About Holy Rosary Shrine · Lawrence, Massachusetts
Holy Rosary Shrine is a Catholic shrine church in Lawrence, Massachusetts, dedicated to fostering union with Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Holy Rosary. Located in the heart of Lawrence—historically known as the 'Immigrant City'—the shrine occupies the former Holy Rosary Church building, founded in 1904 by Italian immigrants. Administered by the Franciscans of the Poor Christ (formerly the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance), the shrine offers daily Mass in English and Spanish, a Saturday Latin Mass in the Novus Ordo form, extended confession hours, Eucharistic Adoration, and Franciscan and Marian spiritual formation. It was elevated to its present shrine status on December 1, 2021, by Cardinal Seán O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston, continuing a legacy of welcoming multiple ethnic communities—Italian, Cuban, Hispanic, Lithuanian, Polish, and Portuguese—into one spiritual home.
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary)
- Rector
- Rev. Peter Giroux, FPC (Rector)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
Holy Rosary Shrine is one of the only Catholic shrines in the Merrimack Valley and offers something rare for the region: a daily Mass schedule (English weekdays plus a dedicated Thursday evening Spanish Mass and a Saturday Novus Ordo Latin Mass), an unusually generous confession schedule—Thursday evenings, all day Friday, and Saturday until just before the Vigil Mass—and nearly five hours of Eucharistic Adoration every Friday. Add the weekly Wednesday-night Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, music, and Scripture meditation, the monthly Pro-Life Rosary, and a full calendar of Franciscan and Marian retreats and devotions, and you get a parish-scale offering with a shrine's depth. For English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics in Lawrence and the surrounding towns—and for anyone drawn to the rosary and to Franciscan spirituality—it is an unusually rich spiritual home with deep roots in the immigrant history of the city.
Mass times at Holy Rosary Shrine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM
- Friday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (except during Mass)
- Saturday 10:00 AM – 3:45 PM (except during Mass)
Adoration times
- Friday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (except during Mass)
- Wednesday 7:00 PM – Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration, music, Holy Rosary, silence, and Scripture meditation (lower church)
About Holy Rosary Shrine
Holy Rosary Shrine is a Catholic shrine church in Lawrence, Massachusetts, established on December 1, 2021 when Cardinal Seán O'Malley re-erected the former Corpus Christi Parish at Holy Rosary Church as a shrine in the Archdiocese of Boston. Its mission is to foster union with Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Holy Rosary through beautiful and reverent worship, preaching the Word, devotional and evangelization events, and service to those in need. The shrine is staffed by the Franciscans of the Poor Christ, a small community of priests and brothers (formerly known as the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance). It continues to be the spiritual home of the Italian, Cuban, Hispanic, Lithuanian, Polish, and Portuguese communities that have worshipped in this corner of Lawrence for more than a century.
History
The shrine's roots go back to 1899, when Italian immigrants in Lawrence gathered at a basement chapel of the old St. Laurence O'Toole Church for Mass in their own language. In 1904 a young Italian priest, Father Mariano Milanese, purchased the building for about $31,000 and renamed it Holy Rosary; the parish was formally established in May 1905. Over the next three decades Milanese built the school, brought the Venerini Sisters from Italy, and transformed the building into an impressive Italianate church — work that put him in conflict with Cardinal O'Connell and led to his removal in 1935. He was succeeded by Father Andolfi, who led the parish through the assimilation of Italian-Americans and founded St. Lucy's in Methuen in 1960. In the 1960s the parish welcomed the first wave of Cuban immigrants to Lawrence, and in 2004 Cardinal O'Malley merged it with three neighboring national parishes (St. Francis/Lithuanian, Holy Trinity/Polish, Ss. Peter & Paul/Portuguese) into Corpus Christi Parish. On December 1, 2021, Corpus Christi was re-erected as Holy Rosary Shrine and entrusted to the Franciscans of the Poor Christ.
Other Devotions & Services
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, the shrine runs a regular cycle of Marian and Franciscan devotions open to the public.
- Holy Rosary — half hour before daily Mass (Mon–Fri) and before the Sunday Spanish Mass
- Pro-Life Rosary — second Saturday of every month, all mysteries prayed after the 9:00 AM Mass
- Wednesday Holy Hour — 7:00 PM in the lower church (see Adoration)
- Retreat days and Franciscan/Marian spiritual formation events (see bulletin calendar)
Sacraments
Because Holy Rosary is a shrine and not a parish, it has a Rector rather than a Pastor and no territorial responsibility. By special permission, the shrine does celebrate Infant Baptisms, Funerals, and Weddings, and assists with First Communion, Confirmation, and the Anointing of the Sick where appropriate. The shrine does not run an OCIA (formerly RCIA) program and does not host religious education classes; shrine families seeking those preparations are directed to enroll in their home parish, though the children may still receive the sacraments at Holy Rosary with their pastor's permission. Couples must speak with a priest at least six months before a wedding — and must not book a reception before doing so.
Clergy & Shrine Staff
The shrine is served by the Franciscans of the Poor Christ (FPC) — formerly the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance — a small community of priests and brothers in the Archdiocese of Boston. A permanent deacon, an operations manager, a financial consultant, an evangelization/outreach assistant, two music directors, and a facilities manager round out the team.
- Rev. Peter Giroux, FPC — Rector
- Rev. Francis Godkin, FPC
- Rev. Andrew Beauregard, FPC
- Br. Pio Anthony Butti, FPC
- Br. Juan Diego Aguilera, FPC
- Rev. Mr. Osvaldo Fernández — Deacon
- Sari Eaton — Business and Operations Manager (also the main office contact)
- Karen Miller — Financial Consultant
- Caroline Then — Assistant for Evangelization and Outreach
- John Donovan — Organist & Choir Director
- Roque Peña — Director of Spanish Choir
- Carlos Flores — Facilities Manager
- Cesar Gonzalez Tellez — Internet
Visiting & Practical Information
The Shrine Center (office) is at 34 Common Street, Lawrence, MA 01840; the church building stands at the corner of Union Street and Essex Street. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM; the office is closed on Fridays. The phone number is 978-687-9047 and email is [email protected]. The upper church is handicapped-accessible via a ramp through the parking lot, with two lifts from the Essex Street entrance serving both the upper and lower church. The Gift Shop is open Thursday 6:00–9:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM–6:00 PM, and Sunday 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, closing during Masses.
Ethnic & Immigrant Heritage
Lawrence is historically known as the 'Immigrant City,' and Holy Rosary Shrine has been a hub of that story for 120 years. Founded for Italian immigrants in 1904, the parish hosted the first Cuban Masses in the 1960s and continues to serve a large Spanish-speaking community today. After the 2004 merger it absorbed the surviving members of the Lithuanian parish of St. Francis (est. 1903), the Polish parish of Holy Trinity (est. 1905), and the Portuguese parish of Ss. Peter & Paul (est. 1907) — four national parishes under one roof.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Guglielmo Repetti1899–early 1900s
Said the first Italian-language Masses at the old St. Laurence O'Toole basement chapel; died suddenly.
- Father Mariano Milanese1902–1935
Arrived in 1902; renamed the church Holy Rosary in 1904 (parish formally established May 1905); founded the school, sodalities, and built the parish complex; forcibly removed in 1935 after conflict with Cardinal O'Connell; died 1952.
- Father Andolfi1935–1962
Succeeded Milanese; led the parish through assimilation of Italian-Americans; founded St. Lucy's in Methuen in 1960; died 1962.