This is the twelfth article in a series.  Here are the links for the first eleven parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I
The First Rectory, Part II
Ground Breaking!
The First Convent
Church and School
The New Convent
The New Rectory
A New Pastor

On July 11, 1975, at about 8:45pm, a devastating blast shook the neighborhood.  Something mechanically had gone wrong with the water heater in the convent.  The boiler itself, the boiler room and the entire basement were blown apart.  The rear wall of the convent was split at the basement ceiling level almost the entire length of the building.  The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, workmen had to shore-up the wall all the way to the roof to prevent a collapse of the building.  The total amount of the damage, including furniture and other items was $157,823, which fortunately, was fully covered by insurance.

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This is the eleventh article in a series.  Here are the links for the first ten parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I
The First Rectory, Part II
Ground Breaking!
The First Convent
Church and School
The New Convent
The New Rectory

To many of Saint Joseph’s parishioners, there was a void left in their lives by the death of their Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, one whom they looked upon as truly “Father.”  However, as happened many time in the past history of the Church and will continue to happen in the future history of the Church, God’s people would not be long without a shepherd and spiritual father.

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This is the tenth article in a series.  Here are the links for the first nine parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I
The First Rectory, Part II
Ground Breaking!
The First Convent
Church and School
The New Convent

In typical fashion, our Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, who always thought of himself last, had to be almost forced into realizing that the rectory at 101 Hilldale Road could no longer accommodate the needs of a growing parish as well as the other two priests who were now living with Father Hennegan.  So in 1965, Father Hennegan undertook another building program – the construction of a new rectory.  In July 1965, the preliminary sketches for the new rectory drawn up by the architect Mr. Peter Getz were approved and on October 11, 1965, the bid to build the rectory for $110,000 was awarded to the builder, and parishioner Mr. James J. Clearkin.  By April 1966, the former rectory at 101 Hilldale Road was put up for sale.  (Not to worry – the original rectory has “remained in the family” – first by the Rogers Family and currently by the Duffy Family.)  By July 1966, the new rectory was ready for occupancy.

New Rectory

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This is the ninth article in a series.  Here are the links for the first eight parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I
The First Rectory, Part II
Ground Breaking!
The First Convent
Church and School

On March 15, 1959, at a meeting of Father Hennegan and the parishioners, an Executive Committee was established and given the responsibility of planning a fundraising campaign for a new convent.  The cost of such a building program was approximately $100,000.

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This is the eighth article in a series.  Here are the links for the first seven parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I
The First Rectory, Part II
Ground Breaking!
The First Convent

Father Anthony Garrity

As the raising of Saint Joseph’s church-school combination building progressed, the parish began to grow in numbers and soon the Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, needed the help of an assistant priest.  The first assistant of Saint Joseph Parish was Rev. Anthony M. Garrity who was appointed on January 20, 1955.  However. Father Garrity’s stay among the people of Saint Joseph’s was short-lived because on March 11, 1955, Father Garrity was called to the Father to live with the Eternal High Priest forever.

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This is the seventh article in a series.  Here are the links for the first six parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I
The First Rectory, Part II
Ground Breaking!

The teachers in the new Saint Joseph Parish had first arrived from Saint Helena Parish on Wednesday, July 7, 1954.  The two teachers were Sisters of Saint Joseph, Sister Gertrude and Sister Marie Joseph, who came to teach catechism in the new parish.  Their first class of catechism was made up of six children.  These two Sisters were the first of a large number who would work with the parish priests to bring alive in the hearts of the children the mystery of Jesus Christ.

First Convent – 7628 Waters Road.

Even before the first two Sisters arrived however, Saint Joseph’s Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan had begun plans for a convent.  In April 1954, Father Hennegan negotiated to buy a new private home at 7628 Waters Road for a convent.  Three sisters were assigned to the convent and they opened the convent on Saturday, August 28, 1954.  A room on the second floor served as a temporary chapel.  The first Mass was celebrated in the improvised chapel on November 1, 1954 and through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Lynch, a monstrance was presented to the sisters for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The First Sisters of Saint Joseph at our Parish – from left to right: Sister Silvanus, Sister Ann, Sister Miriam Carmel, Sister Hildegarde, Sister Angeline and Sister Helen Edward

With the opening of school in September 1954, two grades were housed in the convent.  During this first school year, the children’s Sunday Masses were celebrated in Saint Helena’s school auditorium.

Excerpts from the Saint Joseph Church, Cheltenham, Silver Jubilee Memorial Book
(written in 1978 by Rev. John B. DeMayo)

Next week: The Church and School

This is the sixth article in a series.  Here are the links for the first five parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I
The First Rectory, Part II

Saint Joseph Parish was progressing beautifully and so its Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, made plans for the building of the church and school building on the corner of Waters and Boncouer Roads.  Already in August 1953, Father Hennegan had sought permission to purchase a house to be used as a convent and to submit plans for the church and school.  Now on a sunny Sunday, June 20, 1954 at 3pm, the parishioners witnessed the very simple yet profoundly moving ceremony of the breaking of the ground.  The ground was blessed by Father Hennegan and the first spade of dirt was turned by Father Harron, then pastor of Saint Helena Church who was often referred to as the “Godfather” of Saint Joseph Parish.  The second spade was turned by Father Hennegan and the third spade by Mr. James J. Clearkin, Jr.

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This is the fifth article in a series.  Here are the links for the first four parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas
The First Rectory, Part I

In a “Day Book” kept by the Founding Pastor of Saint Joseph Church, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, we read that on Wednesday, March 3, 1954, the first Ash Wednesday in the parish was observed.  The Blessing of the Ashes and Mass took place with 68 parishioners in attendance and two altar boys, Robert and Eugene Corbett of Ninth Street.  Ashes were also distributed at 4pm and the Rosary, short talk and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was held at 8pm.

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This is the fourth article in a series.  Here are the links for the first three parts:

Our Founding: June 12, 1953
The First Parish Meeting
Our First Christmas

The First Rectory at 101 Hilldale Rd.

Anxious to be even closer to his people and to provide them with a more convenient location so that daily Mass could be offered in the new Saint Joseph Parish, Founding Pastor, Rev. Francis J. Hennegan, received permission on June 15, 1953 from Archbishop O’Hara to purchase a house to be used as a rectory.   The Oak Lane Manor Realty Company was building a series of houses on Hilldale Road.  In June 1953, Father Hennegan signed an agreement of sale to purchase a house that would be constructed on Lot #578.  The house and ground would cost $25,000.  In January 1954, the new rectory was ready for occupancy at 101 Hilldale Road.

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