St. Mary of the Assumption Parish

It was not until the building of the railway between Pittsfield and North Adams in 1846 that the first Catholics came to the beautiful Hoosac Valley. These Irish immigrants built their thatched cottages along the railway. For many years, they traveled to Adams or Pittsfield to attend Mass and for weddings and funerals.

Perhaps the first Mass celebrated within the Town of Cheshire was in 1847 when a priest traveling to Boston stopped at the home of Stephen Cuddihy. During the following years, Mass was said first in private homes, later in Mechanics Hall, and still later in the Universalist Meeting House.

 

St. Joseph, Pittsfield Serves Cheshire
About this time, Reverend Edward Purcell became pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Pittsfield, with the added responsibility to tend to the Catholic flock in Cheshire. The church of St. Mary of the Assumption was begun by him and was dedicated upon completion on August 8, 1879. The church was constructed by Patrick Hanrahan of Holyoke, and it was considered an ideal of a village chapel. It was situation on Church Street, the site of the present post office, and is well remembered by many in Cheshire today. At the time of completion, the church was placed under the guidance of the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Adams.

Industry/Railroad Bring Immigrant Catholics
The lime industry in Farnams brought more Catholics to town. Many of them were Italian immigrants who had strong family and church ties. With the coming of industry, the church of St. Mary's grew steadily during the final decade of the 19th century.

Following World War I, a committee of several parishioners under the leadership of Cornelius and Thomas Curtin, petitioned the bishop of the Diocese of Springfield for a resident pastor. In 1926, the bishop, impressed by the increasing number of Catholics and the fact that a church building was already in place, officially recognized St. Mary's as an independent parish. On October 3rd of that year, the new parish welcomed the Reverend Patrick J. Madden of Northampton as its first pastor. A newly acquired home on Church Street, formerly known as the Burget Estate, became the parish rectory. The parish of St. Mary's included not only Cheshire and Farnams, but also Berkshire Village and the Town of Lanesborough. By 1931, parish membership had grown to 850 people.

Following World War II, Father Martin J. Forhan, a former officer in the Army Chaplain Corps, became the spiritual leader of St. Mary's. Under his leadership, extensive renovation was begun on the church, and by August 1947, the final renovation was done to the little white clapboard chapel built in 1879.

Father McAuliff Accomplishes Much
On June 18, 1960, the announcement of the appointment of Father William H. McAuliff as pastor of St. Mary's was greeted with joy. Father McAuliff had been an associate priest at the neighboring parish of St. Thomas in Adams and was well known to many in Cheshire. An energetic man of great charity and vision, Father McAuliff soon had a Building Committee organized, and the arduous work of planning and fundraising for a new church was under way. Six years later, on May 10, 1966, Bishop Weldon conducted a ground breaking ceremony, and construction of a new church to replace the nearly 100-year-old renovated chapel was underway. The new facilities, which included the church, a daily Mass chapel, a parish hall, and a rectory, were formally dedicated on August 15, 1967. People living in Cheshire today are astonished to learn that St. Mary's beautiful new home was built for approximately $450,000. In Father McAuliff's words, "Much has been accomplished."

From an undated parish information booklet:
"The first Mass said in the North American Martyrs Mission Church was on December 8, 1935. It was then a mission church under St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Cheshire. The church was entirely built by the people of Berkshire Village with their money, sweat, and the love for the preservation of the opportunity to exercise their faith in a community spirit. Our first pastor was Fr. John McMahon who was the inspiration for the building of the church.

The church became a full, independent parish in July, 1969 adding the residents of Lanesborough as members of this parish community. Shortly thereafter, the Rectory on Juliann Drive was acquired as the residence for the parish priest."

The parish continued to operate independently for many years until it was eventually yoked to St. Mary of the Assumption Parish with a shared pastor, Fr. David Raymond. In 2008, the church was closed by the Diocese of Springfield. Following a Vatican decree in 2012, North American Martyrs reopened as a chapel. In June of 2019, the chapel was once again closed. The fate of the property is unknown at this point.