History

When a small faithful group of Catholics established a parish here in Portsmouth, it was only the fourth parish to be formed in the state of New Hampshire.  As years progressed and the numbers of Catholics grew, the original parish, first called St Mary, later renamed Immaculate Conception, was divided to form two other parishes.  The current Immaculate Conception Church was built in 1933.  In 1951, St. Catherine parish was established on Woodbury Avenue, and in 1958, St. James Parish was formed on the opposite side of the city.  In 2006, these three parishes were once again united as one parish community.  The new parish bears the name Corpus Christi, which, in Latin, means “the Body of Christ.”  Our very name reminds us of our identity, our unity, and our mission, as St. Paul expressed it:  “We are many parts of the one Body of Christ, different functions, all united with Christ as our Head.”  The parish is enriched by the diversity of gifts and features which were once found in each of the three individual parishes.

The process of exploration, prayerful discernment, and planning efforts to “Move from Maintenance to Mission” began in 2013.  In December 2016, our Bishop approved our plan to move forward in three initial phases, the first phase being the sale of the parish property at 2075 Lafayette Road – St. James Church.  This church was removed from sacred use, and the property was sold.  In 2017, minor renovations, updating, and repairs were done at the former St. Catherine Rectory to convert it for use as our new Parish Office.  The next phase involved repurposing the St. Catherine Church property (removed from sacred use in June 2017) and transforming the upper church into a parish hall and the lower level into a flexible meeting center.  The last phase, the renovation of our Immaculate Conception Church, took place in 2020!A brief history of Immaculate Conception Parish and Church: As the first parish in Portsmouth – originally known as St. Mary’s – Immaculate Conception has also been labeled the “mother church” of St. Catherine of Siena and St. James parishes, which were established in the 1950s.

The first Masses in Portsmouth were celebrated in 1833 in the Dominick Peduzzi home above Mr. Peduzzi’s Confectionery store located on the corner of High and Congress streets.  The first regular Catholic services were celebrated by Fr. Constantine Lee, and by 1836, Portsmouth was organized as a mission of St. Aloysius Church of Dover, of which Fr. Lee was pastor.

Early in the 1850s, the congregation was on the order of 300 parishioners.  St. Mary’s was established as a parish in 1851, with Fr. Charles McCallion as its first pastor.  The parish acquired a parcel of land known as “Circus Field on Mason’s Hill” at the corner of Summer and Chatham streets.  A simple church was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin on October 8, 1852.  It was destroyed in a suspicious fire November 27, 1871.  A brick church (not the current one) was built and dedicated April 9, 1874, and renamed Church of the Immaculate Conception.  At this time, it was part of the Diocese of Portland (Maine) and in 1884, transitioned to the Diocese of Manchester (New Hampshire) when the latter diocese was established.

Early parishioners sought to give their children an experience of quality education within the atmosphere of a community rooted in strong morals and lived faith.  A school had been built at 202 State Street in 1869, but the land was sold in 1873 to help fund construction of the first brick church.  In 1885, land adjoining Immaculate Conception church on Austin Street was purchased, on which was built St. Patrick School, which served the children of our parish and beyond.  It was staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, and school enrollment was 290.  We are excited to have recently completed construction on Banfield Road for a new school, St. Patrick Academy, which opened in May 2018.

By the early 1930s, the 1874 brick church was found to be structurally weak and too small to meet the needs of the growing parish.  Demolition of that church and construction of the present-day church occurred in 1933-34.  However, the stained glass windows of the old church were preserved and installed in the new one. During that period, weekday Masses were celebrated in the school hall, and Sunday Masses in the Knights of Columbus Hall and in the Portsmouth Theater.  The new church opened for Easter 1934, and was formally dedicated October 21, 1934.  At this time, the parish numbered 906 families with 3,261 members; school enrollment was 444.

During and after World War II, Portsmouth’s population grew tremendously.  The school was overcrowded, and so a two-story annex was built in 1949 on what is now the rear parking lot of the church.  And with the church no longer able to accommodate all worshippers, a new parish, St. Catherine of Siena, was established in 1951 on Woodbury Avenue on land purchased by, and presented to, St. Catherine as a gift from Immaculate Conception.  Continued growth in Portsmouth resulted in the establishment of St. James the Greater parish on Lafayette Road in 1958.A brief history of St. Catherine of Siena Parish and Church:
St. Catherine of Siena parish was established on August 14, 1951, to serve the Catholic community in the north and west sections of Portsmouth.  The patroness was chosen by its first pastor, Rev. P.J. Kenneally, who chose St. Catherine in honor of his mother.  Land on Woodbury Avenue was purchased and presented as a gift to the new parish by Immaculate Conception Church, its mother parish.  While the church was under construction, the new parish attended Mass at the Colonial Theater downtown.

It took many projects to finance the building of the new church, including Bingo games, Lobster feeds, whist games and card parties, Fall Festivals, and even a full circus held on the church grounds.  Parishioners gave gladly of their time and effort, as they would continue to do for subsequent remodeling/repair projects and a Stained Glass Window Drive.

During a period of parish consolidation in the Diocese of Manchester, coincident with the 2005 retirement of St. Catherine’s last pastor, the beloved Msgr. Lawrence E. Burns, the parish was “twinned” with St. James Parish.  In June 2006, St. Catherine, St. James, and Immaculate Conception were merged into a single, united Catholic parish in Portsmouth, Corpus Christi Parish.  On June 23, 2017, St. Catherine was removed from sacred use.  The church was converted into a parish hall on the main floor and meeting spaces in the basement.  The parish offices, located at St. James Church since June 2006, moved to the 845 Woodbury Ave. campus in November of 2017.A brief history of St. James Parish and Church: During and after World War II, and with the opening of Pease Air Force Base in 1956, Portsmouth grew tremendously, especially in the southeast sector toward Rye.  The spiritual needs of the expanding population were recognized, and so St. James the Greater Parish was established on May 18, 1958.  Rev. Thomas Duffy was named first pastor.  Fr. Duffy selected St. James as patron to honor three pastors of the Immaculate Conception Parish: Rev. James Brennan, Rt. Rev. James McCooey, and Rt. Rev. James Happny.

The first Mass of the new parish was celebrated on Pentecost Sunday, 1958, in the auditorium of Portsmouth High School, which served as a temporary church during construction.  In July 1959, Mass was celebrated in the basement hall of the new church and eight weeks later in its unfinished sanctuary.  The solemn dedication of the church was on Memorial Day, 1960; the rectory was constructed and occupied in February, 1962; and in July 1962, the sanctuary was completed and altar consecrated with the relics of martyred Saints Justin and Victorine sealed in the sepulcher of the altar.

One hundred forty two acres of surplus land were sold in 1971 and the territorial domain of the parish was reduced in September, 1979 with the formation of St. Theresa Parish in Rye.  In 2005, during a period of parish consolidation in the Diocese of Manchester, the parish was “twinned” with St. Catherine of Siena Parish. In June 2006, St. Catherine, St. James, and Immaculate Conception were merged into a single, united Catholic parish in Portsmouth, Corpus Christi Parish.

On April 28, 2017, St. James was removed from sacred use.  The church and rectory have been sold and demolished.  The parish offices, located at the St. James campus since June 2006, moved in November of 2017 to the St. Catherine campus, 845 Woodbury Ave.

In June, 2006, the three former Portsmouth parishes, Immaculate Conception, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. James, became one parish served by one pastor.  The unified Catholic community of Portsmouth is now known as Corpus Christi Parish.