About St. Joseph (Parish of the Holy Spirit) · Hinsdale, New Hampshire
St. Joseph Church in Hinsdale, New Hampshire is a small Catholic worship site situated at 35 Brattleboro Road. It is one of two churches (along with Mary, Queen of Peace / St. Stanislaus in Winchester) now folded into the Parish of the Holy Spirit in Keene, which serves the Catholic faithful of southwest New Hampshire including Hinsdale, Winchester, Ashuelot and Richmond. Mass is currently celebrated at St. Joseph's on Sundays at 9:00 AM and Wednesdays at 9:00 AM, with confessions by appointment. The Diocese of Manchester lists the parish as established in 2010 (the date of the current canonical structure), though Catholic presence on this site dates to the 1880s.
- Established
- 1884
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Joshua Livingston
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester (Monadnock Deanery / Monadnock Region)
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers the classic small-town Catholic experience: a familiar Sunday and Wednesday Mass schedule, confessions by appointment with a priest of the Diocese of Manchester, and a personal connection to the wider Parish of the Holy Spirit family that includes Saint Joseph Regional School, Our Lady of Mercy Academy, parish faith formation for children and youth, and outreach ministries coordinated from the Keene office. For Catholics living in Hinsdale and the surrounding towns along the Connecticut River, it is a welcoming, accessible worship site rooted in 140+ years of local history.
Mass times at St. Joseph (Parish of the Holy Spirit)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment
Worship at St. Joseph Church
St. Joseph Church is one of the worship sites of the Parish of the Holy Spirit in the Diocese of Manchester. According to the official parish website and the diocesan directory, Mass is offered in English at this site twice a week: Sunday morning at 9:00 AM and Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM. The sacrament of Penance (confession) is available by appointment rather than on a fixed weekly schedule, reflecting the small size of the Hinsdale worshipping community and the broader sacramental coverage provided from the Keene parish office.
- Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM
- Wednesday Mass: 9:00 AM
- Confession: by appointment
- Language: English
Our Story: From a Mill-Town Parish (1884) to the Parish of the Holy Spirit
Catholic life on this site dates to 1884, when Saint Joseph Parish was established to serve the faithful of Hinsdale, a paper-mill town on the Connecticut River. Over the following century, Saint Joseph remained an independent parish — but by the early 2000s the two smaller parishes of southwest New Hampshire (St. Joseph in Hinsdale and St. Stanislaus in Winchester) could no longer sustain full parish life on their own. In June 2006, Bishop John McCormack of Manchester decreed that the two parishes be suppressed and merged into a single territorial parish named Mary, Queen of Peace, with St. Joseph Church retained as the principal worship site. At the same time, Mary, Queen of Peace was 'twinned' with Saint Bernard Parish in Keene under one pastor — a canonical arrangement that grew into today's Parish of the Holy Spirit, listed by the diocese as Est. 2010, headquartered at 173 Main Street in Keene.
- 1884 — Saint Joseph Parish founded to serve Hinsdale
- June 18, 2006 — Merger decree: St. Joseph (Hinsdale) + St. Stanislaus (Winchester) → Mary, Queen of Peace Parish
- 2006 — Mary, Queen of Peace twinned with St. Bernard Parish (Keene)
- 2010 — Parish of the Holy Spirit established as the current canonical structure (Diocese of Manchester)
Parish of the Holy Spirit: The Wider Family
St. Joseph, Hinsdale is part of a broader Catholic community called the Parish of the Holy Spirit that serves the southwest corner of New Hampshire. The parish's website describes a community 'committed to offering spiritual nourishment and healing through the sacraments and … fostering a lively faith in Jesus Christ.' Worship sites under the Parish of the Holy Spirit umbrella currently include Saint Bernard Church and St. Margaret Mary Church in Keene, as well as Saint Joseph Church in Hinsdale. The parish also maintains Saint Joseph Regional School and Our Lady of Mercy Academy, supports a regional faith formation program, and operates a parish cemetery.
- Worship sites: St. Bernard Church (Keene), St. Margaret Mary (Keene), St. Joseph Church (Hinsdale)
- Saint Joseph Regional School, Keene
- Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Keene
- Parish-maintained cemetery
Clergy and Staff
Pastoral leadership for the Parish of the Holy Spirit — and therefore for St. Joseph, Hinsdale — is provided by the pastor and associate pastor assigned to the multi-site parish, supported by a deacon and a team of lay staff. Names published on the parish 'Contact' page are listed below. (The parish homepage also references Fr. Alan Tremblay, Pastor, who is listed in the Diocese of Manchester directory for the Parish of the Holy Spirit.)
- Rev. Joshua Livingston — Pastor (per Contact page)
- Rev. Eric Ouellette — Associate Pastor
- Rev. Mr. Fintan Moore — Deacon, Hospital Chaplain
- Carol Spindler — Faith Formation Coordinator ([email protected])
- Anthony Sully — Youth Minister ([email protected])
- Diane Farina — Director of Outreach & Volunteer Services ([email protected])
- Dominika von Semkov — Secretary & Cemetery Director ([email protected])
- Karla Sully — Secretary & Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- James Newcombe — Finance Council Chair
- Gary Markiewicz — Facilities Manager ([email protected])
- Estelle Michaud — General Maintenance
Faith Formation and Sacraments
The Parish of the Holy Spirit runs faith formation for children, youth and adults across all of its sites, including Hinsdale. The program is closely aligned with the Diocese of Manchester, which has been rolling out the 'restored order' of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism (in infancy), Confirmation and First Eucharist together in third grade, with the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation received in second grade. The parish emphasizes lifelong faith formation — adult formation, catechist and parent formation, and strengthened youth ministry — drawing on the USCCB documents Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us (1999) and Renewing the Vision (1997).
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Carol Spindler ([email protected])
- Children's faith formation, school-aged sacramental prep
- Restored order: Reconciliation in 2nd grade; Confirmation + First Eucharist in 3rd grade
- Youth Ministry for high-school-age teens
- Adult / lifelong faith formation
- Catechist and parent formation
Outreach, Cemetery and Parish Life
Beyond worship and formation, the Parish of the Holy Spirit carries on the work of Catholic outreach in southwest New Hampshire. A Director of Outreach and Volunteer Services coordinates parish charitable efforts, while Deacon Fintan Moore serves as a hospital chaplain visiting the sick. The parish also administers its own cemetery and maintains a finance council chaired by a lay trustee, with facilities and maintenance staff caring for the church properties across the multi-site community.
- Outreach & Volunteer Services — Diane Farina, Director
- Hospital Chaplaincy — Deacon Fintan Moore
- Parish Cemetery — Dominika von Semkov, Cemetery Director ([email protected])
- Finance Council — James Newcombe, Chair
- Facilities — Gary Markiewicz, Manager; Estelle Michaud, Maintenance
Visiting and Joining
Anyone interested in becoming a parishioner of St. Joseph (Parish of the Holy Spirit) is invited to register through the parish website (swnhcatholics.com), which carries a 'Register to Join Our Parish' button on the home page. The parish welcomes visitors to its Sunday and Wednesday Masses at the Hinsdale church on Brattleboro Road. For confession, anointing, marriage arrangements, or pastoral needs, the main parish office at 173 Main Street, Keene, NH 03431 (phone 603-352-3525) is the primary point of contact.
- Address (worship): 35 Brattleboro Rd., Hinsdale, NH 03451
- Address (main office): 173 Main St., Keene, NH 03431
- Parish phone: (603) 352-3525
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Register to Join: via swnhcatholics.com
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Alan Tremblay
Listed as Pastor of Parish of the Holy Spirit on the homepage (and in the Diocese of Manchester directory, ordained 2012).