SACRED HEART 75th ANNIVERSARY
Celebrating the Past, Present and Future
AN HISTORICAL THESIS
The Challenges for Sacred Heart Parish, Lexington
It is unusual for an institution to have two historians, such as Sacred Heart; but John Mahoney
and I – the current “official writing” historians (every parishioner is an historian of Sacred Heart
in some aspect) complement each other in the area of our investigations – like the Latin
descriptive phrase – Mens et Manus, translated as “Mind and Hand.” This division for our
historical investigations of Sacred Heart has been helpful, for while John has concentrated on the
spiritual, people - the religious aspects – the Mind; I have concentrated on the bricks, mortar –
the architectural aspects – the Hand, - to give a complete historical insight into the wonderful
community of Sacred Heart Parish for over these past 75 years. As an aside, the phrase Mens et
Manus is also the motto of the graduate school that I attended in Cambridge, while Veritas is the
motto of the other graduate school in Cambridge – upstream on the Charles River, that John
attended.
The challenge before Sacred Heart Parish, Lexington is best described by both the explicit and
subtle interlocking of events, both of the religious and the architectural undertakings that have
unfolded during its 75 years of history. The sustaining "character" of any parish church is not
totally defined by its mere physical structure, or by the bricks and mortar that form its worship
space. The parish also has a sustaining “character" as defined by the community of its people
called by God, to gather, to celebrate with each other in that worship space, in their spiritual
development as individuals and as family. However, as with any enterprise in life – “people react
with bricks and bricks react with people and both react with the events of time” - to portray a
rich message that has a dichotomy in its meaning, which is both visible and invisible to construct
a “New Jerusalem” on a hillside in Lexington – the East Village - in the 1920’s.
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The noted English art and social critic, John Ruskin, once said:
“Great nations and institutions write their autobiographies in three manuscripts, the book of their
deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art. Not one of these books can be
understood unless we read the others; but of the three the only trustworthy one is the last – the
book of their art.” Such is with the “Book of the Art of Sacred Heart Parish” – its church built
upon a hill in East Lexington. This very structure itself manifests and reveals to us all, the
triumphs and the struggles, the good times and the times of despair, to construct, to maintain, to
improve and most of all to sustain an edifice, dedicated to the worship of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus for over 75 years.
Throughout the preceding past weeks in the church bulletin inserts leading to Sacred Heart’s
anniversary celebration on October 27, 2007, we have revisited and shared the journeys and the
struggles for a parish community in the pursuit of God, sometimes religious and secular,
sometimes serious and humorous; but always focused on the many challenges of events,
sometimes joyous and painful, before them.
However, this physical church – its bricks, mortar, wood, marble, glass, concrete, etc. – if all
these elements could speak they would have an enormous “statement” to tell of the tribulations
and challenges the entire parish faced throughout its history and the - “definitive statement” that the people, indeed the Catholics of Lexington were saying during its time of conception and
formation.
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Let me use as a regional analogy, the example of the “architectural statement” that Harvard
University was making with the erection of its magnificent red-brick Memorial Hall in
Cambridge, after the American Civil War in the 1870’s. It was an era of remembrance to
Harvard’s fallen alumni; but it was also an era for the country of America to demonstrate its
emergence as a world economical, industrial, and educational equal to the countries of Europe.
Hence in the “statement” of Memorial Hall duplicates with its Sanders Theatre, its Annenburg
Dining Hall, its Memorial Transept and Tower, and its marvelous stained glass windows, the
great halls and edifices of Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England. Indeed, Sanders
Theatre was inspired by Christopher Wren's Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford, and Annenburg Hall
is arguably the most impressive space at Harvard, with its great hammer beam internal roof
trusses, stenciled ceiling, and walnut paneling.
What is this connection between Sacred Heart Church in East Lexington and Harvard’s
Memorial Hall in Cambridge? A rather current connection is that Tom Sullivan, a beloved laysacristan and grounds keeper of the church for many years, - grandson and parishioner, Patrick
Hunt, has been responsible for the recent hardwood floors restoration of Memorial Hall. A more
rhetorical connection according to John Ruskin, would be that both buildings are an
“architectural statement” of the aspirations and desires of the people who built them – the
communities of Sacred Heart and Harvard were in “lock step” at their respective times in history
to create goals and fulfill dreams in the realization of the edifices.
What were the aspirations and ambitions of the Catholic faithful of Lexington in the 1920’s to
undertake a 20th century English Gothic revival church made of brick on Follen Hill? There is no
definitive written record; but we can surmise them by examining the building itself and the times
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of the structure’s conception. It was the aftermath of World War I - a war to end all wars; its was
a time of new prosperity – the roaring twenties; it was a time for the mother church, St Bridget to say that the Catholics of Lexington were expanding and needed a new place of worship
constructed of permanent material – brick not wood; it was a time that the Italian Catholics of
East Lexington farms wanted to assert its own presence along with the Irish Catholics of the
Center – to say that they are really two distinct Lexington’s – East and the Center. I need another
venue and more time to expand fully upon this observation, its credibility, and further
ramifications, which are rarely discussed today. However, in spite of all these worthy aspirations
of the Catholics of Lexington and in particular the parishioners of Sacred Heart – these dreams
came with nightmares, beset with difficulties and challenges to tell an additional and more
meaningful aspect of the history of Sacred Heart!
There were many challenges and obstacles over the years:
The Site: - the construction site itself – beset with the ever present and costly to remove “ledge”
in the midst of the great depression begun in October 1929, a mere two months after ground was
broken with plans, that took over seven years to formulate. I have seen those engineering plans
and drawings, in the Boston Archdiocese archives, meticulously drafted by the noted Edward
T.P. Graham, Architect of 71 Newbury Street, Boston. Edward T.P.Graham was a graduate of
Harvard, who became a prolific ecclesiastical architect completing locally and in Cleveland,
Ohio, dozens of churches; including his own parish church – St. Paul’s, Cambridge in 1913;
schools, including the Forsyth Building on the Fenway in Boston in 1914 – now part of the
Museum of Fine Arts (MFA); rectories; and hospitals; including St. Elizabeth’s in Brighton in
1926 and 1928. At his death in 1964, he was called "the Dean of Boston architects." His archives
of collected works and correspondence are currently in the Boston College Burn’s Library.
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Concerning the architectural plans for Sacred Heart, (in my opinion as an engineer - albeit an
electrical), are masterpieces of craftsmanship worthy of framing and not destined for storage, as
they currently are, in a large metal flat filing cabinet.
I am not digressing in extolling the accomplishments of Sacred Heart’s architect, Edward T.P.
Graham, which also includes Harvard’s first Traveling Fellow to Rome and winner of the
prestigious Ecole des Beau Arts award as a student; rather I am emphasizing the proud degree of
intensity that the Catholic community of Lexington was making in designing its new church in
the late 1920’s. The selection of Graham to articulate the vision and intent of the structure of this
church was the pinnacle of optimism, enthusiasm and assertion, that Catholics were indeed,
serious participants in the religious and the civic life of the Town of Lexington’s community.
Even the church’s construction contractor, Henry Marsolais, was selected for his known
experience in building many churches throughout the area. However, as we subsequently know,
the exquisite design of this country English Gothic church met immediately two devastating
obstacles in its implementation and construction. – the pervasive and costly to remove site ledge,
and the great American economic Depression. Today one can get a visual impression of the
coming ordeals for this structure from the memorable April 19, 1930 panoramic photo of the
Lexington-Times Minuteman, showing the assembly of Town police and firemen before the
Patriot’s Day parade. It depicts faintly in the upper right portion, Sacred Heart church (without
front or side stairs and concealing its unfinished interior), struggling for recognition amid the
numerous stark elm trees and the Ben Wellington monument of Robbin’s Park, at the base of
Follen Hill;
The Walls: - the near catastrophe of the church’s walls buckling outward by the enormous weight
of the slate roof, that was remedy by the beautiful internal flying buttress wood ceiling rafters
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and inside columns. These ceiling rafters cannot compare with the great hammer beam roof
trusses, nor the stenciled ceiling and walnut paneling of Harvard’s Annenburg Hall, for the
coffers of Sacred Heart are not comparable to those of Harvard University. A specific example of
Sacred Heart’s monies limitation is that the column support brackets for their wood rafters are
not carved wood; but rather formed with painted plaster to imitate ornate wooden moldings and
cornices. However, the spirit and intent of both communities are the same, to build worthy and
beautiful structures reflective of their aspirations and dreams;
The WW II: - the subsequent World War II, with the limited resources of parishioners to
complete the interior of the church, that deceased parishioner, John McAleer, described in his
earlier histories of Sacred Heart – “as bleak as a cattle shed;” He also referenced that collections
brought in as little as twenty-six dollars a month, barely enough to keep the pastor and the
curates from being brought into court on vagrancy charges. This is not an outlandish statement
for reminiscent of “established Protestant” townships laws in Lexington or Concord, are dictates
that instructed people of no proven means of support to clear out with all due haste.
The Refurbishment: - the enormous task of managing, certainly with exuberance, in the late
1940’s of finally refurbishing the interior and adding the Follen Road portico side entrance. In
the 1950’s a further expansion of facilities for the parish included across from that Follen Road
entrance, a parish center with a large open hall and classrooms on its lower level. To give a sense
of time, the magnificent stained glass window of “Christ the King” at the entrance wall of the
church is signed by its master craftsman, John Terrence O’Duggan, 1951. Thus more than 20
years after breaking ground for the church, was Christ visibly enthroned in glory within the walls
of the church.
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The Modification: - the anxiety and the acceptance by parishioners in meeting the challenges of
Vatican II to modify the church’s worship space to comply with a “new openness” in liturgies
celebration. To say that the current configuration of the main altar worship space and the jettison
of religious artifacts of the original interior refurbishment were not controversial, would be
disingenuous. Artifacts such as, the intricately carved oak canopy of the main altar, the elegant
wooden walk-in ambo (lectern), the ornate cathedral like wrought iron chandeliers throughout
the nave of the church, and the magnificent Fr. Massimilla memorial baptismal font are some of
these painful losses, especially to older parishioners, and represent points of contention that are
seldom discussed. However, these concerns should precipitate future investigations for physical
alterations to enrich even more the liturgies and the celebrations within the church’s walls.
The Rest: - this list can be enumerated with many other examples of challenges, both adverse and
positive, such as the front entrance terrace and garden – all displaying the courage by the parish
to address them straight on by persevering in delays and setbacks to attain the goal of a “Church
upon a Hill.”
However, while all of these enumerated challenges were of the “Manus” characteristic –
architectural – they were addressed and solved with the “Mens” characteristic – exhibited by a
people who trusted in God and in themselves to realize the dreams of building a parish
community of faith and relevance in spite of the reoccurring nightmares in the process. Such is
the true meaning of the bricks, mortar, marble, wood, and glass that we see before our very eyes,
- that tell of the people who built this church – not in one instant of time but over a continuum of
75 years!
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John Ruskin was right ! – the “Book of the Art of Sacred Heart Parish,” – its church - is the
most trustworthy in retelling the history of its triumphs, its obstacles, its accomplishments, – its
past challenges. But there is a greater challenge before the parish, now, - that is not architectural
(Manus) in nature !
Perhaps this greatest challenge before Sacred Heart is to confound the attacks of its antagonists
and any adverse events or circumstances before it in the coming years, as it strives to build upon
its historical legacy of faith and meaning to its parishioners and others.
What we can learn from the history of Sacred Heart, is intellectual and spiritual integrity: fidelity to scripture and to the church that is at once complete and at the same time resourceful,
imaginative, and enriched. To meet a Sacred Heart parishioner is to encounter one who has made
of orthodoxy, of “thinking with the church,” an adventure that is very like a high-wire act. It is a
reinforcement of Christianity arising from liturgy and scripture, both contributing to a spirituality
that is at once fully obedient and at the same time fully personal - private, but at the same time
communitarian or, better, ecclesiastical. The authority of those who have gone before us, gives
parishioners confidence; but in the end it is their own faith and courage -- not any borrowed
bravado -- that bears them along. In this reinforcement of Christianity there is no vicarious
experience, all is immediate. For us to be parishioners of Sacred Heart in such a way is that we
live our Christian exploration and pilgrimage in a very essential and unique manner. What the
history of Sacred Heart Parish , both in people and in bricks, teaches us - is Christian freedom!
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It may have been an accident that Sacred Heart Church was built upon a hill in 1929; but there is
no accident in the symbolism associated with such a foundation. The Greek historian and
statesman, Pericles, and many after him refer to the noble characteristics of a city or an edifice
built upon a hill (“the eyes of all people are upon us”) as emblematic of its values and history.
Perhaps the most fitting attributes to describe the parish of Sacred Heart Church on Follen Hill in
East Lexington, can be found in the New Testament.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no
longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the
world. An edifice (city) set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it
under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp-stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so,
your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly
Father.” - Matthew 5: 13-17.
Indeed, the church of Sacred Heart parish is an “architectural pearl” of great worth, purchased
with priceless “Mens et Manus” as is evidenced by its history, past and present and certainly by
its challenges for the future !
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Original written on the Feast of All Saints – November 1, 2007
Updated on the Feast of Dedication of the Lateran, Basilica –
November 9, 2007
Updated on Veterans Day – November 11, 2007 (32nd Sunday Ordinary Time)
Updated on the Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini – November 13, 2007
Updated on the Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary – November 17, 2007
Updated on Thanksgiving Day – November 22, 2007
Updated on Christ the King Sunday – November 25, 2007
Updated on the Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle – November 30, 2007
Updated on the First Sunday of Advent – December 2, 2007
Updated on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier – December 3, 2007
Updated on the Feast of St. Ambrose of Milan – December 7, 2007
Updated on the Feast of St. John of the Cross – December 14, 2007
Updated on the Third Sunday (Gaudete) of Advent – December 16, 2007
Several Post Scripts:
In short, the main themes of this - "An Historical Thesis" are characterized by:
• Deemphasizing the names of prominent persons, both clergy and laity in Sacred Heart's past
history (they are amply discussed in other briefs by John and I) - only a few names are
mentioned and then in a passing reflection.
• Elucidating the subtle interconnections of events, situations, people, and objects, where the
connections can be either historical, religious, literary, personal or a combination of these
attributes.
• Connecting the observation of John Ruskin that the statement of three local structures, Sacred
Heart in Lexington, Harvard’s Memorial Hall and St Paul’s Church both in Cambridge,
reflect the true vision and intent of its founders.
• Evolving this historical treatise as noted by the many updates on the various feasts days
throughout the months of November and December in 2007.
• Strengthening our faith by remembering our parish religious heritage.
•
Asserting that the true heroes or personae of this historical statement are all the parishioners
of Sacred Heart – clergy, religious and laity alike, throughout its 75 years of history, who met
the challenges and struggles encountered that are expressed by the bricks, mortar, wood, and
glass, to erect “Upon a Hill in East Lexington” - a "New Jerusalem." - A Heaven on Earth!
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AFTERTHOUGHT 1
The writer of the Book of Revelation often refers to heaven triumphant with the beatific vision as the
“New Jerusalem.” The early and medieval church adopted this symbolic reference and extended it to
include on earth, any church edifice dedicated to the “House of the Lord” as a New Jerusalem, – “A
Heaven on Earth.” This can be referred to as a “religious literary connection.” There can be “religious
personal connections” as well, and I experienced one on the first Sunday of Advent (December 2, 2007),
when our daughter, Meg, and I attended the 11:00 AM Mass at St. Paul’s, Cambridge. St. Paul’s, for three
years, and Sacred Heart, currently for forty years, are the only two parishes that my wife, Kathy, and I
have been parishioners during our marriage. The sung Mass with the Archdiocese Choir at St. Paul’s on
Sundays has always been for the family, an occasional journey back to one of our religious roots. Since
Meg was a Harvard Fellow for this semester, that was the stimulus for another journey on this Sunday. It
also happened to be as well the installation of St. Paul’s ninth pastor, Fr. Robert J. Congdon. Amid the
splendor of another magnificent church designed by Edward T.P. Graham, the responsorial psalm chosen
for the Mass was for me a “religious personal connection,” that joined together both churches – St. Paul’s
and Sacred Heart. The parishioners of both St. Paul’s, Cambridge and Sacred Heart, Lexington, should
ponder deeply the words of Psalm 122.
Psalm 122: I Rejoiced Because They Said to Me (arr. by Theodore Marier)
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up-to the house of the Lord.”
1.
And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem
Jerusalem, built as a city upon a hill, with compact unity.
“We will go up-to the house of the Lord.”
2.
To it the tribes of the Lord go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel.
In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David.
“We will go up-to the house of the Lord.”
3.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls, Prosperity in your buildings.
“We will go up-to the house of the Lord.”
4.
Because of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.”
Because of the house of the Lord, our God, for your good I will pray.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up-to the house of the Lord.”
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AFTERTHOUGHT 2
Lexington Times-MinuteMan
Edited, Published, and Printed at the Birthplace
of American Liberty
LEXINGTON, MASS., FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1930
New Catholic Church
Opened Christmas Eve
From The Cary Memorial Library Files of the Lexington TimesMinuteMan for 1930
Crowded to over flowing, the new
Catholic Church at the junction of
Massachusetts Avenue, Pleasant Street, and
Follen Road, was the scene of the midnight
solemn high mass on Christmas eve, the first
services to be held in the beautiful new
edifice. Rev. Fr. William J. McCarthy, pastor
was in charge assisted by Rev. Fr. Bennett
O’Brien as deacon and Rev. Fr. Boissonea of
the seminary at Bedford, as sub-deacon.
A stirring sermon, appropriate to
the occasion, was delivered by the pastor.
Miss Bessie K. Buckley, organist, was at the
organ, and the choir of St. Brigid’s Church
sang the mass. On Christmas morning at
8:30, the Rosary and Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament was celebrated by Rev.
Fr. McCarthy. Masses will be celebrated
every Sunday morning at 8:30.
No date for the dedication
exercises has been set, as there are many of
the interior details yet to be finished.
If Sacred Heart were to have a birth date, then it
would have to be 1917 when Monsignor Edward F.
Hurley of Saint Bridget’s, being a man of great
vision, realized that the day would come when the East Village would require a church of its
own. Consequently, when the situation presented itself, he acquired the land for the site of the
future Sacred Heart Church near the corner of Follen Road and Pleasant Street. However, it was
not until the arrival of Father William J. McCarthy in 1923, who realizing the limitations of the
East Lexington Mission, started the drive to raise money for the new Sacred Heart Church in the
East Village. In August of 1929, construction was finally begun on a red brick 20th century
revival English gothic structure designed by the prominent architect of the era – Edward T.P.
Graham. It’s location is adjacent to a small strip of land called Robbins Park, that has some
historical significance of its own. On April 19, 1775, the British laid hold of Ben Wellington, the
first armed captive in the American Revolution on their march from Boston. Today a granite
monument marks the spot of Wellington’s capture. It is also symbolic in that the parishioners of
1929 soon found themselves quite as embattled as the Minutemen forebears had been. The Great
Depression struck and the cost of the new church became an awesome burden with the
extraordinary amount of blasting needed to remove the ever present ledge. Yet the structure went
up and its interior remained unfinished for years, but pews were installed on the bare concrete
floors and the parishioners of the East Village at last had a church they could call their own.
Father McCarthy took the senior Choir from Saint Bridget’s down with him to sing the midnight
High Mass on December 24, 1929. Thus, the first Midnight Mass of record in Lexington that was
celebrated, as recorded in the Lexington Times-MinuteMan on January 3, 1930, was in the East
Mission Church.
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AFTERTHOUGHT 3
The April 19, 1930 Lexington Patriot’s Day Parade Lineup Start – photo from Wilson’s Farms of 1930 - The Lexington – Times Minuteman
Truly, a parish is a community in the pursuit of God, contending often with religious, serious,
humorous, and even secular incidences. But occasionally those loyalties can overlap. Once there
was a serious clash between our spiritual community and the Town of Lexington’s community,
when Good Friday was to fall on April 19, 1957 (Patriot’s Day) at a time when this patriotic
holiday was observed on the actual day of its occurrence and not transferred to the closest
Monday, as it is today. Monsignor Francis Murphy, our pastor then, gave stern warnings to the
parishioners of Sacred Heart, not to partake in any of the festivities, the parade or other
commemorations of Patriot’s day – on one of the holiest of holy days – the death of our Lord.
What a conflict for our parishioners in such a historic Town! Shall they pay tribute to God, or
tribute to Caesar! However, God works in mysterious ways, for on the night of April 18, the
Spirit of the Lord descended upon Lexington with a severe spring snowstorm, depositing eight
inches of snow – causing the parade and the Town celebrations to be moved to the following
Monday (a harbinger of future observances). Good Friday, an in-moveable feast, was celebrated
devotedly without incident at Sacred Heart Church. Everyone had heard of the efficacy of Msgr.
Murphy’s prayers but surely this beat all.
Msgr. Murphy was not only assisted by God through the
manifestation of nature; but also by an ecumenical spirit of
other Christians in Lexington during his pastorate. During the
fifties, decorations for the Church at Christmas time were
expensive and difficult to obtain, especially Christmas trees.
However, Tom Sullivan, the beloved sacristan and gardener of
the church from its earliest beginnings until his retirement in
the late eighties, was very friendly with the owners of Wilson
Farms, across the way on Pleasant Street. The fact that Tom
emigrated from County Kerry, Southern Ireland (Catholic
territory) and the Wilsons from County Fermanagh, Northern
Ireland (Protestant territory) did not impede this friendship. It
must have been the mutual Irish love of the land, - its earth and
its bounty – that transcended the ancestral centuries of
religious differences. As Christmas Eve would approach, Tom would tell Msgr. Murphy that he
and his sons would go up “North” and cut some evergreen trees for the Sanctuary to dispel the
gloominess of a bare altar space. The truth was that the Wilsons would give Tom, as many as he
needed, the unsold Christmas trees from their farm stand operation just before closing on
Christmas Eve. For the record, Msgr. Murphy never realized that it was “Protestant” Christmas
trees that decorated the church at Christmas-tide. This “secret” was finally revealed in June, 1993
by Alan Wilson on the occasion and dedication of both an American maple tree and bench in
Robbins Park to Tom Sullivan, the “Mayor of East Lexington.” Tom passed away later that year.
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AFTERTHOUGHT 4
St. Bridget’s Church circa 1900
Lexington Historical Society
Beginnings of Catholicism in Lexington
Lexington’s colonial heritage was mainly Protestant and English. The potato famines of the 1840’s in
Ireland brought the first wave of immigrants to America, setting in the larger cities along the eastern
seaboard. So many Irish were pouring into the city that public charities were unable to care for them. The
advent of the railroad provided a partial outlet. Irish immigrants began to spill out into the hinterland
seeking employment. It was in the 1840’s that these expatriates first came to Lexington to work on the
railroad. They settled close to the rail line and the “Irish Village” or Woburn Street, was born. The pitiful
little knapsacks contained their sole earthly possessions. The greatest gift they brought with them could
not be contained in those satchels. It was the gift of “Faith.” But there were no churches awaiting them in
the rural Yankee villages. They would have to build them. This is then the backdrop for the history of the
Catholic Church in Lexington, which has essentially been written in two parishes: Saint Brigid’s, the
“Mother Church” and its “Mission Church,” Sacred Heart.
Saint Brigid’s (Saint Bridget’s), The Mother Church
If Saint Bridget’s (note the old spelling) were to have a birth date, it would have to be 1848 for the
quotation from The Catholic Church of New England, read
as follows: “Lexington was made a mission of Saint
Peter’s Church, Cambridge, in 1848.” Previous to that
time, there were but a few Catholics in the town; in fact ,
John Cody, who lived on Concord Hill (upper
Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington), placed the number
of people who would gather to assist at Mass offered every
six weeks, at about twelve.” Father Manasses P.
Dougherty would assemble them in the houses around
Concord Hill. Tradition has it that the first Mass in
Lexington was celebrated at number 2318 Massachusetts
Avenue, on the corner of Nickerson Road. The
cobblestone foundation house still exits there, today.
2318 Massachusetts Avenue
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The first official
recording of a date
when a Mass was said
in
Lexington
is
furnished
in
the
ledger of the Town
Treasurer under the
date of March 5,
1852. He records this
entry: “Rent of Town
Hall to the Catholics,
$7.00.”
Father
Dougherty continued
to come from Saint
Peter’s. In 1854 a
Robinson Block Mass Ave/Waltham St circa 1890
Lexington Historical Society shift was made to
Robinson Hall, that portion of the building over the former Maunder’s Meat Market and now present
jewelry and eye vision stores – 1762 Massachusetts Avenue. One reason given for the change was that the
rent was less than $7.00 charged by the Town. This naturally was a consideration, since the number of the
congregation was small and their means scanty. Another source furnishes another explanation, the
disinclination of the Town Fathers to use the Town Hall for religious services.
In August of 1864, Father P.J. Canny came from Saint Joseph’s Church in Boston to take up residence in
a house on the corner of Curve Street and Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington’s first rectory. Bishop John
B. Fitzpatrick of Boston had appointed him, as the first designated pastor of Catholics in the towns of
Lexington, Concord and Maynard. The same bishop then purchased the church of the first Universalist
Society (later Village Hall and standing on the site of the present East Lexington Fire Station). The deed,
dated November 6, 1864, provided “a wooden edifice for the area Catholics” The purchase price was
$1,734.50. At that time, there was no more than twenty-five Catholics in Lexington proper and even
fewer in the East Village.
However, ten years later it was decided that the
East Lexington Church was too small and
inconvenient and that a church “more centrally
located” would better serve the needs of the
Lexington
parishioners.
Bishop
Williams
consequently sold to the “Inhabitants of the Town
of Lexington” the East Lexington church, the deed
being dated March 23, 1874. The Town used the
building as a fire station; but Mass continued to be
celebrated on the second floor of the old fire house
as late as 1929 for the parishioners residing in the
East Lexington Mission. It was demolished in
1950 to make way for the present fire station.
East Village Fire Station circa 1874
Robert Washburn
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The Lexington Minute-man, August 2, 1873, makes note of the purchase of the Davis Estate on
Monument Street (now Massachusetts Avenue) for $6,000 cash by the Catholics. This former
tavern was refurbished and served temporarily as a church on the present site of Saint Bridget’s,
with the first Mass of record being in October 1873. The Lexington Minute-man, November 27,
1875, ran a fourteen lines article stating: “The cornerstone of the new Catholic Church (finished
as far as the basement and covered with a roof) was laid with appropriate ceremonies on
Thanksgiving morning. The Right Reverend Archbishop Williams of Boston officiated…...”
Thus the permanent location of the first Catholic church in Lexington was set; but it would not
be until 1886 that Saint Bridget’s would be officially established as a parish.
The history of Catholicism in Lexington is entwined in “duality.” Duality of parishes (St.
Brigid’s – Sacred Heart) and duality of sections in Lexington (Lexington Center and the East
Village Lexington). A noted local historian, Edwin B. Worthen, said in a lecture in 1954:
“East Lexington was so far more important than Lexington Center in those early days. There was no
comparison. Hard to believe? East Lexington was the hive of industry. More going on there in the way of
manufacturing and industry than you could imagine. Lexington Center was dead in comparison.”
Thus from an evolutionary perspective, the number of spiritual houses of worship, St. Brigid’s and Sacred
Heart, for Catholics in Lexington, reflected the municipal divisions within the Town, itself.
Sacred Heart Church, Follen Road View circa 1945
th
Unknown Attribution
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The 1917 Plot Plan for the future site of Sacred Heart Church
Town of Lexington
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AFTERTHOUGHT 5
Lexington’s Roots of Catholicism (Parishes and Mission Churches)
•
1848 – 1864
Mission of Saint Peter’s, Cambridge
•
1864 – 1867
Mission of Saint Charles’, Woburn
•
1867 – 1873
Area Church for Lexington, Concord
•
1870
Area Church Moved to Concord
•
1873 – 1886
Mission of Saint Malachy’s, Arlington
1875
Saint Bridget’s Corner Stone Laid (Old Church)
•
1886
Saint Bridget’s Established as a Parish
•
1917 – 1931
Sacred Heart, a Mission of St Bridget’s
1929
Sacred Heart’s Corner Stone Laid
•
1931
Sacred Heart Established as a Parish
•
1955
Saint Brigid’s New Church
•
1999
Sacred Heart’s 70th Anniversary (Corner Stone))
•
2000
Saint Brigid’s 125th Anniversary (Corner Stone)
•
2001
Sacred Heart’s 70th Anniversary (Parish)
•
2006
Sacred Heart’s 75th Anniversary (Parish)
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AFTERTHOUGHT 6
God harkens to the prayers of parents seeking a vocation to the
religious life among their children, and so it is with a parish to
have one of its members to pursue a religious calling. It was
Joseph J. Ruocco, who entered into the priesthood from Sacred
Heart – it first vocation – shortly before World War II. He was
born in Boston in 1922 to the parents of Joseph and Concetta
(Giordano) Ruocco and educated at Adams School, Lexington
High, and St. John’s Seminary, Brighton. His priestly
ordination was May 6, 1948 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross
by Richard Cardinal Cushing.
Fr. Ruocco celebrated the first Mass of his priesthood at
Sacred Heart on May 9, 1948 amid the staging of pipe rafters,
as the church’s interior was then under going major
reconstruction and refurbishment from its stark surroundings
of its initial construction in 1929. John McAleer in his 50th
anniversary booklet (1981) on the history of Sacred Heart
relates, that it was suggested to Fr. Ruocco that he should
accept an invitation from St. Brigid’s (the mother church) to
say his first Mass there; but he would not hear of it. His family had been founders of Sacred Heart and he
worked hard to advance the state of the parish. His mother was a daily communicant there, and he knew
Sacred Heart was where he belonged.
Fr. Ruocco’s first Mass had been celebrated with a throng of relatives, friends, and other well-wishers
joining in this significant moment in the history of Sacred Heart Parish. Some thirty years later, on
February 11, 1975, Fr. Ruocco received his episcopal ordination as an auxiliary bishop of Boston at the
Cathedral of the Holy Cross by Humberto Cardinal Medeiros. Bishop Ruocco then resided at St. Patrick’s
Parish in Lowell; but characteristically he did not forget the parish where he had received his formation in
the Christian life. By his own choice he visited the parish regularly to administer confirmation and to
share in the liturgy, and there, when God took him, on July 26, 1980, his body would lie in state, while his
loved ones and friends of many years thronged to the church to pay final tribute.
However, this was not the final tribute to Bishop Ruocco by the parish he loved so well, for on November
2, 1984, the upper hall of the then newly refurbished hall of its parish center was dedicated to his
memory, officiated by Bishop John D’Arcy, the auxiliary bishop of Boston and head of the Lowell region
– the post Bishop Ruocco held.
Many speak of the legacy of Bishop Ruocco, the native son of Sacred Heart Parish and it is significant.
When Bishop Ruocco was administrator of St. John and St. Hugh Parish in Roxbury (1971 – 1974), he
invited Sacred Heart to assist him in that work. Over the years Sacred Heart has become more and more
involved with our sister community in Roxbury. This relationship has been a spiritual blessing to us. As
we have attempted to be of assistance to our brothers and sisters in Roxbury, we have witnesses their faith
and have deepened our own sense of solidarity with the church at large.
Bishop Ruocco was a man of apostolic zeal. God harkened to the prayers of his parents to have a son and
a worthy priest. May we as a parish harken to the memory of Bishop Ruocco to inspire all of us to take
seriously our Christian commitment, both locally and globally.
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AFTERTHOUGHT 8
Alice M. Hinkle was a Lexington resident and a noted member of newspaper (Boston Globe –
correspondent; Lexington Minute-man – associate editor) and literature (Prince Estabrook, Slave and
Soldier; Life in Lexington 1946-1995) media. Although she and her family lived near Lexington Center,
she was a frequent attendant at Sacred Heart Church in East Lexington. In 1989 she authored the
following two articles about the early history of East Lexington in conjunction with a revival of historic
interest in this section of Town. The following is a transcript of the text of the two articles with
appropriate photos from the Lexington Historical Society archives.
Articles from the Lexington Minute-man,
No. 19
Thursday, October 26, 1989 Vol. 119 –
Historic East Lexington: bustling with vitality
By Alice M. Hinkle
Minute-man associate editor
The following is the first of an occasional series that will highlight the history and concerns of
Lexington neighborhoods. This focus on East Lexington follows Sunday’s walking tour of the area’s
historic sites, an event that attracted more than 200 people.
The rich history of the Massachusetts Bay colony and the vital, growing nation is reflected in an
East Village chronicle of farms, guest houses, spice and grist mills, peat mining, blacksmithing,
wheelwright shops, tin shop and flourishing fur industry.
“For a very considerable period, East Lexington far exceeded the Center in business enterprise, “
the late Edwin B. Worthen Sr. wrote in his 1946: “Calendar History of Lexington.”
In a tape of a 1950’s Lexington Historical Society lecture, Worthen explained that, from 1800 to
1837, East Lexington became famous for its manufacturing and industry and “Lexington Center was dead
in comparison.”
Fur Industry
A paper titled “Reminiscences of the Fur Industry” in Volume II of the Proceedings of the
Lexington Historical Society, reported that at one time “four furrier establishments were in successful
operation (in East Lexington), whose output it believed was greater.....than any outside Boston or New
York, if indeed, it did not exceed any in the country.”
The paper’s author, the late George O. Smith, later mentioned more than half a dozen
establishments, including the fur business started by Stephen Robbins in the late 1700’s and passed on to
his son Eli in the early 1800’s. The firm was located at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Pleasant
Street.
The East Villagers turned out fur capes, caps, muffs boas, tippets, gloves, fur-lined overshoes,
and trimmings, Smith noted. The industry provided employment for 300 to 500 men, women and girls
who either worked in shops or earned “pin money” by sewing in their homes, he added.
Worthen’s “Calendar History” states that in 1838 alone, 60,000 fur caps were manufactured along
with 400 fur muffs and neckties, and 1,000 pair of fur gloves by nearly 500 men, women, and girls who
either worked in shops or earned “pin money” by sewing in their homes. The items items were valued at
$73,000.
Centennial House
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The most famous early East Lexington guest house stood
at the present site of Arlex Oil Company on Massachusetts
avenue. Cutler’s Hotel occupied the property until it
burned down in 1874. The new Centennial House replaced
it in 1875, its name commemorating the anniversary of the
1775 Battle of Lexington. This hotel welcomed not only
guests, according to an “old-timer” quoted in a 1950
Minute-man article written by Whorten; but the inn also
attracted a crew of gamblers. The hotel also contained a
dance hall with a spring floor that gave “delightful
sensations.”
Former Historical Society archivists S. Lawrence
Whipple said the Centennial House was also the scene of cock fights and Thanksgiving turkey shoots
outback. The hotel, later named The Rest Inn, was razed after World War II.
Adams School
The 19th century wealth and clout of the East Village and its residents was reflected in the
elegance of its schoolhouse.
“The old Adams School was very much more elaborate
and costly that the Hancock (Center school) because East
Lexington was far more important than Lexington Center in
those days. There was no comparison,” reported in the taped
lecture.
The wooden Adams School was in fact, the largest
school house in town when it was built in 1858, with
construction costing $4,000. The “new” Adams School (now
Town leased to the Waldorf School) opened in 1913.
Community Meeting Place
After 1874, the East Village Hall / fire station – located at the site of the current East Lexington
fire station on Massachusetts Avenue – was the place for community social gatherings, Whipple said.
The building served as a Universalist church from 1840 to 1865 and as a Catholic church from 1867 to
1873. The Town remodeled the downstairs for use as a volunteer fire headquarters and the upstairs hall
became famous for activities including dances and oyster suppers.
The fire department’s horses were stabbed below the hall, and on hot summer nights, oldsters
would remark about aromas seeping up from below, according to
Whipple.
From about 1865 to the late 1800’s, the old East
Lexington Depot – which stood near the current site of
Lexington Toyota (formerly Ford) car dealerships – was bustling
with activity from both freight and passenger traffic.
In another taped interview, the late Marguerite Nicholas,
who lived on Oak Street at the
turn of the 19th century,
recalled the candy counter in
the old Brick Store, located next to the Stone Building.
The building that housed the store still stands at the corner of
Massachusetts Avenue and Pleasant Street (now owed by the Waldorf
School) and was described in the “Calendar History” as the first brick
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building in Town. The post office was also located in the store until 1867.
Nicholas also recalled John Chishom’s harness shop on Massachusetts avenue near Curve Street
and the windmill that was used to pump water from a well across from her Oak Street home.
Anne Grady, who led last week’s East Lexington walking tour, pointed out that Nicholas’ farm
was known as the West Farm, was used as a summer home after the family built a new house near
Lexington Center.
Grady explained that in the mid-to-late 1800’s many people were drawn to Lexington, including
the East Lexington’s heights, because of the Town’s reputation as a health resort.
Charles Hudson in his “History of Lexington,” wrote: “Being an elevated township, the water is
pure and the air salubrious; and hence Lexington…has been
regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the
vicinity…Invalids from the city frequently resort here for the
improvement in their health.”
Records show it was June 8, 1839, when “it was
unanimously voted to raise funds to erect a Meeting House in the
East Village.”
Nine days later, $3,178 had been raised, a plan for an
octagonal building had been submitted by Dr. Charles Follen and
a building committee was appointed. The church (as meeting
houses were called) was dedicated on January 15, 1840.
Village Shopkeepers
East Lexington shoemaker James Crowe, who lived on Massachusetts Avenue opposite the Stone
Building in the late 1800’s, made and repaired shoes. A religious man, Crowe had a sign behind his
cobbler’s bench that read “Shoes left for repairs more than 30 days will be sold for charges, Jesus only
can save you.” Goodard’s tin shop was located next to the shoemaker, according to Whipple.
Patrick Mitchell’s leather factory, where “you could always smell the hides drying on racks back
of the factory,” was another East Lexington business described by an old-timer in the Minute-man article.
Whipple said that, following the Civil War, Charles Gustave Kaufmann operated a small cigar
factory behind his Maple Street home. And, nearby in the Great Meadows area, peat was cut and
marketed for use as fuel. This East Lexington industry reached its peak during the mid 1800’s, Whipple
said.
Farms Flourish
In the early to mid-19th century manufacturing declined in East Lexington, although there was a
revival in 1845-46.
Farming, however, continued to provide a strong economic base. A 1971 Minute-man article
noted that Lexington farmers found that diary farming was most suitable because of the area’s “fertile
lowlands and green hillsides.”
One historian speculated that it was possible
Lexington milkmen became known for their honesty and
the high quality of their milk because “no cream was
recorded in official records as was in other towns.” The
article suggested this meant tha local milk dealers left in
the cream, accounting for the milk’s popularity.
The Peacock Farm near Watertown Street and the
Wellington Farm on Pleasant Street are two of the East
Lexington dairy operations that contributed to Lexington’s
dairying fame. In 1875, the Town was second in the state
in milk production, Whipple reported.
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East Lexington, Center Rivals During the 1800’s
By Alice M. Hinkle
Minute-man associate editor
In the late 1800’s, Lexington Center and East Lexington “were two distinct villages about a mile
and a half apart (in distance) and about a hundred miles apart in every thing else,” according to an article
in the January 26, 1950 Minute-man.
The account written by the late Town historian, Edwin B. Worthen sr., was based upon an
interview with an anonymous “old-timer.”
According to several reports, the prosperity and vitality of the late 18th and early 19th centuries East
Lexington merchants may have triggered the sometimes stormy battles between residents in the two areas.
Worthen reported that the 1833 construction of the current East Branch library’s home, the Stone
Building, was another visible outgrowth of the rivalry.
Well-known East Lexington businessman Eli Robbins “was awful mad because the Baptist’s
wouldn’t build their church in the East Village, so he built the Stone Building for use of the villagers and
got some of the most prominent ministers to preach there,” Worthen wrote in the Lexington Minute-man
article.
Eli and Stephen Robbins (Eli’s father) has such an influence in building up the prosperity of the
village that “you sort of felt they were still around even after they died,” Worthen’s old-timer added.
The old-timer recalled that a disastrous 1867 fire that demolished Lexington’s Town Hall on
Massachusetts Avenue brought the long simmering rivalry between the Center and East Lexington to the
boiling point. While East Lexington believed the new Town Hall should be closer to their section, Town
officials again chose the Center for the new building.
“You know a lot of the old-timers in East Village were mad as fury because the Town voted to
build the Town Hall opposite the end of Waltham Street … They even went to court and secured an
injunction to stop the construction. Cost the Town a pretty penny to set the injunction aside,” the oldtimer continued.
“Some of the diehards in East Village carried their grudge to their graves and never set foot in the
new Town Hall.” he added.
Emotions at times became bitter over this issue and are “still within the memory of those still
living in 1946,” an entry in Worthen’s 1946 “Calendar History of Lexington” states.
Controversies between the two sections of Lexington were recorded as early as 1792 when the Town
voted “not to act” on the East Villagers’ request to be set off as a ward by themselves” for the purposes of
building a schoolhouse.
Undaunted, East Lexingtonians a year later asked that a new meeting house be built near East
Village. Although the “Calendar History” does not report the exact vote, it states that a new meeting
house – painted pea green – was erected on Lexington Common.
By 1794, Worthern reported East Villagers “apparently … have gone ahead and built their own
schoolhouse, for at the 1794 Town Meeting, it was noted ‘that the Town committee for building school
houses in the east part of Town as Town’s property … shall move it to some convenient place when they
can provide a place to set it.’”
“A bitter quarrel between the residents of the East Village and the Center over the location of the
schoolhouse” was noted by Worthen in 1796. It appears, Worthen wrote, the 1794 committee took the
“old” schoolhouse in the East Village, against the protests of the villagers, and dragged it to Mason’s Hill
(just below the Munroe Tavern) where it then was supposed to serve both villages.
The issue seems to have been resolved by 1805 when the Town voted to exchange the
schoolhouse on Mason’s Hill for the “Proprietors” schoolhouse in the East Village along with $1,000 in
cash.
Photos in this section sequentially noted and approximate dates:
The Rest Inn (Centennial House) circa 1900; The Old Adams School circa 1890; The East Village Hall
circa 1860; The Old Brick Store circa 1910; The Follen Church and The Stone Building circa 1850;
Massachusetts Avenue and Pleasant Street Intersection circa 1890.
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AFTERTHOUGHT 9
Notable and Interesting Facts about East Village (Lexington)
First settled in 1642 as the Cambridge Farms parish of Cambridge, Massachusetts and incorporated as a
separate town (the Center and the East Village sections) in 1713.
On April 19, 1175, at what is now Robbins Park (the base of Follen Road), Benjamin Wellington became
the first armed colonist captive by the British on their march towards Lexington and Concord via the old
Massachusetts Avenue.
In 1832 Dr. Charles Follen, the first minister of Follen Community Church, introduced the Christmas
Tree to America , a Germanic and British (via Prince Albert) tradition.
In 1833, the Stone Building (now the East Branch Library) was built by Eli Robbins as a place for antislavery and temperance lectures and meetings, attracting Charles Follen, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and
Henry Thoreau as preachers during the mid-1800’s.
In 1838, the East Village, Lexington was one of largest producers of fur clothing accessories (caps,
gloves, muffs, neckties, etc.) in New England.
In 1840, the Follen Community Church dedicated the first meeting house (church) of octagonal design in
Massachusetts and is today the oldest standing church in the Town.
In 1870, the first brick building in Lexington, called the Brick Store was erected at the intersection of
Massachusetts Avenue and Pleasant Street.
In the last half on the 18th century, Sam Walter Foss, author of “The House by the Side of the Road” and
other Americana poems, lived at 136 Massachusetts Avenue.
in cottages along Oak Street, including team members of the Boston Red Sox – even George Herman
(Babe) Ruth.
On December 24, 1929, the first Catholic midnight Christmas Eve Mass of record (Lexington Times –
Minuteman – January 3, 1930), was celebrated at the newly constructed Sacred Heart Church (Follen
Road and Pleasant Street)
In the 1980’s, Wilsons Farm became one of the first farms in Massachusetts to use the “pill box seed”
method of growing vegetables and plants – i.e. nurturing a single seed in an earth cell in a greenhouse
before transplanting to a field for full maturation for increased productivity and yield in farming.
The Ice Storm of 1921 showing the Follen
Church, the Stone Building and the “new”
Adams School. - Lexington Historical Society
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AFTERTHOUGHT 10
First Recollection
My first recollection of Sacred Heart church was the joy and anticipation that we were finally going to
have our own Catholic church in East Lexington. I later years I often heard my mother speak of walking
to St. Brigid for First Friday Mass. Sunday Mass was celebrated on the second floor of the old wooden
fire station; but I remember little of that.
East Lexington was a small, compact community. There
was the Adams School under the guiding hand of Miss
Ruth Morrison; Harrod’s Grocery Store (across from the
Follen Road); the East Lexington Library presided over by
Miss Emma Nichols. Just up the street at the corner of
Curve was the penny candy store. A variety store was
located at the corner of Independence Avenue where
Personal cleaners is now. Transportation was by foot and
bus. No one had a car, or almost no one.
Massachusetts Avenue at Curve Street.
LHS
The building of the church progressed satisfactory until construction came to a sudden halt when the
workers struck rock. After some weeks that problem was resolved and the edifice was completed.
However, the interior was unfinished and remained so until the mid 1940’s and Fr. Desmond’s pastorate.
The Great Depression had begun. There were no funds to finish the interior of the church. The Christmas
Eve Mass of 1929 was, nonetheless, a source of much happiness and celebration.
As a child, I remember looking up at the bare rafters and watching the occasional swallow dart back and
forth among the rafters. The walls were a rough, gray unfinished material. There were no stained glass
windows; but the main altar, Gothic in design, strikingly white with the gold tabernacle in the center was
beautiful. Also, the lovely statues of the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and St. Therese
took our mind off what was dull and gray. The flickering of the vigil lights gave forth a warm glow.
For us children the church was truly the center of our lives. One of the high points of the springtime was
First Communion. Miss Ellen Mitchel, who resided where the McIvers live now, hosted the First
Communicates each year. After the Mass the children filed up the area behind the house where tables
were set up for breakfast. I remember the Hoodsies.
Catechism was taught in the church, all grades. The children were shepherded into the wooden benches
for the hour after the 8:30 AM Mass. All classes recited their lessons at the same time (sort of like the
Tower of Babel). Meanwhile , Fr. Sullivan paced up and down the center aisle reading his breviary.
Who could forget the May procession culminating in the crowning of Mary? Stamped in our memory
were the Stations of the Cross every Friday evening during Lent. Mrs. Shanahan, in her beautiful alto
voice, sang the “Stabat Mater” between each station. Mrs. Agnes Hynes played the organ for all our
music. She volunteered her time and talent for the church. Many of the younger choir members
affectionately called her “Agnes Dei.”
Every year there was a Mission in the Spring. One Mission for the men, one for the women, and another
for the children. There was the Forty Hours Devotion each August. The darkened church wrapped in awe
and silence and filled with the smell of incense and burning candles.
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Those of us kids who went to confession on Saturday afternoon will not forget the mad dash to the
confessional as soon as we heard the priest close the slide, a sign of the dismal of the penitent who would
presently emerge. Many tempers flared up on those Saturdays in the race to get to confession and get it
over with.
One of the highlights of those years was the coming of Fr. Vincent Mackay as a curate in June 1938. He
was newly ordained at St. John’s Seminary. He brought a wonderful sense of joy and hope. Besides a
very devout and holy priest, he had a “way” with people – young and old. He organized baseball and
hockey teams, also a religious ed program for the high school youth that was comparable to a college
course in religion.
Those were also difficult times. F. MacKay often remarked that if it had not been for the hard work of the
Women’s Club, through their card parties, bake sales, penny sales, etc. – raising money for the church,
Sacred Heart Parish could not have survived.
When Fr. William Desmond came as pastor to Sacred Heart in 1943, Fr. MacKay was transferred to St.
Cecilia’s in Boston’s Back Bay section. It was in Fr. Desmond’s time that the interior of the church was
completed – another time for celebration and rejoicing.
Monica Cotter
First Communion Class, Sacred Heart Church, June 1933
Fr. William O’Connor, Pastor
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AFTERTHOUGHT 11
Sharing a Very Special Experience
Since we about to celebrate Sacred Heart Parish’s 75th Anniversary, my husband and I thought it would be
a good time to share a very special and emotional experience we have had since joining the parish some
46 years ago.
The help and support from the priests, parishioners, and friends was more than we ever expected. It
helped our family through some very difficult times.
In August 1980, our son Daniel, age 16, had a driving accident that left him a quadriplegic. It was a
traumatic time during Dan’s 4 ½ months at Boston University Hospital. We as parents were trying to cope
with not only Dan’s accident but also our oldest son going off to college in Florida and our 5 year old
daughter trying to understand what was happening to our family.
Shortly after Dan’s accident, much to our surprise, The Youth Commission got together and organized a
Pancake Breakfast held in the Parish Center. I can’t begin to describe how we felt to think that these
young people got together and organized this event.
Fr. McCabe, Fr. Cuenin and Fr. Hoy who were the priests at Sacred Heart along with so many
parishioners and friends attended. We were so overwhelmed by the turn out. To this day, I get teary eye
whenever I tell anyone about that day
While in the hospital all those months, Dan had 2 visitors who came once a week to visit. Fr. Cuenin
found time in his busy schedule to drive Fr. Hoy. Fr. Hoy at that time was recovering from having a
stroke. By visiting Dan all those months, they became very close.Not only did Fr. Hoy visit Dan at the
hospital; but continued visiting Dan when he came home from the hospital.
Every Saturday morning after Mass, Fr. McCabe and Fr. Cuenin would drive Fr. Hoy to our home. Dan
and Fr. Hoy would play checkers and talk. The visits meant a great deal to Dan. While Fr. Hoy played
checkers, Fr. McCabe and Fr. Cuenin visited with my husband and me. They would sit and talk with us.
Their visits and talks meant so much to us in that it gave us hope. We’ll never forget what they did for us.
A few months after Dan was discharged from the hospital and back in school, Fr. Hoy passed away. It
was a sad day for everyone. At his funeral Mass, Dan was chosen to carry the Communion bread.
Needless to say, there were many tears shed that day when parishioners saw Dan come down the aisle in
his wheelchair.
By sharing this experience, we hope that it shows what a close, caring parish we had and have even today.
During this difficult time in our lives, my husband and I do not know what would have happened without
all the support.
We care so much about Sacred Heart Parish that we hope and pray that all young families we see at the
Masses realize what a wonderful parish we have. Our hope for the future of Sacred Heart Parish is for it
to remain as active and vibrant for a long time to come.
God Bless
Mary and Fred Murphy
Michael J. O’Sullivan, 75th Anniversary Cmte. – Updated the Third Sunday (Gaudete) of Advent – December 16, 2007
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