St. John the Evangelist Church (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
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St. John the Evangelist is a historic Roman
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
at 2270 Massachusetts Avenue in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. The late Speaker of the House, "Tip" O'Neill, was a lifelong parishioner and graduated from St. John High School in 1931. His
Requiem Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
was held in the church on January 10, 1994. The church was built in 1904 and added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1983. The architects, Maginnis, Walsh and Sullivan, won four gold medals from the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
. One was for St. John's.


History

Until the early 1890s
North Cambridge North Cambridge, also known as "Area 11", is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts bounded by Porter Square and the Fitchburg Line railroad tracks on the south, the city of Somerville, Massachusetts, Somerville on the northeast, Alewife Brook ...
and West
Somerville Somerville may refer to: *Somerville College, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford Places *Somerville, Victoria, Australia * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia * Somerville, New Zealand, a subur ...
were part of Saint Peter's parish. Members from this section of the parish would travel long distances to attend
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
on Sunday. Because of rapidly growing industries and the growing number of immigrants, Father Flately, the pastor of St. Peter's Parish, worried that the young children would not get a proper Catholic education. In 1890, he purchased an acre of land on Spruce Street (now Rindge Avenue). On January 1, 1893 St. John's Parish became an independent parish and worshiped in a small wooden
chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
on Rindge Avenue. In 1898 the estate of the late Horatio Locke, on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Hollis Street, was purchased for $18,000 as the site for the new church. The Locke house was moved to 8 Hollis Street and became the second
rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...
. In 1930 the third and present rectory was built of yellow brick at 2254 Massachusetts Avenue, on the site of the Woodbridge House, in Prance (Dutch) School Style with
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
windows. Architect was
William B. Colleary William B. Colleary, AIA, (September 26, 1890 – August 18, 1973) was an American architect active in the first half of the twentieth century. He practiced in Boston, Massachusetts, and was a partner in the architectural firm of Sheehan & Col ...
; builder was Walsh Brothers. The old rectory at 8 Hollis Street was razed. A monstrance made of gold, silver, diamonds and other precious stones, donated by parishioners, was used for a
Holy Hour Holy Hour () is the Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. A plenary indulgence is granted for this practice. The practice is also observed in some Lutheran churc ...
to begin the
Holy Year A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. In ''Leviticus'', a Jubilee (biblical), jubilee year ( he, יובל ''yūḇāl'') is mentioned to occur every 50th year; during which slaves and prisoners would be freed, deb ...
in 1933. It was reputed to be the largest monstrance in the United States.


Architecture

Work for the new church began on November 30, 1904, with
Maginnis, Walsh & Sullivan Maginnis, Walsh and Sullivan, an American architecture firm active from its founding in 1898 to its dissolution in 1905. The principals were Charles Donagh Maginnis Charles Donagh Maginnis (January 7, 1867 – February 15, 1955) was an Iris ...
as architects and Stephen Brennan as builder.
Charles Donagh Maginnis Charles Donagh Maginnis (January 7, 1867 – February 15, 1955) was an Irish-American architect. He emigrated to Boston at age 18, trained as an architect and went on to form the firm Maginnis & Walsh, designing ecclesiastical and campus buildin ...
was a disciple of Ralph Adams Cram, himself a disciple of H. H. Richardson, who designed
Trinity Church, Boston Trinity Church in the City of Boston, located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 4,000 households, was founded in 17 ...
. The building permit issued by the city describes the construction as brick, stone and iron. The cornerstone was laid in 1905. The first Mass was celebrated in the church on April 7, 1912 (
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
Sunday). On November 1, 1912 (
All Saint's Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are know ...
), the church was dedicated by Cardinal O'Connell. The church, although largely built by Irish immigrants, was modeled after the 12th century Lombardo-Romanesque basilica and is very similar to
Basilica di San Zeno The Basilica di San Zeno (also known as ''San Zeno Maggiore'' or ''San Zenone'') is a minor basilica of Verona, northern Italy constructed between 967 and 1398 AD. Its fame rests partly on its Romanesque architecture and partly upon the traditio ...
in Verona, Italy.


Interior and stained glass windows

The cream colored limestone and marble, reflective of Italian architecture of the Middle Ages, introduces color into the construction. Using Italian Gothic design of both round and pointed arches simultaneously, the pointed arches were used more for ornamentation. The same basic construction is found in the temples of Greece and Rome and was later used in Christian churches. The stained glass windows in the side walls imitate the subdued colors in the windows of sun-drenched Italy rather than those in France and Germany, where the days are darker. The beautiful high altar sits under a gorgeous stained glass window depicting the
Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...
. The side altar on the
Epistle side In the liturgical traditions of Western Christianity, the Epistle side is the term used to designate the side of a church on which the Epistle is read during a church service. It is the right-hand side of the chancel as viewed by the congregation ...
is dedicated to the
Sacred heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This dev ...
. The other side is dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
.


Campanile, rose window and bells

The most outstanding feature of the church is the
Campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
, or
bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
. Set well back from the facade and contiguous with the outside wall of the church, it stands free and does not compromise the facade. The Byzantine design of the top of the tower is reminiscent of the churches of the Ravenna region of Italy. An unusual feature of that style was to set the tower towards the rear of the building rather than the front. The bells ring on each quarter-hour and toll the hour, ringing the
Westminster Chimes The Westminster Quarters, from its use at the Palace of Westminster, is a melody used by a set of four quarter bells to mark each quarter-hour. It is also known as the Westminster Chimes, Cambridge Quarters or Cambridge Chimes from its place of ...
. The front approach has a broad flight of stone stairs extending the entire width of the building. The lower portion of the facade was treated as an arcade of five arches, supported by marble columns with Ionic capitals. Above the five arches a broad frieze, a band of terra cotta trim crowns the arcade. Above the frieze is a
rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...
, an exact replica of a church window in Toscanella, Italy. This "Wheel of fortune" represents unending life and imitates the sun. On the very peak of the facade was a statue of
John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...
.


Fire and rebuilding

On December 7, 1956 the church suffered a devastating fire. The Fitzgerald School's auditorium on Rindge Avenue was used as a temporary chapel. The roof caved in and fell into the nave of the upper church, as did the choir loft. The side windows were saved, but were removed during rebuilding. Much of the upper church was razed in February 1957. In April of that year rebuilding began. The main altar was completely rebuilt, although the original steps into the sanctuary were salvaged. The altar rail and
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
were all left intact. Due to lack of funding the
clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
, its upper windows and catwalk were eliminated, as was the statue of St. John. The rose window was replaced by a smaller one. On the arch above the high altar are the words: "And the word was made flesh and came to dwell among us" from the Prologue of the
Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
.


Mid-1990s renovation and liturgical update

In 1996 a fund drive began to renovate and update the church. In addition to much needed repairs and upgrades the church underwent a Liturgical update. The marble high altar was moved forward from the under the baldacchino, allowing it to be used for the first time in many years due to changes made to the Mass by the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
. The altar rail was removed to give the sanctuary a more open and inviting feel. The pulpit was taken down and fashioned into a new ambo. Much of the marble was used elsewhere in the church; parts of the altar rail and pulpit were made into a new
baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...
. Two statues, one of St. John The Evangelist, the other of
Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...
, that had been placed in the sanctuary during the rebuilding were removed, painted and placed by the front entrances of the church. The two side altars were also painted emphasizing their beauty. The church's tabernacle, which had been placed on the altar of the Sacred Heart during the rebuilding, was restored to its original grandeur. During the renovation, the church was made handicapped accessible. The newly renovated and updated church was dedicated by Cardinal Bernard F. Law on December 27, 1998, the feast of St. John The Evangelist.


Masses

Mass Schedule: Saturday Vigil – 4:00 p.m., Sunday 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. (and 4:30 p.m. in Creole). Daily Mass: Monday—Wednesday 12:10 p.m,, Friday Communion Service 7:00 AM
Holy Days of Obligation In the Catholic Church, holy days of obligation are days on which the faithful are expected to attend Mass, and engage in rest from work and recreation (id est, they are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed t ...
, as announced.Church website
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Gallery

Image:Cambridge MA St Johns Roman Catholic Church statue.jpg, Statue of
Christ the King Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where the Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God. Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one of ...
in front of the church Image:St. John's interior 98.JPG, Church interior Image:St. John the Evangelist interior 1912.JPG, Interior prior to the 1956 fire
Image:St. John's exterior.JPG, St. John the Evangelist Church as it looked when first built Image:St. John's interior.nm.JPG, A nuptial Mass


See also

*
Charles Donagh Maginnis Charles Donagh Maginnis (January 7, 1867 – February 15, 1955) was an Irish-American architect. He emigrated to Boston at age 18, trained as an architect and went on to form the firm Maginnis & Walsh, designing ecclesiastical and campus buildin ...
*
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts


References

;General sources
Church website
*''St. John The Evangelist Church Centennial 1893-1993''. Produced by the St. John the Evangelist Centennial Committee. Printed by Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, Texas. Randy O'Neil, publishing consultant.


External links


Church's Official WebsiteArchdiocese of Boston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Johns Roman Catholic Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts Roman Catholic churches completed in 1904 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Roman Catholic churches in Cambridge, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States