St. Mark's Catholic Parish, which is located on West St. in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was founded in 1913. St. Mark’s was an outgrowth of the mother church, St. Joseph’s, located on North Street in Pittsfield. Fr. Michael Leonard served as the first pastor and continued in that role until his death in 1955 at age 94. He was succeeded by Fr. Thomas Finn who served St. Mark’s for 13 years until his death in 1968. Msgr. Joseph Johnson was then appointed the third pastor and shepherded the flock for 23 years until his retirement in 1994. Shortly after Fr. Henry Dorsch became the parish's fourth pastor. After nine years, Fr. John Salatino stepped in to become the fifth pastor of his childhood church.

    Fr. Michael Leonard

The parish’s first church was on the east corner of Onota and West Streets. In 1929 the parishioners overflowed the space, and plans were put into action to build the beautiful house of worship that is now St. Mark’s Church. The church was built in 1932 in Gothic style architecture; the vaulted ceilings consist of ribbing held up with pillars and arches that bear the whole weight of the building. The church was built with West Townsend granite from Massachusetts. The beautiful floors are made of Belgian and Italian marble. The interior woodwork is chestnut. The cost to build this church in 1929 was $250,000.

Opening Day  

St. Mark's is an impressive church. The spire reaches 125 feet into the sky. St. Mark, patron of the church, stands prominently above the wooden double-door entry. He is flanked on the right by St. Peter who is holding the keys of heaven and St. Paul on his left holding the sword of the spirit. Above him, in the apex of the front façade, stands a statue of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Jesus appears with His arms extended outward. “DOMUS DEI ET PORTA COELI”, translated “The House of God, and the Gateway to Heaven” is printed above the wooden doorways.

The altar and the reredos, or alter pieces behind the altar, depict the four doctors of the church: St. Agustin, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose and Pope Gregory the Great. These elements were designed and made in Florence, Italy.

  First Mass

In 1938, the former church was renovated into the parish hall. During Fr. Finn’s pastorate in 1961, the parish hall was destroyed by fire. Soon afterward, plans for a school and parish center were formulated. This dream became a reality in 1965 with the opening of a parish elementary school located on Columbus Avenue extension. Fr. Finn also installed stained-glass windows and built a parish hall behind the church which was dedicated to Fr. Leonard.

The extraordinary Kilgen organ was installed early on and became a special feature within the beautiful stone Gothic church. This organ, which was dedicated on May 27, 1931, has been faithfully maintained over the years.

1913-1955    Rev. Michael J. Leonard, pastor
1913-1916    Rev. Florence A. Lane
1917-1918    Rev. Lawrence O’Toole
1918-1924    Rev. Thomas A. Bolan
1923-1927    Rev. P. Henry Sullivan
1925-1933    Rev. Martin J. Tracy
1927-1931    Rev. Edward P. McGuire
1931-1937    Rev. Lawrence O’Toole
1932              Rev. Joseph J. Cooney
1933-1934    Rev. Paul E. O’Day
1934-1937    Rev. Philip M. Sullivan
1937-1938    Rev. P. Henry Sullivan
1937-1939    Rev. Richard J. McIntyre
1938-1950    Rev. Henry F. Finnegan
1939-1943    Rev. Timothy J. Champoux
1943-1946    Rev. John A. Finn
1946-1948    Rev. Charles J. Friel
1948-1952    Rev. James F. Preston
1950-1953    Rev. Joseph F. Holland
1952-1956    Rev. Raymond M. Lepire
1953-1961    Rev. Edward V. Reilly
1955-1968    Rev. Thomas F. Finn, pastor
1956-1959    Rev. John M. Donlan
1959-1960    Rev. Thomas M. Hickson
1960-1968    Rev. Edward D. Shea
1961-1963    Rev. Gerald Sullivan
1963-1970    Rev. Frederick G. Dion
1968-1976    Rev. John Roach
1968        Rev. Mr. Anthony J. Thompson
1968        Rev. Joseph I. Johnson, pastor
1969        Rev. Mr. Fransis Pl Lavelle
1970        Rev. John F. Dunleavy
1971-1978    Rev. Patrick A. Sullivan, S.J.
1971-1978    Rev. William F. Cyr
1977-1979    Rev. John Smegal
1978-1980    Rev. Arthur N. Labonte
1980-1982    Rev. William J. Hamilton
1980-1983    Rev. James K. Joyce. Pastor
1982-1993    Rev. Michael Shershanovich
1982-1990    Rev. Henry Dorsch, pastor
1994-1995    Rev. David Darcy, pastor
1995-2013    Rev. William Eckert
2003-present    Rev. John Salatino, pastor
2012-2013    Rev. Tomasz Parzynsk
2008-present    Deacon Sean Mulholland
2013-present    Deacon Spenser Trova
2013-present    Rev. David E. Aufiero

Following his ordination to the arch diocese of Boston, Fr. Leonard was named assistant at St. Patrick’s Church, Lowell, Massachusetts where he served eight years. His second curacy was at St. Joseph’s Church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts where he served from 1900 to 1913.

As the population of Pittsfield increased, it became clear in the early 1900s that a new parish was needed for the accommodation for the people of western section of the city. Bishop Thomas D. Beaven, Bishop of the Springfield diocese, purchased land on West Street between South John Street and Onota Street for a chapel for the new parish, to be called St. Mark’s. the wooden building  was erected on the north –west corner of the property facing Onota Street, leaving room for a larger, more permanent church at a later date.

Reverend Michael J. Leonard became the first pastor of the new parish. With Father Florence Lane as his first assistant, Father Leonard held services in the new building in May 1913. The formal dedication was held the following year with Bishop Beaven officiating.

Under his leadership the congregation tripled in numbers in ensuing years. Fr. Leonard was known as the “convert priest” from the number who were led into the church through is instructions. Realizing the need for expansion in 1929, the parishioners had outgrown this space and plans were put underway to build a larger, more appropriate house of worship. With immense support from the congregation and under the leadership of Fr. Leonard, the new St. Mark’s was built on West Street on what was called the Albro Tract. It was dedicated amid much pomp in May 1932, with the Most Reverend Thomas M. O’Leary, Bishop of Springfield, celebrating the liturgy for the occasion. With a special concert, the majestic Kilgen organ was also dedicated. At the first midnight Mass in the new church, the beautiful stained –glass window above the main alter was unveiled. This was followed a year later with the dedication for our Lady of Lourdes Shrine on the West Lawn of the church.

Fr. Leonard celebrated his Golden Jubilee in December 17, 1942 and died at the age of 94, October 25, 1955, after a short illness, he spent 55 years of his life in Pittsfield, a remarkable 42 of these years as pastor of St. Mark’s Church.

Father Thomas F. Finn was born in 1892. He graduated from Holy Cross College in 1916, and then entered the Grand Seminary in Montreal, Canada to begin his theological studies. He was ordained to priesthood on December 20, 1919 and died after 48 active years in the priesthood, 13 years at St. Mark’s at the age of 76.

Before becoming the second pastor of St. Mark’s Church in 1955, Father Finn served as curate at All Saints’ Church in Ware Massachusetts; our Lady of Hope in Springfield Massachusetts; St. Joseph’s Church in Pittsfield Massachusetts and St. Peter’s Church in Worcester.

1955 was a time of change in the Catholic Church due to the recommendations of the second Vatican Council. Father Finn introduced the Dialogue Mass and lay participation in the liturgy, and led his parishioners to an appreciation of the changes.

Under Father Finn, the church was renovated and new stained glass windows installed, the brick annex in the rear of the church was build, a new central oil heating system was installed.

When St. Mark’s Hall on Onota Street was destroyed by a fire in 1961, a building plan became necessary, and a tithing program called “sacrificial offerings” was instituted in the parish to fund the new building and to maintain church property. Land was purchased from Coolidge Hill School and plans for a parish elementary school were put into motion. This dream became a reality in 1965 with the opening of St. Mark’s School at Columbus Avenue extension.

In April 1963, St. Mark’s celebrated its Golden Jubilee with the Mass of Thanksgiving. Following the mass, the bishop dedicated Father Leonard Hall, named for the first pastor.

Fr. Finn had strong convictions which he was not reluctant to express. But he also was remarkably open to new idea, encouraging innovation on the part of his younger associates. During his pastorate at St. Mark’s parish he became known as one of the liveliest and most progressive in the diocese.

Msgr. Johnson, a priest for 66 years, was the third pastor of St. Mark’s from 1968 until his retirement on May 14, 1994. He remained pastor emeritus of the church until his death. Previously, he had served for two years as pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Palmer, Mass. Msgr. Johnson had also worked in the Springfield chancery for many years, becoming vice officialis in 1951 and then officialis, the highest judicial position in the diocese, from 1954 until 1969. During the Second Vatican Council, he served as a consultant to Bishop Christopher J. Weldon in Rome. In 1963, Msgr. Johnson was elevated to prothonotary apostolic, one of the highest honorary offices in the priesthood. Following his ordination in 1932, he had served several parishes in Northampton and Worcester, and also at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield.

The Organ

An extraordinary Kilgen organ was installed early on and became a special feature within the beautiful stone Gothic church. This organ, which was dedicated on May 27, 1931, has been faithfully maintained over the years.

The Kilgen Organ is of the same high order as the famous instruments selected for such great cathedrals as St. Patrick’s in New York and the New Cathedral of St. Louis, and for such auditorium as Carnegie Hall in New York, where masterpieces of musical expression are required.

The builders of the instrument have upheld a high tradition, both in Europe and America, dating back to their ancestor, John Sebastian Kilgen, who built the first Kilgen Organ in the seventeenth century. We feel certain that the builders have given to St. Mark’s an organ of the highest quality–the work of real artists.

Organists and Music Directors

Miss Elizabeth Eagan 1931-1960’s
George Nesbit 1960’s
Bob Blafield 1970-1992
Barbara Kochapski 1992-1993
Tom Frost and Jeff Hunt 1993-2002
Carlton Maaia and Jeff Hunt 2002-2005
Jeff Hunt 2005-present

Folk Choir and Children’s Choir Leaders

Barbara Kachopski
Karen Pizzonia
Marty Plankey

The specifications of the organ designed for St. Mark’s Church (1931)

GREAT ORGAN

1.   16′ Leiblich Gedeckt
2.   8′ Open Diapson
3.   8′ 2nd Diapson
4.   8′ Gedeckt
5.   8′ Gemshorn6.   4′ Octave
7.   4′ Flute d’Amour
8.   2 2/3′ Quint
9.   2′ Fifteenth
10. 1 3/5′ Tierce
11  8′ Tuba
12  4′ Clarion
13. Chimes

SWELL ORGAN

14.   16′ Bourdon
15.   8′ Open Diapson
16.   8′ Stopped Diapson
17.   8′ Salicional
18.   8′ Vox Celeste19.   9′ Aeoline
20.  4′ Flute d’Amour
21.   2′ Flautino
22.   4’Principal
23.   Ripieno Minore 4 Ranks
24.   Ripieno Maggiore 5 Ranks
25A.  8′ Orchestral Oboe
26.   16′ Posaune
27    8′ Trumpet28.   4′ Clarion
29.   8′ Vox Humana
30.   Chimes (Temple Bells)

CHOIR ORGAN

31.  16’Bass Flute32   8′ Violin Diapson
32A.  8′ Quintadena
33.   8′ Concert Flute
34.   8′ Dulciana
35.   8′ Unda Maris
36.   4′ Flute Harmonic
37.  2′ piccolo
38.  8′ Clarinet