The current St. Mary Magdalen church
First Mass, May 25, 1947
St Mary Magdalen School
In 1922, the parish decided to build a school. This two story brick building opened in September 1922. The school was located on Manchester Road, just east of the current church. The original enrollment was 120 students, who were taught by three Dominican nuns. The cost of the school was $40,000.
In 1929, the third St. Mary Magdalen church suffered structure damage, and the church was moved to the second floor auditorium of the school, where it remained until 1947.
St. Mary Magdalen Churches 1913-1929
In 1913, the church moved to this grain shed owned by Thomas Madden, across the street. This location was a problem because of the noise of the nearby trains and the constant threat of flooding.
After a serious flood in 1915, the church relocated to a previously built church hall at the corner of Manchester and North and South (Brentwood Blvd) on property purchased from Thomas Madden. This would remain the church building until 1929.
St Mary Magdalen Church (1912-1913)
On February 12th, St. Mary Magdalen Parish will celebrate it’s 100th Anniversary. In the next few weeks, we will share some history of the parish.
The building shown above, owned by Henry Reynolds, was located on North and South Road (Brentwood Blvd), just north of Russell Ave. Reynolds donated the building to St. Mary Magdalen’s first pastor, Fr. J. Clement Fehlig. The church was on the first floor, and Fr. Fehlig lived upstairs. The first Mass was celebrated by Fr. Fehlig on Mar 17, 1912. This building served the needs of the parish until 1913.
