Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour |
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| The Redemptorist Mission Church | |
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| Location | 1545 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02120 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Minor Basilica |
| Dedication | Our Mother of Perpetual Succour |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Boston |
The Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a special Roman Catholic church in Boston, Massachusetts. People often call it The Mission Church. It is located in the Mission Hill area.
Since 1870, Redemptorists priests have served the church. This church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the name Our Mother of Perpetual Succour. In 1954, Pope Pius XII gave the church the special title of Minor Basilica. This means it's a very important church.
Contents
History of The Mission Church
How The Mission Church Started
In May 1869, a Catholic priest named Father James Augustine Healy invited the Redemptorist Order to Boston. He wanted them to hold a special parish mission. Father Healy was very happy with how well the mission went.
He suggested to the Bishop that the Redemptorists should open a mission-house in Boston. Later that year, Archbishop John J. Williams also invited them. In September 1869, the Redemptorists bought land in Roxbury. This area was then known as the Boston Highlands.
The land was on Parker Hill, named after a rich merchant, John Parker. The property was called Brinley Place. It had a big house built in 1723 by Colonel Francis Brinley. Later, another rich merchant, Robert Pierpont, bought the house. He made it so grand that people called it "Pierpont's Castle."
Building the First Church
The Redemptorists built a simple wooden church on the land in 1870. This church was meant to be a "mission house." It was a home base for priests. From here, they could travel to other parts of Massachusetts, Canada, and beyond.
The church was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The very first Catholic Mass was held there on January 29, 1871. This first church was located where the rectory (the priests' house) stands today.
The Church Building and Design
Designing the Current Basilica
The church you see today was designed by J. William Schickel and Isaac E. Ditmars. They were architects from New York. Construction began in 1874. The church was built in the Romanesque style. This style often uses round arches and strong, thick walls.
The building material is Roxbury puddingstone. This stone came from a nearby quarry. A tall, eight-sided tower, called a lantern, rises over 100 feet above the center of the church.
Beautiful Stained Glass and Organs
The beautiful stained glass windows in the main part of the church were made by F.X. Zettler. The windows in the shrine area were made by Franz Mayer and Co. Both companies were from Munich, Germany. The church also has side altars dedicated to the Holy Family and St. Patrick. The church was officially opened in 1878.
At first, the church was not a regular parish. It only offered certain services like confession and Holy Communion. But in 1883, Our Lady of Perpetual Help became a full parish of the Archdiocese of Boston.
The church has a large organ, installed in 1897. It was made by Hutchings. This organ was one of the first in the country to use electric action successfully. This was a new invention at the time. The organ has 62 stops and nearly 3,200 pipes.
Towers and Special Status
The tall spires on the church were added in 1910. They were designed by a Swiss architect named Franz Joseph Untersee. He also designed the rectory. One spire is 215 feet tall, and the other is two feet shorter. This is because the church's foundation is on a slope. The western tower holds twelve bells.
The church itself is also 215 feet long. This creates a perfect balance in its design. In 1954, Pope Pius XII made the church a basilica. In 2004, the church complex was named a Boston Landmark.
Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The Icon and Reported Cures
A special copy of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon was placed in the first church on May 28, 1871. Soon after, people started reporting that they were healed. They believed these healings happened because of Our Lady's help.
In November 1874, a weekly blessing for the sick began. When the new church was built, the icon was moved to the Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. As more healings were reported, people left crutches and other medical devices at the shrine. These were left as "votives," or gifts of thanks.
In 1900, Father Frawley started a publication called The Little Messenger of Mary. It shared stories of the favors people received at the shrine. Later, this was replaced by the Annals of the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Newspapers also wrote about the shrine. In 1901, the New York Herald called it "A Lourdes in the Land of Puritans." This compared it to the famous healing shrine in Lourdes, France. Other Boston newspapers also wrote about the many crutches left at the altar. During World War I, many families prayed at the shrine for soldiers to return home safely. Between 1878 and 1884, over 300 healings were officially recorded.
Community and Education
Mission Grammar School was finished in 1889. It was located behind the church. It had 24 classrooms for 1,200 students. The School Sisters of Notre Dame came from Baltimore to teach the children.
Mission Church High School opened in 1926. It was run by the Xaverian Brothers. After 66 years, the high school closed in 1992 because fewer students were enrolling. The building was sold and is now New Mission High, a public school. The grammar school is still open today, teaching children from kindergarten to 8th grade.
In 1900, St. Alphonsus Hall opened. It was an early community center for the many immigrants in the area, especially from Ireland. It had a library, meeting hall, gym, bowling alley, and theater. A play called "Pilates Daughter" was first performed there in 1902. It was a popular Lenten tradition for over 50 years.
In 1903, a new house for the priests was built. It replaced the old Brinley Mansion. This new rectory has features that honor the Irish heritage of the neighborhood. For example, the small chapel for the priests has stained glass windows with green shamrocks.
The Church Today
The basilica is on Tremont Street, in the middle of Mission Hill. This Boston neighborhood has about 18,000 people. The church is a symbol of the neighborhood and even gives it its name.
It still serves the families of Irish immigrants who live there. It also welcomes new immigrants from places like Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Haiti.
Senator Edward Kennedy's funeral was held there on August 29, 2009. He often prayed at the church. It was close to the hospitals in the Longwood Medical Area where he visited sick family members.
See also
In Spanish: Basílica y Santuario de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro (Boston) para niños
- List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the shrine's namesake saint
- The Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, MA, listed in the National Register of Historic Places
