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WELCOME! Serving the communities of: Alton, Alton Bay, Where community and faith |
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About Us The Parish of St. Katharine Drexel has its roots in two other Lakes Region parishes. St. Joan of Arc in Alton had its beginnings in 1888 as a mission church of St. Leo in Gonic and then a mission church of St. Anthony's in Sanbornville. It was established as a parish in 1961. St. Paul's in Barnstead became its mission church. On May 11, 2000, a fire destroyed the church.The Parish of St. Cecilia also began in the 1880's, when it was known as the Church of the Sacred Heart. With the growth of the community as a summer resort, the church was established on donated land on Beatrice Street. The church was dedicated as St. Cecilia in 1908. The South Main Street land was acquired in 1932 and the church moved to that location in 1941. In 2002 the churches merged to become St. Katharine Drexel Parish with Fr. George Ham as Pastor. In July 2004, ground was broken for a new church near the junctions of Route 28 and 28A in Alton. The church was dedicated July 30, 2005. In 2006, St. Paul's Mission church was closed. In August 2006, the lower level of the building was dedicated to Msgr. Leo St. Pierre, who had served as pastor of St. Cecilia for more than 30 years. Msgr. St. Pierre passed away in 2008. In January of 2008, Fr. George Ham passed away. He was the Pastor for St. Katharine Drexel for six years. Prior to that, he was the Pastor for Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Hampton. Fr. Ham was ordained on May 6, 1967. In April of 2008, St. Katharine Drexel welcomed Rev. Robert Cole as our new Pastor. Fr. Cole was the pastor for St. Joseph's Church in Dover for 13 years. Fr. Cole was ordained in 1972. He first served at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Manchester. Successive parishes included Holy Trinity Parish in Somersworth, St. James Parish in Portsmouth, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Mathew in Plymouth. |
