About St. Aloysius-St. Jude · Leicester, Massachusetts
St. Aloysius–St. Jude Parish is a small Catholic community in Leicester, Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Worcester. The parish unites the historic St. Aloysius church in Rochdale with the newer St. Jude Chapel on Pleasant Street, and most of its liturgies are now celebrated at the St. Jude Chapel site at 489 Pleasant Street. Pastor Father Jack Lizewski leads a community that worships with Saturday Vigil and Sunday morning Masses, weekday daily Mass, and a Saturday confession schedule in the heart of central Massachusetts.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- St. Aloysius (Gonzaga) and St. Jude (Thaddaeus)
- Rector
- Father Jack Lizewski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts
Why belong here
St. Aloysius–St. Jude is a small, hometown Catholic community in central Massachusetts where members know each other by name. Father Jack Lizewski pastors the parish personally, walking engaged couples through pre-marriage counseling, preparing second graders for First Reconciliation, and arranging baptisms, weddings, and funerals through the Rectory. Worship is intimate and faithful to the Roman Rite — Saturday Vigil and Sunday morning Mass, weekday daily Mass, Saturday confession, and the full round of Holy Week, Christmas, and Holy Day liturgies — and the parish takes part in diocesan appeals like Partners in Charity and the Legacy of Hope. It is a quiet, generous community in which to belong.
Mass times at St. Aloysius-St. Jude
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM (before the Vigil Mass, except the Saturday of the Easter Vigil)
- By appointment — call the Rectory at (508) 892-8296
About the Parish
St. Aloysius–St. Jude Parish is a small Catholic community in Leicester, Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Worcester. The parish unites the historic St. Aloysius church in the village of Rochdale with the newer St. Jude Chapel on Pleasant Street, and most Masses and ministries are run out of the 489 Pleasant Street address. Pastor Father Jack Lizewski describes the parish as a community committed to honoring and glorifying God by imitating Jesus Christ and building, in love, the Body of Christ — and as a 'small hometown community' where members know one another and work together for the fulfillment of His kingdom on Earth.
- Diocese of Worcester, Central Massachusetts
- Mailing address: 489 Pleasant St, Leicester, MA 01524
- Pastor: Father Jack Lizewski
- Parish phone: (508) 892-8296
History of St. Aloysius–St. Jude
Catholic life in Leicester goes back to the 1830s, when the first Irish and German Catholic immigrants settled in town. The first Mass in Leicester was offered in 1848 in the home of Patrick Hayden on Water Street, celebrated by a priest from Worcester. In 1855, on land donated by Michael Kraft, the community dedicated its first church — not to St. Joseph as originally planned, but to St. Polycarp. Within about fifteen years the building was outgrown; it was moved to the village of Rochdale, where it survives today as St. Aloysius Church. The rechristened St. Aloysius parish then fostered its own mission church, St. Jude's, to serve the Catholics of the new Dawn Acres development off Pleasant Street. In 1989, while other Leicester parishes were being 'clustered' by the Diocese to deal with a shortage of priests, St. Aloysius/St. Jude chose to remain a single parish — and most of its services are now held in the newer St. Jude Chapel.
- 1848 — first Mass in Leicester, in Patrick Hayden's home on Water Street
- 1855 — first Catholic church in Leicester dedicated (as St. Polycarp); Michael Kraft donated land and the first gift
- Original 1855 building moved to Rochdale and rechristened St. Aloysius Church
- St. Aloysius parish established St. Jude's as a mission church for the Dawn Acres neighborhood
- 1989 — declined to join the St. Joseph's / St. Pius X clustering; continues as a single parish
Liturgical Year — Holy Week, Christmas, and Holy Days
The parish publishes a full schedule of special liturgies so that families can plan around the central feasts of the year. Holy Week includes Mass on Holy Thursday, Good Friday liturgy, the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, and two Easter Sunday Masses. Christmas has a 4:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass and a 9:00 AM Mass on Christmas Day. New Year's runs from a 7:00 PM New Year's Eve Mass to a 9:00 AM Mass on January 1.
- Holy Thursday: 7:00 PM
- Good Friday: 7:00 PM
- Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil): 7:00 PM
- Easter Sunday: 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM
- Ascension Thursday: 9:00 AM
- Christmas Eve: 4:00 PM
- Christmas Day: 9:00 AM
- New Year's Eve: 7:00 PM
- New Year's Day: 9:00 AM
- Feast of the Assumption: 9:00 AM
- All Saints' Day: 9:00 AM
- All Hallows' Eve: 7:00 PM
Sacraments
Father Jack Lizewski personally ministers most of the sacraments at the parish. Families seeking baptism, engaged couples planning a wedding, and those arranging a funeral Mass all begin by calling the Rectory. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation is coordinated with the Religious Education Program for second graders.
- Baptism — contact Father Jack at the Rectory
- First Reconciliation — annual, with 2nd-grade Religious Education students
- Marriage — speak with Father Jack early for availability and pre-marriage counseling
- Reconciliation — Saturdays 3:30–4:15 PM or by appointment
- Funeral Mass — coordinated with the family through their Funeral Home
Religious Education
St. Aloysius–St. Jude runs a parish Religious Education Program that culminates each year in the celebration of First Reconciliation with the second-grade class. The program is the parish's primary vehicle for forming children in the faith and preparing them to receive the sacraments.
- Religious Education Program for parish children
- Annual First Reconciliation with 2nd-grade students
Support the Parish
The parish sustains its work through weekly donation envelopes and direct contributions, alongside participation in two diocesan appeals. Sign-up for parish envelopes is available through the Rectory, and Father Jack welcomes direct gifts. The parish also takes part in the Diocese of Worcester's Partners in Charity Annual Appeal (supporting diocesan Charity, Education, and Ministry) and the Legacy of Hope Capital Campaign, which benefits both the diocese and the parish.
- Weekly donation envelopes — sign up through the Rectory
- Direct contributions — contact Father Jack
- Partners in Charity Annual Appeal (Diocese of Worcester)
- Legacy of Hope Capital Campaign (Diocese of Worcester)
Contact and Parish Rectory
The parish Rectory is the hub for all enquiries. Families and visitors can call (508) 892-8296, email [email protected], or use the contact form on the website. Rectory hours are Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Saturday–Sunday from 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM. The parish notes that Father Jack is away from the parish on his days off from Thursday at 10:00 AM through Saturday at 1:00 PM, and families planning a funeral Mass are asked to keep that schedule in mind when calling.
- Parish Rectory: 489 Pleasant St, Leicester, MA 01524
- Telephone: (508) 892-8296
- Email: [email protected]
- Hours: Monday–Friday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Saturday–Sunday 11:00 AM – 10:30 PM
- Father Jack's day off: Thursday 10:00 AM – Saturday 1:00 PM
Bulletins and Schedules
The Bulletins and Schedules page is the parish's central source for up-to-date liturgy information. It lists the current weekly Mass schedule, the upcoming special-date schedule, and downloadable PDFs of recent bulletins. The page consistently includes the full Holy Week, Christmas, and Holy Day calendar so that parishioners and visitors can plan around the parish year.
- Weekly Mass schedule
- Holy Week, Christmas, New Year's, Ascension, Assumption, All Saints', All Hallows' schedule
- Downloadable parish bulletins