Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts . hael Madden, where the Rev. Bernard Cav-anagh, then pastor of the Pittsfield parish, celebrated mass in various occasions afterwards, as opportunity permitted, the sameclergyman continued to keep alive the religious spirit among the Cath-olics by celebrating mass in a house located on the mill grounds untila small hall on Main street was secured for this purpose. During therectorship of Father Cuddihy and that of his successor. Father Purcell,the mission was fostered by these zeal
Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts . hael Madden, where the Rev. Bernard Cav-anagh, then pastor of the Pittsfield parish, celebrated mass in various occasions afterwards, as opportunity permitted, the sameclergyman continued to keep alive the religious spirit among the Cath-olics by celebrating mass in a house located on the mill grounds untila small hall on Main street was secured for this purpose. During therectorship of Father Cuddihy and that of his successor. Father Purcell,the mission was fostered by these zealous Pittsfield priests, who gaveto it as much time as could be spared from their regular duties, whichin those early days were exceedingly arduous. In 1863 the Rev. FatherCharles Lynch was appointed pastor at North Adams, and that clergy-man was able thereafter to give Adams more attention. This fact hesoon manifested by purchasing the old Congregational meeting house,which he removed to a lot on Park street and remodeled into an edificesuitable for Roman Catholic worship. On September 12, 1875, Adams. BERKSHIRE COUNTY 341 was raised from a mission to the dignity of a parish, which becameknown as that of St. Thomas, and the Rev. E. F. ]\IcCourt Avas ap-pointed its first rector. Father McCourt purchased for the sum of six-teen thousand dohars the land on which the church and rectory nowstand, and he continued to labor in the interests of the parish diligentlyand along progTessi\e lines for the remainder of his life. He died inJanuary, 1880, deeply regretted by his parishioners, and in February,1881, was succeeded by the Rev. Dennis C. Moran. For some yearsthe old church had been inadequate to the needs of the parish, andFather jNIoran continued the work of his predecessor leading to theerection of a larger church edifice, the corner stone of which was laidby the Rt. Rev. Bishop Beaven. of the Spring-field diocese. May 17,1896. and the building, sufficiently advanced in construct
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