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The Parish
The history of a parish is always the history of people and
their church building which expresses visibly their faith and dedication to a
way of life. Williamstown does not have a large population of Catholics
and never has had a large number. Yet the town is home to two Catholic churches.
The first of these churches was dedicated to Saint Patrick in 1889, with
the original structure located on the corner of Main and Park Streets. That
building was replaced by the present church on Southworth Street,
dedicated in 1897. In addition to serving the needs of the majority of the
Catholics of Williamstown, the parish then also took responsibility for the
spiritual needs of the Catholics of Williams College.
While St. Patrick was being built, various people of French
descent were making their way to the area and sought a place to worship with
French as the predominant language. As the numbers of French-speaking Catholics
increased, the Bishop was moved to grant their request to establish a second
parish in Williamstown and build a church. Construction was begun in 1889 and
the building was officially dedicated in 1891 to archangel Raphael.
The two parishes thrived and were very active communities of
faith. There were difficult times following World War II when manufacturing
began to decline and companies began moving out of the area, but the parishes
adjusted and continued to be vital sources of life in the community. However, be
the mid-1980's the wide-spread shortage of priests available for assignment to
the parishes of the diocese had reached Williamstown, and the then Bishop
Maguire "yoked" the two parishes in 1989. The two remained distinct
parishes, but were now served by one pastor rather than two. The arrangement
worked so well that in 1997 the parishes were merged into one.
Sadly, St. Raphael Church on Cole Avenue is now
closed.
St. Raphael's celebrated it's final mass on Pentecost Sunday, 2007. The church
and rectory are now on the market to be sold.
Directions to the Churches
St. Raphael is located on Cole Avenue which is off of Main Street, (which is
also Route 2), the main road
through town. The street intersection has the distinction of having the only
stop light in Williamstown.
St. Patrick is located on Southworth Street which is also off of Route 2,
closer to the center of town. This intersection is almost directly across from
the Williamstown Savings Bank. See the map below.
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