Parish History

Newly Completed Church, August 1, 1878
Prior to 1820, there were approximately a quarter of a million Catholics in this country. By 1865, there were almost three million. Irish immigration, particularly during and after the Great Famine in Ireland, 1845 to 1849, had significantly swelled the Catholic population and, thereby, the demands on the Church to respond to its needs.

Between 1846 and 1856 alone, 130,000 Irish entered Boston. As most of their skills were limited to farm work, they were attracted by the employment opportunities offered to them by suburban Newton’s beautiful homes and gardens. Before the middle of the nineteenth century, Catholics in Newton, Watertown and areas in the west and north were served from St. Mary’s Church, Waltham. The pastor of that church, the Reverend Patrick Strain, visited Newton Upper Falls and assembled a few Catholics at the home of Mr. John Cahill, and said Mass for the first time in Newton in 1846. Father Strain and his successors continued to visit the Upper Falls and say Masses at the Cahill home.

Regular Sunday services began in 1860 in Eliot Hall. In 1867, the first Catholic Church in Newton, St. Mary’s, was built in the Upper Falls, and established as an independent parish in 1870. The second independent parish in Newton, St. Bernard’s, was established in 1876 in the area known as West Newton. The rest of Newton, including Newton Corner, Nonantum and Newtonville, remained a part of old St. Patrick’s in Watertown, which had succeeded St. Mary’s, Waltham, as the mother parish of the area.

Although St. Mary’s Church had been made a separate parish, and St. Bernard’s was in the process of becoming an independent parish, a survey was conducted in 1872 to find out if a third could be supported in this district.

A later pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians in the 1930's, Reverend John Sheridan, recalled on the parish’s Sixty-Fifth Anniversary that period when the census was taken: "I remember that time well and...the fact that one of my mother’s sisters—who then lived in the family home on a little farm in the lowland between California and Watertown Streets, at the end of Lyons Court—was one of those who helped to make the census of this district, then known as the ‘Lake.’...Those were the days when we still had parlors, when the tempo of life was calm..."

This district was still being served by St. Patrick’s Church, Watertown, and its pastor, Reverend Michael M. Green, who journeyed every Sunday to Union Hall, Cole’s Block, Newton. As the result of the survey, Father Green obtained from the bishop, Rt. Reverend John J. Williams, two lots on the corner of Washington and Adams Streets to build a church.

Volunteer parishioners dug the foundation for the church, and filled it in with fieldstones from the surrounding fields. The cornerstone for the church—known as St. Brendan’s at the time—was laid on Sunday, August 31, 1873, almost three months after the town of Newton had been granted its own city charter.

According to Father Sheridan: "...it was here, on the Feast of All Saints, 1874, that the pioneers of this parish attended their first Holy Mass in the basement of the original church built upon this spot, a small portion of which church is still enshrined in the magnificent Gothic temple dedicated to Our Lady."

It was another four years before the church separated itself from St. Patrick’s, Watertown, and became an independent parish dedicated to Our Lady, Help of Christians. Father Green had become so absorbed in the building of the church that he resigned from St. Patrick’s to take up the pastorate of the new parish on August 1, 1878.

The Founding Pastor Rev. M. M. Green
Born in 1835 in County Cork, Ireland, Father Green studied for the priesthood at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Troy, New York, and was ordained on January 6, 1868. With the high tides of immigrants making great strains on the ability of the Church in America to take care of their spiritual welfare, priests became pastors in much shorter periods than obtain today. Within three years of his ordination, Father Green became pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Watertown, in September 1871. In that capacity, he was also responsible for Catholics in the Newton Corner area.

In the 1870's, Father Green supervised the building of our church, which stands today essentially as it was when completed in 1881. Father Sheridan tells us:

"Father Green, the first priest I ever knew, was a man who had the heart of a missionary and the faith of the true son of Jesus Christ. His Irish mother had given him a soul for sacrifice. The appraisal of the priesthood has the very acme of all that God might ever wish for man. She had taught him that carelessness for self had sent him across the Atlantic to work in the growing fields and the vineyards of the Lord in the Diocese of Boston."

Father Green made his home in a house which sets on a knoll on Adams Street, directly across from the church. As the substantial granite and brick superstructure rose from the fieldstone foundation in the 1870's, a number of incidents occurred in relation to it. Several workers were injured by falling brick in August, 1875. The following month a Mr. Wentworth died from injuries sustained when he fell from the roof. In December, H. Dorrity fell through one scaffolding and landed on another. Fortunately, he suffered only a sprained ankle.

As the imposing structure with its "remarkable spire", 197 feet in height, took shape, fund-raising affairs were ongoing events. The church and the five-acre property it occupied was to cost $115,000, a formidable sum "for the men and women who lived here were everyday folks."

The first fair was held at Nonantum Hall for three weeks in October, 1874, with an organ and a plot of land as main prizes. Proceeds amounted to more than ten thousand dollars. Similar events were held in those years, helping considerably to defray expenses.

Of considerable interest is the fact that in this period of our nation’s history when few social benefits were available via unions or government, some members of the "Roman Catholic congregation in Newton...organized the Newton Mutual Relief Society...to afford relief in times of sickness and distress." The article in the Newton Republican newspaper of July 4, 1873, reported that the society was open to membership to any male "person of eighteen years of age and upwards, of good moral character and temperance habits." Initially, one hundred men entered their names as members.

First officers of the group were C. P. Harkins, president; T. F. Glennon, vice-president; Daniel Hurley, secretary; and T. Stewart, treasurer.

The first child baptized by Father Green in the new church was Timothy Kelly, born July 29, 1879, son of John and Margaret (Lydon) Kelly. The christening was held August 3, 1879. The child’s godparents were Patrick Kelly and Mary Lydon.

The following month, on September 15, Father Green officiated at the parish’s first marriage. The bride was Mary A. Briston, and the bridegroom, Nicholas W. Roach. Witnesses were James J. Walsh and Mary Cronin.

Father Green was soon joined by two assistants, Father Charles F. Cowen and James T. Gilfether. Serving as sexton was Mr. Patrick Dougherty. T. F. Glennon, Sunday School Superintendent, also served as one of the five directors of the Young Men’s Catholic Lyceum, which was organized on October 1, 1881, in Newton. The Lyceum met Wednesdays, and rooms in Sumner’s Block were available to members every evening except Sunday.

 ...The church was completed in 1881. It was dedicated on May 8th by Bishop James A. Healey of Portland, Maine, at a Pontifical High Mass, celebrated by Bishop Lawrence S. McMahon of Hartford. The Newton Republican reported that it had been "a red letter day among Catholics of Newton." The building was seventy by one hundred and sixty-two feet, with a seating capacity in the "audience room" of fourteen hundred people. The basement could accommodate fourteen hundred people, and the gallery, a hundred. The interior trim was made of Crown Ashe. In 1883, reported The Newton Graphic, "The Catholic Church was lighted by gas for the first time at the All Saints Day service Thursday evening."

Father Green had done his work well, and our beautiful church has stood the test of time. When the founding pastor died October 5, 1885, Our Lady’s Parish numbered more than four thousand people.

Since it was dedicated on May 8, 1881, Our Lady Help of Christians Church has been the repository of deep faith and tireless dedication of parishioners, clergy, and religious. For more than a century, the Church has been the center of parishlife and the heart of a commitment to live the traditions of our Catholic faith and to share them with future generations.

The story of Our Lady’s has paralleled that of Newton as we have stated. Irish immigrants struggled and built the magnificent Church. The Italian immigrants followed and brought their customs and traditions that enriched the parish. The Church has stood as a refuge through wars, depression, and prosperity. Up to the present day, Our Lady Help of Christians Church continues to serve the needs of parishioners from within its beautiful structure.

Today, Our Lady’s is a thriving parish of more than 2,900 households. Under the leadership of Father John Sassani and a dedicated pastoral staff, the parish strengthens and sustains the faith we share. The Church building is so much more than a magnificent structure. It is the place where the community continues to gather and nourish its faith, deepen its hope, and share its love. Our Lady’s Church remains a beacon of light dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God and our mother.

Our Lady's Church Restored
The church restoration was completed before Easter, 1999.  The solemn dedication with Cardinal Law took place on Sunday, May 16, 1999.  It was a great day for the parish. Pledges are still being paid and donations are still being accepted. Naturally, with a project of this scale, there are always costs that were not expected so all financial donations are gratefully accepted. Thanks to all those who made this dream a reality.