About St. Benedict · Somerville, Massachusetts
Saint Benedict Parish is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in East Somerville, Massachusetts, in the Archdiocese of Boston. Founded in 1911 to serve the largely immigrant Catholic population of the city's eastern neighborhoods, the parish today is pastored by Fr. Alejandro López-Cardinale and ministers to a predominantly Spanish-speaking community alongside a devoted core of long-time parishioners. Worship is offered in both English and Spanish throughout the week, and the parish is known in the archdiocese for its welcoming spirit, its immigrant heritage, and its continuing investment in its church building (a recent round of renovations included new floors, a new pulpit, and a new confessional, blessed by Cardinal Seán O'Malley in late 2022).
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- St. Benedict of Nursia
- Rector
- Rev. Alejandro López-Cardinale
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Benedict is one of the most welcoming bilingual parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston: every Mass is offered in English and Spanish, with a bilingual homily at the Spanish weekday Mass, and the parish maintains a robust devotional life of daily Rosary, Vespers, and Eucharistic Adoration. It carries a 110+ year tradition of welcoming immigrants — first waves of European newcomers, today Spanish-speaking families from across Latin America — and remains a tight-knit, multigenerational community in East Somerville where catechesis, music, outreach, and the sacraments are all integrated into parish life.
Mass times at St. Benedict
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (bilingual)
- Saturday: 3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. (bilingual)
- Saturday: 5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. (bilingual)
Adoration times
- Every Thursday: 4:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
- Every First Friday of the month: 4:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
History of Saint Benedict Parish
St. Benedict Parish was established in 1911 in East Somerville as part of the great wave of parish-building under Cardinal William Henry O'Connell, the first Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, who was elevated to the cardinalate in the very same year. The new parish was carved out of older Somerville parishes — the Patronage of St. Joseph (Union Square), St. Ann (Winter Hill) and St. Catherine of Genoa (Spring Hill) — to serve the rapidly growing Catholic population of the eastern part of the city. Archdiocesan baptism and marriage registers from 1911 onward have been preserved and are searchable through the American Ancestors / NEHGS partnership with the Archdiocese of Boston.
- Founded 1911 in East Somerville
- Cardinal O'Malley celebrated the Centennial Mass in May 2011
- Parish centenary honored longtime minister Sister Stephen Marie, SSJ
- Mayor Joseph Curtatone presented a citation for the centenary
- December 2022: Cardinal O'Malley blessed church renovations (new floors, new pulpit, new confessional)
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is pastored by Fr. Alejandro López-Cardinale, who is assisted by Fr. Hilary Ogonna Nwainya (in residence) and Deacon José B. Torres. The lay staff supports a bilingual mission across evangelization, music, finance, archives, and the parish office.
- Rev. Alejandro López-Cardinale — Pastor / Párroco
- Rev. Hilary Ogonna Nwainya — in residence / en residencia
- José B. Torres — Deacon / Diácono
- Claudia Pleitez — Evangelization & Ministries Director / Directora de Evangelización y Ministerios
- Yessenia López — Business Manager / Directora de finanzas
- Mary Fuller — Volunteer Secretary / Secretaria voluntaria
- Nancy Silva — Sexton & Archives / Archivos & sacristía
- Mariangela Gominho — Music Director / Directora de musica
Horario de Misas (Español)
Las misas en español se celebran todos los días de la semana, con una homilía bilingüe en la misa diaria de la noche. El miércoles se ofrece Liturgia de la Palabra con Comunión.
- Lunes a viernes: 7:00 p.m. (Español)
- Sábado: 4:00 p.m. (Inglés)
- Sábado: 6:00 p.m. (Español)
- Domingo: 9:00 a.m. (Inglés)
- Domingo: 11:00 a.m. (Español)
- Domingo: 1:00 p.m. (Español)
Devotions & Other Services
Each weekday before the evening Mass the parish prays the Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours, and on Sundays a bilingual catechesis session precedes the 11:00 a.m. Spanish Mass.
- Holy Rosary — Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri at 5:50 p.m.
- Vespers — Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri at 6:30 p.m.
- Bilingual Catechesis (Sunday) — 9:15 a.m., followed by 11:00 a.m. Mass
- Annual St. Benedict Festivity / 'A Mile with Jesus'
Ministries & Parish Life
Saint Benedict runs an integrated bilingual ministry program led by a full-time Evangelization & Ministries Director and supported by parish musicians, deacons, sacristan/archives staff, and volunteer leadership.
- Evangelization & Ministries (Claudia Pleitez)
- Music Ministry (Mariangela Gominho)
- Deacon service (Deacon José B. Torres)
- Bilingual catechesis on Sundays
- Sexton & Archives (Nancy Silva)
- Parish Office / Volunteer Secretary (Mary Fuller)
Annual St. Benedict Festivity
The parish celebrates its patron, St. Benedict of Nursia (feast day July 11), with an annual festivity featuring 'A Mile with Jesus' — a parish tradition that brings the community together around their patron saint.
- Patron: St. Benedict of Nursia
- Feast Day: July 11
- Event: 'A Mile with Jesus' — annual parish celebration
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or email, and may find the church at 25 Arlington Street in East Somerville. Some directories also list 21 Hathorn Street, Somerville, MA 02145 as the mailing address.
- Address: 25 Arlington Street, Somerville, MA 02145-3342
- Mailing: 21 Hathorn Street, Somerville, MA 02145
- Phone: (617) 625-0029
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stbenedictps.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Robert 'Bob' Carr (Fr. Bob Carr)at least through 2011
Pastored the parish at the time of the 2011 Centennial Mass; Cardinal Seán credited him in his blog with doing 'an extraordinary job,' developing technology to transmit videos of weddings, funerals, First Communions and other events back to the home countries of the immigrant community.
- Rev. Alejandro López-Cardinaleat least through 2022
Current pastor; co-concelebrated the blessing of the 2022 church renovations with Cardinal O'Malley and Fr. Nicanor.
- Fr. Nicanorat least 2022
Concelebrated with Cardinal O'Malley at the blessing of the 2022 renovations.