercession. In all our necessities we have recourse to you with
unbounded confidence. O Mother of Mercy, we beseech you now to hear our prayer
and to obtain for us of your Divine Son the favor that we so earnestly request
in this novena (state your intention here). O Mary of the Immaculate
Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon
this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain
for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.
Construction of a new Cathedral soon began on the site of
the old Cathedral. The current modern
brick Cathedral was completed in 1977 and was designed by Edward Larrabee
Barnes. Vermont landscape architect Dan Kiley planned the property around the
Cathedral including a free-standing bell tower and 123 honey locust trees. The bell tower contains the bell from the old
Cathedral.
The Cathedral’s design was inspired by H.H. Richardson’s
Billings Library at the University of Vermont.
The angular, five-sided building has exterior banding of green and dark
brown brick. The Cathedral seats 450
people. Unfortunately, declining attendance led to the closure of this cathedral in 2018.
In 1999, St. Joseph Church in Burlington was named the
Co-Cathedral for the Diocese. Both Cathedrals
are located in downtown Burlington and have four weekend Masses, two at
Immaculate Conception and two at St. Joseph, including one in Latin. The parish has over 2,000 families and has an
elementary school with about 80 students. Additional information can be found at
catholiccathedralsofburlington.com and vermontcatholic.org which has an
extensive history of Vermont Catholicism.
85 Elmwood Avenue
O dearest St. Joseph,
I consecrate myself to your honor and give myself to you that you may always be
my father, my protector and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me a
greater purity of heart and fervent love of the interior life. After your
example may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the
Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. O Blessed St. Joseph,
pray for me that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.
Most of the Catholics that attended St. Mary’s Church in Burlington Vermont , created a separate
parish in 1850 for the French Canadians and dedicated to St. Joseph United
States , was the first French national parish in New England . A
small brick church was completed by the end of 1850 at the southwest corner of
Prospect and Archibald Streets, but the parish soon outgrew it and plans were
made for a larger church. The current
building was designed by Father Joseph Michaud—a priest and an architect—and
was completed in 1887. St. Joseph’s
seats over 1,200 people and is the largest church in Vermont.
Michaud designed a Classic Revival style (or according to
one source, a Baroque Renaissance style) building that is 176 feet long, 81
feet wide, and 55 feet tall. It has a
single central steeple. The building is
made of red sandstone with limestone trim and its walls are 5 feet thick at the
base. Much of the construction work was
done by the parishioners. The cost to
build the Co-Cathedral was $85,000. A
2001 renovation cost $400,000.
The dominant colors of the Co-Cathedral are mocha, beige,
yellow, and white. The barrel vault
ceiling is supported by 12 columns with Roman Corinthian capitals. The capitals’ Baroque scroll, classical
cornices, and dental work are adorned in 23-carat gold.
The main altar is made of Imperial White Dandy marble from
Vermont and rests on four onyx pillars.
The central panel comes from Pakistan.
The reredos behind the altar have columns of Paonazzetto veined
marble. The sanctuary furnishings and
church’s pews are made of oak and cherry wood.
The Co-Cathedral’s Stations of the Cross were made in Paris
and were installed in 1889. The main
crucifix is made of brass. The Blessed
Sacrament altar, formerly St. Anne’s altar, dates to 1850 and holds the brass
and onyx tabernacle, which was made in Spain.
The door of the tabernacle has a relief of the Coronation of the Virgin
based on a painting by the 17th Century Spanish painter Diego Velazquez.
Both pictures are from Wikipedia.
