St. Susanna Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Boston located in Dedham, Massachusetts. The pastor is Father Stephen S. Josoma, and Laurence J. Bloom is the deacon. [1] [2] It is known as "one of the most liberal parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston." [1]
The parish was founded in 1960 due to overcrowding at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Dedham. [3] By the 1930s St. Mary's was one of the biggest parishes in the Archdiocese with over 6,000 parishioners and 1,300 students in Sunday School. [4] During the middle of that decade there were four priests and six nuns ministering to the congregation. [4]
In the 1950s it became clear that a second parish was needed in Dedham, [nb 1] and so St. Susanna's was established in February 1960 to serve the needs of the Riverdale neighborhood. [7] [8] When St. Susanna's opened it had 300 families, while 2,500 stayed at St. Mary's. [9]
During construction, masses were held at Moseley's on the Charles. [8] The first pastor of St. Susana's, Father Michael Durant, lived at St. Mary's while his church was being constructed. [10] The first mass was said in the new church on February 11, 1962. [8] The church was named by Cardinal Richard Cushing after his titular church, Santa Susanna, in Rome. [8]
In 2000, average attendance at Sunday mass was 1,671, making it the 63rd most active parish out of the 357 parishes then in the archdiocese. [11] It performed the 314th most sacraments in 2001–2002. [11]
The parish garnered the attention of national media during Advent 2018 when the Nativity scene outside of the church showed the Baby Jesus in a cage and the three wise men separated from the others by a fence labeled "deportation." The scene was a statement on the Trump administration family separation policy and on the condition of refugees more generally. [12]
st mary dedham.
St. Susanna Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Boston located in Dedham, Massachusetts. The pastor is Father Stephen S. Josoma, and Laurence J. Bloom is the deacon. [1] [2] It is known as "one of the most liberal parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston." [1]
The parish was founded in 1960 due to overcrowding at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Dedham. [3] By the 1930s St. Mary's was one of the biggest parishes in the Archdiocese with over 6,000 parishioners and 1,300 students in Sunday School. [4] During the middle of that decade there were four priests and six nuns ministering to the congregation. [4]
In the 1950s it became clear that a second parish was needed in Dedham, [nb 1] and so St. Susanna's was established in February 1960 to serve the needs of the Riverdale neighborhood. [7] [8] When St. Susanna's opened it had 300 families, while 2,500 stayed at St. Mary's. [9]
During construction, masses were held at Moseley's on the Charles. [8] The first pastor of St. Susana's, Father Michael Durant, lived at St. Mary's while his church was being constructed. [10] The first mass was said in the new church on February 11, 1962. [8] The church was named by Cardinal Richard Cushing after his titular church, Santa Susanna, in Rome. [8]
In 2000, average attendance at Sunday mass was 1,671, making it the 63rd most active parish out of the 357 parishes then in the archdiocese. [11] It performed the 314th most sacraments in 2001–2002. [11]
The parish garnered the attention of national media during Advent 2018 when the Nativity scene outside of the church showed the Baby Jesus in a cage and the three wise men separated from the others by a fence labeled "deportation." The scene was a statement on the Trump administration family separation policy and on the condition of refugees more generally. [12]
st mary dedham.