About Ascension Parish - Our Lady of Fatima Church · Sudbury, Massachusetts
The Ascension Parish — officially the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Parish — is a Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Boston serving the communities of Sudbury and Maynard, Massachusetts. Formed in 2020 as a collaborative merger of two historic parishes, the parish is composed of two worship sites: Our Lady of Fatima Church at 160 Concord Road in Sudbury and Saint Bridget Church at 29 Sudbury Street in Maynard. The parish community worships in English and Portuguese (with a Brazilian Mass on Saturday evenings at the Maynard campus) and offers a full program of sacraments, faith formation for children and youth, small groups, Eucharistic adoration, livestreamed Sunday Masses, and an array of lay ministries led by Pastor Fr. Gerald Souza and Parochial Vicar Fr. Eduardo Marques.
- Established
- 2020
- Patron
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Rector
- Rev. Gerald A. Souza
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
Ascension Parish welcomes new parishioners with an unusually broad range of ways to plug in: two convenient worship sites in Sudbury and Maynard, weekend Masses in both English and Portuguese, livestreamed Sunday Masses on YouTube, daily Mass on weekdays, and a rich schedule of Eucharistic adoration and reconciliation. Parishioners can grow through Children's Liturgy of the Word, Grades 1–5 and Middle/High School Faith Formation (using the Augustine Institute's Word of Life curriculum), small groups, the Jumpstart ministry, and lay-led initiatives in liturgical, pastoral care, adult discipleship, and weekend experience ministry. With online giving, a regular parish email, and an active calendar of events, Ascension offers a warm, family-centered Catholic community within the Archdiocese of Boston.
Mass times at Ascension Parish - Our Lady of Fatima Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM (Sudbury campus)
- Saturday: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Sudbury campus)
Adoration times
- Monday: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Maynard campus)
- Tuesday: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM (Sudbury campus)
- Saturday: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Sudbury campus)
Welcome to Ascension Parish
The Ascension Parish website greets visitors with the message 'The path to a better life starts here!' and an invitation to register as a new parishioner. The parish invites newcomers to sign up for the weekly email, browse the parish calendar, and learn about giving, ministries, and upcoming events. A free bus service runs from the Sudbury campus to and from parish activities ('If You Want to Ride the Bus (to and from the game from our Sudbury Campus (no charge), Let Us Know Here!'). The site offers an easy online form for prayers for the beloved dead and for connecting with the parish team.
- New Parishioner Registration
- Weekly email signup
- Parish Calendar
- Online giving
- Prayer requests for the deceased
Our Two Worship Sites
Ascension Parish is a two-campus parish: the Sudbury campus at Our Lady of Fatima Church (160 Concord Road) and the Maynard campus at Saint Bridget Church (29 Sudbury Street). Each campus offers its own mix of weekend and weekday Masses, adoration, and reconciliation. The parish office is located at the Sudbury address.
- Our Lady of Fatima Church — 160 Concord Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
- Saint Bridget Church — 29 Sudbury Street, Maynard, MA
- Parish Office: 160 Concord Road, Sudbury
- Phone: (978) 443-2647
Mass Online (Livestream)
Beginning October 13 (announced on the parish site), Ascension Parish streams its Sunday Masses live on YouTube. Video begins 10 minutes before the scheduled Mass. The parish also livestreams daily Mass on Mondays at 5:30 PM and Wednesdays at 12:10 PM, making it possible for the homebound, travelers, and family members of those being baptized, married, or funeralized to participate remotely.
- Sunday 9 AM and 11 AM livestreamed on YouTube
- Daily livestream: Monday 5:30 PM
- Daily livestream: Wednesday 12:10 PM
Clergy and Staff
Ascension Parish is led by Pastor Rev. Gerald A. Souza and Parochial Vicar Fr. Eduardo Marques, with Deacon John Pepi assisting. The staff team includes an Executive Assistant to the Pastor, an Office Receptionist, a Director of Parish Life, a Music Director, a Coordinator of Children's Ministry, and a Communications Coordinator.
- Rev. Gerald A. Souza — Pastor
- Rev. Eduardo Marques — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon John Pepi
- Jody O'Malley — Executive Assistant to the Pastor
- Maureen Condon — Director of Parish Life
- Cynthia Carpenter-Marr — Music Director
- Cate Cioni — Coordinator of Children's Ministry
- Ranji Matthews — Communications Coordinator
- Eileen Fitzpatrick — Office Receptionist
Faith Formation
Ascension Parish offers family-centered faith formation designed to equip, inspire, and empower families to serve God. Regularly scheduled Faith Formation takes place at Our Lady of Fatima in Sudbury, except for Tuesday Grades K–5 Faith Formation which meets at St. Bridget Church in Maynard. Family sessions and special events rotate between both campuses.
- Children's Liturgy of the Word during the 9 AM Sunday Mass (elementary-aged)
- Grades 1–5 Faith Formation using the Word of Life curriculum (Augustine Institute / Ignatius Press)
- Middle & High School Faith Formation with a centralized lesson model and small-group discussion
- Family sessions and special events at both Sudbury and Maynard campuses
Ministries and Service Opportunities
Parishioners are invited to share their gifts across five ministry families: Faith Formation & Family Ministry, Pastoral Care Ministry, Weekend Experience Ministry, Adult Discipleship Ministry, and Liturgical Ministry. The parish emphasizes that 'no experience is necessary' for most roles and that training and materials are provided. High-school-aged volunteers and special-event helpers are also welcome.
- Liturgical Ministry — Music, Production Team (livestream cameras, slideshows, lights)
- Pastoral Care — Funeral/Bereavement, Nursing Home/Homebound Visitors, Prayer Team
- Weekend Experience — Hospitality, Hosts, Clean Team
- Adult Discipleship — Small Groups (6–12 people), Jumpstart ministry
- Faith Formation — Catechists and assistants for Grades 1–5 and Middle/High School
- Children's Liturgy of the Word assistant
Giving and Getting Involved
Online giving lets parishioners support the parish by credit card or checking account, with recurring gifts that can be updated at any time. The parish frames giving with the Gospel line: 'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be.' (Matthew 6:21). Parishioners can also contact the office to learn more about serving in a ministry.
- Online giving via the parish website
- Weekly email signup for parish news and events
- Volunteer interest form through the Ministries page
Archdiocese and Catholic Identity
Ascension Parish belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston and follows the Roman-Latin rite. The parish's official canonical name — Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Parish — is shortened to 'Ascension Parish' for everyday use, while the Marian heritage of the Sudbury campus is preserved in the title of Our Lady of Fatima Church. Through the Boston Catholic Directory and its listing in the Wikipedia list of Archdiocese of Boston churches, the parish is publicly identified as a West Region / MetroWest parish serving Sudbury and Maynard.
- Jurisdiction: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Two-campus parish: St. Bridget (Maynard) and Our Lady of Fatima (Sudbury)
- Listed in the Wikipedia 'List of churches in the Archdiocese of Boston'