About St. Francis Xavier · Acushnet, Massachusetts
St. Francis Xavier Parish is the only Roman Catholic church in Acushnet, Massachusetts, a town in Bristol County on the South Coast. The parish serves a multi-generational Catholic community with a parish school (Preschool through Grade 8), a full schedule of Masses, regular Confession, and ongoing Eucharistic Adoration. It belongs to the Diocese of Fall River and is currently celebrating its centennial of the 1925 upper-church dedication. The parish is pastored by Fr. Ryan J. Healy, with a Deacon, a Director of Religious Education, and an Office Assistant on staff.
- Established
- 1915
- Patron
- St. Francis Xavier
- Rector
- Rev. Ryan J. Healy
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fall River
Why belong here
St. Francis Xavier is the only Roman Catholic church in Acushnet, making it a true parish church for the whole town — a place where multiple generations worship together. It combines the strengths of a historic 1925 Romanesque-style church, a thriving Pre-K–Grade 8 parish school, and a Eucharistic-centered devotional life that includes regular Confession, daily Mass, public Eucharistic Adoration, and a rosary after the daily 9am Mass. A robust Religious Education program (Family of Faith / Sophia Institute model), OCIA (formerly RCIA) for adults, an active St. Vincent de Paul Society serving local families and the food pantry at St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, a parish Prayer Line, and an Events Committee (which supports a school in Rwanda) give parishioners real ways to put faith into action. In its centennial year — 'Restored and Renewed for the Next Century' — it is a community with deep roots and a clear sense of mission.
Mass times at St. Francis Xavier
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 9:30–10:00 AM
- Saturday: 3:00–3:45 PM
- Monday: 5:30–6:30 PM
- First Friday: 6:45–7:15 PM
- Anytime by appointment
Adoration times
- Public Eucharistic Adoration is offered (Adoration is suspended from 8:45–9:30 AM except Wednesday); see the parish Adoration Schedule page for current hours.
Parish Overview & Centennial
St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet, Massachusetts, is marking '100 Years: 1925–2025 — Restored and Renewed for the Next Century.' The parish combines a historic 1925 Romanesque-style church with a Pre-K–Grade 8 Catholic school and a full sacramental and devotional life. As the only Roman Catholic church in Acushnet, it serves the entire town and is part of the Diocese of Fall River. Under the leadership of Fr. Ryan J. Healy, the parish is currently undertaking significant restoration work, including installing a historic high altar brought from a closed parish in the Fall River area. Daily Mass, frequent Confession, public Eucharistic Adoration and a Family-of-Faith Religious Education program anchor parish life.
- Founded 1915 as a parish; the upper church dedicated June 1925
- Only Catholic parish in Acushnet, MA
- Diocese of Fall River
- Pastored by Fr. Ryan J. Healy (administrator Aug 2021; pastor since Oct 2022)
Parish History & Architecture
The parish was born from a 1905 invitation by Bishop William Stang of Fall River to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Fathers Bernard Pierson and Charles DeBaetselier launched the Acushnet mission in 1906, celebrating Mass in a converted grain and feed store. The mission grew into a parish in 1915 under Father Seraphim Ooghe, SS.CC., and after a 1915 fire destroyed the chapel, a basement church was dedicated in 1916. By 1924 the parish needed a larger building, and architect Joseph I. Higgins of Fall River designed the present Romanesque-style red-brick, red-tile church, which was built over the existing basement and dedicated in June 1925.
- 1906 — Mission begins under Sacred Hearts Fathers in a grain and feed store
- 1911 — First chapel blessed by Bishop Daniel Feehan, January 1
- 1915 — Fire destroys the first church, Feb 2; mission becomes a parish April 7
- 1916 — Basement church dedicated April 9 by Bishop Feehan
- 1925 — Present Romanesque-style upper church dedicated in June
- 1965 — New modern school building opened
- 1966 — Sacred Hearts Fathers turn parish over to the Diocese of Fall River
- 1976 — New rectory built
- 2025 — Centennial of the 1925 dedication
Architecture of the Church
The current St. Francis Xavier Church was designed by Joseph I. Higgins of Fall River — the same architect who designed St. George Church in Westport — and built in 1924–25 over the 1916 basement at a cost of about $50,000. The parish's own history describes it as Romanesque in architecture. The Stations of the Cross from the original 1911 chapel were moved into the new upper church, and the bell tower has long housed a large bell. Recent restoration work for the centennial has included installing a historic high altar from a closed parish in the Fall River area.
- Architect: Joseph I. Higgins of Fall River
- Style: Romanesque (per the parish's own history)
- Materials: red brick with red tile roof
- Tower and large bell
- Stations of the Cross brought from the original 1911 chapel
St. Francis Xavier Elementary School
The parish school serves students from Preschool through Grade 8, with a recently added Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 program housed in the 'Small Wonders' early-childhood wing. The school shares its campus with the parish and celebrates Monday Masses together (weather permitting) along with First Friday and Holy Day liturgies; the school feast day honors St. Francis Xavier in December. Prayer punctuates the day — morning prayer over the intercom, Angelus / Regina Caeli at noon, examination of conscience at the end of the day — and Eucharistic Adoration is held in the school grotto on the first Tuesday of each month. Pastor Fr. Ryan Healy leads the school community; Haley Rogers was appointed principal effective July 1, 2023, and serves alongside Assistant Principal Anabela Shaughnessy. The school encourages daily faith practice as well as academic excellence and Catholic values throughout its Pre-K–Grade 8 program.
- Preschool (Pre-K3 and Pre-K4) through Grade 8
- Principal: Mrs. Haley Rogers (appointed July 1, 2023)
- Assistant Principal: Mrs. Anabela Shaughnessy
- Monday & First Friday school Masses
- First-Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration in the school grotto
- Patronal feast celebrated in December
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish's Religious Education program uses the Sophia Institute Family of Faith model — a family-based approach that recognizes parents as the first and most important teachers of the faith. Classes are held twice a month on Sunday mornings from 9:15 AM to 10:15 AM in the church basement, with parents required to attend the first monthly session and invited to a monthly Holy Hour during the second session. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation (2nd grade) and Confirmation (9th grade) is built into this program, with First Reconciliation celebrated in late January and First Holy Communion in May. Registration is $75 per family. For adult inquirers, OCIA (formerly RCIA) is offered for those seeking to become Catholic or baptized Catholics completing their sacraments.
- Family of Faith model (Sophia Institute)
- Classes 9:15–10:15 AM on Sundays, church basement
- First Reconciliation (January) and First Holy Communion (May) for 2nd graders
- Confirmation preparation for 9th graders
- OCIA / RCIA for adults and older students seeking full initiation
- Director: Mr. Phil Martin ([email protected], 774-473-5592)
Sacraments
The parish walks parishioners through the seven sacraments in the rhythm of parish life. Catechesis for First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation is built into the Religious Education / Family of Faith program with mandatory parent meetings in September, weekly attendance expectations, and a regional Confirmation retreat at St. Teresa of Calcutta in New Bedford. Other sacraments (Baptism, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick) are coordinated through the parish office, and adult initiation is handled through OCIA.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- First Reconciliation (2nd grade) — Sunday, January 25, 2026, 6:00 PM
- First Holy Communion (2nd grade) — Sunday, May 3, 2026, 2:00 PM (rehearsal Thursday, April 30, 2026)
- Confirmation (9th grade) — date set by Diocese of Fall River
- Matrimony — contact parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — contact parish office
- OCIA / RCIA — year-round inquiry, see parish page
Parish Apostolates & Outreach
St. Francis Xavier's parish apostolates put faith into practice locally and beyond. The St. Vincent de Paul Society operates a small parish food pantry, a holiday food program at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the Christmas 'Giving Tree' that supplies non-food gifts for clients; it also donates food to the larger pantry at St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford. The Events Committee plans the annual parish picnic, the March for Life bus trip, trips to shrines, talent shows and other social/fundraising events, and the parish has become a benefactor of a mission school in Rwanda, Africa. A lay Prayer Line lifts up the petitions of parishioners and offers thanksgiving for graces received.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — parish food pantry, holiday programs, Giving Tree
- Events Committee — parish picnic, March for Life, shrine trips, Rwanda mission school support
- Parish Prayer Line — intentions emailed to [email protected]
- All apostolate volunteers require a CORI check and CORI training
Clergy, Staff & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is led by Fr. Ryan J. Healy, a native of Attleboro who graduated from Bishop Feehan High School and Franciscan University of Steubenville before completing a B.A. in philosophy at Providence College and an M.Div. / STB at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, MA. He was ordained by Bishop Edgar da Cunha at St. Mary's Cathedral in Fall River on June 1, 2019, served as parochial vicar in Falmouth, and was assigned to St. Francis Xavier in August 2021, formally appointed pastor in October 2022. Deacon David B. Pepin assists at the parish; Mr. Phil Martin serves as Director of Religious Education; Mrs. Michelle Paul is Office Assistant; and Mr. Paul McKenna also appears on the staff listings. Fr. Healy is supported by Deacon Pepin and parish staff at the 125 Main Street parish office.
- Fr. Ryan J. Healy — Pastor (ordained June 1, 2019; pastor here since Oct 2022)
- Deacon David B. Pepin
- Mr. Phil Martin — Director of Religious Education
- Mrs. Michelle Paul — Office Assistant
- Mr. Paul McKenna — parish staff
Sacred Hearts Heritage
From 1906 until 1966 — and formally concluding in 1996 — St. Francis Xavier was served by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SS.CC.), a community with roots in revolutionary France (founded on Christmas Eve, 1800). Their legacy is visible in every stone of the church and school. French-Canadian millworkers and their families formed the original congregation, and the SS.CC. fathers shaped the parish's strong Eucharistic, devotional and educational identity that continues today.
- Founded the mission in 1906 (Fathers Pierson and DeBaetselier)
- First pastor: Fr. Seraphim Ooghe, SS.CC. (1915)
- Invited Dominican Sisters to teach in 1922 (Fr. Andrew Lariviere)
- Turned the parish over to the Diocese of Fall River in 1966
Visit, Contact & Directions
The parish church stands prominently at the top of Main Street's hill at its main intersection — a visible landmark in Acushnet. Office hours are Monday 9:30 AM–1:00 PM, Wednesday 9:30 AM–12:00 PM, and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday by appointment. From Route 140, take Exit 4 (King's Highway / Acushnet), head east and continue about 2½ miles as the road becomes Tarkiln Hill Road and then Main Street.
- Address: 125 Main Street, Acushnet, MA 02743
- Office hours: Mon 9:30 AM–1:00 PM; Wed 9:30 AM–12:00 PM; Tue/Thu/Fri by appointment
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Religious Education: [email protected], 774-473-5592
- From Route 140: Exit 4 east, continue ~2.5 miles to Main Street intersection
- Bulletin, daily readings, ministry schedule, calendar and online giving are linked from the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Seraphim Ooghe, SS.CC.1915–
First pastor when the mission was elevated to a parish on April 7, 1915; oversaw completion of the basement church dedicated April 9, 1916.
- Fr. Andrew Lariviere, SS.CC.
At his request the Dominican Sisters arrived and began teaching in 1922 in Quonset huts beside the church.
- Fr. Alexis Wygers, SS.CC.1953–1963
Began raising $250,000 for a new parish school; the modern school building opened in 1965.
- Sacred Hearts Fathers (general)1906–1966/1996
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SS.CC.) ran the parish from 1906; the parish was turned over to the Diocese of Fall River in 1966, and the congregation formally concluded its service in 1996.
- Fr. Paul Caron1996–2000
First diocesan priest to serve as pastor.
- Rev. Richard Beaulieu2000–April 18, 2001
Succeeded Fr. Caron.
- Rev. Daniel W. LacroixApril 18, 2001–2008
His first pastorate; oversaw property improvements and continued development of ministries.
- Msgr. Gerard O'Connor2008–2017
Developed the parish's liturgical, spiritual and social life.
- Fr. Riley Williams2017–2021
Continued renewal of parish facilities and development of parish life.
- Rev. Ryan J. HealyAugust 2021–present
Arrived as parochial administrator in August 2021; appointed pastor in October 2022. Currently leading the parish's centennial year and restoration project.