What is the connection between A.R.T. and the history of Irish in Holyoke?
” Before St. Jerome’s Church was built for Irish Catholics, parishioners worshipped with various French Canadian or other non-Irish congregations. Below is the first Irish Catholic Church built in Holyoke. In 1873, Father Patrick Harkins – pastor of St. Jerome’s – asked two Sisters from the Sisters of Providence in Kingston, Ontario, Canada to help with the many poor and sick residents of Holyoke, many of which were Irish immigrants who worked at the local mills. Nearly all of Father Harkins’ parishioners were mill workers. His church simply did not have the money to set up and provide social services and a hospital for people living in Holyoke. Four Sisters arrived in the winter of 1873. They immediately began attending to the sick and dying. They were able to get a hospital built by 1877. The Sisters also agreed to open a boys’ school. In addition to this, Holyoke needed an orphanage. They built an orphanage by 1880, but soon needed more space. The building where Providence Hospital’
