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A Brief History

        The Crest

crest.jpg (137434 bytes)


The St. Catherine of Siena Parish crest bears symbols
which characterize both the location and the history of
our church and its people.

The upper quarters and the central embossing on the
cross show the four symbols of the patron of our parish:  
the fleur-de-lis and book and quill (representative of the
varied and successful efforts of St. Catherine to return the
Papacy from its temporary location in Avignon to its
original home in Rome), and the Chi-Rho and crown of thorns,
evidence of the centrality of Christ in the life of St. Catherine.

The lower quarters display a codfish (symbol of Massachusetts)
and the carillon tower of Norwood’s town hall.  The three
mountains across the bottom of the crest are taken from
the Archdiocesan shield and represent the old name of
Boston – Tremont. The branches of oak leaves across
the top are symbols of fortitude and strength – qualities amply
displayed by generations of parishioners.


History
Although St. Catherine’s Parish was not formally founded
until 1890, it had its deepest and most significant origins in
the faith of those pioneer Catholics who settled in South
Dedham (Norwood) in the mid 1840’s.  This area was then an
integral part of Dedham Village located some four miles to the north.

The region now known as Norwood was then referred to as
Tiot, a name given by the early Neponset Indians who had
ranged across the meadows of this territory.  The name in
Algonquin tongue meant “the place enclosed by water,” a
reference to the several streams which can be found in the
outer districts of the town.

When the early Catholics ventured into South Dedham,
they found a typical New England village with relatively few
}business establishments and given over almost entirely to
agricultural pursuits.


The future of Norwood was assured by the building of the
Bird and Son paper mills in East Walpole in 1817.  A great
influx of immigrants occurred in the year 1847 as the Norfolk
County Railroad began laying tracks through the heart of the
town.  The men who came to build for the future were men of
Ireland who were fleeing the persecutions and poverty of their
native land.  In the then next few years others would arrive as
the Great Famine laid low countless thousand of the Irish
people.  These men actually constituted the nucleus of the
future St. Catherine’s Parish.

In the 100 years that have bridged two centuries, St. Catherine
of Siena Parish has become an integral part of the community
of Norwood.  It has contributed much to the success of the town.
The past century has been marked by the steady expansion of
Norwood from a “small country town” of some 7,000 residents
to a fully developed suburban center with a population of 30,000. 
Accompanying the rapid growth of the town has been the equally
remarkable growth in the membership of the Parish.

Fr. Troy was greeted by the 1,500 Catholics of Norwood in 1890;
Msgr. McRae is currently the pastor of more than 15,000 souls.
And bear in mind that three other Catholic parishes were
established within the town limits (St. George’s in 1912-now
closed, St. Peter’s in 1919-now closed, and St. Timothy’s in 1963,
and two adjacent parishes (St. Mary’s in East Walpole and
St. Denis’ in Westwood have drawn some of their congregations
from St. Catherine’s Parish.

To meet the needs of the Catholics of Norwood, the small church
purchased for $3,000 in 1863 has been replaced by a church and
parish complex valued in the millions of dollars.  Where once an
occasional visit of a mission priest and the infrequent celebration
of Mass was the rule for Norwood, there is today a resident Pastor,
two parochial vicars, and five staff serving St. Catherine’s Parish.
Six Sunday Masses are celebrated every weekend.

A variety of organizations – for men and women, for boys and girls,
for adults and high school youth – offers to the parishioners an
impressive array of religious, social, cultural, and athletic activities.
There is hardly a day or night that some group is not meting or
some function is not being held somewhere on the Parish property.
St. Catherine’s Parish is truly a Christian community, a caring and
sharing group of pilgrims struggling along the road to heaven.  It has
had a powerful influence on the lives of tens of thousands of people
over the past century.  It is to be hoped that beneficial influence will
continue in the this century and beyond.
    Vocations to the Priesthood from St. Catherine of Siena Parish
Rev. William V. Ahearn, M.M.
Rev. James X. Henry
Rev. James Allen
Rev. Eugene Hillman, C.S.S.P.
Rev. Walter Abel
Rev. Robert Hilton
Rev. Frederick J. Adelmann, S.J.
Rev. William C. Kendrick
Rev. Edward J. Banks, S.J.
Rev. Anthony Kneizys
Rev. Garrett F. Barry, O.M.I.
Rev. James Michael Lane, O. Carm.
Rev. Frank Breen, M.M.
Rev. Charles D. Logue
Rev. John S. Cleary, O.S.A.
Rev. Thomas E. MacLeod
Rev. Joseph I. Collins
Rev. Leo J. Marsh, M.S.
Rev. Edward Cornell
Rev. Joseph McDonough, C.S.S.P.
Rev. John A. Coughlin
Rev. Timothy McDonough, C.S.S.P.
Rev. Francis Curran
Rev. Joseph Medio
Rev. Martin S. Curran
Rev. Thomas Mulvehill, S.J.
Rev. Peter Curran, O.M.I.
Rev. John R. Mulvehill
Rev. Urban Curran, C.P. (Robert Curran)
Rev. Daniel J. O’Connell
Rev. John J. Diskin, S.J.
Rev. Arthur Paquette, S.S.J.
Rev. James D. Donovan
Rev. Alexis Paul, C.P. (Richard D. Paul)
Rev. James V. Donovan, O.M.I.
Rev. Gregory Paul, C.P. (Anthony R. Paul)
Rev. James J. Falconer
Rev. Xavier Praino, C.P. (Edward Praino)
Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald
Rev. Rocco Puopolo, S.X.
Rev. Clement M. Frazier
Rev. John Richardson
Rev. Celsus Folan, O.F.M. (Bartley Folan)
Rev. Joseph Ryan, S.J.
Rev. Joseph H. Frates
Rev. Francis Sullivan, S.J.
Rev. John Gavin, S.J.
Rev. William Sweeney, S.S.C.
Rev. Francis M. Greaney
Rev. Eugene Toner, C.S.S.P.
Rev. John Grenham, O.P.
Rev. Martin J. Walsh, O.M.I.
Rev. Peter Grover, O.M.V.
Rev. John J. White


Abbreviations
C.P. – Passionist Fathers
C.S.S.P. – Holy Spirit Fathers
M.M. – Maryknoll Fathers
M.S. – Marist Fathers
O. Carm. – Carmelite Fathers
O.F.M. – Franciscan Fathers
O.M.I. – Oblates of Mary Immaculate
O.M.V. – Oblates of the Virgin Mary
O.P. – Dominican Fathers
O.S.A. – Augustinian Fathers
S.J. – Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
S.S.J. – Josephite Fathers
S.S.C. – Columban Missionaries
S.X. – Xaverian Missionaries
    Vocations to Brotherhood from St. Catherine of Siena Parish
Br. Flavin, C.F.X. (Thomas Flood)
Br. Roderick, C.F.X. (Samuel Hannaford)
Br. John Bosco, F.S.C.H.
(John E. Flaherty)
Br. Simon, O.C.S.O.
(Leonard A. Sansone)
Br. Killian, S.A. (Joseph O’Neil)
Br. Zachary, C.F.X. (Francis T. McGuire)
Br. Michael Fulton, (Michael Sheehan)
 



Abbreviations
C.F.X. – Xaverian Brothers
S.A. – Franciscan Brothers of the Atonement
F.S.C.H. – Cistercian Brothers
O.C.S.O. – Cistercian Brothers



Vocations to Sisterhood from St. Catherine of Siena Parish

Sr. Mary Inez, R.S.M. (Alice Bernier)
Sr. Mary Mura, C.S.J. (Mary Maguire)
Sr. Mary Selicitas, R.S.M. (Bertha Bernier)
Sr. Patricia Maria, S.C.
(Patricia Elizabeth McManus)
Sr. Mary Anthony, S.C. (Rosemary Campbell)
Sr. Agnes of the Trinity, O. Carm.
(Mary McNulty)
Sr. Mary Ireneus, O.S.F. (Theresa Costello)
Sr. Edward Mary, C.S.J. (Ellen Murphy)
Sr. Mary Mark, C.S.J. (Margaret Ann Curran)
Sr. James Catherine, O.S.F. (Mary O’Brien)
Sr. Rose Patricia, S.C.N. (Dorothy A. Diskin)
Sr. Theresa Edward, S.N.D.
(Kathleen Ann Murphy)
Sr. Ann Thomas, C.S.J. (Gertrude D. Diskin)
Sr. Helen Eugenius, C.S.J. (Mary Murphy)
Sr. Mary Christopher of our Lady of Mt. Carmel,

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