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December 24, 2021
St. Mary’s Longmeadow celebrates 90th anniversary of church building
REGIONAL
Story and photos by Stephen Kiltonic
St. Mary Church, Longmeadow
LONGMEADOW — On Christmas Day, St. Mary Parish in Longmeadow will celebrate the 90th anniversary of its church building with a special 10:30 a.m. Mass concelebrated by Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne and Father Christopher J. Waitekus.
Father Waitekus said the parish started to celebrate the anniversary in November at a dinner/dance held at Twin Hills Country Club where various memorabilia were on display. In addition, a special brass Christmas tree ornament was created especially for the 90th anniversary.
The design of the ornament, an exterior of the church, was created by 94-year-old parishioner Louise Collins. An engineer by trade, she once designed equipment and created architectural drawings for the Air Force. Collins did the original free-hand drawing of the church for Mary Kate Nicholson, the daughter of a friend, about 15 to 20 years ago. “She asked if I’d draw a picture of the church which she’d have as a souvenir of her wedding,” said Collins. She admits being “quite honored” after Father Waitekus asked her if a replica of the drawing could be reproduced for the anniversary. A smaller version of the drawing also appears periodically in the parish bulletin and on parish stationary.
A special brass Christmas tree ornament created especially for the 90th anniversary of St. Mary’s Church
Collins, who still attends Mass, has been a parishioner of St. Mary’s since 1954 when she moved from Lexington, Mass., to get married. “I always enjoyed coming to St. Mary’s. Everybody was always very friendly,” said Collins, who said the Christmas Mass was a favorite.
According to the book, Seed Sown on Good Ground – A History of St. Mary’s Parish Longmeadow, Massachusetts, by Sister of St. Joseph Mary Murray, St. Mary’s was established in 1870 as a missionary parish with the original church on Williams Street. Because of its small size — only 10 pews on each side — overcrowding was a regular occurrence at the church beginning in 1914.
In 1920, an effort was made to raise money for a permanent church by voluntary contributions. St. Mary’s Guild was also established in 1924 primarily to generate money for the same purpose. In the following years, parishioners organized the annual lawn party, silver teas, chicken suppers, dances, bake sales, raffles and other socials.
In 1927, with a new church on the horizon, Father Richard Murphy purchased property on Longmeadow Street from the Howard family. Later that year, and for the next four years, all Masses were held at a temporary structure on Bliss Road.
The building plans for the new, Gothic-style church were drawn by architect John W. Donahue who designed other churches in the Springfield Diocese. Ground was broken in May 1931 and Father John Rogers supervised the construction which was completed seven months later by William Quinn Company Contractors at a cost of approximately $100,000. On Christmas Eve 1931, parishioners crowded into their new church for the first Mass minus pews and stained-glass windows. They had to wait another 12 years before the interior was fully completed.
According to the January 1932 issue of The Catholic Mirror, the brick structure “is an impressive, dignified house of worship, with its graceful limestone trimmings.” It was through Father Roger’s “initiative and enthusiastic leadership the dream of a new House of God has become a reality.” The parish itself was established in 1936.
Father Waitekus said that St. Mary’s will continue to celebrate its 90th anniversary throughout 2022 with various events like a concert by Vince Ambrosetti and 10 one-hour concerts by the choir director. Altogether, 500 Christmas anniversary ornaments were produced. Some are still available for $10 each. Ornaments can be purchased by calling the parish at 413-567-3124; at rectory office during the day; or at the church before or after Mass.