Parish History
Written by Deacon Bill BissendenWednesday, 25 October 2006
The following early history of St. Patrick Parish was first published in a program for the production of "Back to Erin" celebrating St. Patrick's Day 1949. It is a beautifully written piece and its sentiments are as true today as they were then.
In these troubled days of religious persecution and worldly strife, it is indeed refreshing to pause for a moment to glance around our own city and send up a fervent thanks to God that we here at St. Patrick Parish have made such tremendous strides through the years.
It is quite true that the spiritual and material advancement of the parish has been in many hands since May 21, 1889, when the Rt. Rev. L. S. McMahon, Bishop of Hartford, appointed Rev. James B. Nihill, then assistant at Danbury, CT, as the pastor of the new parish in the "North End" which had been part of St. Augustine Parish. But regardless of the length of time served, it is our thought that all will be quite interested in the growth of "our" parish.
The first census, taken before the arrival of Father Nihill, showed that the new parish would be serving 100 Catholic families, including a few Catholics from the town of Trumbull.
Originally the seat of the parish was a plot of ground with a house on Lindley Street, through which Ives Court now passes. There was no hall available for services, so the new pastor offered his daily Masses in the "parlor" of the rectory and "through the courtesy of the Board of Education" was given a room in the old Grand Street School for Sunday Masses.
The first meeting of the men of the parish was held on May 16, 1889. It is interesting to note that the record tells us that the attendance at this meeting was "about 30 men who made up in enthusiasm what they lacked in numbers."
Perhaps the most momentous accomplishment at this initial meeting came about as the result of an impromptu but quite sincere oration from an aged gentleman "of fine Celtic physique" who requested permission to suggest the name for the new parish.
"Father," he said. "I have been a resident of Bridgeport for 45 years and I can say without fear of contradiction that the fine Catholic churches of Bridgeport owe their existence and maintenance to the generosity of the Irish people. I think it's about time that we should have a church in our city named after one of our saints."
When the Irish gentleman was asked what saint he had in mind, he immediately came back with "St. Patrick, of course."
The parishioners of St. Patrick Parish then set forth to raise enough money to build a permanent place of worship.
In February of 1890, a committee of men approached the pastor and asked that the site of the new church property be transferred from Lindley Street, the northeast boundry of the parish, to a more central location. the proposition, although startling at first, was given due consideration and the people's wishes, together with an available site at its probable cost, were submitted to the Bishop. After two months consideration, the change was allowed.
The Eli Thompson estate, a magnificent property 250 feet by 200 feet, was purchased. It was an ideal site and the center of the fast-growing residential section of Bridgeport.
Ground was immediately broken and the cornerstone was laid on the third of the following August. The basement was made ready for divine service and dedicated on the third Sunday of December in the same year. For the next 23 years, the Catholic people in the North End gathered here to worship God.
Not long after the basement was opened for services, it was apparent that the religious needs of the inmates of the Fairfield County jail, located two blocks from the church, would have to be cared for by the priest of the parish.
Thus, it was about that time the church was sent its first curate, the Rev. Thomas J. Picker.
For geographical reasons, the new parish gave little evidence of growth during its first 16 years of existence. Parish historians attributed the location of large industries along the shore and the "lack of trolley lines to the northern sector of the city" as the principal reasons for the era of marking time in the population growth of the new church.
The situation changed, however, in 1903 when St. Vincent's hospital was erected. In the wake of the construction came the broadening and paving of Main Street, from Catherine Street to the Town of Trumbull, the extension of trolley lines and many other public improvements, together with the conversion of large farm lands to "the fairest and most valuable building sites," all of which attracted a large number of home-building people.
With the building of St. Vincent's hospital, a second curate was assigned to St. Patrick's in the person of Rev. Charles McGowan.
Father McGowan was in feeble health and his service in the parish was quite short. He was succeeded by Rev. Edward Curran who perhaps should also be considered as one of the original curates because of Father McGowan's short term here and Father Curran's long service.
In the summer on 1909, an examination of the books of the parish proved that the debt of $60,000 had been wiped out and there was $20,000 in the church treasury. This was in the closing weeks of the depression of that era, a depression that brought about the decision to start the upward construction of the basement church. Material and labor were at an all-time low.
The architect, James Murphy, who had planned the lower chapel a quarter of a century before, had since died, and John J. Dwyer, of the firm Dwyer and McMahon of Hartford, was selected to prepare the plan for the completion of the church. Mr. Dwyer passed away before the church was completed.
Work was started in 1910, and, on June 20 of the same year, the Rt. Rev. John J. Nilan, D. D., Bishop of Hartford, laid the cornerstone before 10,000 people.
The occasion was recorded as "one of the most notable events in the history of hte Catholic Church in Connecticut, marking as it did the final stage of a struggle, carried on for the greater part of 22 years by a handful of Catholic families to build an edifice suitable in some measure to the worship of God."
The completed St. Patrick Church was truly a work of great art. Even today, it might be well to consider some of the features contained within the beautiful edifice.
In the main chapel are comfortable sittings for more than 1,000 persons. Ample room is provided within the chancel for the most elaborate of ceremonies. The altars, five in number, are of the best Carrara marble nad of English Gothic design to correspond with the general architecture of the church.
One of the main features of the altar is the Last Supper panel modeled after DaVinci's famous work and carved from a single block.
The original organ, built by Hook and Hastings, was so designed as not to obstruct the view of the handsome stone-framed windows. All window frames, millions of Economy stone, cream white in color. This material was selected by the United States Government for all the trimmings of the vast group of buildings built in the same time at the West Point Military Academy.
We, the present members of St. Patrick Parish, owe a debt of gratitude to the hardy pioneers of our parish. It is with pride that we can point to their accomplishments and the accomplishments of their successors though the years. It would be impossible to accurately account fo the many individual parishioners who contributed to the wonderful growth of our parish.
They did all this for the honor and glory of God, and it is our belief that every time a Holy Mass is offered, every time a prayer is recited and every time a soul is saved through their combined efforts spanning the years, their souls are being rewarded by the Almighty. What finer payment could anyone seek?
With more than a century of Catholic progress and prayer now a part of the wonderful history of the Church in Bridgeport, in Connecticut, in America and in the world, St. Patrick's, our church, stands as a powerful indication of the Will of God.
It is our responsibility to match the courage, perseverance and faith of our fathers and their fathers before them in the continuation of the right to worship God in "our" church -- St. Patrick's!
History of Pastors
- Rev. James B. Nihill (1889)
- Rev. Msgr. John C. Lynch (1914)
- Rev. Msgr. James H. Grady (1948)
- Rev. Walter J. McCarthy (1967)
- *Rev. Msgr. Harry L. Hale (1968)
- Rev. Msgr. Martin J. McDermott (1968)
- Rev. Edward F. Doyle (1970)
- *Rev. Alfred Bietighofer (1975)
- Rev. W. Philip Coleman (1976)
- Rev. Msgr. William F. Schultz (1982)
- Rev. Andrew G. Marus (1995)
- *Rev. Michael J. Bachman (2003)
- Rev. George F. O'Neill (2003)
- Rev. Norman Guilbert Jr. (2008)
*Administrator
