About St. Alexander · Warren, Rhode Island
Saint Alexander Church is a Catholic worship site at 221 Main Street in Warren, Rhode Island, originally founded in 1915 as an Italian national mission of Holy Angels Church in Barrington. Once an independent parish serving the Italian immigrant community of Warren, it was canonically merged into St. Mary of the Bay Parish on July 7, 2023 by decree of Bishop Richard G. Henning of Providence, becoming the second worship site of the combined parish. Today Saint Alexander offers a single traditional Sunday Mass at 9:15 am with organ music, hymnbooks, and classic hymnody, complementing the more contemporary, larger worship at St. Mary of the Bay down the street.
- Established
- 1915
- Patron
- Saint Alexander
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph R. Upton, Ph.D.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Providence
Why belong here
Saint Alexander offers something rare in the East Bay: an intimate, traditional Sunday worship experience with organ music, classic hymnody, and hymnbooks — a quieter, more reflective alternative to the larger, contemporary liturgy at the main St. Mary of the Bay site just down Main Street. As part of the merged St. Mary of the Bay Parish (approximately 1,700 registered households), Saint Alexander worshipers gain access to a robust network of social ministries — including a food pantry that distributed nearly 347,000 pounds of food in a recent year, Mary's Closet, the M25:35 migrant and refugee ministry, St. Gabriel's Call, and a parish outreach offering rent, utility, and crisis assistance — all rooted in the same Warren community the Italian founders of Saint Alexander set out to serve in 1915.
Mass times at St. Alexander
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:30 pm (at St. Mary of the Bay Reconciliation Chapel)
- Sundays before the 6 pm Mass (at St. Mary of the Bay) — by appointment via the rectory
Saint Alexander Church — A Historic Italian Mission
Saint Alexander began in 1915 as a mission church established in Warren by Holy Angels Church of Barrington to serve Italian Catholic immigrants in the East Bay. It was incorporated as a parish of its own and grew through the twentieth century, marking its 30th anniversary in 1949. The parish building sits on Main Street in Warren and, following the 2023 canonical merger, continues as a worship site of St. Mary of the Bay.
- Founded 1915 as an Italian national mission of Holy Angels, Barrington
- 30th anniversary celebrated in 1949
- Merged into St. Mary of the Bay Parish on July 7, 2023
- Located at 221 Main Street (parish site) / 218 Main Street (diocesan records), Warren, RI
Worship Schedule at Saint Alexander
Saint Alexander hosts the combined parish's traditional liturgy. The 9:15 am Sunday Mass features organ music, traditional hymnody, and printed hymnbooks in an intimate setting — a deliberately different atmosphere from the larger, contemporary worship with screens and blended music at St. Mary of the Bay. Weekday and Holy Day Masses are held at St. Mary of the Bay.
- Sunday Mass at Saint Alexander: 9:15 am (traditional, organ, hymnbooks)
- Weekday and Holy Day Masses: 8:00 am, Monday–Friday, at St. Mary of the Bay
- Saturday (Sunday Vigil) Mass: 4:00 pm at St. Mary of the Bay
- Other Sunday Masses at St. Mary of the Bay: 8:00 am, 10:30 am, 6:00 pm (Sabbath@Sundown)
Parish Clergy and Staff
Saint Alexander is served by the combined St. Mary of the Bay team, led by Father Joseph R. Upton, Ph.D. The staff includes a deacon, faith formation director, youth ministries director, music ministry director, food pantry director, and outreach coordinator.
- Rev. Joseph R. Upton, Ph.D. — Pastor
- Deacon John Pryor — Deacon Assistant
- Carolyn Mello Pryor — Spiritual Life Coordinator
- Joy Jennings — Office Manager
- Anne-Marie Ring — Director, Faith Formation
- Milly Grieve — Director, Children and Youth Ministries
- Kelly Botelho-Caton — Director, Music Ministry
- Joe Pacheco — Music Minister
- Barbara Fisher — Director, Saint Gabriel's Call
- Emily Turtle — Director, Food Pantry
- Wendy Baker — Parish Outreach
Parish History — Founding in the Italian Immigration Era
In the second decade of the twentieth century, Warren and Barrington saw unprecedented immigration from Italy, Poland, and Russia. Bishop Harkins responded by creating national parishes in the region: St. Casimir's (Polish-Lithuanian) in Warren in 1908, and Holy Angels (Italian) in Barrington in 1913. In 1915 Holy Angels extended a mission church into Warren for Italian faithful, which was incorporated as St. Alexander's Church.
- 1908 — St. Casimir's (Polish-Lithuanian) founded in Warren
- 1913 — Holy Angels (Italian) erected in Barrington
- 1915 — Holy Angels mission in Warren incorporated as St. Alexander's
Parish History — 2023 Merger into St. Mary of the Bay
After years of declining sacramental practice — only three Baptisms, eight First Communions, 17 Confirmations, and three weddings between 2016 and 2022 — and roughly 60 registered households, Saint Alexander could no longer sustain independent parish life. At the request of pastors, trustees, and finance councils of both parishes, Bishop Richard G. Henning decreed the merger of Saint Alexander into St. Mary of the Bay effective July 7, 2023. All sacramental records were transferred to the St. Mary of the Bay parish office, where they are maintained per Canon 535.
- 2016–2022 sacramental totals: 3 Baptisms, 8 First Communions, 17 Confirmations, 3 weddings
- Approximately 60 registered households at time of merger
- Religious Education program already merged with St. Mary of the Bay prior to 2023
- Merger approved June 19, 2023; effective July 7, 2023
Social Outreach and Charitable Ministries
Through the merged parish, Saint Alexander worshipers participate in one of the most active social-ministry networks in the Diocese of Providence. In a single recent year the parish food pantry distributed 346,796 pounds of food, serving 9,228 individuals (an average of 794 people per month), and added 361 new households.
- St. Mary of the Bay Food Pantry — open Tuesdays 3–6 pm and Wednesdays 9–11 am
- Parish Outreach — rent, utilities, crisis intervention, budget counseling, substance-abuse referrals, employment guidance
- Mary's Closet — free clothing, shoes, and household items for pantry clients
- M25:35 — migrant and refugee resettlement ministry in partnership with the Diocese of Providence
- Saint Gabriel's Call — support for women and families facing problem pregnancies
Music and Liturgical Style
Saint Alexander's niche within the merged parish is its traditional worship style. While St. Mary of the Bay uses a contemporary blended-music approach with projected lyrics and Mass parts, Saint Alexander retains organ music, classic hymnody, and printed hymnals — making it the destination for parishioners who prefer a quieter, more contemplative Sunday liturgy.
- Traditional organ and choral music at Saint Alexander
- Printed hymnals and hymnbooks (no projected screens)
- Intimate worship space contrasting with the larger St. Mary of the Bay sanctuary
Faith Formation and Sacraments
Faith Formation, Religious Education, RCIA, and youth ministry for the combined parish are administered centrally at St. Mary of the Bay. Sacraments — Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick — are coordinated through the rectory at 645 Main Street.
- Faith Formation directed by Anne-Marie Ring
- Children and Youth Ministries directed by Milly Grieve
- Sacramental preparation and Sacramental records: St. Mary of the Bay Parish Office, 645 Main Street, Warren, RI