The history of St. Mary of Redford Parish and school

Construction of the new rectory that would have been Father Dumont's began in July 1866 but remained unfinished by late fall. Bishop Lefevre interpreted this procrastination as evidence of the congregation's indifference to their own plight and promptly recalled the pastor and closed the church. From November 1866 until mid-September 1868, the mission at St. Mary's was abandoned. Although Lefevre appointed another resident priest to St. Mary's on September 10, 1868, for the next three decades there was a steady turnover of pastors whose terms ranged in length from four months to four years. This marked a period of stagnation in the parish's history, if not a regression.

In 1870 there were 100 registered families attending St. Mary's. That number increased to 125 by 1875 and peaked at 150 by 1880. By 1885 however, the number of registered families slipped to 130 and by 1896 fell to 125. Testimony to the sad state of affairs at St. Mary's was given in a letter from the parish pastor Father William DeBever to his colleague in Greenfield, Francis Baumgartner.

For the last ten years or twelve years...Redford has been in a most deplorable condition. Almost everything from that time was a succession of misfortunes and the people had lost not only confidence but almost faith in any priest. Since my arrival in July 1893, I have tried to restore faith and gain confidence by going right to work and improve the church's property which was in a state, actually a disgrace to the public.

Though minor improvements were made on parish property during that three decade span, it was not until the arrival of Father Andrew Dooling in December 1898 that the parish's fortunes took a decided turn for the better.

At the time of Dooling's arrival, there were only 120 registered families at St. Mary's, the lowest total in nearly thirty years. Unlike his predecessors, Father Dooling, a personable, energetic man, was not above personal sacrifice. he did much of the general work around the church such as painting, repairing and housekeeping. By setting an example, the pastor hoped to rekindle a spark of faith in his congregation. His efforts paid off handsomely.

Between September 1899 and February 1910, St. Mary of Redford received new stained glass windows, new pews, steam heating, a new slate roof, electric lighting, a redecorated interior and a repainted exterior. The first cement sidewalks were laid around the parish property in 1906. By 1910, the number of registered families at the parish had once again climbed to 150 as many once-disgruntled members returned to the fold. On March 22, 1916, Father Dooling, in consultation with the parish committee, agreed to donate forty feet of the west side of the parish property for use as a public street, provided that an equal number of feet was given to the east side of what was then the Shefferly property, and that the street be named St. Mary's Boulevard. Although a thoroughfare of boulevard proportions never materialized, its name is unchanged to this day.

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