About St. Mary Church (Bl. Michael McGivney Parish) · New Haven, Connecticut
St. Mary Church, now the seat of the city-wide Blessed Michael McGivney Parish, is the oldest Catholic parish in New Haven and the second-oldest in Connecticut, established in 1832 as Christ Church Parish and renamed St. Mary in 1848. The present Gothic Revival church on Hillhouse Avenue near Yale University was designed by architect James Murphy of Providence and dedicated on October 25, 1874. It is recognized internationally as the birthplace of the Knights of Columbus, founded in its basement in 1882 by then-assistant pastor Father Michael J. McGivney, whose mortal remains are interred in a granite sarcophagus near the church entrance. Father McGivney was beatified by Pope Francis on October 31, 2020, making St. Mary a destination of pilgrimage for Knights and the faithful from around the world. Since July 1, 2023, the parish operates eight churches across New Haven, united under the patronage of Blessed Michael McGivney within the Archdiocese of Hartford.
- Established
- 1832
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (parish); parish renamed in honor of Blessed Michael McGivney (July 1, 2023)
- Rector
- Rev. Michael J. Dolan (Pastor in Solidum & Moderator of Blessed Michael McGivney Parish)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Hartford
Why belong here
St. Mary Church is the spiritual home of the Knights of Columbus, founded in its basement in 1882, and the resting place of Blessed Michael McGivney — making it a rare parish that is simultaneously a living worship site, a national shrine and a working-class-immigrant foundation story. The parish draws a diverse, multilingual Catholic community (English, Spanish, Polish and others across its eight churches) with strong liturgical music, daily noon Mass, weekly Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction on Thursdays, and an unusually full devotional life (Divine Mercy, First Saturday, Rosary in English and Spanish, Sacred Heart devotions). Pilgrims come from around the world to pray at the granite sarcophagus and venerate a relic of Father McGivney; parishioners also find a robust sacramental, faith-formation and outreach ministry rooted in 190 years of continuous Catholic presence in New Haven.
Mass times at St. Mary Church (Bl. Michael McGivney Parish)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 11:15 AM – 1:00 PM
- Monday–Friday: 11:15 AM – 11:50 AM (Mass follows at noon)
Adoration times
- Every Thursday: Exposition immediately following the 12:00 PM Noon Mass; silent Adoration all afternoon until Benediction at 4:00 PM (St. Mary Church)
- Every Monday: 7:30–8:30 PM, St. Thomas More Chapel at Yale (academic year only)
- Every Wednesday: 6:00–7:00 PM, St. Francis Church
- Every Wednesday: 8:00–9:00 PM, St. Joseph Church
- First Friday of the Month: 5:30–6:30 PM, St. Joseph Church
- First Friday of the Month: 6:00 PM – 12:30 AM, St. Francis Church
History of the Parish
The parish that became St. Mary's traces its roots to 1832, when Father James McDermot was appointed the first resident Catholic pastor of New Haven under the Diocese of Boston. About 200 Catholics worshipped in a frame church called 'Christ Church' from 1834 until it burned in 1848; Bishop William Tyler then dedicated the new worship site on Church Street as St. Mary on December 18, 1848. The parish grew rapidly through the 1850s and 1860s, and under Father O'Brien and Father Murphy the present Gothic Revival church on Hillhouse Avenue — designed by James Murphy of Providence — was built between 1868 and 1874. In 1882 assistant pastor Father Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in the basement. From 1886 until 2021 the parish was administered by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph; the Dominican era ended on December 1, 2021, and on July 1, 2023 the parish became the seat of the city-wide Blessed Michael McGivney Parish.
- 1832 — Fr. James McDermot appointed resident pastor
- 1834 — 'Christ Church' dedicated on York Street/Milford Turnpike
- 1848 (June 11) — Church destroyed by fire (arson suspected)
- 1848 (December 18) — Bishop Tyler dedicates St. Mary on Church Street
- 1868–1874 — Present Gothic Revival church built on Hillhouse Avenue (architect James Murphy)
- 1882 — Knights of Columbus founded in the church basement by Fr. Michael J. McGivney
- 1886 — Dominican Fathers arrive (May 16)
- 1982 — Centennial renovation; spire completed; McGivney re-entombed
- 2018 — St. Mary merges with St. Joseph
- 2020 (October 31) — Fr. McGivney beatified by Pope Francis
- 2021 (December 1) — Dominicans depart after 135 years
- 2023 (July 1) — Eight New Haven parishes merged as Blessed Michael McGivney Parish
Architecture & Building
St. Mary Church is one of New Haven's grandest 19th-century houses of worship: a Victorian Gothic Revival church combining local blue stone and three different types of granite on its exterior, designed by Irish-born ecclesiastical architect James Murphy of Providence. The interior celebrates its Gothic geometry with pointed arches, stained-glass depictions of the three archangels over the sanctuary, and a celestial royal-blue ceiling dotted with gold fleur-de-lis — a palette restored to reflect 1880s precedents during the 2019–2020 renovation. A 179-foot neo-Gothic spire, finally erected in 1982 courtesy of the Knights of Columbus, makes the church one of New Haven's tallest landmarks.
- Architect: James Murphy, Providence, Rhode Island
- Cornerstone laid September 22, 1870; dedicated October 25, 1874
- Exterior: local blue stone and three types of granite
- Spire: 179 feet, completed 1982 (Knights centennial)
- Side altars: St. Joseph; Infant of Prague (introduced 1945)
- Bronze Carolingian crucifix modeled on Charlemagne's cross to St. Peter's
- Tabernacle altar with mosaic after Da Vinci's Last Supper
- 2019–2020 historic restoration under Fr. John Paul Walker, OP
The Tomb of Blessed Michael McGivney
The polished granite sarcophagus near the entrance of St. Mary's is the focal point of pilgrimage to the parish. Father McGivney's mortal remains were exhumed from the family plot in Waterbury and reverently placed in the sarcophagus on March 29, 1982 — the centennial of the Knights of Columbus. Knights and families from around the world, as well as visitors from New Haven and beyond, come to recite the prayer for canonization and thank God for favors received through Father McGivney's intercession. A relic of Blessed Michael McGivney is venerated at the church, and the Blessed Father Michael McGivney Guild (more than 15,000 members) distributes informational materials and additional relics.
- Sarcophagus installed March 29, 1982
- Remains exhumed from McGivney family plot, Waterbury
- Relic of Bl. McGivney venerated at the church
- Blessed Father Michael McGivney Guild (15,000+ members)
- Adjacent Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center (former Knights of Columbus Museum)
Parish Staff & Clergy
The city-wide parish is led by a Moderator with multiple Pastors in Solidum and Parochial Vicars, supported by three Deacons and an experienced lay leadership team in operations, faith formation, finance, communications and music.
- Fr. Michael J. Dolan — Pastor in Solidum & Moderator
- Fr. Hector Rangel — Pastor in Solidum
- Fr. Mitchell Kendrioski — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. David M. Madejski — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Vincent Curran — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Elmer Ramirez — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Martin O'Connor
- Deacon Ernest (Ernie) Scrivani, T.O. Carm.
- Deacon Laurent (Larry) Yergeau
- Suzanne McDermott — Director of Operations
- Grace Torres — Director of Faith Formation and Parish Life
- Marla Sulmasy — Director of Finance
- Emily Naylor — Director of Communications
- Daniel Romero — Director of Music
- Dr. Muriel Maharidge — Music Director at St. Mary Church
Ministries & Devotions
The parish maintains a wide-ranging devotional and apostolic life, anchored by weekly Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary (in English and Spanish), the Divine Mercy Devotion, the First Saturday Devotion and the Cristo Negro de Esquipulas devotion. Liturgical ministries include altar servers, Eucharistic ministers and lectors; outreach, fellowship and music ministries round out parish life. National and ethnic societies — including St. Andrew Apostle, St. Anne, St. Anthony, St. Catello, St. Stanislaus Holy Name, St. Trofimena, Santa Maria Maddalena and the Angelus Women's Fellowship — keep community ties strong.
- Eucharistic Adoration
- Divine Mercy, First Saturday, Sacred Heart, Rosary (English & Spanish)
- Cristo Negro de Esquipulas devotion
- Vocations Committee & Respect Life Ministry
- Altar Servers, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors
- Music: St. Mary Church Music Ministry, St. Joseph Choir, St. Martin de Porres Gospel Choir
- Faith Formation, Bible Studies, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- Outreach Ministry, Breakfast Ministry, Communion & Liberation, Crossroads 4 Christ
- McGivney Ministries & Blessed Father Michael McGivney Guild
Knights of Columbus & Pilgrimage
St. Mary's enduring claim to worldwide fame is the founding of the Knights of Columbus in its basement on October 2, 1881 (officially chartered March 29, 1882) by the 29-year-old curate Father Michael J. McGivney — a fact that has shaped the parish's identity, art and devotional life ever since. The Order remains headquartered in New Haven; its 138th Supreme Convention opened with a Mass at St. Mary's on August 4, 2020, the same year that the Knights announced a new Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center at the former Knights of Columbus Museum.
- First informal K of C meeting: October 2, 1881 (basement of St. Mary's)
- Charter granted by Connecticut legislature: March 29, 1882
- Father McGivney assigned to St. Mary's December 22, 1877; served 7 years
- Knights HQ still in New Haven; 1.6–2 million members worldwide
- Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center announced August 4, 2020
2023 Consolidation — Blessed Michael McGivney Parish
On July 1, 2023, in accordance with canons 121 and 515 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, the Catholic parishes within the city of New Haven — Saints Aedan and Brendan, Saint Anthony, Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Mary, Saint Michael, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Stanislaus (with St. Joseph having merged in 2018) — were formally merged into a single parish corporation administered from the premises of St. Mary Church and renamed Blessed Michael McGivney Parish. Although the churches span different cultures, languages and traditions, all are united as one Catholic community under the patronage of the founder of the Knights of Columbus.
- Eight church buildings in regularly scheduled worship
- Saints Aedan and Brendan, St. Anthony, St. Martin de Porres, St. Mary, St. Michael, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Stanislaus, St. Joseph
- Archdiocese of Hartford municipal-model parish
- Renamed in honor of Blessed Michael McGivney
- Pastorate led by Moderator Fr. Michael J. Dolan with co-Pastors and Parochial Vicars
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James McDermot1832–c.1837
Diocese of Boston priest; appointed first resident pastor of New Haven with responsibility for Catholic missions across western Connecticut; built the original Christ Church (1834).
- Rev. William Wileyc.1837 (briefly)
Succeeded Fr. McDermot for a few months.
- Rev. James Smyth1837–1848
Enlarged Christ Church; church destroyed by fire (arson suspected) on night of June 11, 1848; transferred to Windsor Locks the following month.
- Rev. Philip O'Reilly1848–1851
Purchased former Congregational Meeting House on Church Street; Bishop William Tyler of Hartford dedicated it as St. Mary on December 18, 1848.
- Rev. O'Brien1851–1872
Developed plans for the present Gothic church after the 1867 Dominican parish mission; took title to land between Hillhouse Avenue and Temple Street on June 13, 1868.
- Rev. Murphy1872–1879
Brought construction of the present church to completion; church dedicated October 25, 1874.
- Rev. Patrick Lawlor1879–1886
Appointed pastor in 1879; during his pastorate Fr. Michael J. McGivney served as curate and in 1882 founded the Knights of Columbus in the church basement.
- Dominican Fathers of the Province of St. Joseph (Fathers Higgins, Kent, Hartigan, Linahan and successors)1886–December 1, 2021
Province of St. Joseph (NY) entrusted with parish by Bishop of Hartford on May 16, 1886; 135-year administration included the 1907 priory, the 1982 centennial renovation/spire, and the 2019–2020 restoration under Fr. John Paul Walker, OP; departed December 1, 2021.
- Rev. John Paul Walker, OPpastor at time of 2020 beatification and 2019–2020 restoration
Dominican pastor who guided the massive historic-preservation and artistic renovation that reopened in time for the October 31, 2020 beatification of Fr. McGivney.
- Diocesan pastors following Dominican departureDecember 1, 2021 – July 1, 2023
Archdiocese of Hartford priests assigned to lead transition to consolidated parish.
- Rev. Michael J. Dolan2023–present
Pastor in Solidum & Moderator of the city-wide Blessed Michael McGivney Parish following the July 1, 2023 merger; also serves as Director of Ongoing Formation and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of Hartford.
