Hello neighbor! I did not realize you were just across the border. Have you been watching the History Channel program - 'How the States Got their Shape'? On a recent program, they posted a list of 4 states (including VT) and posed the question - "which state is the least religious?" I had to step away for a few minutes and missed the response. So, how is the state of religion in VT?
I think there have always been problems with religion in Vermont.
We do have some old churches in the neighborhood, but they were nondenominational and somewhat weak, from what I have heard.
The Catholic Church in Montepelier appears to have undergone the usual renovations after Vatican II, although there are still beautiful stained glass windows. The people who attend Mass all appear to be strong Catholics—I suppose the others were mostly driven out in the 60s and 70s. I’ve only been in Vermont for 11 years myself.
One source of Catholicism in Vermont, of course, was the French Canadians who lived her. The rest of the population mostly came up from Massachusetts because they couldn’t stand the Puritan atmosphere and wanted a little freedom.
We had a Catholic school, but it closed down last year due to financial problems, and the students were merged into another school in a neighboring town. The current bishop appears to be sound, but I suspect there were problems with the previous one.