The trajectory of Catholic life and institutions in our neighborhood serves as a window into the history of Dorchester itself. Catholicism originated here in an era when Dorchester was still an independent agrarian suburb of Boston.

Over time, the influx of mainly Irish emigrant workers and residents transformed much of the neighborhood into a patchwork of parishes that, to this day, define large tracts of the community for thousands of residents and serve as centers of civic life for many thousands more. The following is a look at the many milestones in Dorchester and Mattapan's Catholic history.
Above, right: Dorchester's iconic Catholic parishes were incorporated onto a popular t-shirt in the 1990s by the Adams Corner-based College Hype.

1844

- St. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Parish is formed in South Boston and includes Dorchester and other points south of Boston in its boundaries.

1854

- Attempt to build first Catholic church, on Washington Street in Lower Mills, halted due to lack of funds. Building is destroyed in suspicious July 4th fire.

1863

- Cornerstone of St. Gregory's Church laid on Dorchester Avenue in Lower Mills. Church dedicated in 1864.
Image at right shows second St. Gregory's church, after expansion in 1895. Postcard courtesy Earl Taylor, Dorchester Historical Society.

1872

- St. Peter Parish created on Bowdoin Street near Meeting House Hill.

1881

- St. Ann's church on Minot Street in Neponset created as part of St. Gregory's; becomes separate parish in 1889.

1890

- St. Matthew's Church on Stanton Street opens as satellite of St. Gregory's; formed as separate parish in 1900.

1892

- St. John's Parish in Grove Hall dedicated in April; parish school opens in September.

1893

- St. Margaret's Parish created, church built later in 1904.

1895

- The present-day St. Gregory's Church is built on Dorchester Avenue.

1896

- St. Paul's opens on Lingard Street as a mission church of St. Peter's parish.

St. Peter School on Bowdoin Street is depicted in this turn-of-the-century postcard. From the collection of Earl Taylor, Dorchester Historical Society.

1898

- St. Peter's School opens on Bowdoin St.

1899

- Chapel at Roseland Street and Dorchester Avenue created as satellite of St. Gregory's. This chapel will later become home of the new St. Mark's parish in 1905.

1902

- St. Leo's chapel opens in the Harvard Street area as a satellite of St. Peter's.

1907

- St. Angela's parish formed in Mattapan Square.

1908

- St. Paul's becomes unique parish.

1909

- St. William's parish created at Dorchester Avenue and Belfort Street. The original church is shown at right. Postcard courtesy Earl Taylor, Dorchester Historical Society.

1910

- St. Margaret's Hospital built on Jones Hill. Postcard courtesy Earl Taylor, Dorchester Historical Society.

1914

- St. Ambrose Parish in Fields Corner opens.

- New St. Mark's Church opens on Dorchester Avenue.

1915

- St. Gregory's grammar school opens first and second grades, with Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as teachers.

1918

- Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School for girls founded as a parish school of St. Margaret's.

1920

- New St. Ann's Church on Neponset Avenue completed.

1923

- St. Mark's School begins operations.

- St. Gregory's High School for Girls opens in Lower Mills.

1929

- St. Brendan's Parish organized; services held in Granite Avenue garage.

1933

- St. Brendan's church on Gallivan Blvd. consecrated.

1945

- St. Kevin's Parish created in Uphams Corner. Masses first held in Strand Theatre as a former telephone office is converted into a church across the street.

1950

- The Jesuit-run Boston College High School begins re-location from the South End of Boston to Morrissey Boulevard.

1952

- St. Brendan's school opens.

1953

- Daughters of Charity, a Catholic order of women religious, relocate Carney Hospital from South Boston to a large campus in Dorchester Lower Mills.

1956

- St. Christopher's Parish on Mt. Vernon Street organized to serve Columbia Point Housing Project.

1980

- St. William's Church destroyed by fire; a new church was designed and built on the present site.

1984

- St. Ambrose church burns; Cardinal Bernard Law, right, in one of first acts as new archbishop, commits to rebuild. New church rises in its place within two years.

1992-1993

- St. Margaret's Hospital closes as in-patient maternity facility, merges with St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton. Building remains home to St. Mary's Center for Women and Children.

1993

- Catholic educators and other leaders help found Mother Caroline Academy on Blue Hill Avenue in Grove Hall, a private middle school for low-income girls. It is not directly affiliated with the Archdiocese of Boston.

1995

- St. Paul's Parish on Lingard Street and St. Kevin's Parish in Uphams Corner are merged into one new parish, called Holy Family. The parish is administered from the old St. Paul's church and rectory, with the St. Kevin's campus on Columbia Rd. used only for the school and occasional Masses and special events.

1997

- The Archdiocese of Boston's health care system, Caritas Christi, takes ownership of Carney Hospital.

2002

- The upper grades of St. Ambrose School in Fields Corner are eliminated.

- Cardinal Bernard Law resigns as archbishop of Boston amid outrage over the failure of the archdiocese to properly investigate charges of sexual abuse by priests.

2003

- Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School, run by St. Margaret's parish, is closed.

- St. Ambrose school is closed.

- A group of MRM almunae and former staff organize to open a new school, Elizabeth Seton Academy, which opens in Sept. in the former St. Gregory's High School building in Lower Mills. The new academy leases space from St. Gregory's, but is not owned or controlled by the archdiocese.

2004

- St. Margaret and St. William parishes are "suppressed" by order of Cardinal Sean O'Malley; new parish is formed called Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. In effect, St. William's Church is closed and later sold. St. Margaret's school building on Columbia Rd. is closed and students at both parishes encouraged to attend the old St. William school on Savin Hill Avenue, re-named to reflect the new parish identity. The parish is based from the old St. Margaret convent and church on Columbia Rd.

2006

Rev. Gwendolyn Weeks of the Bethel Tabernacle Penetcostal Church next to the former St. Leo Church. Reporter photo

- St. Leo's campus, most recently owned and operated by Catholic Charities' Haitian Multi-Service Center, purchased by the Bethel Tabernacle Pentecostal Church, the first non-Catholic church group to take possession of a Dorchester Catholic site.

- New Catholic Charities' Yawkey Center is dedicated on Columbia Rd.

- St. William church property purchased by Viet-AID community development corporation, which plans to raze buildings for mixed residential-commercial development on site.

- St. Matthew's Parish school closes in June. Students there are encouraged to enroll at St. Gregory's.

2007

- Archdiocese announces details of 2010 initiative, a sweeping plan which it says will centralize control of the parochial school system in five campuses under one name: Pope John Paul II Academy. St. Peter, St. Kevin and former St. William school buildings to close in process.

Sources: Reporter files, Dorchester Historical Society, dorchesteratheneum.org, "The History of Saint Gregory's Parish, Lower Mills Dorchester and Milton, 1862-1987," by Rev. Michael Parise, 1987.