About St. Leonard Parish - St. Stephen's Church · Boston, Massachusetts
St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Boston's North End, founded in 1873 by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province to minister to Italian immigrants. Today it is a multi-worship-site parish that includes St. Leonard Church (Hanover & Prince Streets), St. Stephen's Church (401 Hanover Street), and Sacred Heart Church. It is the first Roman Catholic church in New England built by Italian immigrants and remains famous for its ornate Italian-style interior, its historic St. Anthony Shrine (the oldest of its kind in Boston), its Peace Garden, and the annual St. Anthony's Festival. Masses are celebrated in English and Italian, and the parish is pastored by Franciscans (OFM) under the Archdiocese of Boston.
- Established
- 1873
- Patron
- St. Leonard of Port Maurice (OFM)
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Della Penna, OFM (installed January 2023)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Boston (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Leonard Parish is a living link to Boston's Italian Catholic heritage and one of the oldest Italian-immigrant parishes in the United States. Rooted in the Franciscan tradition, it welcomes worshippers in both English and Italian, offers daily Mass and weekly confession, hosts a 1st-Friday Holy Hour of adoration, and keeps beloved devotional traditions alive — most notably the historic St. Anthony Shrine and the annual St. Anthony's Festival in the North End. With three North End worship sites, a parish school, and active religious societies, it is a vibrant, traditional community where spirituality, fraternity, and Italian heritage meet.
Mass times at St. Leonard Parish - St. Stephen's Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:15 PM to 4:45 PM (also anytime upon request)
- Sunday: 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Adoration times
- Friday: 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM (1st Fridays, ending with Benediction)
A Firm Foundation — The Story of St. Leonard Parish
Prior to 1870, very few Italian immigrants lived in Boston, but the wave that followed brought with it a rich Catholic heritage and deep devotion. Archbishop John Williams called on the Order of Friar Minors — the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception Province, many of them immigrants themselves — to minister to the newcomers. In 1873, Fr. Angelo Conterno, OFM founded St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church, the first Roman Catholic church in New England built by Italian immigrants. The Franciscans have remained ever since.
- Founded 1873 by Fr. Angelo Conterno, OFM
- Pastored continuously by the Order of Friar Minors (Franciscans, OFM)
- First Italian-immigrant Catholic parish in New England
Building the Upper Church
By the mid-1890s the parish numbered close to twenty thousand people. Under pastor Fr. Ubaldus Pandolfi, OFM — known as the 'Father of the Italian Immigrant' — the community raised $160,000 (over $4 million in 2018 dollars) to build a new, larger church. Designed by William Holmes in the Romanesque Revival style, construction began in 1885; the basement church opened in 1891 and the upper church was consecrated on November 6, 1899. The ornate Italian-style interior was created by immigrant craftsmen who were themselves parishioners.
- Architect: William Holmes; style: Romanesque Revival
- Basement church opened 1891; upper church consecrated November 6, 1899
- Interior crafted by Italian-immigrant parishioners
St. Anthony Shrine & Devotions
Early in the parish's life a small St. Anthony Shrine was built to accommodate devotees of the beloved Franciscan saint. It is the oldest St. Anthony Shrine in Boston. Weekly St. Anthony devotions continue today, and the parish sponsors the annual St. Anthony's Festival in the North End the weekend of the second Sunday in June.
- Oldest St. Anthony Shrine in Boston
- Weekly St. Anthony devotions
- Annual St. Anthony's Festival (second Sunday in June weekend)
A Heritage of Care: The Home for Italian Children
After the 1918 influenza epidemic left many North End children orphaned, then-pastor Fr. Antonio Sousa, OFM led a fundraising drive that resulted in the Home for Italian Children, which opened in Jamaica Plain in 1921 with 30 children. It later separated from the Catholic Church (1968) and became the Italian Home for Children (1974), today a residential treatment center for emotionally challenged children.
- Home for Italian Children opened 1921 in Jamaica Plain with 30 children
- Renamed Italian Home for Children in 1974
- Still serves children today as a residential treatment center
21st Century: A Combined Parish
The dawn of the 21st century saw St. Leonard Church incorporate St. Mary's Chapel (formerly Jesuit-run) and Sacred Heart Italian Church (formerly run by the Scalabrini Fathers) into today's combined Saint Leonard Parish, now with two main worship sites — Saint Leonard Church and Sacred Heart Church — and a third, St. Stephen's Church. The Franciscans continue their ministry to the combined parish, where spirituality, fraternity, and Italian tradition remain at the center of parish life.
- Worship sites: St. Leonard Church, Sacred Heart Church, St. Stephen's Church
- Incorporated St. Mary's Chapel and Sacred Heart Italian Church
- Still pastored by the Franciscan Friars (OFM)
St. Stephen's Church: A Bulfinch Treasure
St. Stephen's Church at 401 Hanover Street is the parish's third worship site and a remarkable piece of American architecture. Originally built in 1802–1804 as the New North Church (New North Meeting House), it was designed by Charles Bulfinch and is the only one of his five Boston churches still standing. Originally Congregational, it became Unitarian in 1813 (Francis Parkman, father of the historian, served as minister from 1813–1849). Sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boston in 1862 as the North End became predominantly Irish Catholic, it was renamed St. Stephen's. In 1870, when Hanover Street was widened, the building was moved back 16 feet and raised over 6 feet to add a lower chapel. Cardinal Richard Cushing sponsored a 1964–65 restoration by architect Chester F. Wright that returned the building to its Bulfinch-original appearance. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and joined St. Leonard's Parish in 1992.
- Architect: Charles Bulfinch (1804); only surviving Bulfinch church in Boston
- Sold to the Catholic Diocese in 1862; renamed St. Stephen's
- Restored 1964–65 under Cardinal Cushing by architect Chester F. Wright
- National Register of Historic Places, 1975
- Part of St. Leonard's Parish since 1992
- Also serves the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle
Parish Staff
The parish is led by a pastoral team of Franciscan Friars with parish-office and program staff supporting worship, administration, and the parish's 150th-anniversary celebration.
- Rev. Michael Della Penna, OFM — Pastor (installed January 2023)
- Bro. Charles Gingerich, OFM — Deacon
- Fr. Federico — Student Priest in Residence
- Fr. Robert Caprio — Priest
- Rev. David Costello — Rector, Saint Stephen's Church
- Janine Martignetti — Parish Office Admin
- Claudia Carroll — Director of The 150 Celebration
- John Kutch — Business Manager
Outreach, Devotions & Italian Heritage
Spirituality, fraternity, and tradition continue to be the center of life at St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish. Rich Italian traditions and customs infuse the parish alongside the diversity of the 21st century as new generations and multiple ethnicities embrace its religious societies, the church, and its ministries.
- Weekly St. Anthony devotions
- Annual St. Anthony's Festival (weekend of the second Sunday in June)
- Weekly radio ministry on WUNR (1600 AM)
- Religious societies and confraternities
The 150th Anniversary
On the Feast of the Epiphany in January 2023, Cardinal Seán O'Malley celebrated a standing-room-only Mass at St. Leonard's to mark the parish's 150th anniversary and to install Fr. Michael Della Penna, OFM as pastor. The parish continues to mark this milestone, with a dedicated '150 Celebration' led by Director Claudia Carroll.
- 150th Anniversary Mass: January 2023
- Presided by Cardinal Seán O'M
- Installation of Fr. Michael Della Penna, OFM
- Claudia Carroll — Director of The 150 Celebration
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Angelo Conterno, OFM1873 (founder)
Founded the parish at the request of Archbishop John Williams for Boston's Italian immigrants.
- Fr. Ubaldus Pandolfi, OFM
Known as the 'Father of the Italian Immigrant'; led the campaign to build the current upper church, consecrated 1899; also invited Franciscan Sisters to open St. Anthony School in 1902.
- Fr. Antonio Sousa, OFM
Led fundraising for the Home for Italian Children in Jamaica Plain during the 1918 influenza epidemic; it opened in 1921.
- Fr. Antonio Nardoianni, OFM
Listed as pastor on Wikipedia.
- Rev. Michael Della Penna, OFMInstalled January 2023
Installed by Cardinal Seán O'Malley at the parish's 150th anniversary Mass.