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| From: Irish Catholic Genesis of Lowell, by G. O'Dwyer |
The town of Lowell was a busy place that July of 1831. Preparations were in place for festivities to
celebrate the 4th. The Mechanic
Phalanx was preparing a grand meal along with a reading of the Declaration of
Independence. Other citizens were in
deep discussions debating if Belvidere should be annexed to Lowell. Reverend Edson was preparing his homily for
Sunday. The doings of President Andrew
Jackson and talk of temperance were popular topics heard in the streets. The shops along Merrimack and Lowell Streets
were busy with buyers making their purchases before closing for the Sabbath on
the 3rd.
In the Acre things were just as busy. For a year the neighborhood had been watching
the progress of the first Catholic church to be built in the city, and only the
third in Massachusetts. The agent for
the Corporation, Kirk Boott, had donated a parcel of land on which to
build. Just weeks before a series of
riots broke out along Lowell Street with some Yankees calling to burn down the
church. Others called for calm. Michael Connelly had overseen the foundation
and construction with frequent check-ins with Bishop Fenwick. The two would later have a number of
discussions about payment for labors rendered.
Slowly, but surely, the 70’x40’ wooden church rose. The tower surmounted by a golden orb and
cross was in stark contrast to the surrounding shanties. At
this point there were about 500 people living in the Paddy Camps. Already it had gotten a reputation for being
rather seedy with its make-shift cabins and pigs running between the alleys
that passed for streets. The little
church had outgrown itself even before it opened.
The Bishop, along with Rev. Dr O’Flaherty, the well known
orator, arrived the day before having taken a carriage from Boston. The two would spend the night at the Stone
Tavern near the falls. The weather that
day of July 3rd of 1831 was unusually hot, but that did not deter the
crowds. Over one hundred singers from
the Cathedral choir came by stage to provide the music for the Mass. Edward Kitts, the shoemaker, Miss Catherine
Hogan, a teacher in the Irish School, and Mr. Hector, all of Lowell, also
accompanied the Boston choir. The pastor
assigned to the new Catholic Church was John Mahoney, who had been serving the
Lowell community for several years and had just been informed that he would not
be returning to his previous post as pastor in Salem. When Fr. Mahoney arrived a few years before
to celebrate the first Mass, some of the Irish wept to hear their mother tongue
being spoken.
Many of those in attendance for the dedication were likely
among the first pioneers who traveled from Charlestown to build the foundations
for the mills and widen the canals.
There was Cummiskey, Murray, McManus, Smith, Green, Fitzpatrick- all of
them surely vying for a front pew. The
pews would be auctioned off at a later date to help defray the cost of building
extensions to the church just 2 years later.
The church could not hold the crowds that showed up. It was filled to overflowing with the open area
around Fenwick Street packed with spectators as well. Some reported that the crowd surpassed two or
three thousand. Considering the entire
population of Lowell was about 7,000 at this time, it must have been quite a
crowd. The Bishop claimed the church
under the patronage of Saint Patrick and anointed the altar with sacred
oils. Reverend O’Flaherty chose his
sermon from the Book of Chronicles. “I have chosen this place to be a house of
sacrifice and prayer.” O’Flaherty was
well known throughout the area as a gifted speaker and thus many Protestants
attended just to hear his address.
The heat persisted through the afternoon when the priests
and Bishop chanted evening Vespers. The
Bishop also confirmed 29 individuals.
The church still crowded to overflowing.
The event was recorded in newspapers across the state and even the
country. It was remarked that the church
was one of the finest buildings in the city and represented things to come for
the Irish and the Town of Lowell.
Surprisingly the only mention of the event in the Lowell newspapers is a
single sentence in the Lowell Mercury, “The Catholic Church recently erected in
this town was consecrated last Sabbath with appropriate services.” The Irish were here to stay.
The Parish has a
single remaining artifact from that original church. When the wooden structure was dismantled to
make way for the present structure the lead construction man was given a piece
of the cross that topped the tower of the church. Luckily a thoughtful collector returned the
item to the church where it is in safe keeping.
We are always looking for pieces of our past that fills in the jigsaw
puzzle of our story. Can you help us?
Family photos, business advertisements, graduation diplomas, musical programs,
newspaper articles, class pictures, school uniforms, First Communion
certificates……. All tell a part of the
story of the Acre. So many have told us
of what they thought was worthless, yet could tell us so much. A picture can be worth a thousand words.
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