Excerpt from The Medford Historical Register, 1914, Vol. 17

The awful famine which prevailed in Ireland about 1840 drove many Of the inhabitants, with their families, to seek a living across the seas. A goodly number settled in Boston, and a few drifted to Medford in the ship-building industry. These stalwart pioneers had held tenaciously to the faith of their fathers, and had been going to Boston to worship in the Moon street church, to Charlestown, to South Boston, and then to North Cambridge, where the Rev. Manasses Doherty officiated in St. Peter's Church.

But in 1849 they felt that they were numerous enough to call for the occasional visit of a priest to minister to them in Medford, SO they chose a committee, who waited upon the selectmen of the town, stated their Object, and asked that they be allowed the use of the Town Hall for the celebration of the Mass. At first some Objection was made, but when the selectmen realized how much in earnest the petitioners were, they granted the request, only stipulating that the janitor's services should be paid for. Father Doherty of North Cambridge then came to Medford once a month to Offer up the Mass in the Town Hall, first hearing confessions in the Old Wade house on High street (where Small's block now stands), in a room occupied by Mr. Daniel Vaughan. Soon after, in 1852, as children came, the need was felt of a Sunday School to teach the catechism, and an appeal was made to the school board. The appeal was heard, and the room set aside for tramps in the basement Of the High School building was appointed for the purpose. Here a class was organized by Father Doherty, the teachers being the men and women of the congregation.

All the territory north Of Charlestown and Cambridge was then without the services of a priest, and on the Sun days between the monthly visits Oi Father Doherty the faithful trudged on foot to Charlestown and back, rather than to be without Mass, in that splendid zeal for the faith which is so admirable. A conveyance owned by Constable Butler Of Malden made the trip on these Sun days between Malden and Charlestown, but the round fare was forty cents, a prohibitive amount for the greater number of the immigrant settlers, whose pay was small and whose hardships were many.

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