About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Holyoke, Massachusetts
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish was a Roman Catholic parish in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Springfield, primarily serving the city's Spanish-speaking Catholic community. The parish took its name from Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, with the apparition of 1531 in Mexico. Its community grew from earlier Holyoke parishes serving waves of Irish and later Latino immigrants. In 2020 the parish joined the Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke with Immaculate Conception and St. Jerome parishes, sharing worship space; in 2021–2022 it was formally merged into St. Jerome Parish. Father Yerick Mendez served as its last pastor, with Deacon Jose Correa among its staff.
- Established
- 1999
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe (Virgin of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas)
- Rector
- Father Yerick Mendez (last pastor before merger into St. Jerome Parish, 2021)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe was a bilingual (English/Spanish) parish with a deep immigrant-community heritage, deeply committed to celebrating the Mass in Spanish and to Marian devotion under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Its ministries included Cursillo, the John XXIII Movement, a Charismatic Renewal prayer group, a Catholic Book/Bible study group, a Marian Night, an Apostolate of the Suffering, a Marriage Spirituality group, and a Youth Group. Many of these groups met at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Community Center, which kept Spanish-speaking parishioners spiritually rooted in their culture while connecting to broader Catholic life in Holyoke.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 6:00 PM – 6:50 PM
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM
Adoration times
- Saturday 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
History of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Holyoke, Massachusetts, has its deepest roots in Sacred Heart Parish, founded in 1876 as a mission church of St. Jerome Parish to serve the city's growing Irish population in the Churchill neighborhood. Masses were first celebrated in the basement of the church from Christmas 1876 until June 1883, when the nave was completed and dedicated. Although not the oldest Catholic parish in Holyoke, Sacred Heart's building was the oldest Catholic church structure in the city. In 1999 the parish was re-established as Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish after a devastating fire destroyed nearby Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church; the former Sacred Heart building on Maple Street became its new worship space, this time explicitly serving Holyoke's growing Latino Catholic community under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- 1876: Sacred Heart founded as mission of St. Jerome Parish
- 1883: Sacred Heart nave dedicated
- 1999: Parish re-established as Our Lady of Guadalupe
- March 2017: Sacred Heart Church closed due to falling plaster
- 2020: Joined the Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke
- August 2021: Merged into St. Jerome Parish
- September 2021: Father Francis Reilly installed as pastor of merged parish
- 2024: Diocese sold former Sacred Heart Church and rectory
Worship Space and Sacred Heart Building
The parish's worship space was the historic Sacred Heart Church on Maple Street. After plaster began falling from the ceiling in March 2017, the building was closed and Masses were moved to an adjacent parish chapel and parish gym — an arrangement that continued until the parish joined the Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke in October 2020 and its liturgies were consolidated at St. Jerome Church and Immaculate Conception Chapel. The former Sacred Heart building itself was closed and ultimately sold by the Diocese of Springfield in 2024.
- Worship space: former Sacred Heart Church, Maple Street
- Closed March 2017 due to falling plaster
- Emergency worship moved to chapel and parish gym
- 2020 consolidated to St. Jerome Church and Immaculate Conception Chapel
- 2024 former church and rectory sold by diocese
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
The parish was last led by Father Yerick Mendez, who served as its pastor (and simultaneously as pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish). Father Mendez, ordained in 2012, became administrator of the parishes on August 1, 2016, and led the collaboration and eventual merger into St. Jerome Parish. Among the parish's deacons was Deacon Jose Correa, who actively welcomed parishioners during the 2020 launch of the Catholic Collaborative. The parish secretaries were Ana Morales and Carmen Fernandez.
- Father Yerick Mendez — last pastor (2016–2021)
- Father Sean O'Mannion — former pastor
- Father John Lessard — in residence
- Deacon Jose Correa
- Deacon Osvaldo Mendez (Father Mendez's father)
- Ana Morales, Secretary
- Carmen Fernandez, Secretary
Spanish-Language and Marian Devotion
Our Lady of Guadalupe was the principal Spanish-language Catholic parish in Holyoke, named for the Marian apparition of 1531 in Tepeyac, Mexico, who is honored as the Patroness of the Americas. Its feast day is December 12. The parish hosted a regular Marian Night (Noche Mariana) at Immaculate Conception Chapel on Mondays at 7:00 PM, continuing the tradition of Marian devotion central to the community.
- Feast day: December 12
- Spanish-language Masses celebrated on Saturdays, Sundays, and Fridays
- Weekly Marian Night (Noche Mariana) on Mondays at 7:00 PM
- Many ministries conducted bilingually with Spanish-language meetings
Parish Ministries and Community Groups
A wide range of bilingual ministries, prayer groups, and movements were housed at the parish and its Our Lady of Guadalupe Community Center, sustaining the spiritual life of the Spanish-speaking community throughout the week.
- Cursillo Movement — Thursdays 7:00–9:00 PM
- John XXIII Movement — Tuesdays 6:30–8:00 PM
- Charismatic Renewal Prayer Group / Cículo de Oración — Wednesdays 6:45–9:00 PM
- Catholic Book/Bible Group — Tuesdays (dates vary)
- Marian Night (Noche Mariana) — Mondays 7:00 PM at Immaculate Conception Chapel
- Apostolate of the Suffering — first Saturday of the month, 1:30 PM
- Marriage Spirituality — first Monday of the month, 7:00 PM
- Youth Group (Grupo de Jóvenes) — Wednesdays 6:30–8:00 PM
Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke (2020)
On the weekend of October 3–4, 2020, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Immaculate Conception, and St. Jerome parishes formed the Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke, sharing worship space while remaining independent parishes. Father Mark Stelzer, administrator of St. Jerome Parish, and Father Yerick Mendez, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Immaculate Conception, jointly announced the collaboration. A statue from Sacred Heart Church and a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe were processed into each Sunday Mass as visible signs of unity.
- Formed weekend of Oct. 3–4, 2020
- Enabled sharing of worship space and resources
- Liturgies consolidated at St. Jerome Church and Immaculate Conception Chapel
- Parishes remained financially autonomous
- Paved the way for the 2021 merger
Merger into St. Jerome Parish (2021)
On August 14, 2021, Bishop William D. Byrne celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving to mark the merger of Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes into St. Jerome Parish on Hampden Street. The celebration began with two processions from the merging parishes meeting parishioners of St. Jerome at Veterans' Memorial Park, with combined choirs providing music. Father Francis Reilly, previously pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Northampton, was installed as pastor of the merged parish in September 2021. Worship is now celebrated at St. Jerome Church and at Immaculate Conception Chapel on North Summer Street.
- Aug. 14, 2021: Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop Byrne
- Two processions from merging parishes met at Veterans' Memorial Park
- Combined choirs of all three parishes provided music
- Sept. 2021: Father Francis Reilly installed as pastor
- Worship at St. Jerome and Immaculate Conception Chapel
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Sean O'Mannion
Former pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Immaculate Conception parishes; became pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Turners Falls on Aug. 14, 2016.
- Rev. John Lessard
Remaining in residence at the parish in 2016.
- Rev. Yerick (Yerick) Mendez2016–2021
Ordained in 2012; served as administrator from Aug. 1, 2016; became pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Immaculate Conception parishes; led the parish into the Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke in 2020; final pastor before the 2021 merger into St. Jerome Parish.