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good ShePherd
1949
PERRYVILLE
The Mass was rst offered in Perryville when the the priests from Port Deposit travelled there to to minister to to the the the spiritual needs of the the the patients at at the the the Veterans’ Hospital in in 1923 The priests are remembered as as driving through Perryville stopping along the way to to pick up those eager to attend Mass Before that Catholics in Perryville travelled over the railroad bridge to Saint Patrick in in Havre de Grace In 1933 Sunday Mass began to be be offered in the fire hall on Susquehanna Avenue and later in the Epicopalian church on Aiken Avenue When an army chapel was decommissioned in 1948 the parishioners saw a a a a a a bargain and purchased it for $1 500 from Aberdeen Proving Grounds It was dismantled and a a a a a a foundation was laid for the chapel The rst Mass was said in in the newly completed chapel in in September of 1949
and it was dedicated by the Most Reverend Edmond J FitzMaurice fourth
Bishop of Wilmington The community was active from the very
beginning with a a a a a Christmas Bazaar the Summer
Festival Spaghetti Supper Bingo and dances In 1954 the rectory was was established and as as as it was was the the Marian Year an an outdoor shrine was dedicated to Mary Mother of the Good Good Shepherd In 1956 a a a a school fund was started and Good Good Shepherd School led by the Sisters of of Saint Joseph of of Chestnut Hill opened its doors to rst- and second-graders on on September 7 7 1957 with a a a a a a new grade added each year thereafter The school grew so quickly that a a a a new building was needed and opened in in November of 1958 An auditorium was added in December of 1962 In June of 1966 plans were announced that renovations to Good Shepherd Church would begin shortly All Masses were celebrated
in the the auditorium until the the project’s completion On May 23 1967 the Most Reverend Michael W W Hyle fth Bishop of Wilmington dedicated the the the new church during the the the celebration of the the the sacrament of of Con rmation As part of of the parish’ Silver Anniversary in 1974 Bishop Hyle blessed and rang for the the rst time a a a new church bell the the rst of two recently procured and installed in in time for the the occasion in a a bell tower constructed by the the men of the parish These large bronze bells weigh almost a a a a a a ton each and have come to to be known as the Jubilee Bells With the the parish parish population growing the the parish parish school also developed as the center for many parish activities While the school aggressively pursued its academic programs dinners bazaars dances theatrical activities activities and sporting activities activities all took place in the school school auditorium The school school grounds supported annual festivals with train rides a a a a a merry- go-round aerial swings pony rides and a a a a wide
variety of of activities which have identi ed this site as one of of the most popular in in the area The school while providing quality education for children has functioned to reinforce the social and spiritual reputation of Good Shepherd Parish in western Cecil County Good Shepherd Parish is is a a a a sustained Catholic community with three active worship sites an an an an outstanding school and and a a a a a a a chapel of signi cant historical value 103