August 1, 1921: St. Columbkill's Roman Catholic Church Holds First Mass in Kitchen of Unger Mansion

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA

August 1, 1921: The first Mass of St. Columbkill’s Roman Catholic Church was said today by Father Bernard Creamers with all 12 members of the congregaton present in the kitchen of the Unger mansion at 43 S. Chestnut Street in Boyertown.

Father Creamers had just purchased the building for the newly formed parish. The altar was created by placing a board over the kitchen sink. Lawrence Bauer was the altar boy. James Brown, the undertaker, had donated 12 chairs for pews.

Before St. Columbkill’s parish was formed, Roman Catholics in Boyertown had to travel to Bally or Pottstown for services. The neighbors sat on their porches to count how many people came to Mass. They predicted that the congregation “would never make a go of it,” but the parish grew rapidly, and it was not long before the entire first floor of the home was used as the sanctuary. The rectory for Father Creamers was on the second and third floors.

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