~ CHURCHES MEETING HOUSES ~ Immaculate Conception - 1999
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Immaculate Conception - Pre 1900
1879 G.A.R.Pictorial Marlboro print - I.C.Church below
The first Catholic Church was built on Mt. Pleasant St.
The picture below is of I. C. Church on Propect St.
built of brick and a seating capacity of 1,400.
The pastor was Rev. J. B. Donegan
I.C. Church
From Ella Bigelow's Book
Coming from overseas as did our own American forefathers from the oppression of England, the early Irish settlers were remarkably law-abiding and patriotic race. In the war of the Revolution and in our Civil war, Irishmen held their own with heroic deeds. Quoting Mrs. O. A. Cheney, "we place the name of Theobald Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance, beside that of John Eliot, the Apostle to the Indians, and we speak of John Boyle O'Reilly in the same breath with Henry W. Longfellow."
Few houses in Marlborough have greater interest than the one pictured to the left "The Old Arcade on South St.. Here lived William, father of Bernard Brewin ; Michael Burke, father of Michael and Thomas Burke; Walter Wall, father of Patrick Wall; and Patrick Quirk, father of John Quirk. In this house the first Mass in Marlborough was said by Father Hamilton (Rev. George Hamilton) who came from Saxonville to officiate.
After this first Mass in the Arcade, Father Hamilton never came to Marlborough, but Rev. John Farley of Milford used to come every Sunday to celebrate Mass in the old house of Lawrence Carey on Mulberry street, now Lincoln. In the latter house in 1851, Father Farley celebrated a midnight Mass the night before Christmas. The Catholic population of Marlborough then numbered we are told not more than twenty-five people. Today there is an attendance in the Church of the Immaculate Conception of 4,500, and in Saint Mary's church of 4,000, making a total of 8,500 souls.
The next priest to visit Marlborough was Rev. Napoleon Mignault of Webster, there being at this time several Catholic French families. At these services the French and Irish Catholics attended together, and the priest, a very eloquent gentlemen, preached both in French and English. When Father Farley first celebrated Mass the congregation was too large for a private dwelling, and as the weather was fine, Mass was celebrated in the open air on South street, an altar having been erected under the beautiful old tree in front of the house pictured above. After this, Mass was said every month. In those early clays, the Catholic settlers felt more and more strongly as time went on that they needed a church of their own, and upon Mt. Pleasant was the first little church built.
Rev. John Welch was the first resident clergyman and Rev. John A. Conlin, the second. The latter in 1867, was succeeded by Father Maguire who died in 1870. Rev. J. Delahanty was his successor and resided here over five years. Rev. James Donegan was settled here in 1876, and was followed by Father P. A. McKenna at whose death Father T. B. Lowney, the present pastor, succeeded. When the little church was erected on Mt. Pleasant, which commands an extensive and delightful prospect, the tower first built was extremely high. This was carried off by a terrific gale and a shorter tower was substituted. Later on the church itself was destroyed by fire, and in 1866 the Church of the Immaculate Conception was erected. It -,vas intended at first to build this of granite from the quarry near Jabez Huntington's homestead, but the stone proved so hard that brick was substituted. Some years later the church was remodeled to the present fine edifice.
The below picture is taken from the architect's drawing of a school to be erected under the supervision of Rev. T. B. Lowney and was expected to be ready by Sept. 1911. I was to be located on parochial property and would face Washington Court. It was to have eight rooms and accommodate four hundred pupils.
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