PARISH HISTORY

Our Parish History

The Parish's First Mass was celebrated on the day Father Burns arrived. At 10:30A.M., June 2, 1895 on the Feast of Pentecost, Mass was offered. Four hundred people, including several of the most wealthy and prominent citizens of Watertown, attended on short notice on a very hot spring day. As quoted from a Watertown Daily Times newspaper from that time period "...On the stage there was a neatly constructed but improvised Altar and the congregation, in the absence of kneeling stools or benches, knelt on the floor."

Immediately after the service, steps were taken to organize and incorporate the Church, which was to be known as "The Church of the Holy Family." That week the necessary documents were drawn up and the first trustees appointed. It was officially incorporated September 2, 1895. Father Burns gave an eloquent and prophetic sermon during that First Mass predicting that "...future days will see this Parish grow and prosper and become the pride not only of yourselves, but of the Diocese of Ogdensburg...be not afraid to encounter dangers or obstacles, but pray that we might see God glorified, that He may send His Holy Spirit down upon us and that the parish may grow and spread."

The original parish census consisted of about 75 families or roughly 400 people.
In the Spring of 1896 plan were made to construct a church. Two lots of Woolworth property on Winthrop Street were purchased for a little over $10,000. (Our present day Holy Family Church is located on this site)
Construction was started on a California Franciscan mission style church. This Southwest style was chosen by the architect, John Griffin, who had recently returned from Southern California and had admired the adobe churches of the Spanish missions. he had taken photographs in the hope of reproducing this type of architecture in the east.
The small church which had a seating capacity of only 800, was often filled to capacity because of Father Burn's oratory skills and the large number of visitors who came to admire and worship at this unique church. Father Michael Burns continued as pastor and saw his parish flourish. In 1898, 35 boys and girls received First Communion. During the winter of 1902 and continuing through to 1903, the Catholics of Holy family launched a drive for funds to build a permanent church structure. The house that remained in the front of the mission church was razed to make room for the foundation, which as laid in the spring of 1903. Most Rev. Joseph H. Conroy, Vicar General of the Diocese officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony on August 1, 1903 laying the cornerstone.
The church building with a seating capacity of 1000 people, was built from Gouverneur marble in the Gothic, Norman style. The style supported a slate roof and included a 100-foot bell tower.

When the exterior of the church was completed in 1904, final work started on the interior. Round circular steps flanked the high main Altar. Small wooden Altars were situated on either side of the Sanctuary, with a communion rail separating the body of the church from the sanctuary. The floor of the church was designed to slope slightly to enable better visibility.
The stained glass windows were crafted in Germany and exported to Watertown via Saint Louis, MO in the 1890's. Where they were displayed at the World's Fair. In 1904 they captured the grand prize at the World's Expo in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
Many of the items found within the church were gifts of individual parishioners, including the giant clam shell holy water fonts from the Great Barrier Reef near Australia, and the statue of Saint Anne.
On November 30, 1904 the church was dedicated. Religious and civil dignitaries from all over the country were in attendance. Over 100 priests and 30 Altar boys processed through the church. At the main Altar all present knelt and sang the litany of the saints. Celebrating the Solemn High Mass was the Archbishop pf Kingston, Ontario. A 75 member choir, accompanied by an orchestra, provided the music for the Mass.
In 1907 the Sacred Heart Society funded the painting of Jesus appearing to Saint Mary Margaret. Ilario Panzeroni, of New York City, created the colorful murals of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Family. Our Young Ladies' Sodality donated the painting of the Holy family, our church's namesake. They also provided the stained glass window of the Nativity in the south transept. It was with that backing that Father Burns, while visiting Oberammergam, Germany in 1910, was able to purchase a statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus. (The sculptor, Anton Lang, played the role of Christus in the Passion Play that year) It was also during that time that Father Burns ordered a new Altar and altar rail, made of Carrara marble, which was sent from Italy. In 1914 ten years after the dedication and completion of the church, the present day rectory was built costing $30,000 and constructed of the same Gouverneur marble as the church, it replaced the old rectory on Franklin Street.