St. Mary Parish is a Roman Catholic church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.
History
Before April 1857, the East of Bridgeport Catholics were attended by the priests of St. James Church, first parish in the city and predecessor of St. Augustine’s. St. James was located at Washington Avenue and Arch Street and had been dedicated July 24, 1843 – 13 years after a missionary priest had first celebrated Mass in Bridgeport and several months before the Diocese of Hartford was created. St. James had parish boundary lines at this time, including an area greater than today's Diocese of Bridgeport.
Rev. Thomas J. Synott, third priest to serve St. James and second pastor, in 1854 decided to build the first St. Mary Church on Crescent and Church Streets where St. Cyril’s now stands. It was a white wooden frame church. Their first parishioners were from Ireland.
In April 1857 St. Mary receives official status of parish and is assigned its first pastor, Rev. Peter A. Smith, who builds a rectory and serves the community for five years. The next eleven years the young parish was under the direction of Revs. Francis J. Lenihan (1862), Richard O’Gorman, Thomas Drea (1867).
In 1869 the first church of Bridgeport, St. James, (established in 1842, one year before the establishment of the Dioceses of Hartford) is replaced with San Augustine Church. On July 6, 1873, Rev. John F. Rogers takes Rev. Drea place as pastor for the next 29 years. During his tenure as spiritual director, the parish grew into one of the most important parishes of the Hartford Diocese. In June 1874 Rev. Rogers began to build the red brick, Romanesque-style church. On May 16, 1875, the first cornerstone is placed and on October 14, 1877, Bishop Thomas Galberry, 4th Bishop of the Dioceses of Hartford, dedicates the new St. Mary.
After the construction of the church Rev. Rogers converts the old little white wooden frame church into a St. Mary Private School with more than 200 children at a cost of $3 per month. It was the first catholic school in the city. Rev. Rogers brings the first order of nuns “Sisters of Mercy” to teach; they stayed as long as the school lasted.
The cost of the construction was approximately $100,000. In 1881 Rogers built the rectory next to the church, and before the end of the century he renovated the interior of the church and purchased land for the building of a school and convent.
Rogers, not in good health, turn over the projects to his administrator. In 1901 the cornerstone for the school, opposite the church, was laid. Rogers died in May 1902. Rev. William H. Lynch, as administrator, completed the school and convent and later opens a new church, St. Charles, and becomes its first pastor. In the early 1900s immigrants from Italy start coming in and the church became primarily an Italian parish.
Rev. John F. Murphy, who was Rev. Rogers’s associate, returns as pastor in November 1902, and on April 19, 1917, Rev. Matthew J. Traynor is appointed pastor; together they built up a fully equipped parish plant.
Priest M. Ernest Wilson arrived at St. Mary on September 18, 1924. He founded the Holy Name teams of Basketball and Baseball, which continued until WW II. He and the Waltersville School principal introduced the early dismissal of catholic students to attend religious classes. In the early 1920s Rev. Traynor had renewed the interior of the church and in October 1927, Rev. Wilson and his assistants started plans for the Golden Jubilee of the parish, but the church caught fire and was destroyed on the eve of the celebration. In rebuilding the church, Rev. Wilson introduced many changes, fireproof features were installed and the sanctuary enlarged. The spire was destroyed by the fire. Altars of choice Italian marble replaced the previous wooden altar The church was re-dedicated on June 24, 1928 by the 7th and 8th bishops of Hartford, John J. Nilan and Maurice McAuliff. During the depression, Rev. Wilson provided food and shelter for many families, many times providing from his personal means. The next pastor, Rev. Paul F. Keating, was to serve St. Mary during the Depression years 1930 34. He was succeeded by the Rev. Leo M. Finn who, shortly after arriving was to become Monsignor and capelin of the Knights of Columbus.
In June 1939 Rev. James H. Killian became the 11th pastor of St. Mary; he died in February 1941. Rev. Michael J. Kearney came to St. Mary on March 28, 1941, as pastor and in his 13 years finishes the renovations and plans that Rev. Killian started, and later celebrated the Centennial. Immigrants from Puerto Rico came to the city.