History
Until 1892, Catholics living in Medfield either held Mass in various homes or attended Mass first in Dedham then in South Natick. It was the pastor of Sacred Heart in South Natick that helped to make it possible for St. Edward Church to be constructed on Main St. in Medfield. Ground was broken for the Church on August 6, 1892 and the cornerstone was ceremoniously laid on October 23, 1892. A box inside the cornerstone contained coins, copies of the local papers, and the names of the president of the United States, the governor of Massachusetts, the pope in Rome, the pastor of the church (Rev. John A. Donnelly, also pastor of Sacred Heart in South Natick), the architect and builder, as well as the Medfield Board of Selectmen. The Church was dedicated on October 15, 1893.
The gothic style wooden church had a seating capacity of 350, including a balcony above the vestibule. The altar was separated from the body of the church by a massive oak railing. Above the altar were three stained glass windows with St. Edward the Confessor in the center. The nave contained 30 stained glass windows arranged in groups of three which were gifts of several members of the parish.
In December of 1900, the 1,300 pound bell was hung in the tower of the Church. The bell was dedicated on December 22, 1900 and rang for the first time on Christmas morning. The inscription on the bell reads: "Dedicated to St. Catherine, presented to St. Edward's Church, Medfield, Rev. John A. Donnelly Pastor, A.D. 1900, by a friend. Gloria in Excelsis Deo." This is the same bell that exists in the church on Spring Street today.
St. Edward Church was initially considered a mission church. On February 10, 1901 Rev. Daniel H. Riley, pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish in Walpole, was appointed as the first pastor of St. Edward Church. The first resident pastor of St. Edward Church was Rev. Hugh Malachi Smith. He was pastor from 1903 - 1923 and was extremely popular and active in town.
Within ten years of the arrival of Rev. Smith, it was necessary to increase from one to two services each Sunday. During the time that Rev. Smith was pastor, sacred concerts to benefit the parish were given under the direction of Prof. Charles Martin Loeffler, the distinguished composer and concert-master violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. During World War I, concerts were also given to benefit the Red Cross.
In 1923, Rev. John McCool became pastor. It was Fr. McCool that had the interior of the church decorated and the confessionals built. He also raffled off the old wooden rectory (currently at 42 Green St.) and had a beautiful new brick rectory built. The brick rectory later became part of the Medfield Town Library, before it was torn down to make way for additional library expansion in 1997.
Over the next several decades, the parish continued to grow. The exterior of the church was refinished and St. Edward hall was built in the lower level of the church. In 1940, Rev. Francis Shea became pastor. He erected a statue in honor of St. Joseph which was placed in the rear yard of the church. It has since been relocated to the front of the new rectory on Spring Street. He also erected a grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes in memory of the boys serving in World War II which now stands in the parking lot of the new church.
By 1944, there were three Sunday Masses at 7:00AM, 8:30AM, and 10:00AM. During the 1960's, there was a large increase in the town's population which lead to another increase in the number of Masses being said each weekend. By the end of the 1970's there were two Saturday Masses at 5:00PM and 7:00PM and eight Masses on Sundays at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 (upper and lower church), 10:30 (upper and lower church), and 12:30 (upper and lower church). The Dominicans from St. Stephen Priory in Dover assisted in the celebration of the Masses and a Curate was assigned to assist the pastor, Rev. Lawrence M. Ryan. The Curate, Rev. John Mark Hannon, began an active C.Y.O. program for the youth of the parish and eventually CYO baseball and basketball teams were formed. When Fr. Hannon was transferred to St. Matthew Church in Dorchester, he established St. Matthew as a sister parish to St. Edward. Following Fr. Hannon's departure from St. Edward Parish, Rev. Gerald McGann was assigned to the parish. Fr. McGann began a building fund for the parish since it had become apparent that the existing church structure had deteriorated.
Upon the death of Fr. Ryan in 1978, a Team Ministry was assigned. Rev. Philip J. DesRosier and Rev. Charles P. Weber were appointed to St. Edward Parish. During this time the Archdiocese purchased property on Spring Street and began plans to develop a new St. Edward Church. On October 13,1980 (the feast of St. Edward), Cardinal Medeiros celebrated the mass of dedication of this new church. The Town of Medfield voted to purchase the old church and rectory on Main Street. In 1985, the old church was torn down. The bell and cornerstone were transferred to the new church. Also in 1985, Bernard Cardinal Law celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at the new church. On November 11, 1989, the dedication of the new parish center occurred. The original cross from the steeple of the old church had been stored in the basement of the Town Hall. When reconstruction began on the Town Hall, a number of parishioners donated the funds to have the cross brought to it's current location alongside the new church.
Today, St. Edward Parish is blessed to have Fr. Leroy E. Owens who joined the parish as pastor in 1996 as well as Fr. Mark Mahoney as our "visiting priest on weekends" who began assisting at the parish in 2006. The parish is comprised of approximately 6000 Catholics. There are five Masses celebrated each weekend, 5:00PM Saturday and 7:30AM, 9:30AM, 11:30AM and 6:00PM on Sunday.
*The major source of information for this history is:
"A History of St. Edward Roman Catholic Church,
Medfield, MA 1892 - 1992"
by Richard DeSorgher, Town Historian
*Other sources include various parishioners' accounts of events