The story of Catholicism in Greater Boston is, in large measure, a chronicle of immigrant families following ancient roads to distant communities where they could find work and practice their creed free from the discrimination they had faced in the city. Over time, many of the remote areas around Boston grew into distinct centers of Catholic life, even as the metropolis itself was becoming a stronghold of the Faith.
Saint Patrick Parish of Watertown is one of the oldest and largest of those suburban oases. Her history, bound inextricably with that of the Diocese within which she was formed, typifies the struggle and the glory of those early immigrant families and the generations that have followed them.
Probably the first Catholics to settle in Watertown were Acadian refugees who arrived in the late 1750s after the destruction of their homes in Minas and Grand Pre, Nova Scotia. "Friendless, homeless, and helpless," Longfellow described them in Evangeline, "they wandered from city to city." For two years, one of their priests, Justinian Durant, resided in Boston.
In 1775, Watertown hosted an historic meeting between patriot leaders and those Catholic Indian tribes who had been invited by George Washington to join the fight for American independence. Delegates from the Passamaquoddie, the Penobscot, and the Saint John's tribes came to confer with the Massachusetts General Assembly which convened in a building at the corner of Common and Mount Auburn Streets. Ambrose Var, chief of the Saint John's tribe, opened the conference with the salutation "We are thankful to the Almighty to see the council."
The Indians promised to assist the patriots' cause and asked only that a "black robe", as a French priest was often called, be sent to them. Gratified at this interest in religion, the Assembly readily agreed to try to locate the priest though they did not know where to find one. The Indians joined the war and fought well.
In the late 1770s, the colonial alliance with France prompted a change in the Massachusetts constitution granting religious freedom to Roman Catholics. Soon, Masses were being celebrated in Boston by chaplains from the French fleet, and in 1788 regular Sunday services began. Fr. F.A. Matignon arrived in Boston in 1792 with the responsibility of unifying the fractious congregation and paying off its debts. Four years later, he was joined by Fr. Jean deCheverus. Together the two priests ministered to a parish that included all of New England.
Although the Catholic population in Boston at the turn of the nineteenth century was still tiny – about one thousand souls by contemporary estimates – Frs. Matignon and Cheverus foresaw steady growth and committed the parish to the building of a cathedral. Completed in 1803 and situated on Franklin Street, the first cathedral of the new diocese was dedicated by Bishop Carroll of Baltimore. In 1808, Fr. Cheverus was appointed the first Bishop of the Diocese of Boston, a position he held until 1823 when he was transferred home to France to head an archdiocese there. It was during the Cheverus period that the first wave of Catholic immigrants from Ireland broke on Boston's shores. In 1820, Catholics were granted full political liberty in the Commonwealth.
Under the administration of Bishop Fenwick, who succeeded Bishop Cheverus and held the post until his death in 1846, the Catholic share of Boston's population rose from five to twenty-five percent. This rapid increase precipitated an anti-Catholic backlash which manifested itself in a series of violent acts in the 1820s and 1830s. The most notorious of these was the burning down of the Ursuline convent in Charlestown (now East Somerville) in 1834.
No degree of bigotry, however, could impede the church's expansion. As Catholics fanned out from the capital into the suburbs Bishop Fenwick established missions to serve them. In 1839, a district mission was formed that included Watertown, Waltham, Weston, and surrounding towns. A fifty by thirty-five foot building was erected on land later known as the Old Catholic cemetery in Waltham. The congregation was ministered to by priests from Boston until 1839 when Rev. T. Fitzsimmons moved out to Waltham and took charge.
In 1837, a separate station was begun in Watertown. For the next decade, Masses were said, when possible, in private homes by priests from Boston. The first Mass ever celebrated in Watertown was done so in a house on Pleasant Street next to the Corcoran residence near the foot of Church Hill.
Thomas Allen, who came to Watertown in 1844 recalled that he boarded with a family who lived above a little store which stood at the corner of Merchants Row and Main Street. On Sundays, a priest came to the house and celebrated Mass on the kitchen table for all the Catholics who could attend. Because he had to travel such a great distance to reach the town, the priest arrived on Saturday evenings. There being only one bedroom for the boarders, the inhabitants emptied a large closet for the priests to sleep in.
Due to the remoteness of diocesan power, district missions tended to develop strong local groups of laymen to handle ecclesiastical affairs. Often, when a newly arrived pastor tried to exert his official authority, he came into conflict with these local groups. One such disagreement at the Waltham mission hastened the formation of Saint Patrick Parish.`
In late 1844, the Waltham pastor, Fr. James Strain began construction of a rectory on a lot adjacent to the little church. Many parishioners, particularly those who traveled great distances, objected to the project because they had been accustomed to hitching their horses in that space when attending Mass and no other area was available.
Owing in part to what an Archdiocese historian called Fr. Strain's "tactlessness and sharp tongue, "the matter grew into a major confrontation that culminated in the seizure of the church by the anti-Strain faction. On August 16, 1846, a small riot broke out when Fr. Strain and his supporters tried, unsuccessfully, to retake the building. In the wake of this unfortunate affair, Fr. Strain was transferred to Saint Mary's in Boston and Father Patrick Flood was sent to take his place. By early 1847, the strife in Waltham, combined with the rapid growth of Watertown's Catholic population, convinced the Archdiocese that the seat of a distinct parish comprising the old mission should be located here.
Shortly after Fr. Flood's arrival, Watertown Selectmen refused his petition to use the Town Hall until a new church could be built. Within weeks, the pastor found a suitable location at the Whig Reading Room in Watertown Square, where for several months the infant parish celebrated weekly Mass.
As fortune would have it, the local Methodist Society wanted to sell its meeting house to fund construction of a new church. The Methodists quickly came to terms with a man who claimed to be a bonnet manufacturer from Boston, although his identity is unknown a century and a half later. Only after signing the purchase agreement did the Methodists discover that their building was actually being sold to Watertown's Catholic parish. They tried to nullify the deal through a technicality in the contract, but backed down when Bishop Fitzpatrick threatened court action.
In June, 1847, the building was moved to Church Hill (later Church Hill Street) and renovated. Within months, however, it was decided to build an even larger structure adjacent to the old one, and on September 27, 1847, Bishop Fitzpatrick, assisted by Fr. Flood and Fr. P. O'Beirne, blessed the cornerstone. The new parish and church were named Saint Patrick in honor of the predominantly Irish heritage of its immigrant congregation.
Like so many structures built in the Romanesque style, the new church was elegant in its simplicity and functional in layout, with a capacity for eight hundred worshippers. Niched at the back of the main altar were statues of Saint Joseph Carrying the Infant and of Saint Patrick. The side altars were erected in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin. The choir loft at the front held a large organ, the auditorium was neatly frescoed, and the interior was brightened by stained glass windows that had been donated by parishioners.
In June 1848, Bishop Fitzpatrick returned to Watertown for the building's dedication. The provisional period was over. Saint Patrick Parish now had a permanent house of worship which, for the next six decades, would gather the faithful at the top of old Church Hill.
Many of the names of the original families, such as Regan, Kelley, Oates, Lawn, Madden, Gallagher, and Quirk have been on the parish rolls since the beginning and are familiar to worshippers of the present day. Fr. Patrick Flood served as pastor of Saint Patrick until 1860 when he was asked to take over the Waltham parish which had since been named Saint Mary's.
He was succeeded by Fr. Bernard Flood who presumably was related since both came from Castle Tara in County Cavan, Ireland. Fr. Bernard Flood had arrived here as curate in 1852. Shortly after Fr. Patrick Flood's death in late 1863. Fr. Bernard Flood moved to Waltham and Fr. John W. McCarthy became the pastor of Saint Patrick.
In 1871, Fr. McCarthy was succeeded by Fr. Michael M. Green. Under his leadership, Our Lady Help of Christians parish in Newton was formed and its grand edifice on Washington Street built. Upon completion, Father Green took over the new parish and was succeeded here by his assistant, Father Robert P. Stack, who had arrived as a curate in 1872.
Under Fr. Stack's sixteen-year stewardship, the parish enjoyed continued expansion of her rolls and great improvements in her facilities. He enlarged and decorated the church; he purchased the land and dedicated Saint Patrick Cemetery; he opened Saint Patrick Grammar School, and he built a new rectory on Chestnut Street to replace the old one on Main Street. That old rectory was purchased by a private party and moved to the corner of Waverley Avenue and Summer Street where it stands today.
Out of concern for those worshippers who had to walk to Saint Patrick from the east end, Fr. Stack proposed the establishment of a new parish in that area. Fr. Thomas Coughlan carried out these plans and built a new wooded church on Mount Auburn Street, now the site of Sacred Heart Church.
In the 1880s, Edward J. Murphy became the first native of Saint Patrick Parish to be ordained into the priesthood. Fr. Murphy's brother Daniel received Holy Orders a few years later, and their sister Ann entered the Dominican community.
In 1888, Fr. Stack realized one of his most ambitious plans – the opening of Saint Patrick Grammar School in a newly constructed building adjacent to the church. Fr. Stack's zeal combined with the energies of his parishioners helped to raise the necessary $40,000 in short order. The foundation was dug by the worshippers in one day, and the school was ready for the start of the academic year in September.
Upon the advice of his friend Fr. Louis McNeill, a Dominican priest, Fr. Stack asked the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Springfield, Kentucky to provide the faculty. While the Dominicans' work was well known to Catholics in the south, Saint Patrick was their first mission in the eastern United States. In August, after a two-week journey, seven sisters arrived in Boston and were met by Fr. Stack at the train station. He escorted them back to their new lodgings in the old Methodist meeting house which had been converted to a convent.
Under the direction of Mother Superior, Sr. Vincentia, the Dominican faculty quickly established Saint Patrick as a first-rate grammar school. Their success did not go unnoticed, and within a few years, the Dominicans were conducting parochial schools through the archdiocese. For some time, however, Saint Patrick remained the largest jewel in the Dominican tiara. In 1903, of seven diocesan scholarships offered, four were awarded to students of Saint Patrick. In making the announcement, Fr. Walsh, Reverend Superior of the diocesan schools, called her "the leading school in the Archdiocese of Boston." (Anna Minogue, Pages from A Hundred Tears of Dominican History).
The grammar school's progress led to the opening of a commercial high school for girls in the same building in 1891. A year later boys were admitted as well. Also in 1891, an event of symbolic importance took place when Fr. Stack authorized the raising of the American flag over the new school, making it the first parochial school in the Commonwealth ever to do so.
Fr. Stack's importance to the development of Saint Patrick was arguably the most profound of the nineteenth century pastors. In addition to the physical improvements, this native of County Kerry energetically promoted the cause of Catholicism in Watertown by involving himself in civic affairs. At one time or another, he was a school board member, a trustee of the library, and a trustee of the Watertown Savings Bank. He also spiritual director of the Young Men's Catholic Association.
It is a testament to his ecumenical spirit that Fr. Stack was able to foster such good relations between the parish and the town at a time when Boston was experiencing its last spasm of anti-Catholic bigotry. During this period, "No Irish Need Appy" signs began to appear outside Boston businesses, and the predominantly Protestant state legislature proposed standards, curriculum, and practices for parochial schools. So hostile was anti-Catholic sentiment that three churches were burned in the city in 1895, and a fourth one threatened.
Saint Patrick was Fr. Stack's only assignment as a priest, and his untimely death in 1895 brought a tremendous outpouring of respect and sympathy from the parish, the town, and the diocese. His funeral on January 19, 1895 was described as the largest in the town's history with over 1500 mourners in attendance. Flags on public buildings were flown at half-mast and many stores and residences were draped in black. He is buried beneath an impressive monument at the center of Saint Patrick Cemetery.
In his sudden passing, Fr. Stack bequeathed to his successor one major unfinished project – a new church. Under the direction of Fr. John S. Cullen, plans went forward for an edifice to be located on Main Street on the property where the old rectory had stood.
Like his predecessor, Fr. Cullen was a native of Ireland, having come to America at the age of three from Oldcastle, County Meath. Ordained in 1871, he served as a curate at Saint John Parish in Hopkinton and a pastor at Saint Stephen's in Framingham before coming to Saint Patrick. Fr. Cullen immediately undertook to raise the estimated $100,000 through a variety of means. Ironically, one fund-raising effort was a three-week Parish Fair that was held in the autumn of 1896 in the Town Hall.
The souvenir book from the Fair carried advertisements for the likes of Nolan Brothers, Practical Horse shoers; George Hudson, agent for the Cunard steamship line who offered passage "To and from the Old Country", and T. F. Kelley Contracting and Teaming. A few years later, Mr. Kelley took out an ad in the souvenir book for the church's cornerstone laying ceremony wherein he offered a free hack rental to anyone who could correctly guess the number of bricks in the new church's bell tower. It is not known if anyone claimed the prize.
The laying of the cornerstone of the present Saint Patrick Church took place on June 30, 1901. Under the direction of Chief Marshall Thomas J. Gavin, the ceremonies began with a procession of parishioners and parish societies from the school to the site of the new church. There a program of hymns, prayers and sermons concluded with the laying of the stone by Archbishop Williams.An engraved trowel commemorating the occasion hangs at the front of the stairs inside the Rectory.
According to a local newspaper, the Tribune-Enterprise, the Sunday of the completed church's dedication in May of 1906 "dawned clear and pleasant" and the building was "taxed to the utmost to seat the throngs of worshippers". Archbishop Williams celebrated the High Mass and parish native Fr. Mitchel J. Splaine, brother of Richard and a member of the grammar-school's first graduating class in 1890, served as Master of Ceremonies.
Designed by E. G. Bullard of Boston, this imposing Gothic structure stands in stark contrast to its humbler predecessors. With its wide, sweeping walkway and its commanding view of Saltonstall Park and Whitney Hill beyond, the new Saint Patrick symbolized the growing size and prosperity of the Catholic Church in Boston at the turn of the century.
The interior was no less impressive. With a capacity of fifteen hundred, the new church could seat nearly twice as many worshippers as the old. Its main altar and two shrines, one devoted to Saint Joseph and the other to the Blessed Virgin, were made of Iowa marble. The stained glass windows were acquired through the donations of certain parishioners, usually in memory of deceased family members. One window, set in the lobby on the Chestnut Street side was purchased by the altar boys of 1904.
The two windows above the altar, both of which depict scenes from the life of Saint Patrick, were made of European glass. The rest of the windows throughout the church were made of American opalescent glass by the George W. Spence company of Boston, and are believed to have been designed by the renowned stained glass artist Charles jay Connick.
Once the new church was in operation, the old Church Hill Street building was converted into a parish hall. Its main altar and the two side shrines, together with the organ, were moved to the lower church on Main Street.
In 1909, a newly cast bell was installed in the belfry of the new church. For many years the identity of the bell's donor remained a mystery. An envelope containing a large sum of money was left on the altar one day with a more stating that the money was to be used for that purpose. It was signed "The gift of one who wishes to be known only to God. "However, fifteen years later, a receipt for the bell's purchase was found in the Bible of the then recently deceased sacristan Miss Mary Tugman and the mystery was solved.
The bell was named "The Guardian Angel" and its inscription rings as gloriously today as it did nine decades ago:
May all who hear my voice, Praise, honor and glorify One God in Three Divine Persons; Venerate, love and involve the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God Pray and labor without ceasing for Peace among men Remember their duty to the poor and the afflicted; Beg relief and consolation for the dying Incessantly ask God's mercy for the Souls in Purgatory Seek always the Kingdom of God Receive the Last Sacraments Belive, Hope and Trust in God as in a Father of Infinite Wisdom and Love; Abide with God, in Life, in Death In Eternity.
Although the new church no doubt consumed a great deal of Fr. Cullen's energy as pastor, it by no means constituted his only contribution to the parish. He worked to improve the curricula of the grammar and high schools and opened the Academy of The Infant de Prague at Waverley, also conducted by the Dominican sisters. It was later renamed the Academy of Saint Dominic and remained in operation until 1962.
He also started up several parish organizations, among them the League of the Sacred Heart, the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, the Devotion of the Holy Hours, and the Ladies' Aid Society. Fr. Cullen also was interested in community affairs and was elected Library Trustee to fill the vancancy caused by Fr. Stack's death.
St Patrick Parish Waterown Ma HistoryUpon his death in 1908, Fr. Cullen was laid to rest in Saint Patrick Cemetery and was succeeded by Msgr. Ambrose F. Roche, Msgr. Roche continued much of Fr. Cullen's work, giving special attention to the staff and facilities of the parish schools. In 1909, he acquired the Townsend family estate on Chestnut Street for use as a new convent. There was a certain irony in the transaction as the Rev. Dr. Townsend was remembered for these bitter diatribes against all things Catholic.
In the spring of 1916, a new chapel and two reception rooms were added to the building. Shortly after re-situating the Dominicans in their new convent, Msgr. Roche moved the high school into the now vacant building on Church Hill Street, the old Methodist meeting house which had been renovated into the first Saint Patrick Church.
In 1911, Msgr. Roche presided over the opening of the third Dominican staffed school in Watertown. Situated on a Lexington Street estate that the parish purchased for $9,000, Sacred Heart Academy, later renamed Rosary Academy, began as a boarding school for elementary and high school girls. Sister Imelda Brady was the school's first principal. Enrollment was later extened to female day students and eventually to boys at the elementary level only. By 1917, the school's rapid growth resulted in an addition to the original building and the construction of Saint Joseph Hall. Clearly by this time, Watertown had earned the designation, "The Cradle of Dominicanism."
Meanwhile, due to increasing enrollment, the parish embarked on another major construction project, a new high school on Chestnut Street. Completed in 1924, it was dedicated by Msgr. Roche to the Blessed Virgin under the name "Seat of Wisom" and was staffed by the Dominicans. This move left the old Methodist meeting house vacant. In 1937, Msgr. Riordan had this erstwhile church, convent, and high school torn down.
Like his predecessors, Msgr. Roche expanded his influence beyond the church community. Well-known throughout the archdiocese for his tireless efforts in making the public aware of the ravages of cancer, he was instrumental in helping to bring cancer treatment clinics into the Commonwealth. Cardinal O'Connell called Msgr. Roche the "Father" of all work then being done to fight this dreaded disease. Msgr. Roche was assisted by a number of talented curates, among them the much beloved Fr. Cornelius J. Donovan who was known for his sweet tooth. Rarely did a young parishioner leave the confessional without promising to deliver a homemade pie to the Rectory.
The immigrant tide which had been swelling Catholic rolls throughout the nineteenth century continued into the early twentieth. While the Irish still came to Boston in great numbers, they were joined now by Italians, French-Canadians, Poles, and Eastern Europeans. An Armenian community had begun to settle in Watertown, bringing its own rite of worship. As a consequence of this continuing influx, several new parishes were carved out of the old Watertown-Waltham mission. These included Saint Luke's in 1919, Our Lady of Mercy in 1926, and Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in 1927.
When Msgr. Roche was reassigned to Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish in Jamaica Plain in 1928 he was succeeded at Saint Patrick by his good friend Fr. Daniel Riordan. Fr. Riordan, who was elevated to Monsignor in 1945, had already established himself as a spokesman for the Catholic Federation, traveling the country speaking about Catholic teachings and practices. The Catholic Federation led directly to the formation of organizations such as the Catholic Youth Organization, and was itself the cornerstone of the later group know as Catholic-action.
Msgr. Riordan's missionary work was representative of the growing Catholic influence through the first half of the twentieth century. A mostly immigrant congregation a few decades earlier, Catholic America by this time constituted a large share of the nation's middle class population and was assuming a corresponding measure of power within the country's social and political institutions. In 1928, Democratic Governor Al Smith of New York became the first Roman Catholic to win a major party nomination for the presidency while in Massachusetts, Catholics routinely won seats in local and state contest.
With growing numbers and higher profile activities, came a renewed confidence in the importance of the Catholic message. In addition to the work of the Catholic Federation and similar organizations, the Church sought to spread the word via the new medium of radio through programs such as Cardinal O'Connell's Catholic Truth Period broadcasts.
At Saint Patrick, a growing body of worshippers supplied members for a widening network of parish social organizations throughout the thirties and forties. In 1935, the Fidelis Club was formed for public high school girls in the parish. Founded by Mrs. Helene Dardis, Fidelis maintained an active year-round program of charitable works, dramatic production, formal dances, and other social events.
In April of that same year, the Saint Patrick Alumni Association was started under the guidance of Fr. Riordan. The Alumni Association's dual mission was to aid Saint Patrick schools and to contribute to the welfare of the sisters. Through the years, the Association sponsored countless events, beginning in 1938 with a three day fiftieth anniversary celebration of the grammar school's founding. Six of the original nuns who opened the school were on hand for the festivities.
In addition to annual Christmas parties and Communion breakfasts, the Alumni Association organized its own bowling league, theater group, and book club, all of which thrived through the middle part of the century. Aside from their contributions to school operations, the Association purchased an altar for the convent chapel.
The youth of the parish found a new outlet for their energies in 1940 when a parish chapter of the C.Y.O. was founded. Fr. William Collins supervised the group until his departure from the parish later that year. His successor, Fr. Albert Jacobbe oversaw the development of an athletic program and Boy Scout Troop under the C.Y.O. banner.
Of particular interest to Fr. Jacobbe was the parish band which he organized in 1944. Sponsored by the Holy Name Society and directed by Francis J. Mahler, the band quickly became the pride of the parish when it won its first archdiocesan competition in 1945. A glee club was formed in 1946, and the two groups gave their first joint concert during that year's holiday season.
Meanwhile, the C.Y.O. athletic program mushroomed quickly as three boy's basketball teams, three boys' baseball teams and a senior girls basketball team were playing in local and diocesan competition by 1947.
Recreation programs were not new to Saint Patrick. Fr. Coughlan had organized teams to play baseball and other sports in the 1880s under the banner of the Young Men's Catholic Association. Later, around the time of World War I, Fathers Duffy and O'Donnell organized leagues in several sports for the boys of the parish. In the thirties, the Saint Patrick Catholic Club, under the guidance of Fr. Collins, fielded a number of excellent baseball teams that stayed together until the young men entered the service at the beginning of World War II.
Athletics quickly took hold in the parish schools as well. Raymond J. Ford coaches the Saint Patrick High School basketball team in the winter of 1938, its maiden season. The following year, Mr. Ford went to coach at Watertown High School and was succeeded by William "Bing" Thomas, a local funeral director. The girls' team, also started in 1938, was coached by Mrs. Constance Ober. A boys' baseball team and a girls' softball team were fielded in the spring of 1939, and a football team several years later. At the grammar school, two intramural basketball leagues and a football league were organized in the forties.
The growing interest in sports led to the formation of the Athletic Association in 1947, the purpose of which was to raise funds to offset the cost of sponsoring the various male and female teams.
All of these new groups did nothing to diminish those organizations that had been an existence already. In fact, several of them enjoyed a rejuvenation during the Msgr. Riordan years. Under the direction of the talented Fr. James T. Smith, membership in the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin grew to 635 in the forties. Founded by Fr. Coughlan in the late nineteenth century, the Sodality had as its primary purpose the fostering of love and devotion to the Blessed Mother of God.
Fr. Smith also established a department of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the dissemination of Catholic teachings. Fr. James Fahey oversaw the reorganization of the Holy Name Society in 1945 and its incorporation into the Archdiocesan Union of Holy Name Societies. Founded in 1906, the Society in the late forties was the largest social group in the Parish. Its purpose was to foster love, honor, and respect for the Most Holy Name of Jesus. School-aged parishioners could express their devotion through the Junior Holy Name and Children of Mary societies.
The growing number of Italian speaking parishioners kept in touch with each other and the parish through the Saint Anthony's Guild which was started in the thirties by Fr. Collins and continued under Fr. Jacobbe and Fr. Fahey.
Throughout his nineteen year pastorate, Msgr. Riordan worked diligently to upgrade the quality of education offered at the high school. In 1932, he added the back wing to the original building, giving it the familiar "T" shape.
Two years later, he instituted a complete four-year classical program of studies and extended the commercial course to four years as well. In the late thirties, Msgr. Riordan authorized the construction of a chemistry lab and a library and oversaw the founding of the high school's newspaper. The Shamrock. To serve the advancement of college bound students, Msgr. Riordan established scholarships with Boston College, Regis College, and Saint John's Seminary.
As athletics grew popular, the need for an improved basketball facility compelled the parish, under Fr. Edward Splaine's supervision, to modernize the parish hall the old church – by adding locker rooms and showers. As the fifties dawned, Saint Patrick's boys' and girls' basketball teams hosted their opponents in one of the finest gymnasiums in the archdiocese.
Meanwhile, the Dominicans founded another school in Watertown when Mount Trinity Academy opened its doors in 1941. Situated on the crest of the hill at Oakley Country Club, Mount Trinity consisted of a coed grammar school and a high school for females only. It closed in 1969.
At the 10:00 a.m. on February 23, 1947, Archbishop Richard Cushing, elevated to Cardinal in 1958, celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass at Sent Patrick in honor of the parish's one hundredth anniversary. The Archbishop was assisted by Msgr. Michael Splaine who had served as Master of Ceremonies at the Church's dedication forty years earlier. No fewer than seven other sons of Saint Patrick also officiated. So too did Fr. Jacobbe who had moved on to Our Lady of Pompeii Parish in Boston, and the three current curates, Fathers Edward Spliane, James Smith, and James Fahey. The choir was directed by long time organist Emma Roche. The Mass had been advanced from an October date due to Msgr. Reardon's failing health. The decision was wise, as the pastor was able to participate in the celebration in a limited capacity, and passed away the following June. Fr. Michael Houlihan was named the new pastor shortly thereafter.
The immediate post war period witnessed a boom in Boston's Catholic population. Fifty parishes were founded in the Archdiocese between 1944 and 1954, including Saint Jude's of Waltham which incorporated the western part of Saint Patrick within its territory. At the same time, the Church was reaching out to the faithful in new ways. Beginning in the late forties, Archbishop Cushing gave daily recitations of the Rosary over the radio, and in June of 1953, he authorized the transmission of the first Mass ever celebrated in a television studio.
The Archbishop also opened the first railway chapel, the first airport chapel and the first wharf chapel in America. He established the Saint Anthony Shrine on Arch Street downtown, the Saint Philip Neri School for delayed Vocations and the Boys Guidance Center in the Fenway, a mission of the Dominican Sisters.
During his tenure, Msgr. Houlihan (he was elevated in 1951) emulated the Archbishop's efforts to bring Catholicism to the community at large. With the pastor's blessing, Fr. Alfred Puccini and his successor Fr. Pasquale Barletta worked extensively with the Juvenile Court in Waltham. By the late sixties, monthly Masses were being celebrated at McSherry Gardens, Charlesgate Nursing Home, and Woodland Towers.
Parish life remained vibrant during this period. Fr. Joseph Leahy inaugurated the Legion of Mary in 1950, and Fr. Edmund Buckley helped to organize a Couples Club a decade later. Meanwhile C.Y.O. programs were expanded to include the growing numbers of children in the parish. Students at the high school continued to thrive in both academic and recreational activities. The boys' basketball team was a regular entrant in the prestigious Catholic tournament, winning the B Division title in '47, 49' and '50. the girls' team had several outstanding seasons under their coach Mrs. Julian Hickey. the baseball and football teams were also perennial contenders in Catholic league play with the former winning the Catholic league championship in 1952. Athletes such as Chick Nocera, "Tubba" Maloney, Jim Duffgy, and Francis Shea brought much renown to the boys' teams, just as Mary Cloonan, Carol Fredericks, and Joan MacInnes did for the girls.
Noteworthy among the school's scholastic accomplishments was the National First Prize award given to Madeline Duffy of the class of '53 for her essay on the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet, in the Ancient Order of Hibernians essay contest. Later that year, she won first prize in the literary article division of the Boston Post Scholastic Writing Contest.
Much of the credit for the schools' high academic standards belonged to the Sisters, a fact which was not lost on their pupils. The poems, dedications and good natured asides that were published in The Shamrock, revealed the students' deeply felt appreciation of Dominican training. In a September, 1996 issue of The Boston Globe, readers were invited to share reminiscences of their favorite teachers, Sheila Gallagher Murphy, class of '53, remembered Sister Jerome and Sister Florentia: "What I'll always treasure is the love of learning these two nuns gave me, and the dedication they showed in their work and in their lives."
Monsignor Houlihan devoted much of his time to improving parish facilities. In 1959, the old convent was razed and a modern structure built on the same site. The adjacent house, which Msgr. Houlihan had purchased from the Leahy family in the early fifties, was converted into a meeting house. The Manor, as this building was known, was later used as the parish office until 1988 when Fr. Chambers moved the office into the Rectory. Work was done on both schools at this time as well. The grammar school was completely refurbished in 1958, and the basement of the Chestnut Street building was converted to classrooms a few years later.
The most ambitious projects were undertaken in the church. The exterior was sandblasted, the roof beams were reinforced, and the interior of the upper church given a facelift. The tower and steeple were repaired as well, and in the lower church new altars were installed. The Baptistry was given a new looking thanks to the handyman skills of Fr. Buckley who serve here from 1960-1965.
In September 1963, the Dominicans marked their seventy-fifth year of service in the parish with a Diamond Jubilee celebration. Sponsored by the Alumni Association, the festivities included a Solemn High Mass, a Children's Mass, and a banquet at Rosary Academy. In attendance at the dinner were many of the Mothers Superior of Saint Patrick, including the oldest then living, Sister Rosine, who had held the post in 1907
Also in 1963, the Holy Father convened Vatican II, the only Church Council of the twentieth century. Inspired by the hope that this Council offered for a united Christian community, the editors of 1963's Shamrock pledged their support:
In every way the spirit of "Ecumenism', which has for its goal the perfect unity of all who profess Jesus Christ as their God and Savior, must enter and give its vigor to our lives…We, as members of the laity today, propose to dedicate ourselves to the fulfillment of the Council's principles." (Saint Patrick High School, The Shamrock, 1963).
Upon Msgr. Houlihan's retirement in 1968, Fr. John M. Donelin was transferred to Saint Patrick from Saint James Parish in West Groton where he had also been a pastor. Onto his shoulders fell the task of incorporating the changes in church liturgy and parish life recommended by Vatican II? In the late sixties, the parish began commissioning lay Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers to assist the priests at Mass. In cooperation with the Dominican sisters, a program called Teachable Moments was created for the instruction of parents whose children were preparing to receive the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation. The Sisters also inaugurated a religious education program at the Perkins Institute for the Blind.
While keeping pace with changes in the church community, Fr. Donelin was trying to maintain the church itself. Under his direction, the lower church was remodeled again, the steeple rebuilt, and the main sanctuary renovated.By the time Fr. Donelin arrived, parochial schools across the country were beginning to feel the effects of certain changes within the society at large. First, because the number of novitiates in all religious orders, including the Dominicans, was dropping sharply, Catholic schools hired more lay teachers. This development, along with a corresponding decline in enrollments, combined to increase operating costs and reduced revenues at the same time. The energy crisis of the seventies only aggravated the situation.
Yet while many parochial schools closed their doors during this period, Saint Patrick's grammar and high schools thrived. Under Fr. Donelin's guidance, the high school library was expanded and the chemistry and physics labs were upgraded. More important, the sisters installed, at all grade levels, an innovative curriculum designed to generate increased student responsibility and more individual instruction. With the cooperation of parents. Fr. Donelin also established the Saint Patrick School Organization (SPSO), a parents' group that sponsored fund raising activities.
Fr. Donelin was fortunate to have at hand in those years several very able curates who assisted him on all fronts. Fr. Vincent Mellone, who served at Saint Patrick from 1968-1981, maintained close ties with the parish's Italian speaking community and helped prepare candidates for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Fr. Francis O'Brien's tenure was one of the longest in the parish's history lasting from 1972-1988. During that time, Fr. O'Brien served on the faculty of the high school and was instrumental in the development of its curriculum. Fr. Thomas Whelan, who succeeded Fr. Mellone and remained until 1992, was active in all facets of parish life and was particularly admired for his scholarly knowledge of the Bible.
The high school's athletic teams continued to enjoy enormous success in the seventies. In 1972, the baseball team, coached by Fr. William Gaine and led by the likes of "Jocko" Brackett and John Cloherty, won its first league title in twenty years, and continued to post winning seasons throughout the decade.
After several less competitive seasons, the football program headed by Emerson Dickey and his successor Peter Rufo, began a period of remarkable success in the fall of 1973. It was at Dickey's instigation in that first autumn that the school and the town endured the "Plague of the Green Hats." As a demonstration of team pride, ballplayers were required to wear woolen caps in the traditional Saint Patrick's green and gold wherever they went, even in class. The Sisters, always enthusiastic about promoting school spirit, gladly consented.
In 1988, the parish celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of Dominican service to Saint Patrick. The Sisters published a commemorative newsletter that described the many Dominican ministries: health care, work with the aged, spiritual life centers, and of course, teaching. The newsletters also announced plans for a new intergenerational pilot program to be developed on the Rosary Academy property, the high school and grammar school having closed in 1981 and 1986, respectively.
The past decade has witnessed as much change in the Parish as any comparable period in its history. Both schools have been closed and converted to other uses. The convent has been vacated by the Dominicans and subsequently leased to an outside party. The lower church has been converted to a much needed parish hall, and the upper church renovated once again.
In spite of the best efforts of Fr. Donelin and of Fr. Chambers, who succeeded him as pastor in March of 1988, the losses incurred by the schools were jeopardizing the financial health of the Parish as a whole, and it was clear that action needed to be taken. With the consent of the Archdiocese, Saint Patrick and Our Lady of Newton merged their high schools into a new institution called Trinity Catholic High School. Housed in the Our Lady High School facility, the new institution opened its doors in the fall of 1989. Meanwhile, the grammar school vacated its building on Church Hill Street and moved its operations to the old high school.
Shortly after arriving in October of 1990, Fr. Robert Fichtner held the first of several meetings with the SPSO at which he expressed his concern about the grammar school's ability to continue operation. He explained that the school's enrollment was too low to support itself without continued massive subsidies from the Parish's operating budget and that the enrollment trends were unlikely to reverse themselves in the near future. In a series of meetings the SPSO explored ways of obtaining the necessary funds to keep the school open, but their work was to no avail. In January, 1991, Fr. Fichtner announced that the coming spring term would be the grammar school's last.
On June 5, 1991, the final class of eighth graders graduated from Saint Patrick Grammar School, bringing to a close the era of Dominican education in Watertown. Taped to the windows facing Chestnut Street, was a poignant sign of farewell that read, "Good Bye, Good Luck, God Bless."
Sad as the school's closing might have been, it removed a major source of strain on parish finances. As a result, the parish was able to make a series of improvements to the church in the early nineties. Under Fr. Fichtner's direction, the electrical and fire alrarm systems were updated; an elevator was installed; and several rows of pews removed from the front to afford more room for the distribution of Holy Communion. Another row of pews was removed to create a transverse aisle in the middle of the church, and carpeting was installed throughout.
In 1991 with the chapel in the Convent no longer used by the remaining Domnican Sisters, Fr. Fichtner, with their approval, moved the reredos and some benches from the Lower Church to the chapel wing. Now known as "the Chapel", it was painted and refurbished and serves as an attractive place for daily Mass, as well as for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. A ramp was built to create easy access for the handicapped parishioners.
At the same time the lower church was being converted into the new parish hall. This renovation was the result of a decade long discussion by parishioners about how to replace the old hall on Church Hill Street. Before the building was razed, the stained glass medallions from the windows were incorporated into the side walls at the altar end of the new parish hall. While many parishioners hoped for a brand new building, the more feasible option involved space that the parish already owned and could refurbish.
Fortunately, several years earlier, Fr. Donelin had conducted a parish drive. Chaired by Frank and Evelyn Casey, the fund raising committee collected nearly $300,000 between 1985 and 1990. These funds were augmented by the sale of two properties that had been bequeathed to the parish. With sufficient capital in hand, the parish began the project in late 1991 and dedicated its new hall in August, 1994.
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese had been urging its member parishes to dispose of idle land and buildings where possible. Seeing an opportunity to raise some additional revenue to reduce parish debts, Fr. Fichtner put up for sale a large portion of the yard behind the convent. A buyer was quickly found and the sale executed in 1994. Today, that parcel is the site of a townhouse development called Trinity Gardens. Also at this time, the Manor building was razed, and the property paved for additional parking.
The sale of the Church Hill Street property proved more complex; proposals from two bidders failed for a variety of reasons. A sale was finally executed, however, when the Sasaki Corporation of Pleasant Street purchased the land and the two remaining buildings in late 1996. In January, 1997, the old church at the top of Church Hill was torn down.
On May 4, 1997, as part of the parish's one hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebration, Saint Patrick Alumni Association hosted a Mass of Thanksgiving, Fr. William Coen ('42) presided with a group of concelebrants that included graduates of the high school and many others who had served the parish. Donald MacDonald, Jr., president of the class of '63 and of Saint Patrick Alumni Association, welcomed the assembled worshippers; Leonard Martino (75) and Eileen Curtin Heneghan ('44) gave the readings. In turn, graduates from each decade rose and were recognized. The loudest applause, however, was reserved for the Dominican nuns in attendance who continue to live in the service of God and Man.
On the evening of October 11, 1997, hundreds of parishioners gathered for a dinner dance at the Westin Hotel in Waltham to celebrate the 150th Anniversary. The culmination of the year long celebration occurred on October 26, 1997, when His Eminence Bernard Cardinal Law, Archbishop of Boston , celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at Saint Patrick. Joining Cardinal Law were many concelebrants, priests who had served or had grown up in the Parish.
With the conversion of the Rosary Academy property, the Dominican mission in Watertown has taken new form. Today, the retired Sisters live in Rosary Manor, one of the two main buildings from the original school, while the other building, Saint Joseph Hall, has been converted to apartments. The rest of the property has been developed as a townhouse complex, called "Siena Village", a day care center, and a Learning Center.
While the chestnut Street building no longer houses a high school, it has not gone unused. In 1992, the parish founded a food pantry in the Junior High wing. Operated by its Director Mary McHugh and Kay Vincent, the food pantry has been a remarkable success, having provided free food for nearly two thousand Watertown residents of all faiths.
In 1996, the parish signed a lease with Communities United which operates a Head start program and a daycare center in the front section of the building. In the back section, occupying most of two floors, the Religious Education program, under the direction of Sandy Clancy, provides instruction in the faith to students from first grade through tenth grade at which time students are confirmed.
But as the Lord would have it, the tradition of Old Saint Patrick extends far beyond the boundaries of the parish. In 1991, Fr. Maurus Muldoon, a Franciscan, informed his good friend Fr. Fichtner that he had been appointed to a Bishopric in Honduras. He remarked that he knew the churches there would be in need of regalia and artifacts. With work on the new hall underway, Fr. Fichtner was able to offer Bishop-elect Muldoon some of what Saint Patrick would no longer need. These included the status of Saint Joseph Carrying the Infant, the Blessed Virgin, and the Sacred Heart that had adorned the Church Hill building before being moved to Main Street.
Rita Kelly
S. Kelley MacDonald
Thomas F. Maloney
Dolores McCall