St. Robert Bellarmine Church
A 1960, Andover Townsman photo shows an aerial view of a parcel of land purchased by the Archdiocese of Boston for the future site of a new parish to serve West Andover and Tewksbury. [1] St. Robert Bellarmine church on Hagget's Pond Road in West Andover opened its doors and began offering masses to the community in November of 1961. [2] The parish was officially dedicated Sunday April 7, 1963 by Richard Cardinal Cushing. Reverend Francis L. Sullivan was pastor when the church opened to the public. [3] For many years, St. Robert's parish sponsored an active Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) sports league with basketball and football teams. For many years, a preschool, Andover Country Day School (also known as St. Robert's Country Day) was operated in the basement of St. Robert's church. In 2012, after 43 years at St. Robert's, the preschool moved its operation to the nearby Greek Orthodox church, Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church at 71 Chandler Road when St. Robert's parish staff decided to use the space for religious classes. The preschool closed in December 2022 after 53 years of operation. [4]
St. Robert Bellarmine was in danger of being closed by the Boston Archdiocese. In May of 2004 the parishioners found out the church would remain open.
See Also
- "Andover parish added to list," Eagle Tribune, May 7, 2004, p. 1.
- "St. Robert's considered for closing: Parishioners hoping for best," Andover Townsman, May 13, 2004, p 1.
- "Relief, jubilation at St. Robert," Eagle Tribune, May 26, 2004, p. 1.
- "Thanksgiving for Andover church," Andover Townsman, May 27, 2004, p. 1.
- "After 45 years, church burns its mortgage," Eagle Tribune, September 19, 2006, p. 1.
For a complete list of Andover Churches see Houses of Worship in Andover
--Stephanie (talk) 09:53, 24 January 2024 (EST)
--Kim 14:14, July 26, 2013 (EDT)
--Eleanor (talk) 13:54, 26 March 2015 (EDT)
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