About St. Andrew the Apostle Mission · Worcester, Massachusetts
St. Andrew the Apostle Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church located at 5 Spaulding Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, operated in close partnership with St. Peter Parish on Main Street. Within the Diocese of Worcester, the mission shares its pastoral team, website, and office with St. Peter Parish under Pastor Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Scollen and Father José A. Rodríguez. Its most distinctive feature is the weekly African Catholic Community Mass celebrated on Sundays at 11:30 AM, which gathers worshippers from across central Massachusetts and is broadcast live online. The parish website also coordinates an active outreach program, including a free weekly medical clinic, food pantry, elder outreach, immigration services, and Catholic Charities partnerships, all radiating from the St. Peter / St. Andrew campus.
- Patron
- St. Andrew the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Scollen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts
Why belong here
Worshippers come to St. Andrew the Apostle Mission for its vibrant African Catholic Community Sunday Mass, where the faithful from more than ten countries pray with African song, dance and devotion in the heart of Worcester. The mission is paired with St. Peter's extensive outreach — including a free weekly medical clinic, food pantry, elder outreach, and immigration/housing services — giving parishioners concrete ways to put faith into action. Visitors will find Mass celebrated in English, Spanish, and African-tradition English, alongside a children's Sunday school and a live-streamed broadcast that connects the community far beyond Worcester.
Mass times at St. Andrew the Apostle Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM at St. Peter Parish (Main St.) — serves St. Andrew the Apostle Mission
- Wednesday 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (Spanish) at St. Peter Parish — serves St. Andrew the Apostle Mission
Adoration times
- First Thursday of the month, 6:00 PM — Adoration and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the Rosary, then Mass, celebrated by the African Catholic Community at St. Andrew the Apostle Mission
Mission and Parish Identity
St. Andrew the Apostle Mission operates as a Catholic mission of St. Peter Parish in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Worcester. Both parishes share one pastor, Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Scollen, one website (stpeters-standrews.faith), and one rectory office. The mission gives the combined parish a second worship site — 5 Spaulding Street — best known for the African Catholic Community's Sunday Mass and for being the spiritual home of African-tradition worship in central Massachusetts.
- Mission church of St. Peter Parish
- Diocese of Worcester
- Pastor: Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Scollen
- Parochial Vicar/Associate: Father José A. Rodríguez
- Assisting Priest: Rev. Fr. Enoch Kyeremateng
- Three deacons (two active, one retired)
The African Catholic Community at St. Andrew
The African Catholic Community (ACC) of the Diocese of Worcester has made St. Andrew the Apostle Mission its home church. The community describes its mission as giving 'space, place and expression for an African way of worship, prayer and spirituality' and helping integrate African Catholic immigrants into the wider Church while honoring their cultural heritage of song, dance, and tradition. Members trace their origins to countries across sub-Saharan Africa, alongside African-Americans, and gather for the live-broadcast Sunday Mass each week.
- Weekly Sunday Mass at 11:30 AM at St. Andrew's (broadcast live)
- First Thursday of the month, 6:00 PM — Adoration, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Rosary, then Mass
- Sunday Catholic School for children ages 4–7, downstairs in the hall
- Countries represented: USA, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana
- Founding community of the diocesan African Ministry
- Source communities: Ghana Catholic Ministry (at St. Joan of Arc, Worcester) and Upendo Catholic Ministry (at St. Anthony of Padua, Fitchburg)
Clergy and Staff
The mission is pastored by the combined St. Peter / St. Andrew team, including two priests, an assisting priest who is closely tied to the African Catholic Community, three deacons, and parish administrative support. The pastor's office is reached through the shared St. Peter rectory on Main Street.
- Pastor — Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Scollen
- Father José A. Rodríguez
- Assisting Priest — Rev. Fr. Enoch Kyeremateng
- Deacon George Estremera
- Deacon Peter Nguyen
- Deacon Robert Dio (retired)
- Administrative Assistants — Katherine and Heidi
- African Choir Director — Michael Mbowa
- Spanish Choir Directors — Salvadora Ocasio and Lisbel Valdes Ocasio
- Pastor email via: [email protected]
- Parish email: [email protected]
Outreach and Charitable Works
The combined St. Peter / St. Andrew parish runs one of Worcester's most extensive Catholic outreach operations, with services radiating from the Main Street campus but serving the entire combined community. A free medical clinic is the flagship program, drawing uninsured adults from across the city for Thursday-evening primary care.
- St. Peter's Free Medical Program — Thursdays 6:00–8:00 PM, Parish Hall (closed July 2)
- Food pantry and ELS (English Language) class at 929 Main Street
- Elder Outreach
- Urban Missionaries
- Immigration Services / Housing Initiative
- Catholic Charities partnership
- Volunteers welcomed — call the rectory office to sign up
History of St. Andrew the Apostle, Worcester
Long before it was a mission, St. Andrew the Apostle existed as an independent Catholic parish serving Worcester. Diocesan records show priests assigned to it as early as the 1970s–80s, and that on June 29, 1990 Rev. James F. Carmody was formally named its pastor. The current structure — St. Andrew the Apostle as a mission of St. Peter Parish, sharing pastors and offices — emerged after Father Carmody was named pastor of St. Peter on July 1, 2006 and the two communities progressively unified their staffs. In recent years the mission has taken on a new identity as the home of the African Catholic Community's diocesan ministry, while retaining its historic name and 5 Spaulding Street location.
- Pre-1984: Rev. John E. Horgan served as associate pastor
- June 29, 1990: Rev. James F. Carmody named pastor of St. Andrew Parish
- July 1, 2006: Father Carmody transferred to St. Peter Parish, beginning the merger of staff
- Today: Mission of St. Peter Parish under Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Scollen
- Recent years: Home of the African Catholic Community Sunday Mass
Visit, Contact and Get Involved
St. Andrew the Apostle Mission welcomes visitors and new parishioners — especially anyone wishing to attend the African Catholic Community's Sunday Mass. The easiest first step is to call the rectory office (St. Peter's main campus, 929 Main Street) or send a message to the shared parish email; office staff can also connect interested adults with the African Choir, the Spanish Choir, the free medical clinic, or sacramental preparation.
- Mission address: 5 Spaulding Street, Worcester, MA 01603
- Mission phone: (508) 754-6057
- Parish office (St. Peter's): 929 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610 — (508) 752-4674
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stpeters-standrews.faith
- Sign up for parish Flocknote text alerts via the website
- Follow on Facebook (search: St. Peter St. Andrew parishes)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. John E. Horganbefore Oct. 1, 1984
Served as associate pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Worcester before being named pastor of St. John Parish, East Brookfield on Oct. 1, 1984.
- Rev. James F. CarmodyJune 29, 1990 – June 30, 2006
Named pastor of St. Andrew Parish, Worcester on June 29, 1990; transferred to become pastor of St. Peter Parish on July 1, 2006, beginning the merger of the two parishes' staffs.
- Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Scollen
Current pastor of the combined St. Peter Parish / St. Andrew the Apostle Mission.