The Roman Catholics opened a place for worship in 1860-61, but had no resident priest until 1872. They have now a large congregation, composed almost exclusively of persons of foreign birth. These are all the Religious Societies that have existed in the town. Out of a population of 3,586 there is to-day a Church membership, exclusive of the Roman Catholics of 807. In 1871-2, this Church thoroughly canvassed the town, exclusive of New Preston Society, distributing Bibles and Tracts, and carefully reporting the Church attendance and preferences of the people by families. Of the 707 _families_ reported, there were Congregational, 218; Episcopal, 156; Methodists, 88; Roman Catholics, 46; 2d Advent, (colored) 18; Baptists, 15; Jews, 3; Lutherans, 2; Friends, 2; Reformed Dutch, 1; and not attending any Church, 158. With this general review of the Ecclesiastical history of the town, we turn now to consider more minutely the history of this, the oldest and always largest Church and Society—the oldest but one and the largest in the County. There was no Ecclesiastical Society until after 1750. Until then, the town was the Society. It was the town that provided for the supply of the pulpit, for the installation of ministers, the erection and care of buildings, and all expenses connected with public worship. The Church held meetings for the election of Deacons, the discipline of members, and the spiritual interests of the people. But the town managed everything that now belongs to the Society. It was the town that invited Mr. Daniel Boardman to labor here, and that settled him as a pastor, making all the arrangements for his installation. The town did the same in the case of Mr. Taylor. So far as the records show, the Church took no separate action in calling its pastors until the invitation to Mr. Griswold, in 1790, when it formally voted, as has been the custom ever since, to concur in the Society’s action. From 1713 to 1750 a large part of the business in Town Meeting was in regard to Ecclesiastical affairs.