The present St. Denis is the second oldest Catholic Church in New England. The church community of St. Denis began in 1818 when Fr. Dennis Patrick Ryan, the first Catholic priest ordained in New England, built his church in Whitefield.
 
Fr. Ryan came to the Province of Maine in 1818 to be pastor of St. Patrick’s in the Damariscotta Mills section of present-day Newcastle. In 1808, the Kavanagh and Cottrill families of “New Castle,” had built a fine brick church, still standing and in use today, as an inducement to gain a resident priest. They had waited 10 years.
 
However, upon his arrival Fr. Ryan immediately recognized that the Whitefield/Windsor area, 17 miles north, had the largest concentration of Irish in the Province and also far more land for new settlers than around Newcastle. He soon relocated to Whitefield. James Keating donated eight acres for a church and cemetery.
 
Fr. Ryan was a very effective recruiter inducing a number of Irish immigrants to settle here. The change from a near-wilderness to one of many thriving farms occurred through his ministry and enterprise. As early as 1832, the Irish Catholic population of the parish was almost 1,200. The parish extended for a distance of 20 miles from what became known as North Whitefield. Fr. Ryan also served as priest at St. Patrick and conducted missions in twelve communities; Gardiner, Waldoboro, Augusta, Bath, Union, Appleton, Bucksport, Portland, Thomaston, Wiscasset, Belfast, and Pittston.
 
The first St. Dennis Church, with two “n”s, was a simple wood-framed building situated on the exact same site as the present one. It was begun in 1818 under the direction of Fr. Denis Ryan and consecrated by Bishop Cheverus of Boston in 1822. The structure was 36 x 50 feet and covered the area where the pews are found in the present church. At first the people stood and knelt on an open floor; later benches were added. The first pews were installed in 1837-38. In 1850, the spelling of the church’s name was changed to St. Denis, with one “n.”
 
Bishop Benedict Fenwick of Boston first visited the white-painted church in 1827. When he returned in 1832, he found the church in very poor condition, including non-existent housekeeping, and cattle grazing in the churchyard cemetery. On the other hand he noted the large increase in the congregation and strongly urged that a new church be built that would be more representative of Maine’s largest Catholic community and be more in keeping with the increasing prosperity of the people.
 
In 1833 work began on the present church. Bricks were supplied by the parishioners; many as a tithe. Some of the bricks in the walls have the initials of the donors. The new structure was built around and above the old church at the same time as services continued in the church within. In 1834 the walls and roof of the new church had been completed and the old church was dismantled and removed through the front doors. The new church had clear glass windows with a modest belfry in which hung the bell purchased in 1834 from the C. H. Holbrook Co. of East Medford, Massachusetts. The overall appearance of the building was that of a typical New England meeting house.
 
The “new” St. Dennis, was consecrated by Bishop Fenwick in 1838. It was Maine’s largest Catholic Church, in both physical size and number of parishioners.
 
Fr. Ryan was pastor from 1818 to 1841 and again from 1843 to 1846. (In 1841-1843 he ministered in Massachusetts and Rhode Island). In 1846 he moved to Lockport, Illinois to serve the Irish laborers working on the Illinois-Michigan Canal. He was 66 in 1852 when he contracted cholera and died.
 
Among the other notable priests who left a definite impression in St. Denis history was Fr. Edward Putnam, pastor from 1850 until his death in 1863. He was a much loved and deeply revered man. Fr. Putnam was 43 when he died of tuberculosis. His grave is beneath the gospel side of the sanctuary. The site is unusual for our Catholic churches.
 
In 1851, the stone portion of the adjacent rectory was built. The wood portions were added much later.
 
In 1862, under the direction of Fr. Putnam, the belfry was removed from the church building and the Italianate-style tower added. The church bell from the steeple was then installed in the tower.
 
The present altar was constructed during the tenure of Fr. Anthony Siniscalchi, an Italian missionary who was pastor from 1875 to 1887. It is believed that the back panels of the altar were imported from Italy and the base was made locally.
 
Dramatic changes to the décor of the interior occurred in the years 1888-90, during the tenure of Frs. McDonough and Harrington. It included stained glass windows, the enlargement of the sanctuary, elaborate decorative work to the walls and ceiling, as well as the two side altars, and some of the statuary, such as the two angels.
 
Also added were the present Stations of the Cross, imported from England for the Cathedral in Portland, but upon arrival found not to be large enough for the walls of that church. They were purchased by Mr. Abbie Carleson and donated to St. Denis. Over the years, the paintings suffered from neglect. In the early 1950s attempts were made to restore them.  In 1952 the interior of the church was repainted and the decorations of 1888-90 were removed or covered.
 
On October 29, 1976, St. Denis Church was entered on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
In 1979 the oak altar, lectern, credence table and sanctuary chairs were made and added.
 
A major restoration of the church began in 1997. It included a completely new cantilevered roof and supplemental support system. This was done because of the structural weakness of the east wall. Two huge I-beams located above the ceiling are supported by large steel vertical columns; one pair in the vestibule and the other hidden behind the altar. All the exterior brick work was re-pointed. Also, the entire interior was re-worked, including a new pine floor to replace the old one, which was beyond rescue.
 
The pews were repainted using the same technique as used in churches and homes during the last quarter of the 19^th century if more expensive woods could not be afforded, to appear the same as before the building restoration. New wiring and lighting were put in place. All funding for the $320,000 project was through pledges of the parishioners.
 
The Parish Hall was completed in 1871 to house an orphanage and convent and, almost immediately, St. Denis Academy, a girls boarding school. The orphanage and school were staffed by five Sisters of Mercy from Manchester, New Hampshire. After initial success, the school closed in 1875, due to its remote location and since the building also served as an orphanage, which did not please some tuition-paying parents.
 
In 1875, 40 more orphans were sent from Portland. In 1888 the children and Sisters were moved to Portland and the building closed.
 
Originally the structure was three stories. The third was of “French Story” design. It was removed as a result of a fire on New Year’s Eve in 1922. For two years, 1873-1875, the Sisters also taught in a nearby public school. However, due to the poor condition of that building, in 1875 “Public School 13” was moved into the Academy building and was there for several years.
 
The first burial in the Churchyard cemetery was in 1819; being Elizabeth Finn, wife of John Finn. The last was in 1913; being John A. Field who had died in Arizona. All the gravesites in this cemetery had been acquired by 1844.
 
St. Denis’ second cemetery, Calvary Cemetery, is located on Route 126; ¼ mile down the hill from the church and hall. The first burial was of Mary Ellen Wheelan in 1844. It is still in use today.