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St.
Leonard's Church, founded in 1873,is
the first Roman Catholic Church
in New England built by Italian immigrants. Located in the historic
North End of Boston, the church building sits at the corner of Hanover
and Prince Streets on the second loop of Boston's Freedom Trail.
St. Leonard's is known to many visitors for its Saint Anthony shrine
located in the downstairs church, the oldest shrine dedicated to
the saint in Boston. The beautiful Peace Garden adjoining the church
provides a serene haven in which visitors can escape the bustle
of Hanover Street.
Dante
said that every stone of the walls of the city of Rome were sacred
to him because these stones were silent reminders of the great achievements
of the ancient Fathers of the city. We here at Saint Leonard’s re-echo
with equal pride the same sentiments as Dante, holding dear and
sacred not only the walls of our church, but the zeal and courage
of those early Franciscan friars, sisters and good people of the
North End who, in the face of grave hardships and difficulties,
laid the humble beginnings of our parish. From this tiny nucleus
grew our parish as we see it today, growing as a tiny acorn to the
mighty oak. Countless sacrifices are the price of success. Great
indeed was the price that these early pioneers paid to see their
labors among the Italian people of Boston crowned with success.
Today this Church of Saint Leonard stands as a living and lasting
testimony to their heroic work.
Before
the year 1870 there were very few Italians living in the city of
Boston. However, in the few succeeding years the number of Italians
arriving in Boston increased dramatically. Yet, though they had
left home and country to find material success in a new world, these
people, descendents of a nation that has always been loyal to the
church, could not and would not be neglected spiritually. Hence,
there arose a great necessity of attending to the spiritual needs
of these people, who were complete strangers to the language and
customs of this new land.
Thus
it was that in the year 1873, Archbishop Williams of Boston called
upon the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception Province, many
of whom had but recently arrived in this country, to minister
to the spiritual needs of the Italian immigrants in Boston. Fr.
Angelo Conterno, O.F.M., was the first Franciscan to work in the
new harvest. He was the first pastor of the newly founded parish.
Immediately, Fr. Conterno made plans to erect a church. However,
his plans did not come to fruition until later. In the month of
February 1874, Fr. Joachim Guerrini, O.F.M., came to Boston to
continue his work. Plans were already made to erect a church in
the North End for Italians. In the meantime, a church on North
Bennet Street, the site of a library now served for both the Italian
and the Portuguese people. Two years later, a lot of land situated
on Prince Street and measuring seventy four by thirty feet, was
purchased for a little less than $9,000.00. The foundations were
then laid for the first Italian parish in the United States. The
following November, on the Feast of St. Leonard, it was solemnly
dedicated by Archbishop Williams.
With
the advent of more immigrants the small church proved inadequate
and the need for a larger church became more pressing. In 1885
the work of clearing the additional land bought for the site of
the new church began. In November of 1891 the basement of the
new church was opened for public worship, after having been blessed
by Archbishop Williams. The number of parishioners then was close
to twenty thousand. The upper church was built at the cost of
$160,000.00 and was dedicated in November 1899. At the same time
the friary on North Bennet Street was built. That brought to completion
the present edifice, the famed Saint Anthony Shrine in the lower church and the main church above.
The
first sisters, the Franciscan Sisters, arrived on
June 13, 1902,
and St. Anthony School was opened on September 17 with the enrollment
of about 200 children in grades 1-3. At this time the school was
housed in parish property on North Bennet Place. In the years
following 1904 the building was constructed on North Bennet Street
which was to house the parish school for the next forty-eight
years. The school opened on February 12, 1907, with an enrollment of 400 children.
During
the years after 1910 the restoration of the upper church was
undertaken and the Franciscan Sisters moved into the convent
on 31 Prince Street. The fatal influenza epidemic of 1917-1919
had left many Italian children in the Boston area orphans. The
then Pastor, Fr. Anthony Sousa, founded the Home for the Italian
Children in Jamaica Plain which remains even to this day.
Perhaps
one of the most memorable events of the parish’s history occurred
on May 1, 1926, when 10,000 people of the parish marched in
procession from St. Leonard Church to the Cathedral of the
Holy Cross in Boston to commemorate the 700th anniversary
of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan
Order. In 1926 the erection of the present convent on North
Bennet Place was initiated. It was built at the cost of $90,000.00;
in 1927 a summer house was purchased at Nantasket Beach, St.
Anthony’s Villa, to provide recreational facilities for the
youth of the North End.
In
the period which followed the religious societies flourished,
particularly the Third Order of St. Francis, which rose
to a membership of 2,000, the largest in the country. In
later years the parish could boast of active dramatic societies,
three different bands and a school where the enrollment
went over 1,000 students.
So
many good friars, sisters and members of the parish here
in the North End and beyond spent their energies, talents
and gifts—here. Dreams were realized. Ideas came alive.
In
the past couple of decades, the Parish has seen an influx
of young professionals and graduate students moving
into the area. They have taken their places in our parish
by choice. We hope that this will be the beginning of
a new life for the future of the parish.
A
wise man once said that if we do not from time to time
gratefully remember the past, we would be unable to
see anything worth looking at in the present.
The
parish family of St. Leonard continues as a vibrant
and vital part of the church in Boston. Its rich history,
strong heritage and living legacy encourages us all!
We wish to commit ourselves to the ideal of continuing
the traditions of St. Leonard as a channel of the Lord's
peace and love - not only to the good people of the
North End of Boston, but to all who have been part of
the life of the parish; to all who just pass through
as a brother or sister visiting.
First
Baptism
Oct. 5, 1873
Rose Cuneo,
daughter of Gaspare Cuneo and Teresa Cuneo
First
Confirmation
June 5, 1878
Archbishop Williams
52 boys, 56 girls
First
Marriage
Sept. 12, 1873
Pietro Guidi and Louisa Rappetto
First
Forty Hours Devotion in New England
conducted here at St. Leonard's
Devotions to St. Anthony in New England
began here at the original
Shrine of St. Anthony
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