St. Aedan's Parish

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By: Adam Schwabacher 
 In the mid 19th century millions of immigrants moved to the United States to escape poverty, persecution, or to start a new life. During these years most immigrants started to settle in cities like New York and Boston. Overcrowding in cities like Boston and New York were common, so this prompted people to flock to smaller cities like New Haven in order to start a new life and find individual jobs. One of the places these immigrants settled was an area of New Haven called Westville. When these immigrants came they brought over their ideals, culture, and religion. At the time Westville was mostly a Jewish neighborhood. This neighborhood would later be home to Italians, Irish, Russians, Germans, and African Americans. When a group of people start living in one area, these people want to start up their own places to meet and practice religion. For the people who believe in Roman Catholicism that meant they wanted to set up their own Catholic church.

 In 1872, the town of Westville opened its first catholic church. This church was dedicated to St. John. After 20 years of the service the formation of this parish was later transferred to Hamden’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Under the mountain of East Rock, this parish would find a new home. By the turn of the century the a new church, St. Joseph’s filled out this void. This church would then be united with St. Lawrence’s Parish of West Haven. In 1922 in the town of Westville, the church moved and reopened under the name of St. Aeden when Father Michael McGivney of St. Mary’s parish and the Knights of Columbus brought the land around Fountain Street and McKinley Avenue.

Over the years, many people would attend St. Aedan’s masses and Sunday school. Many Italians and Irish dependents would come every Sunday to worship and practice their beliefs. In 1949, the church wanted to expand itself so it petitioned to open a grammar school. In one account, Janet Rose Fappino Brady, an Italian American, talks about in her book Oma, Growing Up about Growing up an Italian in New Haven. She would attended masses at this church and have her family members getting married at this church. In her book she talks about the beautiful “Gothic” style of the church. She says that it "reminds her a lot of the immigrants about the churches back in their birth country." (Brady page 5) She also mentions about how her grandma would go to the church every Sunday for mass. Later in the chapter she talks about her experience with the church when they opened a school joined with the parish. “ In 1950 an exciting event in St. Aedan’s parish occurred: the brand new St. Aedan’s Grammar school opened.”(Brady page 6) She talks about how beautiful the building is and how big it was for her at the time. The school would also be home to both Brownies and Cub scouts that would help out their following communities. Around the early 21st century the church would then be joined with with St. Brendan’s Parish and they would become united.

The church continues to survive and thrive after nearly 100 years now. The church has been spreading their message through New Haven and will continue to do so. The church continues to grow, with people in the community and surrounding communities helping out and contributing to the church and allowing it to function. Along with this more people, are going to this church the more people are going to t get out all the practices this church is willing to teach. New Haven is constantly growing and changing however, religious instructions like St. Aedan’s Parish will always stay the same.


Image courtesy of St. Aedan's- St.Brendan Catholic School


Biography

"About St. Joseph's." St Mary Parish. Accessed April 30, 2018.              
     http://www.stmarysnewhaven.org/about-st-josephs.html.

 "Blessed Michael McGivney." Venerable Michael J. McGivney | Home Page. Accessed April 30,  
     2018. http://www.fathermcgivney.org/en/index.html.

 "Oma, Growing Up." Google Books. Accessed April 30, 2018.     

     https://books.google.com/books?id=T7xKV64s5iYC&pg=PA23&dq=st aedan                                   new  haven&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdSai8TaAhUohOAKHVXYBXMQ6AEIMTAB#v=onep age&q=st aedan new haven&f=true.

 "St. Aedan - St. Brendan Catholic School - Home." St. Aedan - St. Brendan Catholic School - Home. Accessed April 30, 2018. http://www.staedan-brendanschool.org/

 "Welcome to." Saints Aedan & Brendan Parish - OUR HISTORY. Accessed April 30, 2018.            http://www.staedan-stbrendan-parishes.org/our_history.





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