About Saint Mary · Fairhaven, Massachusetts
St. Mary's Parish is a Roman Catholic Eucharistic community in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, on the South Coast, belonging to the Diocese of Fall River. The parish was founded in 1924 as a mission of St. Joseph's in Fairhaven and was established as an independent parish in 1933. Since its earliest days it has been entrusted to the pastoral care of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SS.CC.), a worldwide missionary congregation of priests, brothers, and sisters. Today the parish serves the faithful of North Fairhaven and surrounding communities with daily and weekend Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, faith formation for grades 1–9, and an active parish family life built around stewardship of time, talent, and treasure.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Angels)
- Rector
- Fr. Maiki Kamauoha, SS.CC. (Pastoral Administrator of St. Mary and St. Joseph, Fairhaven)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fall River
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers the full rhythm of Catholic life on a parish scale: a daily 8:00 AM Mass Monday through Saturday, a Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:30 PM, and two Sunday Masses (8:00 & 10:00 AM), along with weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesday mornings and Saturday-afternoon Reconciliation. The parish welcomes families into faith formation for grades 1–9, prepares children for First Holy Communion in May and Confirmation in union with the other Sacred Hearts parishes, and gathers the community for events such as the annual Blessing of Pets, Mass for deceased loved ones, the Angels Banquet, parish picnic, and seasonal breakfasts. Under the long-standing care of the Sacred Hearts Fathers (SS.CC.), it is a Eucharistic community that calls members to bring their gifts of time, talent, and treasure into the life of the parish and the wider Fairhaven area.
Mass times at Saint Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM in the Chapel of Reconciliation
- Other times by appointment (call the parish office)
Adoration times
- Wednesdays 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
About St. Mary's Parish of Fairhaven
St. Mary's Parish is a Eucharistic community of welcoming, forgiving, and inclusive people who serve the Lord and the community through the gifts of their time, talents, and treasures. The parish's mission is to care for and empower all who come through education, evangelization, action for social justice, and worship. Entrusted since its founding to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SS.CC.), it sits on Main Street in North Fairhaven with its offices on Harding Road.
- Mission Statement: 'A Eucharistic Community of welcoming, forgiving, and inclusive people … through education, evangelization and action for social justice and worship.'
- Served by the SS.CC. (Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary) since 1924.
- Parish office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Our History
The Sacred Hearts Fathers (SS.CC.) first celebrated Mass in Fairhaven at Phoenix Hall on May 21, 1905, and laid the cornerstone for the Church of the Sacred Hearts in 1908. They expanded into North Fairhaven, where the first Mass at St. Mary's was celebrated by Fr. Charles De Baetselier on March 1, 1925. St. Mary's was founded as a mission of St. Joseph's, Fairhaven, in 1924, and became an independent parish in 1933. In 1930 a 700-lb statue of Our Lady of Angels arrived from Oporto, Portugal, and the first parish Feast of Our Lady of Angels was held on September 21 of that year.
- 1924 — Founded as a mission of St. Joseph's, Fairhaven.
- March 1, 1925 — First Mass at St. Mary's in North Fairhaven (Fr. Charles De Baetselier, SS.CC.).
- 1930 — Statue of Our Lady of Angels arrives from Oporto, Portugal; first Feast of Our Lady of Angels.
- 1933 — Established as an independent parish.
- December 1959 — Ground broken for the Harding Road rectory.
- August 5, 1965 — Ground broken for the present Main Street church.
- October 30, 1966 — New St. Mary's Church dedicated; old church demolished for parking.
Parish Staff & Clergy
St. Mary's is currently led as a Sacred Hearts collaborative parish: Fr. Maiki Kamauoha, SS.CC. serves as Pastoral Administrator of both St. Mary's and St. Joseph's, Fairhaven, and Fr. Chris Kaitapu, SS.CC., originally from the Kingdom of Tonga, was welcomed to St. Mary's as Parochial Vicar on the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. A lay staff supports liturgy, faith formation, religious education, and parish operations.
- Fr. Maiki Kamauoha, SS.CC. — Pastoral Administrator (St. Mary and St. Joseph, Fairhaven)
- Fr. Chris Kaitapu, SS.CC. — Parochial Vicar
- Nicole Benjamin
- Stevan Piazza — Music Director
- Renee Ledbetter — Faith Formation Coordinator
- Melissa DeTerra — Director of Religious Education ([email protected], 508-287-2640)
Sacraments
St. Mary's prepares and celebrates all seven sacraments through its faith formation program and the pastoral staff, working in union with the other Sacred Hearts parishes in the area. First Communion is typically celebrated in May, and Confirmation is celebrated together with Our Lady of the Assumption (New Bedford) and St. Joseph (Fairhaven) on dates set by the Bishop of Fall River.
- Baptism
- Confirmation (with the Bishop of Fall River and Sacred Hearts parishes)
- First Holy Communion (May)
- Reconciliation (Saturdays and by appointment)
- Anointing of the Sick (call the office; available for the homebound)
- Holy Orders / Vocations (referred to the SS.CC. vocation recruiter)
- Marriage (contact the parish office)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Mary's offers religious education for children in grades 1 through 9, with First Communion preparation through the faith formation program and Confirmation preparation in concert with the other Sacred Hearts parishes. Registration is required.
- Faith Formation / Religious Education — grades 1–9 (registration required)
- First Communion preparation — typically celebrated in May
- Confirmation preparation — celebrated with Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Joseph
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Renee Ledbetter
- Director of Religious Education: Melissa DeTerra
Music & Liturgy
Music at St. Mary's is led by Music Director Stevan Piazza, who supports the sung liturgy of the daily, weekend, and holy-day Masses.
- Music Director: Stevan Piazza
- Music supports daily Mass, weekend Masses, and special liturgies
Parish Family Life & Events
The parish highlights a communal, family-oriented life with events that bring members together across the year. These traditions are described on the parish's welcome page as part of how members 'bring Christ alive' through their gifts.
- Annual Blessing of Pets
- Annual Mass for deceased loved ones
- Angels Banquet
- Annual parish picnic
- Seasonal parish breakfast
Stewardship & Getting Involved
St. Mary's mission statement calls members to share their time, talents, and treasures in service to the Lord and the community, and the parish invites parishioners to bring their gifts forward to help the parish family thrive.
- Time, talent, and treasure stewardship
- Liturgical ministries (music, lectors, Eucharistic ministry — referenced via the parish)
- Faith Formation volunteer support
- Event and fellowship committees (parish picnic, Angels Banquet, seasonal breakfast, Blessing of Pets)
Visit, Contact, and Location
The church building is at 440 Main Street in North Fairhaven, while the parish offices and mailing address are at 41 Harding Road. The parish invites visitors and returning parishioners to contact the office during weekday hours.
- Church: 440 Main Street, Fairhaven, MA
- Mailing address / Rectory office: 41 Harding Road, Fairhaven, MA 02719-4500
- Phone: (508) 992-7300
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Website: http://stmarysfairhaven.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMarysfhvn/