Robert J. Johnson (priest)

Johnson served as past of St. Mary's Church in Dedham, Massachusetts from August 1878 to 1890.[1][7]

During this decade, Johnson was publicly raising the issue of discrimination against Catholics in the public schools. He served two terms on the Dedham School Committee, from 1884 to 1890.[8] As a member of the School Committee in 1885, he claimed the principal of the Avery School ridiculed Catholic students,[9] and several years later had a lengthy debate with a Protestant minister via letters in the Dedham Standard about the "rank misrepresentation of the Catholic Church" in a history book adopted by the School Committee.[10]

During Johnson's pastorate, the cornerstone of the present St. Mary's church was dedicated on October 17, 1880 by Archbishop John Williams.[11] A crowd of between 4,000 and 5,000 people attended,[11] and special trains were run from Boston and Norwood to accommodate all those who wished to attend.[12][13] It was one of the largest gatherings in Dedham's history.[14]

The crowd included many of the leading citizens of Dedham[12] as well as 30 priests.[11][14] The clergy included Father Theodore Metcalf[lower-alpha 1] of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross who served as Master of Ceremonies.[11][lower-alpha 2] The footprint of the Gothic church,[16] which Father Johnson said was to be a "cathedral in the wilderness,"[17][18] measures 150' long by 65' wide, and the bell tower is 164' tall.[11][19]

To serve the Catholics of East Dedham, he built St. Raphael's Church, but it was destroyed by fire a few years later.[1] When he left St. Mary's, the Catholics and Protestants of the town were both sorry to see him go.[1] He had become friends with all, including many of the leading men in town.[20]

After leaving St. Mary's, Johnson was pastor of Gate of Heaven Church from 1890 to his death in 1916.[15][21]

Johnson became pastor on June 1, 1890.[5] He was known as the "second founder" of Gate of Heaven.[5] During his first years at Gate of Heaven, the parish had 10,000 parishioners and 600 girls enrolled in the school.[22][1] With many societies and programs running, the church was too small to accommodate them.[22] On March 4, 1895, the church caught on fire and the interior was destroyed.[22][1] On April 10, 1895, services began inside the old church again, but it continued to be too small.[22][1] Johnson began raising funds for a new church, partly though his personal magnetism.[22][1] In 1896, the cornerstone was laid for a new church by Archbishop Williams.[22] While construction was ongoing, he opened St. Eulalia's Chapel in City Point on May 6, 1900.[22]

During construction, the stained glass windows were originally to be shipped from London duty-free.[23] After two had been installed, however, the Treasury Department overruled the decision of the local collector and demanded a duty payment for the windows already installed and those yet to be delivered.[23] Eventually Congress passed special legislation exempting the windows from the duty and, as a result of this precedent, all stained glass windows for houses of worship were exempt from duty in the Tariff Act of 1913.[23]