Ecclesiastical History. 



79 



CHURCH OF ST. PAUL 

 (ROMAN CATHOLIC). 



At the time when 

 services of the Ro- 

 man Catholic 

 Church wore first- 

 held in Hingham, 

 the town was with- 

 in the limits of the 

 Q u i n c y parish. 

 This was soon after 

 1850. Afterwards 

 it was attended 

 from Randolph, 

 then from Abing- 

 ton, until 1867, at 

 which time Wey- 

 mouth became a 

 separate parish. 

 Hingham was then 

 attached to the 

 Weymouth parish 

 and so continued 

 until it was itself 

 made a separate parish in 1876. The first organization of Cath- 

 olics in Hingham was in 185G, when the "Hingham Catholic 

 Association " announced a course of eight weekly lectures, be- 

 ginning Feb. 5, 1850, upon subjects connected with the history of 

 the Roman Catholic Church, by Rev. Mr. Roddan, of Quincy, " in 

 the Society's rooms near the depot." These lectures were favor- 

 ably noticed in the " Hingham Journal." 



For about twenty years after the first services here, the Cath- 

 olics of Hingham felt the great need of a suitable edifice in which 

 to worship God after the form of their own religion. During that 

 time their religious services had been held in the Town Hall. 

 Efforts had been made from time to time to erect a church, 

 but no progress was made in that direction until Rev. Hugh P. 

 Smyth, the pastor of the Weymouth parish, which included Hing- 

 ham, took the matter in hand. Father Smyth determined to 

 have a church in Hingham. He bought a site for it in the 

 commanding position on North Street, opposite Broad Bridge. 

 He labored indefatigably to build a church for his congregation, 

 and on June 12, 1870, the corner-stone was laid with impressive 

 ceremonies. In the absence of the Bishop the Very Rev. P. F. 

 Lyndon, V. G., officiated as celebrant. The dedication sermon 



CATHOLIC CHURCH. 



