The Dioceseof Fall River

The Establishment of

The Fall River Deanery

Map of the Diocese

Introduction

June 1780, the final version of a new state constitution was adopted

Freedom of religion was finally established for the Catholics of Massachusetts

Bill of rights provided freedom of conscience for all religions

This was a change for Catholics in Massachusetts

New England’sFirst Catholic Parish

Catholics could not be free to worship publicly until they had a priest.

Between 1788 & 1792, three priests served a small Catholic congregation in Boston:– Claude Florent Bouchard (Abbe de la

Poterie)– Louis Rousselet– John Thayer

Claude Florent Bouchard(Abbe de la Poterie)

A former chaplain with the French fleetCelebrated the first public mass in a

chapel owned by French Protestants in Boston, November 2, 1788

He and his successor, Father Rousselet, were dismissed because of being guilty of transgressions in France

He was later reconciled & returned to ministry in France

Father Rousselet

1794, traveled to the island of Guadeloupe during the French revolution

Was caught, imprisoned, and sentenced to death

He was a heroic figure to all, admitting his sins, urging all to the act of contrition, and imparted absolution

Led fellow prisoners to guillotine singing the psalm Laudate Dominum.

Father Thayer

A Yale graduate who served as a chaplain in the Revolutionary War

Entered Catholic Church in RomeOrdained a priest in ParisReturned to his hometown, Boston in

January 1790 and developed a ministry, which turned out to be a disappointment

Served with Father Rousselet, which the congregation became divided along ethnic lines

To restore unity, Bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll, visited Boston in May & early June 1791

He asked Father Rousselet to resignThe next year, Father Thayer

accepted another assignment from his successor, Francis Anthony Matignon

Father Anthony Matignon

Doctor of Theology from the Sorbonne

The French revolution ordered him to escape to England and then offered missionary work in America

Helped former confreres and a young priest named Jean Lefebvre de Cheverus

Jean Lefebvre de Cheverus

December 18, 1790, ordained a priest of Diocese of Le Mans in Paris

He and Father Matignon began to care for missions south of Boston

Thousands Catholics in Boston by the nineteenth century

November 1, 1810, appointed as the first bishop of Boston

They began creating churches in New Bedford, Sandwich, Taunton, and Fall River

Fall River

In 1854, Fall River officially becomes a city having a population of 12,000+

At the end of the Civil War, the city increased to 17,525 because of the increase of textile industrial jobs

Many churches of different nationalities were developed such as French-Canadian

French-Canadian

1868, Father Antoine Derbuel, a French priest visited St. Mary’s Parish & counted exactly 100 French-Canadian families

Later on another person discovered five and six hundred French-Canadian families and realized the need for another church

They created a church that was originally named St. Clothilde, but because of an incident, Father Montaubriq named it St. Anne

Fall River vs.New Bedford

During the time, Fall River and New Bedford were going in their own separate ways of gaining capital

– Fall River• Multiplying of textile mills

– New Bedford• Enriched whaling industry

The Portuguesein New Bedford

The Portuguese were known to be great whalers from the Azores & the Cape Verde Islands

Father Mcmahon found significant number of Portuguese– Because of this, Bishop Williams appointed

Father Joao Ignacio d’Azevedo Encarnacao from Pico, to become priest of the Portuguese

September 10, 1871, first established parish called Saint John the Baptist, for the Portuguese in the nation

Development of Churchesin Fall River

Fall River was in a great need for more churches

Population boomed by 10,000 in 5 years because of the textile industry

In 1872, 15 new textile mills were created and only 3 established churches stood:– St. Joseph– St. Patrick– Sacred Heart

Due to the over-population in Somerset, on November 2, 1873, Bishop Hendricken dedicated a small frame church, built by Father Bric, in honor of St. Patrick

James Masterson, first pastor of the church, which contained 1,200 parishioners

April 1882, two more parishes created:– Immaculate Conception Parish– Saint Peter & Paul

Expansion of French-Canadian Parishes

Bishop Henricken wanted to provide more churches for the increased number of French-Canadian immigrants

Because of the long distance from the Flint Village to St. Anne’s Church, Father Bedard organized a church called Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish on December 1, 1874

May 1892, father Sauval bought land and built a church on South Main & Middle Street– The name St. Anne’s was replaced and given to

this church

Expansion of Portuguese Parishes

Due to jobs in the textile mills, Portuguese immigrants, especially those from New Bedford, overpopulated in Fall River, creating a population of 1,500 Portuguese

A small worn-out Baptist church located at the corner of Columbia and Canal Street, was replaced and called it Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres

Parishioners who lived on the north end found it difficult to attend the church– This resulted into building another church called Saint

Michael on May 10, 1896.– This name was given after the place where most

Portuguese parishioners came from, Sao Miguel, one of the Azorean Islands

Polish & Italian Parishes

1898, a corporation was established by polish Catholics in the south end of Fall River

After purchasing old Methodist Episcopal Church on Globe Street, they created a polish parish known as St. Stanislaus on June 25, 1899

Italian immigrants came and would attend masses at St. Anne’s Church

Because of this, in 1903, Father Parillo, an Italian priest, blessed the church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii

The First Schools& Charitable Institutions

As Fall River became well over-populated with immigrants and established many churches, many catholic school flourished with the coming of religious sisters and brothers

Catholic charitable institutions began in 1873 in New Bedford, the first year of Bishop Hendricken’s ministry

Institutions flourished throughout fall river:– St. Anne’s Hospital is presided over by the Dominican

Sisters of Charity– Three orphan asylums directed by the Sisters of Mercy, of

Charity, and of St. Francis, sheltering 600 orphans– St. Vincent de Paul Society

Bishop William Stang

A seminarian at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium

Became a priest to the Diocese of Providence to care for German immigrants

Ordained on June 15, 1878 and served at SS. Peter & Paul Cathedral until 1885

Appointed pastor of St. Ann’s Parish in Cranston

1887, became bishop’s principal assistant in preparing for Third Synod of Providence

1895, gave mission in New Bedford to German immigrants employed in textile industries

188, appointed professor of fundamental moral theology at the American College

1899, appointed chancellor & secretary to the Bishop Harkins

1901, appointed pastor of St. Edward’s Parish in Providence

February 22, 1904, chosen to be the first bishop of the Diocese of Fall River