 The parish traces its roots to 1872 and grew due to a wave of late 19th century immigration by French Canadians.Construction of the current church began in 1906 and continued until 1936, by which time it was the second largest church in New England.Construction languished because the diocese split the parish in 1905 and 1923 and the new congregations took a portion of the parish treasury to establish and construct their own churches.