Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish History
The history of St. Mary's is a history of love and charity. Its beginning is unique because, in its infinity, it was reared not by one man but by many.
During November 1947, the property between Cedar and Yale Streets was purchased for the purpose of erecting a church to serve the needs of the Italian population in Ludlow. In March 1948, Rev. Carmen T. Russo, CCS, was named Rector at the Mission Church. On Palm Sunday, March 21, 1948, Rev. William Ludessi, CCS, Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Springfield, celebrated the First Mass in the house at 12 Cedar Street, temporarily arranged as a chapel.
Rectory, 1948
The first year saw the parishioners of Saint Mary's struggling hard, making immense sacrifices, and remaining faithful to the newly-founded Church. The Italian people of Ludlow had proven that with a few, much could be accomplished - and much more would be accomplished.
Almost immediately from Saint Mary's inception, the parishioners began to plan for a church of their own and a variety of fund-raising activities were initiated. Soon, plans were drawn up and ground was broken on June 12, 1949 for the lower portion of the church. Construction began shortly thereafter.
Lower Church under Construction
Participating in the phase of construction were many members of the parish who were themselves masons, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and other craftsmen. Those who were not skilled in the construction trades, participated in other ways, but the members of that early group literally built their church with their own hands. Construction proceeded according to schedule and it culminated with the first Mass on January 22, 1950.
Shortly after the dedication, Rev. Ludessi told about 300 members of Saint Mary's at a banquet, that he would submit the financial statement to the Bishop in the near future with the hope of obtaining his permission to start construction of the new upper church as planned. However, subsequent developments prevented this expansion.
Saint Mary's continued as a Mission Church until 1966. At that time, the Stigmatine Fathers recommended that the mission status be ended. This recommendation was adopted.
Rev. Francis Scanlon was assigned to Saint Mary's in September, 1967, as the first resident pastor, and the church no longer retained its ties with Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The Most Reverend Christopher J. Weldon had been seriously concerned that there was no territorial parish in the Ludlow area. With the end of mission status at Saint Mary's, he deemed the time opportune for creating such a parish and selected this church to be territorial in its organization. Such a parish was created in April, 1969, and Ludlow residents then attending Saint Matthew's, in Indian Orchard, and Saint Cecilia's, in Wilbraham, were included in this new district, the limits of which encompassed the entire town of Ludow.
Another facet of the creation of this territorial parish was the purchase by the diocese of property on the corner of Center and Chapin Streets, in June of 1967. The land was intended to be the site of future construction of a new church to replace the lower structure on East Street.
In September, 1970, a parish meeting was held at Christ the King Hall which unveiled phase I of the building program. Attempts were made to increase collections, however, it was determined that it would be impossible to build a new church because the cost was too great. In 1972, it was decided to renovate the present church and hall, and during the next few years, both buildings received a facelift, both inside and out.
In 1977, the finance committee recommended that the Center Street property should no longer be considered as a site for a church. The next question was whether to modernize the present church or build an upper Church on the existing foundation.
In 1978, a steering committee was formed to determine the feasibility of erecting an upper church. They studied all the alternatives and determined that an upper church could be built. They recommended a financial program necessary to obtain the funds. The entire proposal was presented to the people of Saint Mary's and they overwhelmingly approved it. Thus, in October, 1978, the new church fund drive was initiated under the direction of Reverend Francis Manning, who succeeded Father Scanlon as Pastor.
Through the generosity and hard work of the Saint Mary's Parish Family, sufficient funds were obtained to enable construction to begin in January 1981.
Work progressed throughout the spring and summer months and culminated with the completion of the upper church in September of the same year. Thus, nearly 33 years after the parish was formed, Saint Mary's at last had a beautiful structure which would serve the needs of the parish community for many years to come. It was due to the undying spirit of the original 100+ families and the perseverance and generosity of the present Saint Mary's Parish Family, both young and old, that this dream became a reality.