About Our Lady of Good Counsel · West Warwick, Rhode Island
Our Lady of Good Counsel was a Roman Catholic parish in West Warwick, Rhode Island, located at 60 Pleasant Street in the village of Phenix. Established in 1897 to serve French-Canadian mill workers and their descendants (longtime locals still called the church 'Notre Dame'), it was part of the Diocese of Providence for over 125 years. The parish church building was completed in 1903 and stood as a centerpiece of the Phenix village community through multiple generations of immigrant-descended Catholics. Following years of declining attendance and a shortage of priests, Our Lady of Good Counsel merged into neighboring Saint Joseph Parish effective January 1, 2025, and Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski subsequently decreed the church building relegated from sacred to secular use in February 2026.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- Our Lady of Good Counsel (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Providence
Why belong here
Our Lady of Good Counsel was the historic French-Canadian Catholic parish of Phenix village, rooted in the mill-worker communities along the Pawtuxet River and known affectionately as 'Notre Dame' by longtime locals. It offered Saturday Vigil Mass, Sunday Masses, weekday Masses with the Rosary beforehand, and Saturday confessions. As of January 1, 2025 the parish community has joined together with Saints Peter and Paul and St. Joseph parishes under the leadership of Father Gregory P. Stowe, sharing religious education, Mass, and sacramental life — meaning the parish's people and mission continue at the consolidated Saint Joseph Parish in West Warwick.
Mass times at Our Lady of Good Counsel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (and 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM per CatholicClocks)
History of Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel was formally incorporated on February 19, 1897, in the Phenix village of Warwick, Rhode Island — six years before the current church building on Pleasant Street was completed in 1903. The parish grew up with the French-Canadian families who came to work the textile mills along the Pawtuxet River. Throughout the 20th century it remained the spiritual home of those mill-worker families and their descendants, known affectionately to longtime locals as 'Notre Dame.' By the early 2020s declining Mass attendance — fewer than 100 people at weekend Masses by 2025 — combined with a shortage of priests across the Diocese of Providence led Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski to approve a merger of OLGC and Saints Peter and Paul into Saint Joseph Parish in West Warwick, effective January 1, 2025, with sacramental records relocated to St. Joseph under Canon 535.
- Incorporated February 19, 1897 in the village of Phenix, Warwick
- Church building on Pleasant Street dedicated in 1903
- Historically served French-Canadian mill-worker families (locally called 'Notre Dame')
- Merger into St. Joseph Parish effective January 1, 2025
Phenix Village and the Mill-Worker Community
Our Lady of Good Counsel was one of two Roman Catholic parishes built in Phenix village in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, alongside Saints Peter and Paul (1892). The two churches served the village's growing immigrant communities who worked at the Lonsdale Company's Phenix textile mills. By 1895 Phenix was home to about 1,100 residents, and the village functioned as a commercial center for surrounding mill villages. OLGC was the French-Canadian national parish of this community, just as SS. Peter and Paul served the Irish and other groups.
- Phenix population reached about 1,100 residents by 1895
- Saints Peter and Paul (1892) was OLGC's neighboring Catholic parish
- Both parishes served immigrant mill-worker communities along the Pawtuxet River
Parish Merger into St. Joseph (2025)
After consulting the Council of Priests and at the request of the pastors, trustees, and finance councils involved, Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., approved the merger of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and Saints Peter and Paul Parish into Saint Joseph Parish in West Warwick. Father Gregory P. Stowe, pastor of St. Joseph and administrator of both closing parishes, oversaw the transition. As of January 1, 2025 all Masses moved to St. Joseph, religious education was consolidated there, and sacramental records are kept at 854 Providence St. under Canon 535. Bishop Lewandowski called the closures 'sad news for those who love their parishes,' while expressing confidence that the mergers would create 'stronger, more vibrant parishes.'
- Father Gregory P. Stowe led the transition as Administrator of OLGC and SS. Peter and Paul
- All Masses moved to St. Joseph Parish as of January 1, 2025
- Religious education consolidated at St. Joseph
- Sacramental records maintained at St. Joseph Parish, 854 Providence St.
Sacred-to-Secular Decree (February 2026)
On February 21, 2026 Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., published two separate canonical decrees relegating the status of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church and Saints Peter and Paul Church from sacred to secular (but not sordid) use. These decrees represent the subsequent canonical step in the merging of the parishes into Saint Joseph Church in Natick, formally removing sacred status from the now-closed church buildings.
- Decrees issued February 21, 2026
- OLGC and SS. Peter and Paul church buildings permanently closed
- Buildings' status changed from sacred to secular (not sordid) use
Parish Identity & Patron
The parish takes its name from Our Lady of Good Counsel, a Marian title invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary for wisdom and guidance. This veneration originated with a miraculous fresco said to have appeared in 1467 in the Church of Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio in Genazzano, Italy. The feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel is celebrated on April 26.
- Patron: Our Lady of Good Counsel (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Feast day: April 26
- Veneration traces to a miraculous fresco in Genazzano, Italy (1467)
Contact and Location
Our Lady of Good Counsel was located at 60 Pleasant Street in the Phenix village of West Warwick, Rhode Island 02893-5695. The parish phone number was (401) 821-6428 and the fax was (401) 821-2472. Following the 2025 merger, the parish now operates as part of St. Joseph Parish at 854 Providence St., West Warwick.
- Address: 60 Pleasant Street, West Warwick, RI 02893-5695
- Phone: (401) 821-6428
- Fax: (401) 821-2472
- Successor parish: St. Joseph Parish, 854 Providence St., West Warwick