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November 1, 2018

Closing of Immaculate Conception mission church marked with special Mass

REGIONAL
Staff report

(IObserve file photos/Stephen Kiltonic)

 

SHEFFIELD – Parishioners of the Berkshire County Mission Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mill River marked the closing of the church on Oct. 27 with a special Mass celebrated by Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski.

The dedicated group of longtime parishioners gathered to mark the more than 15 decades that this church has served the small community of Mill River, one of five villages making up the town of New Marlboro.

“It was a bittersweet day for everyone, but demographics and circumstances had changed so much in Mill River, necessitating the closing of Immaculate Conception Mission Church,” said Bishop Rozanski. He added that he was “grateful to that dedicated small band of parishioners who supported the church through these past years and for those who gathered to mark this closing Mass.”

Deacon Sean Mulholland, parish administrator, said that parishioners were understanding of the fact that the number of parishioners could not support keeping the church open.

“Last winter there were a couple of times when we had seven people at Mass,” said the deacon. “The people understood.”

Deacon Mulholland said that for any parishioners needing transportation to attend Mass at Our Lady of the Valley, the parish would provide assistance.

Built in 1866, when Mill River was a flourishing paper manufacturing center, Immaculate Conception is one of the oldest Catholic churches in western Massachusetts, and was the founding church of Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Sheffield.

Today, only a few remnants of the paper-making industry can be found; most were closed by the turn of the 20th century, when the horse and buggy couldn’t keep pace economically with the railroads.

Immaculate Conception Church had served as a mission of Our Lady of the Valley since 1901. Irish paper makers, mainly from the Dublin area, were recruited by the mill owners to work there.

The Immaculate Conception parish community in Mill river celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016. Pictured is a painting that was displayed during the anniversary Mass.

The first Irish Catholic was Timothy Wrinkle from Dublin. It was his house in which the first Catholic Mass was celebrated by Father John Brady in 1841.

It was through the faith and devotion of a young priest from Italy, Father Peter Menietti, that a church was ultimately established in Mill River.

While he lay ill and near death in his native land, Father Menietti professed that if God restored his health, he would “cross the seas to a new country and build a church in honor of the Blessed Virgin.” Ten years earlier, Pope Pius IX had proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Cured of his illness, Father Menietti soon arrived in Great Barrington, where in 1864, he was appointed the first parish priest of St. Peter’s. Many of the laborers recruited by Berkshire businessmen to work the many mills were of Irish descent.

When Mill River became a paper manufacturing center, Irish Catholics needed a church to worship in. Father Menietti contributed the first $100 toward the $5,500 it took to construct the church. Other parishioners and non-parishioners also contributed money and Immaculate Conception Church was completed on Aug. 5, 1866.

Unfortunately, Father Menietti’s health failed again and after two years, he returned to Italy. But over the years, many founding parishioners and their families remained. Their descendants still can be found in the current church register.

Throughout its history, 28 priests served as pastors of Immaculate Conception.  

Deacon Mulholland also noted that as long as the diocese still owns the church, it would be made available for funerals and weddings. “We will do whatever we can to facilitate that,” he said.

 

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