Archdiocese of Worcester

[corky3]

 Has anyone sought their help with genealogical records?

 In Boston I recently found, with the intensive help of the Boston Public Library online, where the clergyman was assigned who married Michael J and Margaret A Curtin and emailed the Cathedral which, in turn, sent me to the Archdiocese Archives of Boston. I just wrote them-with a $25 donation,of course, to see if any thing of help is there to find.

  Margaret Curtin of the Curtin family site has had all kinds of different luck with her inquiries of Catholic church associations. I was just wondering if any one here has had any kind of experiences.

[worcmik]

Hi,
    This from the Diocese of Worcester Web site:
"Diocese established: January 14, 1950 (During the Holy Year) by Pope Pius XII.

Where: Worcester County (same boundaries)
Territory: taken from the Diocese of Springfield, MA
Cathedral: St. Paul, 15 Chatham Street, Worcester
Chancery: 49 Elm St., Worcester, MA 01609
Bishop's Residence: 2 High Ridge Road, Worcester"

  Me: Prior to being a part of the Diocese of Springfield the area was in the Diocese of Boston, and the New England diocese before that. New England (dates anyone?) was split-up creating Boston and (others anyone?) early-on.
   Later, when Springfield was created (1870) it, was the pastor of St. John's, Rev. Patrick T. O'Reilly, that was named Bishopand (his curate Rev Thomas F. Griffin was names Chancellor). St. John's Presbytery served (for 15 years) as Chancery of the Springfield Diocese,  and "because St. John's was the first church in the Worcester Diocese, the parish is sometimes called the mother of two diocese."  Well, that is what they say in "St. John's Parish and the Development of Worcester," which was in a history of the parish. wish I could tell you which one, or credit the author, but I wasn't alway carefull to include bib. info on each sheet, anyway I think it is Dr. Timothy J. Meagher's stuff written for the 150th ann.
   Christ's Church (1833/4 or so-1846 or so), a kindly grandmother of the Diocses', served a large swath of the area. As the number of Catholics rose and Christ's Church gave way to St. John's Church the places that were missions or were served ("held stations and sick call") out of Worcester started building their own churches, as they got priests the area covered by St. John's shrank, by more than a little.
   For example, according to the "Webster Times Centennial 1859-1959" when Webster got Fr. Napoleon Mignault (Aug. 11 1853), St. Louis Church took-over the responceabilities for the Catholic souls in "Barre, Templeton, Warren, the Brookfields, Charlton, Spencer, Southbridge, and Oxford" as well as Webster/Dudley. This agrees with Fr. Gibson's lists the "stations served buy me last year" in the church register. In 1854 he claims to have served many communities but only Templeton from the list above. In 1852, Gibson claims to have serve in Webster, Oxford , Barre, Warren, Brookfields, Charlton, among others.
   What does this have to do with the Topic of this post? It's a warning. For the really old Church records (the ones that don't give you much info) you have to know where the Catholics of a town got their priest from. I would never have thought St. Louis Church in Webster would hold marriage records for people married in Barre, but for a time that Church served that area. When an area had a church built but no priest (not yet a parish ie Fitchburg, Webster) it would be served on a regular basis as a "mission." In the case of Fitchburg, it seems Fr. Gibson started keeping records for the northern stations in the Fitchburg mission by 1852. So, there may be records at a parish, that pre-date the parish.
     I have used the church histories (usually published on an anniversary), but I have found that Town histories from the turn of the last century a helpful source. In those, you can use the index to skip to the Catholic (Cemetery section as well as Churches section) parts, there won't be a lot of space given to them, but they are helpful in identifying who served the area.
oops, another long one, hope there is something worth reading there, John

[corky3]

 Thanks. It sounds like going to the individual church since it was not a diocese till 1950 is the way to go in Worcester.

   Capecolleen-did you get any information from the funeral records at the church as to point of origin or basically did you get just additional church information like the clergyman who officated ?  In Boston they do warn you that none of that kind of thing-point of origin-exists in their records.

[JDB]

Hi,
    This from the Diocese of Worcester Web site:
"Diocese established: January 14, 1950 (During the Holy Year) by Pope Pius XII.

Where: Worcester County (same boundaries)
Territory: taken from the Diocese of Springfield, MA
Cathedral: St. Paul, 15 Chatham Street, Worcester
Chancery: 49 Elm St., Worcester, MA 01609
Bishop's Residence: 2 High Ridge Road, Worcester"

  Me: Prior to being a part of the Diocese of Springfield the area was in the Diocese of Boston, and the New England diocese before that. New England (dates anyone?) was split-up creating Boston and (others anyone?) early-on.
   Later, when Springfield was created (1870) it, was the pastor of St. John's, Rev. Patrick T. O'Reilly, that was named Bishopand (his curate Rev Thomas F. Griffin was names Chancellor). St. John's Presbytery served (for 15 years) as Chancery of the Springfield Diocese,  and "because St. John's was the first church in the Worcester Diocese, the parish is sometimes called the mother of two diocese."  Well, that is what they say in "St. John's Parish and the Development of Worcester," which was in a history of the parish. wish I could tell you which one, or credit the author, but I wasn't alway carefull to include bib. info on each sheet, anyway I think it is Dr. Timothy J. Meagher's stuff written for the 150th ann.
   Christ's Church (1833/4 or so-1846 or so), a kindly grandmother of the Diocses', served a large swath of the area. As the number of Catholics rose and Christ's Church gave way to St. John's Church the places that were missions or were served ("held stations and sick call") out of Worcester started building their own churches, as they got priests the area covered by St. John's shrank, by more than a little.
   For example, according to the "Webster Times Centennial 1859-1959" when Webster got Fr. Napoleon Mignault (Aug. 11 1853), St. Louis Church took-over the responceabilities for the Catholic souls in "Barre, Templeton, Warren, the Brookfields, Charlton, Spencer, Southbridge, and Oxford" as well as Webster/Dudley. This agrees with Fr. Gibson's lists the "stations served buy me last year" in the church register. In 1854 he claims to have served many communities but only Templeton from the list above. In 1852, Gibson claims to have serve in Webster, Oxford , Barre, Warren, Brookfields, Charlton, among others.
   What does this have to do with the Topic of this post? It's a warning. For the really old Church records (the ones that don't give you much info) you have to know where the Catholics of a town got their priest from. I would never have thought St. Louis Church in Webster would hold marriage records for people married in Barre, but for a time that Church served that area. When an area had a church built but no priest (not yet a parish ie Fitchburg, Webster) it would be served on a regular basis as a "mission." In the case of Fitchburg, it seems Fr. Gibson started keeping records for the northern stations in the Fitchburg mission by 1852. So, there may be records at a parish, that pre-date the parish.
     I have used the church histories (usually published on an anniversary), but I have found that Town histories from the turn of the last century a helpful source. In those, you can use the index to skip to the Catholic (Cemetery section as well as Churches section) parts, there won't be a lot of space given to them, but they are helpful in identifying who served the area.
oops, another long one, hope there is something worth reading there, John