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Excerpt from "History of Wilbraham"
With the continued growth of the parish, four Masses on Sunday required the assistance of another priest. Consequently, the pastor is assisted by one of the priests from the Passionist Monastery in West Springfield. A Rosary and Altar Society for the women and a Holy Name Society for the men have been organized. These function socially the Catholic Women's Club and the Catholic Men's Club, both of which meet regular and have a very active program A double novena is held each Monday evening to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and the Infant of Prague. Christian Doctrine classes are ducted on Saturday mornings by the Sister of St. Joseph from Springfield for the grammar school children. On Monday evenings high school classes are conducted by the pastor and a corps of experienced public school teachers. A group of lay men and women meets for conferences and study groups relative to the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Th parish also sponsors a Boy Scout troop and a court of Junior Catholic Daughters C America, and sends a small group of boys to camp each summer. Throughout the year the men's club sponsors a supervised sports program for boys. The little church at the crossroads of Maple Street, Boston Road, and Main Street was fast becoming inadequate for such a rapidly growing parish, and plans began to generate a new church. Land farther south on Main Street was acquired from Thomas Powers, a parishioner who as a boy had been part of the group which had worshipped in Liberty Hall before the old church had been built. On the spacious grounds comprising the Powers property the outline of the new church and social hall was staked out. A year later, on the feast of St. Cecilia November 22, 1958, Bishop Christopher J. Weldon dedicated the new church, social hall, and a tiny chapel. To any parishioner who had been associated with the old church, this little chapel was symbolic of blessed memories: baptisms, First Communions, weddings, and even funerals. Father Scanlon, sensitive to the emotions of many lifelong parishioners, had placed in the chapel the altar, the memorial window depicting St. Cecilia, the familiar statues - all reminders of a humbler beginning and reminders too of many acts of devotion. - T.C.B More pictures can be found here. Information on the new church can be found here.
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The Second Church
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(pgs. 30 - 33)
