St Mary's, West Warwick

Rhode Island · United States · Church

The first Catholic church in Rhode Island. They were warned that whoever broke ground for it would not live to see it finished.

St Mary's at West Warwick was the first Catholic church built in Rhode Island, and it was not built easily. The Protestant majority of the time resisted it.

The builder and his wife Mary went ahead. They had been warned that whoever put the first shovel into the ground would not live to see the church completed.

What happened is what the account turns on.

The hostility was real and is well documented. Irish Catholic immigration to New England in the nineteenth century met organised opposition, including the Know Nothing movement, church burnings elsewhere in the region, and open discrimination in work and housing. Building the first Catholic church in a state founded on religious liberty was still, in practice, a fight.

The congregation was made up of mill workers.

The church is an active parish.

FAQ

Where is St Mary's, West Warwick located?

St Mary's, West Warwick is in Rhode Island, United States.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.