About Mary Queen of the Rosary · Spencer, Massachusetts
Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Spencer, Massachusetts, belonging to the Diocese of Worcester. It was formed in 1994 by the merger of two earlier Spencer parishes — Our Lady of the Rosary (est. 1872) and St. Mary (est. 1886) — and remains a single parish community whose present church building retains the name of Our Lady of the Rosary in accord with Canon Law. The parish describes itself as a community of Catholic Christians united by a call to spread and live the Gospel of Jesus, committed to being a caring, comforting, and welcoming community engaged in service to others, sharing faith, and giving thanks to God. It serves the Spencer area with regular Sunday and weekday Masses, ongoing faith formation for school-age children, a robust network of lay ministries, and active outreach such as a parish food pantry.
- Established
- 1994
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Rosary (patroness of the parish)
- Rector
- Rev. William 'Fr. Bill' Schipper
- Diocese
- Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts (suffragan of the Archdiocese of Boston; Bishop Robert McManus is the current ordinary)
Why belong here
Mary, Queen of the Rosary offers a small, personal parish experience rooted in the Spencer community since 1994, with Mass in English celebrated multiple times a week, monthly First Saturday devotions including Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and a full schedule of confessions. Beyond the liturgy, parishioners can join choirs, a faith formation program for children, a food pantry, prayer shawl and letter-writing ministries, a monthly community meal, and men's groups — all of which make it easy for newcomers to plug in quickly and find real fellowship.
Mass times at Mary Queen of the Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM
- Following the 8:00 AM Mass on First Saturday
- By appointment (call the parish office)
Adoration times
- First Saturday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM (begins with 8:00 AM Mass; Exposition continues until Benediction at 12:00 noon; Confessions heard beginning at 8:30 AM)
Parish History
Mary, Queen of the Rosary traces its roots to two 19th-century Spencer parishes — Our Lady of the Rosary (1872) and St. Mary (1886) — which merged in 1994 under Bishop Timothy Harrington to form a single Catholic community. The parish has since faced the practical challenges common to smaller New England Catholic parishes, including the closure of the 1882 St. Mary's Elementary School in 1973 and a multi-stage renovation program that added accessibility features and a new kitchen.
- Our Lady of the Rosary Parish founded in 1872
- St. Mary Parish founded in 1886
- St. Mary's Elementary School opened 1882, closed 1973
- Merger into Mary, Queen of the Rosary in 1994 by Bishop Harrington
- Source for older history: Jeffrey Fiske, History of Spencer, Massachusetts, 1875–1975 (Spencer Historical Society, ©1990)
Building Renovation Project
After determining it could no longer sustain two older buildings, the parish launched a multi-stage renovation to make its facilities accessible and modern. Stage One added new bathrooms, two classrooms, a Food Pantry office, and a CCD (religious education) office, with the bathrooms completed by the end of May in time for the annual International Bazaar. Stage Two addressed the kitchen, and Stage Three added an elevator — making the entire church fully handicapped accessible.
- Stage One: new bathrooms, two classrooms, Food Pantry office, CCD office
- Stage Two: kitchen renovation
- Stage Three: elevator / full handicap accessibility
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for school-age children (Grades K–11) is led by Kelly Sullivan, Director of Religious Education. Registration runs August through mid-September each fall ($75.00 per child, $150.00 cap per family), with Sacramental Preparation Fees of $50.00 per student for Grades 2 and 11. No family is turned away for financial reasons; tuition assistance is available by contacting the DRE.
- Grades K–11 Religious Education program
- $75.00 per child, $150.00 family cap
- Sacramental Preparation (Grades 2 & 11): $50.00 fee
- Financial assistance available — contact Kelly Sullivan
Parish Ministries
The parish organizes its lay apostolate into a wide range of ministries covering spiritual life, music, outreach, prayer, finance, and fellowship. These ministries give newcomers many entry points into parish life, and most have named coordinators listed on the parish website.
Outreach & Charity
Outreach anchors much of the parish's mission. The Food Pantry is open Mondays and Thursdays and is staffed through the parish office; the Outreach Ministry arranges Communion calls to the homebound and those in nursing homes; and the Monthly Meal Ministry serves a free community meal with freewill donations offsetting food costs.
- Food Pantry (Mondays & Thursdays; 508-885-3111 ext. 110)
- Outreach Ministry — Communion calls to homebound and nursing homes
- Monthly Meal Ministry (Cheryl Benoit & Sandy Fritze, chairs)
- Martha/Mary Guild — funeral meals
Prayer & Spiritual Life
Spiritual development is coordinated through the Spiritual Life Committee (meets second Wednesday at 8:45 AM), the Prayer Shawl Ministry (first Wednesday, parish hall — distributes handmade shawls to the sick and homebound), the Letterwriting Ministry (monthly — personal notes to those baptized, married, or deceased), and a private Prayer Line.
- Spiritual Life Committee — Suzanne Lamoureux, chairperson
- Prayer Shawl Ministry — Linda Angers, chairperson
- Letterwriting Ministry — Sylvia Berthiaume, chairperson
- Prayer Line — private prayer group for intentions received by phone or computer
Music Ministries
Music at the 10:15 AM Sunday Mass is shared between the Sr. Choir (which sings three Sundays a month under Director Josef Konkol) and the Contemporary Choir (one Sunday a month under Director Sandy Fritze). Interested singers are invited to see Joe or Sandy after Mass.
- Sr. Choir — Josef Konkol, Director
- Contemporary Choir — Sandy Fritze, Director
Men's Group
Fr. Bill Schipper hosts the parish Men's Group, which meets at the rectory. Those interested in joining can contact Fr. Bill at [email protected] or leave a message at the parish office.
Finance & Stewardship
The Finance Committee, chaired by Ralph Natale, oversees the financial needs of the parish. The parish also runs an annual International Bazaar — a long-standing parish tradition and signature fundraiser — that helped mark the completion of recent building renovations.
- Finance Committee — Ralph Natale, chairman
- Annual International Bazaar — major parish tradition
Parish Staff & Contacts
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. William 'Fr. Bill' Schipper and supported by a small staff and a Cemetery & Facilities Manager. Office hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM (closed Thursday and Friday). Messages may be left at the rectory at other times.
- Pastor: Rev. William Schipper ([email protected])
- Director of Religious Education: Kelly Sullivan
- Parish & Cemetery Secretary: Michele Bouvier
- Cemetery & Facilities Management: Ralph Kay
- Office phone: 508-885-3111 ext. 113
- Office fax: 508-386-9804
- Office email: [email protected]
About the Diocese of Worcester
Mary, Queen of the Rosary is one of more than 80 parishes of the Diocese of Worcester, a Latin-rite diocese covering Worcester County in central Massachusetts. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Boston; the mother church is the Cathedral of St. Paul in Worcester, and the diocese's patron is St. Paul the Apostle. The current bishop (since 2004) is the fifth ordinary, Robert McManus.
- Diocese of Worcester — patron St. Paul the Apostle
- Suffragan of the Archdiocese of Boston
- Mother church: Cathedral of St. Paul, Worcester
- Current bishop: Robert McManus (5th ordinary)