St. Thomas Aquinas Church (Fairfield, Connecticut)

Last updated
St. Thomas Aquinas Church
St. Thomas Aquinas Church (Fairfield, Connecticut)
Location 1719 Post Rd
Fairfield, Connecticut
Country United States
Denomination Roman Catholic
Websitewww.stthomasfairfield.com
History
Founded1876
Architecture
Architect(s) Polak and Sullivan
Administration
Province Hartford
Diocese Bridgeport
Parish St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
Clergy
Bishop(s) Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano
Pastor(s) Rev. Victor T. Martin

St. Thomas Aquinas is a Roman Catholic church in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the Diocese of Bridgeport. The present Colonial-style church was designed by Polak and Sullivan of New Haven, CT.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

In the early 1850s Rev. Thomas Synnott, of the Church of St. James in Bridgeport would visit Fairfield and celebrate Mass at the home of one of the local Catholics. Synnott erected a frame building seating about 300 and in June 1854 it was dedicated by Bishop Bernard O'Rielly of Hartford, under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas. The parish was a mission of St. James in Bridgeport, and then of its successor St. Augustine's. [1]

In January 1876, Rev. Martin P. Lawlor became the first resident pastor. In December 1876, Lawlor, who divided his time between Fairfield and Westport, was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Mullen. The following August, the thirty-two year old Mullen died suddenly of a heart condition after completing some sick calls. [2] Rev. Denis Cremin became pastor in 1879. He relocated the church to another lot, adding a basement. It was rededicated in November 1880. Cremin purchased an adjacent house, which was renovated for use as a convent and school. The school opened in 1882, staffed by the Sister of Mercy. Cremin resided in a rented house until 1883 when he was made pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Bridgeport. His successor Thomas J. Coleman built a rectory. On the night of January 19, 1892 the church, convent, and rectory were destroyed in a fire. Services were held at the Town Hall for several months. [3]

A new brick church building in Romanesque style with a seating capacity of 650 was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1894. [2] In 1956 the second St. Thomas Church was demolished began and the parish hall used as a chapel. The new St. Thomas Church was dedicated by Bishop Lawrence Shehan of Bridgeport on February 24, 1957. [3]

Present day

St. Thomas Aquinas Church is known for its fine acoustics, [4] and has been the site of concerts by The Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut [5] and the Fairfield County Children's Choir. The parish hosts an annual Lenten Fish Fry Dinner, "a community event for the people throughout the Town of Fairfield and the surrounding towns." [6] Another annual event is the Holiday Craft Fair and Tag Sale hosted by the Knights of Columbus Father Coleman Council #2616 Columbiette's Auxiliary in the parish gym. [7]

The adjacent convent property was converted to an assisted living facility for seniors. [8]

School

St. Thomas Aquinas School was built in 1921. [9] The school runs an After School Care Program offering supervised recreational activities, and time for homework and study. St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport, Iowa)</span> Church in Iowa, United States

Sacred Heart Cathedral, located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Diocese of Davenport. The cathedral is located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River to the east of Downtown Davenport. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral Complex. This designation includes the church building, rectory, and the former convent, which was torn down in 2012. The cathedral is adjacent to the Cork Hill Historic District, also on the National Register. Its location on Cork Hill, a section of the city settled by Irish immigrants, gives the cathedral its nickname Cork Hill Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Connecticut, USA

The Diocese of Bridgeport is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the southwestern part of the state of Connecticut, and its boundaries are the same as that of Fairfield County, Connecticut. There are 82 parishes in the diocese. Its cathedral is St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport. The Diocese of Bridgeport is a suffragan diocese within the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Hartford.

Walter William Curtis was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport in Connecticut from 1961 to 1988. Curtis previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey from 1957 to 1961.

St. Michael the Archangel Parish - designated for Polish immigrants in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States.

St. Anthony of Padua Parish is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States, in the Diocese of Bridgeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist is a Catholic parish church and minor basilica in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. It was founded in the 1850s and the current church was built in 1868 to meet the increasing needs of the congregation. It serves a multi-lingual congregation, including descendants of the original congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Catholic Church (Zanesville, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

St. Nicholas Catholic Church is an historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus located in Zanesville, Ohio. The parish was founded in 1836 to serve the German Catholics of the area. The current Romanesque Revival church was dedicated in 1899 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

St. Ann Parish is a Roman Catholic church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

St. Mary Parish is a Roman Catholic church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Catherine of Sienna Church (Riverside, Connecticut)</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

St. Catherine of Siena is a Roman Catholic church in the Riverside section of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is now part of the Parish of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes within the Diocese of Bridgeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Mary Church (Norwalk, Connecticut)</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

St. Mary is a Roman Catholic church in Norwalk, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport. As the first Catholic Church in Norwalk from which three other parishes developed, St. Mary's is considered the Mother Church of Norwalk.

St. Matthew is a Roman Catholic church in Norwalk, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Our Lady Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic church in Stamford, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

St. Catherine of Siena is a Roman Catholic parish in Trumbull, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Theresa Church (Trumbull, Connecticut)</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

St. Theresa Church is a Roman Catholic church in Trumbull, Connecticut, a part of the Diocese of Bridgeport. The parish is considered the Mother Church of Trumbull and is the largest in town with over 3,100 parishioner families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Assumption Church (Westport, Connecticut)</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

Our Lady of the Assumption Church is a Roman Catholic church in Westport, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church in Danbury, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Peter (Danbury, Connecticut)</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

St. Peter is a Roman Catholic church in Danbury, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport. St. Peter's was the first Catholic church built in northern Fairfield County. It is the third oldest parish, and the fifth oldest Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Bridgeport. St. Peter's was originally a predominantly Irish congregation. Danbury's Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off in front of St. Peter's. In more recent time, the parish has a significant number of parishioners of Latino and Brazilian heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Church (Greenwich, Connecticut)</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

St. Mary is a Roman Catholic church in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph's Church Complex (Fort Madison, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The St. Joseph's Church Complex is a collection of historic buildings located in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. At one time the complex housed a Catholic parish in the Diocese of Davenport. St. Joseph and St. Mary of the Assumption parishes merged in the 1990s to form Saints Mary and Joseph Parish. In 2007 when that parish merged with Sacred Heart on the west side to form Holy Family Parish, St. Joseph's Church was closed. The former church, chapel, rectory, convent, and school were included as contributing properties in the Park-to-Park Residential Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

References

Coordinates: 41°08′26.74″N73°15′42.41″W / 41.1407611°N 73.2617806°W / 41.1407611; -73.2617806


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.