St. Anne's Parish has an
interesting history with many twists and turns. St. Mary's Church of Milford, MA
established a mission church, called St. Matthew's Mission in the Cordaville
section of Southborough. The first Roman Catholic place of worship in town was a
"dingy room" called Wilson Hall - the top floor of what is now
Fitzgerald's Store.
St. Matthew's Mission was taken
over by St. Luke's Church of Westborough in 1870. Two years later, Herbert
Wilson, owner of a local mill, deeded a half acre of land to be used as a
Catholic Church site. St. Matthew's Church was completed on this site under the
direction of Father Cornelius Cronin. The Church remained as a mission and did
not have a permanent pastor until 1886 when Father John Redican was appointed.
Father Redican decided that
another church should be built near the center of town. Consequently, he
commenced the building of St. Anne's, so named for his mother's baptismal patron
saint. St. Anne's Church was built as the mission church of St. Matthew's.
Father Redican left the pastorate
of St. Matthew's Church in 1892. The new pastor, Father William Finneran, built
a rectory next to St. Anne's Church. Believing that the town's mother church
should be more centrally located, Father Finneran directed that St. Matthew's
should be the mission church to St. Anne's Church.
On November 3, 1936, almost fifty
years since its founding, St. Anne's Church was nearly destroyed by fire.
Reconstruction began within a month, and was far enough along to allow Mass to
be celebrated on Easter Sunday, 1937. The total project was completed in time
for a Novena in honor of St. Anne on July 18, 1937. This must have been quite an
experience for the pastor at the time, Father John Martin. Mother Nature paid
St. Anne's Church another visit in September 1938. The famous hurricane that
destroyed many areas of southern New England, ripped the shingles from the
church roof, requiring extensive repairs.
Father Martin was transferred in
1939 and was succeeded by Father Wilfred Brophy who served from 1939 to 1945.
Father Price became the first curate of St. Anne's Church when Father Patrick
Long became pastor in 1945.
The Worcester Diocese was founded
in 1950 with Bishop John J. Wright installed as the first bishop. One of his
first directives was to arrange for all Parishes in the diocese to form a
Catholic Woman's Club. With the help of St. Anne's curate (Father Thomas Markey),
the Southborough Catholic Woman's Club was established and is still very active.
The Parish Hall was built in the
early 1960's. Another renovation of St. Anne's Church was begun in the Spring of
1989 and the Church was rededicated in the fall.
Today, St. Anne's Church is a
thriving Parish of over 700 families. Together with St. Matthew's, Roman
Catholics represent Southborough's largest religious affiliation.
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