Our Lady of Fatima Church was originally located
on the corner of Broad and Meeting Street in
Cumberland, Rhode Island. Known as the first
congregation in all of the United States to have
Our Lady with the title Fatima as its Patroness,
this church brought together the Portuguese that
had traveled from all over the world and settled in
northern Rhode Island. However, on the morning
of December 31, 1962, a fire swept through the
church leaving the community with just a pile of
rubble and a major setback.
Yet, through all the sadness and uncertainty,
it was decided by the Pastor, Reverend, and
Bishop on a midsummer’s day in 1964 that
Our Lady of Fatima Church was going to be
rebuilt. June 24, 1965 marked the church’s
rebirth with the official ground breaking
ceremony, and it wasn’t before long that
Reverend Jose P. Barbosa
was holding mass in the new (and current) parish.
