Our Churches

How did one small country parish, at many times in its history nearly extinct due to lack of worshippers, end up with not one but two beautiful churches, nearly five miles apart?

One could cite divine intervention, ego-driven philanthropy or chance – and indeed all these did play a role – but perhaps the single most important explanation was the weather.

Winters in this part of the country, as anyone who has lived here knows, can be challenging. Now imagine our winters in the mid-1800′s, before paved roads, snowplows and all-wheel drive. In bad years, winter travel became all but impossible, and getting to church involved serious risk. St. John’s church, up and running since 1855, could be reached on foot or horseback by those living close by. But for the many parishioners who lived in Vista and parts of Connecticut, there was simply no way to get there safely.

Enter John Lewis. Born near Vista in 1793, he had returned there a wealthy man in 1840 and persuaded the town fathers, through generous donations of cash and stock, to rename that part of South Salem as Lewisboro. By 1870, he and many of his family members had settled in the area. Out of consideration for them and the many other nearby St. John’s parishioners, Lewis deeded the farmhouse in which he was born and the 48 surrounding acres to the church, provided they would build a “chapel of convenience,” to be called St. Paul’s.

Though it took nearly 30 years to accumulate the funds to build it, by 1900 St. Paul’s Chapel was completed and stands today as a beautiful companion to our original church.

Miles of woodland trails wind through the 32 acres behind it, where sheltered grottos dedicated to the Blessed Mother and St. Francis provide havens for quiet contemplation.