History of St. Joseph’s Church

1878 – 1978

            The mission embraces the two villages of Occum and Versailles; Occum, located on the West side of the Shetucket ricer in the Town of Norwich, and Versailles, located on the East side of the river in the Towns of Sprague and Lisbon.

            In 1845 four or five Catholics came to labor on a dam which was being built at Occum, but remained only a short time.  At this period an inexcusable prejudice against Catholics existed here, they were given to understand that their departure would be a boon highly prized.

            The earliest Catholics to settle in Occum were Mr. John McCarthy and Mrs. Margaret Reilly, who came in 1847.  With their families they came to labor in a small cotton factory, which had been built in Versailles about this time by a Mr. Bachelor.

The nearest place in which Mass was celebrated at this time was Norwich.  In the summer of 1852, Rev. Michael McCabe of Danielson, whose territory included Windham and Tolland Counties and part of New London County, inaugurated Mass at Baltic, a few miles north of Occum.  On July 1, 1859 Baltic and Occum passed to the care of newly formed St. Joseph’s parish of Willimantic.

            In 1864 a cotton mill was built in Occum, and soon afterwards Catholics came here and established homes.

The first Mass said in the mission was celebrated at Versailles, in the town of Lisbon, in the residence of Mr. John McCarthy, by Rev. Florimond DeBruycker pastor of Willimantic, early in January of 1867.  About fifty persons were present at this Mass.  For some time after Sundays the faithful assisted at Divine worship at Baltic.

            Father DeBruycker was a strong man of long vigils and rugged devotedness.  He despised trimming and compromise.  With him, the soul was the one thing to be prized.

            In September of 1869 Occum was again attached to the care of Baltic, on formation of a parish there.  Occum then was passed to the care of Jewett City on September 1, 1872.

            The first Mass offered up in Occum was celebrated by Rev. James Reynolds, pastor of Jewett City, in Parent’s Hall, in January of 1873.  (Parents hall was the Tavern, Dance Hall and Livery Stable owned by Mr. Ferdinand Parent.  It was located on Main Street, Occum, in what is now an apartment building presently owned by Mr. Wilfred Caplet.)  Mass was said every two weeks in Occum for the benefit of Occum and Versailles until the erection of the Church. 

            Father Reynolds died in 1875 and though his leadership was short, his spiritual guidance and understanding was deeply appreciated by his flock in Occum.

The Rev. John Russell was appointed pastor of Jewett City, and he soon began preparations for the erection of a church in Occum.  The people were unanimous in declaring for the project, and contributions of the most encouraging kind began to flow in.

            Occum again reverted to the jurisdiction of Baltic under the care of Rev. John Van den Noort, pastor, when Father Russell was transferred in June of 1878.  Father Russell’s spiritual leadership with the people of all denominations hereabout was of the pleasantest character and both his own people and the public regretted his transfer.

            The mission church was completed and dedicated by Bishop Thomas Galberry of Hartford on September 22, 1878, under the patronage of St. Joseph. Rev. Thomas P. Joynt, who succeeded Father Russell as pastor of Jewett City, preached the sermon in French and

Rev. Florimond DeBruycker in English.

On February 8, 1886, Occum was made a parish by Bishop Lawrence S. McMahon, who had appointed Rev. John Synott as our first official pastor.  In the same year an attractive and substantial parochial residence was erected.  At this time the number of souls in the parish numbered 670.

            Owing to the closing of the Versailles woolen mill, and the consequent loss of families to the parish, Occum was again united to Baltic at the end of October 1889.  Father Synott was transferred to Baltic and the re-united churches were placed under his charge.  Father Synott’s labors in Occum were those of a priest zealous and single minded, one whose sole ambition was the spiritual and temporal welfare of his parishioners.

            Church records for this period show a grim financial picture of the times.  The Versailles mill was closed, the Baltic dam was out, and the Baltic mill burned, making Baltic a deserted village.  This made it impossible for the parish in Baltic to financially assist the mission church of Occum.

            On September 8, 1897 Rev. Terrence Dunn succeeded Father Synott as pastor of Baltic, Occum and Versailles.  Mass was said in the latter place on Sundays and Holy Days of precept.  Father Dunn labored in Baltic and Occum till October 1901 when failing health forced him to leave.

            Rev. James W. Hoey was appointed to succeed Father Dunn, and he served till St. Joseph’s was again made a parish on September 14, 1902.  At this time St. Joseph’s, Occum was placed under the spiritual care of Rev. Edward J. Broderick as the new pastor.  The Catholic population of Occum and Versailles at this time was numbered 474 faithful souls.

            The records show that the church had an income of $518, for the first eight months of 1902.  Under Father Broderick’s inspiration and leadership, the next four months show a special collection of $400, a fair which produced $1006.75 and regular income of $297.  All of this money was used to refurnish the church and rectory.  In 1903, a note was taken for $1000 and this money helped to continue the work on the buildings and grounds.

On October 11, 1905 Rev. Francis X. Mulville was appointed to the pastoral staff of St. Joseph’s.  Throughout these difficult times, the weekly income did not support the expenses of the parish and the annual fair was needed to meet these expenses.  For example, the receipts for December 29, 1907 were Door - $12.40, offertory - $8.10 – and the fair $720.00.  Father Mulville served in Occum till his death on March 2, 1908.  He appeared to be a young man of exceptional physical strength and his personality was such that he found no trouble in approaching men of varied conditions and views.

            Rev. Bernard M. Donnelly was selected as successor to Father Mulville.  His commission to Occum was issued on March 4, 1908, and he remained in Occum until July of 1910.  Although the people were poor financially, they showed, over and over again, that they were rich in their hearts, and that they were willing to make sacrifices to keep St. Joseph’s Church.  At this time the sanctuary was repaired and decorated and steam heat installed in both the church and rectory.  Indication of the financial conditions of the parish is the fact that when Father Donnelly left St. Joseph’s, the records show that he donated his “salary and horse hire for July” to the parish, as the cash on hand was only $30.50.  Father Donnelly’s many achievements and his fine services entitled him to the gratitude of the parishioners and indeed to all the public-spirited people of this area.

On July 24, 1910 Rev. Frederick H. DesSureault was sent to Occum with jurisdiction over the Catholics of the twin towns.  During his seventeen years at St. Joseph’s electric lights were installed in both the church and rectory, exterior of church was repaired and painted, interior decorated and new stations installed, also a new organ was purchased.  Father DesSureault ministered to the faithful under his care with great apostolic zeal and splendid results, providing his flock with abundant and wholesome spiritual food.  His term of pastor ended in July of 1927.

            Rev. Ludovic Paradis was named pastor in July of 1927.  The infamous depression made any improvements or expansions almost an impossibility but somehow the good people of St. Joseph’s enlarged the rectory.  Father Paradis had an especially beneficent influence over his flock and he emulated the best traditions of the long line of his predecessors.

            Rev. Henri Chagnon succeeded Father Paradis in 1932.  His term as pastor at St. Joseph’s was ended the end of January 1933 when Rev. Donat M. Jette was name pastor.  Even though there were still financial problems the people sacrificed and the church was repaired and improved.  His term ended in 1936.

            Rev. Edward Mathieu was named pastor in September 1936.  The financial problems of the parish were further increased with the devastating flood of 1938.  Considerable ground was lost to the flood waters, even though the church grounds were above water level.  The embankment behind the church was washed into the mill building below, wiping out any hopes for an early re-opening of the mill which had been closed for some time.  Father Mathieu concentrated his efforts on the youth of the parish, and he was responsible in obtaining land for a playground in the village.  This same playground was later turned over to the town of Norwich for upkeep and maintenance, and is still in use today.

Rev. Homidas Belec was named pastor of St. Joseph’s on January 19, 1939.  His devotion to St. Joseph was made known to all who took their troubles to him.  His phrase, “Say a prayer to St. Joseph and he will take care of it”, proved true.

            As with all building, the church and rectory were in need of repair, for the “depression years” and the 1938 hurricane had left their mark.  Father Belec undertook to have the outside of the church and rectory brick-surfaced, the interior painted, the walls refurbished, new stained-glass windows, pews, and lighting installed, and a wall built along the front of the property. Careful inspection showed that the walls of the structure to be bowing out, and the steeple in danger of falling down, necessitating major repairs.  St. Joseph’s experienced a period of continual fund raising, and once again the people responded with enthusiasm.

Father Belec was very close to the boys in military service during World War II.  Each year, each and all military personnel from Occum and Versailles, no matter what church they belonged to, received a Christmas box from St. Joseph’s.  He was a great source of comfort to families who lost sons during the war, and the monument in front of the church and the stained-glass window above the choir are lasting mementos of Father Belec’s deep feeling for the men in the service of our country.  Long before the new liturgy of the church, he would have the national anthem played before each and every Mass.

Father Belec died after blessing the palms on Palm Sunday April 14, 1957.  After lying in state in the church, the funeral was held at St. Joseph’s with many dignitaries of the church, state and local politics, and an overflowing crowd of “his people” present.  The State of Connecticut bestowed the distinct honor of naming the turnpike bridge in Occum after Father Belec.

             During Father Belec’s years of failing health, a number of assistants served at St. Joseph’s.  At the time of his death, Rev. Clement Shea was administrator of the parish and he served until Rev. Anthony Caron was appointed pastor in July 1957.

            Father Caron, because he served the parish in a more affluent time, was able to devote his time and energy to the spiritual needs of the parish.  He would have liked to further Father Belec’s dream of having an order of teaching nuns housed in Occum to care for the religious instructions, however, because of the shortage of sisters available, this dream was never to be realized.  Father Caron like people, and as a result, people liked him.

            Rev. Edward Frigeault succeeded Father Caron as pastor in July 1963.  As with Father Caron, Father Frigeault had relatively few financial headaches and was able to concentrate his efforts on the needs of the people.

When Rev. Charles McGinley was named pastor in June 1973, it was once again paint up and clean up time for the church and rectory buildings, and once again the people of St. Joseph’s rallied together with fund raisers and special collections to accomplish the necessary maintenance.  Father McGinley was here for three years until 1976.

            St. Joseph’s was fortunate in having Rev. Joseph Horan succeed Father McGinley as pastor in October 1976.  Under Father Horan’s direction, the outside maintenance of the church was accomplished and the basement hall renovated.  In a short time, Father Horan has become deeply involved with the church and the people of St. Joseph’s, in the best traditions of a long line of predecessors.

            One hundred years later, St. Joseph’s Church stands as a beautiful and shining example of the deep faith and love of its people.

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

            One of the outstanding features of beautiful St. Joseph’s Church has to be its stained-glass windows.  The Hiemer & Co. Glass Studio located in Clifton, New Jersey, who designed and installed the windows provides the following information.  Excerpts from the letter from Gerhard E. Heimer to the pastor are as follows:

            “The stained glass was designed by my grandfather, George Hiemer, who had been trained and practiced Stained Glass in Bavaria.  He came to the United States and joined my father in business.  The Bavarian-stained glass traditions are reflected in the design of your stained glass.  The figures and figure groups are of a pictorial nature with border ornamentation from the Romanesque and Gothic periods.”

            The first windows were installed by March of 1941.  Though the other windows were ordered at this time, wartime shortages of lead and steel held up the work of fabricating the windows.  The War Memorial window in the choir loft was the last to be installed in October of 1941.  Altogether there are fourteen stained glass windows in the nave of the church, four windows in the sacristy, two windows at the front stairs, two vestibule windows and five windows in the sanctuary along with the aforementioned war memorial window.

            Mr. Hiemer added, “As a matter of interest the cost of the large side windows, including protection glass and ventilation was $168.00 for figure groups, and $133.00 for single figures of saints.  Today these windows would cost approximately $1890.00 for the figure groups and $1745.00 for single figures of the Saints.”

            We are grateful to Mr. Hiemer for his information about our beautiful windows.  Our appreciation should be enhanced as we better recognize our treasure, not merely in a monetary sense, but especially in historic value.

The Shetucket River at the bridge which connects Occum to Versailles. This photo which was taken after the hurricane and flood of 1938 shows the location of the Church on Baltic Road and also the dam spoken of in the opening paragraphs.