St. Mark (Dorchester)

Welcome to Saint Mark Parish

Saint Mark is a Christ-centered parish community in the heart of Dorchester, in the Archdiocese of Boston, that calls itself 'a beacon of hope in the heart of the city.' The parish describes itself as committed to rebuilding community and restoring the understanding that the Church is our Mother — open, welcoming, and present to all who seek refuge, healing, and hope. Its mission statement, drawn from the parish website, commits it to a life of prayer, service, and discipleship, nurturing faith within families, children, and youth and welcoming all to encounter the transforming love of Christ. The parish website (saintmarkdorchester.org) emphasizes the dignity of every human life, the sanctity of marriage and family, and the truth that every person is created with a God-given purpose and identity.

Parish History

Established December 17, 1905, Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish was born when Archbishop John J. Williams carved it out of St. Gregory's Lower Mills. Its founding pastor, Rev. John A. Daly, commissioned the red-brick Tudor Gothic church on Dorchester Avenue (designed in 1914 by Charles Brigham, completed in 1915), opened a parish school in 1920 staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and during the Great Depression founded St. Mark's St. Vincent de Paul Society. The twentieth century brought two World Wars (in which hundreds of parishioners served), a wave of mid-century expansion under Monsignors Lydon and Donahue, the demographic shift of the 1970s–90s toward a more multicultural community, and the 1995 blessing of the new 'Madonna of the Streets' shrine and Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament at the parish's 90th anniversary. The early twenty-first century has seen St. Mark's enter a new era under its 2024-installed pastor, Fr. Marcos Enrique.

• 1899 – Chapel built as a mission of St. Gregory's by Fr. Fitzpatrick
• 1905 – Parish established; Fr. John A. Daly named first pastor
• 1914–1915 – Red-brick Tudor Gothic church designed by Charles Brigham and completed
• 1920 – Parish school opens with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
• 1926 – Convent occupied
• 1930s – St. Vincent de Paul Society founded to help the unemployed
• 1944 – Msgr. Patrick J. Lydon succeeds Fr. Daly (who died that March)
• 1947 – Chimes added to bell tower
• 1955 – 50th anniversary Pontifical High Mass
• 1961 – Fr. (later Msgr.) Walter Donahue becomes pastor
• 1973 – Fr. Thomas J. Mooney succeeds; lower church becomes Donahue Hall
• 1977 – First permanent deacon ordained
• 1978 – Fr. Richard E. McQuade appointed; Fr. Robert Banks (now Bp. Banks of Green Bay) assists
• 1987 – Fr. Arthur M. Calter appointed
• 1993 – Fr. Daniel Finn appointed; Fr. John J. Connolly joins as associate in 1994
• 1995 – 'Madonna of the Streets' shrine and Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament blessed on 90th anniversary
• 2019 – Fr. Marcos Enrique arrives as parochial vicar
• March 2020 – Live-streaming and a parish YouTube channel launched during the pandemic
• June 26, 2024 – Cardinal Seán O'Malley installs Fr. Marcos Enrique as pastor
• March 2025 – St. Mark Dorchester Youth Fund launched at a basement gathering of 100+ youth, parishioners, and neighbors

Pastoral Staff

St. Mark's is run by a small lay-and-clergy team alongside its pastor. Fr. Marcos is supported by a Director of Liturgy and Music, a Director of Finance, a Director of Strategy and Operations, and a Director of Youth Enrichment — reflecting the parish's current emphasis on financial stewardship, operational excellence, and youth outreach.

• Rev. Marcos Enrique — Pastor (installed June 26, 2024; previously parochial vicar 2019–2024)
• Joseph Calapa — Director of Liturgy and Music
• Shirley Chu — Director of Finance (ext. 104)
• Kiara Perez — Director of Strategy and Operations (ext. 103)
• Timothy Sears — Director of Youth Enrichment (ext. 105)

Youth Enrichment & Faith Formation

Youth ministry is the headline of St. Mark's current mission. What began as a summer program has grown into a year-round 'pipeline' that now serves roughly 60 children with after-school programming, homework help, tutoring, faith formation, and trips abroad (including pilgrimages such as recent trips to Rome and Portugal). In March 2025 the parish launched the St. Mark Dorchester Youth Fund at a Sunday-evening gathering in the church basement that drew more than 100 youth, parishioners, and neighbors and raised $14,500 in initial pledges; a Youth Enrichment Gala was announced for June 29, 2025 to grow the program further. Fr. Marcos has said he envisions St. Mark's filling a similar role on the Dorchester side of the neighborhood to the one St. Peter's Teen Center plays for the Cape Verdean community.

• After-school programming
• Homework help and tutoring
• Faith formation classes
• Summer camp and summer programming
• Children's program and youth group
• Trips abroad (e.g., Rome, Portugal)
• St. Mark Dorchester Youth Fund
• Annual Youth Enrichment Gala

Spiritual Life & Devotions

Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish sustains a small but steady devotional life: weekly Spanish-language Grupo de Oración, a Couples Date Night built around a holy hour followed by dinner and reflection, Tuesday-and-Thursday adoration combined with confession, a Wednesday evening Oratory Program Mass, and the long-standing tradition of First-Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament following the 9 AM Mass (a practice that goes back to the chapel's opening in 1995). The 'Madonna of the Streets' shrine near Dorchester Avenue remains a place where passers-by stop to pray.

• Weekly Grupo de Oración (Spanish)
• Couples Date Night (quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, dinner, sharing)
• First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament following the 9 AM Mass until 4 PM
• Today's Readings and Lecturas para la Misa available on the website
• 'Madonna of the Streets' outdoor shrine at the parish's 90th anniversary (1995)

Outreach & Charity

St. Vincent de Paul outreach to neighbors in need is a defining tradition at St. Mark's, dating back to Father Daly's founding of the parish conference during the Great Depression to assist parishioners with food, heat, and rent. The parish today continues that outreach through its youth and family programming and through the welcome ministry that explicitly invites neighbors and non-Catholics to participate in parish life, with the framing that the parish is 'a safe place … then we can get to know each other.'

• St. Vincent de Paul Society (founded c. 1930s by Fr. Daly)
• Family and youth outreach pipeline
• Partnerships with Boston Police District C-11 (Dorchester) and C-6 (South Boston/Dorchester) community service officers (e.g., a Boston Bowl trip with the kids in early 2025)
• Open invitation to non-Catholics and unchurched neighbors to participate in parish life

Sacraments

St. Mark's celebrates the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Reconciliation is offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and afternoons/evenings and on Saturday mornings before the Vigil Mass. Baptisms, marriages, Anointing of the Sick, and homebound Communion are arranged through the parish office at 20 Roseland Street. Faith formation for youth is integrated into the parish's Youth Enrichment pipeline, which includes sacramental preparation classes alongside academic tutoring and after-school programming.

• Baptism — by arrangement through the parish office
• First Reconciliation / First Communion — through Youth Enrichment / faith formation
• Confirmation — Archdiocesan program
• Marriage — contact the rectory at (617) 825-2852
• Anointing of the Sick / Communion to the homebound — call the parish office
• Reconciliation schedule: Tue 8 AM–12 PM & 4–7 PM; Thu same; Sat 8–9 AM