Pierre Hevey, the second pastor of Ste Marie Parish, was born in Saint-Hyacinthe Quebec in 1831.  At the age of 19 he entered Sainte-Hyacinthe seminary and ordained to the priesthood on July 13, 1857.

After serving in both Canada and Lewiston Maine Fr. Hevey was appointed by Bishop Healy as the second pastor of Ste. Marie Parish, March 8^th, 1882.

Upon coming to the parish Fr. Hevey noticed that his new church was up on a hill far away from the mill workers who made up most of the congregation of his parish.  He encouraged the mill workers to build their houses near the parish and soon a number of homes sprung up around the church.  Fr. Hevey had a vision for Ste. Marie and soon his parishioners were filled with the same dream and zeal as their pastor and responded generously to his appeal for funds for an ambitious building plan.

In 1883 Fr. Hevey purchased a large parcel of land from the Amoskeag Manufacturing Co. to start his ambitious building plan.  In 1885 he built Le Couvent des Saints-Anges and staffed the school with the Sisters of Charity from Sainte-Hyacinthe.  In 1886 he had L’Ecole Sainte-Marie for boys built.  The parish flourished with 6,000 parishioners by 1889. 

In 1890, on the tenth anniversary of the parish it was divided between Ste Marie and the new St. George Parish on the east side of the Merrimack River.  Also in 1890 Fr. Hevey left for Europe to find a religious community to staff his boy’s school resulting in the Marists of Saint-Genis-Laval in France coming to Manchester. In July of the same year Fr. Hevey was appointed to Protonotaire Apostolique by the Holy See.

On October 16, 1890 the wooden chapel was destroyed by fire.  Our present church building was started in 1891 and completed a short eight years later. Mass was held in the basement of the church until the church was finished.

Other institutions started by Monsignor Hevey included:

St. Mary’s Bank
Salle D’Asile on Cartier Street to house orphans and senior citizens
Notre Dame Hospital (currently CMC)
the Note Dame Orphanage for girls
Saint Peter’s Orphanage for boys
residence for the Marist Brothers (currently a convent)
convent for the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary(currently offices)
many parish organizations

 
Msgr. Hevey retired on September 12, 1909 to St. Peter’s Home.  He died suddenly on March 21, 1910 at Notre Dame Hospital and was buried on the grounds of the hospital according to his wishes.

Monsignor Hevey’s motto best sums up his life: 

Labor—Omnia—Vincit    (Work conquers all)