On June 7th, 1914 Bishop Rice of Burlington
visited here and dedicated the newly constructed chapel in Cambridge,
a small mission under the direction of Rev. Joseph Therrien and St.
Thomas Parish in Underhill Center. Approximately 100 parishioners
attended Mass at this mission chapel, the present site of St. Mary's
Church. It was not until the 1940's under rev. Charles Marcoux that
the chapel was enlarged to its present size. Less than a generation
later, devastation struck as a fire raged through and destroyed the
interior of the church in June 1960. rev. Daniel Roberts, pastor at
the time, moved Mass to the Cambridge Community Hall and began renovations
immediately. By 1964, St Mary's interior had been restored to its
present decor, with softer pastel colors and stained glass to enhance
this simplicity, along with new status as a parish church, with St.
John the Apostle in Johnson as its mission. The new pastor, Rev. Francis
Holland, St. Mary's first full-time pastor, saw the parish thrive
under his guidance. In 1966, a rectory was built and the existing
parking area enlarged after purchasing adjacent land from the neighboring
farm owned by Warren Fos. The 1970's saw continued growth for the
parish; at one point, the LaSalette Fathers of Enfield, New Hampshire
sent a team of two priests and one religious brother, anticipating
even greater growth and attempting to serve Johnson State College
as well.
Growth has been steady and now includes parts of
Waterville, Belvidere, Fletcher and Underhill, along with Cambridge and Jeffersonville. Now in a shared pastorate with
St. Thomas Church in Underhill Center St. Mary's is no longer attached to St. John's in Johnson; it remains as a independent
parish, retaining its canonical status as a parish. The number of families is approximately 200 households.
When Rev. Francis Prive assumed the pastorate of St. Mary in the summer of 2000, he invited the religious
order of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit to move into the rectory and act as a supportive presence to both
parishes. Fr. Prive resided in Underhill, Sister Rose Gauthier was hired as Pastoral Assistant, Sister Yvette
Rainville continued her mission at St. Thomas as DRE and Sister Connie Perron initiated a Parish Visitation
Program in both parishes. This new collaborative effort between parishes had the distinction of being the first
one of its type in the Diocese of Burlington.
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