OUR CHURCH

In 1965, land adjoining Bloomfield Road and Chambers Road was purchased by St. Joseph Parish, and in 1967 a study was conducted to determine if a "mission" could be supported in the area. Father E. Perot Fiero, an assistant pastor at St. Joseph Church, was given the task of getting the new parish started when the study gave clear evidence that one was needed in the South/West area. On June 16, 1968, Holy Spirit Parish was official - with Father Fiero named as Administrator. Plans for building a church progressed as the dream continued. The spiritual growth of the new parish also continued, and the Most Reverend Gerald L. Frey would dedicate the completed building at 4074 Chambers Road on June 14, 1970. But the founding pastor would not live to see his dream become a reality, for on April 7, 1970, Father Fiero was killed in an automobile accident. A memorial Mass was held in the unfinished building on April 8 with almost 600 people in attendance (in a 300-seat capacity church). The members of the new parish were lifted from their depression in May of 1970, when Father Brendan Timmins was assigned as Administrator. His love of God and his Irish wit were just what the members needed. Father Timmins would remain at Holy Spirit until May 1972. Other priests followed, including: Fr. John Hurley, Fr. Michael Collins, Fr. William Leahy, Fr. Dermot O'Mahony, Fr. John Kenneally, Fr. Finbarr Stanton, Fr. Robert Cushing, Fr. Patrick Shinnick, Fr. Brett Brannen, Fr. Sam Zebron, Fr. Timothy Donahue, Fr. Mike Ingram, Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh,  Father David Koetter and our current pastor Fr. Patrick Tuttle, OFM. In 1979, during Fr. Kenneally's tenure, a survey was taken to see if a new church building was needed. The enthusiastic response showed a new sanctuary should be built, and the original church building could be used as the Parish Center. The members of Holy Spirit proved their commitment was real when pledges were made to the building fund. Construction began in February of 1981, and on December 4, 1982, the new Holy Spirit Catholic Church building was dedicated. In 2008 under Fr. Ingram’s guidance the church was expanded to accommodate our growth. The redesigned building was dedicated on January 11, 2009 by Bishop J. Kevin Boland. Two more important milestones should be noted in the history of Holy Spirit. First, in 1994, Fr. Shinnick, in a moving ceremony before parish members, burned the mortgage on the new church building. Second, in the fall of 1998, Fr. Brannen, with the enthusiastic support of members, added another building on Holy Spirit grounds: a much-needed schoolhouse for the Faith Formation classes. This fulfilled a dream for many in the parish. From the 125 members who attended the first Mass in Crest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel (Holy Spirit's temporary home for 18 months), to today's weekend total of nearly 500 attendees, Holy Spirit Parish has grown to the beautiful and loving parish it is today.