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ST. PETER'S: THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE SECOND CENTURY

On Sunday, October 11, 1959, the people of St. Peter Parish, Hartford, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the creation of their parish by Bishop Francis P. McFarland on Sunday, September 25, 1859. Rev. Joseph A. Healey had been pastor since 1954, and his assistant pastors were Revs. Matthew R. Shanley, Martin J. Scholsky, and Joseph T. Montgomery. As Hartford's second oldest parish, its church building was Hartford's oldest Catholic church building, the original St. Patrick's having been destroyed by fire in 1875. In 1961, Father Scholsky joined the faculty of St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield. He is now the pastor of St. Bartholemew Church, Manchester. In his place, Rev. Francis T. Kerwan came to St. Peter's, as did Rev. Thomas F. Gaffney a few months later, replacing Father Montgomery who became assistant pastor of St. Michael Church, Hartford. He is now assistant pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Collinsville. In the late fifties and early sixties, Rev. Vincent J. Razaitis, who died on June 8, 1963, lived at St. Peter Rectory and served the people of the parish. Also in the first half of the sixties Rev. James F. Glynn lived and worked here; now retired, he assists part-time at St. Mary Parish in New Britain.

The first years of St. Peter's were lively, as always, and eventful. The parish was entering a time of change, as was the church. Pope John XXIII, who had become Bishop of Rome in 1958, delighted the world with his gentle and prayerful joy, and astounded it by convening the Second Vatican Council of the Church. In 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy of neighboring Massachusetts became the first Catholic to be elected President of the United States. The joy of those years was muted by the death of Pope John on June 3, 1963, and the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. But the church and the nation were all the better for having been led so gloriously, however briefly, by these two good men named John.

On May 15, 1962, the Archdiocese of Hartford rejoiced as the magnificent new Cathedral of St. Joseph was consecrated, replacing the first cathedral destroyed by fire on the last day of 1956. There and in St. Peter's, 94 years older, changes were taking place. English was being introduced gradually in the celebration of Holy Mass and the sacraments, and priests had the option of offering Mass facing their people. Vividly remembered is the movable altar on wheels of the mid-sixties on which some of the Sunday morning Masses were offered. Toward the end of the sixties, Archbishop Henry J. O'Brien mandated the offering of Mass facing the people.

We rejoiced as young men from St. Peter's entered the priesthood. In 1963 Daniel Sullivan, and in 1965 his brother John, were ordained priests for the archdiocese. Father Daniel Sullivan is now co-pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church in South Windsor, and Father John Sullivan is chaplain of the Newman Club at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. Later on, Father William Farrell was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

In 1963, Father Healey became Monsignor Healey, an honor for him and St. Peter's. In September, 1965, he observed: "In one day St. Peter's lost three assistants and Hartford Hospital and got back two new assistants." On that one day, Father Kerwan became the founding pastor of the new Holy Family Parish in Enfield, Father Shanley became the new chaplain at the Connecticut Correctional Institution in Somers, and Father Gaffney became one of the first two Catholic chaplains at Hartford Hospital. Fathers Kerwan and Shanley continue in Enfield and Somers.

Friday, December 8, 1961, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, was cold and clear. Father Shanley had the hospital duty. That afternoon, fire broke out on Center 9 at Hartford Hospital, and by the time it was extinguished, sixteen people died. Father Shanley was the St. Peter's priest on the scene, giving sacraments, compassion, help. The 106 years of this service by the priests of St. Peter's to Hartford Hospital culminated at long last with the assignment of two priests to the hospital.

Hartford Hospital began in 1854. In 1859, when St. Peter's was established, it had 48 beds and admitted 45 patients. By 1958, it had 806 beds and admitted 37,614 patients, almost half of whom were Catholics. In September, 1965, as Connecticut's largest voluntary hospital, it became the first non-Catholic, nongovernment hospital in the archdiocese and possibly the state to have its own priests. In 1983, it had 901 beds and cared for 42,317 inpatients. The establishment of the two priest chaplaincy was needed and providential for both the hospital and the parish. In September, 1965, the two new assistant pastors were Revs. Dawson D. Trenchard, a graduate of St. Peter's School, and William J. Stack. In 1966, Father Trenchard was reassigned to Resurrection Parish in Wallingford; he is now the pastor of St. Patrick and St. Anthony Parish in downtown Hartford. Rev. Gabriel Gargiulo replaced Father Trenchard, and in his two years ministered especially to the growing number of Spanish speaking people in the area. In the same year, Monsignor Healey became the pastor of St. Francis Parish in Naugatuck. He retired some years later, and died on March 14, 1983, a few months before the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

The new pastor in 1966 was Rev. William J. Riley. A man of warm heart and gentle humor, he strove to increase liturgical participation and assist the many lower income and needy people in the parish. In 1967, he helped to form Center City Churches, an ecumenical coalition of city churches in Hartford to promote outreach of the parishes to their neighborhoods. St. Peter's was and is the only Catholic parish in Hartford in Center City Churches. Its office was in the altar servers' sacristy behind the church for many years. It is now located in the school. Providing the office was and is St. Peter's way of sharing the operational costs of Center City Churches.

A paragraph in the parish bulletin of Sunday, November 9, 1969, notes: "A First for St. Peter's Parish! It may not be a large step forward, and the appointment is almost an honorary one, but we have just made a "first". The Archbishop has appointed Miss Margaret Fay of 157 Seymour St. as a lay trustee of the parish. This is the first time that a woman has been so appointed in this diocese. We make progress slowly in establishing the equality of women in the church." In addition to being one of the two parish trustees, she has been the sacristan of St. Peter's Church since 1954, and is the only living member of the original Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners Praesidium of the Legion of Mary which began at St. Peter's in 1956, although other members active today joined soon after its beginning. The Mary, Mother of Our Savior Junior Praesidium was active during the sixties, involving a number of St. Peter's young people. Although home visitation is not made now, visitations are made to the Connecticut Correctional Institution at Somers, the Gables and Greenwood convalescent homes and Parkview House in Hartford, and to sick parishioners in St. Francis and Hartford Hospitals. The Legionaries also attend the wakes and funeral Masses of deceased parishioners.

In 1968, Rev. Salvatore J. Rosa, another graduate of St. Peter's School, replaced Father Gargiulo, continuing the ministry to the Spanish speaking people. In addition to offering Mass and administering the sacraments in Spanish, the Cursillo and a Credit Union were established, as he worked effectively and joyfully with his people. In 1971, Father Riley became the pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in West Hartford, in the service of which he died on December 9, 1974. From January through September, 1971, Father Stack was the administrator of St. Peter's after which time he served temporarily at Hartford Hospital, and then permanently at St. Bridget, Manchester. He is now co-pastor of St. Thomas Parish, Thomaston.

In October, 1971, Fathers Gaffney and Rosa became the first co-pastors of St. Peter's, serving until December, 1972. The parish council that year beautifully included the English speaking and the Spanish speaking, the young and not as young, a number of nationalities, and single, married, widowed, and separated people. The long-term indebtedness, the increasing need for maintenance and repair of the five parish buildings, these and other concerns loomed large in the consciousness of the priests as they continued their work as well as they could. In December, 1972, Rev. David M. McDonald replaced Father Gaffney as co-pastor, who was reassigned to Hartford Hospital and is now assistant pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish, New Britain. In 1973, Jose A. Morales was ordained a deacon, the first Spanish speaking deacon in the archdiocese and the nation. He is presently assigned to St. John the Evangelist Parish, West Hartford. Michael P. Aparo, ordained a deacon in 1974, has also served in St. Peter's for a number of years.

From 1968 to 1976, Rev. Robert E. Saunders resided and assisted at St. Peter's, all the while serving within the archdiocesan high school system. A native of Farmington, he had worked in the Farmington school system for 22 years, including 15 as superintendent. He joined the first class of men entering Pope John XXIII Seminary for later vocations in Weston, Massachusetts, and was ordained a priest in 1968. He is now on the staff of St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol, and lives at St. Stanislaus Rectory in that city.

The mid-seventies during which Fathers McDonald and Rosa served as co-pastors were difficult indeed. The rectory and the parish-owned section of the apartments in front of the school were sold, bringing St. Peter's needed funds. Through Center City Churches and the Hispanic Institute, an offshoot of Catholic Family Services, much effort to help people in the neighborhood was made. The archdiocese continued to subsidize the parish, and the priests and their people valiantly did their best to continue their parish life. Some bequests definitely helped, but the needs were greater. Father McDonald made the decision to close the church building in 1978, having the parish Masses in the school. To this day, weekday Mass is offered in the chapel on the first floor of the school. In 1978, Father Rosa became co-pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Bristol, and is now assistant pastor of St. Mary Parish, New Britain.

The first half of 1979 saw Father McDonald as the only priest at St. Peter's. In July, Rev. Michael S. Galasso, ordained to the priesthood in 1971, became Father McDonald's co-pastor. In September, 1980, Father McDonald became Associate Vicar for Priests of the archdiocese, a part-time assignment for a year. In September, 1981, he became Vicar for Priests, beginning his second three year term this past September. So in September, 1981, Father Galasso became St. Peter's 14th and present pastor.

With his ability to minister well to both the English speaking and the Spanish speaking, the energy of his younger age, and the providence of God through further bequests and some gifts such as carpeting for the church, in addition to the wishes of the people of St. Peter's, Father Galasso has reopened the church for Mass on Sundays and holydays and for other special events. The Hartford Courant Northeast Magazine of Sunday, December 25, 1983, had as its feature article, "Miracle on Main Street - The Rebirth of St. Peter's", a cheering account of St. Peter's struggles through the seventies and into the early eighties.

As St. Peter Parish has a special place in the hearts of thousands of people, so too does St. Peter School, and with it the Sisters of Mercy who have been one with the school almost from its beginning in 1860. The present building was dedicated in December, 1914, and opened in February, 1915. As of 1959, one of the parish priests continued to be the principal. Father Shanley acted in this capacity until 1965. Sister Loretta Mary Rewer and Sister Lurana Roche, now deceased, served as Superiors from the late fifties into the early sixties. So did Sister Marie Noreen Anglin, who has been on the staff of South Catholic High School for many years, Sister Francis Leo Murray, and Sister Aiden O'Connor, also deceased. After 1965, the Sister Superior headed the school, as did Sister Sheila Tatro from 1970 to 1971; she is now on the staff of Mercyknoll, West Hartford. From 1971 to 1978, Sister Helen Edward Muldoon was principal. She is now a teacher at St. Mary School, New London. Another Sister of Mercy, Sister Mary McCarthy, who presently teaches the sixth grade, has been on the faculty of St. Peter School since 1970.

The present principal is a native of Chicago, Sister Judith Maisonneuve, C.N.D. She taught at St. Peter's during the 1973-4 school year and has been the principal since 1978. In 1970, St. Peter's was still an eight grade, sixteen room school. But around 1973, there was one year when there were only five grades with one room each. When Sister Judith became principal in 1978, St. Peter's had grades 1 to 6 with 107 students. In 1980, the first kindergarten class began under the guidance of Beth Stewart, Father McDonald's sister. In 1981, 7th grade was added, and in 1982, St. Peter's became a K-8 nine room school, which it is now, with ten teachers, including a physical education teacher.

By 1970, St. Peter's had become a racially balanced neighborhood school. Today it serves the working poor and low income people of the area. Its students are 65% Spanish and 35% Black, and 70% Catholic. In addition to giving a good education, the school staff members teach Christian values by word and life example and really work at developing Christian community.

Although the school is still canonically parochial, it is financially separate from the parish. It is one of the schools deservedly receiving funds from the archdiocesan HOPES (Help Our Parish Elementary Schools) collection taken up in all the parishes of the archdiocese each year in September. Additional financial help has come from Cooperative Parish Sharing, and from the Archbishop's Annual Appeal as money for capital improvements, such as $37,000 for an urgently needed new roof in 1983. During the past school year, Father Galasso successfully appealed to past and present parishioners, school alumni, and friends of St. Peter's, for $15,000 in matching funds to gain a federal grant of $141,000 for urgently needed new energy saving windows for the school.

Concluding his excellent history of St. Peter's for the 100th anniversary in 1959, Father Scholsky wrote: "The real story of any parish is that of the spiritual life of its members. And that could never adequately be told. It seems sure, however, that under the grace of God, the story of the spiritual life of St. Peter's parish has been a great and vital one. And it seems assured that it will continue to be so, as St. Peter's observes the close of its first hundred years, and turns confidently to the beginning of its second century." Indeed it does seem to be assured that it will continue to be so, as St. Peter Parish celebrates its 125th anniversary, and continues confidently through its second century.

Rev. Thomas F. Gaffney

1984