A New & Stately Church

This was first published in the parish bulletin the weekend of September 15, 2019

It would seem that almost from the moment he took the reins of Saint Mary’s Parish, Fr. Cuddihy was about the work of building a new, larger and more fitting church for the Catholics of Milford whose parish was growing in leaps and bounds.  In fact, when he took over, the Catholics of Milford outnumbered every other religious group combined in the town.  But it would appear that he had to wait, for within a short time of his arrival, war broke out on American soil.  It must have been disheartening that having left his native land to avoid the bloodshed that revolutionaries were proposing when peaceful means seemed pointless, Fr Cuddihy now found himself in the midst of a conflict far more horrible than either land had ever seen. 

However, on September 24, 1863, Edwin Winslow and Dean Battles sold land on the corner of Winter and Granite Streets to Fr. Patrick Cuddihy for a grand new church for the Catholic parish.  And, on June 3, 1866, less than three months after his installation as the new Bishop of Boston (and just 14 months from the end of the Civil War), Williams came by train on Sunday, June 3, 1866, to lay the cornerstone for the new church.  Reports from that day indicate that a Solemn High Mass was celebrated in the former church on East Main Street and then the procession made its way up Main Street to Winter for the laying of the cornerstone. Bishop Williams in his diary wrote, “The ceremonies took place after High Mass.  All people with band and banners walked in procession to the foundation of the new church.  … The weather was cloudy and cool; no rain until after all was over. There were between 3000 and 4000 present.  The collection exceeded $1000.”

At the same time that the land was purchased for the church, Fr. Cuddihy purchased a piece of land in the Rocky Woods section of town near Cedar Street where he opened a private quarry.  This stone, a beautiful pink color with traces of gray and black was placed on carts and hauled by oxen to the site on Winter Street; this was organized by a local teamster, Thomas Quirk.  Here it was used to build a stately church in the Early English Gothic style.  The nave of the church from the front door to the wall behind the altar is 168 feet long and it is 72 feet wide.  The original architect was Patrick C. Keely of Brooklyn, known in his day as the ‘prince of architects.’  Once the foundation of the church was in place, Keely had received the commission to design and oversee the construction of the new Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, so the work in Milford was transferred to James Murphy of Providence who brought the project to completion.

There is a conflict in the records of when the very first Mass ever celebrated in the new church was celebrated.  All the sources agree that it was Midnight Mass for Christmas some say it was in 1869 and others that it was in 1870.  Most references use the 1870 date.  Though the church was used for worship because the congregation had long outgrown the smaller space of the former church, work still needed to be done.  There was still finish work to be completed: woodworking and wainscoting, detailing on the columns, along with painting and frescoes that were executed by Wm. Brazier of Boston.  So Masses were celebrated in the lower chapel while the work finished the main sanctuary.

A photo of the church before 1890, conspicuously without the bell tower and the side entrances at the front.  These were added in 1960 following a fire in the church.  The back entrances to the lower church were also a later addition to the overall church structure.  Though the wooden doors have changed, the original stained glass windows on this west facade of the building are still there.  The building to the right of the church is the original rectory later the convent.  This was razed to build the new convent in 1958 which is now the Parish Center.

this article was originally published in the parish bulletin on September 22, 2019

During the time it took to build Saint Mary’s church, the Vatican split the state of Massachusetts into two dioceses.  Milford had been assigned to the new Diocese of Springfield that had been established in 1870 (80 years later it would be situated in the Diocese of Worcester when it was created in 1950). Bishop Patrick O’Reilly was expected for the dedication of the church on June 30, 1872, but was ill so the blessing was done by Bishop Louis de Goesbriand of Burlington, Vermont.  The ritual at the time began with the bishop and his assistants processing around the building chanting the litany of saints and sprinkling the building with holy water.  Once they entered, a Pontifical High Mass was celebrated, the choir sang Haydn’s Second Mass.  Bishop Patrick N. Lynch of Charleston, South Carolina delivered an ‘eloquent sermon.’  Reports indicate that the service lasted three hours and that it was oppressively hot that day.  Still, that afternoon Bishop de Goesbriand confirmed the parish youth.

The report in the Milford Daily News on July 6, 1872, described the new architectural marvel of Milford; noting that the chancel is square shaped flanked by the sacristy and a chapel, “the ceiling is elegantly frescoed in Gothic tracery in bold relief and the sanctuary is finished in blue and gold damask.  The pews, and other wood-work are solid oak, with heavy black walnut trimmings.  The choir gallery is unusually lofty, allowing a clear view of the entire interior of the house.  The church cost in the neighborhood of $100,000 and will take from $15,000 to $20,000 to complete the tower.” 

Though the church was now dedicated, other improvements would still be forthcoming.  The beautiful paintings of the Stations of the Cross would be a later purchase by Fr. Cuddihy on a trip to Italy, (along with a larger painting of the crucifixion) which still grace the church in the 21^st century.  Fr. Cuddihy’s nephew, Mr. John O’Neil, was an instructor at the New England Conservatory of Music and this contact enabled him to purchase a former organ from the Old South Church in Boston.  This was added to in 1910 and replaced altogether later in the 20^th century.

This is a colorized postcard of Saint Mary’s Church, perhaps even its original appearance.  The windows over the altar depict Irish saints and were replaced in 1924 with the current window of the Assumption of Our Lady.  The main altar at the back is different from the current one.  At the left front column is the main pulpit used before modern microphones for one to be heard; the position of the pews underneath indicates that when the church opened there were more pews than now and the altar rail was inside the first set of columns, which today are incorporated in the sanctuary area.  The lighting is different, there are gas lights on the columns as well as different suspended lights in the arches.  At the right front, notice the painting of the crucifixion above the sacristy door and on the left the open chapel area where the Blessed Sacrament is currently reposed.  To study this rendering is to realize that the Stations of the Cross are the only elements of the current church that were part of the church at the turn of the 20^th century; everything else is newer.