St. Thomas More Parish (Narragansett, Rhode Island)

Last updated February 23, 2019

St. Thomas More Parish includes both St. Thomas More Church and St. Veronica Chapel, both located in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Father Marcel Taillon is the pastor.^[1]

Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 15,868 at the 2010 census. However, during the summer months the town's population more than doubles to near 34,000. The town is colloquially known as "Gansett". The town of Narragansett occupies a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt River to the shore of Narragansett Bay. It was separated from South Kingstown in 1888, and incorporated as a town in 1901.

History

19th century beginnings

In the mid-1800s, as Narragansett's population and tourist industry grew, so did its Catholic population, which lacked its own Roman Catholic church. The nearby Our Lady of Mercy parish in East Greenwich, Rhode Island took in the growing village as a mission. In 1879, the village was incorporated into Wakefield's St. Francis Parish, and a Narragansett congregation was established. The first Catholic church building, a small wooden chapel in the Gothic architectural style, was built in 1884. The new church was dedicated to St. Philomena.

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2016. As the world's "oldest continuously functioning international institution", it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation. The church is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope. Its central administration, the Holy See, is in the Vatican City, an enclave within the city of Rome in Italy.

A church building or church house, often simply called a church, is a building used for Christian religious activities, particularly for Christian worship services. The term is often used by Christians to refer to the physical buildings where they worship, but it is sometimes used to refer to buildings of other religions. In traditional Christian architecture, the church is often arranged in the shape of a Christian cross. When viewed from plan view the longest part of a cross is represented by the aisle and the junction of the cross is located at the altar area.

East Greenwich is an affluent town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2010 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical area and the Boston-Worcester-Providence combined statistical area.

A growing community and new church

By the 20th century, the growing population had rendered the original chapel too small for the congregation. A larger space was needed. In 1908, a new church was completed designed by architects Murphy, Hindle & Wright. The new church, with its distinctive wood shingles, tall bell tower, and Romanesque features immediately became a neighborhood landmark. The old chapel, still standing one plot over from the new structure, became a multipurpose center used mostly for parish social activities. In 1917, St. Philomena's was recognized as a distinct parish after 38 years of sponsorship, first by Our Lady of Mercy and then by St. Francis. In 1961, after authenticity questions regarding St. Philomena, the church was rededicated to English martyr St. Thomas More. In 1977, the original chapel was demolished and a new rectory and much-needed parish center were constructed, connected to the new church and in the same architectural style.

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later date being the most commonly held. In the 12th century it developed into the Gothic style, marked by pointed arches. Examples of Romanesque architecture can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. The Romanesque style in England is traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.

Martyr person who suffers persecution and death for advocating, refusing to renounce, and/or refusing to advocate a belief or cause, usually a religious one

A martyr is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, or refusing to advocate a belief or cause as demanded by an external party. This refusal to comply with the presented demands results in the punishment or execution of the martyr by the oppressor. Originally applied only to those who suffered for their religious beliefs, the term has come to be used in connection with people killed for a political cause.

A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Such residences are known by various names, including "rectory" and "parsonage".

Today

In recent years, a new chapel, St. Veronica's, was built on Boston Neck Road to serve the quickly growing summer population. The facility was originally only open in the summer, but is now open year-round due to the growing Catholic population in the area. On 14 October 2011, Saint Thomas More Church was honored at the Third Annual Rhode Island Preservation Celebration with a 'Rhody' Preservation Project Award. The Rhody was awarded in honor of the efforts of the pastor, Father Marcel Taillon, who had just overseen an extensive renovation on the historic building. Their award stated: “Restoration of the century-old building was an ambitious project that demonstrates the parish’s commitment to their church and its place in historic Narragansett Pier.”^[2]

Related Research Articles

Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, located approximately 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, 20 miles (32 km) south of Fall River, Massachusetts, 73 miles (117 km) south of Boston, and 180 miles (290 km) northeast of New York City. It is known as a New England summer resort and is famous for its historic mansions and its rich sailing history. It was the location of the first U.S. Open tournaments in both tennis and golf, as well as every challenge to the America's Cup between 1930 and 1983. It is also the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport, which houses the United States Naval War College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and an important Navy training center. It was a major 18th-century port city and also contains a high number of buildings from the Colonial era.

Wakefield is a village in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and the commercial center of the town. Together with the village of Peace Dale, it is treated by the U.S. Census as a component of the census-designated place identified as Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island. West Kingston, another South Kingstown village, was the traditional county seat of Washington County. Since 1991, the Washington County Courthouse has been in Wakefield. The Sheriff's Office which handles corrections is also in Wakefield.

Saunderstown is a small village and historic district in the towns of Narragansett and North Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States.

The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the state of Rhode Island. It is one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1.

Saint Paul Church, located in Cranston, Rhode Island, is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.

St. Philomena's Church was a Roman Catholic church located 619 East Third Street at East Pearl Street, in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The church was named in honor of St. Philomena, a popular saint of the period. This parish was founded to serve the growing tide of German-speaking Catholic population in Cincinnati, it was the fourth German Catholic Parish in Cincinnati.

The St. Charles Borromeo Church Complex is an historic Roman Catholic Church in Woonsocket, Rhode Island on North Main Street within the Diocese of Providence.

Grace Church is an historic Episcopal church at 175 Mathewson Street at Westminster Street, in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.

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 a new 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.

The Church of St. Joachim and St. John the Evangelist is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Beacon, Dutchess County, New York. It was established after a parish mergers of the Church of St. Joachim, and St. John the Evangelist. The merged parishes share a pastor, clergy and administrative staff, and the two church buildings continued to be used for worship.

Church of Saint Clare, located in the Great Kills neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City, is the largest-membership parish under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It is named for the 13th-century Italian saint Clare of Assisi, and it includes a co-educational PreK–8 Catholic school and Religious Education program. St. Clare's became an independent parish in 1925 and has six principal buildings dating from 1921 to 1979: the church, school, converted convent, parish center, chapel, and rectory.

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

Ambrose J. Murphy (1869–1949) was an American architect whose practice was based in Providence Rhode Island. He was a specialist in ecclesiastical work and, in a career that spanned over 40 years, designed many buildings for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence Rhode Island and Fall River Massachusetts.

St. Thomas More Church may refer to churches named after Saint Thomas More and can be found in:

St Francis of Assisi Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Birmingham. While the church is located between the Lozells and Hockley parts of the city, the parish covers most of Handsworth. It was founded in 1840, originally as a chapel in the nearby listed building, St. Mary's Convent designed by Augustus Pugin.

St Mary's Convent is a house for the community of the local Sisters of Mercy in Birmingham. Although it is situated between the Lozells and Hockley parts of the city, the community also serves the parish in Handsworth. It was founded in 1840 and was designed by Augustus Pugin. On 25 April 1952 it was designated as a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage.

Basilica Shrine of St. Mary (Wilmington, North Carolina) Church in North Carolina, United States

The Basilica Shrine of St. Mary is a Minor Basilica in the Catholic Church located in Wilmington, North Carolina, in the Diocese of Raleigh. It was included as a contributing property in the Wilmington Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

George C. Mason & Son (1871–94) was an American architectural firm working in Newport, Rhode Island.

The Church of St. Joseph is the Catholic parish church for St. Joseph Parish, a national parish in New York City founded in 1873 to serve the German-speaking residents of the Yorkville neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

References

↑ About Us, St Thomas More Catholic Parish. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
↑ "The Rhode Island Preservation Celebration - Featuring the Rhody Awards 2011" (PDF). Preserve Rhode Island / Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. p. 14.

External links

Official website

Coordinates: 41°25′42″N71°27′46″W / 41.428290°N 71.462773°W / 41.428290; -71.462773

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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.

[1] About Us, St Thomas More Catholic Parish. Retrieved January 2, 2017.

[2] "The Rhode Island Preservation Celebration - Featuring the Rhody Awards 2011" (PDF). Preserve Rhode Island / Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. p. 14.