St. Leonard's Church (Boston)

St. Leonard of Port Maurice, or more simply St. Leonard's, is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Boston. It is noted for its historic parish church located at the corner of Hanover and Prince Streets in the North End of Boston, one of the oldest churches built by Italian immigrants in the United States.[1] The church is a pending Boston Landmark.

St. Leonard's
St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church
42.3645024°N 71.0539295°W / 42.3645024; -71.0539295
LocationNorth End, Boston, Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
DenominationRoman Catholic
Membership2,000
WebsiteSaintLeonardChurchBoston.com
History
Founded1873
Founder(s)Fr. Angelo Conterno, OFM
Dedicated1899
Consecrated1891
Architecture
Architect(s)William Holmes
StyleRomanesque Revival
Administration
ParishSt. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish
DioceseArchdiocese of Boston
ProvinceBoston
Clergy
ArchbishopCardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley
Pastor(s)Fr. Antonio Nardoianni, OFM

History

In 1873, Archbishop Williams asked the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception Province to minister to Boston's growing population of Italian immigrants. Fr. Angelo Conterno, OFM, founded the Saint Leonard of Port Maurice parish soon afterwards. Construction of the current building, designed in the Romanesque style by architect William Holmes,[2] did not begin until 1885. The church in the basement opened to the public in 1891, with an estimated 20,000 parishioners. The upper church and the friary on North Bennet Street were completed in 1899.[3] The interior, with its ornate Italian style and color scheme, was created by immigrant craftsmen who were also parishioners.[2]

Front of Building featuring Bronze Sculpture by Richard Aliberti

The influenza epidemic of 1918 left many North End children orphaned. Fr. Antonio Sousa, the pastor of St. Leonard's Church at the time, founded the Home for Italian Children in Jamaica Plain to care for them.[3] The home separated from the Catholic Church in 1968 and was renamed the Italian Home for Children in 1974. It is now a residential treatment center providing clinical services for emotionally challenged children.[4]

Today, St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish also includes the nearby Sacred Heart Church, Saint Stephen's Church, Saint Mary's Chapel, and Saint John Catholic Elementary School. The Sacred Heart Church, built in 1833, was originally a Seamen's Bethel where the Methodist minister Rev. Edward Thompson Taylor preached. Herman Melville was a frequent visitor, and Charles Dickens visited there in 1842 to hear Taylor preach. It was purchased by Italian immigrants and became the Sacred Heart Church in 1888.[3]

Peace Garden at St. Leonard's

St. Leonard's Church is known for its attractive Peace Garden, and for its St. Anthony shrine, which is the oldest of its kind in Boston. Masses are held in English and Italian, with a weekly radio ministry every Tuesday on WUNR (1600 AM). The parish office is located at 14 North Bennet Street. The parish sponsors the annual St. Anthony's festival in the North End.[5]

St. Leonard's Church has twice-hourly bells daily from 7 AM to 10 PM.

See also

References
  1. "Italian Timeline: 1850–1949". Boston Family History.
  2. Petronella, Mary Melvin (2004). Victorian Boston Today: Twelve Walking Tours. UPNE. p. 44. ISBN 9781555536053.
  3. "The History of Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Parish". St. Leonard's Church.
  4. "History". Italian Home for Children.
  5. "St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church". The Pluralism Project at Harvard University.
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