Welcome To
St. Mary's Parish
263 Hamilton Street
Southbridge MA
01550-1876
(508) 764-3226
Important
Dates in the Life of our Parish
1840 First Mass celebrated in Southbridge by Fr.
James Fitton
1845 Fr. Logan celebrates the first Sunday Mass in
Southbridge
1850 Land purchased for first Catholic cemetery on
Evergreen Street
1852 May 18, Meeting decides unanimously to
build a Catholic church
1852 July 12, Work begins on building at
corner of Hamilton and Marcy streets
1853 May 1, Bishop Fenwick of Boston dedicates Saint
Peter's Church
1858 Fr. James Quan in Webster takes charge of
Southbridge mission
1860 First rectory built next to church
1865 September 11, Fr. Angelus Baret is named
first resident pastor
1870 Diocese of Springfield is created; Fr.
McDermott, pastor becomes first rector of new cathedral
1871 Rectory burns to the ground
1872 Saint Peter's Church moved across
lot
1877 Cornerstone laid for a new church
1878 Saint Mary's Church opens
1885 First assistant priest named to Saint Mary's 1886
Fr. Kremmins dies and is buried next to front door of church 1889
Saint Peter's renovated into Saint Mary's School,
Sisters of Saint Joseph are invited to teach; property on Edwards
Street and at corner of Pine and Hamilton streets purchased 1890
Polish immigrants settle in Southbridge 1891 Fr. Drennan
mortgages property to hire parishioners, no one goes hungry 1894
First class graduates from Saint Mary's School 1910
Italian immigrants begin to arrive and settle at Saint Mary's
Parish 1938 September 21, unnamed hurricane
destroys church 1939 Restored church and renovated
school open 1950 Diocese of Worcester created 1955
Flood devastates Southbridge area 1958 First Latinos
arrive in Southbridge area 1960 New Saint
Mary's High School opens at corner of Pine and Hamilton
streets 1965 Saint Mary's and Notre Dame high schools
merge into Marianhill High School 1969 Saint
Mary's Church renovated according to reforms of Second
Vatican Council 1987 Local schools organize into Trinity
Catholic Academy, pre-school through grade 12 1988
Church renovated to present decor, consecrated on December 8 1991
High school level of Trinity Catholic Academy closes 1996
School consolidates into brick building, parish retakes control of
former Saint Peter's Church as a parish center;
classes, meetings, and activities moved from former convent on
Edwards Street 1999 December 19, original Saint
Peter's church completely destroyed in fire 2000 March
1, former convent on Marcy Street sold 2001 August 1,
Bishop Reilly presides at blessing of site and groundbreaking for
new parish center 2002 February 12, Bids
opened at Chancery for a contractor for construction of new Parish
Center 2003 June 28, Bishop Reilly lays
the cornerstone for our new parish center 2004
Construction halts on our parish center; the Diocese of Worcester
investigates the option of total demolition home
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