Our First 50 Years
Authors Joan Bedard and Ruth KnottFind in this article: |
The first Catholics who came to Worcester were chiefly Irish immigrants, and were brought here by the contractors of the Blackstone Canal.
As time went on, the number of Catholics increased. In 1834, Bishop Fenwick of Boston appointed the Reverend James Fitton to visit the Catholics of Worcester once a month. This was welcome news.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was first offered in Worcester on North Main Street at approximately the location of the Crown Plaza, in 1826. The foundation of Christ’s Church (now Saint John's Church, Temple St.), the first Catholic Church in Worcester, was laid July 6, 1834. Many churches followed as Worcester grew. Churches were built through the following years and began appearing further away from the center of town.
Religious gatherings were taking place in the Tatnuck area from about 1847. Tatnuck and Paxton were missionary journeys for Fr. Fitton or the pioneer priests who followed him. Mass was celebrated in Catholic homes.
Tatnuck and Paxton became a part of St. Paul’s Parish in 1866 and Blessed Sacrament Parish in 1912. On September 15, 1936, the Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated by Fr. John Reilly in the rectory of Christ the King Parish.
Catholics from Paxton belonged to Christ the King Parish. Fr. Reilly negotiated with the Town Fathers of Paxton to celebrate Mass in the Paxton Town Hall until a "more suitable" location could be found.
An exchange of letters between Fr. Reilly and Mary M. Daniher, Clerk for the Paxton Board of Selectmen, and news accounts of those days, indicate that Fr. Reilly’s initial request in that regard (September 14, 1936, the day before the first Mass was to be celebrated in Tatnuck), was not received without some reservations.
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen on September 24th, resulted in a two-to-one vote against granting Fr. Reilly’s petition for the Town Hall Masses in Paxton.
In a letter dated October 9th, 1936 however, Miss Daniher told Fr. Reilly that at another meeting of the Board the night before the selectmen received a petition "containing 128 signatures of Protestants as well as Catholics, asking the Selectmen to reconsider their September 24th vote". She further informed the pastor that "the other two members of the board... feel that the responsibility of deciding this question should be passed on to the people and then there will be no criticism of them". Accordingly, Miss Daniher’s letter continued "it was unanimously voted, under these circumstances, to as clerk to issue a warrant for a special town meeting, as soon as possible, for the purpose of acting upon an article to permit the use of the hall on Sunday mornings, for our services".
That special town meeting was held on October 26, 1936. It resulted in a vote of 88 townspeople in favor of Mass in the Town Hall and 50 against. The vote was subsequently made unanimous on a motion of Gustaf A. Rossier, a former deacon of the Congregational Church in town. Mr. Rossier and Earl Bemis, then deacon of the Congregational Church, earlier had spoken in favor of Fr. Reilly’s application. The Worcester Evening Post of October 27, 1936 reported that "only two residents.... voiced their disapproval of the movement." One opponent, the Post reported, expressed his belief that "the town was establishing a precedent by voting in favor of the petition and intimating that the Catholics would be given a special privilege denied to others in the town." Town Moderator Rufus B. Dunbar countered that opinion, The Post reported citing that "the town itself was formed along parish lines and that the first public property was the First Congregational Church." That property in the center of town, Mr. Dunbar recalled, was later assigned to the religious body through an "amicable" exchange of deeds.
Fr. Reilly was celebrant of the first Paxton Mass with William Harney as "server" and 110 persons in the congregation on November 1, 1936. Masses were held in the town hall for 16 years. Each month families took turns setting up and dismantling the altar. Business as usual was the order on Mondays.
During the October 26, 1936 town meeting in Paxton, The Evening Post reported "application for use of the town hall for church services was made only as a temporary measure, until such time when chapel quarters are established within the town... When the new quarters have been established, services in the town will be conducted as a mission by the Parish of the Church of Christ the King in Worcester."
That such a "chapel" was not only contemplated but was, indeed, almost consummated, was made public in early 1951. It was in the very first edition of the Catholic Free Press on May 4th of 1951 that a Page One headline stated: "Mission Church Planned For Paxton".
The Free Press story said that plans were being discussed "for the establishment of a mission church... on a plot of Church-owned land facing the Common" and that it would be served by priests from Christ the King Parish.
Three weeks later, on May 25th 1951, the Free Press further reported that "a generous gift from the parents of Arthur D. Lamotte" would be used in building a memorial within the proposed Christ the King mission church "to their patriot – son," a parishioner who was a Marine hero and gave his life during World War II.
Another significant event specifically concerning Catholicism in Paxton was reported just one week after that. It was the lead story in The Catholic Free Press of June 1, 1951, announcing: "Anna Maria College moves to Diocese". The news account reported that Moor Acres, a 293 acre estate on Sunset Lane had been purchased by the Sisters of St. Anne and that the Sisters would move their five-year-old all-girl college from Marlborough to the new location in Paxton the following summer. The property, which had been a breeding and training ground for saddle horses, surround a picturesque 150-year old New England colonial residence, which was to be renovated for convent and classroom use until additional buildings could be built.
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Whether it was because of the impending development of Anna Maria College in town or not, is lost to history; but within three months of that June 1st announcement, plans for a mission church of Christ the King in town were scuttled and a complete division of the Tatnuck-based parish occurred with the appointment of Reverend Harry A. Brabson as founding pastor of the new St. Columba Parish, effective on September 5, 1951.
Our history began...The purchase of the land on which St. Columba Church stands was made from Arthur Maccabee on June 14, 1948. The Maccabee property was never put to church use prior to the establishment of the new church. Mass continued to be celebrated in the town hall by priests from Christ the King until Fr. Brabson decided upon his arrival in September of 1951 to have the campus of Anna Maria College also serve as the temporary center of St. Columba Parish life. Ground was broken in January of 1952 and plans were that the structure would be finished by June of that year. The church would hold 300 people and would have a recreation hall, kitchen, check room, boiler room and restrooms. J.E. Antell and Sons of Spencer were the contractors. The building design is classified as modified colonial architecture. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The first Mass was celebrated in the new structure on July 27, 1952 and it was formally dedicated on October 26th of that year. The years since 1952 and the formal dedication of St. Columba’s have been busy and productive. Many priests have made their home here, each bringing a new personality and anew life to the parish family.
The Sisters that have come here have cared for and educated our children and made the responsibilities of the parish priest a bit lighter. They have provided continuity in an ever-changing world.
Renovations
Monsignor John Martin renovated the church during the years of 1968 to 1970. Interior painting was done, new drapes, and pews were replaced. The church was given a fresh new look.
A plaque at the rear of the church pays tribute to the many generous parishioners that made this possible.
Through the years the St. Vincent De Paul society flourished, Thomas F. Harney was its first President. Some of the early committee members were: Frank Ryan, Ulysses Trudeau, John Ahearn and William Feen.
The Woman’s Guild here at St. Columba also had many active years. Catholic women here in Paxton found that the guild provided friendship and strengthening of faith for many years. As new families came into town, the women of the parish found this to be a pleasant and happy place to begin to make friends.
Activities through the years have been varied and have provided much enjoyment for Paxton families. Dances, family picnics, suppers, and flea markets are among the events that have taken place over the years.
A History of Religious Education
Religious Education classes have grown and changed over the years. During the early and mid-sixties, Fr. Griffin held CCD classes in the Parish Hall with many mothers as teachers. This continued for about ten years until Fr. Devaney and Fr. Benton’s time here. At this time a change was made. For a period of time, classes were held at the Paxton Center School with Fr. Benton in charge. He was a man full of energy who had gone "door to door" to recruit many new teachers.
The early 70’s brought three Sisters to our Parish Family. They worked as a team and reorganized our Religious Education Program.
- Sister Catherine Guild, RSM Grades 1-4
- Sister Dorothy McCarthy, SND Grades 5-8
- Sister Mary Herring, SSJ Grades 9-12
This new approach to Religious Education was a tri-parish program. Three parishes were selected to pioneer this new program with St. Columba being one of them. The other two parishes were St. George’s in Worcester and St. Christopher’s in West Boylston.
The coordinators were responsible for recruiting and training teachers and planning the program. They were responsible to the Pastors, Religious Education Board and Parish Council.
Classes were now being held in homes in small groups. This worked well for several years.
With the departure of two of the Sisters, Sister Catherine took the helm and directed our program for many years. Classes were brought back to the Church Hall. Teachers went through more training and a more formal program began.
The presence of Sister Catherine in our midst has indeed been a blessing. Her retirement in June of 2000 was expected and deserved, but left us all missing her and her leadership. Hopefully, the program will continue with new leadership and serve the children of our parish in the years to come.
Sister Catherine also made regular home visits to the elderly and homebound of the parish. Her visits were always a joy to them.
Under Fr. John Thomas’s leadership, the Human Service Committee was formed and continues. This Committee provides help and meals to those Parish members who have a need because of a family death. Those of us who have used this service know that it is a tremendous help to families at a sad time.
A special event in the life of our parish family is the Outdoor Mass for the elderly and Shut-ins. Through the years it has been a high point for many people, some of who are not able to get to Mass often. A festive meal makes the day a happy time for all.
St. Columba in Paxton has been a family – a place and atmosphere where children can grow, young people are married and in the sad days of our lives, we are given faith and strength.
All of those people who came before us – who worked so hard because they believed – have left us a legacy that makes us proud. In the 50 years that St. Columba has served the town of Paxton, many families passed through here. This Church has touched their lives in many ways.
| References: | Chancery Office | |
| The Catholic Free Press | ||
| Golden Jubilee Book of Christ the King Parish | ||
| Worcester Historical Museum Library | ||
| Special thanks to the many parishioners who opened their hearts and shared their memories. | ||
