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St. John`s Catholic Church
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| Location: | 44 Temple St., Worcester, Massachusetts |
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| Area: | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built: | 1845 |
| Architect: | P.W. Ford |
| Architectural style: | Greek Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| MPS: | Worcester MRA |
| NRHP Reference#: | 80000619[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | March 05, 1980 |
St. John's Catholic Church, established in 1834, is an historic Roman Catholic parish church in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest established Catholic religious institution in the city, and the oldest Catholic parish in New England outside of Boston. On March 5, 1980, its 1845 church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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Catholics immigrated to the Worcester area as early as 1826. Most of them were Irish people hired to build the railroads and the Blackstone Canal. When they first settled, they had no clergy with them. Since all of the churches were Protestant, Robert Laverty, a private citizen, petitioned Bishop Benedict Fenwick of Boston to assign a priest to celebrate mass in Worcester.
In result, Father James Fitton, a Boston native, visited Worcester monthly starting in 1834. He laid the foundation for a church on Front Street, known as "Christ's Church". That structure was completed in 1836 and served as a church, rectory, Sunday school, and infirmary.
After 2,000 parishioners had joined the church, a new building was needed. The current building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed at number 44 Temple Street in 1845 and dedicated in honor of St. John in 1846.
Besides that building, Father Fitton established Mount Saint James Seminary, which became the College of the Holy Cross in 1839. The Society of Jesus bought the school in 1843, and still own and operate it today.
From 1836-48, the Penobscot Indians visited the church each winter from Maine.
The current presbytery in use was built in 1865. When the Diocese of Springfield was established in 1870, Father Patrick T. O'Reilly was appointed the first Bishop of Springfield. He made the house the chancery for Springfield, and kept his pastorship at St. John's.
When the Worcester Diocese was established in 1950, St. John's was (and still is) known as "The Mother Church of the Diocese". However, because of the architectural elements, St. Paul's Parish on Chatham Street was selected as the cathedral for the See of Worcester.
A Novena of Grace in honor of St. Francis Xavier had been held every March 4–12 since 1922.
The first charismatic prayer group in Worcester began meeting in 1970. The group is still active.
A vigil mass at 9:15 PM on Saturday has been held from the 1980s to 2008.
On Labor Day weekend in 2004, the interior ceiling collapsed into the sanctuary, destroying the altar and baptistry. Mass was celebrated that weekend on the parish lawn and from thenceforth at sister parish, Ascension Church, on Vernon Street, until the beginning of 2005. That weekend, masses were moved to the basement church, where space was limited. All celebrations of Confirmation and First Communion were moved to St. Paul's Cathedral to accommodate the large crowd.
The renovations were complete in September 2005 and the Mass of Rededication was celebrated on October 15, 2005 by Bishop Robert J. McManus.
On May 17, 2008, Bishop McManus announced Parish Reconfiguration within the City of Worcester, due to "the lack of sacramental life" in certain parishes.Diocese Announces First Phase of Parish Reconfiguration, 5/17/08 In the Vernon Hill area, St. Casimir's Church on Providence Street and Ascension Church on Vernon Street have recently closed, and all assets, liabilities, and records have been transferred to St. John's. The moving process was completed on July 1, 2008. St. Casimir's Church is expected to remain open for one more year to have a Sunday Mass in Lithuanian, because of the demographics of that parish who currently are not fluent in English. Eventually, the Lithuanian Mass will move to St. John's in 2009.
To welcome the anticipation of new parishioners, Father Madden announced on June 1, 2008, that the Mass schedule will change to accommodate the new parishioners. Beginning on July 5–6, 2008, the 9:15 Saturday night mass will be moved to 7:15 pm to focus on young adults. A Sunday Mass will be added at 8:00 am, the 9:15 mass to be moved to 10:00 am to focus on children not yet ready to receive confirmation, and a Ministry of Greeter will be added at each church door to pass out the Sunday bulletin and other material needed for that particular mass.
A Mass of Welcoming was said Sunday, July 13, 2008, at 12:15 pm to welcome the parishioners of St. Casimir's and Ascension. The Mass was said in English, Lithuanian, and Tagalog, with a celebration held afterward.
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The church is constructed like a Baptist or Puritan church, so that visitors may think that the building is a Protestant church. The current steeple has been up there since 1951. The brick walls have been in place since the beginning in 1846.
The interior walls have been repainted several times, most recently in 2005. The congregation has 50 rows of 4 pews (total lower seating 1,000), including a handicapped section. There are another thousand pews in a balcony on both sides of the nave, including 500 people per side. The total capacity is 2,000 persons and 100 musicians.
In the sanctuary, the high altar is located in the center, with the Blessed Sacrament located behind it. The original Tridentine Mass altar houses the tabernacle, and is in Romanesque style. The pulpit is to the left of the altar and the presider's chair at the right. To the direct left, a devotional shrine is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and often other statues, such as of St. Francis Xavier and St. Theresa, may be displayed. The baptistry dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary is at the direct right. The flooring is hardwood.
The basement church is half the basement foundation. Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes are taught in a format to "practice" for the "real church". The Blessed Sacrament is lit only at mass time. The "chapel" has a pre-Vatican II altar rail without the gate. The tabernacle is to the right of the altar, but the high altar is at the center with a bench as the "Novus Ordo" mass location. It is not nailed to the floor, which is marble.
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