St. Mary established Sept. 10, 1922

he Catholic Free Press

 At St. Mary Parish’s 100th anniversary Mass Sunday, the pastor, Msgr. Michael F. Rose, shared some of the church’s history in his homily. Adding to that from a variety of sources, The Catholic Free Press put together a summary of the early days of Catholics in Shrewsbury.

SHREWSBURY – Most of the first 60 Catholic families in town were from Ireland. French-speaking Acadians soon joined them.
In about 1840 there was at least one Catholic family. Others moved in. Men walked six miles to attend Mass at St. Anne’s in Worcester and sometimes non-Catholics provided a horse and carriage for women and children to go to Mass.
In the 1860s Father Patrick Thomas O’Reilly, who later became bishop of the new Diocese of Springfield, celebrated the first Mass in Shrewsbury at the Mulvey home on South Street.
Later Father A.J. Derbuel, pastor of what was then St. Luke Parish in West Boylston, celebrated Mass every few weeks in homes or the Fountain Engine House on South Street. Later Father F. Thomas Griffin of St. John Parish in Worcester served Shrewsbury Catholics at the Haven Tavern Hall on Main Street.
In 1872 Bishop O’Reilly bought three-eighths of an acre at 622 Main St., where a 30-by-40-foot mission church called St. Theresa’s was built. St. Theresa’s was a mission of St. Anne Parish in Worcester, and then a mission of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northborough.
As more people moved to Shrewsbury, Masses were also celebrated in the old Palais Royal at Boston Turnpike and North Quinsigamond Avenue, and in a tent behind St. Anne’s Cemetery. The cemetery pre-dated St. Anne’s Church building which now stands behind it on Boston Turnpike, Route 9.
On Sept. 10, 1922, St. Mary Parish was established and Father Thomas F. McKoan became the first resident pastor. Mass was held in St. Theresa’s, but the growth of the town demanded a larger church. And because of colder weather, the Masses across town were moved from the tent to a building across the street from the cemetery.
In 1923 property near the rectory on Summer Street was purchased and work began on what became the first St. Mary’s Church. That year work also began on the present St. Anne’s Church behind the cemetery.
On Aug. 17, 1924, Springfield Bishop Thomas M. O’Leary dedicated St. Mary’s at a Mass and St. Anne’s at a Benediction; 150 children received their first Communion; and 200 or more youth were confirmed. St. Theresa’s Church building became a parish hall and later a dentist’s office.
St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s shared priests and activities until St. Anne’s became a parish on March 29, 1950, one of the first parishes in the new Diocese of Worcester.
St. Mary’s bought land at Main and Summer streets. Father Edward Lynch, pastor from 1950-1980, and his associate, Father Bernard E. Gilgun, undertook construction of the present St. Mary’s Church and attached elementary school.
In January 1961, Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan of Worcester officiated at the laying of the cornerstone. The church building anticipated liturgical and architectural changes which followed Vatican Council II a few years later, and in November 1964 the first high Mass in English in New England was celebrated at St. Mary’s.
Bishop Flanagan had blessed the church in May 1961, and in September that year St. Mary’s School opened.
A convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame who staffed it was built on the property in 1962. When they moved out in 1992, the convent became a pastoral center.
In 1992, girls were allowed to be altar servers, and in 1994 and 1995 the parish studied the possibility of making “liturgically-correct” church renovations, and concluded they were too costly and would not serve future needs. But in the next two years the pews were refurbished, the crucifix behind the main altar was replaced by a mosaic of the Risen Christ and a new baptismal font and ambo were installed.
Father Paul T. O’Connell was pastor then, and during his tenure many new activities and ministries were developed, and the parish celebrated its 75th anniversary.
The parish center was named for Father O’Connell when he ended his 13 years as pastor there in 2005 and became a senior priest, said Msgr. Michael F. Rose, present pastor.
In 2009 St. Mary’s broke ground for an addition to the church and school, for both to use. The addition was dedicated in 2010.
This summer Masses were celebrated in a hall beneath the church while new lighting and flooring were installed in the church, and kneelers were refinished, with money from the diocese’s Legacy of Hope capital campaign, Msgr. Rose said. Renovations are to continue, but the congregation was back in the church in time for Sunday’s anniversary Mass.
Over the years, groups at St. Mary’s included the Women’s Guild, Men of the Holy Name, Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and Senior Jet Set for senior citizens. Activities have included a Seder, festivals and outreach to the sick and homebound.
One area of growth since the 75th anniversary is the diversity of members, as people from around the world join St. Mary’s, Msgr. Rose said.
“Each year on Pentecost Sunday we include several families in their native dress with unique religious articles expressive of our Catholic faith,” he said. “The Taste of the Nations, a new tradition at St. Mary’s, takes place the following week, when people prepare foods from their homeland. The diversity of St. Mary parishioners finds its unity each week when we gather to celebrate the Eucharist.”

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