History of Our Parish churches
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Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary church
The Swanton Catholic Parish was founded in 1854. Two diocesan priests, Fathers Louis Lionnet and Jean-Louis Cam had come from France and were its pastors from 1854-1895. Fr. Jean-Louis Cam officiated the first time in Swanton, May 5, 1858. James McNally gave the land for this first church. On December 24, 1858, the church burned down before Midnight Mass. A new church was built across the street where the present parking lot is and opened November 1, 1859. Father Cam
left Swanton in 1895.
The Edmundites took charge in 1895 and the first Edmundite pastor was Father Theophile Aubin. Fr. Aubin served as pastor from 1895 – 1903 and 1906 – 1913. He built a three story house for the Edmundites north of the present church. In 1897, the Ladies of St. Anne were founded in the parish. In 1898, a Juniorate (minor seminary) was opened in the Edmundite house. In 1909, a group of parish ladies were asked to assume the responsibility of caring for the altar in church. They voted to be called the Alter Society. In 1909, the religious exercises for the Tercentenary Observances of the discovery of Lake Champlain in Swanton took place in the Church of the Nativity.
Father Ernest Salmon was pastor from 1914 – 1920. During World War 1, an influenza epidemic forced the church to be closed a few weeks. Father Victor Nicolle was pastor from 1920 – 1937. Fr. Nicolle was principal of St. Anne’s School and Superior General of the Edmundites.
The present church was built in 1925. The altar of the present church was also in the second church and probably in the first (which burned in 1858) as the inner frame bears marks of charred wood. The Sacred Heart and the Blessed Virgin Mary windows in the sanctuary were moved from the church across the street.
Father William Jeanmarie, SSE was the first American-born and the first native of Swanton to become pastor of the church 1937 – 1949. During his pastorate, the old church, built in 1859 across the street from the present one, was demolished in 1937. Among the Swanton men who joined the Society of St. Edmund were Fr. Ernest Simard, Fr. Romeo Trahan, Fr. Edmund Hamel, and Fr. Marcel Rainville.
Father Olivia Langlois, SSE was pastor from 1949 – 1956. Fr. Langlois, SSE built the new St. Anne’s elementary school in 1955 and remodeled the Edmundite house to lodge the Sisters in the front part and St. Anne’s Academy in the rear. The twelve room elementary school is currently used for Religious Education and the Parish Center.
For most of its history, St. Anne’s was staffed by the Sisters from the Daughters of the Holy Spirit some who remained until 1979. Among the Swanton women who joined the order were Sr. Martha Therrien, Sr. Juliette Baltazar, Sr. Lorraine Duval, and Sr. Rainville. In 1979, the religious education program was coordinated by an Ursuline nun, Sr. Joan Sirtout, OSU. She was assisted by Sr. Mary Ellen Theriault, OSU. The Sisters lived in Highgate Center. The order is commonly known as the Blue Point Ursuline Sisters and served the parish with dedication until 2003. The program is currently under the direction of Jennifer Ploof.
Father Daniel Lyons, SSE was pastor from 1956 – 1968. He installed the present light fixtures in the church, the Stations of the Cross, and had the relic of St. Edmunds’s arm brought to Swanton. This is a major relic of St. Edmund of Canterbury which was enshrined in the church but since returned to the Society of St. Edmund.
Father Nelson Ziter, SSE was pastor from 1968 – 1971. Fr. Leo Corbett, SSE was pastor from 1971 – 1974. Father Lawrence Ouimet, SSE, born in Swanton, served as curate from 1974 – 1976. Father John Chevalier, SSE was pastor from 1974 – 1976. Father Frederick McLachlan, SSE was pastor from 1976 – 1978. Father James Blynt, SSE was pastor from 1978 – 1982. Father Blynt, SSE established the St. Edmund of Canterbury Council of the Knights of Columbus. Father Ziter had a second term as pastor from 1982 – 1985. Father Maurice Ouellet was pastor from 1985 – 1987. During Fr. Ouellet’s term, the church furnace was replaced, the garage was built, and the parking lot repaved. Father Romeo Trahan was pastor from 1987 – 1992 and curate from 1980 – 1987.
Father Charles Ranges was pastor from 1992 – 2001. In 1994, Father Ranges undertook the project of restoring the church refinishing pews, walls, floors, and the tabernacle. Father Ranges was present to celebrate the 100th year of Edmundite stewardship in Swanton. Fr. John Meagher was pastor from 2001 to 2007. The following two years; 2007 - 2008, Fr. Benedict Kiely was assigned pastor of the parish.
Fr. Thomas Nadeau became parish administrator in 2008. On September 8, 2008, Nativity Parish and St. Louis Parish officially became one. Father Nadeau was parish administrator until 2012, when Father Emmanuel Anjanma took over. Father Luke Austin was pastor from June 2014 to June 2017. During Fr. Austin's time in the parish he oversaw a renovation at the Nativity Parish Center made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous donor that allowed for a new truss roof, windows, and siding to be installed, and new flooring put in the Parish Hall portion of the building. Fr. James Zuccaro was pastor from June 2017-June 2019, during that time our parish partnered with Light of the World Evangelization Ministries to help grow and evangelize our parish community. The Nativity Religious Education Program also switched to a Family Formation Model of Religious Education beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.
In July of 2019 the parish officially welcomed Rev. Fr. James Dodson as our new pastor. Fr. Dodson has been the driving force behind the refurbishing of all of the Stain Glass Windows at Nativity Church. This is a project that is expected to take several years to complete due to the intricacy of the work involved and high labor costs. In June of 2022 Nativity Church suffered a small fire started in the candle rack area of the rear of the Church. Due to the quick actions of Fr. Dodson the Church was saved and suffered only minor damage to the wall behind the candle rack and general smoke damage. This resulted in Nativity being closed for the summer of 2022 while the Church was cleaned and the wall where the fire damage was greatest was restored and painted. -
Saint Louis churchThe original church was purchased from the Congregationalist is 1849. When the Congregationalists built their new edifice in the Center, the Catholics bought the old church, took it down in parts to move it to the site of the old St. Louis Cemetery, enlarged it, and in 1849, ready to serve as the place of worship for the Catholics of the township. Adam Christie, father of Archbishop Christie of Oregon, and Thomas O’Heir had charge of the work while the relocation was accomplished by the parishioners. During the pastorate of Fr. Pontbriand, the church was thoroughly renovated. Besides the church property itself, the Catholics owned a rectory and a cemetery. The church and cemetery were contiguous to each other on Route 78.
The first pastor to reside in Highgate was Fr. Joseph Turcot, who remained for eleven years. In 1895, Fr. Pontbriand took over the administration of the parish until 1900.
Until the arrival of Fr. Patrick Gauthier in 1907, the priests of Swanton, Fr. A. Lacouture, Fr. Joseph Paquet, and Fr. Sullivan had charge of the parish. Fr. Patrick Gauthier was pastor of the church for 24 years. In 1927 the new cemetery was purchased. After the death of Fr. Gauthier, Bishop Joseph Rice placed the parish under the administration of the Fathers of St. Edmund in Swanton. During this time, Fr. Victor Nicolle, Fr. Louis Cheray, and Fr. William Jeanmarie, SSE had charge of the parish. Fr. Jeanmarie served as administrator for almost four years.
Fr. William Crowley came to Highgate in September of 1934 and remained until 1939. Following Fr. Crowley, three different priests, Fr. Bernard Spears, Fr. Edmund Marion, and Fr. Bernard Flanagan presided over the parish. In 1940, Bishop Brady assigned Fr. Leo Larouche to the parish as pastor. He was pastor for two years and died in July of 1942. During the next three months, Fr. Raymond Provost of Sheldon Springs was placed as the administrator of the parish. In September of 1942, Fr. Walter Charland was appointed pastor.
Fr. Rosario Morency arrived in 1954. During Fr. Morency’s tenure, St. Louis Parish purchased Foresters Hall from the Catholic Order of Foresters too host parish functions and religious education. Mass was celebrated in the newly renovated church on January 31, 1965. Fr. Morency organized lay persons to provide religious instruction to the children of the parish. He served the parish until 1965.
In June 1965, Fr. Jean Paul Laplante replaced Fr. Morency. On December 2, 1971, the original St. Louis Church burned. A decision was made to relocate the Church to Lamkin Street. The new church was dedicated and services began in November of 1974. After 10 years, the mortgage on the Church was ceremoniously burned on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1984.
Fr. Laplante realized the growing need for someone to coordinate the religious education for the children of the parish. Sister Mary Ellen Theriault, an Ursuline Sister, was hired in September 1978 as coordinator. Classes were taught by volunteer lay teachers. A religious education commission and liturgy commission were established. Fr. Laplant served the church for sixteen years.
In June 1981, Fr. Paul Bouffard came to the parish. Fr. Bouffard served the parish for nine years when illness forced his retirement. He remained in the parish until his death on September 18, 1990.
In 1983, longtime parishioner, Jean Louis Rainville was ordained a deacon by Bishop John A. Marshall. Through the summer of 1990, the parish was served by a variety of priests. In September 1990, Fr. Richard Falvella was given temporary assignment of St. Louis parish. He remained until January, 1991. Fr. Richard Fowler was assigned for weekend services and stayed until July. Deacon Jean Louis Rainville was appointed temporary administrator. He served the parish until his death in 2002.
Fr. Charles Ranges, a member of the Society of St. Edmund, became pastor in July 1991. Fr. Ranges resided in Highgate until he assumed the administration of both St. Louis Parish and Nativity Parish in 1992 until 2001. Fr. John Meagher was pastor from 2001 to 2007. The following two years; 2007 - 2008, Fr. Benedict Kiely was assigned pastor of the parish.
Fr. Thomas Nadeau became parish administrator in 2008. On September 8, 2008, Nativity Parish and St. Louis Parish officially became one. Father Nadeau was parish administrator until 2012, when Father Emmanuel Ajanma came. Father Luke Austin has been pastor of the parish since June 2014. Fr. James Zuccaro was pastor from June 2017-June 2019, during that time our parish partnered with Light of the World Evangelization Ministries to help grow and evangelize our parish community. In July of 2019 the parish officially welcomed Rev. Fr. James Dodson as our new pastor.