page_title: History of St. Mary's Church (Dedham, Massachusetts)
section_title: Construction of the new church
hierarchical_section_title: History of St. Mary's Church (Dedham, Massachusetts) / Construction of the new church
caption_attribution_description: English: Married Couple Kiss in St. Mary's Church in Dedham, MA
context_page_description: The history of St. Mary's Church in Dedham, Massachusetts begins with the first mass said in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1843 and runs to the present day.
  From the first mass with only 8 Catholics present, St. Mary's grew into one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston. The first church constructed by the congregation was quickly outgrown, and so a second church was built on High Street. Designed to be a "cathedral in the wilderness," it is "the largest and most imposing church in the town" and "one of the most conspicuous edifices" in the town.
  Several parishes have grown out of St. Mary's, most recently St. Susanna's. Today it has a large Life Teen program, and over 40 other programs for parishioners.
context_section_description: In 1867, a house was purchased on High Street by Father John Brennan and was converted into a rectory.  Plans were then made for a new church to be constructed at this location.  The larger part of the church lot was purchased after Johnson's arrival in 1878. In February 1880, it was announced that A.W. Nickerson, a Protestant who had business in Boston, had paid off the parish's $800 debt, allowing the congregation to commence work on a new building.  This was welcome news, as the parish was bankrupt at the time.
caption: A newly married couple in St. Mary's
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