About St. Monica (South Boston) · Boston, Massachusetts
St. Monica is a Roman Catholic parish in South Boston, Massachusetts, part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. Located at 331 Old Colony Avenue in the heart of Southie, St. Monica traces its roots to a mission chapel of St. Augustine Parish and was formally established as an independent parish in 1907. In 2004, the Archdiocese suppressed St. Augustine and renamed the parish St. Monica–St. Augustine, and in 2015 St. Monica entered the South Boston-Seaport Catholic Collaborative alongside the historic Lithuanian parish of St. Peter. The parish now serves a linguistically and culturally diverse community, celebrating Mass in English and Spanish, and operates a widely-used food pantry and a Good Samaritan outreach ministry. Father William M. Kennedy currently serves as pastor.
- Established
- 1907
- Patron
- St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo
- Rector
- Rev. William M. Kennedy
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Monica is a parish shaped by its immigrant roots — the Irish Southie of 1907 and the later addition of St. Augustine's flock — and today it actively ministers in both English and Spanish, with a 12:30 PM Sunday Mass in Spanish, a Saturday vigil, and a Wednesday-evening and Friday-morning weekday Mass. The parish runs one of the most visible outreach ministries on Old Colony Avenue: a Thursday-morning food pantry out of the lower church hall (South Boston residents welcome with ID and proof of address), supported by a dedicated Food Pantry Team and the Good Samaritan Ministry. It is also home to ongoing religious-education classes, a vibrant music ministry, and a Eucharistic devotional life centered on weekly confession and a Saturday vigil — all in a historic church building the pastor has worked hard to maintain.
Mass times at St. Monica (South Boston)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 6:00–6:45 PM (St. Monica)
- Saturday 4:00–4:45 PM (St. Monica)
St. Monica Parish: A South Boston Catholic Community
St. Monica is one of the historic Catholic parishes of South Boston, founded in 1907 as an offshoot of the earlier St. Augustine Parish. Today it operates as St. Monica–St. Augustine Parish within the South Boston-Seaport Catholic Collaborative alongside the Lithuanian-heritage St. Peter Parish. From its church at 331 Old Colony Avenue, the parish serves a diverse neighborhood community through weekly Mass in English and Spanish, a weekday Mass schedule, regular confession, and active outreach ministries.
History of St. Monica Parish
The parish began as a mission chapel of St. Augustine — appropriately named because St. Monica was the mother of St. Augustine — and was formally established as an independent parish in 1907, part of the wave of new Catholic churches serving South Boston's growing Irish Catholic population in the early 20th century. In November 2004, Archbishop Seán P. O'Malley suppressed St. Augustine Parish and renamed the merged community St. Monica–St. Augustine. In 2015, St. Monica entered into the South Boston-Seaport Catholic Collaborative with St. Peter, a parish founded in 1896 for Lithuanian immigrants.
- Begins as mission chapel of St. Augustine Parish (South Boston)
- 1907 — Becomes a formal, independent parish
- November 1, 2004 — St. Augustine suppressed; merged into St. Monica–St. Augustine Parish
- 2015 — Enters the South Boston-Seaport Catholic Collaborative with St. Peter (Lithuanian)
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by a pastor with a small staff of clergy, operations, pastoral, and music-and-liturgy personnel. The Hispanic Ministry is served by a deacon, and the collaborative's Lithuanian Apostolate is directed by co-directors based at the parish. Names below are taken from the Boston Catholic Directory listing and recent parish bulletins.
- Pastor — Rev. William M. Kennedy
- Deacon, Hispanic Ministry — Deacon Alejandro Iraola
- Finance & Operations Manager — Susan McLeod
- Pastoral Associate — Marie Philomène Péan
- Music Ministers — Charles Connor and Erin Dilworth
- Sacristan and Food Pantry Coordinator — Jean Shifflett
- Lithuanian Apostolate Co-Directors — Gloria Adomkaitis and Aldona Lingertat
- Administrative Assistant — Daiva Navickas
Outreach & Charitable Ministries
St. Monica's most prominent social ministry is its weekly food pantry, which operates out of the lower church hall on Old Colony Avenue and is open to South Boston residents with identification and proof of current address. Online donations can be directed specifically to the St. Monica Food Pantry and the St. Monica Good Samaritan Ministry through the parish website. The parish also prepares special gift bags for the children of pantry recipients at Christmas and Easter.
- St. Monica Food Pantry — Thursdays 9:30 AM–1:00 PM, Lower Church Hall (331 Old Colony Ave)
- First-time visitors register between 10:30 and 10:45 AM
- Online giving options for Food Pantry and Good Samaritan Ministry
- Seasonal Christmas and Easter gifts prepared for pantry families
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
The parish publishes a Religious Education registration process each fall, with classes meeting the second and fourth Sunday of the month in St. Monica's Church Hall. Parents preparing children for baptism are directed to contact Pastoral Associate Philomène Péan or Deacon Alejandro after Mass; sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation takes place through the same program.
- Religious Education registration each September
- Classes meet 2nd and 4th Sundays in St. Monica's Church Hall
- Baptism preparation — contact Philomène Péan or Deacon Alejandro after Mass
Liturgy & Music
Music at St. Monica is directed by Charles Connor and Erin Dilworth (Music Minister and Cantor). The parish regularly publishes its liturgy schedule, special collections, prayer list, and online giving instructions in its weekly bulletin, available through the Boston Pilot.
- Music Ministry — Charles Connor and Erin Dilworth
- Weekly bulletin published via thebostonpilot.com
- Online Giving through sbscatholic.org supports St. Monica Church, Food Pantry, and Good Samaritan Ministry
South Boston-Seaport Catholic Collaborative
Since 2015, St. Monica has shared pastoral resources and a combined bulletin with St. Peter (Lithuanian), the neighboring South Boston parish founded in 1896 by Lithuanian immigrants. Together the two parishes form the South Boston-Seaport Catholic Collaborative, 'united by faith in Jesus Christ and motivated by rich traditions of faith and service.' St. Peter continues to welcome the Lithuanian community with a Sunday Mass in Lithuanian and to maintain the Sisters-of-Jesus-Crucified-built parish school legacy.
- St. Peter — Lithuanian-heritage parish founded 1896; Sunday Mass 9:00 AM (English) and 10:30 AM (Lithuanian)
- Collaborative bulletin published jointly
- Combined online-giving portal for both parishes
Visiting St. Monica: Address, Phone, and Office
The parish church, rectory, and office are listed by the Archdiocese of Boston's official directory as follows. The mailing address differs from the street address; the parish encourages online contact via its website for most needs.
- Church — 331 Old Colony Avenue, South Boston, MA 02127
- Parish Office / Rectory — 50 Orton Marotta Way, South Boston, MA 02127
- Parish Office — 75 Flaherty Way, South Boston
- Mailing Address — PO Box 270799, Boston, MA 02127-0799
- Parish Phone — 617-268-8100
- Website — http://www.sbscatholic.org