Catholicism came early to Vanceboro by way of Ireland and the diocese of Portland. F. Shaw Bros arrived in Vanceboro in 1869 and, with their tannery constructed, so did a good many immigrant workers, many of Irish Catholic descent. The Shaw brothers donated land for a Catholic Church southerly of the European & North American railroad on a lot that abuts what is now route 6.
Deeded to Right Rev. David W. Bacon and dated July 9, 1874, the Shaw sale was subject to clear stipulations, perhaps reflecting stereotypes of the Irish at the time:
“…if, at any time there shall be kept for sale or vended on said land any intoxicating liquors; or if there shall be kept thereon any house or building used for the purposes of prostitution, or if any said land or building is used for any other purpose than religious worship” the land will be returned to the Shaw brothers and their heirs. Rev. Bacon was then the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland.
Portland’s Bishop Healy made a summer visit to Vanceboro in 1886. Rev. T. G. Plant, residing in Winn, began the construction of the modest mission chapel, which was dedicated by Bishop Healy under the patronage of the Guardian Angel.
As congregants waited for the church to be completed, they held meetings in the Methodist vestry on the corner of High and Second Streets. This was the beginning of a long, close relationship between Vanceboro’s Methodist and Catholic parishioners. Over the years they supported and attended one another’s church suppers, fairs and annual picnics and, for a time, Catholic youth participated in Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF).
In addition to generations of local parishioners, the Church of the Guardian Angel was attended by Customs and Immigration families over the years. Here young Virginia Cleary and Mary McAleney, daughter of customs worker, Bill McAleney, pose for their Confirmation photo.
of Donald Wescott’s house, which used to sit beside the Catholic Chapel. The two chimneys in the background to the left of the barn are most likely those of the old Customs House.
At this time, the priest traveled by train from Danforth for Sunday Mass. Later, in the 1960s a priest traveled from Lincoln. In the 1980s, a reciprocal arrangement existed where a Maine priest would serve on Campobello Island, New Brunswick and a McAdam, New Brunswick priest would cross the border to minister in Vanceboro.
In 2013 the Church of the Guardian Angel was deconsecrated, the stained glass, alter and pews removed. The original organ and bell that still remain in the building were gifts from the Methodist Church, offered when the Methodists replaced their original pump organ with an electric version and closed their belfy.
The building sold in 2014 to Darin McGaw, who has his own deep ties to Vanceboro. His mother, Cathy Prescott, attended the church and from the lawn he can see across the road to the house his grandfather, Carlton Prescott, built. Carlton grew up in Codyville. He married Ruby Tracy of Vanceboro and worked for 40 years as a clerk for Maine Central and Canadian Pacific Railroads.
Being the same premises described in the 1874 deed from the Shaws to Right Rev. David W. Bacon, the sale of the building and property from the Diocese of Portland to Mr. McGaw included restrictions, in this case addressing acts deemed offensive to Catholic teachings.
Mr. McGaw simply uses the building for storage. He has a love for the place and has worked to ensure the building remains in good condition, repairing and painting the exterior and shoring up the stone basement foundation. This summer, he donated to the museum the wooden cross that once graced the entrance of the chapel, vestments found in the priest quarters to the back of the sanctuary, and the sign announcing the time of services.
Vanceboro Historical Society 