"OLD" ST. PATRICK'S

Originally built by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and serving as the original St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, the "congregation 'without a home'" that was St. Patrick's acquired this church in 1973.  It sat in what is now the parking lot, and our address was "North Main Street".  Next door (to the East, and visible in the photo) was a building that was originally a maternity hospital and later became a nursing home, which closed in the early 1980s.  St. Patrick's, in a true "leap of faith", purchased that property when the nursing home closed, originally planning to convert the home into a parish hall and education facility.  The building, however, was discovered to be in much worse condition than originally believed; and it was torn down to make room for a basement.

St. Pat's - A Church "On the Move"!

With front vestibule and old rear stairs removed, the church building sits on piers awaiting the move East to the new basement.  The parish hall, previously referred to as "The Common Room", occupied the front (Holyoke Street) part of the building, and contained a very small kitchen area.  The old rear stairs led from the sacristy to the only "comfort facility" in the building (it couldn't really even have been called a "bathroom" - maybe a "half-bath"), located in the partial basement that extended from the rear forward, only about 12 feet (4 meters).  "People of lesser stature" found it easier to use than most, and no one was sad to "see it go".

The church was towed across steel beams (by a 4WD pickup!) onto the new basement.  The original site was  leveled to become our new and first-ever parking lot.  A new "front" entry was constructed, the original vestibule was replaced with stairs and a ramp, and in the basement...

AN UNDERCROFT IS "BORN"!  We finally had and continue to enjoy our wonderful "function area" with a real kitchen, two ("count 'em") restrooms downstairs and one "up", a "stair chair" for those who have difficulty negotiating stairways, and a drive-up door on the lower side for pedestrians and "freight".  Among its many uses, the Undercroft is the "home" of our Tea/Coffee Hours, receptions, the Brewer Ecumenical Food Cupboard, many Diocesan meetings, and a variety of local-use functions by other organizations.

BONUS FEATURE!!  Click HERE to see a "Sky View" and some more "geo-history"!

An Oral History of St. Patrick's
Written in 1975 for the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the parish

Do You Remember When…

Do You Remember When we started at the Brewer Auditorium with our altar in a locked box, 59¢ cruets, and borrowed vessels?  The altar had to be set up and taken down each week.  We would come into the building after they had had a dance the night before dodging beer bottles in the parking lot and doorway.  We used rug samples for kneelers and sat in folding chairs watching Father Ralph [Durgin] teetering on the edge of the platform during the sermon.

Do You Remember When Mona and David were baptized at the Auditorium?  Our first baptism.  Also our first Confirmation included Mona and Rick and Peggy and Lloyd.

Do You Remember When during our first year, the Brewer Ecumenical services were held on Thursday night?  This was the same night we held services in various homes.  Everyone attended both.  At one of these services we practiced Hymn 268 as we marched around the funeral home.  Do you remember Bob Lakey's amazement when the casket disappeared and everyone had to stop marching because they were laughing so hard?

Do You Remember those Seder Suppers put on by Father Ralph?  He made the best of what he could find around town.  Even going to Hampden for the parsley.

Speaking of suppers…  How about the spaghetti one held here in our new home?  We had no stove so we used several Coleman ones.  Another one to remember is our first Advent-Wreath-making supper.  We fed 125 from a chowder that was made to feed 75.  Anne kept adding milk (about 2 gallons), and we had to borrow dishes and silver from Edie, who went hurriedly home for them.

Do You Remember When we had our services in the Vestry Room at the First Congo Church at 5 p.m. Saturday nights?  We still had the altar in a box and still used the same rug samples for kneelers.  During all this we had our coffee hour after the Eucharist.

Do You Remember When we were given Canterbury Chapel and the contents therein?  We even thought of floating it down the river.  Once again we felt the presence of our Lord and the opportunity to buy this building came up.  What a place for our church!  No one will forget, especially Haddie and Marion, scrubbing the walls, replacing tiles, the painting and becoming very close to one another.  Finally, it came time to move the furniture--pews, altar and altar rail, organ and bell all in a U-Haul truck.  Of course behind all this stood Father Ralph and Dick Fitzgerald organizing work parties and then having a meeting to go to when the work parties were held.

Do You Remember everyone doing their thing?  Insulating the attic, installing a new furnace, Marilyn Fogg antiquing the wainscoting, Rick and Mona roofing the present sacristy in the dead of the night while David was asleep on the back seat of the car.  They also spent hours constructing the kneelers for our pews and covering them.

Do You Remember When the bathroom in the basement was our only one?  What fun it was to take the Sunday School children around and under.  The fun came while the service was going on.  It's right under here!

Do You Remember When the building was black?!  Someone suggested now that we had the new white siding, we needed to replace our plastic covered storm windows with combos.  Everyone bought one or two.  We ended up with an extra and no window to install it on.

Do You Remember the Bishop's Committee meeting when the transient family showed up needing shelter for the night and everyone went home for blankets, cots, and food?

Do You Remember our old kitchen area?  When we moved it across the room, when we took the old choir loft out and after we received all the nice counters and the stove from the nuns, we put it there.…

Do You Remember the Sink?!!!  We all have "broken backs" from washing dishes in that!

Do You Remember When the nursing home was operating and the laity did the services each Sunday after ours?  Florence, Rick, Phil, Fran and many, many others conducted morning prayers while Marion and Millie played the piano.

Do You Remember When Father Ralph had a vacation?  Rick said Morning Prayer and forgot the time when the sermon was due.  Florence gave it at the end of the recessional hymn.

How about the St. Patrick's parties held at the V.F.W. Hall, Footman's (with all that cleaning), and the Labor Temple?  The green beer, the green champagne punch and all the suppers.  But especially the world famous St. Patrick's Players.  And last, but not least of the entertainment, Harry Miller's BOX.

Do You Remember When Irene and Florence passed the presidency of the Women's group back and forth for several years?

How about the Youth Group?  Sylvia, Millie, Connie, Jerry, Steve and Nadine all taking leadership and especially Father Ralph, the biggest kid of all, climbing Chick Hill, and even though it was early in the season and because they were hot, all went swimming with their clothes on.  Remember the Halloween Haunted House they had in the basement?

Now Remember more recently tearing down the nursing home.  Several Saturdays with kids helping, the dust masks and the Truck Away containers we filled.  Best of all, the seafood chowder Stan and Peggy provided for their lunch after a hard morning's work.

We all hope that in ten years at the 20th Anniversary Celebration, these "Remember When's" will include the fun working together to build our parish hall and all the nice things we would like for St. Patrick's.  We have had a lot of faith, lots of tears, a lot of hard work, a lot of fun, and most of all, a lot of enthusiasm over the last ten years.  Not one of us would ever change a minute of the experience. 

These certainly are cherished memories, and we have a beautiful church!

St. Patrick’s   §  A 25^th Anniversary Poem

Twenty-five  years ago, on the banks of the river,
the Lord our God, our Eternal Giver, reached out - and showed us the way.
”Come forth, all ye who would worship together;
Congregate, make music, and pray.”

 The people talked, and the Spirit led them, and they gathered in His Name.
Two or three, then half a dozen; ’til “a congregation” they could claim.
They finally met at the house of Jo Christmas, but needed a place “more ethereal”.
They searched all around, all o’er Brewer town, ending up at Piper’s Funereal.

That home served them well, and as the group grew, they planned for more yet to come.
They needed a place that would hold all those souls, like the Brewer Audi-to-rium.
As the throng swelled, the masses went well, but they needed space more “inspirational”,
so again they went out, and scoped ‘round the town, ending up at the Church Congregational.
They knew how to pray, the preacher could preach, and most could carry a tune.
But something was lacking:  A real home and a time – not Saturday afternoon!

 The “temporary church” of Joseph the Saint, on North Main at Holy-oke,
was just waaay too small, in its World-War-I style, and to them was becoming a joke.
But who’d buy such a building, on not-too-much land?  Who’d have “not much to lose”?
An ad-hoc band of ‘piscopali-ans, with an offer they couldn’t refuse?
A “match made in heaven”, it turned out to be.  The Romans could build farther north!
And the group called “St. Patricks” would now have a home –
an anchor from which to go forth.

‘Twarn’t much to look at – basic “Quonset” design, with peaked roof to shed the snow –
a “third of a cellar”, the rest was on piers; with the “loo” off the back stairs, below.
Those three little rooms at the back of the hall – if only those walls could talk!
But confessionals-turned-closets held many a broom, as well as those buckets and mops.
For lack of a kitchen, a counter on wheels; and a stove and a sink in the rear;
fol-ding tables and moveable pews came together from points, far and near.
In the church proper was a collection of goods, our sources ne’er seemed to falter.
From Canterbury House, though “way Danish Modern”, came our crucifix and our altar. 

But Saint Pat’s is more than its physical plant, no matter how humbly beginning.
Without our people, it’s just “mortar and stick”. 
Our people are what makes us ”winning”.

Our clergy? Ralph Durgin, Tom Hal-kett, and Sam,
and Mark Hall was here temporarily,
while we searched for and sought that “Rector from Heaven”,
or, in our case, who’d serve God “Vicariously”.
Search we did; interviewed and denied - in the end there was nothing could block us –
We were brought back  – put on course once again  - 
when “Thank God, we found Ian Bockus”!

It was during his tenure it began to appear,
that our building would no longer hold us.
We could cram, we could move, we could go into debt;
“Dig a cellar”, some wise sage once told us!
So using the land from the old nursing home,
the one where the middle part sagged,”
a cellar was dug and a foundation poured,
and the church to its new spot was dragged,
With a GMC pickup and some Ivory™ soap,
and with "Catholic Joe Lynch" at the wheel.
We now had “a problem” with which we could cope,
Like a “new parish” we actually did feel!

Entrenched though he was, in traditional ways, Ian led us “through the vale”. 
He gave up his cigs, became American, and served with clergy – female!
The money came in, the church “corporal” got strong – the Diocese had us “on vector”
and as we progressed from “Mission” to Parish”, our Vicar was declared our Rector.
A funny thing about clergy – even they do retire, no matter how many years “at the altar” –
Ian did, too, but he left us “in shape”, and he knew we’d not stumble or falter! 

An “interim” was needed, one with wisdom and grace, one “cunning as though a fox” –
…one who’d know what to do, and where not to go, and along came Rev’Canon Clyde Cox.
Fresh from Saint John’s, and looking to lead, Clyde led down the path; through the door.
While the search went its way, and interviews took place, ‘til God gave us the Rev’d Kris Orr.

An enigma she was –she was “from away” - and her degree was  (for God’s sake) Geology!
But she had “je ne sais quoi”, an intangible trait, and an obvious sense of theology!
She’s great with a sermon (if a little “low church”); she’s a leader who’s good with her flocks –
She’s not got a “twang”, and she doesn’t say “Y’all”,
and she’s accustomed to dealing with rocks!

But enough of the leaders! Though they help us to pray,
there are those who’ve helped us to sing.
Some better than others, some “grating our teeth”; music’s a wonderful thing.
“Wonderful”, that is, when with grace and with style; when played with elán and with clarity.
Marion Prescott, our first organist, played organ as “physical therapy”.
Thelma Love and Becky Jordan, among several others,
have taken their turns ‘mongst the strongest;  
but Brian MacFarland, through thick and through thin
(and with grace) has been here the longest!

 And the people!  Oh, yes, the people, my friends, are what binds this body together. 
Faces sans names, and th’other way ‘round, those names can go on forever! 
Let’s “run” a few:  Some are still here, and some have “gone on before us”. 
Some were well known, and some were obscure, while some sing “the heavenly chorus”: 
Jo Christmas of course, our “most senior gal”, and Emma, who just passed away. 
The Pipers and Connie, and Ina and Fryes, were here in the earlier days. 
Marge is still here – with Bill’s spirit strong – and Trotts, Johns, Jean Cowie and Polks. 
Nana Foster, and Laskeys, and Fitzgeralds and Milletts,
“multitudes of heavenly folks”.
 There’s the Crockers, the Lynches, the Dressers, the Millers;
 Madeline Scripture, and the “McIlroys – Four”; 
Marie and Ardena, and Susan Kirkpatrick, the Allens and a few dozen more!  
 The Smiths and the Rands, and the Smarts and the Stuarts,
and don’t forget Lillian Rivers; the Parkers, and Barbara, Fern Peddy, the Wrights –
the magnitude gives me the shivers! 
 Currier, Buckingham, Royal, and Quick. 
Lougee, Botz, Pepin, and Buck.
The Schaaps, the Bakers, the Cowans and Browns;
and Baldwin and Bouchard, for luck.
There’s Wil Thorp, the Perrys, the Millars, the Careys,
 Tomlinsons, and the Parés,
Gravelle, Baldwin, and Grant;
the Chambers and Curtises, the Copelands, and Grays –
the list could cause one to pant! 
Forget not the Cadys – (where would we be without Shamrocks period-ically?) –
 The Grindels, the Kemps, and Les Henderson,
 this list can go on “idiotically”: 
Sanchez and Dziedzic, Merciér, Knox;
Hardwick and Benson and Burson;
and even though it doesn’t quite rhyme,
Bishops Wolfe, Chalfant, and Knudsen. 
There’s the Jordans, the Mathesons, Brother Rex and the Morses,
Harburgers and the Orrs of Old Town,
Rick and Ramona, Pat Gero and Helene…
(This list never seems to “run down”!) 
 The Wortmans, the Days, Saviellos, and Buglers,
and the Brothers St. E-lizabeethan. 
‘Twas on purpose I waited to mention the names
of the Alquists, the Haydens, and Gleasons. 
Lest I should recite this and run out of time - 
it’s not that I’m in a big hurry –
I must make mention of McKenzie and Abby –
 our “communicants” who are both pretty furry. 

And with that I say “I’m sorry to those who are here,
 but whose names you’ve not heard”. 
 “Inclusivity’s” an honorable, noble concept,
but this poem’s just not “the last word”. 
 I know in my heart,
 I fear and I dread,
 that I’ve left someone out acci-dentally.
 I tried to work everyone in that I could,
a formidable task, monu-mentally.

Even before our expansion took place,
we opened our door to community,
to serve the area from which we were drawn
to encourage a strong sense of unity.

Hundreds have found us over the years,
as the home of the Brewer Food Cupboard.
We’ve served as meeting place for dozens of groups,
and as a “watering hole” for dog lovers;
as well as a rest-stop for charity walkers,
and as a central location Diocesan,
for public suppers and church-only affairs,
and a Christmas Fair that’s evolved to “colossian”.

The events and the memories of twenty five years
are colorful, bright, and exciting. 
There’re too many to mention in a work such as this;
too many for reading and writing. 

Some do stand out more than others, methinks –
Christmas fairs and many church dinners;
pageants and vigils and weddings and such,
our church family makes us each  winners! 

There were “trips on the dark side”,
 buried deep in our past;
like youth groups who talked to the cops,
and “phantom trucks” in our new parking lot,
and “hymnals that went for a walk”.

Twenty five years – a long time for some.
A “flash in the pan” for a few.
One quarter of a hundred years -
an “eternity” through which one just flew.
We mark as a “milestone” this twenty five years.
Our hopes are that much more will ensue.
One basic wish, as we leave here today,
is for God to be truly with you.

And on whatever road that life leads you down,
and with whatever blessings you’re given,
if we don’t see you here, next Sunday for prayer,
we’ll expect a reunion in Heaven!