St Patrick's Catholic Church - Harrisville, RI - Roman Catholic Churches on Waymarking.com

“St. Patrick’s church has seen three centuries. It was built in 1854 and began with candlelight and serenity. Briefly, our history is rich in both Irish and French descendants. The first permanent Burrillville Catholic resident is said to have been John Keegan, born in Kildare, Ireland and died November 7, 1857 at the age of 52.

Firm institutional roots took hold in the seminal year of 1854, when Rev. Bernard Tully was appointed the first resident Pastor, centering his church in Harrisville and naming it St. Bernard’s after his personal patron saint and namesake. From the beginning, even before there was a church building, there began that alternation between French and Irish influences that became a tradition at St. Patrick’s, which acquired its new name and new church building under Father Tully’s successor, the Rev. William Duffy.

St. Patrick’s church was reduced to a pile of splinters from the Great Hurricane on September 21, 1938 and was rebuilt to its imposing brick Neoclassical structure as it stands today. Done in style to harmonize with other town buildings constructed in the 1930’s, the new St. Patrick’s combined a solid american Colonial fabric with graceful Queen Anne touches and colorfully embellished altars of Italian marble. It stands on a small promontory where the original rectory had been built, while the site of the old church was converted into a parking lot. The coming of World War II put on hold further plans for expansion and the cherished dream of a St. Patrick’s Catholic school which was never realized

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Type of Church: Church Status of Building: Actively in use for worship Date of organization: 01/01/1854 Date of building construction: 01/01/1938 Dominant Architectural Style: Neoclassical Diocese: Providence Address/Location: 45 Harrisville Main St Harrisville, RI Relvant Web Site: [Web Link] Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed Archdiocese: Not listed

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