75 Years of the Diocese of Worcester Series: Did you know?
A new diocese is founded
On March 7, 1950 some 15,000 people crowded the streets around the newly designated St. Paul Cathedral at the corner of Chatham and High streets in Worcester as Bishop John J. Wright was installed the first Bishop of Worcester. Later that day, the public was invited to personally greet Bishop Wright at Worcester Memorial Auditorium, where thousands of people could be seen in lines stretching through Lincoln Square to Main St.CFP File Photo: Printed July 12, 2024
Bishop Wright installed at St. Paul Cathedral
Archbishop Richard J. Cushing installed Bishop Wright in the newly designated cathedral on March 7, 1950. On that day, Bishop Wright was the youngest bishop to be installed as an ordinary of a diocese in the country. He came from the Archdiocese of Boston where he was an auxiliary bishop under Archbishop Cushing. Both Archbishop Cushing and Bishop Wright would later be elevated to the College of Cardinals.
CFP File Photo: Printed July 19, 2024
‘Sisters Enjoy Recreation’
Titled “Sisters Enjoy Recreation,” this photo was taken in 1954 at the annual Stadium Festival held at Fitton Field, College of the Holy Cross. It was an annual fundraiser for Catholic Charities Worcester County. One of the first things Bishop Wright did was establish Catholic Charities to broaden the outreach in the communities in Central Massachusetts.
CFP File Photo: Printed July 26, 2024
Students help with the Bishop’s Fund
The annual Partners in Charity appeal was called the Bishop’s Fund in the early 1960s when it was inaugurated by Bishop Flanagan, second bishop of Worcester. For decades the appeal took place on a Sunday in May and was typically completed in a few weeks, with parishes calling in their results to “campaign headquarters” at the Chancery on a Sunday afternoon. Pictured here are Catholic school students receiving reports with Bishop Flanagan monitoring the progress.
CFP File Photo: Printed Aug. 2, 2024
Anna Maria College is invited to Paxton
At the invitation of Bishop Wright, the Sisters of St. Anne moved Anna Maria College from its original site in Marlborough to a new campus in Paxton. Pictured here is Bishop Wright delivering his address in front of Trinity Hall at the first graduation ceremony in Paxton on June 8, 1953. it was a hot day and Bishop Wright noted that he cut his talk “to avoid the chair legs sinking into the newly laid macadam” (asphalt). CFP File Photo: Printed Aug. 9, 2024
Make way for Route 290
St. Anthony Church in Kelley Square was another casualty of the Route 290 construction. This aerial view of the church and surrounding parking lot is now the site of the highway ramp to Vernon Street from Route 290 West.
The demolition in progress.
CFP File Photo: Printed Aug. 16, 2024
Bishop Flanagan at the Second Vatican Council
Bishop Flanagan, second bishop of Worcester, was an active participant at the Second Vatican Council. He is pictured here (center left) in his “seat” at St. Peter’s in Rome. He wrote a column each week, which was published in The Catholic Free Press, called “Letters from Rome” (inset) to keep people informed of the progress of the Council. Upon his return he was one of the first bishops in the United States to implement many of its reforms, including the liturgical reforms calling for Mass in the vernacular instead of Latin.
CFP File Photo: Printed Aug. 23, 2024
Nuns as nurses and social workers
Catholic nuns have been active throughout our diocese in areas of education, healthcare and social services. Pictured is a Little Sister of the Assumption, founders of Pernet Family Health Service in the Green Island area of Worcester, providing early child care in a neighborhood home. As nurses and social workers, their mission was to strengthen families by helping young mothers, newborns and toddlers who faced many challenges including extreme poverty.