St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Church

St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Church
St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Church
	42°45′23″N 71°28′06″W / 42.75639°N 71.46833°W
Location	50 West Hollis Street, Nashua, New Hampshire
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	http://www.stlouisnashua.org/
History
Founded	1871
Administration
Province	Ecclesiastical Province of Boston
Diocese	Diocese of Manchester
Deanery	Souhegan
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Most Rev. Peter A. Libasci
Dean	Very Rev. John M. Grace
Pastor(s)	Rev. Marcos Gonzalez-Torres

St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Church is a Roman Catholic church in Nashua, New Hampshire, United States. The church is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire.

History

The parish was founded in 1871^[1] by the French-Canadian population that was growing in the area. It is located at 50 West Hollis Street. The original church of 1873 was built in the American Gothic Revival style with a chancel terminated by a polygonal apse. The structure was dedicated on June 8, 1873.^[2] St Louis, as it is more commonly known, is the oldest remaining Catholic parish in Nashua.

In 1920 the parish completed a renovation and expanded the church to include a transept. The extended chancel terminated with a straight wall punctuated with a perpendicular style stained glass window. In the early morning hours of July 20, 1976,^[3] a fire consumed the roof of the old church. The parish decided to raze the building except for one of two steeples. The shorter of the two steeples remains as a memorial to the original structure. The new structure was dedicated in 1979. The interior of the church has many items save from the previous building, including the stained glass windows from 1887,^[4] doors, sanctuary seating, sanctuary light and other items. The parish is home to the former parishioners of the now-closed St. Stanislaus and St. Francis Xavier churches, also in Nashua.

St. Stanislaus Parish served the Polish-speaking population of Nashua and was suppressed in 2002 and became part of St Louis parish. The church was called Corpus Christi Chapel and used for Eucharistic Adoration. In 2016 the church became a personal use parish for the Latin Mass St Stanislaus and entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.

The former St. Francis Xavier Catholic church served a French-speaking population. The church building is now home to St. Mary and Archangel Michael Church Coptic Orthodox Church.

References

^ The Rev. Monsignor Henri A Brodeur, P.H. (1971). Saint Louis de Gonzague Centennial souvenir parish history book: Page 4
^ Brodeur, pg. 8
^ Nashua Telegraph, page one, July 20, 1976
^ 1971 Parish History Booklet, pg 10

External links

St Aloysius of Gonzaga

[1] The Rev. Monsignor Henri A Brodeur, P.H. (1971). Saint Louis de Gonzague Centennial souvenir parish history book: Page 4

[2] Brodeur, pg. 8

[3] Nashua Telegraph, page one, July 20, 1976

[4] 1971 Parish History Booklet, pg 10

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v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester
Bishops	Ordinaries Denis Mary Bradley John Bernard Delany George Albert Guertin John Bertram Peterson Matthew Francis Brady Ernest John Primeau Odore Joseph Gendron Leo Edward O'Neil John Brendan McCormack Peter Anthony Libasci Auxiliaries Francis Joseph Christian Joseph John Gerry Robert Edward Mulvee
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. Joseph Abbey St. Anselm Abbey Parishes St. Anne of the Good Shepherd, Berlin St. Joseph Church, Claremont St. Thomas More Church, Durham Ste. Marie Church, Manchester St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Church, Nashua Former parishes St. Stanislaus Church, Nashua
Education	Higher education Rivier University Saint Anselm College Thomas More College of Liberal Arts High schools Bishop Guertin High School, Nashua Holy Family Academy, Manchester Mount Royal Academy, Sunapee St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Dover Trinity High School, Manchester Defunct institutions Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts
Priests	Thomas Michael O'Leary
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