Dorchester Illustration 2510 Saint Matthew’s Church
Postcard: Caption on front: St. Matthews, Norfolk St, Dorchester, Mass.
In 1888 Father Fitzpatrick of St. Gregory’s parish bought a lot of land at the corner of Norfolk and Darling (now Darlington) Streets, and two years later opened a temporary church on the site.
The map detail from the 1889 atlas shows the parcel of land that was acquired for the church. The owner’s name is shown as John J. Williams. All property in the Catholic Church is owned by the diocese; therefore the title was in the name John Joseph Williams, archbishop of Boston. The church opened on Christmas Day, 1890, and remained as a ward of St. Gregory’s until it became officially St. Matthew Parish in 1900. The new Saint Matthew Church building on Stanton Street was the creation of Father John A. Donnelly and was ready for use in 1923.
The most recent use of the building seems to be as Syria Temple No. 31, Prince Hall, Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.