A Tale of Two Churches (Now One)
by Paul Saubestre
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| St. Stephen's Church (Built in 1915), 1953 State Street |
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| St. Stephen's Church (Built in 1957), 400 Ridge Road |
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The original St. Stephen's Church (above) was built in 1915 at 1953 State Street, directly across from Ridge Road.
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The old wood-frame church was replaced in 1957 with the brick and stone structure pictured at left, before the school was added to the hall on the right.
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Below is St. Rita's "upper" church under construction. The photo can be dated to the Christmas season of 1963 because the manger scene is set up in front of it and the upper church was dedicated in December 1964.
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| St. Rita's Church under construction during Christmas Season 1963 - CLICK to enlarge |
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Visible behind the brightly wrapped wooden beams that would form the nave of the church, on the right side, is the original St. Rita Chapel, built in 1923 at 20 Park Avenue. After the lower church on Whitney Avenue was built in 1929 (see photo below), the chapel was used as a parish hall. After the upper church was completed in 1964, the chapel was demolished to provide more area for parking.
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| St. Rita's Church (1929-1964) - CLICK to enlarge |
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| St. Rita's Church (Built in 1964), 1616 Whitney Avenue - CLICK to enlarge |
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On the current picture of the front of the church, three items are highlighted in yellow boxes. From left to right are: an old fire alarm box (no longer connected to the fire department), the 1929 cornerstone of the original lower church (only partly visible behind shrubbery), and the 1964 cornerstone of the upper church.
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There are better views of these three features in the photos below. The Latin motto on the 1929 cornerstone, a standard dedication, means “to the greater glory of God.”
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| South entry with fire alarm box |
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| Original 1929 cornerstone |
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| 1964 Cornerstone |
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| An early architect's rendering of the planned "upper" church - CLICK to enlarge |
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Soon after the lower church was built, the rectory next door at the corner of Russell Street was completed in 1932. Then construction of the upper church in an elaborate Gothic style, as pictured at left, was planned.
The Great Depression, followed by World War II, put those plans on hold. Construction of the upper church was further delayed by the postwar baby boom leading to construction of St. Rita School in 1956 (below), followed by the purchase and expansion of the Gillies homestead to provide a convent for the Sisters who fully staffed the school in its early years. The upper church was finally built in a more modern Gothic-inspired style and was dedicated in 1964.
Now with only one priest serving both St. Rita and St. Stephen churches, and the one Sunday service at St. Stephen less than half full, the parish decided in 2019 to close St. Stephen. The last service there was scheduled for April 19, 2020, but with all services canceled due to the pandemic, there are plans to have it at a later date.
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| St. Rita's School (1956), on Gillies Road |
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