About St. Mary Magdalen · Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
St. Mary Magdalen Parish is a Catholic parish in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, part of the Archdiocese of Boston and a member parish of the River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative, which also includes Ste. Marguerite d'Youville (Dracut) and St. Rita (Lowell). The parish community worshipped for decades in a small lake-side chapel in Dracut before building its current church on Lakeview Avenue in Tyngsborough in 2011, a building Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley dedicated in March 2012. St. Mary Magdalen is home to the Vietnamese Mass community of the collaborative (Sunday and Thursday evenings) and offers a vibrant faith formation program, music ministry, and outreach through St. Vincent de Paul.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- St. Mary Magdalen
- Rector
- Rev. Richard F. Clancy
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Mary Magdalen offers the liturgies, ministries and neighborly welcome of a close-knit Tyngsborough parish wrapped in the resources of a three-parish collaborative. Parishioners worship in a brand-new (2011) church filled with stained glass and Stations rescued from closed Boston-area parishes, gather for daily and Sunday Mass in English (with a Sunday Vietnamese Mass community at 11:00 a.m. and Thursday evening Vietnamese Mass at 7:30 p.m.), and are served by a dedicated pastor, parochial vicars, and three permanent deacons. Active faith formation for children and youth, a music ministry, and a local St. Vincent de Paul conference offer concrete ways to grow in faith and serve the poor.
Mass times at St. Mary Magdalen
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment — call the Parish Offices at (978) 957-0322 (St. Mary Magdalen)
- Saturday 3:00–3:40 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalen (per Boston Pilot directory listing)
- First Thursday of the month 9:30–10:00 a.m. at St. Mary Magdalen
- Saturday 9:30–10:00 a.m. immediately following the 9:00 a.m. daily Mass at St. Rita
- Saturday 3:10–3:45 p.m. at St. Marguerite d'Youville
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Rita Church (collaborative-wide)
- First Thursday of the month 9:30–10:00 a.m. at St. Mary Magdalen
About St. Mary Magdalen Parish
St. Mary Magdalen is a Catholic parish in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, in the Archdiocese of Boston. It is one of three parishes that together form the River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative — the others being Ste. Marguerite d'Youville in Dracut and St. Rita in Lowell. The parish's contemporary church was completed in 2011 and is described by the parish as a 'mix of contemporary design and antique treasures,' filled with religious art and furnishings saved from closed Boston-area parishes. St. Mary Magdalen welcomes the English-speaking Tyngsboro community and serves as the home of the collaborative's Vietnamese Catholic community.
- Type: Catholic parish (Roman Rite)
- Patron: St. Mary Magdalen
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
- Collaborative: River of Divine Mercy (with Ste. Marguerite d'Youville and St. Rita)
- Church address: 95 Lakeview Avenue, Tyngsborough, MA 01879
History of the Parish
The Catholic community that became St. Mary Magdalen was first gathered as a summer mission chapel of St. Mary's in Dracut in 1937, on the shore of Lake Mascuppic. The mission became a parish in 1959 under the name St. Mary Magdalen, and a rectory was built that same year — but for decades the parish worshipped in a small Dracut chapel while the rectory sat in Tyngsborough. Early-2000s plans for a new worship complex in Tyngsborough stalled when Archdiocese-required union construction costs rose to $5.5 million; under pastor Rev. Gary Thomson the community instead renovated the lake chapel and rectory. A breakthrough came in December 2006 with groundbreaking for a new $1.6 million parish center on the 15-acre rectory site in Tyngsborough — engineered to support a church above it. Under pastor Rev. Ron St. Pierre, the new $1.3 million church was completed on the second floor; the first Mass was celebrated just before Christmas 2011, and Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley dedicated the new altar and church on March 17, 2012. Today the parish is part of the three-parish River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative under pastor Rev. Richard F. Clancy.
- 1937 — Lake-side chapel near Lake Mascuppic in Dracut built as a summer mission of St. Mary's, Dracut
- 1959 — Mission established as St. Mary Magdalen Parish; rectory built in Tyngsborough
- 2006 — $1.6 million parish center built in Tyngsborough with foundation engineered for a future church above
- Late 2011 — New $1.3 million church completed; first Mass celebrated just before Christmas
- March 17, 2012 — Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley dedicates the new altar and church
- Present — Member parish of the River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative
Architecture and Treasures of the New Church
The 2011 church was built on top of the existing parish center, so visitors climb to the second floor to worship — a space Cardinal O'Malley described as 'just full of light' and 'very grand with lots of wood.' The interior deliberately preserves and re-uses sacred items from the parish's past and from other closed Catholic parishes in greater Boston, giving the building an unusual blend of new construction and historic detail.
- Oak from the old Dracut church pews was carved into the new altar, pulpit, ambo and baptismal font
- 100-year-old Stations of the Cross from Blessed Sacrament Church, Jamaica Plain
- Pews believed to be 120–140 years old, from St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
- Stained-glass windows from those closed parishes, including one depicting St. Mary Magdalen on Easter morning
- Stations of the Cross relocated with wood from the old church's pews as their frames
Clergy and Staff
The parish and the wider River of Divine Mercy collaborative are served by a pastor, parochial vicars, permanent deacons, and a team of parish staff. Pastor Fr. Richard F. Clancy has led the collaborative for several years and his appointment has been extended to 2027. Three permanent deacons assist the collaborative parishes, including Deacon Thong Phamduy who ministers to the Vietnamese community and Deacon David Brooks who is specifically listed as assigned to St. Mary Magdalen. Pastoral and operations staff support faith formation, liturgy and music, communications, business, and facilities.
- Rev. Richard F. Clancy — Pastor
- Rev. Khanh T. (Khahn) Dao — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Michael Harkins — Parochial Vicar (2024 listings)
- Deacon David A. Brooks — Permanent Deacon
- Deacon Thong Phamduy — Permanent Deacon (Vietnamese community)
- Deacon Kevin P. Rauseo — Permanent Deacon (collaborative)
- Ms. Lisa Campbell — Office Manager / Business Office
- Ms. Rose Paton — Business Office
- Ms. Joan Donnelly — Pastoral Associate
- Ms. Karen DiBona — Communications Coordinator
- Ms. Kren / Karen Desrosiers — Religious Education Coordinator
- Ms. Ellen Rene — Liturgy and Music
- Mr. Jim McMorrow — Maintenance & Grounds Supervisor
- Music Ministry — [email protected]
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish's religious education program is called 'Walking with Jesus' and is coordinated across the collaborative by Karen Desrosiers ([email protected]). The program prepares children for First Communion, Confirmation, and continuing faith formation, and the parish also runs the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for adults seeking full initiation or completing the Sacraments of Initiation.
- Religious Education / 'Walking with Jesus' — for school-age children
- First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Outreach and Charity
St. Mary Magdalen parishioners support the local St. Vincent de Paul conference, which assists the poor and hungry of the parish community. 'Poor Boxes' for donations are located at the church entrances, and families in need can contact the Collaborative Offices to request assistance.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society (parish conference)
- 'Poor Boxes' at the church entrances
- Anointing of the Sick outreach to the ill, elderly, injured and pre-surgical
Sacraments
The collaborative publishes practical information about each sacrament on its website and in the weekly bulletin. Marriage must be arranged at least six months in advance with a required Pre-Cana class; Baptisms are celebrated on the second Sunday of the month following a required preparation class; Anointing of the Sick is offered on the third Sunday (and preceding Saturday) of each month immediately following Masses.
- Baptism — second Sunday of the month; prep class required; contact the Collaborative Office
- Marriage — at least 6 months' notice; Pre-Cana required
- Reconciliation — by appointment and at scheduled times (see Confession section)
- Anointing of the Sick — 3rd Sunday (and preceding Sat.) after each Mass
- RCIA — adults seeking initiation or completing initiation sacraments
- First Communion and Confirmation — through the Religious Education program
River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative
St. Mary Magdalen is one of three parishes in the River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative. Ste. Marguerite d'Youville Parish is in Dracut (1340 Lakeview Avenue, MA 01826); St. Rita Parish is in Lowell (158 Mammoth Road, MA 01854) and hosts a Cambodian/Khmer bilingual Mass in its chapel at 12:00 p.m. on Sundays. The Collaborative Offices — the main administrative hub for all three parishes — are at 1340 Lakeview Avenue, Dracut, MA 01826 (also listed at 93 Lakeview Avenue, Tyngsborough). Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Collaborative Pastor: Rev. Richard F. Clancy (extended to 2027)
- Ste. Marguerite d'Youville — Dracut, MA
- St. Rita — Lowell, MA (Cambodian/Khmer Mass Sundays at 12:00 p.m.)
- Collaborative Offices: 1340 Lakeview Ave., Dracut, MA 01826
- Office phone: 978-957-0322 — Fax: 978-957-5266
- Office hours: Mon/Tue/Thu, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Visit, Connect, and Give
Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to engage with the parish through weekend Masses, faith formation for their children, the music ministry, the St. Vincent de Paul outreach, and the collaborative's online giving platform. The parish bulletin, posted weekly via The Boston Pilot, is the best source for current Mass intentions, clergy assignments, and announcements.
- Online Giving via rodmc.org
- Weekly bulletin via The Boston Pilot (thebostonpilot.com)
- Facebook: Saint Mary Magdalen Parish Tyngsboro & 'River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative'
- Email Pastor: [email protected]
- Music Ministry: [email protected]
- Religious Education: [email protected]
- Communications: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Gary Thomsonapproximately 2001–2004
Pastor during the early new-church fundraising campaign; oversaw the decision to renovate the existing lake chapel after the larger Tyngsboro build was paused due to cost.
- Rev. Ron St. Pierresometime before 2012
Oversaw construction of the new parish center (2006) and the new church on top of it (first Mass Christmas 2011); Cardinal O'Malley dedicated the finished church in March 2012.
- Rev. Richard F. Clancyfrom approximately 2019–present
Current pastor of the River of Divine Mercy Catholic Collaborative (St. Mary Magdalen, Ste. Marguerite d'Youville, St. Rita); his appointment has been extended to 2027.