1844-Present: St. Mary's Catholic Church ~ Greeneville
First St. Mary’s Church ~ dedicated December 25, 1845
Father James Fitton’s dream of a church for his parish was fulfilled in 1844, when the first Church of St. Mary, a wood-frame building of the Greek Revival style, was erected. Irish immigrants working in the Greeneville mills, located in the northern part of Norwich (today’s Greeneville), established the first church. It was the first Roman Catholic church in eastern Connecticut, serving Catholics from the surrounding communities of Voluntown, Baltic, Taftville, Jewett City, Yantic, and Preston.
A lot at 200 North Main Street was purchased between Norwich’s town center and the growing manufacturing village of Greeneville. Bought on September 4, 1844, from the Norwich Water Power Company for $300, the land allowed for a 65-by-40-foot church. Construction began at once, and the first Mass was celebrated on December 25, 1844. The new church and lot cost a total of $1,300 and were dedicated on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1845.
Second St. Mary’s Church ~ dedicated December 1922
That same year, Father Fitton’s direct oversight ended, and clergy from Hartford took responsibility for Norwich. Several priests served St. Mary’s during this period:
- Reverend John Brady (until 1848)
- Bishop Tyler (briefly, until November 1848)
- Reverend William Logan, Society of Jesus of Holy Cross College
- Reverend Peter Blenkinsop, Society of Jesus, also of Holy Cross, who oversaw the donation of farmland that became St. Mary’s Cemetery
The new edifice, built in the Gothic Revival style, features a rose window and a granite exterior.
The church underwent a significant restoration in 2022.
Acknowledgements
“Diverse, historic, spiritual: Norwich centers of worship reflect changing city,” (12/23/2007), by John-Manual Andriote
“Establishing Old St. Mary’s, 1844-1845,” by Joint Norwich Catholic Cluster
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “St. Mark’s” in the SEARCH box.
1873-Present: Sacred Heart Catholic Church ~ Taftville
Sacred Heart Church and Rectory ~ circa 1950
The Irish and many French-Canadians were relocating to Norwich in the mid-nineteenth century to take advantage of the opportunities to work in the city’s thriving mills and other industries. The Irish, the largest non-English-speaking community in Eastern Connecticut, wanted their own Catholic church. And, Taftville’s Sacred Heart Church was one the first results.
The Sacred Heart Church held its first Mass on March 17, 1873, which coincided with St. Patrick’s Day. A second building was opened as a church at another location in Taftville in September 1876. In 1908, a fire destroyed the Sacred Heart School; however, it was rebuilt soon thereafter.
The church, shown on the left, was built and dedicated on August 27, 1916.
*Place cursor over images to magnify
Sacred Heart Church on April 29, 1956
A tragedy occurred on April 29, 1956. An arsonist set fire to the church during the 8:00 a.m. Sunday Mass. The pastor, Reverend Henri Laurion, noticed the smell of smoke and calmly instructed the congregation to exit the building in an orderly manner, which they did successfully. Click here to read details of the fire
The fire was headlined “One of Norwich’s Worst Disasters,” and for many, the loss was both spiritual and physical. At one point, Fr. Laurion estimated it could take up to 10 years before the parish could raise money to begin construction of a new church. Parishioners, however, banded together to complete the task in one-fifth the time.
Today’s red-brick structure was built and dedicated in the late 1950s. The parish and school have been integral parts of the local community for well over a century.
Today, Taftville’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church is part of the Saint Anne’s Catholic Community. The parish includes Sacred Heart Church in Taftville, St. Joseph Church in Occum, and St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Baltic.
Acknowledgements
“Sacred Heart Parish History,” by Saint Anne’s Catholic Community
“125th Anniversary: Taftville’s Sacred Heart Church Celebrates Milestone,” (09/29/2008), by Adam Bowles
“Diverse, historic, spiritual: Norwich centers of worship reflect changing city,” (12/23/2007), by John-Manual Andriote
“Once Upon A Time: Taftville Church A Painful Loss,” (04/26/2009), by Bill Stanley
1878-Present: St. Joseph's Catholic Church ~ Occum
This Catholic mission serves the two villages of Occum and Versailles, located on opposite sides of the Shetucket River. Occum is situated on the west side of the river in Norwich, while Versailles is located on the east side of the river in the Towns of Sprague and Lisbon.
In 1845, four or five Catholics came to labor on a dam which was being built at Occum, but they remained only a short time. At this period, an inexcusable prejudice against Catholics existed here; they were given to understand that their departure would be a boon highly prized.
The earliest Catholics to settle in Occum were Mr. John McCarthy and Mrs. Margaret Reilly, who came in 1847. With their families, they came to labor in a small cotton factory that had been built in Versailles about this time by a Mr. Bachelor.
In 1864, a new cotton mill was built in Occum by Moses Pierce and Lucius Carroll of Norwich. Soon thereafter, Catholic families came and established homes. The first Mass offered in Occum was celebrated by Rev. James Reynolds, pastor of Jewett City, in Parents’ Hall in January 1873.
St. Joseph’s Church was dedicated on September 22, 1878, by Bishop Thomas Galberry. It was a mission of Baltic at this time.
The parish was founded to serve the Catholic communities in the villages of Occum and Versailles. On February 8, 1886, Bishop Lawrence S. McMahon made Occum a full parish.
Today’s church is located at 11 Baltic Road in Occum, Connecticut.
Refer to Info Source 1 for more details.
Acknowledgements
“History of St. Joseph’s Church, 1878-1978,” by Saint Anne’s Catholic Community
“Diverse, historic, spiritual: Norwich centers of worship reflect changing city,” (12/23/2007), by John-Manual Andriote
1879-Present: St. Patrick's Catholic Church ~ Norwich
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in St. Augustine Florida on St. Patrick’s Day. And, 244 years later, on March 17, 1845 Reverend Daniel Kelly of the St. Mary’s Church in Greeeneville planted a cross at site of today’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Twenty-three years later, in 1868, a former Civil War chaplin, Reverend Daniel Mullin arrived in Norwich and followed in Reverend Kelley’s footsteps as the the new leader of St. Mary’s Church. Reverand Mullin was the creative spark that ignited efforts to design and build St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
During the next several years Rev. Mullin purchased tracts of land on Broadway that would later be used as a convent and school.
On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1870, Rev. Mullin and Dr. Patrick Cassidy left the St. Mary’s Church in Greeneville and marched with 1,547 parishioners to consecrate the land for the future Patrick’s Cathedral
*Click on the two small >> arrows at the upper right corner to reveal the complete 75th Anniversary of St. Patrick’s Cathedral pamphlet
On Good Friday, April 7, 1871, the groundwork on St. Patrick’s Church began. The Irish of Greeneville marched 1,700 strong to the present site. Horses and carts filled with picks and shovels arrived with the workers, and from Good Friday morning until Easter Sunday, the volunteer army dug the complete foundation by hand.
As it has been said of the place of Father Mullin’s birth, “A land without sorrow is a land without memories.” So too, Saint Patrick’s without sorrow would be a church without memories. It was not given to Father Mullin to behold his dream come true. On March 3, 1878, he was called before the Great High Priest whom he had held before him as a model; his life-work, materially speaking, unfinished. At the time of Father Mullin’s death, the church walls and the roof to the ridgepole had been completed, and this had satisfied Him to Whom he was called to render an account of his stewardship.
Saint Patrick’s Parish was incorported on March 26, 1878 by Reverend Patrick P. Shahan, the pastor of St. Mary’s Church.
July 13, 1878 , must have been a memorable day in Norwich, for on that day, the cornerstone of Saint Patrick’s was laid. James Murphy of Providence, RI, was the architect of this magnificent gothic church. As the construction progressed, it was soon revealed that it was to be no ordinary church. The church measured 200 feet in length and 100 feet across the transept.
On September 28, 1879, St. Patrick’s Cathedral was officially opened and dedicated. the Most Reverend Lawrence McMahon presided, his first official
act in the Diocese of Hartford. Cardinal Gibbons preached in the morning; Bishop Shanahan of Harrisburg and Father Fitton, the famous missionary, in the
evening.
The “75th Anniversary of St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” booklet presented above, gives a much more detailed history of the cathedral, congregation, and parish.
Acknowledgements
“75 Anniversary ~ St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Norwich 1879-1954”
“St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” 1909, by Porteous & Mithchell Co.