About Our Lady of Grace · South Chatham, Massachusetts
Our Lady of Grace Chapel is a Roman Catholic mission chapel in South Chatham, Massachusetts, situated on Meetinghouse Road (Route 137). It is a seasonal mission of Holy Redeemer Parish in Chatham and is part of the Diocese of Fall River. Open roughly from the Independence Day weekend through Labor Day, the chapel hosts a Saturday Vigil Mass and two Sunday morning Masses every weekend to serve the swelling summer population on Cape Cod's Lower Cape. The chapel shares its parish office, phone line, and pastor with Holy Redeemer.
- Established
- early 1960s
- Patron
- Our Lady of Grace (the Blessed Virgin Mary invoked under the title of Grace)
- Rector
- Fr. Sullivan (current pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish, which has pastoral care of the mission)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
Why belong here
Our Lady of Grace is the summer home for Catholics on the Lower Cape — a small, welcoming mission chapel run by Holy Redeemer Parish for vacationers, seasonal residents, and year-round Cape Codders who need an additional weekend Mass option. The chapel offers a worship schedule tuned to summer living (Saturday Vigil at 4:30 p.m., Sunday at 7:30 and 9:30 a.m.) so families can still make Mass while enjoying the Cape. Visitors join a parish that takes its name 'Holy Redeemer' seriously, pouring itself into faith formation, outreach, and social works of justice from its base just up the road in Chatham.
Mass times at Our Lady of Grace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:45 PM at Holy Redeemer Church (off-season) or by appointment
Adoration times
- 40 Hours Eucharistic Devotion held annually in August at Holy Redeemer (with sign-up for hourly adoration)
About Our Lady of Grace Mission Chapel
Our Lady of Grace is a mission chapel of Holy Redeemer Parish serving South Chatham on Cape Cod's Lower Cape. Tucked along Meetinghouse Road (Route 137), it is the parish's summer worship site — open every weekend from the Independence Day weekend through Labor Day weekend each year. Outside the summer season, parishioners attend Mass at Holy Redeemer Church at 57 Highland Avenue in Chatham. The chapel is listed by the Diocese of Fall River and by GCatholic as a Mission of Holy Redeemer Parish.
- Mission of Holy Redeemer Parish, Chatham
- Diocese of Fall River (Roman-Latin Rite)
- Seasonal: open from the July 4th weekend through Labor Day weekend
- Shares phone (508) 945-0677, office, and pastor with Holy Redeemer
History
Our Lady of Grace followed Holy Redeemer Church in the early 1960s as a second Catholic worship site on the Lower Cape. Holy Redeemer itself had been dedicated in 1916 and became an independent parish on May 1, 1955, under Fr. Theodore Brennan. In 2002, Bishop Sean P. O'Malley approved the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass at the chapel; that Mass continued under Fr. Thomas Buckley of the Boston Archdiocese until his retirement on January 29, 2009, after which the Latin Mass moved to St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis. In 2023, Holy Redeemer Parish sold a parcel of land across the road from the chapel to the Town of Chatham specifically to allow construction of affordable housing.
- Chapel opened in the early 1960s
- Latin Mass celebrated at the chapel 2002–early 2009
- Relocated Latin Mass moved to St. Francis Xavier in Hyannis, Feb 2009
- Affordable-housing partnership with Town of Chatham, 2023
Clergy & Staff
The mission is pastored by the pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish. Deacon Art assists the parish with liturgical roles including the closing of the 40 Hours Devotion (Rosary and Divine Mercy). Music Director Teresa Lim leads the Taizé Prayer Service during the annual 40 Hours Eucharistic Devotion at the parent parish.
- Pastor: Fr. Sullivan (Holy Redeemer Parish / Our Lady of Grace Mission)
- Deacon Art
- Music Director: Teresa Lim
Devotions & Special Liturgies
The annual 40 Hours Eucharistic Devotion is a centerpiece of Holy Redeemer's liturgical year. It runs roughly three days of continuous prayer, opening with Benediction and Evening Prayer, including a Friday-evening Taizé Prayer Service led by Teresa Lim, and closing with recitation of the Rosary and Divine Mercy Devotion led by Deacon Art. Parishioners sign up for one or two hours of Eucharistic adoration during the 40 Hours. Solemnities such as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary are also celebrated at Holy Redeemer with Vigil and daytime Masses.
- 40 Hours Eucharistic Devotion (annual, August)
- Taizé Prayer Service
- Rosary and Divine Mercy Devotion
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — Vigil and Day Mass
Faith Formation & Ministries
Faith formation for Our Lady of Grace parishioners is offered through the wider ministries of Holy Redeemer Parish. Children participate in the Children's Liturgy of the Word at the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass at Holy Redeemer (families can step into the narthex when needed). Small Faith Sharing Groups have grown to about 100 members and remain a central way for adults to deepen their faith. RCIA (OCIA) is offered for those becoming Catholic.
- Children's Liturgy of the Word
- Small Faith Sharing Groups (~100 members)
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
- Capital Campaign and parish-building stewardship (2023–2025)
Outreach & Community Impact
Holy Redeemer Parish, including its mission at Our Lady of Grace, is active in outreach on the Lower Cape. Fr. Sullivan conducts an annual walk-a-thon fundraiser for the Chatham Ecumenical Council for the Homeless (CECH), an organization that provides emergency assistance to Chatham residents for homelessness, mortgage payments, and rental support. In 2023 the parish sold a parcel of land across the road from Our Lady of Grace Chapel to the Town of Chatham so affordable housing could be built there. Visitors and seasonal parishioners are encouraged to join in this outreach through time, talent, and treasure.
- Chatham Ecumenical Council for the Homeless (CECH) — annual walk-a-thon
- Affordable-housing partnership with the Town of Chatham (2023)
- Capital campaign: 'Unless the Lord Build the House'
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Theodore BrennanMay 1, 1955 onward
Credited as the true founding father of Holy Redeemer Parish, of which Our Lady of Grace later became a mission.