The Daniel Slattery house was the site of the first

Catholic mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

First mass

By the early 1800s, a few Catholics had settled in Dedham. At the time, Dedham and the surrounding area was part of the missionary territory of St. Mary's in Waltham. Though a large area, stretching as far west as Concord and as far south as Walpole, it is estimated there were fewer than 300 Catholics. It was difficult for many to travel to Waltham, and so Father James Strain offered to travel halfway to meet the Catholics in the outlying areas. Slattery offered his home and to provide Strain with transportation. The first Mass in Dedham was celebrated in Sunday, May 15, 1843, with eight Catholics present. An altar was set up by the window. For the next three years Slattery's 17-year-old brother-in-law, John Doggett, would bring Strain from Waltham and back to minister to the needs of the small congregation.

Location of the home

While the Slattery home is still standing, at the corner of Washington and Worthington Streets, at the time of the first mass it was on the corner of Washington and High, where the Police Station sits in 2019. During the Revolution, the Worthington Street land was the site of an encampment for French troops under the command of Count Rochambeau. The home's original location was first owned by Daniel Morse and then became the homestead of John Hunting, the first ruling elder of the

First Church and Parish in Dedham First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

in 1638. Slattery purchased it from

Martin Marsh Martin Marsh (1777-July 26, 1865) was a mason, tavern keeper, and businessman from Dedham, Massachusetts. He built 19 Court Street in Dedham. Personal life Marsh was born in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1777 and moved to Dedham as a young adult. ...

Daniel Slattery

Slattery was born in Ireland in 1805 and moved to Dedham while still young. He married Catherine Doggett of Dedham on April 14, 1837, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Together they had five sons. When Catherine died in 1849, the hands of the clock were stopped at the hour of her death. The unusual occurrence of a Catholic funeral mass elicited much interest around the town. He married again to Margaret Coleman of Dedham, and together they had one son and two daughters. His oldest son, Patrick, who was 23 at the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, enlisted for 99 days with the

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

and then with the 14th Massachusetts Artillery for the duration of the war. Another son, Charles, who was 17, also enlisted and died in Virginia. Patrick returned home unharmed and died in the early 1900s. As of 1923, he had two sons, Edward and Thomas, living in

Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,370 at the 2020 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of downtown Boston. Hist ...

and a daughter in Dedham. Slattery was well regarded among his fellow Dedhamites. He was well educated, had a practical knowledge of agriculture and arbor culture, and set out many of the trees in Dedham. He also held "considerable property." Slattery moved to Needham in 1854 and died on May 2, 1856.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel Slattery house Buildings and structures in Dedham, Massachusetts History of Dedham, Massachusetts