The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-11-12
POP ULAT|0N OF
TOWN ONE-TH|RD
CATHOLIC
Census Of Roman Catholic Par
ishes is Completed
OVER 1000 IN THIS VILLAGE
First Roman Catholics Game to Ben.
nington in the Year l8II-First
Mass Celebrated Here in 1880.

Last year tUe bureau VI INC ScuouS
at Washington started to collect the
statistics of the various religious bod
les throughout the country and appoint
ed the Rt. Rev. John j. Glennon, arch
bishop of ST. Louis as a special agent
for the census of the Roman Catholic
body.
The latter both as representative
of the Hierarchy and also as repres-
entative of the United States census
bureau sent q circular to the bishops
of the country requesting them to have
the clergy in their respective dioceses
take up such census.
About month ago Bishop Michaud
of Burlington sent letter to the cler-
gy in this state commanding them to
take up the census in their parishes
at once. This enumeration to include
all who, baptized, have not formally,
by word or deed, renounced it..
Accordingly the pastors in this town
appointed certain ladies whose duty
it was to secure the names of all the
Catholics within the limits assigned
TO them. The results OF this census
show that there are 2i0S people who
belong to the two churches in this vii
lage.
In st. Francis de Sales parish there
are 1903 souls comprising CSC males
and 947 females This Is the oldest
parish in town and may be said to date
back t. the time that Thomas Trenor
and Patrick Lynch, the first well
known Catholics who came to Benning
ton IN The early part OF the last cen
fury. The former purchased large
tracts of land in the towns of Wood
ford and Bennington of Moses Sage in
1871 and settled here. The Tren-
or Meadows and the late Trenor Park,
Sr., were named after him.
Patrick Lynch travelled extensively
through the country with Thomas
Moor the Irish poet. They put up at
the cd CatamOunt tavern at the Cen
ter when Moore was on his way from
Bermuda to Canada. Mr. Lynch set
tied down here and carried on a mer-
camille business in this town for years.
He n arried cousin of the wife of
Governor John Robinson.
Although there were other Catholic
property owners soon after this 1t is
probable that the holy sacrifice of the
Mass was offered up in this town in
1880 for the first time. From that
time until 1854, priests from Rutland
and Troy came here occasionally.
In 1854 Father Druon of Rutland as
sumed charge of Bennington and cree
ted the old church on the hill. In
1859 FL Tlorec became pastor and OPP
ened the first parochial school in this
town. During the next rs years the
parish grew very fast and in 1885
when Rev, John S. (now Bishop Mich
aud, assumed the pastorate the old
church, although enlarged some time
before was found too small for the in
creasing congregation. The present
spacious and imposing edifice one of
the largest and handsOmest churches
in Vermont was accordingly built
while he was pastor. The corner
stone of this church was blessed on
July 4, 1889 by the late Rt. Rev. L. de
GoeSbriand.
Father Michaud, having been chosen
coadjutor bishop, Father Barron, the
present pastor, came here January /,
1893 During his pastorate the parish
has flourished to great degree and
increased much in numbers. The es-
tate of Il. H. Putnam on North street
was purchased and a school building
unequalled in this or any other state
for the size of the congregation, erect
ed. The congregation, at present, con
stitutes one OF the most prosperous
parishes in the state of Vermont.
The congregation of the Church of
the Sacred Heart is composed of S05
souls of which 397 are males and 40S
females. There are 142 families in
this parish. Before 1880 the French
Canadian population attended Mass in
St Francis church. Rev. j. f. Audet
took charge of the French speaking
basement of the Noyes block on Main
street. The present church was built
by this priest in 1888.
In 1885 Father Provost took charge
of the parish at North Bennington and
this mission was annexed to 1t, In
1891 Father Provost bought the lot al
the corner of Gage and School streets
and opened up a school, Father La
chance succeeded Father Provost and
enlarged the school and beautified the
interior of the church. Rev. FIR. Pre-.
vost again became pastor of this
church when it was made separate
parish about 1900. During the past
few years the number of people in the
parish has increased considerably and
many important improvements have
been made.
Although the summer residents are
included in this census, especially in
st. Francis de Sales parish, it is safe
to say that about one third of the peo.
pie in this town believe in the Roman
Catholic faith.
In addition to the two churches here