St. Joseph's Church 100th anniversary banquet, October 12, 1954
Description:
"St. Joseph's Church celebrated its 100th anniversary with a week-long celebration which began on Tuesday, October 5th, 1954 with a 'monster whist party' at the church hall, and ended on October 12th with a high votive Mass on Wakefield Common in the morning and a banquet and dance at the State Armory in the evening. Over 1,000 people attended the Mass, and 585 attended the banquet. The Auxiliary Bishop of the Boston Archdiocese, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Eric F. MacKenzie presided at the Mass, with Pastor and celebrant, Reverend Frederick Deasy. The procession onto the Common was led by the 4th degree Knights of Columbus, and the 100-member Nazareth Academy Girls' Choir performed that duty. The banquet and dance, under the direction of the committee led by Walter Slocumb, was held at the State Armory (now the Civic Center). Guests received a souvenir booklet which included information about the parish, including photographs, and a list of the names of the 22 men who became priests, and the 33 women who joined a religious order. The guests were entertained by Joseph McDonald who sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and 'Little Things Mean a Lot.' Following dinner, dancing music was provided upstairs by Jack Hennessy's eight-piece orchestra, and color movies of parish events played in the downstairs room." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio. Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2001 Photo courtesy of Bob Curran.
