Church of the Good Shepherd (Dedham, Massachusetts)

The Church of the Good Shepherd is an Episcopal church in Dedham, Massachusetts and the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

History
The first group of Anglicans in Dedham began meeting in Clapboardtrees in 1731. A few decades later, Samuel Colburn died in the Crown Point Expedition of 1756. Though he was not an Anglican, he left almost his entire estate to the Anglican community in Dedham to establish St. Paul's Church.

Charles C. Sanderson, who sold the building lots in Oakdale, also erected a building containing a public hall and a store. A mission Sunday school was begun by lay readers from St. Paul's in the Sanderson Building on June 8, 1873 for Anglicans in the Oakdale section of town who could not get to the church easily. Soon after, on the 29th of the same month, public services of the Episcopal Church were begun in Sanderson Hall and for three years they were conducted by lay readers.

The mission was funded by the family of Horatio Chickering, a member of St. Paul's. In 1874, Chickering purchased a lot of land for the purpose of building a church. He died in the spring of 1875 but he made provision in his will for the erection of the church. Besides the gifts of the church and land by Chickering, the parish received other bequests from his widow, Lucy Lee Chickering, and from his sisters. In the church were placed memorial windows in memory of Chickering and his sisters, Mrs. DF Adams and Miss HB Chickering.

The parish was organized under the name of the Church of the Good Shepherd and, at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts in 1876, it was voted to accept the Church into union with the convention. William Franklin Cheney was also elected to take charge of the congregation in August 1876.

The cornerstone of the church was laid by Bishop Benjamin Henry Paddock on June 8, 1876 and he consecrated the church just a few months later, on November 2.

Community
A tradition began the 1880s of youngsters from the community climbing to the top of the bell tower and ringing the bells at midnight on July 4 to celebrate Independence Day.

Beginning in the early 1900s and continuing until the 1990s, bonfires would be held first in Oakdale Square and then in the Manor to celebrate the 4th of July. It would usually begin at midnight, either on July 3 or July 4, when a young person would climb onto the roof of the Church and ring the bell. This would signal others to bring old farm carts they had stolen into Oakdale Square and light them ablaze.

The Church, along with the Dedham Country Day School, were the first to sponsor cub scout packs in Dedham. , the Church still sponsors Troop 3 of the Scouts BSA.

When the cornerstone of the Oakdale School was laid in 1902, the Church's rector, Cheney, led the crowd in prayer.

Connection to William B. Gould
After arriving in Dedham in 1871, William B. Gould signed the Articles of Incorporation and became a founder of the Church. He and his wife were baptized and confirmed there in 1878 and 1879.

Gould's family remained active members of the church and, along with the Bonds and one other family, the Chesnuts, were the only black parishioners. Four generations of Goulds would ultimately be baptized there.

A pew at the Church is dedicated to William and Cornelia. When a park in Dedham was named in his honor, a sign with Gould's name and image was unveiled by his great-great-great-grandchildren. It was then blessed by the former rector of the Church, Rev. Noble Scheepers. When a statue was unveiled there two years later, it was blessed by Rev. Chitral De Mel, the then-current rector of the Church.