On Oct. 15, 1897 -- 225 years ago this month -- Msgr. Joseph M. Guillard, OMI, pastor of Sacred Heart in Lowell, wrote to Archbishop Williams requesting that additional territory be granted to his church.

In the early 1880s, it became clear to Archbishop Williams that the growing number of Catholic farmers and laborers in the south end of Lowell necessitated the creation of a new parish there. Since the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who staffed Immaculate Conception in Lowell, had long served as chaplains at the Lowell "City Farm" (poorhouse) in the southern part of Lowell, Archbishop Williams assigned the fathers of that congregation the task of erecting the new parish.

The lower church of Sacred Heart was constructed and dedicated in 1884, but the high cost of construction and limited financial means of the fledgling congregation delayed the construction of the upper church until 1901. Additionally contributing to the delay was the decision of Sacred Heart's third pastor, Msgr. Guillard, to prioritize the construction of a parochial school over the construction of an upper church.

In 1884, the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore -- a national meeting of all the United States bishops -- had decreed that "in every church where it does not already exist, a parochial school shall be established within two years after the promulgation of this Council, and maintained in perpetuity, unless the bishop . . . Shall judge that a delay may be conceded." Upon assuming his post at Sacred Heart, Msgr. Guillard immediately set out to fulfill this obligation, personally visiting every parishioner's home to request financial assistance for the construction of a new parochial school. Sacred Heart School opened in 1892, staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

While it was one thing to collect the funds to construct the school, it was quite another to find annual support for its upkeep. Enrollment in the school had swelled from 106 when the school first opened to more than 300 by 1897; yet, in his 1897 letter to Archbishop Williams, Msgr. Guillard lamented, "Parents are not willing to pay for Catholic education."

In order to "meet our financial difficulties ($40,000)," the monsignor went on to say, Sacred Heart parish required additional parishioners; that is to say, it required additional territory.

Sacred Heart was erected as a "territorial parish," a parish assigned to minister to the Catholics of a set geographical area. When it was established, it took a large section of territory from nearby St. Peter Church; however, much of that territory consisted of cemeteries, vacant lots, and land owned by railroad companies. The residential areas that did belong to the parish were mainly inhabited by poor laborers, many of whom worked in the nearby Lowell Bleachery.

The territorial boundaries of the parishes of St. Peter and Sacred Heart were originally divided just north of River Meadow Brook (also known as Hale Brook), following what is now Kinsman Street and Swift Street to the Concord River. Msgr. Guillard proposed that the boundaries of Sacred Heart be extended northward to the Rogers Street Bridge, taking from St. Peter the densely-populated area south of Central Street. In making his appeal to the archbishop, he wrote, "My request is a modest one, if especially you cast a glance on what remains to the Rev. Pastor of St. Peter."

The "Rev. Pastor of St. Peter," Father Michael Ronan, likely disagreed with Msgr. Guillard's assessment of the request as "modest." His parish's territory, while densely populated, was much smaller than the territory assigned to Sacred Heart -- less than half the size. And while Sacred Heart had areas in which to expand (including the "vacant lots" mentioned in Msgr. Guillard's letter), St. Peter's opportunities for growth were much more limited.

In light of these factors, Archbishop Williams decided not to grant the request of Msgr. Guillard, and the parishes' territories remained fixed. Yet the episode underscores the extent to which parish boundaries played a vital role in the financial viability of parishes in the 19th century. Boundary disputes and quibbles were a fixture in parish life, and their outcomes could mean the difference between survival and failure for a parish, parochial school, or convent.

Sacred Heart muddled through the financial troubles of the late 19th century. Its upper church, dedicated by Cardinal William H. O'Connell in 1901, was of a beautiful Romanesque style, designed by the noted architect Patrick C. Keely. Its school eventually became one of the most successful parochial schools in the region, and the universal Church has been enriched by the more than 200 vocations to the priesthood and religious life that derived from its halls.



VIOLET HURST IS AN ARCHIVIST FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON.