About Ascension Parish - Saint Bridget Church · Maynard, Massachusetts
Ascension Parish (Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) is a Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Boston that unites two historic church communities: St. Bridget Church in Maynard, Massachusetts, and Our Lady of Fatima Church in Sudbury. The parish is named after the Ascension of Christ and reflects a collaborative merger of parish life between the Maynard (St. Bridget) and Sudbury (Our Lady of Fatima) campuses. Weekend Masses are celebrated in English (Saturday 4:00 PM, Maynard) and Portuguese (Saturday 7:30 PM, Maynard) at St. Bridget, and in English at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM Sundays at Our Lady of Fatima in Sudbury. The community also offers a full schedule of weekday Masses, Eucharistic adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, parish faith formation, and outreach programs for the surrounding MetroWest communities of Maynard, Sudbury and beyond.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- Saint Bridget of Kildare (parish); Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (present-day merged parish)
- Rector
- Rev. Gerald A. Souza
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
Ascension Parish offers the rare combination of two active worship campuses — the historic St. Bridget Church in Maynard and Our Lady of Fatima in Sudbury — under one welcoming Catholic community that celebrates Mass in both English and Portuguese. Parishioners benefit from a full schedule of daily and weekend Masses, weekly Eucharistic adoration at both campuses, regular Saturday confession, ongoing faith formation, and sacramental preparation for baptism, marriage, and first sacraments. With a pastor and parochial vicar personally accessible to parishioners, plus active ministries of liturgy and music, faith formation, and evangelization, the parish provides a faithful, family-friendly home for Catholics in Maynard, Sudbury, and the surrounding MetroWest towns.
Mass times at Ascension Parish - Saint Bridget Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (with Adoration) — Sudbury Campus (Our Lady of Fatima)
- Wednesday, 8:30 AM – 8:55 AM — Sudbury Campus (Our Lady of Fatima)
Adoration times
- Monday, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM — Maynard Campus (St. Bridget)
- Tuesday, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM — Sudbury Campus (Our Lady of Fatima)
- Saturday, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM — Sudbury Campus (Our Lady of Fatima)
About Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish (the Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Boston formed from the union of St. Bridget Church in Maynard, Massachusetts, and Our Lady of Fatima Church in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Weekend Masses are celebrated in English and Portuguese at the Maynard campus (St. Bridget) and in English at the Sudbury campus (Our Lady of Fatima). The parish serves the MetroWest communities of Maynard, Sudbury and surrounding towns.
- Two-campus parish: St. Bridget (Maynard) and Our Lady of Fatima (Sudbury)
- Pastored by Rev. Gerald A. Souza with Parochial Vicar Rev. Jose E. Marques
History of St. Bridget Parish (1834–1988)
Catholic life in the Maynard area began in 1834 when Rev. James Fitten offered the first Mass at a Saxonville carpet-mill owner's home. Over subsequent decades, scattered Catholics around the village of Assabet were visited by pastors from Saxonville, Milford and Marlborough. In 1864, Rev. John A. Conlin purchased the lot on Main Street where the first Catholic church was built in 1865 and dedicated by Archbishop John J. Williams in 1866. The Catholic community was formally established as St. Bridget's Parish in 1869 with Rev. Michael O'Reilly as first resident pastor, who also laid out the parish cemetery that year. The parish grew steadily through the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries — a new St. Bridget Church was in place by 1888 — and marked its centennial in 1988, an occasion documented in the Maynard Historical Society's eight-page chronology of parish life from 1834 to 1988.
- 1834 — First Mass in region at Mr. Knight's home, Saxonville (Rev. James Fitten).
- 1850 — First Mass at Assabet (Maynard) by Rev. George A. Hamilton.
- 1857 — Services held in Union Hall, Main and Summer Streets (site of the later Methodist Church).
- 1861 — Thirteen Assabet Catholics enlist in the Civil War.
- 1864 — Assabet assigned to Immaculate Conception, Marlborough (Rev. John A. Conlin).
- 1865 — First Catholic church built in Assabet on Main Street; Assabet Manufacturing Co. donates $500.
- 1866 — Church dedicated by Archbishop John J. Williams.
- 1869 — St. Bridget's Parish established; Fr. Michael O'Reilly first resident pastor; cemetery purchased from Andrew McEachern for $1,050.
- 1870 — Civil War veteran James Heffernan first burial in St. Bridget Cemetery.
- 1871 — Maynard incorporated; first parish baptism (Bartholomew J. Coughlin, Jan. 10) and first marriage (James Russell & Honnorah Fahey, Jan. 28).
- 1872 — Parochial residence erected, occupied by Fr. O'Reilly.
- 1888 — New St. Bridget Church building in service.
- 1988 — Parish centennial commemorated (chronology archived at Maynard Historical Society).
Online Mass (Live-Stream)
Ascension Parish live-streams Mass on its YouTube channel for parishioners who are homebound, traveling, or unable to attend in person. Video begins streaming ten minutes before the scheduled Mass.
- Sunday Masses — 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM (English)
- Daily Mass — Mondays 5:30 PM and Wednesdays 12:10 PM
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the Sacraments of Baptism and Marriage in addition to the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick. Families preparing for Baptism or Marriage are asked to contact the Parish Office well in advance so that the priests and faith-formation staff can accompany them with proper preparation.
- Baptism — celebrated the second weekend of the month; arrange dates and times through the Parish Office.
- Marriage — arrangements must be made at least six months in advance with the Parish Office.
Parish Staff
Ascension Parish is led by a pastor and parochial vicar with a small but devoted staff overseeing liturgy and music, faith formation, and evangelization across the Maynard and Sudbury campuses.
- Pastor — Rev. Gerald A. Souza
- Parochial Vicar — Rev. Jose E. Marques
- Liturgy and Music — Ms. Cynthia Carpenter-Marr
- Faith Formation — Ms. Cate Cioni
- Evangelization — Ms. Maureen Condon
Ministries & Faith Formation
Through its Liturgy and Music, Faith Formation, and Evangelization offices, the parish supports a range of ministries for parishioners of all ages — from liturgical preparation and choir work to catechesis and outreach to the surrounding community. The parish calendar (theascensionparish.com/parish-calendar) lists ongoing programs, formation classes, and special events.
- Liturgy and Music Ministry
- Faith Formation (catechesis for children and adults)
- Evangelization and parish outreach
- Online Mass and devotional resources
Visit, Locations & Contact
The parish office and rectory are located at the Sudbury campus (160 Concord Road, Sudbury, MA 01776-2353). The historic St. Bridget Church, the original Maynard worship site, stands at 1 Percival Street (also referenced as 29 Sudbury Street) in Maynard, MA 01754. Parishioners and visitors are welcome to attend any Mass or devotional hour on the published schedule.
- Parish Office / Rectory: 160 Concord Road, Sudbury, MA 01776-2353
- St. Bridget Church: 1 Percival Street, Maynard, MA 01754-1699
- Phone: (978) 443-2647
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.theascensionparish.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James Fitten1834
Of Worcester — said the first Mass in the region at a house owned by Mr. Knight, proprietor of a Saxonville carpet mill.
- Rev. Peter Crudden1845
Pastor of the mission at Saxonville; this was the nearest Catholic mission to Assabet (now Maynard).
- Rev. George T. Riordan1846
Pastor at Saxonville with charge of missions; resided in Worcester.
- Rev. John J. Doherty1848
Pastor at Saxonville when St. George's Church, Saxonville, was completed and dedicated by Bishop John B. Fitzpatrick.
- Rev. George A. Hamilton1850
Pastor of the Great Milford parish; said the first Mass at Assabet (Maynard).
- Rev. Edward Farrelly1854
Pastor of Milford and Saxonville; served missions as far as Ayer and Fitchburg with curates Rev. Edward Turpin, Rev. Timothy Turpin, and Rev. John Walsh.
- Rev. John Walsh1857
Pastor at Saxonville; regularly visited Marlborough, Westborough, Feltonville (Hudson), Rockbottom, Southborough, Northborough, Assabet (Maynard), Acton, Stow, Weston, Wayland, the Sudburys, Framingham, Holliston, Ashland, Cordaville, Hopkinton, Fayville, both Naticks, and sick calls at Dover, Needham, and Sherborn. Held services in Union Hall, corner of Main and Summer Streets (where the Methodist Church later stood).
- Rev. John A. Conlin1864
Pastor of Immaculate Conception, Marlborough; Assabet was assigned to his parish; he purchased the lot on Main Street and built the first Catholic church in Assabet (1865), dedicated 1866 by Archbishop John J. Williams.
- Rev. Michael O'Reilly1869
First resident pastor of St. Bridget's Parish; purchased the cemetery land from Andrew McEachern and oversaw laying out of the parish cemetery.
- Rev. John A. Flatley1872 onward
Noted in the parish chronology as occupying the newly erected parochial residence.
- Succession of pastors through the late 19th and 20th centuriesthrough 1988
The parish celebrated its centennial in 1988; the full list of pastors between 1872 and the merger with Our Lady of Fatima was recorded in the Maynard Historical Society's 'Chronological Events of the History of Saint Bridget's Parish, 1834–1988' but individual names beyond the earliest are not transcribed in the online excerpt.
- Rev. Gerald A. Souzapresent
Current pastor of the merged Ascension Parish (St. Bridget / Our Lady of Fatima).