About St. Mary · Wrentham, Massachusetts
St. Mary Parish is a Roman Catholic parish serving Wrentham, Massachusetts, and now partnered in a collaborative with neighboring St. Martha Parish in Plainville. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Boston and traces its roots back to 1797, when the first Catholic Mass in Wrentham was celebrated by Father Francis Matignon, the founding pastor of the Catholic Church in New England. Today the parish serves more than 1,000 registered families and worships in a 1928 stucco, California Mission-style church on South Street in Wrentham Centre. Its mission is grounded in the collaborative values of Love, Welcoming, Compassion, and Boldness, and its life centers on the Sunday Eucharist, the sacraments, faith formation for children and youth, charity to neighbors in need, and a developing pastoral plan to strengthen families and adult faith.
- Established
- 1930
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (Saint Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph F. Mozer
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Mary is a long-established Catholic community in Wrentham whose roots reach back to 1797 and which today worships in a distinctive 1928 California Mission-style church enlarged in 1989. As part of the Plainville–Wrentham Collaborative with St. Martha Parish, it offers the full rhythm of Catholic life — daily Mass, multiple Sunday liturgies, Saturday confession, First Friday Adoration, a parish Rosary each morning, faith formation for every grade from 1 through Confirmation, RCIA-style inquiry for adults (Discovering Christ), ministries to the grieving (Light of Hope), and strong outreach through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, My Brother's Keeper, and the Knights of Columbus. It is a parish that takes seriously the call to be a sacramental community of disciples in mission, anchored in its values of Love, Welcoming, Compassion, and Boldness.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM at St. Mary
- Sundays 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM at St. Martha (collaborative)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday Holy Hour following the 9:00 AM Mass at St. Mary
- First Friday Adoration 8:30 AM – 6:15 PM at St. Martha (collaborative), ending with Benediction and Reposition by a Deacon
- First Saturday Adoration following the 9:00 AM Mass until 3:00 PM at St. Martha (collaborative)
Parish History
St. Mary's roots reach to 1797, when Father Francis Matignon celebrated the first Catholic Mass in Wrentham. For generations the town's Catholics were served as a mission of St. Mary, Foxboro, until Father Dennis J. Maguire, appointed by Cardinal O'Connell, became the first resident pastor and the parish was formally established. The present California Mission-style church was built in 1928, the rectory/inn story goes back to 1943, and the parish grew from 25 founding families to more than 1,000 today.
- First Mass in Wrentham: January 1797 (Fr. Francis Matignon)
- Mission of St. Mary, Foxboro before becoming independent
- First resident pastor: Father Dennis J. Maguire (appointed by Cardinal O'Connell)
- Current church built 1928 in stucco California Mission style
- Formal parish establishment dated December 8, 1930 (Town of Wrentham records)
- Enlarged worship space completed 1989
- St. Martha, Plainville separated as its own parish in 1953
- Old Brick Oven Inn purchased 1943 for use as rectory; replaced in 2000
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at St. Mary is organized collaboratively and welcomes children from Grade 1 through Confirmation. Curriculum includes the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies for Grades 1–6, Altaration for middle school, and Chosen for Confirmation preparation (a two-year program). The Archdiocese of Boston has moved the age of Confirmation from 10th grade to 8th grade, and the transition is being phased in.
- Director of Faith Formation (Children, Grades 1–6): Maggie Hoagland ([email protected], 508-695-0054)
- Coordinator of Faith Formation (Youth, Grades 7–Confirmation): Sarah Merigold ([email protected], 508-384-3373)
- Grades 1 & 6: Monday only; Grades 2–5: Monday or Wednesday
- Homeschool option for Grades 1, 3–6
- Middle School and Confirmation 1 & 2 meet Sunday evenings
- Confirmation now celebrated in 8th grade (Archdiocese of Boston)
- First Reconciliation Preparation Meeting for parents and children
Adult Faith & Evangelization
Adults and families are served through the parish's Pastoral Plan priorities — Faith Formation of Adults and Families, Strengthening the Sunday Experience, and Vocations and Discernment — along with concrete programs such as Discovering Christ and The Chosen series, and an ongoing Christian Initiation (RCIA) process for those seeking to become Catholic, baptized in another tradition, or Catholic adults preparing for First Communion and Confirmation.
- Discovering Christ: 7-session program with retreat day, Wednesday evenings, St. Mary Parish Hall (contact Anne Lesnik, 508-446-1161)
- The Chosen Season 5 — weekly video & discussion at St. Martha Parish Hall
- Christian Initiation (RCIA) meets Wednesdays 6:30 PM in the rectory conference rooms; contact Deacon Joe Flocco ([email protected])
Outreach & Charity
St. Mary parishioners are deeply involved in service to neighbors in need. The parish supports the St. Vincent de Paul Society, collects Christmas gifts for My Brother's Keeper, hosts monthly Knights of Columbus breakfasts (which benefit local charities), gathers supplies for the VA Hospital, and contributes to food drives for the Plainville Food Pantry. Seasonal collections also support programs like Abundant Hope for women and their babies.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society
- My Brother's Keeper Christmas Giving Tree
- Knights of Columbus monthly breakfast and VA Hospital collections
- Plainville Food Pantry support
- Abundant Hope baby bottle campaign (Lent)
- Virtual Advent Giving Tree with grocery and Target gift cards
- Electronic Recycling events in the parish parking lot
Pastoral Care & Community
Beyond the sacraments, the parish offers pastoral care to those who are grieving through 'The Light of Hope' ministry and continues to welcome new families. The collaborative has explicitly named Love, Welcoming, Compassion, and Boldness as its values, and the parish regularly calls for new ministry volunteers — altar servers, lectors, greeters, ushers, Eucharistic ministers, and youth and adult videographers — to support every weekend Mass.
- Grief Pastoral Care Ministry: 'The Light of Hope'
- Wedding Coordinators and Bereavement support
- Prayer lists for the sick and for those serving in the military (refreshed periodically)
- Ministry volunteer recruitment at every weekend Mass
Music & Liturgy
Music at St. Mary is directed by Patrice Metcalf (St. Mary) with additional music direction from Anne DiSanto and Jeff Johnson at St. Martha. Cantors, choir members, and instrumentalists support the weekend and daily liturgies, and the parish relies on volunteer videographers to livestream the 9:30 AM Sunday Mass.
- Director of Music (St. Mary): Patrice Metcalf ([email protected])
- Cantors and choir at weekend and daily liturgies
- Videography ministry for online Mass
Parish Staff & Leadership
St. Mary is pastored collaboratively with St. Martha, Plainville, sharing clergy, deacons, and lay staff. Father Joseph F. Mozer has served as Pastor since June 2014, supported by Associate Pastor Father Patrick Chibuko, Weekend Assistant Father Bernard Baris, M.S., and four permanent deacons.
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph F. Mozer ([email protected])
- Associate Pastor: Rev. Patrick C. Chibuko ([email protected])
- Weekend Assistant: Rev. Bernard Baris, M.S.
- Deacon Joseph R. Flocco, Deacon James T. Kearney, Deacon Thomas F. Hines Jr., Deacon A. Anthony Cipriano (Senior Deacon)
- Operations: William Nash
- Liturgy and Music: Patrice Mazza
- Faith Formation: Maggie Hoagland (Children), Sarah Merigold (Youth)
Visiting & Joining the Parish
New parishioners are warmly welcomed at St. Mary, which now has more than 1,000 registered families. Office hours are Monday–Thursday 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM; the office can be reached at 508-384-3373 or [email protected]. Mass and confession schedules, sacramental information, online giving, and ministry sign-ups are all available on the collaborative website at pwc.church.
- Parish Office: 130 South Street, Wrentham, MA 02093
- Phone: 508-384-3373
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:30 AM–1:30 PM
- Website: pwc.church
- Online Mass via PWC YouTube channel and local cable (Comcast Channel 8 / Verizon Channel 36)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Francis Matignon1797 (mission visits)
Founding pastor of the Catholic Church in New England; celebrated the first Catholic Mass in Wrentham in January 1797 and visited it regularly as a mission south of Holy Cross Church, Boston.
- Father Michael X. Carroll
Pastor of St. Mary, Foxboro; established the first Catholic worship space in Wrentham at 43 Taunton Street (a former shoe and boot shop remodeled into a chapel).
- Father Dennis J. Maguire
Appointed by Cardinal William Henry O'Connell as the first resident pastor of Saint Mary, Wrentham, separating it from St. Mary, Foxboro and entrusting it with the care of Wrentham and Plainville.
- Rev. William T. Schmidt
Pastor of the St. Martha / St. Mary collaborative prior to 2014; became parochial vicar after Father Mozer was named pastor in 2014.
- Rev. Joseph F. MozerJune 2014–present
Ordained May 17, 1997 by Cardinal Bernard Law; canon lawyer; became parochial vicar at the two parishes in 2014 and was named pastor of the St. Martha / St. Mary Collaborative on June 2, 2014.