1. The Diocese of Fall River The Establishment of The Fall River Deanery

2. Map of the Diocese

3. Introduction June 1780, the final version of a new state constitution was adopted Freedom of religion was finally established for the Catholics of Massachusetts Bill of rights provided freedom of conscience for all religions This was a change for Catholics in Massachusetts

4. New England’s First Catholic Parish Catholics could not be free to worship publicly until they had a priest. Between 1788 & 1792, three priests served a small Catholic congregation in Boston: –Claude Florent Bouchard (Abbe de la Poterie) –Louis Rousselet –John Thayer

5. Claude Florent Bouchard (Abbe de la Poterie) A former chaplain with the French fleet Celebrated the first public mass in a chapel owned by French Protestants in Boston, November 2, 1788 He and his successor, Father Rousselet, were dismissed because of being guilty of transgressions in France He was later reconciled & returned to ministry in France

6. Father Rousselet 1794, traveled to the island of Guadeloupe during the French revolution Was caught, imprisoned, and sentenced to death He was a heroic figure to all, admitting his sins, urging all to the act of contrition, and imparted absolution Led fellow prisoners to guillotine singing the psalm Laudate Dominum.

7. Father Thayer A Yale graduate who served as a chaplain in the Revolutionary War Entered Catholic Church in Rome Ordained a priest in Paris Returned to his hometown, Boston in January 1790 and developed a ministry, which turned out to be a disappointment

8. Served with Father Rousselet, which the congregation became divided along ethnic lines To restore unity, Bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll, visited Boston in May & early June 1791 He asked Father Rousselet to resign The next year, Father Thayer accepted another assignment from his successor, Francis Anthony Matignon

9. Father Anthony Matignon Doctor of Theology from the Sorbonne The French revolution ordered him to escape to England and then offered missionary work in America Helped former confreres and a young priest named Jean Lefebvre de Cheverus

10. Jean Lefebvre de Cheverus December 18, 1790, ordained a priest of Diocese of Le Mans in Paris He and Father Matignon began to care for missions south of Boston Thousands Catholics in Boston by the nineteenth century November 1, 1810, appointed as the first bishop of Boston They began creating churches in New Bedford, Sandwich, Taunton, and Fall River

11. Fall River In 1854, Fall River officially becomes a city having a population of 12,000+ At the end of the Civil War, the city increased to 17,525 because of the increase of textile industrial jobs Many churches of different nationalities were developed such as French-Canadian

12. French-Canadian 1868, Father Antoine Derbuel, a French priest visited St. Mary’s Parish & counted exactly 100 French-Canadian families Later on another person discovered five and six hundred French-Canadian families and realized the need for another church They created a church that was originally named St. Clothilde, but because of an incident, Father Montaubriq named it St. Anne

13. Fall River vs. New Bedford During the time, Fall River and New Bedford were going in their own separate ways of gaining capital –Fall River Multiplying of textile mills –New Bedford Enriched whaling industry

14. The Portuguese in New Bedford The Portuguese were known to be great whalers from the Azores & the Cape Verde Islands Father Mcmahon found significant number of Portuguese –Because of this, Bishop Williams appointed Father Joao Ignacio d’Azevedo Encarnacao from Pico, to become priest of the Portuguese September 10, 1871, first established parish called Saint John the Baptist, for the Portuguese in the nation

15. Development of Churches in Fall River Fall River was in a great need for more churches Population boomed by 10,000 in 5 years because of the textile industry In 1872, 15 new textile mills were created and only 3 established churches stood: –St. Joseph –St. Patrick –Sacred Heart

16. Due to the over-population in Somerset, on November 2, 1873, Bishop Hendricken dedicated a small frame church, built by Father Bric, in honor of St. Patrick James Masterson, first pastor of the church, which contained 1,200 parishioners April 1882, two more parishes created: –Immaculate Conception Parish –Saint Peter & Paul

17. Expansion of French- Canadian Parishes Bishop Henricken wanted to provide more churches for the increased number of French-Canadian immigrants Because of the long distance from the Flint Village to St. Anne’s Church, Father Bedard organized a church called Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish on December 1, 1874 May 1892, father Sauval bought land and built a church on South Main & Middle Street –The name St. Anne’s was replaced and given to this church

18. Expansion of Portuguese Parishes Due to jobs in the textile mills, Portuguese immigrants, especially those from New Bedford, overpopulated in Fall River, creating a population of 1,500 Portuguese A small worn-out Baptist church located at the corner of Columbia and Canal Street, was replaced and called it Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres Parishioners who lived on the north end found it difficult to attend the church –This resulted into building another church called Saint Michael on May 10, 1896. –This name was given after the place where most Portuguese parishioners came from, Sao Miguel, one of the Azorean Islands

19. Polish & Italian Parishes 1898, a corporation was established by polish Catholics in the south end of Fall River After purchasing old Methodist Episcopal Church on Globe Street, they created a polish parish known as St. Stanislaus on June 25, 1899 Italian immigrants came and would attend masses at St. Anne’s Church Because of this, in 1903, Father Parillo, an Italian priest, blessed the church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii

20. The First Schools & Charitable Institutions As Fall River became well over-populated with immigrants and established many churches, many catholic school flourished with the coming of religious sisters and brothers Catholic charitable institutions began in 1873 in New Bedford, the first year of Bishop Hendricken’s ministry Institutions flourished throughout fall river: –St. Anne’s Hospital is presided over by the Dominican Sisters of Charity –Three orphan asylums directed by the Sisters of Mercy, of Charity, and of St. Francis, sheltering 600 orphans –St. Vincent de Paul Society

21. Bishop William Stang A seminarian at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium Became a priest to the Diocese of Providence to care for German immigrants Ordained on June 15, 1878 and served at SS. Peter & Paul Cathedral until 1885 Appointed pastor of St. Ann’s Parish in Cranston 1887, became bishop’s principal assistant in preparing for Third Synod of Providence

22. 1895, gave mission in New Bedford to German immigrants employed in textile industries 188, appointed professor of fundamental moral theology at the American College 1899, appointed chancellor & secretary to the Bishop Harkins 1901, appointed pastor of St. Edward’s Parish in Providence February 22, 1904, chosen to be the first bishop of the Diocese of Fall River