Church of the Good Shepherd | |
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42°14′29″N 71°9′19″W / 42.24139°N 71.15528°W | |
Address | 62 Cedar St, Dedham, MA 02026 |
Country | United States |
Denomination | Episcopal |
Website | www |
History | |
Consecrated | November 2, 1876 |
Architecture | |
Groundbreaking | June 8, 1876 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Massachusetts |
Clergy | |
Priest(s) | Chitral De Mel |
The Church of the Good Shepherd is an Episcopal church in Dedham, Massachusetts and the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
See also: St. Paul's Church (Dedham, Massachusetts) and Dedham, Massachusetts in the American Revolution § Tories |
The first group of Anglicans in Dedham began meeting in Clapboardtrees in 1731.[1] A few decades later, Samuel Colburn[a] died in the Crown Point Expedition of 1756.[2] Though he was not an Anglican, he left almost his entire estate to the Anglican community in Dedham to establish St. Paul's Church.[2]
Charles C. Sanderson, who sold the building lots in Oakdale, also erected a building containing a public hall and a store.[3] A mission Sunday school was begun by lay readers from St. Paul's in the Sanderson Building on June 8, 1873[3] for Anglicans in the Oakdale section of town who could not get to the church easily.[4] Soon after, on the 29th of the same month, public services of the Episcopal Church were begun in Sanderson Hall and for three years they were conducted by lay readers.[3]
The mission was funded by the family of Horatio Chickering, a member of St. Paul's.[3][5] In 1874, Chickering purchased a lot of land for the purpose of building a church.[3] He died in the spring of 1875 but he made provision in his will for the erection of the church.[3] Besides the gifts of the church and land by Chickering, the parish received other bequests from his widow, Lucy Lee Chickering, and from his sisters.[3] In the church were placed memorial windows in memory of Chickering and his sisters, Mrs. DF Adams and Miss HB Chickering.[3]
The parish was organized under the name of the Church of the Good Shepherd[3] and, at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts in 1876, it was voted to accept the Church into union with the convention.[6] William Franklin Cheney was also elected to take charge of the congregation in August 1876.[3][7][b]
The cornerstone of the church was laid by Bishop Benjamin Henry Paddock on June 8, 1876[10] and he consecrated the church just a few months later, on November 2.[11]
A tradition began the 1880s of youngsters from the community climbing to the top of the bell tower and ringing the bells at midnight on July 4 to celebrate Independence Day.[12]
Beginning in the early 1900s and continuing until the 1990s, bonfires would be held first in Oakdale Square and then in the Manor to celebrate the 4th of July.[13] It would usually begin at midnight, either on July 3 or July 4, when a young person would climb onto the roof of the Church and ring the bell.[13] This would signal others to bring old farm carts they had stolen into Oakdale Square and light them ablaze.[13]
The Church, along with the Dedham Country Day School, were the first to sponsor cub scout packs in Dedham.[14] As of 2023[update], the Church still sponsors Troop 3 of the Scouts BSA.[15]
When the cornerstone of the Oakdale School was laid in 1902, the Church's rector, Cheney, led the crowd in prayer.[16]
After arriving in Dedham in 1871, William B. Gould signed the Articles of Incorporation and became a founder of the Church.[17][18][19][20][21] He and his wife were baptized and confirmed there in 1878 and 1879.[22]
Gould's family remained active members of the church and, along with the Bonds and one other family, the Chesnuts, were the only black parishioners.[23][c] Four generations of Goulds would ultimately be baptized there.[20]
A pew at the Church is dedicated to Gould and Cornelia.[25] When a park in Dedham was named in his honor, a sign with Gould's name and image was unveiled by his great-great-great-grandchildren.[26] It was then blessed by the former rector of the Church, Rev. Noble Scheepers.[26] When a statue was unveiled there two years later, it was blessed by Rev. Chitral De Mel, the then-current rector of the Church.[27][28]