The first Cape Verdean Catholic Church In North America

ESTABLISHED 1905

 EARLY HISTORY:

A BISHOP’S WISDOM And the Charism of Fr. Stanislaus Bernard, ss.cc.

On April 6, 1905, Bishop Stang, the first Bishop of the Fall River Diocese, wrote to Fr. Stanislaus Bernard, ss.cc., entrusting the spiritual care of Cape Verdeans living in New Bedford to the Congregation of the Scared Hearts of Jesus and Mary.   

On August 15, 1905, the feast day of Our Lady of the Assumption, a small chapel was purchased at the corner of Water and Leonard Streets. Once a seaman’s chapel, then a shop for the needy, later a synagogue, after that a kindergarten and a storehouse, the chapel now took on new life as the first Cape Verdean Church in North America. Although initially small in numbers, Our Lady of the Assumption Church grew as people emigrated at a rate of 1000 to 1500 per year from the Cape Verde Islands (a series of Portuguese shipping islands off the coast of Africa) to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Fr. Stanislaus led the parish from 1905 to 1923. He lived a few miles away at the Provincial House in Fairhaven.   Each day on bicycle, he crossed over the bridge to the little church on Water Street. Women parishioners helped form the early foundation.  Undeterred by their lack of formal education, classrooms, books or money, they taught catechism in English and Portuguese in their homes.  As the Cape Verdean community grew, it expanded beyond the confines of the church property. With transportation still a hardship, Fr. Egbert Steenbeck, ss.cc., served the rural population by forming religious education classes in the rural parishioners’ homes in Dartmouth. Fr. Edmund Francis, ss.cc., opened a mission in a converted Freetown barn. On Saturday nights altar servers and the priest would stay in the home of a parishioner, preside over early Sunday Mass and then return to New Bedford for other Sunday services.

The New CHURCH: High Tide and land ho!

OLOA’s original location, near the city’s waterfront, made it prone to frequent flooding. In 1954, Hurricane Carol wrought destruction in the area. Fr. Edmund found a boat to get to the church. Young parishioners saved the sacred vessels after successfully diving into the water to reach the altar. The courageous lads got out by swimming through the upper choir loft windows. This crisis became the final motivation for relocating the church.

Bishop James Connolly gave his final approval for the move in September 1956.  An estimated cost of $105,000 did not discourage the OLOA community, and fund raising plans got underway. The building project proceeded efficiently and, remarkably, on September 1, 1957, the new church was ready for dedication. Fr. Stanislaus presided over the last Mass at the original church. Later, in his first homily at the new location, he encouraged the community to remain strong by staying close to each other. Today, Cape Verdeans live throughout the US from coast-to-coast. Although no longer with us, they keep in touch with events and often return home.  The door always remains open with a friendly welcome to all.

OLOA has an active parish community where everyone has a say and can find their special place.   Community work is organized through:

Future:  OLOA—ALIVE, Happy 100^th Anniversary

 Prior to our centennial celebration, parishioners wanted to thank the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. From October 2004 to January 2005, a variety of fund raising events were held to support the educational expenses of a young Cape Verdean seminarian. We reached our $8,000 goal quickly. Plans are now underway to collect $12,000 that will go towards supporting the Congregation’s residential village in India that provides housing for families with children who suffer from Hansen’s Disease (leprosy.)

After agreeing that our anniversary would take more than one day to celebrate, parishioners of OLOA set aside the fifteenth day of each month during its centennial year to reminisce and give thanks. Centennial programs were organized and presented by different parish groups through which the entire OLOA community had a chance to reflect upon and appreciate our history. The official centennial of Our Lady of the Assumption Church was celebrated on August 15, 2005 with a liturgy in our church. 

Centennial Liturgy: We are the church

To accommodate former parishioners and guests who reside outside Massachusetts, another anniversary Mass was celebrated on August 14, 2005, at New Bedford High School Auditorium. Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado from Cape Verde joined us for the celebration. Fr. David Reid, ss.cc., Provincial, Fr. Martin Gomes, ss.cc., and many SS.CC.’s  from the Scared Hearts Community joined us. Most Reverend George Coleman, bishop of the Fall River Diocese was the main celebrant. The shimmering tapestry of Our Lady suspended behind the altar, the priests’ vestments, floral arrangements, streamers, bilingual programs and music were created by parishioners. The centennial liturgy will long be cherished by the assembly, who felt blessed with the profound sense that we are the Church. With God’s abundant grace, we will continue to keep our hopes and dreams alive.   ◘

SS.CC. Web Mail

Contact Information: Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Provincial Headquarters:  77 Adams Street,  P.O. Box 111,  Fairhaven, Massachusetts 02719-0111

Phone:  508 993-2442    |    Fax:  508-996-5499   |  Email:  Sacred Hearts Congregation contact

  Webmaster: Jack Iddon