The founding of the new Diocese of Bridgeport in August of 1953 brought new vision to Fairfield County.
The first parish to be founded was St. Edward the Confessor Church in New Fairfield, CT. In the winter of 1954 discussions were held and property was purchased for the beginnings of a church in New Fairfield. Under the guidance of Fr. Joseph Maglione, who was appointed by Bishop Lawrence J. Shehan, the first Bishop of Bridgeport, a parish to serve the needs of the people was started. Fr. Maglione instituted parish organizations such as the Ladies Guild. He also gathered 100 volunteers who collected $100,000 towards the building of the church, which started on March 27, 1955 and was completed by April 1956.
The church was dedicated and the cornerstone laid on July 1, 1956 by Bishop Shehan, the first Bishop of Bridgeport.
Fr. Maglione would watch the faith grow in our parish until the spring of 1962 when he resigned to take a full time Chaplin position at the Federal Prison. He is celebrated as the priest who named our church after St. Edward the Confessor. St. Edward reigned over England in 1042 and was known to be generous to the poor, encouraged monks and attended mass every morning winning the hearts of his people with his love and harmonious administration. Fr. Maglione went on to say, “There were several reasons for my choice. First of all, I wanted a name that was different from any other church in Connecticut. Secondly, New Fairfield was such an unusually peaceful area. It had no road and there was just the Brush homestead on the property. Since St. Edward is known to have reigned in peace for forty years, during one of England’s most violent periods, it seemed to fit. Even the fact that he was a king applied. After all, hadn’t the people of New Fairfield treated me so regally?”
On June 15, 1962 Fr. James Dennis became the first pastor at St. Edward the Confessor Church. He would lead our parish through many years of change in the Catholic Church brought about by the Second Vatican Council, including changes to our Liturgy and prayers of the parish, the birth of the Parish Council and an increase in the involvement of the laity. Through Fr. Dennis’ leadership the parish grew, baptizing more than 50 babies a year, and celebrating 64 First Communions and 50 Confirmations. This growth was a reflection of the increased population of New Fairfield.
In 1969 Fr. Daniel Foley became the second pastor of St. Edward the Confessor Parish. He will be remembered for his fiscal insight and management of the parish. Fr. Foley had vision and foresight, and purchased the Murphy home on 1 Gillotti Road, which is the site of our current rectory.
The third pastor was Fr. Edmund Hussy, who served as Saint Edward’s pastor for one year. Fr. Hussy left our parish to minister as Hospital Chaplain to St. Joseph Hospital in Stamford.
Fr. Stanley Rousseau was appointed pastor in 1984. Fr. Rousseau was a deeply spiritual man and concentrated on renewing the liturgy of the church. During his pastorate a pipe organ was donated in memory of Mr. James Dolan, adding great musical synergy to the liturgies. He also participated in the “Renew Program” and many new ministries grew in our parish. With the guidance of the Parish Council and Finance Committee, the parish purchased the Adult Ministry Center at 1 Barnum Road to better serve the Adult Education of the parish, including RCIA and the Social Concerns Ministries. Fr. Rousseau left in 1991 to return to inner-city work.
It was on December 8, 1991 that Bishop Edward M. Egan installed Msgr. Martin P. Ryan as the fifth pastor of the St. Edward the Confessor parish. Under the strong leadership and spiritual commitment of Msgr. Ryan the parish embarked on a $3,000,000 building project including new construction for one central place of worship and renovation to the old church making it our parish hall with office space and meeting rooms. The parish today is a busy one with over 60 programs and ministries to serve its faithful parishioners.
In order to serve the people even better, Msgr. Ryan, along with the Lay Leadership, developed the mission statement of our parish; “We are the living presence of Jesus Christ recognized through our Love, Prayer and Service”. The parish continues to reach new heights and now serves over 2,400 families, achieving new service levels of 100 Baptisms, 140 First Communions, and 150 Confirmations each year. The religious education program has over 1,200 children registered from 1st to 9th grade.
Fr. Joe Cervero joined St. Edward the Confessor Church in 2001 as Parochial Vicar and has been an asset in leading the youth of the parish through Work Camp and helping the parish to raise funds through fundraising efforts. He was appointed pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Redding CT in 2010.
Fr. Sebastine Ukwandu came to St. Edwards in June of 2009 from Nigeria. He has added a special spirituality to the parish and focuses on Parish Life including Social Concerns and Family Life. Fr. Sebastine's Father Chief Sebastine Ukwandu sadly passed away in December of 2010. Fr. Sebastine returned to Nigeria for the funeral services and still remains in Nigeria with his family.
Fr. Jeff Couture joined the St. Edward's family in June 2010. He was an asset to our Youth Ministries and reshaped the face of the 5:15 mass, Eucharist Adoration the first Sunday of the month and the youth of the parish. He left in November 2011 to join St. Mary's Parish in Bethel as Parochial Vicar and work with the youth of the parish and help build their Jr and Sr. Youth Groups.
Msgr. Ryan resigned as Pastor in May 2011 after serving almost 20 years.
In June 2011, Fr. Nick Cirillo was appointed Pastor of St. Edward's Church. He was born and raised in Bridgeport CT. He is a current native of Trumbull, Connecticut, is a graduate of Fairfield University and the Gregorian University in Rome. He served as Parochial Vicar at St. Lawrence Parish in Huntington, Connecticut, and taught at Trinity Catholic HS Stamford CT and served as the Spiritual Director at St. John Fisher Seminary located in Stamford, CT. We welcome him to our Parish and wish him many years of service.
Fr. Henry Hoffman who served as Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph Church in Brookfield, CT was named as our new associate in July 2011. He left in the summer of 2013 to purse another parish as Parochial Vicar at Saint Jude Parish in Monroe, CT.
Fr. Karol Ksiazek joined St. Edward's parish in August. 2013. He reflects on the experiences that have formed his understanding of the priesthood. In Poland he had worked with the deaf for over two years. “They knew that I didn’t have to learn sign language for them, but I did it. They were appreciative that I sacrificed my time for them. That’s what the priesthood is, to sacrifice your time for people.” In America, in a far different ministry working with prison chaplains in a correctional facility, he experienced people’s common need for connection. “With inmates, the important thing is to listen very carefully. They want to share their story. One woman told me that I was the first one who spoke to her about God in a simple language. I was just sharing my faith with her.”He sees in these interactions the mission of a priest. “You are the man chosen from among the people to be there for them. You are there so that people can see in you the witness of God.” Father Ksiazek completed his diaconate service at St. Pius X Parish in Fairfield and was assigned to St. Therese Parish in Trumbull, CT before coming to St. Edward the Confessor. After serving for more than 5 years a St. Edward's, Fr. Karol was re-assigned to St. Joseph's in Brookfield CT. in July 2018 to continue his journey as a priest.
In November, 2017 we were blessed with Fr Harry Prieto an associate at St. Edward the Confessor Parish, in New Fairfield, CT, where he now lives and works. Rev. Prieto grew up in Bogotá, Colombia. He read philosophy, mathematics and physics (and a little bit of non-classical logic) at the Jesuit University of Bogotá. By that time he had come to the conclusion that he wanted to become a full-time missionary in foreign lands, inspired by the example St. Francis Xavier and the great Jesuit missionaries. He moved to the U.S. and completed his undergraduate education at Fordham University, and while continuing his formation to the priesthood, obtained his master’s in theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. While he was there, he trained as a student chaplain at Providence Hospital, and served as a deacon at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
For many years, he played soccer competitively, participating in numerous local and regional tournaments in his home town. Nowadays, he swims and practices Christian meditation. He enjoys opera, baroque music, and non-representational art.
He was ordained to the priesthood in July, 2017, and celebrated a first mass at St. Joseph’s parish in Danbury, CT.
The last 55 years have been full of changes and growth at St. Edward the Confessor Church. The Holy Spirit lingers within the walls of St. Edward the Confessor Church and has always been the source of strength, direction and faithfulness in leading the Pastors and Parishioners. St. Edward’s church is a special one in the hearts of its people, as was King Edward from whom its name came. May the next 55 years bring as much love, prayer and service as the first 55. God’s Blessings!