St. George Parish History
THE PASTORS
Now that construction was terminated, and the St. George "plant" was complete with rectory, church, school and convent, Father Gagnon was saddled with a tremendous debt. Disaster hit in the form of the great depression. Little did he know that the depression would be so long-lasting. Exhausted, plagued with anxieties and personal problems, he requested to be relieved of these burdens, and Bishop O'Leary accepted his resignation and retirement in June 1937.
REV.
SYLVlO DESAUTELS
A
young pastor from St. Anthony Parish, Worcester, Rev. Sylvio Desautels, was
named Pastor of St. George Parish. He took possession of the parish July 27,
1937. At that time, the parish debt was $352,000.00. Father Desautels was
already known for his administrative ability and for his money-raising
capability. Undaunted, he faced the problem of paying off the debt.
Father
Desautels was fortunate to have as his curate Rev. Josephat T. Brodeur. He had
arrived at St. George a few months before the new pastor was appointed. Father
Brodeur was a dynamic and talented young priest. He became the right hand of the
pastor. With the help of a parish committee, he launched a campaign to eradicate
the parish debt. The first project was the construction of a hall beneath the
school auditorium which could seat 1000 people. This hall was to become a
skating rink which developed into the social center of Chicopee Falls. Then a
very successful bingo was organized: the players were so numerous that the
school auditorium, the new hall and several classrooms had to be used to seat
the avid bingo players. At the same time, huge raffles were held, often with a
new car as the main prize. Entertainment was provided during the bingo
intermission, and on many evenings, Father Brodeur himself was the star of the
show: he was a born entertainer and was gifted with a beautiful voice.
The
huge debt was gradually reduced. Though Father Brodeur was the organizer, he was
supported by Father Desautels through frequent and sometimes vehement
exhortations from the pulpit. By 1943, the year of the silver jubilee of the
parish the debt had been reduced to $70,000.00. This figure is all the more
amazing because the parish had just spent $78,000.00 in repairs to put all the
parish buildings in mint condition.
In 1943 father Brodeur was transferred and replaced by Rev. Gerald Beauregard.
He was a talented musician and, due to his efforts, the St. George Choir became
the best in the area. The Christmas Midnight Mass was so beautiful and popular
that tickets representing the seating capacity of the church had to be issued.
Father Beauregard was also an excellent organizer, so the various projects to
pay off the debt continued without interruption. In 1948,
the parish
had grown to a point where a second curate was assigned. Rev. Sylvio Levesque
arrived in 1948
and
remained until 1951.
In
the late 1940's,
Father
Desautels made extensive repairs on both the church and rectory. Until then; the
side doors of the church opened directly into the main body of the church. The
inconvenience of this set-up was experienced especially in the winter months;
every time the side doors were opened, a blast of cold air was felt in the
church. So Father Desautels changed the side entrances to the church by building
out and having the side doors open into a small hallway or vestibule before
entering the church proper: a major project, but a very practical solution. The
raised pulpit was no longer needed when speakers and microphones were installed,
so it was removed. The impractical chandelier which could only be changed by
lowering it from the ceiling was eliminated and new lights were installed in the
nave. New exterior lights were added.
The
sacristy was changed from what is now the altar boy's room to the opposite side
of the church: it was spacious and practical; the cabinets and vestment drawers
were finished in oak. The altar table was changed to marble. Because of the new
side entrances, it was now possible to build confessionals to replace the
original "confession boxes".
Though
a little man, Father Desautels had big ideas. He was hoping the bishop would
allow St. George Church to be consecrated. You can remember the many
candle-holders all along the walls on both sides of the nave, requisites for a
consecrated church. Unfortunately, Father Desautels wishes were not granted, and
the candle-holders had to be removed.
Father Desautels had many friends, and loved to entertain. But the rectory
dining room was too small. Furthermore, when the second curate arrived, and a
weekend priest came to help with the confessions and with Sunday masses, the
living quarters were cramped to say the least. Father Desautels hired the George
Fontaine Brothers to enlarge the rectory. When the job was completed, the
rectory almost doubled in size. The suites for the priests were large and
comfortable, and the dining room and living room, as well as the kitchen, were
enlarged and modernized. The beautiful
rectory that you see today is largely due to the exquisite taste of Father
Desautels.
Father
Desautels, due to his tireless efforts as Pastor of St. George, was raised to
the honor of Domestic Prelate by Bishop Christopher Weldon. He was installed as
a Monsignor by Bishop Weldon himself on November 24, 1954.
Several
curates had the privilege of serving with Monsignor Desautels; Rev. Sylvio
Levesque from 1948 to 1951; Rev. Richard Faucher from 1950 to 1960; Rev. Jean
Paul Richard from 1952 to 1953; Rev. Gerard Lafleur from 1953 to 1959. And Rev.
Thomas Dupre, now Bishop Dupre, served as curate from 1959 to 1964.
Monsignor Desautels' health began to fail, and, on October 18, 1960, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He had been Pastor of St. George for twenty three years.
REV.
HENRY J. AUGER 
In November, Rev. Henry J. Auger succeeded Monsignor Desautels as Pastor of St.
George. With the help of his able assistants, he continued the fine work begun
by his predecessors. Rev. Robert Choquette arrived as curate in 1961. Both he
and Father Thomas Dupre were transferred in 1964 and replaced by Rev. Leo
Leclerc and Rev. Leon Lussier. Both were energetic and experienced, and worked
well as a team. Father Auger, as soon as he arrived at St. George, realized that
there was insufficient parking space for church services. He managed to purchase
a sprawling six family dwelling on the corner of Belcher and Maple Streets. It
was torn down and the area was paved. The new parking lot was used for church
services as well as a school yard for the parish school.
Plagued with poor health throughout his pastorate, Father Auger's health gradually deteriorated to a point where he needed constant nursing care. He was placed in a nursing home; he died shortly after on May 19, 1968.
REV.
LEON J. SAUVAGEAU
In July of 1968, Rev. Leon J.
Sauvageau was named Pastor of St. George. Though in his late sixties, he was a
dynamic and spiritual man, It was under his guidance that the church was
renovated to meet the requirements of the revised liturgy. The beautiful but
out-moded altar was torn down and replaced by an elegant oak altar facing the
faithful. The nave and sanctuary were covered with a plush red carpet. The
tabernacle was placed at the Altar of Reposition on the right alcove. A
beautiful mosaic depicting the Eucharist served as background for the
tabernacle. Behind the main altar was another mosaic, and in the alcove on the
left were beautiful wood carved, statues of The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.
The church was repainted and redecorated in its entirety. The communion rail was
removed from the front of the main altar which opened the sanctuary for
concelebration and renovated mass and liturgy. Recessed lights were installed in
the ceiling to supplement the regular church lighting. These lights proved to be
impractical, as they could only be replaced by climbing above the ceiling, and
crawling along a precarious, narrow walk. They are used only for special
ceremonies such as confirmations, first communions and, of course, for the
Centennial mass.
The happiness of the occasion was marred by the sudden, unexpected death of his long-time assistant, Rev. Leon Lussier. He had a massive heart attack without warning on Jan. 29, 1970. He had been an assistant to Father Sauvageau twelve years at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Parish in Willimansett, and over two years at St. George Parish. Losing such a young, dynamic and devoted priest was a shock to Father Sauvageau and to the parish. He had been active in the C. C. D. program and through the parish school was well known by all the children and the parishioners. The church was not large enough to hold the crowd that attended his funeral. In remembrance of this well loved priest, a plaque was placed on the wall at the right of the tabernacle.
Father
Sauvageau was a very spiritual man. His sermons were dynamic and forceful. He
was of the "Old School", conservative and orthodox in his beliefs, yet
open to the many changes prompted by Vatican II. This holy man had the true
sense of the meaning of poverty. Material goods were of no importance in his
life. His office was furnished in a Spartan manner: a desk chair, a straight
chair and a rocker. He was known for his generous gifts to the church and, at
his death, the few dollars he had left after the burial expenses, were left to
St. George Parish. In 1975, Father Sauvageau celebrated his fiftieth anniversary
of ordination and then submitted his resignation. He was 75 years old, and opted
to remain at St. George as "Pastor Emeritus" where he could continue a
spiritual ministry among the people he loved. He was, as he said, "giving
up the burdens of administration to a younger man, but he was not giving up his
priestly ministry". For fourteen years after his retirement, he continued
to, make the rounds of the hospitals, made sick calls, gave Communion
to countless bed-ridden parishioners
and shut-ins, said mass every day, preached at his mass every Saturday and
Sunday, heard confessions and counseled; his advice based on his orthodox
beliefs and years of experience was treasured by so many. He was called back to
God when he died in his sleep March 8, 1990, just a few months before his
ninetieth birthday.
REV.
RONALD P. LUSSIER 
From 1970 to 1973, Father George Berthiaume and Father Ronald
Malboeuf served briefly as curates to Father Sauvageau. In 1973, Father Donald
V. Dube was appointed assistant pastor at St. George, his home parish. When
Father Ronald Lussier was named Pastor of St. George, Father Dube remained as
his assistant until he was named Pastor of Notre Dame, North Adams in 1978. From
that time on, St. George became a one-priest parish.
Father
Lussier became Pastor of St. George in August, 1975. He was 48 years old at the
time, replacing the retiring pastor, Father Sauvageau, who was 75 years old. The
generation difference was well handled by both. And fourteen years went by in
relative peace and understanding. Father Sauvageau was of invaluable help, as he
shared much of the ministry with the new pastor. It was the era of lay
involvement in the church. The Parish Council was already functioning. The
Finance Board, the C. C. D., the School Board, the Parent-Teacher Group, the
Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist became the Pastor's
co-workers. With their Pastor, these lay apostles coped with the spiraling cost
of parochial education, the recession, the maintenance of aging buildings, and
the decrease in mass attendance and of faith in general. Several priests have
served St. George Parish through week-end ministry. Shortly after Father Dube
was named pastor, Father Ronald Yargeau and Father Leo Fontaine helped out on
week-ends. For over ten years, Father Leo Hoar has been a regular at St. George.
Since his retirement as an Air Force Chaplain, Father Ernest Moreau has also
frequently helped out at St. George. This weekend help was most appreciated by
Father Lussier and the parishioners. The variety of sermon styles and liturgies
appealed to parishioners of all ages.
But the brunt of the administration, planning and projecting was on the shoulders of Father Lussier and the Parish Council. In 1975 when Father Lussier became Pastor of St. George, there was under $100 in the checking account, and there was no savings account. Because of the lack of funds, the buildings had been let go and the cost of required repairs was astronomical. With the help of the Parish Council, Father Lussier began to raise church contributions. He introduced a building fund envelope for the continuing care of the church properties. A drive was launched to raise. funds for the immediate repairs on the deteriorating buildings, and the work began. The parishioners responded generously, and thousands were spent on repointing the church and the school. In 1976, the church boiler exploded, and new burners had to be installed in the church, rectory and school. A few years later, the old school boiler which had originally been fed with coal by a stoker, then adapted to oil, gave out and had to be replaced with a new boiler. The flat roof of the school which had weathered 60 years of repairs and patching had to be replaced. Nearly $60,000.00 were spent on the school in just those few years. But the parishioners understood the problem, and through their generosity, the buildings were repaired and maintained, and the bills were paid.
The liturgical renewal opened the opportunity for the laymen to become a part of the liturgy. Men and women were invited to read the scriptures at the mass. And for the first time in centuries, laymen were allowed to help the priest distribute communion at the mass. Our first Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist exercised this function in 1975. They have been bringing communion to the shut-ins and invalids since that time. The laymen, in the revised liturgy, were also encouraged to take part in the singing of the hymns and the various parts of the mass.
(Father
Lussier Celebrated his 50th anniversary June 7, 2002, and died suddenly of
a heart attack on August 12, 2002)
This history reprinted from the St. George Parish Centennial Album .
acknowledgments
Stephen Jendrysik whose knowledge of Chicopee History was invaluable. Father Ronald Lussier, and Joyce Morissette who spent nearly a year finding information, compiling, and typing to put this history together. Also to all that sent articles, pictures and information that help put this amazing history in print.
Photo credits to Keneth Kostek for centennial photos