SACRED HEART PARISH

LEXINGTON

MASSACHUSETTS

70th ANNIVERSARY

1931 – 2001

A Booklet of Parish History

Cor Jesu domus Dei et porta coeli.

Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate to heaven.

Front Portal of Church on Pleasant Street

SACRED HEART PARISH

REV. ARNOLD F. COLLETTI

PASTOR

21 FOLLEN ROAD

LEXINGTON. MASS.

Dear Parishioners:

It is a privilege being the Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish as it celebrates its 70th anniversary. As you read through the history so beautifully written in this booklet I am sure you will take pride in the life of faith that unfolds over the years. Such a manifestation of deep faith and sacrifice of so many brings with it a profound sense of gratitude and challenge.

Gratitude to the countless thousands for their single-mindedness to make their faith a visible reality, not only in erecting buildings to worship in, to teach our children, to house our priests and to socialize in, but more importantly to grow and mature as a people of God forming the visible Body of Christ. You are reaching out and welcoming new members, celebrating significant passages, sharing the Word revealed and the Word made flesh, and always fulfilling Saint Paul's command "to never forget the poor."

As we move into the future years, a challenge to continue to grow in this spirit is before us. No one knows what the future will bring because change is rapidly developing on so many fronts. We do know that faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ will overcome all obstacles and help us to plan a better future with the vision that faith provides. Certainly there will be many more changes that will threaten us, many different personalities to adjust to, and many sacrifices that will test the best in us. But we are a "remembering people" whose tradition can only strengthen and sustain us all.

Our most grateful thanks are given to Almighty God for his countless blessings and inspiration for completing these past 70 years. We ask his continued power, insight and Spirit as we begin the next 70 years. May God bless this generation as it makes its contribution to such an illustrious history. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus continue to show us his love and care.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev Arnold F. Colletti, Pastor

CARDINAL’S RESIDENCE

2101 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE

BRIGHTON, MA 02135

September 8, 2000

The Reverend Arnold F. Colletti

Sacred Heart Parish

21 Follen Road

Lexington, MA 02421

Dear Father Colletti,

It is a great pleasure to extend to you and to all the faithful of Sacred Heart Parish my prayerful best wishes on the occasion of your 70^th Anniversary.

Since the days when it was a mission church of St. Brigid Parish, the faith has taken deep root and matured among generations of Catholics through the lives and sacrifices of so many dedicated persons associated with Sacred Heart Parish. The parish in so many ways is the heart of the religious lives of the faithful. Centered around celebration of the Eucharist and nourished by the preaching of the word of God and celebration of the sacraments, the faith of the people has been strengthened and their lives enriched. What a beautiful testimony to the goodness of God is the life of the parish!

As I thank you and the pastoral staff for the good work which you have accomplished at Sacred Heart, it is my prayers that all members of the parish may rededicate themselves to the Lord. May the vitality of spirit and spiritual growth of the parish’s life continue to be strengthened through the Lord’s favor. I pray in a special way that the young people of the parish might be moved by this celebration to consider what role God expects them to fulfill in the Church.

Asking God to bless you, I am

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Reverend Cardinal Law

Archbishop of Boston

SACRED HEART PARISH... 1931-2001

The Formal Beginning Years

Even before its formal establishment as a parish in 1931, Catholics in East Lexington attended Sunday Mass at a local fire station thanks to the ministry of Father William McCarthy and the curates of St. Brigid's, the first Catholic parish in Lexington. But as the community grew both numerically and spiritually, there was the need for a second parish, and with great hope, it was formed by William Cardinal O'Connell with Father William Connor as its pastor. Its founding came at a time of great national economic crises, yet the faith and resiliency of the 206 families provided an unique source of strength.

After the death of Father Connor. Father William Desmond came to Sacred Heart as pastor in January of 1943, and during his years of leadership Fathers Dunnigan, Cronin, and Casey served as curates. One of the earliest parochial visitations was that of Richard Cardinal Cushing in 1944. One of the earliest joyous occasion was the celebration in May of 1948, of the first mass by Father Joseph Ruocco - to the best of our knowledge the first vocation to the priesthood from the parish - who would later become an auxiliary bishop of Boston.

The Monsignor Murphy Years

When Father Desmond left the parish for a new ministry in 1949, he was succeeded by Father (later to be Monsignor) Francis Murphy who presided over a period of great development of the physical facilities of the parish - the completion of the structure of the church, the building of the attractive parish center which continues to be a facility of major importance to our many parish activities, and the establishment of the parish rectory at its present location on 21 Follen Road. His curates during his pastorate included Fathers Laughlin, Mahoney, Garrity, O'Connor, Perry and Hogan. Monsignor Murphy also oversaw a period in liturgy, in lay participation, and in many other areas of parish life in the years preceding and immediately following the Second Vatican Council. A man in the manner of Chaucer's Parson, Monsignor Murphy retired to Regina Cleri, the retirement residence for clergy of the archdiocese, in 1967.

The Father McCabe Years

The arrival of Father Martin Ultan McCabe from a parish in Rowley in 1967 marked a period of notable further development. A priest and pastor thoroughly in tune with the spirit of Vatican II, he took the lead in developing a Parish Council, in involving the laity in all phases of parish life through well-organized, thoroughly professional, and dedicated ministries, in joining the vital ecumenical movement of the time through the Lexington Council of Churches, in establishing links with the inner-city parish of St. John / St. Hugh, in developing full-blown programs in liturgy and music with professional directors, and in meeting a generation of spirited young deacons.

The warmth of Father McCabe's relationship with his curates -Fathers Hogan, Hoy, and Cuenin - became an example and an inspiration to them and to all who worshipped at Sacred Heart. Among his major accomplishments - along with Father Cuenin - was the renovation of the interior of the church in 1981, a shaping of the space that for many parishioners captured the spirit of the new liturgy. But his greatest were not administrative, but pastoral, setting a tone of thoughtful, caring Catholicism, binding people of many and varying talents and temperaments, preaching the Word and calling on his parishioners to bear Christian witness in and out of season.

For many, Sacred Heart represented a good example of the contemporary church, and its boundaries expanded to include men and women from many sections of the greater Boston area. The retirement of Father McCabe in June of 1986 was an occasion of great sadness, but he had been a tradition-builder, one who would spend his retirement as a parishioner, so the people of God at Sacred Heart looked to the future with confidence.

The Adjustment Years

Since 1986, the parish has had several leaders and several styles of leadership, and the period has not been without tensions and anxieties. Yet, one fact remained clear, and that was a firm parish commitment to the traditions of the church in a contemporary setting. The years from Father McCabe's retirement and the departure of his curate Father Walter Cuenin might be described as a period of adjustment. Father Thomas Foley served as pastor from July of 1986 to March of 1987, and the team of Fathers Lawrence Pratt and David Delaney from July of 1987 to January of 1989. During the period of adjustment, the yeoman service of Monsignor William Murphy (now Bishop Murphy), who twice served as administrator in times of difficulty, was a source of stability and confidence. Last September, Bishop Murphy was installed head of the Rockville Diocese of Long Island, New York, after being for the past several years the Moderator of the Curia and Bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston.

The Father Butler Years

The coming of Father Richard Butler as pastor and Father Leonard O'Malley as curate marked a movement beyond a period of adjustment to a new sense of harmony at Sacred Heart. While the years of transition brought their share of turmoil, Father Butler provided a period of calm for healing. Thoroughly committed to a strong and engaging Catholicism, a modern liturgy, and an educated laity, he has continued and encouraged many ministries, established the position of Pastoral Associate (combining responsibilities for music and education), held a capital fund drive for much needed improvements in the parish physical plant, and most recently, a memorial garden for Father McCabe. He was an excellent administrator who was attentive to the need for careful planning.

The Father Colletti

Years With the departures of Fathers Butler and O'Malley to new parishes, Father Arnold Colletti, Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Medford / Maiden was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart. Father Colletti had served as a curate in both Sacred Heart and Saint Brigid's parishes twenty years before, and was well known to a good many in the community.

A caring priest and a sound administrator, Father Colletti set to work on strengthening the already impressive accomplishments of the Butler/O'Malley years. With the ideal of stewardship as his goal, he built an impressive staff of pastoral associate, director of music, religious education director, and youth minister. A fine choir, solid religious education programs for both young people and adults developed nicely. And the tradition of Parish Council and Finance Council continued with great vigor and impressive vision.

Much needed to be done with the physical plant - roofing, outside painting, the grounds - and improvements proceeded slowly but surely, with still more work to be done on the inside of the church, on the parish hall, and on several other projects. Both Parish and Finance Councils have been most active in planning and in encouraging appropriate giving by all parishioners in order to finance many projects. No parish is without some disagreements and tensions, but there exits at Sacred Heart on this 70"' anniversary a community of Christian love and caring with excellent liturgy, good music, and wide lay participation. One notable feature in recent years has been the development of Small Faith Groups - regular gathering of ten to twelve men and women to pray, to discuss, to share the spiritual and social dimensions of their lives.

With Father Colletti now beginning his second six-year term as Pastor, the parish is ready to assess its strengths and its areas for improvement. We seek to be a lively and authentic Catholic Christian community for the new century.

The Visiting Associates

From the early days of the McCabe years, Sacred Heart has been blessed with superior diocesan priests as well as priests from several religious orders. All have been most helpful in sharing the challenges of several weekend liturgies, but they have all been most helpful in education programs. Without minimizing the work of all, we offer special praise for Father James O'Donohoe of the Archdiocese who has been as active and inspirational part of parish life, who has made his mark in many ways. We also note the service of Fathers Bill Meyers, John O'Brien, John Baldovin and Patrick Tarrant who have also enriched our community. Many parishioners have at various anniversaries contributed their special expertise and research to telling our parish story, and many of the details of this 70"' anniversary history owe a great deal to John McAlleer and Michael O'Sullivan. We are all indebted to them. The Future Years The parish stands in 2001, its seventieth anniversary, as a strong Christian community, in tune with the Archdiocese, and the larger church, yet having a distinctive flavor that makes it an attractive place at which to worship. Like all parishes, especially in our culture, we have weaknesses, but also a will to solve them. We are committed to match our financial stability with even stronger programs in education and worship. As a parish, we pray that the Holy Spirit will inform our worship, our prayers and our work.

Dr. John L. Mahoney, Lexington, Massachusetts, November, 2001

BRICKS. MORTAR. PEOPLE...1848 - 2001

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 Bridgets - note the old spelling), The Mother Church If Saint Brigid's 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 lives at present on Concord Hill, places 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 comer of Nickerson Road. The cobblestone foundation house still exits there, today.

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 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 comer 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 were 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 firehouse as late as 1929. It was demolished in 1950 to make way for the present fire station.

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 Brigid'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 Brigid would be officially established as a parish. Sacred Heart, The Mission Church of Saint Brigid's If Sacred Heart were to have a birth date, then it would have to be 1917 when Monsignor Edward F. Hurley of Saint Brigid'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 French gothic structure. Its 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 to-be 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 Village at last had a church they could call their own. Father McCarthy took the senior Choir from Saint Brigid's down with him to sing the midnight High Mass on December 24, 1929. Thus, the first Midnight Mass of record in Lexington was celebrated, not in the Mother Church, but in the East Mission.

Nowadays to turn seventy, is to be considered - a mature youngest among ones peers; but in seventy years our parish has experienced much history and now on our seventy anniversary it is a time to remember - it is a time to celebrate of things past - for truly it is a time to share those memories and stories that began within its very walls on November 18, 1931, when Cardinal O'Connell celebrated Mass and called Sacred Heart to become a parish. If we could envision that Mass, many of us would be surprised to hear the choir singing from the loft over the Church's side entrance on Pollen Road. It is now sealed off. Also you would not see the magnificent beamed ceilings, for they were not added until the late 1940's along with the side columns to serve as internal "flying buttresses" to support weakened and buckling church walls caused by the structural load of the roof. Parishioner John McAleer, in his 40'" anniversary history of the parish described the interior of the church in 1931, as an austere and bleak "cattle-shed." We have come a long way in these past seventy years.

Beyond the Architecture

The sustaining "architecture" of any parish church is not defined by its mere physical structure, nor by the bricks and mortar that form its worship space. Rather, the parish's true sustaining "architecture" is defined by the community of its people called by God, to gather, to celebrate with each other in their spiritual development as individuals and as family, both within its own local parish church boundaries and its global dimension as part of the Universal Church. As such a parish is more than bricks and mortar - it is a community in the pursuit of God, some times serious, some times humorous. 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, 1955 (Patriot's Day) at a time when that 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 to be cancelled 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.

Monsignor 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 Sexton 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 Monsignor 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, Monsignor 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 a maple tree and bench in Robbins Park to Tom Sullivan, the "Mayor of East Lexington." Tom passed away later that year. Many parishioners also remember the famous "warm and argumentative" exchanges between Father McCabe and Tom on landscaping issues for the grounds of the church. Putting aside the appropriateness of planting, it is worth noting the appropriateness of the commemoration to these two .men on sites adjacent to each other - the Father McCabe Garden Terrace and Tom's tree and bench in Robbins Park below. As Sacred Heart celebrates its 70th anniversary, it has been retold, individually and collectively, some of the people and incidents that shaped and contributed to that "architectural fabric," which makes us an unique parish and to enable all parishioners - past, present and future - to rejoice in the spirit of this parish which is peace, the miracle of this parish which is hope, and the heart of this parish which is love. Michael J. 0'Sullivan, Lexington, Massachusetts, November, 2001 16

Lexington's Roots of Catholicism

• 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

• 1886 Saint Brigid's Established as a Parish

• 1917 - 1931 Sacred Heart, a Mission of St Brigid's

• 1931 Sacred Heart Established as a Parish

• 2000 Saint Brigid's 125th Anniversary

• 2001 Sacred Heart's 70^th Anniversary 17

Sedebit Dominus Rex in aetemum: Dominus benedicet populo suo in pace.

The Lord is seated King in eternity:

May the Lord bless his people in peace.

Side Portal of Church on Pollen Road

As we continue our journey beyond the 70th Anniversary, may our experience be as the disciples on the road to Emmaus: They pressed Jesus to stay with them...

So He went in with them... He took the bread and said the blessing then he broke it and handed it to them.

Then their eyes were opened...and they recognized Jesus...and they said, did not ours hearts burn within us as he talked to us on our journey?

(Luke 24:30-32)