Our Lady of Lourdes Church
Our Lady of Lourdes
Built in 1897
History
North Pownal did not have a Catholic Church until Our Lady of Lourdes filled this void in 1897. Before then, the predominantly French Village was served by priests who ventured by train from Rutland once a month to hold mass. Mass was held in private homes, and the sermon was half in French, half in English.
Beginning in 1887, mass was moved to the upstairs of Fred Smith’s General Store. Father Odette, a priest who came over from Rutland, hosted it there. When they made the monthly trip to Pownal, the priests stayed at the Tatro Farm (now Rudd’s), the old homestead of Victoria Cooper.
During their weekend stays, the priests maintained busy schedules, and attended all sorts of events—weddings, funerals, baptisms and calling on the sick and elderly. Mass, in Latin, was on Sunday morning, followed by the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Then, catechism was taught by the nuns. During the afternoon there were vespers, music, and prayers that were attended by the priests. The priests usually departed for Rutland on Monday morning, taking a horse and buggy ride to the train.
In 1897 the dream for a Catholic Church in Pownal became a reality. On June 7, 1887, Albert C. Houghton of North Adams, Massachusetts sold a parcel of land in North Pownal to the Diocese in Burlington for just one dollar! Each family then contributed twenty five dollars to begin construction. More fundraisers followed, including suppers, raffles and bazaars. Amazingly, one of these bazaars lasted for two weeks and raised $2000!
The Carpenter brothers from Bennington were contracted to build the church for $5,700. Purcell and his team of horses prepared the cellar hole and the logs were cut at Tatro Saw Mill. During construction, which lasted about one year, the Carpenter brothers pitched a tent at the site. Father William Plamondon came from Readsboro, Vermont to serve the community and oversee the construction of the church.
In the spring of 1898, the Church opened its doors for the first time. A newspaper account from April 19, 1898, recorded the event: “Services were held in the new Catholic Church at North Pownal for the first time last Sunday. A large number from place (Pownal) went down to the opening service.”
However, the official dedication would not occur until October 1898: “On next Wednesday, will occur the dedication of the new Catholic Church at North Pownal. The Archbishop of the diocese and a delegation of priests will officiate. The musical program will be carried out by a choir of forty voices and will be in charge of Joseph Beechard of this village” (newspaper account from October 7, 1898). Bishop John S. Michaud, came from Burlington, Vermont, to dedicate the church. At this time, most of the French parishioners would refer to the Church as Notre Dame de Lourdes. From some accounts, the dedication was quite an event. A forty member choir sang and a local orchestra, composed of both Catholics and Non-Catholics, played. Victoria Tatro/Cooper?, a 14 year old girl, played the organ. She would continue as church organist for the next 26 years. Later, Gail Bates, a Congregationalist, served as organist.
It is interesting to note that the Catholic and non-Catholic people of North Pownal shared a sense of community at the church in the early years. Some of the fundraisers for the construction of Our Lady of Lourdes took place in the Congregation Church and the old grammar school, where the Little League Ball Park is now. Our Lady of Lourdes was ministered to mostly by priests from Readsboro, North Bennington, and Sacred Heart in Bennington. For a while, Father Desaulniers lived at the Tatro Farm while serving as pastor. In 1914 Our Lady of Lourdes became a part of St. Francis de Sales community and remains so today as a mission church of Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales parish.
Reverend J.D. Shannon became pastor of St. Francis in 1927 and one of his first acts was to install electric wiring, replaster, and redecorate. Before, the church was lit with gas lamps near the Stations of the Cross. Heat was provided by wood stoves in the basement under floor grates. Throughout the years, the Church has been maintained and remodeled, both by professionals and with the sweat equity of its parishioners.
In 1957, some of the ladies of the parish founded Our Lady of Lourdes Guild, the purpose of which was to strengthen the spiritual life of the faith community and to assist the priests with the physical operation of the church and parish. For years, priests and altar boys traveled to Our Lady of Lourdes, a special place of worship, for Sunday and Holy Day masses.
(Written in 1998 - author unknown)
Stories from a member of the Lady’s Guild
Dale Maturski, a former member of Our Lady of Lourdes, shared her experiences at the church, after she moved to Pownal in 1978 and until its closing in 2011. She reminisced about the events and fundraisers held at the church, from Christmas pageants, to ham suppers, to baked goods sales. In the 70s, the church hosted “foodless food sales”; the church distributed a letter about what it had accomplished in the year and church members donated money. At the time, the church membership was about 130 families, and the “foodless food sales” were very successful.
Dale explained that the Ladies Guild was founded in 1964 by a woman named Elenor. The Guild had around 10-15 members, who met once a month in the womens’ homes. The Guild made decisions for the church, like how to fundraise. Once, they made a quilt and raffled it off. The Guild also designated the needs of the church, like cleaning or painting. In 1984, the Ladies Guild began meeting at the church after mass. Dale shared some of the accomplishments of the Ladies Guild, and memories from her time at the church, as follows. In 1991, they adopted an international child, who they supported from afar with donations.They fundraised to build a ramp on the side of the building in 1993. Once every year, the Guild took the priest out to dinner at a restaurant. They organized occasional women’s retreats at the Carmelites. They also baked thanksgiving breads for shut-ins during the winter months. The breads were placed in a basket and blessed by the priest, and then distributed to community members. All in all, the Guild was a tight knit community that accomplished many things to benefit Our Lady of Lourdes.
Regarding the closing of Our Lady of Lourdes, Dale explained that there were about 25 members during the late 1990s. The priest at the time was from Bennington, and couldn’t come to Sunday morning services, so weekly mass was rescheduled to 6:15pm on Saturdays. This new time made it difficult for members to attend regularly, especially during the winter months, and attendance plummeted. There were not enough members to keep the church running, and the Diocese of Burlington sold the church in 2017 for $45,000.