St. Paul Church

St. Paul Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and is located in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. In its unique mission, St. Paul's serves as:
The Parish church serving the needs of the local community as well as visitors to Harvard Square
The home of the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School whose students make up the Boston Boy Choir
The home of the Harvard Catholic Center serving the academic community of Harvard University

St. Paul Parish was one of many parishes in the area founded by Fr. Manasses Dougherty largely in response to the influx of Irish Catholics to the Boston area in the late 19th century. The original St. Paul Church building, a former meeting house of the Shepherd Congregational Society on the site of what is now Harvard University's Holyoke Center, was purchased by Fr. Dougherty in 1873. The cornerstone for the present church building, an Italian Romanesque monument located at Quincy Square (corner of Bow and Arrow Streets), was laid in November 1916 under the leadership of then pastor Rev. John J. Ryan.

Photo 77, May 2012