About St. Joseph · Fitchburg, Massachusetts
St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic parish located at 49 Woodland Street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, founded in 1890 as a French-Canadian parish within the Diocese of Worcester. According to its published mission statement, the parish is 'a community of Roman Catholics established within the Diocese of Worcester,' nourished by Word and Sacrament, and dedicated to welcoming, evangelizing, and serving 'all whom we encounter, especially the poor.' A frequently invoked parish motto is 'In addition to many hearts . . . a parish needs many hands,' and the parish also keeps the invocation 'St. Joseph and Our Lady of LaSalette pray for us.' Today it offers weekend and weekday Masses in English, with confession on Saturday afternoons.
- Established
- 1890
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Diocese
- Diocese of Worcester
Why belong here
St. Joseph Parish is a long-standing Fitchburg Catholic community where worship is offered in a welcoming, intimate setting — three Sunday Masses (7:00, 9:00, and 11:00 AM), a 4:00 PM Saturday Vigil, and a simple Monday–Thursday 8:00 AM daily Mass, with Saturday confession from 3:15–4:00 PM. Newcomers are explicitly invited to register by calling the parish office, and the parish's mission statement commits members to welcoming, evangelizing, and especially serving the poor — including a parish Clothes Closet and a Prayer Shawl Ministry. The parish also partners with the wider community, hosting events such as American Red Cross blood drives in its parish hall.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM (in the church)
- By appointment (call the parish office)
Welcome to St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic community in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, founded in 1890 within the Diocese of Worcester. The parish's homepage offers a direct welcome: 'In addition to many hearts . . . a parish needs many hands,' and new parishioners are invited to register by calling the parish office at (978) 345-7997. The parish's mission statement — published on its home page — commits it to being nourished by Word and Sacrament, attentive to the Holy Spirit, and dedicated to welcoming, evangelizing, and serving all whom it encounters, especially the poor.
- Founded 1890
- Diocese of Worcester
- Motto: 'St. Joseph and Our Lady of LaSalette pray for us.'
- New parishioner registration: (978) 345-7997
Mission Statement
As published on the parish website: 'St. Joseph Parish is a community of Roman Catholics established within the Diocese of Worcester. Nourished through Word and Sacrament, we are grateful to the Father, are attentive to the Holy Spirit and follow Our Lord Jesus Christ. We give witness to our participation in the Body of Christ by welcoming, evangelizing, and serving all whom we encounter, especially the poor.'
Devotions
The parish prays the Rosary each weekday (Monday–Thursday) at 7:30 AM, before the 8:00 AM Mass. The parish motto also invokes 'Our Lady of LaSalette,' reflecting its historical ties to the Missionaries of La Salette and to the Marian apparition of La Salette.
- Rosary, Mon–Thu, 7:30 AM
- Marian devotion to Our Lady of LaSalette
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph was founded in 1890 in Fitchburg at the height of French-Canadian immigration to New England; local histories note Fitchburg was home to roughly 10,000 French-Canadians in this era. The parish was long served by the Missionaries of La Salette (M.S.), and its first half-century was documented in the 1940 commemorative volume 'La Paroisse St-Joseph — Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Historique 1890–1940,' written in French by Rev. Joseph Emile Plante, M.S.
- Founded 1890 for Fitchburg's French-Canadian community
- Long staffed by Missionaries of La Salette (M.S.)
- 1940: 'La Paroisse St-Joseph' history published by Rev. Joseph Emile Plante, M.S.
- Rev. Simon Forestier, M.S. — arrived in Fitchburg from Vernet, France, in 1926
- 1893: 'French Parochial School Case' in the Fitchburg Sentinel
- St. Joseph Church Drum Corps active in earlier decades
- St. Camille Society founded under patronage of Father Triquet
Parish Ministries & Outreach
In keeping with its mission of welcoming, evangelizing, and serving the poor, St. Joseph Parish runs several outreach and prayer ministries. The parish publishes its full activities calendar in its weekly bulletin and on its website.
- Prayer Shawl Ministry — 10:00 AM to noon, 1st Saturday of each month (Holy Rosary Campus)
- Clothes Closet — 9:00 AM to noon (Holy Rosary Campus)
- Parish Hall used for community events, e.g. American Red Cross blood drives
- Online Giving through stjosephfitchburg.churchgiving.com
Sacraments
St. Joseph Parish celebrates the regular sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. The Eucharist is offered at all scheduled Masses (see Mass Times section). Confession is scheduled Saturdays 3:15–4:00 PM and by appointment. For Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and other sacramental needs, parishioners are directed to call the parish office at (978) 345-7997.
- Eucharist — daily and Sunday Masses
- Penance — Saturdays 3:15–4:00 PM and by appointment
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — by contacting the parish office
Parish Life & Community Events
The parish hall at 49 Woodland Street has hosted community gatherings such as Red Cross blood drives (organized with parish coordinator Dottie Concannon), and the parish has historically hosted social and fraternal organizations like the St. Camille Society and the St. Joseph Church Drum Corps. The parish's weekly bulletin is the primary vehicle for announcing upcoming events and is posted online via the parish website.
- Weekly bulletin posted on parish website
- Parish hall available for community events
- Historical organizations: St. Camille Society, St. Joseph Church Drum Corps
Visiting & Contact
St. Joseph Parish is located at 49 Woodland Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420. The parish office can be reached by phone at (978) 345-7997, and by email at [email protected]. Online giving is available at https://stjosephfitchburg.churchgiving.com. Visitors and new parishioners are warmly welcomed.
- Address: 49 Woodland Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420
- Phone: (978) 345-7997
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stjosephfitchburg.org
- Online Giving: stjosephfitchburg.churchgiving.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Emile Plante, M.S.
La Salette Missionary who authored the parish history 'La Paroisse St-Joseph, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Historique 1890–1940' (published September 1940).
- Rev. Simon Forestier, M.S.
La Salette Missionary; born Dec. 28, 1875 in Vernet, France; came to St. Joseph Church in Fitchburg in 1926.
- Father Triquet
Referenced as the priest under whose patronage the parish's St. Camille Society was named.