About St. Luke the Evangelist · Westborough, Massachusetts
St. Luke the Evangelist is a Roman Catholic parish in Westborough, Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Worcester. The parish serves a diverse community of worshippers, offering Masses in English and Spanish each weekend, along with daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and a wide range of faith formation, outreach, and pastoral ministries. Drawing on its patron — St. Luke the Evangelist, the 'beloved physician' and Gospel writer — the parish has a particular care for the sick, the homebound, and families seeking to grow in Catholic life.
- Established
- 1870
- Patron
- St. Luke the Evangelist
- Rector
- Msgr. Michael (Mike)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
Why belong here
St. Luke's offers something rare: a full sacramental life in two languages. Weekend Masses in English (Saturday 4:00 PM; Sunday 7:30, 9:00, 11:00 AM) and a Spanish Mass (Saturday 6:00 PM) make room for the area's growing Hispanic community, while daily Mass Monday–Friday at 9:00 AM and Tuesday Adoration from 9:30 AM anchor the week. Parishioners are formed through a graded faith formation program (using the Alive in Christ and Catholic Faith Handbook curricula), supported through pastoral care of the sick and homebound at Whittier Rehab and in nursing homes, and welcomed into a community explicitly committed to outreach — including a St. Vincent de Paul chapter and a parish chapter reaching into Westborough and surrounding towns.
Mass times at St. Luke the Evangelist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:45 PM (drive-up/drive-in option during COVID era, by appointment otherwise)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 9:30 AM Exposition following 9:00 AM Mass
- Tuesday 1:00 PM Benediction (per catholicmasstime schedule)
- Tuesday 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM with Benediction at 6:00 PM (per Discover Mass)
Parish History & Building
St. Luke the Evangelist traces its roots to the late 19th century. The original church on West Main Street was built in 1889 and burned in 1920, leading to the present church complex on the same corridor. A more recent renovation enlarged the vestibule and added contemporary stained glass whose iconography — the Good Thief, the Baptism of Jesus, the Risen Christ at Emmaus — is taken directly from Luke's Gospel. Looking ahead from its 150th anniversary, the parish continues to mark milestones such as the yearly Together in the Spirit prayer hour and ongoing faith-formation programs.
- Original church built 1889 on West Main Street
- Church destroyed by fire in 1920
- Vestibule and stained-glass renovation added Gospel-of-Luke imagery
- COVID-19 pandemic arrived on the eve of the parish's 150th anniversary
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Luke's is split across grades. Denise Pelkey coordinates the Grades 7–11 program, which uses the Alive in Christ (AIC) textbook and the Catholic Faith Handbook (CFH) for upper grades. Students are expected to complete a Faith in Action plan: two faith-based activities and two service-based actions during the year, with a Confirmation Retreat each winter. Guest speakers are integrated into the curriculum on topics such as the Rosary, Christmas, and Catholic identity. A separate coordinator oversees Grades K–6.
- Alive in Christ curriculum (Grades 7–8)
- Catholic Faith Handbook (upper grades)
- Faith in Action plan: 2 faith activities + 2 service actions
- Annual Confirmation Retreat (January 10, 2026 scheduled)
- St. Luke's Feast Day (October 19) — mandatory gathering
Pastoral Care, Outreach & Healing
Pastoral Associate Julie Basque coordinates the parish's care ministries. She began at St. Luke's as a parish nurse and was named pastoral associate in 2015 after completing a Master of Arts in Ministry at St. John's Seminary's laity program. She oversees pastoral care of the sick — including those at home, in nursing homes, or at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital — facilitates bereavement support, and acts as liaison to the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and lectors. The parish maintains a dedicated Healing & Sickness page and a parish chapter that supports the broader Westborough community through social outreach.
- Pastoral Associate: Julie Basque (since 2015)
- Homebound visits and Communion calls
- Nursing home and Whittier Rehab pastoral care
- Bereavement support groups
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Lector ministries
Clergy, Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by a pastor, with a pastoral associate supporting pastoral care and faith formation. A Religious Education Coordinator oversees Grades 7–11. In response to COVID-19 the pastor — writing as a priest of nearly fifty years — communicated directly with parishioners, suspending all public Masses and liturgical gatherings while keeping the church open for personal prayer.
- Pastor: Msgr. Mike (Monsignor)
- Pastoral Associate: Julie Basque
- Religious Education Coordinator (Grades 7–11): Denise Pelkey
Devotions: Together in the Spirit
Together in the Spirit is the parish's weekly hour of worship and praise held in the church on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. The format includes time to reflect, seek, knock, listen, and receive — an invitation Eucharistically centered ('With Jesus, with each other, all are welcome').
- Wednesdays 7:00–8:00 PM in the church
- Open to all; one hour of worship and praise
Sacraments
Beyond the Eucharist celebrated at Mass and Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons, St. Luke's coordinates Baptisms (with family and godparents in attendance, with appropriate protocols when needed), Weddings (with couples assisted in scheduling and accommodations), Funerals (limited to immediate family when public-health measures are in force), and Anointing of the Sick for the homebound, hospitalized, and dying through specially trained priests.
- Baptism — coordinated individually with each family
- Marriage — assisted by priests with postponements as needed
- Anointing of the Sick — including for those at home or in care facilities
- Funerals — adapted to current health and safety requirements