St. Catherine of Siena School Celebrates 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary-September 13, 1976

St. Catherine’s Bucks Trend By Growing

Sustained by deep religious faith and community spirit across half a century, St. Catherine of Siena parochial school marked its 50th Golden Jubilee yesterday with a grand celebration drawing nearly 1,200 attendees, bucking national trends of parochial school closures and cutbacks.

Golden Jubilee Celebration and Growth

Opening its doors on September 4, 1926, with just 60 first-grade pupils taught by four nuns, St. Catherine’s has expanded over five decades into a thriving educational institution serving 820 students under the guidance of 41 teachers.

The milestone celebration opened with a concelebrated Mass led by the Most Rev. Joseph J. Ruocco, Boston archdiocese bishop and former curate at St. Catherine’s. In his homily, Bishop Ruocco underscored the vital importance of Catholic education, noting that graduates maintain their faith longer than those receiving religious instruction through Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes. “The most precious treasure in the church and in the country today are our young people,” the bishop stated.

Prelude music was performed by the Westwood First Baptist Church bellringers, followed by choral harmonies from combined senior adult and boys’ choirs accompanied by the church organ, playing publicly for the first time since being rebuilt. Concelebrants included Rt. Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Sennott, pastor of St. Catherine’s; Rev. Eugene Sullivan, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Boston; Rev. William Lucey, pastor of St. Timothy’s Church; and parish priests alongside visiting clergy including Rev. James Sullivan, Rev. Paul McManus, Rev. Gilbert Phinn, Rev. Francis Hardiman, Rev. William Carroll, Rev. Joseph McDermott, Rev. Albert Abracinskas of St. George’s parish, seminarian Jerimiah Barker, Deacon Rocco Puopolo, and master of ceremonies Rev. Vincent Maffei.

Alumni Reminisce and Public Officials Gather

A large contingent of town officials and civil servants returned for the jubilee as proud alumni, including a selectman, the town manager, the tax collector, and numerous police officers and firefighters.

Many of the Sisters of St. Joseph who taught at the school returned for the reception hosted by the Home and School Association, including Sister Agnessa (the sole surviving original sister), Sister Margaret, Sister Marion, Sister Mary Octavia, Sister Adlina, Sister Jermoette, Sister Adelaide, and Sister Denista.

Alumni reflected warmly on their alma mater:

• Mary McNaught (class of 1939) remarked, “I owe a lot to these nuns — all my education. I got a good one.”
• Rita Connolly, wife of the town clerk, observed, “The school has progressed tremendously.”
• Margaret (Campbell) Foti noted how far the school had advanced from its early days when Columbia Hall served as the sole building.
• Police department safety officer Frank Walsh (class of 1939) praised the school’s academic standing, noting that many members of the police and fire departments—including Police Chief James F. Curran, Sgt. John Flaherty, Sgt. William Travers, and Sgt. Nicholas Connolly, alongside Dedham District Court Chief Probation Officer Joe Greene—were St. Catherine’s graduates.

Dr. William Pudsey serves as general director of the jubilee committee, which scheduled a full year of commemorative events.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger