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Centennial Celebration
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Our Lady of Lourdes Church
A History of the Catholic Church in Wellfleet
Introduction
September 1, 1912. On that day Our Lady of Lourdes, a newly constructed church on Main Street in Wellfleet, was blessed and became the first permanent home of Catholics in the community.
But this church on Main Street was not the first place of worship. The story begins several decades earlier. There may be many who could add
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additional facts and anecdotes to this 100 year history, so to make this story complete those stories need to be told.
The Early Years
Many references indicate that fishermen from the Azores and Nova Scotia who settled on the Outer Cape were the first to bring the Catholic faith to Wellfleet.1 As early as the 1850s, private homes in Wellfleet and Truro served as the place where priests who traveled from churches in Harwich and Provincetown celebrated Mass. Mass was celebrated in the homes of Joseph and Henry DeLory and Simon Berrio Sr.2 who came in the mid‐1850s during the height of the mackerel fishery period from Havre Boucher and Tracadie, small villages in Antigonish County in northern Nova Scotia.
Henry DeLory was a skilled barrel maker. The barrels were used to pack the mackerel for shipment and had to hold water. Henry DeLory and others were known as “herring chokers” and from the beginning they were more than willing to contribute to the community. The townspeople appreciated that and readily accepted them in town as demonstrated when the local residents assembled and worked to repair the damage to Henry’s son James’ house on Commercial Street damaged by a blizzard that blew off part of the roof the first night he spent in his new home.3
1 Diocese of Fall River Archives 2 Images of America – Wellfleet A Cape Cod Village by Daniel Lombardo 3 Cape Cod Echoes, Earle Rich, 1973
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In 1874, 80 Catholics lived in Wellfleet4 and in the same year St. Peter the Apostle Church was established in Provincetown. Father Manuel C. Terra, born in Portugal, became the pastor in 1893, staying for thirty one years and becoming a legend in his time. His sermons in Portuguese were “….emotionally charged and dogmatic. This and his stern behavior earned him the title “Holy Terra.”5 In 1895, Father Terra bought lumber for $200 from a skating rink being torn down, and with that lumber he built a church in Truro that, in January 1896, was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.6 Sacred Heart Church became a mission of St. Peter’s. About the same time Father Terra was looking for a place to establish a mission church in Wellfleet. In the late 1870s, with declining school population, Wellfleet began to close one room schoolhouses. The town planned to build a consolidated town school downtown next to the Congregational Church. “In 1900 [Father] Terra authorized Henry DeLory to purchase an abandoned one‐room school house in South Wellfleet for 59 dollars. It was to be used as a chapel by the parishioners in Wellfleet. The school house was cut into sections and moved closer to central Wellfleet along the State Highway (Route 6) on the site now occupied by the Mobil Service Station.”7 It was named Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel by Father Ter
4 Notes on the Church in Wellfleet & Truro, taken from a book published in 1984 by Rev. Harold J. Whelan, SS.CC., Catholicism on Cape Cod from the Wellfleet Historical Society. 5 Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984. 6 Notes on the Church in Wellfleet & Truro, Ibid. 7 Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984.
The photo below from “Wellfleet Remembered” by R.E. Rickmers shows the old schoolhouse church, complete with stained glass windows, on the occasion of the marriage of Thomas Gray and Mary Frazier in 1912.8
The stained glass windows were moved a decade later to the church built in downtown Wellfleet. Those original stained glass windows remain in place today in Wellfleet Preservation Hall. The inscriptions in the eight windows memorialize many of the early Catholic families and parishioners in the community.
8 Wellfleet Remembered Past to Present in Pictures by R.E. Rickmers, Volume Two, 1982
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Rev. M.C. Terra Mr. and Mrs. Henry DeLory Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Berrio
Mrs. Hellen Hatch Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Rogers Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Frasier Mr. and Mrs. Edward Frasier Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Berrio
Note that one of the stained glass windows is inscribed “Hellen Hatch.” Interestingly, the gravestone in the Catholic Cemetery is inscribed Ellen M. Hatch (1839 – 1914). Although much is known about the other families and many of their descendants continue to live in Wellfleet, little more is known about her.
The Catholic Cemetery, established in the early 20th century across the highway from the church, contains the gravesites of Henry DeLory, Simon Berrio and their families.
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Joseph Berrio (1832‐1924) and his wife Augustine (1836‐1880) were interred in the Boudro French Cemetery, a small family burial ground near Chipman’s Cove9 where they remain as he intended.
In 1882, Sacred Heart Cemetery was established in Truro. The Wellfleet Catholic cemetery and Truro cemetery contain the final resting place of many of the other early Catholic settlers on the Outer Cape. Both cemeteries are now maintained by Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
Early in the 1900s there were mission churches in Brewster, Wellfleet and Truro. The Diocese of Fall River was established in 1904, and at that time the Wellfleet and Truro missions were placed under Holy Trinity Parish in Harwich which was dedicated much earlier in 1866. Harold Whelan noted that in 1908 “The largest number of Catholics was to be found in Truro with 233, and Wellfleet had a Catholic population of 96.”10
9 A Guide to Monuments, Memorials and Burying Grounds in Wellfleet Massachusetts, Wellfleet Historical Society, 2005 10 Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984
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Initially priests lived or stayed in houses on Holbrook Avenue. Father George McGuire, Pastor of Holy Trinity, took a train to Wellfleet to celebrate Mass and then went on to Truro. He stayed overnight with Mr. A. Holbrook or Ida Hopkins and was served meals at Edward Frasier’s home.11 12’ Reverend Robert Jansen, SS.CC was the first priest to establish residence in Wellfleet in 1910. In 1911, Bishop Daniel F. Feehan of Fall River made Our Lady of Lourdes, Wellfleet, a parish with the Truro, Brewster, and Harwich churches as its missions.13 14 15’ ’ The first pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes was Father Hilarion Joseph Eikerling, SS.CC., a Sacred Heart Father who came from Belgium in 1905 and was at the time residing in Harwich.16 He was the first of many priests of the Congregation of The Sacred Hearts who served as pastors and priests at Our Lady of Lourdes.
Sacred Hearts priests came to the United States from many countries: Holland, Germany, Belgium and Ireland. Among the accomplished
11 Interview with Helen Purcell, January 2012 12 Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984. 13 Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984. 14 Wellfleet Remembered Past to Present in Pictures, R.E. Rickmers, Vol 2. 15 The Anchor, September 20, 1962 from the Wellfleet Historical Society archives. 16 Photo of Rev. Eikerling from Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984.
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members of this Congregation was Damien De Veuster, SS.CC., who became famous as the Apostle of the Lepers.
Wellfleet family stories, passed from generation to generation, tell of the times when parishioners would help the Sacred Hearts Fathers with their English so that they could “…carry on a conversation with first‐generation Portuguese who also had trouble with the language.”17 In turn the priests were very much engaged with the families and youth of the community, not just administering the sacraments or training youth to be altar boys and acolytes, but also serving as “…counselors, advisors and social workers…” and tutoring students with their schoolwork.18
At the time, the Wellfleet parish covered much of the Outer and Lower Cape. Holy Redeemer Church in Chatham was served by Wellfleet clergy. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Brewster was at one time a mission of Wellfleet.19
A New Church
In 1911, Father Eikerling bought land for a new church and rectory on Main Street in Wellfleet for $507. The architect was Matthew Sullivan of Boston. It is believed the design was similar to the church in Havre Boucher, Nova Scotia, the home town of the DeLory brothers.
17 “Missionaries End Cape Service”, Marilyn Miller, The Advocate, June 4, 1987 18 Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984. 19 Ibid.
Construction began in early 1912. The contractor was D.D. McDonald. The church was dedicated by Bishop Feehan on September 1, 1912. The rectory was completed in February 1913. Total cost for the church and rectory was $24,329.27, including almost $1,200 in interest on the mortgage which the parish paid off by 1919.20
The altar, reredos, ambo and stand for the baptismal font for the new church were hand carved out of chestnut in Belgium.21
There was a wine cellar in the basement of the 150 seat church. According to an interview with Ernie Rose, the wine cellar was added after the church was completed. With the help of Ernie’s father, Joseph Peter Rose, Father Eikerling punched a hole in the foundation in order to add the wine cellar. Father Eikerling held the drill and Mr. Rose hammered it with a long handled tool that had an iron ball on the end. It is rumored that light in the wine cellar could be detected on the ground
20 The Anchor, October 3, 2003 21 Photo from Wellfleet Historical Society Archives
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surface outside the church. Father Eikerling also set up a library for the parishioners in the rectory. 22
The two postcard photos show views of Main Street in Wellfleet and the Church around 1927. Note the ivy growing on the outside walls of the church and rectory.
22 Interview with Ernie Rose by Mary Fox, October 2008
The church was placed under the direction of the Sacred Hearts Fathers. Sacred Heart Church in Truro, built in 1895 by Father Terra, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in North Truro, built in 1915 by Father Eikerling, became missions under Our Lady of Lourdes.23 An article in The Anchor noted that “During the winter, one Mass was held in each of the churches and two masses in Wellfleet to take care of the 70 families in that [Wellfleet] town. However, in the summer two masses were in the Truro chapel and four in North Truro with seven masses in Wellfleet, two in the basement and five in the upper church.”24
23 Golden Jubilee, Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in the United States. 24 The Anchor, October 10, 2003
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The church had one special feature which reportedly attracted visitors from around the country to view it. In 1913 the Ladies’ Guild of Our Lady of Lourdes Church hooked a red and gold altar rug designed by Father Eikerling. Mrs. Agnes DeLory was president of the Guild. She and ten others hooked the rug in eight sections that were later sewn together.
“And there in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Wellfleet was the biggest hooked rug anyone had ever seen, with border designs, symbols and inscriptions in clear, glowing colors against a background of deep red. The rug flows, without visible break, from the foot of the altar down the steps, across the sanctuary floor, and over the step of the communion rail. Its border of grapes and leaves is in relief as are the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, between an anchor and cross at the altar.”25
25 The Anchor, July 16, 1959
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“Judica Me Deus” appears on the first altar step. “As the Father loves me, also have I loved you” and “Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us” appear on the sanctuary floor.
The Boston Sunday Globe, December 6, 1953, had a photo of the rug and included the following caption.
“FOR HOOKED RUG ENTHUSIASTS – The most outstanding piece of hooked work seen on the Cape, and in fact anywhere during research for “Choice Hooked Rugs,” by Stella Hay Rex (Prentice‐Hall, $6), a sound textbook to aid the craftsman and a thing of beauty to all others.”26
26 The Boston Globe, December 6, 1953
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A section of the rug is now in the Wellfleet Historical Museum – apparently the other half has been discarded.
The Catholic population on the Outer Cape continued to grow. And in 1924, perhaps a sign of the times, the church acquired the land across Main Street for parking. The town maintained the parking lot in exchange for being able to use it for the public when not in use by the church. The church leased the parking lot to the town for $1 per year.27
The Pastors and Priests who served
With the church and rectory located in the center of town, the pastors and priests who served Our Lady of Lourdes had a significant influence on the community. Father Eikerling, who did so much to build and establish the church, served as the first pastor. In 1924, Reverend James L. Connolly served the parish in the summer and later became the Bishop of Fall River.
In 1928, Father Denis Spykers, SS.CC., pictured on the next page, succeeded Father Eikerling as Pastor.28
27 Provincetown Magazine, Past and Present our Lady of Lourdes, date unknown. 28 Photo from Whelan, Catholicism on Cape Cod 1984
Father Spykers was born in 1882 in Tilburg, The Netherlands, ordained in 1913 and came to the United States in 1917. He enjoyed ice skating on Squire’s Pond and became known throughout the town. This helped with the acceptance of Catholic missionaries in the community.
Father Spykers also maintained a beautiful flower garden with a fountain and goldfish pond behind the rectory. Members of the community maintained vegetable gardens on the church land.29
The photo on the next page shows Father Spykers at the wedding of Larry Rose and Margaret Hood.
29 Interview with Helen Purcell by Mary Fox and Don Palladino
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In 1931 Father Spykers became pastor of a new church, Holy Trinity Church in West Harwich. Father Arnold Derycke, SS.CC. followed Father Spykers and in turn he was succeeded by Father Egbert Steenbeck, SS.CC. in 1933.
Father Spykers returned to Wellfleet in 1935 and served as pastor until 1963. In 1952 Father Spykers, the longest serving pastor in the history of the church, was honored by the town with a citation “naturalizing” him as a “true born Wellfleeter.”30
30 The Anchor, October 10, 2003
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Richmond Bell remembers, as a young boy, delivering papers to Father Spykers, or as he was known affectionately as Father Denis, who always rewarded Richmond with a sweet or pastry. Richmond still lives in his boyhood family home on the corner of Main Street and Whit’s Lane – his father Doctor Clarence J. Bell, who served as the town doctor, owned the first automobile in Wellfleet in 1907.31 Dr. Bell also worked closely with the pastors and parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes in times of sickness and death.
In the 40s and 50s there were regular whist parties and minstrel shows in the church basement, and in the 1950s bric‐a‐brack sales, a favorite expression of Father Spykers and the forerunner to the present day Holly Fair. In the 1940s and 1950s members of the church choir seemed to be all from the Rose families. Rita Rose, who succeeded the original church organist Sadie Joseph, was the organist.
A new organ, replacing the original, was purchased through the collection of Green Stamps.32 Jeanne Bell, who married Richmond Bell in 1950, served as choir director and organist for 30 years until 1985.33
31 Interview with Richmond Bell, Cindy Cocivera, Kay Rogers, Judy Thureson, Dottie Herold and Carol Ubriaco, January 2012.
32 Ibid. 33 Interview with Richmond Bell, Ibid.
This photo, from the personal files of Cynthia Cocivera, shows the First Communion Class circa 1945. Note the altar rail. The photo below is Jennifer Sousa’s First Communion in 1988.
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In many ways the church served as a community center. The parish also participated in local events, here at the 4th of July town parade in 1957.34
In 1963 Father Spykers was succeeded by Father Paul J. Price, SS.CC. who was well known in town as a wonderfully happy red faced Irishman. In turn, he was succeeded by Father Leo King, SS.CC. in 1964, Father Alan Nagle, SS.CC. in 1967 and by Father Benedict Folger in 1973. During the 34 Photo from the private collection of Dottie Herold
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winter months there were five masses at the three churches (Wellfleet, Truro and North Truro) but in the summer thirteen masses were necessary.35 Father Jude F. Morgan became pastor in 1975.
In the mid 1970s the nation was preparing for the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence. Wellfleet joined in the preparation by dedicating an anchor as a symbol of hope to its fishermen, planting trees along town streets and funding the preservation of historical documents.
Father Morgan planned to contribute to the Town’s efforts by painting the exterior of the church, but something better and totally unexpected happened. By Lombardo’s account, “…in 1975, Father Morgan allowed two itinerant artists, Charles McCleod and John Kendall, to tent in the backyard. The men spent the summer there and hand‐carved dramatic and colorful front doors.”36 The eight panels depict biblical stories showing episodes in the life of the Virgin Mary. The interior panels depict the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The doors were refinished after the Church was acquired by Wellfleet Preservation Hall and remain in place just as they were in 1975.
35 Brief Revised History of the Church, Wellfleet (July 1978), notes compiled by Helen Purcell and edited by Father Jude Morgan, SS.CC. 36 Images of America – Wellfleet A Cape Cod Village by Daniel Lombardo
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Reverend Jeremiah Casey, SS.CC. served as pastor from 1975 to 1985. Those who remember him recall his favorite saying was “…everything in moderation.”37 During that time the Church held bake sales and crafts fairs. The basement of the Church became the home of the Outer Cape Performance Company.
Father Casey was succeeded as pastor by Father Fred Myers who served until 1987. By that time the Sacred Hearts Fathers had served the Catholic community in Wellfleet for 77 years. They gave up that responsibility in the summer of 1987 and moved to care for missions in southern Texas. The first diocesan priest to serve in Wellfleet was Father Bernard R. Kelly, who served as pastor from 1987 to 1997. In the summer of 1997 Father William Norton replaced Father Kelly. Because of illness, Father Norton was not able to continue as pastor and he was succeeded on Columbus Day weekend in 1997 by the much beloved Father John F. Andrews, who served as pastor until 2011.
The Move
In 1999, Bishop Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap. changed parish boundaries so that Our Lady of Lourdes included half of Eastham, all of Wellfleet and half of Truro. At the time it was decided by the bishop that the needs of Catholics on the Outer Cape would best be served by three churches, St. Peter’s in Provincetown, St. Joan of Arc in Orleans and halfway between
37 Interview with Richmond Bell, etc.
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the two a new Our Lady of Lourdes in Wellfleet to replace the church downtown and the mission churches in Truro and Eastham.
In November 2000, Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Wellfleet was closed. The altar, reredos, ambo and stand for the baptismal font were disassembled and put in storage. The property was sold to the Town of Wellfleet for $800,000.
In 2007, after considerable discussion and a review of various proposals, the town decided to transfer ownership of the building to Wellfleet Preservation Hall, a non‐profit organization established by local citizens. This group would seek grants and private funding to save the building and convert it to a center for community activities and cultural events.
The parish moved its worship site to Our Lady of the Visitation Church in North Eastham, a mission church dedicated in the summer of 1952 originally assigned to Saint Joan of Arc parish in Orleans. A small house in South Wellfleet was purchased to serve as the parish rectory. This was to be a temporary move until new church and rectory were built in Wellfleet on ten acres bought by Bishop Daniel A. Cronin in 1988 for $540,000.
In the meantime, Father Andrews celebrated Mass at Visitation Church which expanded by way of movable partitions to double the 300 seat capacity during the summer months. The Holly Fair and other events were run from the Church basement.
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The restoration of the former church on Main Street was completed successfully in 2011. The building, now known as Wellfleet Preservation Hall with the restored hand carved front doors and the original stained glass windows from the old mission chapel on Route 6 and later in Our Lady of Lourdes Church downtown intact, has become a centerpiece of cultural and social activity in downtown Wellfleet.
Planning and fundraising for the new church in Wellfleet began in earnest under the supervision of Father Andrews who had also supervised the building of St. Joan of Arc in Orleans where he served as pastor from 1980 to 1991.
The original plan called for a new 700 seat church to be built in 2003 and for a mission church to remain open, but planning was put on hold when funding did not match the need. A total of $395,000 in donations to build the church was returned to donors. The plans were revised to call for a smaller church in Wellfleet, a parish center and a rectory. The new construction would be partially funded by selling our Lady of the Visitation Church in North Eastham.38
In November 2005 Bishop Coleman approved planning for a 500 seat church in Wellfleet and gave the final approval to proceed in April 2006. However, work slowed to a turtle’s pace because the National Heritage Endangered Species Program determined that the property was a natural habitat for the Eastern box turtle that had been designated as a threatened species. That required setting aside five of the ten acres in a
38 The Anchor, March 30, 2007
conservation restriction to protect the habitat of the Eastern box turtle. The photo below shows Father Andrews with the iconic weathervane that now sits atop a cupola on the parish hall.
In December 2007, Father Andrews blessed the site with holy water from Lourdes given to him by parishioner Mary Rogers.
Construction of the new church in Wellfleet, with a budget of $6,650,000 began on December 8, 2007. The construction contract was awarded to Carr Enterprise, Ltd. of Peabody. Design of the new church was by Holmes & Edwards, Inc. Architects (Jim Edwards & Valerie Williams). Site preparation began immediately and by February 2008 the church foundation walls were poured, and the new church began to take shape.
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By July 2008 the roof trusses for the church, built in North Dakota, were in place and by January 2009 the exterior was complete.
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While construction of the new church was underway, the altar, reredos, ambo and stand for the baptismal font that were built of chestnut in Belgium and installed in the original Our Lady of Lourdes Church in 1912 were taken from storage and refinished magnificently to their near original condition by JDL Finishing, Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
This photo shows the JDL workshop as the reredos was being stripped down to bare wood, repaired where necessary and restored.
Part of the altar from Sacred Heart Mission Church in Truro was added to the front of the reredos and part was used to complete the ambo and stand for the baptismal font. The restored furnishings remain as a reminder of the continuity of the church in the community.
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The photos below show the altar and reredos in the original Church on Main Street and the refinished altar and reredos in the new church.
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The Church contains 21 stained glass windows crafted by Rambusch Company. The centerpiece is Our Lady of Lourdes Window shown below.
Dedication
The new 500 seat church and parish hall were dedicated by Bishop George W. Coleman on March 22, 2009. More than 20 priests from the Diocese participated in the dedication ceremony. Despite the 500 seat capacity, the sanctuary was full to a standing room only.
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At the dedication service, Bishop Coleman commented “Today is a time for rejoicing, as we dedicate this new church to the glory of God under the patronage of Our Lady of Lourdes.” He also noted “You have probably noticed that the box turtle has been memorialized by the weather vane on top of the parish center.”39 There it sits today as a reminder of our fellow occupant of the site.
In July 2011, Father Andrews retired after nearly 50 years as a priest. He was succeeded by Father Hugh McCullough who also serves as pastor of Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Provincetown. Father McCullough, a native of Yonkers, NY, was ordained a Salesian priest in 1979. He formerly served as pastor of St. Joseph Church in Fall River.
39 The Anchor, March 27, 2009
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The church today serves the year round community of Catholics who live from Eastham to Truro and the large number of summer residents and visitors. In addition to being a welcoming and serene place of worship, it is a vibrant center of activity with committed parishioners and a dedicated group of volunteers who actively engage in parish ministries.
CCD or Confraternity of Christian Doctrine prepares our youth for a lifetime of growth and commitment to our faith. Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers, the Music Ministry and Altar Servers all contribute to and enhance our worship experience. The Respect for Life Committee maintains a vigilant and proactive program to protect life from conception until natural death. The Social Committee conducts activities throughout the year to bring parishioners together and reinforce a sense of community.
The parish also serves as the host of a very active Saint Vincent de Paul Chapter that helps the needy in our community. The Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance Committee advise the pastor on matters that serve the best interests of the parish and establish other volunteer activities as needed. There is little doubt that the early Catholic families that established the church in the late 1800s would be proud of the work of the parish today.
With Father McCullough now serving the Catholic community from Provincetown to Eastham, once again St. Peter the Apostle and Our Lady of Lourdes churches are closely connected today as they were in the days of Father Terra, not just geographically but spiritually as well.
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Pastors of Our Lady of Lourdes Church ‐ Wellfleet
1911 Rev. Hilarian Joseph Eikerling, SS.CC.
1928 Rev. Denis Spykers, SS.CC.
1931 Rev. Arnold Derycke, SS.CC.
1933 Rev. Egbert Steenbeck, SS.CC.
1935 Rev. Denis Spykers, SS.CC.
1963 Rev. Paul Price, SS.CC.
1964 Rev. Leo King, SS.CC.
1967 Rev. Alan Nagle, SS.CC.
1973 Rev. Benedict Folger, SS.CC.
1975 Rev. Jude Morgan, SS.CC.
1979 Rev. Jeremiah Casey, SS.CC.
1985 Rev. Fred Myers, SS.CC.
1987 Rev. Bernard Kelly
1997 Rev. William Norton
1997 Rev. John Andrews
2011 Rev. Hugh McCullough
