All are invited to attend the Oct. 12 Mass
Story and photos submitted by Jim Schneider
St. Mary of the Assumption Parish and Shrine in Oswego, at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the completion and consecration of its beautiful church.
Designed by John T. Comès in the style of 13th-century English Gothic, The pastor, Father Joseph A. Hopkins, was the driving force behind its construction. The current church replaced a wooden structure on the same site that had been completed in 1850. In May 1916, the wooden church was torn down, and the foundation and basement of the current church were created and became the Lower Church. In March 1917, construction on the upper church began. In April, the United States entered World War I, and the price of materials skyrocketed, causing the final cost to be two and a half times the early estimates and delaying completion for eight long years.
Upon completion, the church was consecrated — one of the few consecrated churches in the Diocese at the time. Many of the men with whom Father Hopkins attended the seminary became dignitaries of the church and came to Oswego to celebrate and support him. Most prominent was Patrick Cardinal Hayes, but the list also included archbishops and bishops from California, Minnesota, Florida, and Toronto, as well as many bishops, monsignori, and clergy from the region.
The Mass celebrating the centennial of the consecration of the church will be very similar to the one celebrated on September 13, 1925. It will be a solemn High Latin Mass in the presence of Bishop Douglas J. Lucia. At 10:45 a.m., there will be a brief presentation on the building of the church by parish historian Jim Schneider. A reception in Hopkins Hall (formerly the Lower Church) will follow.
All are welcome, and we hope you will attend.
