Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1656
The St. Leo’s Church building that we saw on Friday has been taken over in recent years by the Bethel Tabernacle Pentecostal Church.
The following is from Charlie Tevnan.
The former St. Leo’s Church was purchased from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2006 by the Bethel Pentecostal Tabernacle Church, and was completely rehabbed. Here is a short narrative on the recent history of the church building:
The church building is part of the campus of the Bethel Tabernacle Pentecostal Church, Inc. (“Bethel Tabernacle”), which Bethel Tabernacle purchased from the Catholic Charitable Bureau of the Archdiocese of Boston, Inc. (“Archdiocese of Boston”) in 2006. The Bethel Tabernacle campus sits on several contiguous lots of land which totaling approximately 57,640 square feet (bounded by Esmond Street, Harvard Street, and Bicknell Street), having addresses of 100 Esmond Street, 177 Harvard Street, 173 Harvard Street, and 12 Bicknell Street, Dorchester, MA 02121, and consists of a church building, administrative building, food pantry, parking area, recreation area, etc. The rectory building, as shown in the 1909 postcard photo, is no longer extant.
In recent years, after St. Leo’s closed its doors, portions of the campus were vacant and were in extreme disrepair. It was considered a haven for drug dealers and other illicit activity. After Bethel Tabernacle purchased the property from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2006, together with the Sanctuary and two adjacent parcels and buildings, the entire property was rehabilitated and transformed, and in the process, the Bethel Tabernacle Pentecostal Church restored an asset in the Dorchester community, and has remade it into a vibrant focal point of the community.
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