Parish History

History 



If you were one of only six Catholic families in Marlborough in 1848, you had to walk eight miles to Saxonville to attend Mass. 

But then in 1850, Marlborough was sent Father Edward Farrelly was sent to Marlborough by Bishop Fitzpatrick to minister to the growing Catholic Community. What follows is a timeline of the major events in the history of our parish:

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• 1854: Work was begun on a church on Charles Street and Father Farrelly celebrated the first Mass there in November of 1854, Father Farrelly had named the church Saint Columba, however, Bishop Fitzpatrick, exercising privilege of rank, dedicated the church to the Immaculate Conception. 
• 1862: Father Walsh, now pastor, purchased land on Prospect Street where construction began on a new Church.
• 1864: The first resident pastor, Father John Collins was assigned, followed by Father Michael T. Maguire.
• 1870: Under Fr. Maguire’s pastorship, the basement of the church was completed and services were held there until the main church was completed a year later. 
• July 30, 1871: The new church was dedicated by Archbishop Williams. Father John Delahunty replaced Father Maguire, and Father Delahunty then purchased a rectory-parochial residence and beautified the interior of the church. 
• April 1876: Father James B. Donagan was appointed pastor. Ten years later, in 1886, Father Peter McKenna became pastor and he added a tower bell and spire to the church.
• 1896: Father Thomas B. Lowney came on as successor to Father McKenna. During Father Lowney’s pastorship, the first Immaculate Conception School was built in 1910. Staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph, classes began on September 5, 1911. The Sisters we housed in the convent on Washington Court, next to the rectory. The first class graduated from the school on Sunday, June 20, 1915. There were 22 students. At this time there were approximately 8,000 members in the parish. 
• July, 1930: Father James Phalan requested permission from Cardinal O’Connell to add four rooms to the convent, and to make repairs to the inside of the church, redecorate the altars, and for the purchase of an organ.
• September,1938: The church received extensive damage from the most severe hurricane ever to hit this East Coast. The spire was destroyed and it was deemed more practical to reduce the height of a new spire to guard against possible wind damage in the future. The damage from the hurricane was estimated at $20,000. 
• 1956: Rt. Rev. Monsignor Henry Evans had a second Elementary school building constructed at the corner of Washington and Prospect to accommodate an ever-increasing enrollment in the Parish school.
• 1964: Monsignor Evans received permission from the diocese to make renovations to the church to conform to the Liturgical changes promulgated in Vatican II documents that made the celebrant face the congregation Monsignor Evans retired.
• 1968: Monsignor William P. Sullivan replaced Monsignor Evans.
• 1971: Monsignor Sullivan was replaced by Monsignor Frances S. Meehan who retired.​