Pittsfield Historical Society

History of Pittsfield

The History of

Saint Agnes Parish 1894-1994

from the 100th Anniversary booklet

At the time of the beginnings of Saint Agnes parish, the reigning Pontiff was Pope Leo XIII and the Bishop of Portland was Bishop James A. Healy. We commemorate their leadership in the Church and also salute the present Pontiff, Pope John Paul II as well as our Diocesan Shepherd, the Most Reverend Joseph J. Gerry, O.S.B Out of love and respect for these four significant Church leaders, we dedicate the following page of our history to them!

During these early years, Mass continued to be offered in hired public halls and because of regular visits of their devoted priest, the number of communicants increased steadily.

It was soon very evident that a Church had to be built in order to accommodate the numbers of Catholics who were now worshipping so regularly. Fortunately, Father Kelley, who succeeded Father O’Brien as Pastor in Belfast, initiated the idea in 1903, of building our beautiful Catholic Church in Pittsfield. To encourage the fledgling Catholic community, he promised to obtain funds to match whatever the Pittsfield area Catholics could raise up to $1,000. Almost within a matter of hours, the Pittsfield Catholics raised more than $1,100.

A year later, on November 17, 1904, Father Kelley conducted the first Mass in the newly constructed Saint Agnes Church and over 100 of the communicants attended. Great was the pride of those early parishioners on that magnificent and memorable day when they worshipped in their own Church. Their many sacrifices had produced a beautiful House o God with its natural cypress wood interior enhance by extraordinarily beautiful stained glass windows.

It was not until July 17, 1910 that our beloved Saint Agnes Church was formally dedicated by Bishop Walsh. To add to the joy of the day, the sermon was preached by the venerable Pastor of Saint Francis de Sales Church in Waterville, Reverend Narcisse Chartrand, who had been the very first priest to offer Mass in the Monahan home in 1893

Saint Agnes Church was served for the next many years by the priests stationed in Belfast and North Vassalboro. Then, Father McCaffrey of North Vassalboro undertook the mission of serving Catholics in Pittsfield and he did so in almost heroic ways, traveling in many winter storms to meet the needs of his devoted flock.

It was at last, on May 360, 1927, that John Gregor Murray, Bishop of Portland, assigned a resident priest to Pittsfield and it was Father M. L. Ballou who was the first priest to live here; however, he he served the Parish for less than a year, leaving on March 31, 1928. HI letter of appointment to St. Agnes Parish contained the following lines:

“We find the territory annexed to your new Pittsfield Parish to be as follows: Pittsfield, Clinton, Burnham, Detroit, Plymouth, Newport, Corinna, Palmyra, Hartland, Harmony,”

At that time there were less than 40 families in the parish.

Father Leo Carey succeeded Father Ballou and in 1929 the Doctor Blanchard house at 1 North Main Street was purchased as a Rectory. This home would serve all the pastors of Saint Agnes Parish until the present Rectory was built in 1962. Father Carey served as Pastor for 20 years and during the years of the great depression, it was Father Carey who, with the help of our courageous members of the parish, kept the Church going with much sweat and labor.

In 1945 Father Leo Carey dedicated the Saint Agnes Year Book to the 52 sons and daughters of the Parish who were serving in the Armed Forces of the U.S.A. during World War II. In this beautiful book he included news of the changes which had been made in the Church during their absence.

Lines from this Year Book which are especially informative and dear to the hearts of those who received these precious gifts through the mail while away serving the country are now printed herein…and they will no doubt bring back memories to those parishioners who remember Father Carey’s love for them while far from home during the final year of the war.

“Painting the outside and shingling the roof were the first steps to be taken. A great amount of work was done on and around the altar; the altar being the center of attraction in any Church. You no doubt remember the out of proportion Stations of the Cross, which once hung every which way over the windows. These have been replaced by beautiful oil paintings appropriate to the size of the Church. I can assure you that there is no other Church in the Diocese with Stations any more beautiful.The Most Reverend Bishop came to Pittsfield personally on December 10 to bless and erect the crosses which hang over each of the Fourteen Stations.

“We all know what you are doing a marvelous job on your part in establishing the lasting peace which this terrible conflict is striving to attain. All of us here at Saint Agnes are praying for you every day, and hoping that it will not be before too long that you will be back back again in your little Church on Detroit Avenue.”

Interior of Saint Agnes Church in 1946.

The Parish Year Book of 1945 indicated that there was one Sunday Mass offered at this time and that it was at 9:00 AM.

The following year, in the Year Book of 1946, Father Carey remembered the one son of the Parish who did not return from the war. In words seasoned with great sadness, he wrote:

“One of the fifty-two did not come back. He never will. God called upon him to pay the Supreme Sacrifice that a Peace on Earth bounded by Justice for All might be had. This boy is Galen Cookson. It is a great sacrifice but a sacrifice of love, for greater is no love, than a man lay down his life for his fellow man. May we pray that Galen, as well as thousands more, did not die in vain.”

In the Parish Year Book of 1947 he wrote that there were then about 90 families in Saint Agnes Parish. He also write in that same yearbook that:

“Recently, some land has been purchased, a part of which will be used for a Rectory next to the Church, and in the future, the rest will be made into a much needed parking space.”

The new Saint Agnes Rectory and Parish Hall in 1965.

In 1948 the Saint Agnes Guild was founded and Mrs. Mabel Dysart was the first president. The group of Ladies began their years of existence with the intention to assist the pastor in any way they could and to join together on a regular basis to fortify themselves with prayer and friendship. Their intention was to assist the pastor in performing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

Father Edward Lynch assumed the pastorate of Saint Agnes Parish in September of 1948 and zealously served the parish for 10 years. His decade of unflagging service in Pittsfield put the Saint Agnes Parish on a remarkably stable financial basis.

Father Samuel Dougan became the next Pastor of Saint Agnes Parish and in his relatively brief pastorship from September of 1958 to May of 1960, he quietly and energetically accomplished much  During his term of service, the first Parish Hall was erected. It was purchased from the Bangor Barracks of the Dow Air Force Base for the sum of one dollar through the efforts of a very devoted parishioner and was then moved in sections to the Parish property and then carefully reassembled. It remains as the front section of our greatly enlarged Parish Center. It was during Father Dugan’s pastorate that the local council # 4861 of the Knights of Columbus was organized on October 11, 1959 with a class of 29 men being initiated into this Catholic Fraternal Organization. It was stated in the opening records of the Council that:

“The principal objective of this Council is to provide whatever assistance the pastor may desire. The chief accomplishment has been the construction and maintenance of the Parish Hall for educational and social functions.”

On May 1, 1960, Father Dugan was transferred and father Antonio M. Girardin was appointed Pastor of Saint Agnes Parish. The territory assigned to this newest Pastor now had the following towns added to those already served: Stetson, Dixmont, St. Albans. The parish now included about 200 families. His presence at local civic affairs won him and the Catholic Church universal respect throughout central Maine.

In 1962, the saint Agnes Parish pledged $1,000 for the new Sebasticook Valley Hospital. The parishioners were proud to have their Parish on the honor roll inscribed in bronze and located in the lobby of the new hospital.

A highlight of Father Girardin’s pastorship was the construction of the new attractive two-story Rectory adjoining the Church. The Dedication of this new rectory was observed on October 28, 1963 and at the Open house between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 PM, 177 persons visited this new home. On November 6, 1963, Open House was held for the priests of Maine and they came from Kittery to Houlton, from Bar Harbor and Millinocket. There were 69 priests present and the Dean of Clergy for the area, the Very Reverend John C. Curran, from Saint Augustine’s Parish in Augusta, blessed the Rectory.

During father Girardin’s pastorate, the first Sunday evening Masses of anticipation, which fulfilled the Sunday obligation, were authorized as a result of some of the early reforms brought about by the Second Vatican Council. Thus began the weekends with two Masses.

On July 1, 1967, Father Girardin was transferred and father Armand J. Landry was appointed the new pastor of Saint Agnes Church. The towns of Troy and Unity were now officially added to the list of towns already being served. At this time Unity College was formally opened and Father Landry became the first Newman Chaplain to serve the sixty Catholic students on campus.

The Parish records indicate that at the time of father Landry’s pastorate there were 200 registered families in Saint Agnes Parish.

Despite frail health, Father Landry worked indefatigably for the Parish. More than once he expanded the Church parking lots. A man of vision, he acquired lots and a building adjoining the parish property which he transformed into facilities for the C.Y.O. This same energetic priest superintended the refurbishing of Saint Agnes Church to meet the liturgical reforms occasioned by the Second Vatican Council. You will note the picture of the Sanctuary as it appeared when renovated by Father Landry. This renovation took place in two stages. It was first in 1967 that the interior of the Church was given a fresh look by painting the walls an off-white color and then the Sanctuary was remodeled and adapted to the new liturgy. Finally, in July and August of 1970, the Church was recarpeted and a public address system was installed.

The Sanctuary of Saint Agnes Church in 1970.

In September of 1974, Father Landry was transferred due to ill health and Father Joseph Lemieux was assigned to Saint Agnes Parish. He is remembered for his interest in serving the youth of the Parish. He also renovated the interior of the Rectory.

Father Normand Carrier succeeded Father Lemieux in 1977 and this mild mannered and quiet spoken priest promptly visited all the households in the Parish and won the trust of all whom he met and counseled. His term of service was ever so brief and the next year he was transfered to provide his gentle ministry to the patients of the Maine’s Veterans Hospital at Togus.

In November of 1978, Father Lawrence Sabatino assumed the pastorate of Saint Agnes Parish. During his service to Saint Agnes Parish, the Parish Hall was enlarged in 1980 in order to accommodate the children attending the Sunday morning Religious Education classes. This addition to the Parish Hall provided a large meeting area which could be subdivided for the Religious Education classes.

Father Sabatino was noted for his kindly manner in his ministry to the hospital and to the nursing homes. Father’s love for the poor was apparent, especially when he offered to use of Saint Agnes Hall for a newly organized community sponsored soup kitchen, “My Brother’s Table”. It was not long before nearly 100 people were served three times weekly.

Throughout his 12 years of service to the people of Saint Agnes Parish, Father Sabatino carried the cross of a severe form of diabetes. He continued to labor for the parishioners although he was hospitalized several times ad underwent serious surgery on a couple of occasions.It was to the great sadness of many that Father Sabatino died suddenly on August 6, 1990 while hospitalized at the Mercy Hospital in Portland. The news of his death shocked the community and the Parish. For the first time in its history, the parishioners of Saint Agnes Parish mourned the death of an active and beloved Pastor. His funeral Mass which was held in Saint Agnes Church.[sic]

At this time the Parish census indicated that there were around 350 registered households in Saint Agnes Parish.

On August 16, 1990, Father C. James Martel, the new and the current pastor arrived in Pittsfield. He had a particular love for his predecessor because Father Sabatino had been his parish priest in the late 1950’s at Saint Patrick’s Parish in Lewiston. He had likewise succeeded Father Sabatino in 1978 when Father left St. Francis Xavier Parish in Brownville Junction to come to Pittsfield. With great reverence for his predecessor, Father Martel carefully began his ministry to the grieving Parish Community.

Father Martel recognized the frequency with which new families were moving into this central Maine area and could see from the many new registrations in Saint Agnes Parish that a great many changes in parish life would have to be made. The first was to add another Mass to the weekend schedule. The existing schedule provided two Masses with one on Saturday evening and the other on Sunday morning. In November of 1990, a third Mass was introduced and the schedule now provided for one on Saturday evening and two on Sunday morning. The religious education classes were held after the second Sunday morning Mass. This precipitated an overcrowded 9:30 AM Mass so the schedule was changed to 8:00 AM and 10:30AM Sunday morning Masses with Religious Education classes for grades k-8 being held between the two Masses. Father Martel initiated High School Youth Ministry and meetings were held Sunday evenings.

Sisters Jeannette Loubert and Anne Xavier Loubert – Advisors to the Saint Agnes Religious Education Program.

It was apparent by the summer of 1991 that the number of children attending the Sunday morning religious education classes for grades k-8 were increasing by leaps and bounds. There was need for a much more intense and reorganized program. The Parish was blessed to be able to hire two Sisters of Saint Joseph, Sister Jeannette Loubert and Sister Anne Xavier Loubert to serve as the advisors to the Religious Education Program during this time of great reorganization. Their diligent efforts were quickly recognized and appreciated by the Parish and a great love for them grew very spontaneously.

These Sisters were so devoted to their ministry that the seed grew and by the following year of 1992, the Parish Hall was once again not large enough to provide classroom space for the 14 classes that were needed. The Knights of Columbus were soon approached and asked if their hall on Dobson Street could be used for the overflowing program and they graciously opened up their hall for four classes each Sunday morning. The two Sisters requested that Father Martel bring this delightful dilemma to the Parish Council and ask if a study might be done on enlarging the existing Saint Agnes Parish Hall once again. With the gracious assistance of a number of devoted parishioners, a classroom wing on the second floor was added to the existing Parish Hall.

On January 21, 1993 the Most Reverend Bishop Joseph J. Gerry came to Pittsfield on the Feast of Saint Agnes to bless the new classroom wing. He led the overflowing congregation in a Service of Evening Prayer and then led the procession to the Parish Hall for the Blessing of a new Catechetical Center Saint Agnes Hall was now truly a Center and received its new name in the spring of 1993, “The Saint Agnes Parish Center”.

The Parish of Saint Agnes was soon to make Diocesan history. A study had been ongoing since the arrival of Father martel with regards to the possibility of opening a Parochial School in Saint Agnes Parish. The pieces seemed to be all in place for a new school, i.e. a classroom wing, adequate funds, and an adequate projected enrollment base. Only one ingredient was missing and that was the Nun which the parishioners desired to have as a Principal. In the late fall of 1992 and early 1993, Father Martel was able to elicit the interest of the Presentation of Mary Sisters whose Provincial House was in Methuen, Massachusetts. The Provincial Council of these Sisters visited Father in early 1993 and they felt that this was a Mission they could undertake. Without worry about where the Sisters would dwell, and relying completely on the love of God for their Sisters and the open hearts of the Parish community, they drove back to Methuen with a tremendous spirit of enthusiasm for this new undertaking, the opening of a ne Parochial School in the Diocese of Portland for the first time in over fifty years.

Soon after the visit of the Provincial Council of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, Father Martel arranged for a meeting of the officials in the Diocesan Catholic School Office in Portland and after following the newly established and approved Diocesan Guidelines for the Opening of a New Parochial School, he formally presented the necessary feasibility study paperwork to the Bishop’s Office. It was on February 16, 1993 that the Most reverend Bishop Joseph J. Gerry, O.S.B. approved the opening of the Saint Agnes Parochial School. The Mission Statement of this new school stated:

“Saint Agnes School is to offer a quality Catholic value-based education, leading to the full intellectual and spiritual development of the child. It is a parish response to the needs of parents that their children be provided with an atmosphere that promotes humanitarianism, respect for others, sensitivity, empathy, moral structure and a strong sense of self.”

The Sisters of the Presentation of Mary simultaneously petitioned their Mother General in Rome for permission to open this new foundation and the apparent pioneering spirit of their Foundress, Mother Marie Rivier, was alive and well! The Mother General granted permission and approved the beginning of a new foundation in Pittsfield with three Sisters to arrive in the summer of 1993. Father Martel initiated a study with regards to the housing of these Sisters and the Parish Council excitedly and most enthusiastically approved the construction of a Convent on Parish property.

Little did Father Landry realize in the early 1970’s that his purchase of the property on High Street would allow the Parish to have its own Convent. And little did Father Dougan in the late 1950’s ever imagine that his purchase of the little Parish Hall for one dollar would be the seed for a new school building!

The three pioneering Sisters arrived in July of 1993 and immediately began the  work of opening a new school in the fall of the same year. Sister Aline Geoffroy was named as the first Superior of this new community, Sister Linda Mae Plourde was to be the Principal of the new school, and Sister Jeanne Chapdelaine was the first Kindergarten teacher. On July 25, 1993, the new foundation was officially established and an Open House for the Sisters was joyously celebrated with presence of their Provincial Council of Methuen, Massachusetts as well as over 40 of their Sisters from Convents in Maine and Massachusetts.

The dream of Father Martel was to see a Parochial School of Saint Agnes Parish. He wanted to respond to the needs of the many parents who prayed that their children would be provided with quality education that was permeated with sound Catholic teaching and an atmosphere of Christian love. And it was in the fall of 1993 that the first group of 26 children arrived in grades K-2. The plan to add a grade each year has been implemented and the present academic year of 1994-1995 and the Centennial Year of Saint Agnes Parish is being celebrated and blessed with 42 children in grades K-3.

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Thanks go to Brenda Seekins for contributing the booklet “Saint Agnes Parish Pittsfield Maine 100th Anniversary 1894-1994” to the Pittsfield Historical Society. This history was copied verbatim from the section “Part I The History of Saint Agnes Parish” in 2017.