Our Lady of Lourdes Church
North Pownal, Vermont 05260

Each Saturday	Vigil Mass at 6:15 PM
Holy Day	7:00 PM

A Brief History of the Parish

In the late 1880's Mass was celebrated in private homes with half the sermon in French and the other half in English. North Pownal had a large French speaking population. A priest made the trip from Rutland and stayed for the weekend taking care of the different needs of the people. Beginning sometime in 1887 Mass was celebrated in Fred Smith's General Store.

In June of 1897 John Houghton of North Adams sold land to the diocese for $1 dollar. To begin construction each family contributed $25 and the parish hosted a number of fund-raisers. The Carpenter brothers from Bennington were contracted to build the church for $5,700. The church was opened in the spring of 1898 with the official dedication in October of 1898. In 1914 Our Lady of Lourdes became a part of St. Francis de Sales and today is a mission of Sacred Heart Saint Francis de Sales Parish.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church celebrated its centennial on October 11, 1998. The great celebration honored not only those who presently worship in this church but the many families who have been a part of Our Lady of Lourdes for these past 100 years. Bishop Kenneth Angell and eleven priests who have been associated with Our Lady of Lourdes joined parishioners in thanking God for the blessings of the past 100 years.

 

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We invite you to learn more about the Pownal area and its history by visiting the Pownal Historical Society.