Church History

The Catholic church in Bethlehem was first established as a mission of St. John the Evangelist Church in Watertown on November 16, 1884. At that time, during the late 1800's and early 1900's, a majority of the Catholics in Bethlehem were immigrants from Canada, from western Europe, predominantly Irish, German, and Italian, or from eastern Europe, Lebanese, Polish, and most especially, Lithuanian. These hardy settlers soon outnumbered the earlier "Yankee farmers" to become the dominant cultural groups in the area. Steadfast in their faith, they traveled long distances to  attend  Mass  and  to  see  to  the  religious education of their children.

Father John Loftus, named pastor of St. John the Evangelist in 1902, was the spur for the acquisition of a mission church in Bethlehem. In September,1915 land and a building, which had previously been used as a pool hall and confectionery, were purchased from Edward Crane. And in July 1916 this small building replaced Memorial Hall as the site for Catholic worship in Bethlehem.  Though Mass was celebrated here every Sunday from June through October, the months from November to May were difficult. Mass could be celebrated only once a month during this time, and many current parishioners remember having to travel over wintry roads to fulfill their Sunday obligation in Woodbury or Watertown. Father Loftus himself made the long trip from Watertown to Bethlehem up Magnolia Hill in his horse drawn buggy. In 1922 he retired from his ministry here, choosing to work as a missionary among the growing black Catholic population in Alabama.  He died in Mobile in 1933.

First Communion- Mission Church - 1927

 Father William Judge was appointed pastor in 1922. When visiting Bethlehem in good weather he replaced his horse and buggy with a Stutz Bearcat.  A parishioner recalls Father Judge's coming to Bethlehem to pick up candidates who were to receive their First Communion and Confirmation in Watertown - each with two ribbons and two pairs of shoes: a white ribbon for Communion and a red ribbon for Confirmation, one pair of shoes for the church services and another for the long walk home afterwards. Shortly after his transfer to Waterbury, Father Judge suffered a debilitating' and fatal stroke.

The next pastor was Father Cornelius Tuelings, appointed in 1928. By this time the number of parishioners had increased to approximately 125, and a larger place to worship became a priority for the mission church.  Father Tuelings wasted no time. In 1929 he purchased additional land from Edward Crane.  Construction of a new church began in July of that year, to be consecrated three months later in October 1929. On a trip to the Southwest, Father Tuelings had admired the Spanish mission churches with their red tile roofs.

He chose this style as the architectural pattern for the new mission Church of the Nativity, managing to  complete  the  building  at  the  cost  of approximately $7,800.  Of course there was no running water or electricity. Heat was provided by a wood furnace that had to be lit early in the morning to warm the church for the 11:00 o'clock service.  On occasion, when the fire went out, parishioners arrived to find a cold, smoke-filled building. They were not daunted. They had built their church; they would support it financially, attend to its physical upkeep, and continue to nurture their precious gift of faith. It seems this small community took Father Tuelings' words to heart as they worked together and recognized the presence of God in one another.  There were prominent families, too numerous to mention, many of Lithuanian stock, some a mosaic of other cultures, who would forge a Christian community centered in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.  They gave of themselves - their integrity, their hard work, their skills of husbandry, their gifts of craftsmanship, and their leadership. All of these qualities of character are still with us today. In the 1920's two of their number, Thomas Marchukaitis and Adam Majauskas, were named the first trustees of the new church. When Father Tuelings was appointed chaplain and professor of philosophy at St. Joseph's College in West Hartford, he was succeeded at the Church of the Nativity by Father Myles P. Galvin.

Father Galvin guided St. John the Evangelist in Watertown, and the mission Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, for three decades during a turbulent period of change. People had turned from the havoc and tragedy of a brutal world war to seek peace and prosperity in the postwar years. They were encouraged by a vibrant spiritual renewal and new hopes. Within the Church of the Nativity there were many welcome improvements. Assisted by many able priests during this period, particularly Father Theodore Beauchamp and Father Richard Guerette,  Father  Galvin  supervised  the introduction of electricity and a new oil furnace, new pews and carpeting, and space for an organ to accompany church services.   A new altar, handcrafted of burnished cherry, now allowing the celebrant to face the congregation as Vatican II had deemed, was the generous gift of its maker, Joseph Shupenis. Father Galvin's business acumen was also notable.  His annual reports were masterpieces of detail.   The church treasury prospered, and in 1959 Father Galvin purchased two acres of land on the south side of East Street from Waiter Bless. (In 1972, when the present rectory was constructed on this site, no borrowed funds were necessary for the project.) Though ill health forced Father Galvin to retire from his parish duties in 1965, he remained pastor emeritus until his death in 1974. Father Marshall Filip then became the new administrator of the parish.

Father Filip will always be remembered as a saintly, much loved pastor. On his daily visits to the sick in hospitals and homes he shared his prayers and good will. Meanwhile, his faithful dog, Duchess, waited patiently in the car as he made his rounds. He considered religious instruction for the children of the parish most important, often taking over classes himself when the regular teacher was not available. On his visits to these classrooms, bags of candy in hand, he delighted the children, and at times could dismay teachers trying to maintain order.   Although no longer directly responsible for Bethlehem, once Father Sherer became pastor, Father Filip was still very visible, attending funerals, and offering consolation and friendship as he visited many of his former parishioners. Father Filip remained in Watertown until his death in 1990.

A parish census in 1970 showed solid growth in the Nativity parish.  It had been necessary to add a second Mass, often celebrated by a member of the St. Louis de Montfort community in Litchfield, or by a priest from the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Since the parish now contained 163 families with a total  of 600  individuals,  Archbishop John  F. Whealon sought to determine whether Bethlehem could sustain an independent parish. Father Carl Sherer was appointed to conduct the survey, assisted by a newly formed parish council headed by Nicholas Brennan. The results were positive, and Father Sherer became the first pastor of the new parish of the Church of the Nativity in 1972.

A needed rectory and parish hall were now erected on the site purchased by Father Galvin in 1959. With impressive foresight, the parish council purchased an additional four acres behind the rectory from Marge Bennett and was granted a right-of-way by Eleanor Mayer. This land is part of our new church grounds today. The basement of this new rectory became the home for parish meetings and socials, as well as the classrooms for the religious education programs. In 1974 Father Sherer's  heart  attack  and  subsequent  illness prevented the completion of his pastorate. Upon his   resignation   Father  William  Thuer  was appointed the administrator, and later, the pastor of the Church of the Nativity.

Father Thuer's years as pastor in Bethlehem were distinguished by years of fruitful growth and guidance.  He was sensitive and attentive to the needs of his parish, most especially at times of crisis, illness, death, and family difficulties.  Nick, Father Thuer's spirited and friendly dog, also welcomed visitors to the rectory as their numbers continued to increase. Father Thuer supported and implemented the ongoing changes in the Church  at  large,  encouraging  a  greater participation by the laity in the liturgy. Ministerial service was open to all who were prepared to accept responsibility according to their gifts. Women, especially, appreciated a more active role in church services.  Not least of Father Thuer's concerns, however, was the lack of space in the church. As he was transferred in 1988, he was not to fulfill the dream of a new church, but his parting words to Father Dery, "I just hope you will keep the idea of a new church alive," were not forgotten.

During these years, service to the Church and religious vocations were nurtured.  The Nativity parish is justly proud of the ordination of Father Edward Kacerguis, the eldest son ofa distinguished Bethlehem family. As Chaplain to the students of Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in the Albany diocese, Father Kacerguis counsels, inspires, and helps countless students in their quest for religious truth. He also keeps in close touch with his roots, assisting in the parish ministry during his home visits. He has been invaluable, truly a "right hand", in assuming responsibility for handling many of the details involved in the dedication of the new church. He has also helped arrange the Liturgy of Dedication and, as a gift to the parish, he has printed the program for the dedication ceremony.

Father Henry R. Dery was ordained as a member of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers on May 22, 1948. He was thereupon sent to the Angelicum University in Pome for two years of further study. When he returned he taught courses in Sacred Theology at St. Joseph's Major Seminary in Cleveland. Three years later he was assigned to the Eymard Preparatory Seminary in Hyde Park, New York. During his fifteen year tenure here he never shied from the burden of increasing responsibilities, becoming the Rector in 1962. However, as the needs of pastoral ministry became more pressing, Father Dery responded to diocesan exigencies by accepting the pastorate of St. Charles in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After many happy and fruitful years in this ministry, an old friend, Archbishop Whealon, invited him to work in the Archdiocese of Hartford.  He was incardinated within two years, serving at St. Joseph's in Bristol and St. Jerome's in New Britain. In 1988, by direct appointment of the Archbishop, he was named pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Though Father Dery's appointment as pastor did not specify the duty to build a new church, within a short time the hazardous conditions and the hidden disrepair within the Nativity Church were to become more and more apparent. This, added to the  lamentable  lack  of  space,  made  the construction of a new building of paramount importance. The treasured old church had fulfilled its mission. The time had come to provide for the spiritual and physical needs of all the parishioners in a dramatic new way. From the beginning Father Dery, seasoned by the rigors of long years of missionary work in the American Southwest, seemed more than fit for such a strenuous undertaking. His warm love for his parishioners and his zealous dedication to parish ministry were to make him strong and steadfast in the task ahead. He had accepted his appointment with the words of Archbishop Whealon ringing in his ears: "For your last years of active ministry I want to appoint you to a parish from which you will have a storehouse of fond memories."  Not only the building  of  the  new  Church,  a  stunning achievement, but the outpouring of enthusiasm and sacrifice from the parishioners in response to the pastor's needs, will surely stand out in this storehouse of memories promised by Archbishop Whealon. It remains for the parish to continue its spiritual growth, its building of true community, in the special spirit of joy and love that is the meaning of Christ's Nativity.

Two aspects of church life in the Nativity pariah merit special attention: the religious education of its children, and the selfless work of the Catholic Women of Bethlehem in furthering the ministry of the Church.

In 1913 Sister Emiliana, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, was assigned to St. John's School in Watertown, where she would remain for a glorious 57 years, teaching second graders and preparing generations of children to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In the 1920's this remarkable nun became the nucleus for a small group who brought religious education to the mission community of Bethlehem.  Later, her advancing  age,  the  growing  numbers  of communicants in Bethlehem, and the obvious pinch of space limitations, made new arrangements necessary.  When the Bethlehem Consolidated School offered classrooms for use after regular school hours, the Daughters of Wisdom from Litchfield, along with trained CCD teachers from Watertown, assumed responsibility for the formal religious instruction of the pariah youth. A decade later, in the 1960's, lay volunteers from the parish accepted a more significant role in this program. Anne Rockwell was appointed first chairperson of the Nativity group. Many generous and talented volunteers rallied to help, including Dwight and Marge Bennett who provided the buses and drivers to transport pupils home after instruction.  The Catholic Youth Organization was also established during these years, nurturing a wholesome teenage environment for social interaction and religious understanding.    When  the  new  rectory was completed in 1973, classes, previously held in a variety of locations, now moved to a permanent home in the basement of the rectory, where they still meet today. Though it is indeed fortunate that the CCD program continues to have the support of the entire parish, from interested parents to dedicated teachers, the lack of adequate classroom space continues to be a problem.  Conditions resulting from the staggered allocation of time and space create an undue burden on a pastor's ministry. Every pastor wishes to spend precious time with the children of his parish, getting to know them and instruct them, a task now impossible given the stretch of classes over a period of several days. It is hoped that the parish plans for additional hall and classroom space, now on hold in the architectural plans, will soon become a reality.

The Catholic Women's Organization was founded by Margaret Langlois, Anastasia March, Marge Bennett, and Helen Smith. They met in February 1955 to form a lay group of women who could serve parish needs in a multitude of ways, from spontaneous action in times of immediate crisis to carefully structured, long range activities.  With Father Galvin's encouragement the first meeting was held in April in Memorial Hall with 21 members present. The first officers to be elected were: Anastasia March, president; Claire Osuch, vice-president; Marge Bennett, secretary; Helen Smith,  treasurer.    Since  its  inception  this organization has been actively serving to enhance the spiritual and the social life of the parish. Their spiritual mission has included varying activities from pilgrimages, outdoor Masses, and annual Communion breakfasts to the current participation in the World Day of Prayer, fostering ecumenical unity and worship. They have also raised funds for parish expenses, and have had fun doing it, through dinner dances, holiday sales, a booth at the Bethlehem fair, and a traditional Christmas bazaar, now in its 26th year. Members continue to meet weekly to fashion handcrafted items for this popular holiday event.  Father Dery, as have previous pastors, finds the work of this group of dedicated women one of the mainstays of parish enthusiasm  and  achievement.     They  are commended, and they have the thanks of the entire parish community.