About Our Lady of Lourdes · Providence, Rhode Island
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Providence, located at 901 Atwells Avenue on Providence's Federal Hill / West Side — the historic heart of the city's Italian 'Little Italy.' Founded in 1904 as a national parish for French Canadian immigrants from Quebec, it is one of only two Franco-American national parishes ever established in Providence. Today the parish is served by Rev. Marek S. Kupka and continues to offer Mass and the sacraments in the English-speaking Roman Rite, while its remarkable four-building complex — church, rectory, school, and convent — was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Rev. Marek S. Kupka
- Diocese
- Diocese of Providence
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes offers the historic heart of Providence's Catholic life on Federal Hill — a four-building parish complex (church, rectory, school, and convent) that has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990 and is one of only two Franco-American national parishes ever founded in Providence. Worship is offered in the Roman Rite with Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass, and Confession is available before the Vigil Mass, making the parish an easy option for both longtime neighbors and visitors walking Atwells Avenue. As a small, personal parish administered from 901 Atwells Avenue, it is a place where the French-Canadian Catholic heritage of early-twentieth-century Providence is preserved in brick, stained glass, and stone.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM (per Discover Mass)
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (per joinmychurch.com — call parish to confirm)
Parish History
Our Lady of Lourdes was created on August 15, 1904 by Bishop Matthew Harkins of Providence to serve the growing French-Canadian Catholic population on Providence's west side. The parish was formally incorporated in Rhode Island on September 6, 1904. For its first two decades the congregation worshipped in the same building that housed the parish school, completed in 1906 to designs by the Woonsocket architect Walter Fontaine. A separate church was built in 1925–1928 to a design by Ambrose J. Murphy. By 1935 the Canadian pastor had paid, partly out of his own pocket, for stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross with French inscriptions, asserting the Franco-American identity of the parish. The school — staffed by the Sisters of the Order of Jesus and Mary — operated until 1969. The four-building complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
- Established August 15, 1904 (incorporated September 6, 1904)
- Founded as a national parish for French Canadian immigrants from Quebec
- Bishop Matthew Harkins authorized the parish in 1904; construction began January 1905
- Walter Fontaine designed the 1905 school/chapel and original rectory
- Ambrose J. Murphy designed the present church (begun 1925, completed 1928)
- French inscriptions added to stained glass and Stations of the Cross in 1935
- Parish school closed in 1969
- Complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places, March 15, 1990
The Church Complex (Architecture & Heritage)
The Our Lady of Lourdes Church Complex occupies two acres at 901–903 Atwells Avenue in Providence's Federal Hill neighborhood and comprises four contributing buildings. The present church is a steel-frame, brick-clad structure in a modest Italian basilica plan with a campanile — a style recorded by the National Register as 'Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals' with Romanesque influences. It cost roughly $110,000 to build in 1928. Flanking the church are the 1905 school (the largest structure in the complex, originally used as both school and chapel), the 1912 two-story brick rectory with a hip roof, and the original 1905 rectory, which was converted into a convent when the new rectory was built.
- Architects: Walter Fontaine (1905) and Ambrose J. Murphy (1925)
- Architectural style: Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Romanesque
- NRHP reference No. 90000343, added March 15, 1990
- Listed individually in the City of Providence's Federal Hill neighborhood plan
- Includes church (1925/1928), rectory (1912), school (1905), and convent (1905 rectory converted)
French-Canadian Heritage
Our Lady of Lourdes was one of 19 national parishes created across Rhode Island to preserve the religious, linguistic, and cultural traditions of Franco-American immigrants from Quebec. From its founding, the parish was the focus of tension between the Irish-dominated diocesan hierarchy and the French-Canadian community over language of instruction and control of parish life. The 1935 stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross with French inscriptions, installed partly with the Canadian pastor's own money, are the most visible surviving reminder of that heritage today.
- One of two Franco-American national parishes ever established in Providence
- Stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross with French inscriptions installed 1935
- French became the predominant language of instruction at the parish school by the 1930s
Worship & Sacraments
The parish celebrates the Roman Rite in English. The published Mass schedule (per Discover Mass and joinmychurch.com) lists a Saturday Vigil at 4:00 PM (observed from Labor Day through Father's Day; otherwise Mass moves to neighboring St. Adalbert's), and Sunday Masses at 6:30 AM and 9:00 AM. Confessions are heard on Saturday afternoon before the Vigil Mass. Parishioners and visitors are advised to call the parish office to confirm the current schedule, especially around holy days and the COVID-era adjustments noted in the online listings.
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00 PM (Labor Day through Father's Day)
- Sunday Masses: 6:30 AM and 9:00 AM
- Confessions: Saturday afternoon before the Vigil Mass
- Mass celebrated in English (Roman Rite, Diocese of Providence)
Parish Leadership
The parish is administered by Rev. Marek S. Kupka, who is listed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State as the registered agent, treasurer, and secretary of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes corporation. Fr. Kupka also serves as pastor of nearby St. Adalbert's Church (866 Atwells Avenue), the oldest Polish Roman-Catholic parish in Rhode Island. Both parishes sit within the Diocese of Providence, currently headed by Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., with Most Rev. Msgr. Albert A. Kenney serving in diocesan leadership roles.
- Pastor: Rev. Marek S. Kupka
- Diocese of Providence
- Bishop of Providence: Most Rev. Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R.
- Diocesan offices: One Cathedral Square, Providence, RI 02903
Visitor & Practical Information
Our Lady of Lourdes is located in the heart of Providence's Federal Hill neighborhood, the historic 'Little Italy' district on Atwells Avenue, close to the corner of Mt. Pleasant Avenue. From Interstate 95, take the Atwells Avenue exit and continue about two miles — the church is on Atwells just before Mt. Pleasant Avenue. The parish office can be reached at (401) 272-8127 for the most current Mass, confession, and event schedule. Public information on parking, accessibility, and parish groups is limited online; the parish appears to rely on the diocesal website and word of mouth rather than a dedicated parish website.
- Address: 901 Atwells Avenue, Providence, RI 02909
- Phone: (401) 272-8127
- From I-95: Atwells Avenue exit, ~2 miles; just before Mt. Pleasant Avenue
- Neighborhood: Federal Hill / West Side, Providence
- Dedicated parish website: not located; parish is listed on the Diocese of Providence website