October 12, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Our Mother of Consolation parish celebrates 150 years
by MADELEINE M. KEEHN

The Rev. Robert Bazzoli, OSFS, “Father Bob” to his parishioners, stands next to a tree planted by members of Our Mother of Consolation to mark the church’s 150th year. The year-long celebration is winding down in the next few months. (Photo by Kristin Pazulski)

The 150th anniversary celebration of the founding of Our Mother of Consolation Roman Catholic Church in Chestnut Hill will come to an end Sunday, Nov. 12, with the rededication of the original church cornerstone and a closing Mass at 3:30 p.m.

Monsignor Francis Beach, vicar for the Northern Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will be the celebrant, and the Rev. Robert Bazzoli, OSFS, pastor of OMC will be homilist. In attendance will be the Very Rev. Joseph Morrissey, OSFS, provincial of the Oblates' Wilmington/Philadelphia Province.

The Mass will be followed by an Anniversary Gala at the Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.

The yearlong celebration began Nov. 12, 2005, with the dedication and planting of a red maple on the rectory's front lawn.

“The previous tree was 155 years old, diseased and had to come down,” said Bazzoli, a priest of the Oblates of Saint Francis DeSales order. “After all the Sunday masses, parishioners had an opportunity to fill in the hole. The families thought it was great that their children helped plant this new tree. It can be viewed as a symbol of growth and longevity as the parish enters the next 150 years.”

Bazzoli, or “Father Bob” as he is known to his parish family, said the church also has been celebrating 144 years of stewardship by the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine who, because of a diminishing number of priests in their order, returned OMC parish to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1999.

“Their influence is still profound in this parish,” Bazzoli said. “Many of the people have a deep relationship with the priests that were here.”

The Rev. Francis Sirolli, OSA, who had been at OMC since 1991, was the last Augustinian pastor. In the changeover of stewardship to the Oblates, the parish welcomed the Rev. James T. Dever, OSFS, as pastor in July 1999. With his fellow Oblate priests, he served the parish for six years. Bazzoli, the second Oblate pastor, has been there just over a year.

Grateful for the continuous ministry of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the parish will observe the order’s Founder's Day, on Sunday, Oct. 15, at the 11a.m. Mass. Many of the Sisters assigned to OMC through the years, as well as the Sisters' congregational leadership, will attend. A reception will follow the Mass.

OMC’s anniversary year has offered parishioners an opportunity to reflect on the early days of their church when local opposition to the project was strong. According to the Chestnut Hill Historical Society archives, Joseph Middleton, a successful businessman and president of the Wissahickon Turnpike Co., founded St. Mary's (changed to OMC a few years later).

A Quaker and a respected member of Plymouth Meeting Friends, Middleton converted to Roman Catholicism after a long spiritual journey. He was baptized at St. Vincent DePaul Church in Germantown in April 1854. To avoid the long and difficult carriage ride to that church, Middleton's seven children were baptized a few weeks later at their home, “Monticello.” His wife, Lydia Cooke Middleton, became a convert at a later time.

The Middleton estate was located on land that later would become the site of the motherhouse and novitiate of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Mount Saint Joseph Academy (until its relocation to Flourtown in 1962) and Chestnut Hill College.

Middleton wanted a Catholic church that would be more convenient for his family and the growing population of Chestnut Hill. Seeking Bishop John Neumann's permission, Middleton learned that the diocese was unable to supply financial help or a priest for the parish and was advised to seek both on his own.

A determined Middleton went to Old Saint Augustine's church on Fourth Street in Philadelphia and met with Dr. Patrick E. Moriarty, OSA, superior of the Augustinian order in America, a renowned Irish orator, a leader of the Total Abstinence Movement and the priest responsible for establishing St. Thomas of Villanova College — the present-day Villanova University. After hearing Middleton's request, he agreed to take charge of the new mission.

Fierce anti-Catholic activity by the Native American party throughout the city persisted. Rioters had burned Saint Augustine's Church and Convent in 1844, and threatened to do the same to Villanova. Middleton, a former member of this group, hoped to avoid any confrontations and quietly purchased a lot on Chestnut Hill Avenue. He explained it was the site of a new home for his growing family.

When his true intention to build a Catholic church became known, Nativists threatened the project, but Middleton went forward. He designed the church building, directed the construction and continued to fund St. Mary's. Parishioners worked on the building or stood watch to fend off any violence or destruction.

On June 10, 1855, the cornerstone was blessed by Moriarty and on November 11, Bishop John Neumann blessed the new church, which, according to old records, cost $14,542.90. In 1856, Moriarty built a rectory and called it the Hermitage.

In 1858, Middleton sold Monticello to the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Two of the sisters took charge of the parish Sunday school and, at Moriarty's request in 1862, they opened a day school in a tenant house on their property.

During the 1881 alterations to OMC, its basement was remodeled to provide a parish school for 110 pupils. Continuing financial problems delayed future construction until 1888 when the Parish Hall and four classrooms were built. This latest addition to the parish complex included a lecture hall auditorium with a stage and equipment for literary and dramatic entertainment. This was followed by the present-day rectory (1904), a modern school (1916), and finally the convent in 1921.

For 30 years, the Sisters made the daily trip from Mount Saint Joseph and brought along their lunch, which they cooked at the rectory.

In 1947, under the Rev. Thomas McLeod, OSA, the wood paneling of the sanctuary was removed in favor of marble, as well as marble altars and altar rails. The project was completed while the Rev. Edward J. Quinn, OSA, was pastor from 1953-1959. Rita McInerney's book on OMC's first 100 years was welcomed as it described in greater detail the life of the parish during those early years.

The Very Rev. Edward Moran, OSA, was succeeded by the Rev. John F. Casey, OSA, from 1962-1977. Although Vatican II was just getting underway, Father Casey had his own personal approach to ecumenism in the Hill. Together, first with his Boston terrier, Doodlebug, the ice-cream-eating dog, and later, with Buggsy, the three legged Boston terrier who had been injured in an accident, he made the rounds in the neighborhood and attended community meetings.

He met with pastors from other Chestnut Hill churches. The Rev. Richard Nahman, OSA, an assistant with Father Casey, worked with Chestnut Hill Community Association committees in trying to provide greater acceptance and needed services for the handicapped. The Rev. John D. Lawler, a former parishioner and new curate in 1976, worked with the youth groups.

The Liturgy was celebrated in English, the altar was turned around to face the congregation and there was a folk Mass every week. The parish council was organized in 1970.

In 1977, the Rev. James Martinez, OSA, was named pastor. The Rev. Thomas Wilhelm, OSA, the Rev. Ralph Monteiro, OSA, and the Rev. Francis Cerullo, OSA, completed the team whose interests included ecumenism, innovations in liturgy, and social outreach. The Rev. Vincent Hagan, OSA, named pastor in 1979, was there for the 125th anniversary. The Rev. James Sherman, OSA, a former Augustinian provincial, was named pastor in 1984.

Finally, in 1991, Sirolli became the last Augustinian pastor. That same year he was quoted in the Local as choosing the theme of “parish unity” and noted that OMC was not a homogeneous grouping of people.

“There are economic differences, some racial differences, and differences in religious philosophy that are very apparent,” Sirolli said. “I have a vision of people working together, crossing these divides and being more conscious of their unity in Christ.”

Dorothy Corn was christened at OMC in 1916. A student at the John Story Jenks School, Corn recalls getting out of school early to attend CCD class during the week in preparation for First Communion and Confirmation.

“There was always Sunday School after the 9 o’clock Mass,” she said.

Active with the church choir since the 1960s, Corn has also been a longtime member of the finance committee.

“I'm very proud of OMC and think the 150th anniversary is wonderful,” she said

Mary Murray, 84, was baptized at OMC and graduated from the parish school in 1936. Her Irish-born parents, James, a chauffeur, and Margaret, a child's nurse, worked for the same local family.

“They were married by Rev. Martin Geraghty, OSA, on April 19, 1911, at OMC,” she said.

Murray remembers walking to and from school three times a day. “We came home for lunch,” she added.

Tim Dwyer, a fifth generation parish member and an OMC student in the 1960s, said he believed that the parish was not as close-knit today as it once was.

“Life in the early days was more parish-centered,” he said. “That's not possible anymore — it just reflects today.”

OMC’s parish school, led by principal N. Bruce Hagy, has 209 children in grades pre-K-8. There is after school care every afternoon for children through sixth grade. The Sisters of St. Joseph teach math, music and religion and staff the library. The parish CYO includes community service, spirituality and a comprehensive sports program. There is also an active Home and School Association.

Kathleen Bonner fondly remembers Sister Marcelline Marie, SSJ, her first grade teacher at OMC.

“She was well loved,” Bonner said. “The Saint Joseph sisters have been an important part of this parish. I do remember the metal crickets the nuns used so that we all genuflected together during the May Procession.”

Bazzoli sees a bright future for OMC.

“We have 1,300 families, many of whom are young,” he said, noting that the Rev. Joseph Jocco, OSFS, is the parochial vicar on staff. He administers daily to the parish homebound, patients in hospice care and nursing homes. Sister Jane Russell, SSJ, is the director of religious education.

The parish has many programs, including an active Parish Council, a Parents of Little Ones (POLO) group, a Middle Adults Catholic Singles (MACS) group, the St. Vincent DePaul Society, and is actively involved in the Northwest Interfaith Movement.

“Together,” Bazzoli added, “we are forming a Salesian discipleship to enable parishioners to collaborate with us in spreading the charism and spirituality of St. Francis DeSales — living today the best you can in all ways in mind, body, soul and spirituality.”