IN THE BEGINNING ...
Chronicling the earliest years from mission to parish: 1955-1965
(Taken from the 25th anniversary program.)
The history of St. Christopher Church is rooted in the history of neighboring Blessed Sacrament Church. In 1952, Blessed Sacrament Church obtained a site on what was the Brewer Street Extension for a new mission church to accommodate its fast-growing population. It was a three acre-tract of land belonging to the Terence Shannon family. The land had previously been farmland and, during World War II, it had served as a NIKE site to protect nearby Pratt and Whitney. Now it was to serve as a place of worship and prayer for a greater kind of protection and salvation. Father Henry J. Murphy, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church, announced plans for the building of a church and rectory.
The plans for the new St. Christopher Church were developed by the architect, Walter R. Furey, of Thompsonville. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on November 11, 1954, with Father Murphy officiating.
The contractor was the Associated Construction Co. of Hartford. Interior decoration was done by Rambusch and Co. ofNew York.
The new church was dedicated on Sunday, December 18, 1955 by Archbishop
Henry J. C?'Brien. A solemn Mass of Dedication was celebrated by Father Murphy with Father Albert Karalis and Father Leonard Tartaglia, assistant pastors of Blessed Sacrament Church. The preacher for the occasion was Father Austin F. Munich, pastor of St. Rose Church in East Hartford.
According to parish records, the first persons baptized in the new church on December 18, 1955 were Christopher Rataic, son of Nicholas and Barbara Rataic, Peter Mellor, son of James and Elizabeth Mellor, and Elaine Chamberland, daughter of Robert and Lois Chamberland ... The first marriage was the wedding of John Stent and Ann Ryan of January 28, 1956.
Although designed to accommodate 500 people, the new church was soon too small to serve the growing Catholic population of the south-end of East Hartford. Only a year later, in December 1956, plans were announced for the building of an addition to the church. The new wing was intended not only to provide additional space for worshipers, but also to serve as a hall for meetings and social gatherings. The addition was blessed by Father Murphy on Sunday, July 21, 1957.
One year after, in July 1958, Father Murphy announced another major development - plans for the construction of a new school and convent. It is interesting to note that the news announcement of the day stated that "the convent will become the home of twelve nuns of the Notre Dame de Namur Order of Boston." The Sisters of Notre Dame had originally accepted Father Murphy's invitation to staff the parish school. However, other demands on the Notre Dame Sisters subsequently made it impossible for them to fulfill the agreement. Undaunted, Father Murphy then obtained the services of the Sisters of Jesus Crucified of Brockton, Massachusetts, who staffed the school and served the parish for more than twenty-five years.
Construction of the new school and convent began in the summer of 1962. The architects were Wilkins and Stecker of Hartford. To the great joy of the priests and people, St. Christopher School and convent were dedicated on August 17, 1963. The school doors were opened for the first time on September 6, 1963, with 120 students in grade 6. Three Sisters of Jesus Crucified, warmly welcomed to the parish, staffed the school. Sister Elizabeth served as vice principal (Father Murphy then held the title of principal). Sister Gerard and Sister Christine were assigned as teachers.
Throughout this period, St. Christopher Church was not yet a parish, but was still a mission of Blessed Sacrament Church. St. Christopher became a parish in its own right on September 16, 1965, by action of Archbishop O'Brien. Father Murphy was appointed the first pastor of the new parish. The first trustees were Harold J. Smith and Cornelius J. Scollan.