About Our Lady of Good Help · Brandon, Vermont
Our Lady of Good Help is a Catholic parish in Brandon, Vermont, part of the Otter Valley Catholic Community alongside St. Alphonsus in Pittsford. The parish serves the small town of Brandon and the surrounding Otter Valley region in Rutland County, and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. It offers Mass in English at its Carver Street church, with the sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons and monthly Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays. The parish is administered by Fr. Raj Kumar Madri, HGN, and runs a parish religious education program for its school-age families.
- Established
- 1867
- Patron
- Our Lady of Good Help (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. Raj Kumar Madri, HGN
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
Why belong here
Our Lady of Good Help is a welcoming small-town parish that combines traditional Catholic worship with a strong sense of community in the heart of Vermont's Otter Valley. The parish offers weekday and weekend Mass, regular Saturday confessions, and First Friday Eucharistic Adoration from 1:00–3:00 PM. A parish-based religious education program (coordinated by PCL Wanda Murray) supports families with children in the faith, and the parish coordinates care for the sick and homebound through the rectory.
Mass times at Our Lady of Good Help
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM (in the St. Mary's Sacristy)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday of the Month, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
About the Parish
Our Lady of Good Help is the Catholic parish serving Brandon, Vermont, and the surrounding Otter Valley. It is part of the Otter Valley Catholic Community, an informal grouping that also includes St. Alphonsus Church in Pittsford. The parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington and is administered from the church office at 38 Carver Street in Brandon. The community is small and rural, offering a traditional English-language liturgical schedule with weekend and weekday Masses, Saturday confessions, and monthly Eucharistic Adoration.
History of Our Lady of Good Help
Catholic missionary activity in Brandon began before the Civil War. The first known Mass in Brandon was offered in 1853 by Rev. Joseph Quevillon of Burlington, and Brandon Catholics were subsequently served by traveling priests including Rev. Jeremiah O'Callaghan of Burlington, Rev. John Daly (a Franciscan known as the 'Apostle of Southern Vermont'), and Rev. Olivetti of Whitehall, New York. The parish itself was canonically founded in 1867 with Rev. Thomas Halpin as its first resident pastor, and took the Marian title Our Lady of Good Help as its patron.
- 1853 — First known Mass in Brandon offered by Rev. Joseph Quevillon of Burlington.
- Pre-1867 — Brandon Catholics served by visiting missionaries Rev. Jeremiah O'Callaghan, Rev. John Daly, and Rev. Olivetti.
- 1867 — Parish of Our Lady of Good Help officially founded; Rev. Thomas Halpin named first resident pastor.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Fr. Raj Kumar Madri, HGN, a priest of the Heralds of Good News (HGN) congregation who also serves as Administrator of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Pittsford, St. Bridget in West Rutland, and St. Stanislaus Kostka in West Rutland. Fr. Madri is listed as Pastor on the parish's own website. The Diocese of Burlington directory also notes Fr. Maurice Moreau, O.F.M. Cap., in a pastoral role for the parish, suggesting a recent transition in leadership.
- Fr. Raj Kumar Madri, HGN — Pastor / Administrator (per parish website and Diocese of Burlington staff page).
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Our Lady of Good Help runs a parish-based religious education program for children, coordinated through a Parish Catechetical Leader. Families seeking enrollment or information about the K–8 program should contact the parish office for current details.
- Parish Catechetical Leader: Wanda Murray — (802) 345-7453 — [email protected] (as listed on the parish website).
Sacraments
Information about preparing for and celebrating the sacraments is available through the parish Rectory. The parish website outlines the basic preparation steps for Baptism and Marriage, and asks parishioners to notify the Rectory about anyone who is sick or homebound so that pastoral care can be arranged.
- Baptism — Instructions required for parents and godparents; contact the Rectory.
- Marriage — Contact the priest at least six months in advance; Pre-Cana conferences required; no Saturday weddings may be performed after 2:00 PM.
- Care of the Sick — Notify the Rectory of parishioners in need of visits, Communion, or Anointing.
Otter Valley Catholic Community
Our Lady of Good Help is paired with St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in nearby Pittsford under the name 'Otter Valley Catholic Community.' The two parishes share clergy, a combined Mass and confession schedule, and a joint web presence at ovcc.vermontcatholic.org. This cooperative arrangement allows the small rural parishes to offer a fuller schedule of Masses and sacraments than either could sustain on its own.
- Partner parish: St. Alphonsus Liguori, 2918 US-7, Pittsford, VT.
- Shared website: ovcc.vermontcatholic.org.
Contact & Visiting
The parish can be reached through the church office at 38 Carver Street in Brandon, by telephone, or through the email address listed on the parish website. The parish is also present on Facebook as the 'Otter Valley Catholic Community.'
- Address: 38 Carver Street, Brandon, VT 05733.
- Phone: (802) 247-6351.
- Email: [email protected].
- Website: http://ovcc.vermontcatholic.org/.
- Facebook: Otter Valley Catholic Community (linked from the parish website).
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas Halpin1867–
First resident pastor; founded the parish.