St. Martha Parish

Picture provided by the Plainville Historical Commission

In the beginning, the Catholics of Plainville were served by a number of neighboring parishes. The saintly Father Francis Matignon from The Holy Cross Church in Boston visited Wrentham in 1797 and celebrated Mass for the first time for the Catholics of Wrentham and the surrounding towns. Certainly the Catholics of Plainville participated in that celebration of the Eucharist so close at hand. The Church of the Holy Cross in Boston at that time served all the Catholics of New England so Father Matignon and Father Cheverus would visit Wrentham every few months on their wide circuit of their pastoral visitations to the widely-scattered Catholic community throughout New England. As new parishes were later established to provide for the spiritual needs of a burgeoning Catholic population, the towns of Plainville and Wrentham were linked successively to newly-established parishes in North Attleboro, Walpole, Franklin and Foxboro until the towns of Wrentham and Plainville were established as the Parish of Saint Mary in 1928. The exodus of the Catholic community from the cities to the suburbs following World War II gave impetus to a proposal for the establishment of a separate parish for the Catholics in Plainville.

On August 4, 1951, the first Mass in Plainville was celebrated by Father John McEachern, pastor of St. Mary Parish, on the lawn of the home of Charles Russell on South Street which is now the site of St. Martha Parish Center. More than four hundred people attended, including the Sisters from Dominican Academy on School Street. The beautiful weather added to the joyous occasion. This marked the beginning of the arduous, but satisfying task of founding a new parish.

During the month of August, each Sunday and on the Feast of the Assumption, Mass was offered outdoors under blue skies by Father William Glynn, curate of St. Mary Parish.  The portable altar was set in front of a garden of beautiful flowers, banked by the Papal and American flags.  About 150 chairs were set on the lawn and about as many people stood.  Music was played from recordings. The men of the parish set all the equipment in order, and the State Police directed traffic.  The vestments and Mass equipment were stored in the Russell home.  Miss Agnes Russell was the first Altar Society worker.

Beginning on a rainy September 2, 1951, and until the church was completed, Mass was celebrated in Garford’s Garage Terminal which was located at the site of the present police and fire station on South Street. Every Saturday night, the trucks were moved and the men of the parish spread cord matting on the floor and set up benches. George Thomas built the altar, which is now in use in a mission.

Mr. Charles Russell then donated land on which a chapel for the Catholics of Plainville could be built. Archbishop Cushing gratefully accepted the donation of the land on December 29, 1951. The parishioners responded with enthusiastic cooperation.

A fundraising committee was organized at St. Mary, Wrentham, on July 2, 1952, by Rev. Thomas P. Fallon, who was now pastor of St. Mary Parish. He was joined shortly thereafter by his new assistant, Rev. James H. Coffey.  Charles Russell was chairman of the building fund committee with Henry Poirier as vice chairman, Marion Martin as secretary and Frank Tremblay as treasurer.

Many people sacrificed their time and energy to help establish a new church in Plainville and were rewarded generously by the community which supported the fundraising drive.  Groups of parishioners went from door to door soliciting pledges.  Memorial plates were sold after Mass each Sunday.  Whist parties were sponsored by St. Mary Parish to help the funding drive.  Under Father Coffey’s direction two plays were produced.  You Can’t Take It With You, was performed at Stonehill College and Blithe Spirit, at the Parish Hall at St. Mary.  Variety shows at King Philip’s Ballroom entertained crowds and helped support the building fund.  Donations were also generously given by the business community.  Frank Tremblay was given a special note of thanks as a fundraiser by the committee.  One can still see the many beautiful memorials in the church donated by parishioners.

After hearing of the fidelity and generosity of the people of Plainville from Father Fallon, Archbishop Richard Cushing approved the building plans for a new church.  The groundbreaking ceremonies were held on November 8, 1952, with Rev. Thomas P. Fallon officiating, assisted by Revs. James H. Coffey and John Conroy, O.P.  The building was completed in the spring and blessed on May 17, 1953, by Archbishop Cushing.  It is interesting to note that on the sixtieth anniversary of the date of that first Mass in St. Martha, the Sacrament of Confirmation was conferred upon the young people who represent the future of the parish on May 17, 2013.

The long-anticipated day finally arrived on July 27, 1953 when the mission chapel was canonically established by Archbishop Cushing as an independent parish for the Catholics of Plainville. There were 210 Catholic families in Plainville at that time. There are currently more than 900 Catholic families registered as parishioners of St. Martha Parish.

Monsignor Thomas Fallon, Pastor of St. Mary, Wrentham, had the privilege of naming our parish. Coincidentally, July 19th which was the feast of St. Martha, was also Father Fallon’s birthday. St. Martha was the sister of St. Mary of Bethany and is portrayed in scripture as a hard-working, practical person who accomplished every task that she undertook with diligence and devotion. The parishioners of St. Martha take after their patron saint in many ways!  Father Fallon contributed greatly to the foundation of the new parish and earned the undying gratitude of the parishioners. Father Richard F. Norton was appointed the first pastor of St. Martha Parish and the rest is history!

Please join us as we continue to write the ongoing history of St. Martha Parish!