About St. Lawrence · Essex Junction, Vermont
St. Lawrence Church is one of three worship sites that make up the Essex Catholic Community in Essex Junction, Vermont, alongside Holy Family Church and St. Pius X Church. Originally established as a separate parish carved out of Holy Family, St. Lawrence merged with Holy Family roughly a decade before 2019 (as reported in Vermont Catholic magazine) to form Holy Family–St. Lawrence Parish, pastored by Fr. Charles Ranges, S.S.E., a member of the Society of St. Edmund based at nearby St. Michael's College in Colchester. Today the community shares staff, faith formation, and social-justice ministries across the three churches, with St. Lawrence hosting the Saturday Vigil Mass (4:00 PM) and a Sunday morning Mass (8:00 AM). The parish is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.
- Patron
- St. Lawrence (deacon and martyr of Rome, d. 258 AD)
- Rector
- Fr. Charles Ranges, S.S.E.
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
Why belong here
St. Lawrence Church offers a welcoming, traditional Catholic home in the heart of Essex Junction, with the Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 PM and an early Sunday Mass at 8:00 AM, weekly confession on Saturdays, and live-streamed services from sister site Holy Family Church. Worshippers join a unified Essex Catholic Community that shares vibrant faith formation for youth and adults (including Bishop Barron's programs), monthly community dinners that feed the lonely and needy, and a FIAT (Faith in Action Team) crisis-response network that mobilizes parishioners in disasters. Pastor Fr. Charles Ranges, S.S.E., and Edmundite priests from nearby St. Michael's College bring a stable, deeply rooted priestly presence to a parish family of more than 1,000 households.
Mass times at St. Lawrence
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday, 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM at St. Lawrence Church
- Saturday, 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM at St. Pius X Church
- Friday, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (following 8:30 AM Mass, during Adoration at Holy Family)
- Tuesday, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (1st and 2nd Saturday of month at Holy Family)
- By appointment — call Fr. Ranges at 802-878-5331
Adoration times
- Friday, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (following the 8:30 AM Mass, at Holy Family Church)
About the Essex Catholic Community
St. Lawrence Church is one of three worship sites that together form the Essex Catholic Community, a unified parish family in Essex Junction, Vermont. Originally established as a separate parish carved out of Holy Family, St. Lawrence later merged with Holy Family to form Holy Family–St. Lawrence Parish, and today the same pastor — Fr. Charles Ranges, S.S.E., an Edmundite from St. Michael's College in Colchester — also serves nearby St. Pius X Parish in Essex Center. Fr. Ranges often describes the wider community as 'one family,' and the three campuses share staff, ministries, faith formation, and social events.
- St. Lawrence Church — 158 West St., Essex Junction
- Holy Family Church — 32 Lincoln St., Essex Junction
- St. Pius X Church — Essex Center
Parish History
St. Lawrence's roots trace to the portion of Holy Family Parish in Essex Junction that was made into its own worshipping community. For about five years before the formal merger, the two parishes already shared resources and combined ministries, so when the official merger took place roughly a decade before the 2019 Spring issue of Vermont Catholic magazine, parishioners experienced it as 'a non event.' The merger produced stronger liturgies, deeper faith formation, and stronger social-justice ministries while preserving the identity of each historic church building. On July 6, 2011, lightning struck and destroyed the old parish center, a building Father Ranges called 'an incredible and important part of Essex Junction history and heritage.' After a 32-month wait, the parish dedicated a 3,900-square-foot post-and-beam community center in March 2014, deliberately set back on the lot so the historic church remains the visual focal point, with second-floor windows and a balcony framing views of Mount Mansfield and Camel's Hump.
- St. Lawrence created as a parish carved from Holy Family
- Formal merger of Holy Family and St. Lawrence ~10 years before 2019
- Old parish center destroyed by lightning — July 6, 2011
- New Holy Family Parish Center dedicated — March 2014
Clergy & Staff
The parish is pastored by Fr. Charles Ranges, S.S.E., a priest of the Society of St. Edmund (Edmundites), the religious order based at St. Michael's College in Colchester. Edmundite priests from the college assist with Masses across the three Essex Catholic Community sites. Lay staff coordinate faith formation and parish administration.
- Fr. Charles Ranges, S.S.E. — Pastor
- John McMahon — Faith Formation Director (802-878-5331 ext. 2)
- Josh McDonald — Parish Administrative Assistant (802-878-5331)
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
St. Lawrence Church hosts the Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 PM and a quiet Sunday morning Mass at 8:00 AM. Weekday Masses (Monday–Friday at 8:30 AM), First Friday and First Saturday Masses, the Wednesday evening Mass, and the Padre Pio Saturday Mass are celebrated at sister-site Holy Family Church and live-streamed. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard at St. Lawrence every Saturday from 3:15 PM to 3:45 PM, with additional times at Holy Family and St. Pius X, and by appointment.
- Saturday Vigil — 4:00 PM at St. Lawrence
- Sunday — 8:00 AM at St. Lawrence
- Daily Mass Mon–Fri — 8:30 AM at Holy Family (live-streamed)
- Confessions Saturday 3:15–3:45 PM at St. Lawrence
- Adoration Friday 9:00–10:00 AM at Holy Family
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation is directed by John McMahon and serves youth and adults across the three-campus Essex Catholic Community. The parish runs Bishop Barron's ENGAGE adult formation program, supports RCIA and Becoming Catholic through the Diocese of Burlington, and partners with the diocese's catechetical certification process through Franciscan University's Catechetical Institute. Registration for parish faith formation is handled through the Essex Catholic Community Flocknote group.
- Faith Formation Director: John McMahon
- Bishop Barron's ENGAGE program
- RCIA / Becoming Catholic
- Registration via essexcatholiccommunityvt.flocknote.com (or text ECCVT to 84576)
Community Outreach & Charity
The parish lives out the corporal works of mercy through several parish-wide initiatives. The Essex Community Dinners, held on the 2nd Friday of each month at the Holy Family Parish Hall beginning at 5:30 PM, are free to all and explicitly intended to feed the lonely and needy; take-out dinners are also offered. The FIAT (Faith in Action Team) recruits and prepares parishioner volunteers so that local Catholic talent can be mobilized quickly when disasters strike the community.
- Essex Community Dinners — 2nd Friday, 5:30 PM at Holy Family Parish Hall (free; take-out available)
- FIAT (Faith in Action Team) — crisis-volunteer disaster preparedness and response
- Combined social-justice and mercy ministries across the three campuses
Devotions & Prayer Groups
Beyond the regular Mass and confession schedule, the parish maintains several ongoing devotions that knit the community together across the three sites. Most prominent is the Padre Pio Prayer Group, which gathers on the 2nd Saturday of each month for the 8:30 AM Mass at Holy Family Church. Friday-morning Eucharistic Adoration follows the 8:30 AM daily Mass at Holy Family, and the parish promotes Bishop Barron's adult formation programs as a parallel devotional-and-study track.
- Padre Pio Prayer Group — 2nd Saturday, 8:30 AM at Holy Family
- Eucharistic Adoration — Friday 9:00–10:00 AM at Holy Family
- Bishop Barron's programs (ENGAGE and others)
Facilities & Campus
St. Lawrence Church itself sits at 158 West Street in Essex Junction and serves as one of three worship sites in the Essex Catholic Community. The Holy Family Parish Center, dedicated in March 2014 after the 2011 lightning fire destroyed the previous center, is a 3,900-square-foot two-story post-and-beam building with large windows and a second-floor balcony framing views of Mount Mansfield and Camel's Hump. The new center was deliberately pushed back on the lot to keep the adjacent historic church as the visual focal point, and the building is handicap-accessible.
- St. Lawrence Church — 158 West St., Essex Junction
- Holy Family Church — 32 Lincoln St., Essex Junction
- Holy Family Parish Center — dedicated March 2014; handicap accessible; mountain views
Getting Involved & Contact
Parishioners and newcomers are encouraged to register with the Essex Catholic Community through its Flocknote group, sign up for faith formation, and volunteer with the FIAT crisis-response team or the monthly Essex Community Dinners. The parish office is reached at 802-878-5331, with the Faith Formation Director reachable at extension 2. Mass times, news, and live-streamed services are posted on the parish website.
- Parish phone: 802-878-5331
- Faith Formation: ext. 2
- Website: https://essexcatholic.vermontcatholic.org
- Flocknote: essexcatholiccommunityvt.flocknote.com or text ECCVT to 84576
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Charles Ranges, S.S.E.since at least 2002 (about 12 years as of 2014)
Edmundite (Society of St. Edmund) priest; led the merger of Holy Family and St. Lawrence into one parish; also pastor of St. Pius X Parish.