About St. Mary of the Assumption · Milford, Massachusetts
St. Mary of the Assumption is a culturally rich and diverse Catholic parish in Milford, Massachusetts, serving the community in English, Portuguese (Brazilian), and Spanish. Belonging to the Diocese of Worcester, the parish seeks to welcome, love, evangelize and serve through worship, education, youth, and outreach ministries. With a history reaching back to 1836 and a present-day church opened in 1870, the parish remains a vibrant family of faith supporting a tithing community, joint Catholic elementary school, and a sister parish in Haiti.
- Established
- 1848
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of her Assumption)
- Rector
- Rev. Peter Joyce
- Diocese
- Diocese of Worcester
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Assumption is a trilingual Catholic family (English, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish) in the heart of Milford with Mass broadcast live on Milford Cable for shut-ins. The parish is a tithing community that gives ten percent of every Sunday collection to the poor, joins with Sacred Heart of Jesus in Milford to support Milford Catholic Elementary School, and maintains a covenanted sister-parish relationship with Paroisse Sacré Coeur in Les Cayes, Haiti — concrete ways to put faith into action alongside weekly worship, RCIA for adults and children, religious education, and a youth ministry.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Lower Church; access via glass door by Granite St. entrance)
- By appointment
- Thursday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Multi-Lingual in Parish Center Chapel
- Thursday 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Portuguese in Parish Center Chapel
Adoration times
- Holy Hour — Lower Church (weekly schedule published on the parish calendar)
Parish Identity & Welcome
St. Mary of the Assumption describes itself as a 'culturally rich and diverse Catholic family' that, through its worship, educational, youth, and outreach ministries, seeks to welcome, love, evangelize, and serve, making Jesus Christ present in Word and Sacrament. The parish is intentionally trilingual, with Mass and sacramental preparation offered in English, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
- Welcoming, evangelizing, serving mission statement
- Trilingual identity: English, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish
- Part of the Diocese of Worcester
Parish History
Catholic Mass was first celebrated in Milford in 1836 in private homes, with the first wooden church on Church Hill Street dedicated by Bishop Fitzpatrick in 1848. The first resident pastor, Rev. George A. Hamilton, was appointed in 1850. Under the long-tenured Rev. Patrick Cuddihy (41 years), the present Winter Street church was built (cornerstone 1866, opened Dec. 25, 1870) and the parish school opened in September 1880 under the Sisters of Notre Dame. The landmark tower was completed in March 1890. Milford became part of the new Diocese of Worcester in 1950 under its first bishop, John J. Wright.
- 1836 – First Mass celebrated in Milford (in private homes)
- 1848 – Original wooden church dedicated by Bishop Fitzpatrick on Church Hill Street
- 1850 – Rev. George A. Hamilton appointed first regular pastor
- 1857 – Rev. Patrick Cuddihy begins 41-year pastorate
- 1866 – Cornerstone of present Winter Street church laid
- 1870 – Present church opened for worship on December 25
- 1880 – Parish school opened under the Sisters of Notre Dame
- 1890 – Stately tower completed in March
- 1894 – Irish Round Tower erected on cemetery grounds
- 1896 – St. Mary's Grammar School (Granite Building) built, designed by Robert Allen Cook
- 1924 – Parish Golden Jubilee celebrated
- 1943 – Lower church renovated
- 1950 – Milford placed in the newly created Diocese of Worcester (Bishop John J. Wright)
- 1953 – Church damaged by fire and restored
Our Parish Church
The present church on Winter Street was built over 1866–1870 and is distinguished by its tall tower, completed in 1890. The lower church serves for confessions and the Saturday vigil confessional window. After the main church fire of 1953, the building was restored to continued use.
- Winter Street church opened December 25, 1870
- Tower completed March 1890
- Lower Church renovated 1943
- Fire damage repaired 1953
Landmarks: The Granite Building & Irish Round Tower
The 1896 St. Mary's Grammar School — now known as the Granite Building — was designed by Milford architect Robert Allen Cook in stone quarried locally by Irish, Italian, and Scandinavian immigrant parishioners, many of whom belonged to St. Mary's. The Irish Round Tower (1894) on the grounds of St. Mary's Cemetery remains a distinctive local landmark and a reminder of the parish's Irish immigrant roots.
- Granite Building (1896) — Robert Allen Cook, architect
- Stone quarried in Milford by Irish, Italian, and Scandinavian immigrant parishioners
- Irish Round Tower (1894) on St. Mary's Cemetery grounds
A New Diocese — the 1950s
On February 1, 1950, the Vatican announced the creation of the Diocese of Worcester out of the older Diocese of Springfield, with Milford as the furthermost southwestern corner of the new jurisdiction. Bishop John J. Wright, former secretary to Cardinal William O'Connell, was consecrated on March 7, 1950 at the new Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester, and made his first visit to Milford that Memorial Day, confirming nearly 200 children and 30 adults of St. Mary's.
- Diocese of Worcester erected February 1, 1950
- First bishop: John J. Wright, consecrated March 7, 1950
- Milford placed in new diocese as its southwestern-most parish
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is pastored by Rev. Peter Joyce and served by an associate pastor, a deacon, religious sisters, and a team of lay staff responsible for music, religious education, parish administration, safe environment, property, and ministry to the trilingual community. Email addresses follow the pattern of role + stmarymilford.org.
- Rev. Peter Joyce — Pastor (frpeterstmarymilford.org)
- Rev. Adriano Lessa Natalino — Associate Pastor / Vicario
- Rev. Mr. David F. Vaillancourt, Sr. — Deacon (deaconstmarymilford.org)
- Sor Andrea Avellaneda Trujillo, RODA — Pastoral Assistant / Asistente Pastoral (sorandrestmarymilford.org)
- Mr. Jonathan Capece — Director of Music Ministry, Media and Technology (jcapecestmarymilford.org)
- Ms. Kathy Moran — Religious Education Director
- Mrs. Felicia Roca — Spanish Secretary
- Ms. Daniele Guilarducci — Portuguese & Brazilian Secretary (combrasilstmarymilford.org)
- Mrs. Barbara Auger — Bookkeeper/Office Manager (bookkeeperstmarymilford.org)
- Mrs. Louisa Savaria — Administrative Assistant (adminassistantstmarymilford.org)
- Mrs. Cay Lane — Parish Receptionist
- Heather Buckley — Safe Environment Coordinator (safeenvironmentstmarymilford.org)
- Anthony Recchia — Property Superintendent
- Michael Abbiuso — Maintenance
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
Religious Education for children in grades K–8 is led by Director Kathy Moran, and the OCIA (formerly RCIA) process is offered in three languages for any unbaptized person over age 5, any baptized Christian seeking full communion, and any Catholic who has not yet received First Communion or Confirmation. Sessions are held weekly from late August through Pentecost, typically on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM in the Parish Center, with separate tracks for children (to age 15) and adults (17 and older).
- Religious Education (K-8) — Kathy Moran, Director
- OCIA — English team (contact Fr. Peter or Deacon Dave)
- OCIA — Spanish team (contact Fr. Peter or Joan Orellana, 508-326-4130)
- OCIA — Portuguese/Brazilian team (contact Fr. Peter or Fr. Mateus)
- Confirmation preparation includes the diocesan Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Worcester
Outreach, Tithing & Sister Parishes
St. Mary's is a tithing parish, returning ten percent of every Sunday collection to the poor. The parish maintains a covenanted sister-parish relationship with Paroisse Sacré Coeur in Les Cayes, Haiti (signed at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester on October 20, 2018), providing $1,000 per month in solidarity and development support. Locally, the parish cooperates with Sacred Heart of Jesus (Milford) in supporting Milford Catholic Elementary School, and maintains ecumenical ties with Sacred Heart Church in Hopedale and Trinity Episcopal Church in Milford.
- 10% of Sunday collections given to the poor
- Sister parish: Paroisse Sacré Coeur, Les Cayes, Haiti (covenant Oct. 20, 2018; $1,000/month)
- Joint support of Milford Catholic Elementary School with Sacred Heart of Jesus, Milford
- Ecumenical prayer and cooperation with Sacred Heart (Hopedale) and Trinity Episcopal (Milford)
Music, Media & Live-Streamed Worship
Music Ministry, Media and Technology is led by Director Jonathan Capece. Select Masses — including the Saturday 4 PM English and 7 PM Brazilian Portuguese, and Sunday 9 AM Portuguese, 10:30 AM English, and 12 PM Spanish — are live-streamed on the parish website and broadcast locally on Milford Cable (Comcast 6 / Verizon 40). Daily 9 AM Monday–Friday English Masses are also live-streamed.
- Director: Jonathan Capece
- Live-streamed weekend Masses on the parish website
- Milford Cable broadcast (Comcast 6 / Verizon 40)
- Weekday 9 AM English Mass live-streamed Monday–Friday
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. George A. Hamilton1850-1853
First regular resident pastor of St. Mary's; pastoral responsibility extended from Milford to Maynard, with missions including Saxonville, Hopkinton, Westboro, Holliston, Marlboro, Medway, Upton, and Framingham.
- Rev. Michael Caroher1853-1854
Second pastor.
- Rev. Edward Farrelly1854-1857
Died of consumption in 1857.
- Rev. Patrick Cuddihy1857-~1898
Served 41 years; oversaw building of the present church (1866-1870), the tower (1890), and the founding of the parish school under the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1880.
- Fr. Canavan
Earlier curate; the curate under whom Msgr. John Phelan began his priestly career, who invited the Sisters of Saint Joseph to staff the parish schools.
- Rev. Peter Joycepresent
Current pastor (as listed on the parish staff page).