For Fran's personal account, scroll further.

OUR APPRECIATION TO ALL OF OUR PASTORS, PRIESTS AND DEACONS FOR HELPING TO BUILD THIS INCREDIBLE PARISH, A SPIRITUAL HOME THAT IS TREASURED BY SO MANY.    

THE HISTORY OF ST. FRANCIS PARISH

by Fran deMontigny, Parish Historian

Fran was a member of St. Francis Parish since its dedication in 1963; prior to that, she was a member of St. Michael Parish and later the Kenwood Mission Church that would eventually become St. Francis Parish. 

Above, Fran receives her First Communion at St. Michael Church, along with her cousin. 

Read below Fran's nostalgic account of how a small farming community that struggled financially in the 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond sacrificed time and again to build a modest church on Methuen Street, and later a beautiful new spiritual home on 15 acres of former farmland on Wheeler Road, our current location. 

The Beginning of a Mission Church

Kenwood is a community located on the east side of Dracut. In the 1930s and 1940s, Kenwood, being less populated than the other sections of Dracut, consisted of several small farms and modest homes. The people of Kenwood, though lacking in financial resources, had a richness of faith and determination. This was recognized by Father Keenan in 1939 when he became pastor of St. Michael Church in Lowell; and, among his many duties realized the hardship incurred by these parishioners to have to go into Lowell for Mass. Not all families had their own transportation and found it impossible to get to Church.

It was at this time that St. Michael’s Mission Church began. Masses were first offered in the Kenwood School on the second floor in the uphill side of the school. The school room had removable desks which were moved out of the room and chairs brought in for Mass. Among the first priests to come to offer Mass in Kenwood were Father Chadbourne and Father Sheehan; subsequently, Father Mitchell, a missionary priest occasionally came to Kenwood.

Fund Raising

Fund raising for the future St. Michael’s Mission Church began in the form of whist parties, held in the same room as were the Masses. These whist parties were held every Monday evening, organized by Mrs. Madeline Ginivan and Mrs. Blanche Markham, with the help of Mrs. Elizabeth Sheehan, Mrs. Juliet Labrecque, Mrs. McLaughlin, Mrs. MacPherson and the Gauthiers of Camden Street. Mrs. Ginivan and Mrs. Markham would go downtown to Lowell every Wednesday (bargain day) asking for donations from the local merchants.

I understand they were very successful in their endeavors. Mrs. Labrecque was right on the job each week with her big blue and white enameled pot serving cocoa. Mrs. Ginivan’s daughter, Margaret, had the job of punching the cards at these parties. The whist parties continued at the school and subsequently extended into the homes of some of our early parishioners namely: Mrs. Juliet Labrecque, Mrs. Margaret Campbell, Mrs. Laura Graham, Mrs. Mary Conole, Mrs. Adelaide Leblanc and Mrs. Cecilia Hamel. Mrs. Labrecque and Mrs. Conole also held mini bingo parties in their homes. As another fund raiser, Mrs. Arthur Fraser hosted a wonderful penny sale at her home every summer from the late 1930s to the mid 1940s.

Expansion of the Mission Church

As the neighborhood of Kenwood grew, we moved out of the school room and into a portable school house located on the grounds of the Kenwood School. (This portable school house was once the Intervale School located on Intervale Avenue.) We would have two Masses each Sunday, one at 8:30 AM and one at 10:00 AM. On a rainy Sunday, you tried to get to Church early because the roof leaked and you didn’t want to be “dripped on” during Mass. In fact, if you sat in the back rows, you needed to use your umbrella!

The 8:30 Mass was the children’s Mass after which we would go into the school for catechism classes. Once again, St. Michael took care of its Kenwood Mission, sending two of its Dominican Sisters each week (Sister Regina, Sister Mary Ellen, and Sister Hyacinth were among the very first to come to Kenwood). After religious class, the Sisters, along with a couple of their “helpers” would go to Mrs. Markham’s house for refreshments. This was a weekly ritual. Refreshments were also brought back to the “church” for the officiating priest prior to their departing for Lowell.

The children of Kenwood received their sacraments with the children of St. Michael. Graduation from catechism was in the eighth grade. The graduates were feted to an outing at Gloucester at the home of Monsignor Keenan’s family, then on to Ipswich to Father Chadburne’s mother’s home for a cookout and a boat ride. To prepare for Confirmation, we would go to St. Michael’s for classes. All marriages and funerals were performed at St. Michael Church.

Acquiring Land

Land for the church on Methuen Street was donated by Reinald Rhomburg in 1939; subsequent land for the parking lot was donated by Reinoldy Burgess (daughter of Mr. Rhomburg) in 1956. Monsignor Keenan purchased additional lots from the Town of Dracut and also acquired the house at 110 Percy Street from Mr. & Mrs. Francis Lappin in 1955 for the purpose of the future rectory.

Building of St. Dominic’s Hall

Once the Boston Archdiocese had possession of the land, excavation for the foundation began. A few of Kenwood’s finest neighborhood men dug by hand and laid the stone foundation. Also, some eager young men from the neighborhood helped out after school and on Saturdays, digging up stones and bringing them to the men for the foundation.

A portable school house located at the corner of Salem Road and Tyler Street was purchased with the intent of using the materials to help build the structure on Methuen Street. The used lumber and windows were then transported to the building site. However, being the war years, manpower and additional building materials were at a premium and this plan was never implemented. The used lumber was later offered to the people in the neighborhood.

This was not without incident -- the empty foundation was a good place to play, especially with the piles of lumber and all the windows stacked on top of each other. Since most children have inquisitive minds, my cousin Mike Markham, our friend Richie O’Dell and myself were no different. Richie climbed up to the top of all the windows and proceeded to go right through them all! Miraculously he was not badly hurt, but our main concern was “what our mothers would do”! Soon after that not too pleasant event, Richie and his family moved away, never to be heard from again.

The parking lot across the street from the church next to Methuen Street, being quite level, was our ball field. Midway through the parking lot downhill was a big drop, and into the uphill part of the earth was part of a stone foundation which was the remains of a nightclub/hotel -- an establishment bordering on impropriety, burned to the ground in the early 1900s.

The Church on Methuen Street was built in 1950 for the cost of $10,000.00, including a slate roof! Monsignor Keenan hired the contractor, consisting of two men, who were parishioners of St. Michael. Once again, the young men of the neighborhood helped in any why they could. The building was named St. Dominic’s Hall, after the Dominican Sisters who so graciously taught the children of Kenwood for so many years. St. Dominic's had removable chairs and no kneelers in its early years.

The Years at St. Dominic’s

All the social events were held upstairs since downstairs was strictly a cellar. We even had record hops at St. Dominic's.  We would remove the chairs, get a DJ and dance the evening away. Under the expertise of Mrs. Ceilia Hamel and with the untireless help of Clorise Craig, Rose Maille, and Lucille Ayotte, the fund raisers were in full swing. These four ladies were the backbone of all the fund-raisers throughout the 1950s and 1960s. There were whist parties (Annette Koutrobis and Phyllis Jusczak punching cards), bake sales, bean suppers, spaghetti suppers and Christmas fairs. Mrs. Campbell remained steadfast with her bakery contributions.

In order to bake the beans upstairs in St. Dominic's, Mrs. Hamel would borrow four large electric roasting pans, soak the beans overnight on Friday, go back on Saturday morning to get them to start cooking for Saturday evening. After the bean suppers, Mrs. Hamel, along with her husband Mr. Victor Hamel, would get the hall in order for Sunday Mass. Mrs. Hamel was also the sacristan.  She took care of all the linens, decorated the altar for the holidays, and helped her husband clean the church. Mr. Hamel was the organist for St. Dominics.

Approximately in the year 1953, Monsignor Keenan had the parking lot paved. To defray this cost, Mrs. Rita Green ran a spaghetti supper, doing all the cooking in her home on Haverhill Street and having the food transported to St. Dominic's. I understand there was a trail of sauce from Rita’s kitchen all the way down Methuen Street.

Father Allan Roach, a priest who came to say Mass in 1954 and 1955, befriended the Campbell family on Stuart Street and would go to their house for breakfast between Masses. Anyone who has known the Campbell family knows their talent in the kitchen is unsurpassed. Being a small community, everyone knew each other; there was such camaraderie.

Father Armand Morrisette, the roving ambassador, was a steady influence to our little community for so many years -- from the 1950s through the early 1980s. Father Morrisette will always be remembered for his 23 minute masses (one was timed at 19 minutes!). There is so much to say about Father Morrisette, he was way ahead of his time. The Sunday before Lent, he would preach that “good works and actions” were so much better than fasting, since most people were already on some sort of diet. And, he was one who practiced what he preached! Whenever there was a bean supper, Father Morrisette would donate the ham, and when possible he would get some baked beans from Rochette’s diner.

On December 19, 1957, Clement and Isabel Conole became the proud parents of their second son. Robert was Baptized at St. Michael and received his First Penance, First Eucharist and Confirmation at St. Francis where he was also an altar boy. In 1986, Robert entered St. John Seminary in Brighton. Father Conole was ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston on June 22, 1991 and his first Mass of Thanksgiving was offered at the Immaculate Conception Church, Lowell on June 23, 1991.

On June 23, 1962 Pauline Burgess and James Hand were married at St. Dominic's. Pauline asked and received permission from Monsignor Keenan to be married at St. Dominic's since her grandfather donated the land on which St. Dominic's was built. Father Morrisette was the celebrant.

Looking back, we see a small group of people gathering together in the conceptual stages of building a church in their community. They had faith, vision and determination which have been so instrumental in our long journey to fruition. We will be forever grateful to the parishioners of St. Michael’s Mission Church and St. Dominic’s Hall for laying the cornerstone of St. Francis Parish.

St. Francis Parish

As Kenwood continued to grow, the Boston Archdiocese saw the need for us to become autonomous.  In 1963, we became the parish of St. Francis of Assisi.  The people within our community were so grateful to finally have their own parish that anything Father Gallivan needed or asked for at the first weekend Mass, he had it by the last Mass of the same weekend. In those first years as a parish, Father Paul Moritz came to help each weekend.

In preparation for Father Gallivan’s arrival, the rectory was remodeled by Stanley Jusczak (Phyllis’ husband). The first housekeeper for the parish was Mrs. Fannie Banevicius, a quiet, devout parishioner who was honored to be able to work for Father Gallivan. Once Father Gallivan settled in at 110 Percy Street, he had the garage built for the sum of $400.00.

Father Gallivan implemented the CCD program with classes being taught in the church and in parishioners’ homes. We were finally able to receive the sacraments in our own church. Under the direction of Father Gallivan, the basement of the church was finished, complete with rest rooms and a kitchen. Father Gallivan also was able to get some used pews with padded kneelers for St. Francis. What a relief! The bean suppers, spaghetti suppers, bake sales and pot luck suppers continued. We even had a fashion show and a Communion Supper. We also had an annual chicken barbecue with Joe Campbell in charge; he was responsible for getting two very large grills and doing the cooking--best chicken you could ever eat.

Each year while Father Gallivan was pastor, he would take his vacation during Lent. At that time, Father Kane, a Redemptorist Missionary, would come to St. Francis and conduct a mission for the full week.

Father Gallivan had the foresight to envision what the parish would be like in years to come and knew that a larger permanent church would be needed. With this is mind, Father Gallivan diligently acquired fifteen acres of land from Alexander and Stanislawa Ogonowski for the sum of 10,000.00 on March 17, 1965. This land ultimately became the center of the parish.

And how the parish grew -- with all the undeveloped land in East Dracut, it became a paradise for developers; especially in the 1970s and 1980s. With this growth, St. Francis Church was becoming less accommodating to its parishioners -- having to have four First Eucharist Masses and two or three Confirmation Masses. For a large wedding or funeral, our parishioners would have to go to St. Michael’s in Lowell.

Father Gallivan was reassigned in 1967 and his successor was Father Francis Doherty who was with us from 1967 to 1971. Father John Petti came to St. Francis in 1971 and remained until 1976 at which time Father Frederick Sweeney was assigned to St. Francis. While Father Sweeney was pastor, he accomplished the renovation of the church. Father James Power was assigned to St. Francis in 1987.

Because of the many weekend Masses and visiting priests to help, Father Power had an addition of a bedroom and a bathroom constructed to the rectory in 1987 for the sum of $23,000.00. Father Power had the help of Father Normand Fillion with the weekend Masses. Since Kenwood and East Dracut were growing by leaps and bounds, we all knew it would be just a matter of time when a larger church would be needed. A committee was formed to look into the possibility of expanding the current building, considering all factors, such as the sound structurability of the existing building, parking areas, etc.

It was determined that it was not feasible to try to expand, and that a new church had to be built if we were to remain a parish. In 1990, a vigorous pledge drive was initiated. Due to the economic decline at that time, it was not as successful as we hoped it would be. Father Power left St. Francis in September 1993; everything remained status quo. In November of 1993, our prayers were answered with the arrival of Father Brian Kiely.

The New Church

Father Kiely wanted St. Francis to be a real family, he wanted us to get to know each other (to the point of wearing name tags at Mass!) to reach out to each other in times of need. Father Kiely instituted many committees within the parish and started new customs such as coffee and donuts after Sunday Masses (thanks to the ever constant Rick Coram), socials after special celebrations, the annual Ray Snooian golf tournament, to name a few.

Father Kiely was emphatic on building community. Being so busy, Father Kiely needed help and was able to encourage Father Leo Cormier and Father Herve Gagnon along with Father Fillion to be the assisting clergy at St. Francis. And, it did not take Father Kiely long to tell it as it was -- we either get a new church built or within a few years or we would be without a parish.

Once again, we were out trying to get pledges, being more successful this time under the direction of Leo Lambert and Jim Carr.  Any doubts were behind us now, and we had the groundbreaking ceremony on June 24, 1995.  Soon after construction began. Under the ever watchful eyes of Father Kiely and Joe Harnden, Chairman of the Executive Building Committee, we have the most beautiful church and location within the Archdiocese. I know our parish family will continue to grow.

This has been a very long, bumpy journey but with unceasing dedication and determination, finally, we are home. For the few people who were part of the Kenwood Mission Church in 1939 and are still with us today, this is the most extraordinary day, there are really no words to describe it. And, to all our parish family, what a proud day -- look what can be accomplished when we all work together for the Glory of God. Thank you Dear God for helping us each step of the way.