Saint Monica's Church, Barre

Last updated

Saint Monica's Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the city of Barre, Vermont. It is in the Diocese of Burlington. The congregation dates from the original settlement of Barre in the 19th century, and its present building dates from the late 1880s.

Contents

History

The church in Barre began life as a mission from the church of Saint Augustine in the older settlement of Montpelier, Vermont. [1]

The original Roman Catholic settlers of Barre had been traveling to worship at Montpelier. However, in 1881 the Catholic population had grown to the point that the priest from Montpelier was traveling to Barre to conduct worship for 31 families, initially in the town hall. By 1886, the priest had leased a disused academy building to accommodate the Barre Mission. The group then set-out to construct new purpose-built church.

The church was finished on October 2, 1887, at a cost of $25,000 for the lot and construction of the church and rectory. The church was built to accommodate the growing number of Roman Catholic families, especially of Irish, Italian, and French descent, who were flocking to Barre to work in the granite industry. [2] The dedication to St Monica, related to the fact that the original Montpelier Church was dedicated to Monica's son, Saint Augustine. Since its founding, Saint Monica's has undergone several major renovations.

In 1927, in response to a demand for faith-based education for local Roman Catholic children, the priest of St. Monica's founded a school adjacent to the church. [2]

The Carrara connection

Barre is a granite mining town with a tradition of sculpturing. It is linked with Carrara in Italy, which has a much longer but similar tradition with marble sculpture.

According to the University of Vermont, in 1905, the Roman Catholic Granite workers of Barre, many of whom were Italian immigrants, took the unusual step of importing marble from Carrara to complete their church altar. [3] Indeed, many of Barre's granite sculptors had immigrated from Carrara itself in 1883, bringing their needed skills to the town. [4]

At the time, the altar cost $2,000 to build. In 1968, much of the marble work was stripped away, but an effort is being made to restore the church to its former glory. [2]

Today

Today, the working parish currently employs seven staff, two of whom are ordained priests. It was described by Mother Jones as "the biggest Catholic church in the state." [5] Due to declining membership, Bishop Christopher J. Coyne has combined St. Monica with St. Sylvester's Parish in Graniteville and St. Cecelia & St. Frances Cabrini in East Barre. [6]

The school, is still in operation as a K-8 school on its original site, next to the church. It is now known as St. Monica-St. Michael School and has a faculty and staff of 23. [7]

The cemetery adjacent to the church dates from 1895, however it was given over to the city in 1970. [8]

Related Research Articles

Barre (city), Vermont City in Vermont, United States

Barre is the most populous city in Washington County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2010 census, the municipal population was 9,052. Popularly referred to as "Barre City", it is almost completely surrounded by "Barre Town", which is a separate municipality.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is a Latin Rite diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. It is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn and its co-cathedral is the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights. The current diocesan bishop is Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States, comprising the entire state of Vermont. The Diocese of Burlington was canonically erected on July 29, 1853 by Pope Pius IX. Its territories were taken from the former Diocese of Boston. The Burlington See is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Boston. Bishop Christopher J. Coyne has been the diocesan bishop since 2015. The cathedral church is Saint Joseph's in Burlington.

Cathedral of Saint Patrick (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) Church in Pennsylvania, United States

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Harrisburg and is the seat of its bishop. It is a contributing property in the Harrisburg Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

Augustus Tolton American priest

Augustus Tolton, baptized Augustine Tolton, was the first Roman Catholic priest in the United States publicly known to be black when he was ordained in 1886.

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver) Church in Colorado, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Denver of the Roman Catholic Church. It is located at the corner of Logan Street and Colfax Avenue in the North Capitol Hill neighborhood of central Denver.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Kentucky, covering 3,359 square miles (8,700 km2) that includes the city of Covington and the Kentucky counties of Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Gallatin, Carroll, Grant, Owen, Pendleton, Harrison, Bracken, Robertson, Mason, Fleming, and Lewis. Since 2002, the bishop is Roger Joseph Foys. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown is a Latin rite diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia in the Eastern United States.

St. Augustine's Church refers to many churches dedicated either to Augustine of Hippo or to Augustine of Canterbury, the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns is a diocese of the Catholic Church located in the state of Queensland, Australia. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The diocese was erected as a vicariate apostolic in 1877 and was elevated to a diocese in 1941. Its territorial remit is Far North Queensland.

The St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church is a Roman Catholic parish located in the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. St. Nicks is one of two remaining ethnically Italian parishes in the South Vicariate, the other being St. Donato's of West Philadelphia. Both parishes give Mass in Italian, as well as English, and consist of a heavily Italian American congregation. The church is located on 9th and Watkins' Streets in South Philadelphia.

Saint Augustine Church, Montpelier Church in Montpelier, United States

Saint Augustine Church is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Augustine and located on Barre Street in Montpelier, Vermont.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Tampa, Florida)

Sacred Heart Catholic Church was constructed in 1905 in downtown Tampa, Florida and is one of the oldest churches in the city of Tampa. The church, located at 509 N. Florida Avenue, is predominantly a Romanesque structure, with other elements. The church is home to Sacred Heart Parish, part of the West Hillsborough Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg.

St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church United States historic place

The St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church is a church located at 4151 Seminole Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is now the St. Augustine and St. Monica Roman Catholic Church. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Most Rev. Kenneth Anthony Angell was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Burlington from 1992 to 2005.

Mount St. Peter Church United States historic place

Mount Saint Peter Church is a Catholic Church at 100 Freeport Road in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. The church is located along the Allegheny River and is approximately 25 mi (40 km) north-east of the city of Pittsburgh within the Diocese of Greensburg.

Old St. Peters Church (Poughkeepsie, New York)

The Old Church of St. Peter is a Roman Catholic church established under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York in 1837. It is the second oldest Catholic Church on the Hudson and is considered the Mother Church of the Hudson Valley because from it all the parishes in Ulster and Dutchess counties were founded. The church is also referred to as Our Lady of Mount Carmel since 1965 when St. Peter's parish relocated to Hyde Park, New York and the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel church relocated to site.

Saint Martin de Porres is an artwork by American artist and Catholic priest Father Thomas McGlynn. This sculpture, one of McGlynn's most well known works, is found in the collection of Providence College in Rhode Island, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Washington, D.C., among others. It is a statue of Saint Martin de Porres.

St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church, Mortlake Church in England

St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church, Mortlake is a Roman Catholic church in North Worple Way, Mortlake, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its priest is Canon Francis Moran.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". St. Augustine Parish. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 "St. Monica's Parish". Revealer.com Archived January 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Barre Vermont and Carrara Italy: Twin Cities". University of Vermont. Archived from the original on February 26, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. ↑ Maurer, Carol. "The Socialist Labor Party Hall". Preservation Trust of Vermont. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  5. ↑ Halpern, Sue (May–June 2000). "No room at the church". Mother Jones. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Message from Fr. Pat". June 27, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ "St. Monica-St. Michael School". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Rules and Regulations for Barre City Cemeteries" (PDF). Barre Cemetery Committee. February 16, 2015. p. 5. Retrieved August 28, 2020.

Coordinates: 44°12′05″N72°30′15″W / 44.20145°N 72.50419°W / 44.20145; -72.50419

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.