St. Augustine Parish
Parish History
Click here for a more detailed version of the history of St. Augustine Parish.
Previous to 1846, the few Catholics who lived in Andover attended Mass in Lowell. Under the leadership of Fr. Charles French, a wood frame chapel was erected on the site of Mary Immaculate Nursing and Assisted Living Complex, cared for by the Grey Nuns. Three years later St. Mary Church was completed, becoming the third temporary place of worship for the Catholics of Andover.
Saint Augustine Parish of Andover was founded in 1852 as a mission of St. Mary's of Lawrence, MA. In 1866 the first Catholic chapel was built on Central Street across from Phillips Street. With the growth of its Catholic population the chapel soon became inadequate. This led to the building of a splendid wood frame church whose dedication took place on September 2, 1883 at our present site on Essex Street.
On November 8, 1894, the Catholic people of Andover suffered a most severe loss in the burning of their church, attributed to faulty wiring, a mere ten years after its completion. This aroused much sympathy in the community by our Separated Brethren who made kind offers to accommodate us in any way possible.
Not wishing to interfere with their worship time and very grateful for the kind offers, Fr. Field easily procured Town Hall for Sunday Mass while the reception room of the friary was fitted up as a sanctuary for the Blessed Sacrament. Mass was offered there every morning and the necessary sacraments administered.
On August 18, 1895, the cornerstone was laid and the enormous undertaking of building our present and beautiful church ensued. Nearly five years later, on May 6, 1900, the church was completed and dedicated. Over the years, periodic renovations have been made to meet the changing needs of parish life.
In 1914 the Parish opened its own grammar school under the direction of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who continue to serve our Parish. In its first four years, classes were conducted in the convent. In 1918 the school opened its doors to the excitement of children and their grateful parents. The early 1950's were years of significant and major renovations to the church, convent and friary, as parishioners anticipated the 100th Anniversary Celebration (1952) of the Parish.
The next significant period of construction came in the years between 1959-61 under the pastorate of Fr. Henry Smith, O.S.A. A new convent and an addition to the school were built, doubling its capacity. Twenty five years later, another extensive project was undertaken: new pews, church and hall renovations and the third floor of the friary was fashioned into living quarters, a common room and chapel.
It is now time for us to take our place in parish history by wholeheartedly embracing, "Building a Faith Community...2000 and Beyond" in order to meet the growing needs of our expanding Parish.
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