About St. Joseph · Lynn, Massachusetts
St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) parish serving the city of Lynn, Massachusetts, on the North Shore of Boston. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Boston and worships across two chapels — the Upper Church and Mater Dei Chapel — at 115 Union Street. The parish is led by Very Rev. Pablo Gomis, VF, and is the spiritual home of a large Latino/Hispanic Catholic community, a Neocatechumenal Way community, and several Spanish-language prayer groups. With four Sunday Masses, daily Mass in English and Spanish, Eucharistic Adoration, and an active Religious Education program, it functions as a vibrant, multicultural parish rooted in the city's immigrant Catholic life.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Very Rev. Pablo Gomis, VF
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Joseph is the right parish for Catholics who want a bilingual, multicultural community centered on the Eucharist. It offers daily Mass in both English and Spanish, a strong Neocatechumenal Way community, weekly Eucharistic Adoration Tuesday through Thursday at noon, two regular confession hours (Monday and Friday evenings), and a robust schedule of Spanish-language prayer movements — Renovación Carismática, Legión de María, Lazos de Amor Mariano, Cofradía San José, and a youth group — alongside religious education for children. The parish's pastoral motto, very visible across its bilingual bulletins, is to be a welcoming home where immigrant Catholics and their neighbors encounter Christ together.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM (Upper Church)
- Friday 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM (Upper Church)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Tuesday 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Saint Joseph's Chapel / Capilla San José)
- Wednesday 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Saint Joseph's Chapel)
- Thursday 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Saint Joseph's Chapel)
Welcome & Parish Identity
St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church describes itself in a single bilingual greeting — 'Welcome, Bienvenidos!' — that sets the tone for everything else. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Boston, sits in the heart of Lynn's Union Street neighborhood, and worships out of two chapels: the Upper Church (the main English-language worship space) and Mater Dei Chapel in the lower church. Both chapels share the address 115 Union Street, Lynn, MA 01902. The pastoral staff rotates through the parish's weekly column 'From the Pastor's Pen,' published in the bilingual parish bulletin and signed by 'Father Pablo.'
- Parish name: St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church
- Archdiocese of Boston
- Main campus: 115 Union Street, Lynn, MA 01902
- Bilingual welcome: 'Welcome, Bienvenidos!'
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Very Rev. Pablo Gomis, VF, as pastor, with two parochial vicars — Rev. Giovanni Argote (a priest of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary originally from Valledupar, Colombia) and Rev. Maciej Araszkiewicz — and a student priest in residence, Rev. Keni Philomin Raj Santhiah. Lay staff include two parish secretaries (Mrs. Carmen Ortiz in the mornings, Mrs. Magaly Mazariegos in the afternoons), Religious Education coordinators (Mrs. Edith Azucena Marin, and Mrs. Janet Rodriguez on the office side), and Business Manager Mrs. Renata Mendes of Resolution Accountancy Inc. Volunteer Mrs. Geoconda Yanez assists in the parish office in the mornings.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Pablo Gomis, VF
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Giovanni Argote
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Maciej Araszkiewicz
- Student Priest in Residence: Rev. Keni Philomin Raj Santhiah
- Parish Secretary (AM): Mrs. Carmen Ortiz
- Parish Secretary (PM): Mrs. Magaly Mazariegos
- Parish Office Volunteer (AM): Mrs. Geoconda Yanez
- Religious Education Coordinator: Mrs. Edith Azucena Marin
- Parish Secretary / Rel. Education: Mrs. Janet Rodriguez
- Business Manager: Mrs. Renata Mendes (Resolution Accountancy Inc.)
Pastoral Work, Prayer Groups & Music Ministries
The parish's 'Pastoral Work' page lists more than a dozen active prayer communities and ministries, most meeting weekly in the Parish Center, Saint Joseph's Chapel, or Mater Dei Chapel. Together they form the rhythm of parish life outside of Mass — youth fellowship, charismatic prayer, Marian devotion, and Spanish- and English-language choirs.
- Neocatechumenal Way (Camino Neocatecumenal) — Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday (Parish Center and Mater Dei Chapel); 1st community: Juan & Reyna Franco
- Coro San José (Spanish Choir) — Friday 7:00 PM, Mater Dei Chapel; Coordinator Freddy Esteban
- English Choir — Sunday 10:00 AM, Upper Church; Coordinator Mary-Jean Distefano
- Youth Group 'Servidores de Cristo' — Monday 7:30 PM, Parish Center Guadalupe Room; Coordinator Yeverson
- Grupo de Oración Misioneros de Cristo — Monday 7:00 PM, Parish Center
- Legión de María — Monday 7:00 PM, San Miguel Arcángel (Parish Center); Coordinator Ana Silvia Rios
- Grupo de Intercesión Cristo Sacerdote — Monday 8:00 PM, Mater Dei Chapel; Coordinator David Pérez
- Renovación Carismática Misioneros de Cristo — Friday 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM, Mater Dei Chapel; Coordinator Freddy Esteban (781-479-6432)
- Cofradía San José — First Friday of the month, 6:00 PM, Upper Church; Coordinator Padre Pablo
- Grupo Santísima Trinidad — Tuesday 7:00 PM, Parish Center; Coordinator César Fernández
- Lazos de Amor Mariano — Friday 7:30 PM, Capilla San José; Coordinator Daylin Dominguez
- Misioneros de María Inmaculada — Wednesday 6:30 AM, Saint Joseph's Chapel; Coordinator Amparo Marin
- Grupo Nazaret — Coordinator Alejandro Chilel
- Our Lady of Guadalupe prayer group — Monday 7:00 PM, Parish Center; Coordinator Vanessa Zapet
- Talleres de Oración y Vida — Coordinator Silvia Inca
- Eunilda Victoriano and José Pérez — listed coordinators
Religious Education (Educación Religiosa)
Religious Education classes for children are coordinated by Mrs. Edith Azucena Marin (and assisted in the office by Mrs. Janet Rodriguez). The Religious Education Office at 781-599-7040 is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Spanish-speaking parents can register children for the parish's ongoing faith-formation program, which prepares students for the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.
- Religious Education Coordinator: Mrs. Edith Azucena Marin
- Office hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Office phone: (781) 599-7040
- Office support: Mrs. Janet Rodriguez
Sacraments
The parish's Sacraments page lists four sacraments with their practical arrangements. Baptisms are scheduled on the last Saturday of the month and require a Baptismal Preparation talk (held on a Friday beforehand). Confessions are heard twice weekly without appointment; other times are by arrangement. Weddings require at least six months of advance notice, and the Anointing of the Sick is available by contacting a priest or the parish office.
- Baptism — last Saturday of the month (Baptismal Preparation talk required)
- Confession — Monday 5:00–6:30 PM, Friday 5:00–6:30 PM, or by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — contact a priest or the Parish Office
- Marriage — contact the rectory at least six months in advance
Parish Campus & Buildings
St. Joseph's operates out of several connected buildings in Lynn's Green Street / Union Street neighborhood. The main church (Upper Church) and Mater Dei Chapel share the 115 Union Street address; the Rectory is across the street at 40 Green Street; the Parish Center and Saint Joseph's Chapel (in the former convent) are at 43 Green Street; and the Parish Office and Parish Hall occupy 29 Green Street. The Parish Office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
- 115 Union Street — Main Church / Upper Church / Mater Dei Chapel
- 40 Green Street — Rectory
- 43 Green Street — Parish Center & Saint Joseph's Chapel (ex convent)
- 29 Green Street — Parish Office & Parish Hall
- Parish Office Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
History of the Parish
St. Joseph Parish traces its origins to 1875, when it was carved out of St. Mary (Lynn) — the mother Catholic parish of Lynn — to serve the city's growing Catholic population. The cornerstone of the first church was laid on July 4, 1875; construction was completed a decade later, and Archbishop John Joseph Williams formally dedicated the church on June 21, 1885. Williams had just become Boston's first archbishop in February of that same year. Surviving sacramental registers — baptisms from 1874, confirmations from 1877, and marriages from 1874 — are now part of the Archdiocese of Boston archives and have been digitized in partnership with American Ancestors. In the early twentieth century St. Joseph's also functioned as a mother parish for the Swampscott Catholic mission, which would later become the independent parish of St. John the Evangelist, Swampscott. The mission church on Humphrey Street was under St. Joseph's direction until 1906. Over the twentieth century, the parish grew with successive waves of Catholic immigrants — Irish, French-Canadian, Italian, and especially, in recent decades, Latino — and its present-day life is overwhelmingly bilingual English/Spanish, with Spanish-language Masses, prayer groups, and religious education dominating the schedule.
- Founded 1875 as an offshoot of St. Mary (Lynn)
- Cornerstone laid July 4, 1875
- Construction completed 1885; dedicated June 21, 1885 by Archbishop John Joseph Williams
- Williams was Boston's first archbishop (elevated February 1875)
- Mother parish of the Swampscott mission that became St. John the Evangelist (Swampscott)
- Early sacramental records (1874–1920) preserved by the Archdiocese of Boston
Contact, Visit & Online
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at (781) 599-7040 or by email at [email protected]. The bilingual parish bulletins (hosted on thebostonpilot.com) carry announcements of upcoming baptisms, feast-day Masses, and special events. The parish also maintains an active Facebook presence under the handle @saintjosephlynn.
- Phone: (781) 599-7040
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.saintjosephlynn.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saintjosephlynn
- Parish bulletins posted on thebostonpilot.com