New Britain - A century and a half of celebrating Mass, feeding the homeless, aiding alcoholics, educating students, reaching out to new immigrant groups and forming new ministries culminated in a day of reminiscing and renewing at St. Mary Church. 

        "Every group under the sun is part of this parish today," Father Salvatore J. Rosa, Pastor at St. Mary, said at the anniversary celebration Oct. 4. "It's beautiful to see the diversity and the richness that every group brings with it as part of the parish."
        From the first Masses celebrated at local kitchen tables to the majestic brownstone structure that today stands at the top of Main Street, St. Mary Parish has been in integral part of the history of the Hardware City.

        The parish is two years older than the city of New Britain, which was incorported in 1850.

        Father John Brady celebrated the first Mass there in July 1842 for 25 people, at the home of James Foley on the corner of High and Myrtle streets. People came from Plainville, Bristol and Farmington for Mass.

       Father Luke Daly was appointed pastor in September 1848. He purchased parcels of land for the cemetery in 1851 and rectory in 1857 and began construction of convent in 1877. He died before it was finished.

       The first St. Mary Church, an 84-by-45 foot structure, was erected on Myrtle Street in 1850. It was the second brick church in the state.
        Father Frank T. Carter, parochial vicar at St. Mary, said immigrants brought their faith with them when they came to New Britain from their homeland. He cited the profound influence of the Blessed Virgin on them.

        "Those first immigrants named the church Mary, feeling that they had found a mother who would take care of them in the faith and in New Britain, " he said. "It's important to remember the past [and] the people who came to this city, rooted in the Catholic faith."

        The new church on Main Street was dedicated in 1886 by then Bishop Michael Tierney, who had served there as a pastor.

        But joy was short-lived. Within eight years, the church had burnt to the ground. A report in the Sept. 9, 1948 Catholic Transcript recalled the Jan 22, 1902 blaze.

        "Fanned by a high wind, the flames were soon out of control,' it stated. 'In a few hours, the once-beautiful structure was a blackened, empty shell."

        A plaque in the church vestibule memorializes those who donated to the rebuilding effort after the fire.

       "Fifty cents, a dollar, a dollar and a half... In those days, that was a lot," Father Carter said.

        Factory workers, having spent long hours toiling in the factories, put in longer hours rebuilding their beloved church.

        The reconstruction was finished in 1908; the church and the convent were dedicated by Bishop Tierney Feb. 2.

St. Mary School

        The original St. Mary School, a two-room facility on Myrtle Street, opened in 1862.
        According to a report in the Sept. 9, 1948 Catholic Transcript, which chronicled the parish's first century, the Sisters of Mercy came to the school in August 1874, amid "violent opposition" from residents.

        Prior to the sisters' arrival, all the lay teachers' salaries were paid by the town. The townpeople voted at the polls against paying the sisters from public-school funds.

        A new school building was built on Beaver Street in 1904. In 1972, after 110 years, it closed its doors; the building later was converted into affordable housing units.

Enhanced Parish Outreach

        In 1962, Father Robert C.Broker celebrated the parish's first Spanish Mass on the feast of Christ the King. Since then, a Spanish Mass has been celebrated at least weekly.

        A Spanish Speaking Center was established in St. Mary's church basement in 1964.

        As this and other parish-based ministries - like the halfway house, and homeless shelter - grew, they evolved into independent organizations.

        In 1972, Msgr. Joseph E. Farrell opened a halfway house for men in the former convent and called it Resurrection House. It evolved into a residential, rehabilitation center for treatment of substance abuse.

        In 1978 it began offering clinical residential treatment for substance-dependent men. Outpatient services have been offered for both men and women since 1988. It was renamed Farrell Treatment Center.

        The Friendship Service Center opened on Commercial Street in the city 1968. In 1982, it relocated a stone's throw from the church, on Main Street and has since moved to its new quarters on Arch Street.

        Parishioner Ronald Jakubowski, a self-professed history buff, said the parish is an integral part of New Britain's history.

        "It's always been a welcoming place for all immigrants through its history and it continues to do that now," he said. "Our future still is at the church and hopefully it'll still be there 150 years from now."