St. Leo's hits 150 years

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

LEOMINSTER – St. Leo Parish celebrated its 150th anniversary Sunday with Mass and a reception characterized by appreciation for the church, its school and those who have served there.
Bishop McManus celebrated the Mass. Concelebrants included the pastor, Father William E. Champlin, and priests previously stationed there or presently helping out. Among worshippers were Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary who once staffed St. Leo Elementary School.
“I was just very pleased by the number of people who were present and the positive spirit of the day,” said Father Champlin, estimating that about 200 people attended the Mass.
It is fitting that the first Catholic parish in Leominster was named after Pope St. Leo the Great, because Leominster means “Leo’s church,” Father Champlin said in his homily.
The parish was established in 1872 with about 65 founding families, most of them Irish, he said. Father Daniel Shiel, the first pastor, stayed until 1900, dying four days after the cornerstone of the present church was laid. (The Catholic community’s previous two churches were bought from the Baptists and Methodists, respectively.)
In 1900, French Canadians separated from St. Leo’s and formed St. Cecilia Parish. Subsequently, Italians formed what is now St. Anna Parish, and Our Lady of the Lake and Holy Family of Nazareth parishes and Santisima Trinidad Chapel were established.
“It all started here at St. Leo’s,” Father Champlin said.
He also spoke of St. Leo Elementary School, which opened in 1926, staffed by the Presentation Sisters, who no longer work there but have a convent behind the church.
Father Champlin talked about anniversary year observances organized by archive, anniversary Mass, social, and service subcommittees. He said the high point was gathering with Bishop McManus Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist, to celebrate “who we are as Catholic Christians.”
In Scripture Peter told Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Father Champlin noted, and said St. Leo’s parishioners’ lives were formed by their faith in Jesus.
Challenges lie ahead, as Christian ideals are rejected by many, the pastor acknowledged. He said he prays that parishioners’ faith will help them endure and flourish for years.
After Communion, Bishop McManus said St. Leo’s founders probably came here after the famine in Ireland, poor but possessing deep Catholic faith. There are still five flourishing Catholic parishes in Leominster, he said, adding that Catholics from different ethnic groups share one Lord, faith and baptism, a unity important in today’s polarized society. He told of the Sisters teaching the faith and taking students from the edges to the center of society.
After Mass people lined up to greet Msgr. John E. Doran, St. Leo’s pastor from 1989 to 2015.
Among them were Daniel and Marjorie Seminoff. Mrs. Seminoff said it was so nice to see the priest who returned after his retirement to witness their Catholic marriage. Their daughter Denise had been an altar server for Msgr. Doran.
Joseph and Marilyn Siciliano also greeted Msgr. Doran. Mr. Siciliano said St. Leo’s is “a very close parish” with “very friendly people.”
At the reception in the parish center named for  Msgr. Doran, Father Champlin received anniversary congratulations from City Councilor Claire Freda on behalf of the City Council, and from State Rep. Natalie Higgins on behalf of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Displays featured the parish, school and Boy Scout troop.
Daniel Crowley, of the archive subcommittee, said he produced a PowerPoint presentation and had help with the anniversary booklet. In its acknowledgements he wrote, “Motivation for this document came from realization that I am a fourth generation St. Leo parishioner as my great-grandparents Patrick and Hanna Crowley were among the 65 founding families in the parish in 1872. The church and school were integral to their family life and in my formation and life activities.”
Thoughts, and memories from parish and school, were shared over dinner.
“It was just wonderful to see the bishop here,” said lifelong St. Leo’s parishioner David Baron.
What keeps Mr. Baron there?
“Some of it is a sense of tradition,” he said, adding, “We’re very happy with the parish.” His wife, Florence, said it was so nice to see Msgr. Doran, who baptized their son, who later received his first Communion from Father Champlin.
Rose Tantillo, a telephone receptionist when Msgr. Doran was pastor, said St. Leo’s is a “very sociable parish.”
“I always found the pastoral outreach very good here,” said Donald Benton. “Msgr. Doran was here 26 years. I think he knew everybody by name.”
Mr. Benton said St. Leo’s has “very good music,” and he misses the choir, halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“When we were kids it was known as the Irish parish,” he said; those who were not French or Italian went there when the town had only three Catholic parishes.
His sister Susan Rocca noted that one of their brothers became a priest – Father Wayne Benton. Their sister Phyllis Gagnon, now at Holy Family, recalled numerous priests attending his funeral at St. Leo’s.
She also shared a St. Leo’s School memory: “When I was in first grade I was chosen to carry the crown of the Blessed Mother. … Everybody in the whole school” processed to the statue of Mary for the crowning.
There was good cooperation between the parish and school and parents, said Sister Brian Elizabeth Barnicle, principal there for 30 years.
“I said to a couple of parents who just came by” at the anniversary reception, “I would never have stayed as long unless I had the faculty I had.” The teachers stayed for years.
Other Sisters recalled their days there.
“This was my first assignment,” said Sister Pauline LeBlanc, calling her young students “adorable.”
For Sister Barbara Hobbs St. Leo’s School was also “my very first mission.”
Sister Patricia Dowler, administrator at Presentation Convent behind the church, said she saw many of her former students at the reception. She taught at St. Leo’s School and confirmation class at the parish.
Today there are still connections between the parish, Sisters and school.
“Father Bill is amazing,” she said of the present pastor. “He’s so easy to work with. We have parish Masses at the convent” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday-Wednesday. He also celebrates school Masses and the students “really know their pastor.”