About St. Mary · Randolph, Massachusetts
St. Mary Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Randolph, Massachusetts, part of the Archdiocese of Boston. Founded in 1845 and serving more than 1,400 families today, it is a vibrant and culturally diverse faith community rooted in Word, Worship, Community, and Service. The parish maintains a campus that includes its 1989 church at 211 North Main Street, a Pastoral Office at 22 Seton Way, a Faith Formation Center at 30 Seton Way, and the historic St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery on North Street, one of the oldest Catholic cemeteries south of Boston.
- Established
- 1845
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Philip E. McGaugh
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Mary is a welcoming, multicultural Catholic community of more than 1,400 families rooted in the Eucharist and committed to Word, Worship, Community, and Service. The parish offers weekday and weekend Mass in English, Sacramental Reconciliation on Saturday afternoons, ongoing faith formation for youth and adults, vibrant liturgical music, and over 200 lay persons serving in ministries, commissions, and councils. Its active participation in Randolph's Interfaith Association and its annual Pentecost celebration of cultures make it a genuinely diverse, outward-looking parish where newcomers are invited to belong.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Parish History
St. Mary Parish traces its roots to 1845, when Father Bernard Carraher, then Pastor of St. Mary Church in Quincy, purchased land on North Main Street and on North Street to begin both the parish and what would become one of the region's oldest Catholic cemeteries. The first church was dedicated to St. Mary on July 14, 1850 by Bishop Fitzpatrick, and Father John Roddan became the parish's first resident pastor in 1851. The parish even operated a mission church of St. Francis Xavier for the Catholic population of Weymouth from 1855 to 1863.
The Church Building — 1850 to Today
The original 1850 wooden church was replaced in 1929 when Father Madden had the wood frame removed to make way for a larger granite structure, but the Depression kept St. Mary a 'basement church' for the next sixty years. In 1983, Pastor Father William F. Calter began formal plans for the upper church, and on December 16, 1989, Cardinal Bernard Law celebrated Mass and dedicated the new steel-and-brick church. The interior was renewed in 2000–2001 with a new altar, ambo, and Repository of the Blessed Sacrament, while the original mosaics from the previous main altars were preserved and inlaid in the new furnishings and in the church wall. Air-conditioning was completed in 2001 and the mortgage was retired in 2002.
St. Mary School & Faith Formation Center
St. Mary School (grades 1–8) opened in 1962 staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Halifax. It closed in 1980 due to declining enrollment, after which the building was repurposed as the Parish Religious Education Center. In recent years, two-thirds of the former school has been leased to The Learning Center for Deaf Children in Framingham, while the parish continues to use the building for faith formation at 30 Seton Way.
- Opened 1962, staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Halifax
- Closed 1980 due to declining enrollment
- Now the Religious Education Center, 30 Seton Way
- Two-thirds leased to The Learning Center for Deaf Children
Clergy & Parish Staff
St. Mary is served by a pastor, a priest in residence, a deacon, and a dedicated lay pastoral and operations staff. The team includes pastoral, finance, operations, liturgy and music, and faith formation leadership, working together with parish councils and more than 200 lay ministers.
- Rev. Philip E. McGaugh — Pastor
- Very Rev. Robert L. Connors, VE — In Residence
- Deacon Vivian J. Blair
- Ms. Patricia O'Connor — Pastoral Associate / Director of Religious Education
- Mr. Kerry Lubin — Finance
- Mr. Kevin Mercer — Operations
- Ms. Felicia Kopelman-Hayes — Liturgy and Music
Patty O'Connor — Pastoral Associate & DRE
Patty O'Connor grew up in Randolph, attending St. Mary's Parish School and Randolph High School. A 1977 graduate of Bridgewater State College (B.S. Elementary Education, minor in psychology), she taught first grade at St. Mary School from 1977 to 1980, then became Director of Religious Education. She earned a Master of Arts in Ministry (MAM) from the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary in 2007, completed a yearlong study in Youth Ministry in 1980 through the Archdiocese's Master Teachers Program, and a two-year study in prayer through the Companions in Prayer program sponsored by Loyola Press (2007–2009). She is certified by the Archdiocese of Boston as a Pastoral Associate and lives in Randolph with her husband, Bob O'Connor.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation is a central ministry at St. Mary, described on the parish website as 'Walking with Jesus.' The parish is committed to the Catechetical Ministry of Youth and Young Adults and to ongoing Adult Faith Formation. The Faith Formation office is located in the former St. Mary School at 30 Seton Way, with the Pastoral Associate serving as DRE.
- Walking with Jesus religious education program
- Youth and Young Adult catechetical ministry
- Adult Faith Formation
- Pastoral Associate / DRE: Ms. Patricia O'Connor
Liturgy & Music
Liturgy and music at St. Mary are coordinated by Ms. Felicia Kopelman-Hayes. The parish describes itself as 'a Eucharistic people' who seek to deepen union with Jesus Christ through the ministry of Word and Worship, with vitality evident in its liturgies and sacramental celebrations.
- Liturgy and Music Director: Ms. Felicia Kopelman-Hayes
- Sacramental celebrations and liturgical life emphasized as core parish identity
Parish Councils & Lay Involvement
Since 1992 St. Mary has built an active lay leadership structure. More than 200 parishioners serve in ministries, commissions, and councils, reflecting the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of the parish community.
- Parish Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
- Over 200 lay persons involved in ministries, commissions, and councils
Outreach & Interfaith Life
St. Mary is a vital part of Randolph's Interfaith Association, which unites the religions of the town. Each Pentecost the parish celebrates the cultures from around the world that grace its community, embodying its mission to extend hospitality and outreach to all the People of God.
- Member of Randolph's Interfaith Association
- Annual Pentecost celebration of parish cultures
- Hospitality and outreach to all the People of God
St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
St. Mary's Cemetery, established in 1845 on North Street, is one of the oldest Catholic cemeteries in the Archdiocese of Boston and the oldest Catholic cemetery south of Boston. Set on approximately 80 acres, the cemetery has around 20,000 interments and averages about 140 interments per year. It is owned by the parish but is self-supporting and is managed under a Cemetery Council of six laypersons, with the Pastor of St. Mary Parish serving as Pastor/Director and Chairperson. Robert O'Connor, a full-time employee of the cemetery for over 25 years, is the Executive Director. A major expansion completed in 2008 added 1,400 traditional burial spaces.
- Address: 245 North Street, Randolph
- Phone: (781) 961-9323
- Established 1845 — oldest Catholic cemetery south of Boston
- Approximately 80 acres; ~20,000 interments; ~140 interments per year
- Governed by a six-person Cemetery Council; Pastor of St. Mary Parish chairs the Council
Visit & Contact
St. Mary welcomes visitors and newcomers to its liturgies, faith formation programs, and parish life. The campus includes the church at 211 North Main Street, the Parish Office at 22 Seton Way, the Faith Formation Center at 30 Seton Way, and the cemetery at 245 North Street.
- Church: 211 North Main Street, Randolph, MA 02368
- Parish Office: 22 Seton Way, Randolph, MA 02368
- Faith Formation: 30 Seton Way, (781) 961-5009
- Cemetery: 245 North Street, (781) 961-9323
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bernard Carraher1845
Pastor of St. Mary Church, Quincy; purchased the land on North Main Street and laid the spiritual and physical foundation for St. Mary Parish and its cemetery.
- Father John Roddan1851
First resident pastor of St. Mary Parish.
- Father Madden1929
Removed the original wood-frame church to make way for a larger granite structure; the Depression left it a 'basement church' for the next 60 years.
- Father William F. Calter1983
Began formal plans for the construction of the upper church.
- Father Richard L. Harrington1992
Established the Pastoral Staff, Parish Pastoral Council, Finance Council, and over 200 lay persons involved in ministries and commissions.
- Father Ronald Coyne
Pastor at the time of the 2008 St. Mary's Cemetery expansion project.
- Rev. Philip E. McGaugh
Current pastor (Archdiocese of Boston directory).