About St. Martha · Plainville, Massachusetts
St. Martha Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Plainville, Massachusetts, canonically established on July 27, 1953 by Archbishop Richard Cushing of Boston and serving the Catholics of Plainville for more than seventy years. The parish grew out of a mission chapel sponsored by neighboring St. Mary Parish in Wrentham, where the first Mass in Plainville was celebrated outdoors on August 4, 1951. Today St. Martha is part of the Plainville-Wrentham Catholic Collaborative (PWC) with St. Mary in Wrentham and counts more than 900 registered Catholic families. The parish is named for St. Martha of Bethany, the gospel figure traditionally honored as the patron of hospitality, homemakers, and cooks.
- Established
- 1953
- Patron
- St. Martha (of Bethany, sister of St. Mary of Bethany and St. Lazarus)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph F. Mozer
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Martha offers the warmth and intimacy of a mid-sized parish of roughly 900 families with a rich spiritual identity rooted in its patron's spirit of hospitality. Worshippers are drawn to its welcoming weekend Mass schedule (Saturday Vigil at 5:30 PM, Sunday 8:00 and 10:00 AM), its dedicated clergy team, an accessible ramp and elevator at the rear of the church, and a collaborative Catholic school of faith formation (PWC) that walks children and youth from grades 1 through Confirmation. Joining St. Martha means plugging into a Plainville community that has celebrated the Eucharist on the same South Street hill since 1953.
Mass times at St. Martha
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:15–9:45 AM at St. Martha
- Saturday 3:00–3:45 PM at St. Mary (Wrentham)
- Other times by appointment
History of St. Martha Parish
St. Martha Parish was canonically erected on July 27, 1953 by Archbishop Richard Cushing of Boston, growing out of a Plainville mission church that had been served since 1951 by clergy from St. Mary Parish in Wrentham. The parish's story stretches back to 1797, when Father Francis Matignon of Holy Cross, Boston, celebrated Mass for Catholics of Wrentham and the surrounding towns — Plainville's first Catholics worshipped with that larger community. Successive parish links to North Attleboro, Walpole, Franklin, and Foxboro culminated in 1928 with the establishment of the Parish of Saint Mary covering both Wrentham and Plainville, and the post-World War II suburban migration finally made a separate Plainville parish feasible. The founding community of 210 families has grown to more than 900 registered Catholic families today.
- August 4, 1951: First Mass in Plainville, celebrated outdoors on the lawn of Charles Russell on South Street.
- Land for the new church donated by Charles Russell; formally accepted by Archbishop Cushing on December 29, 1951.
- While the church was being built, Mass was held outdoors and (in bad weather) inside Garford's Garage Terminal.
- Groundbreaking: November 8, 1952, officiated by Rev. Thomas P. Fallon.
- Church blessed by Archbishop Cushing: May 17, 1953.
- Parish canonically established: July 27, 1953.
- First pastor: Rev. Richard F. Norton.
- May 17, 2013: 60th anniversary of the church blessing, marked by Confirmation of the parish's youth.
Patron Saint
Monsignor Thomas Fallon, then pastor of St. Mary in Wrentham, named the parish for St. Martha — sister of St. Mary of Bethany and St. Lazarus — the gospel figure remembered as a hardworking, practical hostess who welcomed Jesus into her home. She is traditionally honored as the patron of hospitality, homemakers, servants, and cooks, and her feast day is celebrated by the parish on July 29. The parish formally uses the prayer: 'O Saint Martha, teach me to offer the simple gifts of kindness and hospitality to others as you did to Jesus and His friends.'
Clergy & Staff
St. Martha is served by a pastoral team that includes the pastor, an associate pastor, a weekend assistant, four permanent/senior deacons, and dedicated lay staff for liturgy/music, faith formation, and parish operations.
- Pastor — Rev. Joseph F. Mozer ([email protected])
- Associate Pastor (Vicar) — Rev. Patrick C. Chibuko ([email protected])
- Weekend Assistant — Rev. Bernard Baris, M.S.
- Permanent Deacons — Deacon Joseph R. Flocco; Deacon James T. Kearney; Deacon Thomas F. Hines, Jr.
- Senior Deacon — Deacon A. Anthony Cipriano
- Operations — Mr. William Nash
- Liturgy and Music (St. Martha) — Ms. Anne DiSanto; Mr. Jeffrey Johnson
- Faith Formation, Children Grades 1–6 — Mrs. Margaret ('Maggie') Hoagland, [email protected], 508-695-0054
- Faith Formation, Youth Grades 7 / Confirmation — Mrs. Sarah Merigold, [email protected], 508-384-3373
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation is offered collaboratively across St. Martha and St. Mary Parishes for children in Grades 1–6, pre-Confirmation youth in Grades 7–8, and Confirmation candidates in Grades 9–10. The program uses the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies for grades 1–6, Altaration for middle school, and Chosen for Confirmation classes. Families are invited to register each spring for the following academic year; ongoing volunteer catechists support children, middle schoolers, and Confirmation candidates throughout the year.
- Children, Grades 1–6 — Pflaum Gospel Weeklies
- Youth, Grades 7–8 — Altaration
- Confirmation, Grades 9–10 — Chosen
- Catechist recruitment year-round; contact Maggie Hoagland or Sarah Merigold
Music & Liturgy
Music at St. Martha is coordinated by Mrs. Anne DiSanto and Mr. Jeffrey Johnson, who support the parish's weekend liturgy at 221 South Street and collaborate with their counterparts at St. Mary, Wrentham (Ms. Patrice Metcalf). The combined PWC team also produces the live-streamed and cable-access broadcasts of Sunday Mass.
Plainville-Wrentham Catholic Collaborative (PWC)
St. Martha Parish is twinned with St. Mary Parish in Wrentham (130 South Street) as the Plainville-Wrentham Catholic Collaborative — sharing a pastor, clergy team, faith-formation staff, online Mass broadcasts, and a single website at pwc.church. The PWC motto is 'Love • Welcoming • Compassion • Boldness.' Public Masses across the collaborative: Saturday 4:00 PM at St. Mary; Saturday 5:30 PM at St. Martha; Sunday 8:00 AM at St. Martha; Sunday 9:30 AM online and in-person at St. Mary; Sunday 10:00 AM online and in-person at St. Martha; Sunday 12:00 PM at St. Mary; Sunday 5:00 PM at St. Mary (September–June).
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph F. Mozer
- Joint YouTube channel for live-streamed Masses
- Cable access on Comcast Channel 8 / Verizon Channel 36 (wrenthamcable8.com)
- Joint faith-formation program (Grades 1–6, 7–8, Confirmation 9–10)
- Joint parish office and operations
Visit, Contact & Accessibility
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at (508) 699-8543 or [email protected] (office hours Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9:30 AM–Noon). St. Martha Church has an accessible ramp and elevator at the rear of the building near the parking lot, supporting ease of access for elderly and disabled parishioners. The collaborative website (pwc.church) hosts up-to-date bulletins, Mass schedules, and the parish's YouTube live-stream link.
- Parish office: 227 South Street, Plainville, MA 02762
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1745, Plainville, MA 02762
- Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday — 9:30 AM to Noon
- Phone: (508) 699-8543
- Pastor's email: [email protected]
- Accessibility: ramp + elevator at rear of church near parking lot
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Richard F. Norton1953–
First pastor, appointed when the mission chapel was canonically established as St. Martha Parish.
- Rev. Thomas P. Fallon
Pastor of St. Mary, Wrentham; championed and named the new parish (he had already been promoted to Monsignor).