St. Mary Church (Greenwich, Connecticut) Explained

St. Mary Church
Architect:Mr. Whiticker
Location:178 Greenwich Ave
Greenwich, Connecticut
Country:United States
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Diocese:Bridgeport
Province:Hartford
Bishop:Most Rev. Frank Joseph Caggiano

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

History

Around 1854, Greenwich became a mission station of St. John's in Stamford. Visiting priests offered Mass in private homes or at the Town Hall. In 1860 a small church was erected on William Street. The parish was founded in 1874.[1] In 1875 Rev. M.A. Tierney added a choir gallery to the church. He later purchased land for a new church from James Elphich. During the tenure of Rev. Denis J. Cremin, the cornerstone of St. Mary's Church was laid by Bishop Thomas Galberry of Hartford.[2] The new white frame colonial church was dedicated on May 18, 1879.[1]

Rev. Thomas Smith became pastor in September 1879. He converted the old church on William St. into a school, which was staffed by the Sisters of Mercy from Middletown. The church was decorated in 1884 and enlarged in 1888.[2] on May 16, 1900, a disastrous fire destroyed the early church along with a number of other buildings in the area.[1]

The funeral of Adolphus W. Green, the founder of Nabisco (including Oreo biscuits), was held in this church on March 10, 1917.[3]

Msgr. Frank Wissel was appointed pastor of St. Mary's in 1997. On the occasion of his retirement in 2014, a marble statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, donated anonymously, was erected outside the churchmin honor of Wissel. He died a week later on June 19 at the age of seventy-six.[4]

Architecture

The current stone church was designed in 1900 by Henry C. Pelton. The parish complex also contains a school and convent. St. Mary Church and Rectory are included as significant contributing properties in the Greenwich Avenue Historical District, Greenwich, Connecticut.[5] [6]

External links

41.0278°N -73.6266°W

Notes and References

  1. https://www.stmarygreenwich.org/parish-life/about "About Our Parish", St. Mary Church, Greenwich
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=eZBMAQAAMAAJ&q=St.+Patrick%27s+Parish&pg=PA149 O'Donnell, James H., History of the Diocese of Hartford, D. H. Hurd Company, 1900, p. 272
  3. News: Adolphus Williamson Green . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . March 9, 1917 . 3 . Newspapers.com. August 26, 2015 .
  4. https://patch.com/connecticut/greenwich/monsignor-frank-wissel-76-pastor-of-st-mary-parish Heins, Barbara. "Monsignor Frank Wissel, 76; Pastor of St. Mary Parish", Patch -Greenwich CT, June 21, 2014
  5. Greenwich Avenue Historical District, Greenwich Connecticut
  6. Greenwich Avenue Historical District, Greenwich Connecticut (Photos, #14)