© José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro via Wikimedia Commons
We have added over 1,200 new pages to Massachusetts: (Image Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900! These new records come from the parishes of St. Ann in Dorchester and St. Catherine of Siena in Charlestown. The history of both these churches demonstrates the expansion of Catholicism in Boston–both parishes broke off from previously established parishes as the numbers of worshipers grew. The parish of St. Ann celebrated its first Mass on Christmas in 1880 after breaking off from St. Gregory’s (records coming soon!). St. Catherine of Siena, located at the bottom of Bunker Hill, celebrated its first mass on Christmas in 1887, after branching from St. Francis de Sales. Above is a stained glass window featuring St. Catherine of Siena (not located in the church in Charlestown), below is an image of the interior of St. Ann’s, taken from One Hundred Years of Progress by James S. Sullivan. The new volumes consist of the following:
St. Ann (Dorchester) Baptisms, 1889-1900
St. Catherine of Siena (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1888-1893
St. Catherine of Siena (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1893-1898
St. Catherine of Siena (Charlestown) Baptisms, 1898-1900
St. Catherine of Siena (Charlestown) Confirmations, 1894-1900
St. Catherine of Siena (Charlestown) Marriages, 1888-1900
p. 185, James S. Sullivan’s One Hundred Years of Progress