St. Bridget of Sweden Parish: Faith, Foundations, and a Growing Cheshire
- Richard Smith
- Feb 18
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 11
Long before Main Street carried the steady rhythm of commuter traffic and subdivisions stretched across former farmland, a small Catholic community was quietly gathering in homesteads and borrowed rooms.
The story of St. Bridget of Sweden Parish is not merely the history of a building. It is the story of a mission that survived dispersal, endured population shifts, and ultimately grew alongside the town of Cheshire—brick by brick, generation by generation.
The First Masses: A Mission Takes Root (1843–1871)
The earliest recorded Catholic worship in Cheshire dates to 1843, when Father Bernard Tevin offered Mass at the Booth homestead. At the time, the Catholic population was small but determined—largely immigrant families who gathered wherever space allowed.
In 1854, Father Hugh O’Reilly began ministering to the community and purchased land on Highland Avenue for a permanent home. On Christmas Day in 1859, Father Charles McCallion offered the first Mass in the newly completed mission building. Formally dedicated in 1861, the original St. Bridget represented both stability and aspiration for a young town still defining itself.
A Resident Pastor and a Setback (1871–1930)
In 1871, Cheshire received its first resident pastor, Father Thomas Drea. However, the arrangement was short-lived; after just one year, Father Drea departed to found St. Thomas Parish in Southington. As the local Catholic population declined, Cheshire was downgraded from an independent parish back to a mission, administered by neighboring churches in Wallingford and Meriden.
Despite this status, the community continued to invest in its home. In 1883, the Highland Avenue church was enlarged and adorned with stained glass, a marble altar, and a new bell. For the next several decades, however, Cheshire’s Catholic life would ebb and flow with the town’s changing fortunes.
Re-Establishment and Postwar Expansion (1930–1958)
The turning point came in 1930 with the arrival of Father Patrick A. McCarthy, marking the re-
establishment of Cheshire as an independent parish. Father McCarthy was a visionary; that same year, he purchased an 11.5-acre tract on Main Street—land that would anchor the parish’s modern campus decades before the postwar "suburban boom" began.
By the 1950s, farms were giving way to neighborhoods, and the modest Highland Avenue church could no longer hold the swelling congregation. In 1956, Father Arthur P. Hanley succeeded Father McCarthy and spearheaded the construction of a new sanctuary.
A $300,000 auditorium complex (the "auditorium church") served as a temporary worship space until the permanent church was dedicated on December 7, 1958. Built with Spalding brick, the new building featured a striking mid-century design and exquisite stained glass crafted by O’Duggan of Boston, who used gold dust to create a signature sparkling effect. Inside, two adoring angel statues salvaged from the original 1861 church were installed—a tangible link to the parish's 19th-century roots.
A Commitment to Education
If the church was the parish’s spiritual center, the school became its heartbeat. In 1957, the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis assumed responsibility for religious education, eventually moving into a new convent on Creamery Road. Under Father Hanley’s leadership, a junior high school adjoining the parish hall was completed and dedicated in 1964.
By the early 1990s, the parish renewed its commitment to Catholic education under the guidance of Co-Pastors Father James Gunnoud and Father Brian Monnerat. On August 30, 1994, the modern St. Bridget School officially opened as a full elementary school. Beginning with Pre-K through first grade under Principal Sharon Derr, the school added one grade per year. This rapid growth necessitated a new 12-classroom wing, dedicated in 1998 to house primary grades and modern computer labs.
Modern Leadership and Unity
The turn of the millennium brought both transition and growth. Father Robert "Father Bob"
Ricciardi, a beloved figure who served the parish from 1999 (first as assistant pastor and then as pastor from 2005), led the community until his passing in 2013. Following a brief interim period under Administrator Father Mark Suslenko, Father Jeffrey V. Romans, KCHS, was appointed pastor in May 2014.
Coming from a distinguished tenure at the Chancery Office of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Father Romans brought a clear sense of direction to the 3,000-plus families of the parish. His leadership was defined by a major milestone in June 2017: the canonical union of Cheshire’s three Catholic parishes—Saint Bridget, Saint Thomas Becket, and Epiphany—into a single, unified Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish.
A Legacy That Endures
Today, Father Romans, supported by Parochial Vicars Father Ajeesh
, continues to bridge the parish’s 180-year history with modern spiritual needs. Through pilgrimages, scripture series, and a thriving school, the parish remains a pillar of the Cheshire community.
The angel statues in the sanctuary remain silent witnesses to this journey. They saw the humble beginnings on Highland Avenue, the setbacks of the late 1800s, and the vibrant rebirth on Main Street. They serve as a reminder that while buildings and leadership may change, the mission of faith and community endures.
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