By Frank Coyle
TAUNTON — On May 14, 1933, Bishop James E. Cassidy, apostolic administrator of the Fall River diocese, presided over a dedication mass at St. Mary's Church in Taunton for the new Monsignor James Coyle High School for Boys.
Cassidy aptly chose St. Mary's for the mass since the late monsignor had been its pastor since 1896 and he was instrumental in sowing the seeds that led to the school's planning, construction and opening.
Last April, the Fall River diocese announced the permanent closure of Coyle & Cassidy High School and Middle School, ending nearly a century of educating boys and girls in the Catholic tradition.