Our Lady of Good Voyage Church in Gloucester
Originally dedicated in 1893, Our Lady of Good Voyage was built for the
Portuguese Roman Catholiccommunity in Gloucester.
According to the story of Our Lady of Good Voyage, a stranded fisherman
in the rough Atlantic Ocean broke one of his oars and could not return to his
homeport. He sought help from the Madonna and the sea miraculously calmed
allowing him to reach port safely.
A fire destroyed the original church in 1914. Prominent architect Halfdan
M. Hanson designed and immediately began building the existing, unique Mission
style church, which replaced the earlier church. It is the only Mission style
church in Gloucester. Modeled after a church in the Azores, Our Lady of Good
Voyage consists of two distinct sections: the two-story main worship space that
is of a cruciform plan and an L-shaped rectory that extends from the northwest
corner of the main worship space. The rectory, which was built between 1872 and
1884 as a separate building, was incorporated into the new church. Resting on a
granite foundation, the building is covered in a buff-colored stucco. In 1922,
bells were installed in the towers. These bells, still in place today, were cast
by John Taylor & Company of England-the same foundry that cast Phildelphia's
Photo g00, June 2000