About Our Lady of the Valley · Sheffield, Massachusetts
Our Lady of the Valley Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, centered on the church at 99 Maple Avenue in Sheffield, MA. The parish serves three worship sites: the main Our Lady of the Valley Church in Sheffield, the mission chapel of Our Lady of the Hills in Monterey, and (until 2018) the mission church of the Immaculate Conception in Mill River. Centering its life on the Holy Eucharist, the parish community welcomes families, reaches out to those in need, and is led by Father Robert Miskell, who was appointed full pastor in early 2025.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Valley (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Father Robert Miskell
- Diocese
- Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Valley is a small, welcoming Berkshire parish that centers its worship on the Holy Eucharist and reaches out in charity beyond its own community. With weekend Masses in Sheffield, a summer Mass at Our Lady of the Hills in Monterey, weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Friday evenings, and multiple confession times each week, the parish makes the sacraments accessible to local Catholics. It also works to deepen the faith of its young people and adults, making it a fitting spiritual home for families in the southern Berkshires.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Valley
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 6:15–6:45 PM (during Holy Hour)
- Monday–Wednesday 9:00–10:00 AM
- Saturday 2:30–3:30 PM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Friday 6:00–7:00 PM (Holy Hour)
Welcome & Parish Mission
Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Sheffield, together with its sister chapel Our Lady of the Hills in Monterey, seeks to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to parishioners young and old. Centering its worship on the Holy Eucharist, the parish aims to deepen the faith of its young people, continue the spiritual growth of its adults, and reach out to those in need both within the parish and beyond. The parish describes itself as 'a generous, welcoming Christian community whose identity rests in loving God and one another.'
History & Heritage
The Catholic life of the southern Berkshires that became Our Lady of the Valley Parish began in 1841, when Father John Brady celebrated the first Mass in the home of Timothy Wrinkle, an Irish immigrant from Dublin, in Mill River. In the 1860s, Father Peter Menietti, a young Italian priest who had vowed to build a Marian church if his health were restored, became the first pastor of St. Peter's in Great Barrington and rallied the Irish Catholic paper-mill workers of Mill River to construct Immaculate Conception Church, completed August 5, 1866. That mission served as the founding parish of the area's Catholic community and was administered as a mission of Our Lady of the Valley from 1901 onward. The Our Lady of the Valley parish corporation was incorporated in 1905 with its rectory at 99 Maple Avenue in Sheffield. After 152 years and 28 pastors, the Diocese of Springfield formally closed Immaculate Conception as a mission in November 2018.
- 1841 — First Catholic Mass celebrated in Mill River
- 1866 — Immaculate Conception Church completed (founding church of the community)
- 1901 — Immaculate Conception became a mission of Our Lady of the Valley
- 1905 — Our Lady of the Valley Parish corporation incorporated
- 2018 — Immaculate Conception mission formally closed
Worship Sites
The parish serves three locations across the southern Berkshires. Our Lady of the Valley in Sheffield is the main parish church and the site of the regular weekly Mass schedule. Our Lady of the Hills in Monterey is a mission chapel that hosts a Saturday evening Mass during July and August. The former Immaculate Conception mission church in Mill River, built in 1866, was closed as a worship site in 2018.
- Our Lady of the Valley — 99 Maple Ave., Sheffield, MA 01257 (main church)
- Our Lady of the Hills — Beartown Rd., Monterey, MA 01245 (summer mission)
- Immaculate Conception, Mill River — closed November 2018
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by Father Robert Miskell, who was promoted to full Pastor in March 2025 by Bishop William Byrne of the Diocese of Springfield after having served as parish Administrator. Father Miskell was ordained for the Diocese of Springfield and has served in parish and diaconal ministry in western Massachusetts.
- Father Robert Miskell — Pastor (appointed March 2025)
- Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts — canonical authority
Faith Formation & Spiritual Growth
The parish's stated mission includes deepening the faith of its young people and continuing the spiritual growth of its adult parishioners. The parish website invites families with children and adults seeking deeper faith formation into the life of the community.
- Youth faith formation
- Adult spiritual growth
- Sacramental preparation
Outreach & Charity
Our Lady of the Valley Parish commits to 'reach out to those in need in our parish and elsewhere' as part of its stated mission. The parish also helps members of the former Mill River mission community with transportation to attend Mass in Sheffield following the 2018 closure of Immaculate Conception.
- Outreach to those in need within the parish and beyond
- Transportation assistance for former Mill River parishioners
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or email, and the parish publishes a regular bulletin with updates on Masses and Holy Days. The mailing address is a P.O. Box in Sheffield.
- Rectory: 413-229-3028
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: PO Box 515, Sheffield, MA 01257-0515
- Website: http://www.ourolv.org/
- Parish Bulletin available on the website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Robert Miskellpromoted to full Pastor, March 2025
Served as parish Administrator prior to appointment as Pastor by Bishop William Byrne.
- Fr. John S. Lis
Listed as a contact for the parish in business records.