This week I would like to share two photos from the Belgrade Historical Society archives of Belgrade’s Catholic church. Located on Route 27 (Main Steet) in Belgrade Lakes Village, St. Helena’s Church was built some 111 years ago. In addition to the BHS photos, please enjoy the complete history of church’s existence, as written by Mary Alter in 2013. Mary is the granddaughter of J.L. McCormack.
Today as we stand on the Village Green, we can see quite precisely that the building has changed little during its long tenure, as it continues to serve the seasonal community.
Seen here is the framed building being sheathed with rough sawn boards and covered with cedar shingles. Note the stacked bundles of shingles in the work area. Keep in mind that carpenters in those days used hand saws and good old hammers.The church is now complete, and a beautiful job it is. The small white birches near the telephone pole are right where the driveway and yard of Hello Good Pies are today. The home there beside the church was built in 1948 and ’49 by Albert and Lydia Johnson. Note the narrow dirt road that is Main Street, or Route 27, today. The property on the right hand side of the street was part of the Belgrade Hotel’s golf course and is now the Village Green.
Centennial Celebration of St. Helena’s Church, 1913‑2013
In celebration of the centennial of St. Helena’s, it is fitting to offer a brief and interesting history of the Church.
Before 1913, mass was offered at John L. McCormack’s camp on Great Pond. John and Alice McCormack’s family were from Brooklyn, New York. The Jesuit priests from Fordham University were invited to come to Maine as guests of the McCormacks. While here, their only obligation was to offer mass on Sunday. People came by boat, and others from Belgrade and Rome, also attended mass at the camp.
The Belgrade Hotel later served as a place for Catholics in the area to attend mass on Sunday with Father John Kealy, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Waterville, officiating.
The increasing number of people coming to the region for the summer influenced the decision to better provide for the spiritual needs of the Catholics in the Belgrade Lakes region, which was included in the Waterville parish’s jurisdiction. At this time, Father Kealy took the necessary steps to attempt to fulfill the needs of the faithful by considering purchasing land to build a Church. The decision was made and permission granted by the diocese of Portland for Father Kealy to proceed with the feasibility of purchasing land to build a Church.
Through the efforts and generosity of John L. McCormack and Mathew Belford, the land for the church was purchased and later deeded to the diocese of Portland. In 1913, St. Helena’s Catholic Church was built on this land on Route 27.
From this time on, the responsibility for St. Helena’s was first assigned to the Waterville Sacred Heart Parish and later to other parishes in the area. From 1961 to 2011, St. Theresa’s Church in Oakland continued to serve St. Helena’s receiving summertime assistance from the pastor of St. Theresa’s and from visiting and retired priests. St. Helena’s is now in the jurisdiction of Corpus Christi parish in Waterville.…
St. Helena’s in August 2023. Photo by Gregor Smith.
Over the years, the basic interior and exterior of St. Helena’s has remained the same. Parishioners prefer to have the chapel remain rustic, which is in keeping with the character of the town.
St. Helena’s has faithfully served many of us over the years. It is so heartwarming to see the church overflowing with people from here in Maine and all over the world, who come back to Belgrade Lakes year after year, and while on vacation take the time to worship here.
We sincerely hope and pray that future generations will continue to worship at our beautiful little church for one hundred more years.
