About Our Lady of the Angels Parish - St. Thecla Church · Pembroke, Massachusetts
Our Lady of the Angels Parish – St. Thecla Church is a Roman Catholic worship site located at 145 Washington Street in Pembroke (North Pembroke), Massachusetts, within the Archdiocese of Boston. Founded in 1963–1964, it was the first Catholic church built in the town of Pembroke and grew rapidly from about 300 registered families in 1964 to roughly 8,200 parishioners in later decades. On July 1, 2021, St. Thecla's was merged with St. Helen's (Norwell) and St. Mary's (Hanover) into a single parish with three worship sites, which was renamed Our Lady of the Angels Parish on October 2, 2022 (Feast of the Guardian Angels). The Pembroke church is known for its distinctive mid-century modern architecture — a domed concrete roof — and for a parish hall that became a civic gathering place for the whole town.
- Established
- 1964
- Patron
- St. Thecla (Saint Thecla of Iconium)
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher J. Hickey
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Thecla offers the close-knit feel of Pembroke's original hometown Catholic church combined with the resources of a merged three-town parish. Worshippers value its dramatic, column-free domed sanctuary with stained-glass and a sky dome, a Sunday 8:00 AM Mass schedule at the Pembroke site, weekday Mass on Fridays at 9:00 AM, Saturday reconciliation (typically 3:00–3:45 PM), faith formation for children and youth, and an active Knights of Columbus presence — all set on a roughly 12-acre campus that has served as a civic and social hub for Pembroke since 1964.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Angels Parish - St. Thecla Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM (parish-wide schedule at St. Mary's, Hanover)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 9:00 AM Mass followed by Adoration until Noon at St. Helen's, Norwell
History of St. Thecla Parish
Until 1964 no Catholic church existed in the town of Pembroke, Massachusetts. The Archdiocese of Boston purchased land on Washington Street from the Smith family, and on December 13, 1963, Richard Cardinal Cushing placed the cornerstone of St. Thecla Church. The church was blessed and dedicated on July 19, 1964 by Bishop Jeremiah Minihan, accompanied by a Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus honor guard. The parish grew with the town from roughly 300 registered families in 1964 to about 8,200 parishioners in the early 2020s. The parish hall became the largest public gathering place in Pembroke, hosting the Pembroke Police and Fire annual balls and the Pembroke Bicentennial Ball.
- Cornerstone laid by Cardinal Cushing, December 13, 1963
- Blessed and dedicated July 19, 1964 by Bishop Jeremiah Minihan
- First Catholic church built in the town of Pembroke
- Patron: St. Thecla of Iconium (feast day September 23)
Architecture and Sanctuary
St. Thecla's is recognized for its bold mid-century modern design by architect David W. Shields. The most dramatic feature is its solid concrete roof — 35 tons, six inches thick at the base and three inches at the rounded top — that was formed on the ground and raised into place by sixteen jacks in a two-hour process. The lack of interior columns gives worshippers an unobstructed view of the entire worship space. Shields also designed a sky dome and stained glass windows so that natural light pours throughout the church.
- Architect: David W. Shields
- 35-ton concrete domed roof raised by 16 jacks
- No interior columns — fully open sanctuary
- Sky dome and stained glass windows
- Parish hall — largest public hall in Pembroke at the time
Parochial Vicars
Over the years the parish has been served by a long succession of parochial vicars who assisted the pastor.
- Fr. Mark Corrigan
- Fr. David Doucet
- Fr. John Nichols
- Fr. Joseph Slyva
- Fr. William Sullivan
- Fr. Robert Meffan
- Fr. James Robertson
- Fr. Michael Harkins
Merger into Our Lady of the Angels Parish
On July 1, 2021, St. Thecla's in Pembroke, St. Helen's in Norwell, and St. Mary's in Hanover were merged into a single parish with three worship sites, under pastor Rev. Christopher J. Hickey and parochial vicar Fr. Joseph McCarthy. On October 2, 2022, the Feast of the Guardian Angels, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley decreed the combined parish would be known as Our Lady of the Angels Parish. In June 2022, the Archdiocese of Boston announced the long-term plan to sell the St. Thecla's property (~12 acres) and St. Helen's property and build a single new church at the St. Mary's campus in Hanover.
- Merger effective July 1, 2021
- Pastor: Rev. Christopher J. Hickey
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Joseph (Joe) McCarthy
- Renamed Our Lady of the Angels Parish on October 2, 2022
- Archdiocese plan: build one new church at St. Mary's site in Hanover
Sacraments and Faith Formation
The parish celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments — Baptism, First Reconciliation and First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and adult initiation through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Faith Formation programs serve children, youth, and adults, with a Sunday evening Life Teen Mass offering a specific outreach to teens.
- Baptism preparation and celebration
- First Reconciliation / First Eucharist
- Confirmation preparation
- Marriage preparation and witness
- Anointing of the Sick (by appointment)
- RCIA for adult initiation
- Life Teen (youth ministry)
Ministries and Community Life
St. Thecla's has long traditions of parish and civic involvement. The Knights of Columbus — including a Fourth Degree honor guard that participated in the 1964 dedication — remain active. The parish hall at the rear of the church became the largest public gathering place in town and has hosted Police and Fire balls, the Pembroke Bicentennial Ball, and countless fundraisers and community events.
- Knights of Columbus (Fourth Degree honor guard)
- Family Mass program
- Parish festival and fundraising events
- St. Vincent de Paul / outreach
- Civic and community use of the parish hall
Visiting St. Thecla Church
St. Thecla Church is located at 145 Washington Street in North Pembroke, on approximately 12 acres of grounds. Visitors come to experience the dramatic column-free domed sanctuary, the sky dome, and the stained glass. The adjoining parish hall remains a notable civic and architectural landmark of the complex.
- 145 Washington Street, North Pembroke, MA 02358
- Phone: (781) 826-4303
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website: ourladyoftheangels.com / holymothers.com
- Parking available on the parish grounds
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Eugene Bailot1964–1967
First pastor of St. Thecla Parish; also became the first chairman of Pembroke's Housing Authority. Served until succeeded three years after founding.
- Fr. Vincent Piscitelli1967–1971
Second pastor; succeeded Fr. Bailot three years after 1964 founding.
- Fr. James Mahoney1971–1997
Third pastor; long-serving pastor for 26 years before retiring in 1997.
- Fr. Robert Sullivan1997–
Fourth pastor; succeeded Fr. Mahoney upon his retirement in 1997.
- Rev. Christopher J. Hickey2021–
Pastor of the merged parish (St. Mary's, St. Helen's, St. Thecla's) from July 1, 2021, leading it into the 2022 renaming as Our Lady of the Angels Parish.
- Rev. Joseph (Joe) McCarthy2021–
Parochial Vicar of the merged parish from July 1, 2021.