The History of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish

Nestled along a row of trees near Baptist Corners in Charlotte is the second oldest Catholic Church in continuous use in Vermont. It was built in the Greek Revival style. White sided, with tall double wooden doors, it stands as it has since 1858, for 145 years a marker in time.

The cemetery behind charts the births and deaths of many of the church's earliest members, with names such as Raftery, Dufresne and Lessort. The largest stone belongs to the Quinlan family, erected to honor John Quinlan, the man who led a group of thirty Catholic families in the building of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

John Quinlan was a prosperous farmer and devout Catholic. He came to Charlotte in 1844, starting out by chopping wood and selling it for 25 cents a cord. He saved enough money for a down payment on 240 acres of land near Lewis Creek. As he could he purchased more land until eventually his holdings totaled 1100 acres.

In the 1850’s the nearest Catholic Church was St. Peter's in Vergennes. The 20-mile round trip by horse or “shanks mare” was an arduous trip for the Catholic families in Charlotte. For the most part they were Irish and French Canadians who had come to farm. As their numbers grew they began to hold Mass in private homes. A priest was sent from the fledgling Burlington Diocese established in 1853. The first to say Mass in Charlotte was Father Cloarec in 1857. Later Rev. Jeremiah O’Callahan made regular visits. But the Catholics were not satisfied; they wanted a church of their own.

Quinlan was a man of action. On August 10, 1858 he bought a house and 3 3/4 acres from John and Susan Sanborn for $925. Quinlan’s partner in the purchase was Louis DeGoesbriand, Bishop of the Burlington Diocese. DeGoesbriand, born and schooled in France, had come to Vermont in 1853 to become the founding Bishop of the Burlington Diocese. The Bishop recognized the need for a church in Charlotte and from his own patrimony lent John Quinlan $200 to purchase the site.

Then it was learned that ten miles away in Starksboro, an abandoned Quaker Meeting House was for sale. Built in 1812, it had been used for over 40 years by a group of Quakers who had since moved west. The Charlotte Catholics purchased the building and waited for the winter of 1858-59 to move the structure to Charlotte. There is no detailed record of how this feat was accomplished. Historian William Worth writes in Hemenway’s Vermont Historical Gazeteer Vol. 1, 1867, “materials were carried to Charlotte to be remodeled.” But the lore of the church is that the meeting house was moved those ten miles by cutting it in half, wrenching it from its foundation, lowering each half onto skids and then pulling them over ice and snow with teams of powerful oxen. Once in Charlotte it was set on an already prepared foundation.

That was just the beginning of the work. Weekend work “bees” were held to reconstruct the building. Not only Catholics but many non-Catholics helped. Names handed down as participants are William Quinlan, Philip Lessort, Isaac Coggswell (selectman); Tom and Jack Harte, the McDonoughs, Mr. Marsh and George Putnam. Charles Palmer was head carpenter. The women prepared bountiful meals of raised biscuits, meats and lemon meringue pies to feed the hungry workers.

When the church was ready the Bishop was called. The notation in Bishop DeGoesbriand’s diary for June 19, 1858 is succinct, “Blessing of the cornerstone of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Charlotte.” It is not known today exactly why this name was chosen. Msgr. Edward Gelineau, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the 1970’s and 80’s, theorized that the name was chosen because the date of the blessing was close to the July 16 feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The first entry in the Baptismal Register of this new congregation is on October 10, 1858 when two babies were baptized: Brigette, daughter of Theophilius Lessort and Mary Quinlan and William, son of Ambrose and Georgiana Dufresne.

Again in 1861 DeGoesbriand stepped in to aid the finances of the young church. On July 3, the land and buildings of Our Lady of Mount Carmel were formerly transferred from Quinlan to Bishop Louis DeGoesbriand. The original document on file at the Archives of the Burlington Diocese shows that $967.50 was spent for the land and $1,128.66 for the erection of the church. Quinlan had provided $592.24, Bishop DeGoesbriand $200 and the congregation the remaining $1,306.48. With this transaction DeGoesbriand repaid Quinlan from his own purse.

In 1881 Quinlan sold two additional acres of adjoining land to DeGoesbriand for $100. This land was to become the cemetery and site of the present rectory. Bishop DeGoesbriand conveyed all these properties to the Diocese for the sum of $10.

Having erected the church the next problem was getting a priest to serve it. Bishop DeGoesbriand had only a dozen priests to serve 6,000 Vermont Catholics. So for the first few years the new church went without Sunday services. According to notes by Father Kerlidou, later to become the first resident priest for the parish, Mass was more often said on weekdays to stretch the services of the available priests.

But despite the lack of a resident priest the church continued to grow. In 1863 DeGoesbriand notes in his diary that priests visited and offered 118 communions. And in 1864 Rev. Dennis Ryan made improvements to the church in preparation for DeGoesbriand to “bless the church under the invocation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” on December 17, 1864. Then in 1866 the Bishop writes, “Charlotte, visited the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and laid down to the congregation on what terms they would continue to have the services of a priest.” The terms must have been met for priests continued to travel from Burlington to Charlotte.

Then in 1874 the status of the church began to change. On February 26, Father Caissey established the Way of the Cross. On April 19, Bishop DeGoesbriand consecrated the altar and promised to find a priest to offer Sunday Mass on the condition that pews would be rented (a common way of financing church operations in those days). Faithful to the promise, Father Cloarec, pastor of St. Joseph’s in Burlington, was dispatched to Charlotte on the second Sunday of each month.

“CHARLOTTE - The Catholics of Charlotte celebrated the Fourth in a very becoming way by a picnic in the beautiful grove of J.S. Shaw, just east of the Baptist Corners, the object of which was to raise funds to furnish their church in that locality. The Rev. Father Cloarec, of this city, was present and was the general manager. William E. Hosford, the popular young merchant at the corners, did the furnishing and at such low figures as to make the profits to the society more than was expected. The gathering was a large one, there being over seven hundred present all of whom went home thinking they had found a sensible way to celebrate the Glorious Old Fourth. The Catholics of East Charlotte return their thanks to J.S. Shaw, Wm. E. Hosford, and the community generally for their presence and support.”

Then finally on September 23, 1874 Our Lady of Mount Carmel became a parish. Father Joseph Kerlidou was sent to reside in Charlotte. Kerlidou writes of the improvements made prior to his arrival. ‘The Church was painted and the windows ... The house was repaired for him, fences made around the house and the Church.” Father Kerlidou’s financial records provide us with more insights. “There are about 70 families attending the Church regular and about 80 families that come once in a while, to have children baptized and to have the priest attend the sick. Irish families about 50, the rest Canadians.” He goes on to describe the area served. “The people of Hinesburgh from about the village and on this side come to Charlotte. From Shelburne they come as far as the village, and Shelburne Pond. From Monkton as far as the village Borough and this side. From Ferrisburgh as far as Ferrisburgh Center.” At Easter he recorded 175 communions. (The current boundaries of the parish are all of the town of Charlotte, that portion of Ferrisburgh north of Lewis Creek, and an undetermined piece of the northwest corner of Monkton.)

Father Kerlidou lists the possessions of the church as “a chalice, a ciborium, an ornament of every color.” Of the Sanborn House he notes that the congregation had purchased a new stove. The carpets, curtains, dishes and bed clothes were also owned by the congregation, though more commonly in those days the priest brought his own household possessions with him.

But Father Kerlidou’s residence in Charlotte was short-lived. In 1877 he was transferred to St. Thomas Church in Underhill Center, beginning an 89-year hiatus before the Catholics of Charlotte would again have a resident pastor. Our Lady of Mount Carmel became a mission church served by a long list of priests. Father Campeau came in 1884, continuing to minister for 30 years. He is credited with constructing the bell tower and purchasing the bell that still rings today. In August of 1887 he oversaw the building of the sanctuary and the installation of a furnace. New pews were built in 1889.

Burlington’s second bishop. Bishop John Michaud; was among those who traveled to Charlotte to say Mass. On May 21, 1901, he writes of the Charlotte and Shelburne churches; “I am pleased at the state of both missions and hope to give these two missions a priest who must live at Shelburne. The Irish and their children are leaving the farms and the Canadians are taking their place.”

Then on March 18; 1966 Our Lady of Mount Carmel was reestablished as a parish in its own right rather than being a mission church. Msgr. John Fradet was appointed resident pastor in Charlotte. Fradet improved the financial condition of the church and undertook major renovations both inside and out. Vinyl siding was applied; interior walls and ceiling were repaired; the sanctuary remodeled and new carpeting and lighting installed. The Sanborn House was remodeled into a Parish Center with a kitchen and classrooms. A new rectory was built.

Msgr. Edward Gelineau was named resident pastor June 23, 1976. It was primarily through his interests that much of the history of this congregation was unearthed. He was fond of referring to his church as the “Quaker Meeting House that became a Catholic Church at Baptist Corners.” Gelineau, too, made improvements to the church. He added a new stairway to the balcony, had the bell tower refurbished and new doors installed.

Several priests have served as pastor since Msgr. Gelineau; including Father Bill Corcoran; Father Tom Mosher; Father Larry Olszewski who led the effort to refurbish the Parish Hall in 1993-94; and Father Gerald Ragis. Today, with Father David Cray as pastor, the parish of approximately 300 families is a vibrant Catholic community engaged in prayerful worship, religious education and community outreach.