Serving the West Side of New Haven, Connecticut
Saints Aedan & Brendan Parish
112 Fountain St.
New Haven, CT 06515
United States
ph: 203-389-2619
fax: 203-389-1235
SS
Saints Aedan & Brendan Church
Formerly St. Aedan Church,
Fountain Street, New Haven
The former St. Brendan Church,
Whalley Avenue, New Haven
On August 1, 2016 it was decreed by Archbishop Leonard Blair of the Archdiocese of Hartford that the Churches of St. Aedan and St. Brendan were to merge and become Saints Aedan & Brendan Parish.
The histories of St. Aedan and St. Brendan span over 125 years. In the past decade, many elements of the parishes had merged -- like pastoral leadership and the school -- to better serve the needs of parishioners.
St. Brendan
St. Brendan parish was established on April 7, 1913, from the territory of St. Mary Church in downtown New Haven. Bishop John J. Nilan appointed Father John J. McLaughlin as founding pastor. The priest who had recently worked among Hartford's Italian immigrants opened a frame church on Carmel Street on May 11, 1913, dedicated by Bishop Nilan the following November. The luxurious growth in numbers soon warranted a larger church, and a handsome building of granite was dedicated on January 27, 1924, by Bishop Nilan. Located at the corner of Whalley and Ellsworth Avenues, this scenic site also allowed for the future construction of a compact parish plant. Like that of many pastors, Father McLaughlin's fondest dream was a parish school, a hope finally realized by September 1956. Staffed by the Dominican Sisters, St.Brendan School was dedicated on November 11 of that year by Archbishop Henry J. O'Brien. In 1974, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden replaced the Dominicans at the parochial school. After St. Aedan and St. Brendan Churches merged, St. Brendan Church grounds were sold in June, 2017. Many items were transferred to Sts. Aedan and Brendan Parish on Fountain Street. The original art sample of the crucifix which hanged above St. Brendan's sanctuary hangs above the tabernacle. The statue of the Sacred Heart is located at the McKinley Avenue side entrance and the St. Brendan statue was installed in the rear of the Church. Many other historical items will be housed in the church hall.
St. Aedan
In 1872, the town of Westville became a mission of New Haven's St. John the Evangelist Church. Father Hugh Carmody of St. John celebrated the first Mass in Westville at Franklin Hall on Fountain Street. Shortly thereafter, an Emerson Street mission chapel, named for St. Joseph, was erected. It was later dedicated by Bishop Francis P. McFarland. In 1895 Westville became a mission of St. Lawrence parish, West Haven. Numbering about 375 communicants, the Westville mission was made a parish dedicated to St. Joseph on June 10, 1900, with Father John D. Kennedy appointed first pastor. Father John McGivney, brother of Father Michael McGivney, bought land at Fountain Street and McKinley Avenue for a new church. Bishop John J. Nilan dedicated the sturdy new building to St. Aedan on April 2, 1922. The parish patron had been changed because Westville had become part of New Haven, which already had a church named for St. Joseph. By October 1950, St. Aedan built and opened an elementary school on McKinley Avenue, staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. On October 26, 1957, a bigger school and new convent were dedicated by Archbishop Henry J. O'Brien. In 1990 Father McCann initiated significant upgrades to the church to align with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. St. Aedan Church became Saints Aedan and Brendan Parish when the Churches merged and the property and buildings of St. Brendan were sold.
Click here for a detailed history of the Parishes with historical photos.
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Saints Aedan & Brendan Parish
112 Fountain St.
New Haven, CT 06515
United States
ph: 203-389-2619
fax: 203-389-1235
SS