About Congregation of Saint Athanasius [Anglican Use] · Reading, Massachusetts
The Congregation of Saint Athanasius is an Anglican Use chaplaincy of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, worshipping in the Saint Augustine Chapel on the second floor of the main building of Austin Preparatory School at 101 Willow Street in Reading, Massachusetts. It was established in 1997 when Father Richard Bradford, then rector of the Episcopal Parish of All Saints in Ashmont (Dorchester), together with several dozen of his parishioners, was received into the full communion of the Catholic Church under Pope St. John Paul II's 1980 Pastoral Provision. The community celebrates the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite using the Book of Divine Worship / Divine Worship: The Missal — a liturgy that retains elements of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (including Elizabethan English, eastward celebration, incense, and a strong choral hymn tradition) while remaining recognizably and fully Catholic.
- Established
- 1997
- Patron
- Saint Athanasius (of Alexandria)
- Rector
- Father Patrick Armano (Chaplain)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
The Congregation of Saint Athanasius is a small, family-sized Catholic community that offers a deliberately reverent and unhurried form of the Mass — the Anglican Use — in which Elizabethan English, choral hymnody, incense, genuflections, signs of the cross, and an eastward-facing altar come together in a way members describe as joyful and 'Catholic with an Anglican soul.' It welcomes lifelong Catholics drawn to its music and prayerful liturgy as well as converts from the Episcopal Church and other Protestant backgrounds, and it regularly hosts Bible study, catechesis, Evensong, and social fellowship such as a Sunday coffee hour. For anyone longing for the fullness of the Catholic tradition expressed in an especially contemplative Anglican patrimony — and who doesn't mind a bit of 'smoke and bells' — it is an unusually warm spiritual home.
Mass times at Congregation of Saint Athanasius [Anglican Use]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (no fixed weekly confession schedule is published on the website)
Adoration times
- Benediction is included among special liturgies listed on the Upcoming Events page; not on a fixed weekly schedule.
Who We Are — Identity and Vocation
The Congregation of Saint Athanasius describes itself as 'a Roman Catholic Community' whose special vocation, as the Anglican Use Chaplaincy of the Archdiocese of Boston, is to serve 'as a living invitation to Christians everywhere who long for the fullness of the living Catholic Tradition.' The community embraces three overlapping groups: former Episcopalians/Anglicans who have entered the Catholic Church, lifelong Catholics drawn to the Anglican Use liturgy, and inquirers preparing to be received into the Church. Members often say, in classic Anglican style: 'We swam the Tiber and the water was fine!'
History of the Chaplaincy
Founded September 29, 1997 from the Episcopal Parish of All Saints in Ashmont, the Congregation of Saint Athanasius has been led continuously from its founding until 2023 by Father Richard Bradford. It emerged from a discernment process under Cardinal Bernard Law, who had been instrumental in implementing Pope John Paul II's 1980 Pastoral Provision for Anglican clergy and communities entering into full communion with Rome. The chaplaincy's 20th anniversary in 2017 was marked by a special Mass, an Evensong at Stonehill College, and a gathering with the Benedictine monks of St. Benedict Abbey in Still River — a sign of the long friendships and supportive relationships that have sustained the community.
- Founding date: September 29, 1997
- Founding chaplain: Father Richard Bradford (ordained Catholic priest May 1998)
- Receiving bishop: Cardinal Bernard Law, Archbishop of Boston
- 2017: 20th anniversary celebrated with special Mass, Evensong, and Benedictine gathering
- 2016: St. Gregory the Great Ordinariate community merged in after Father Jurgen Liias's retirement
- End of 2023: Father Bradford retires
- 2024: Father Patrick Armano succeeds as chaplain; community relocates to Saint Augustine Chapel at Austin Preparatory School
How We Are Different — Anglican Use Liturgy
Faith is identical to other Roman Catholics; the difference is the form — the language, music, and rhythm of the liturgy. Anglican Use is rooted in Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's 1549 Book of Common Prayer and is celebrated using the Book of Divine Worship / Divine Worship: The Missal, an authoritative adaptation of the Roman Rite that retains 'elements of the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions' of Anglicanism as called for by Anglicanorum Coetibus. Worship is more deliberate and unhurried than typical American Catholic parishes; congregational participation is enthusiastic; incense, vestments, ritual gestures, and a strong choral tradition are evident. The priest celebrates Mass in the eastward position, and the prayer books use Elizabethan English — old-fashioned, members say, in the best sense.
- Uses Divine Worship: The Missal at every Mass
- Celebrated facing east (ad orientem) with priest facing the altar, congregation facing the same direction
- Elizabethan English preserved from the Book of Common Prayer
- Genuflection, signs of the cross, incense, and bells throughout
- Full congregational responses and hymns sung through end to end
- Coffee hour and parish fellowship after Mass (described as 'it wouldn't be Anglican without the coffee hour!')
Pastoral Provision and Anglicanorum Coetibus
Two complementary Roman provisions make this community possible. The 1980 Pastoral Provision of Pope John Paul II enabled married Anglican clergy to be ordained Catholic priests and permitted the creation of worshipping communities that retain elements of Anglican liturgy. Anglicanorum Coetibus (2009, Pope Benedict XVI) created the Personal Ordinariates — most relevantly the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter — as a more stable canonical structure for former Anglicans in full communion with Rome. The Congregation of Saint Athanasius is currently the only remaining Anglican Use community in the United States still under direct diocesan (rather than Ordinariate) authority, although some of its members already belong to the Ordinariate.
- Pastoral Provision (1980): basis on which Father Bradford was ordained a married Catholic priest.
- Anglicanorum Coetibus (2009): basis for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
- Father Bradford: 'I will continue ... an incardinated priest in the Archdiocese of Boston.'
Worship and Schedule
The community's weekly gathering point is the Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM in the Saint Augustine Chapel at Austin Preparatory School, followed by coffee hour. The worship page is careful to note that this schedule may be supplemented by additional Masses, Evensong, Benediction, Bible study, catechesis, and other special liturgies posted on the Upcoming Events page. Visitors are encouraged to attend a Mass and experience the Anglican Use first-hand before asking questions.
- Sunday Mass: 10:30 AM (Anglican Use / Divine Worship: The Missal)
- Coffee hour after Mass
- Additional Masses, Evensong, Benediction (see Upcoming Events)
- Bible study and catechesis (see Upcoming Events)
Special Liturgies and Devotions
Beyond the regular Sunday schedule the congregation celebrates an annual anniversary Mass around September 29, hosts Evensong services (such as the one held at Stonehill College's Chapel of Mary), welcomes visiting clergy for parish missions (e.g. Father Peter Stravinskas preached on 'Preparing for Lent with Cardinal Newman' in February 2024), and shares vespers with the Benedictine Monks of St. Benedict Abbey in Still River — a friendship that dates to the community's 1997 reception.
- Parish Mission (e.g. February 4–6, 2024, led by Father Peter Stravinskas)
- Annual Anniversary Mass (around September 29)
- Evensong (Anglican evening prayer)
- Benediction
- Vespers with St. Benedict Abbey
Ministry to Inquirers
The chaplaincy explicitly sees its Anglican Use liturgy and identity as a form of evangelization: Protestants who attend a service often come away surprised at how warm and recognizably Christian the Catholic experience can be. The website frames this as one of the community's three core constituencies (former Episcopalians, lifelong Catholics who enjoy the Anglican Use, and inquirers) and invites curious Christians to 'Come for Mass, and learn more about who we are.'
- Open invitation to inquirers from Protestant backgrounds
- Connections to Boston-area Catholic formation resources
- Joint annual celebrations with St. Paul's Episcopal Parish in Brockton
Visiting and Directions
The community makes a clear point of distinguishing itself from Saint Athanasius Church at 300 Haverhill Street in Reading (a separate parish of Christ the King): the Congregation of Saint Athanasius Anglican Use worships at the Saint Augustine Chapel, second floor, main building, Austin Preparatory School, 101 Willow Street, Reading, MA 01867. It is easy to reach from I-93 and I-128/I-95. Accessibility information, parking, elevator use, and entrance instructions are detailed on the Location/Directions page.
- Address: 101 Willow Street, Reading, MA 01867
- Phone: 617-860-2987
- Entrance: front door, then stairs (left) or ramp/elevator to second floor
- NOT affiliated with Saint Athanasius Church, 300 Haverhill Street, Reading (Christ the King Parish)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Richard Bradford1997–2023
Founding chaplain. Former rector of the Episcopal Parish of All Saints in Ashmont (Dorchester), received into the Catholic Church with his congregation on September 29, 1997 under Cardinal Bernard Law. Ordained a Catholic priest in May 1998 under the 1980 Pastoral Provision (which permits married former Episcopal clergy to be ordained Catholic). Incardinated priest of the Archdiocese of Boston. Also served as parochial vicar of St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury. Retired at the end of 2023.
- Father Patrick Armano2024–present
Succeeded Father Bradford as chaplain in 2024. Under his leadership the community moved from St. Lawrence Church in Chestnut Hill to the Saint Augustine Chapel at Austin Preparatory School in Reading, MA.
- Father Jurgen Liias
Founding pastor of the now-merged St. Gregory the Great Ordinariate community in the Boston area; upon his retirement in 2016, that community was absorbed into the Congregation of St. Athanasius. Listed as a visiting priest serving at related worship sites.