About St. Patrick · Watertown, Massachusetts
St. Patrick is a Roman Catholic parish at 212 Main Street in Watertown, Massachusetts, part of the Archdiocese of Boston and the partner parish in the Watertown Catholic Collaborative with Sacred Heart Church (770 Mt. Auburn Street). It is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the Watertown–Waltham area, with a continuous presence on Main Street since the 1840s. The parish shares a pastor (Bishop Robert Reed), staff, and a combined Mass and faith-formation schedule with Sacred Heart, allowing the two congregations to serve the town's Catholic community together.
- Established
- 1848
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Bishop Robert Reed
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Boston
Why belong here
St. Patrick offers a historically rooted downtown Watertown parish with a complete schedule of weekend and weekday Masses in English, regular Saturday confessions, and weekly Adoration on Wednesday evenings. As the senior partner in the Watertown Catholic Collaborative with Sacred Heart, it shares faith formation for children and adults, sacramental preparation, and outreach ministries, giving parishioners a small-town feel with a wide range of programs. Its 212 Main Street location keeps it at the heart of Watertown, easy to walk to from the town center.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM at St. Patrick Church
- Wednesday 5:30 PM at St. Patrick Church (Lent, combined with Adoration)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 5:30 PM at St. Patrick Church (Lent)
About St. Patrick Parish
St. Patrick is a Roman Catholic parish at 212 Main Street in Watertown, Massachusetts, in the Archdiocese of Boston. It is the senior member of the Watertown Catholic Collaborative, joined with Sacred Heart Church at 770 Mt. Auburn Street. The parish's 19th-century origins and its downtown Main Street location make it a long-standing anchor of Catholic life in Watertown.
- 212 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
- Phone: (617) 926-9680
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stpatswatertown.org (now part of watertowncatholic.com)
- Pastor: Bishop Robert Reed
- Mailing address: 26R Chestnut Street, Watertown, MA 02472-2339
History of St. Patrick Parish
The Catholic faithful of Watertown were originally cared for from Boston as part of a wide missionary territory. In 1830 Watertown and the surrounding towns were set up as a district mission, and in 1839 Rev. T. Fitzsimmons became the first resident priest. After a fire destroyed the Waltham mission church and most Catholics turned out to live in Watertown, Father Patrick Flood organized the parish in town: he secured first the 'Whig Reading Room' at Watertown Square, then an old Methodist meeting house that he moved from Galen Street to Church Hill, and finally a larger purpose-built church, whose cornerstone was blessed on September 11, 1847 and which was dedicated in June 1848. Successive pastors built schools, decorated the church, and tended missions in Waltham, West Newton, and Concord. The parish marked its 100th anniversary in February 1947 with a celebration at which Archbishop Richard J. Cushing presided and Rt. Rev. Monsignor Daniel C. Riordan was pastor.
- 1830 — Watertown grouped into district mission with Waltham, the Newtons, Weston, Concord.
- 1839 — Rev. T. Fitzsimmons becomes first resident priest; congregation ~300.
- Early 1840s — Sunday Mass celebrated on a twist table in a boarding house on Main Street.
- 1846 — Father Flood secures the Whig Reading Room at Watertown Square.
- 1847 — Cornerstone of new Church Hill church blessed September 11 by Bishop Fitzpatrick.
- 1848 — Church dedicated in June; recognized as parish founding year.
- 1851 — Rev. Bernard Flood arrives as assistant from Montreal's Grand Seminary.
- 1863 — Rev. Bernard Flood named pastor; moves to Waltham in 1864.
- 1864–1871 — Rev. John W. McCarthy cares for Watertown.
- 1871 — Rev. M. M. Green appointed pastor.
- 1872 — Rev. Robert P. Stack commissioned as assistant; later enlarges church and builds brick schoolhouse.
- 1947 — Centennial celebrated with Archbishop Cushing.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation is run collaboratively for the children and adults of both St. Patrick and Sacred Heart. The program — described on the collaborative site as 'Walking with Jesus' — covers catechesis for school-age children, sacramental preparation, and adult faith formation including RCIA for those entering the Church.
- Faith Formation for children and youth
- Sacramental preparation (First Communion, Confirmation)
- Adult faith formation / RCIA
- Faith Formation office reachable through the parish office at (617) 926-9680
Ministries, Outreach & Stewardship
The collaborative invites parishioners to 'Get Involved' through its ministries and outreach opportunities, and to support the parishes financially through online giving. While the site's individual ministry pages are not all enumerated publicly, the collaborative's structure gives St. Patrick parishioners a place to participate in liturgical, faith-formation, and outreach work shared with Sacred Heart.
- Get Involved — ministries and outreach opportunities page
- Give — online stewardship / donation page
- Faith Formation volunteer roles
- Liturgical ministry roles (typical for parish life)
Lent & Holy Week at St. Patrick
During Lent, St. Patrick hosts additional evening Masses and pairs Adoration with Confession on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 PM. On Fridays at 7:00 PM, the collaborative offers the Stations of the Cross for Families at Sacred Heart Church (March 7 – April 11 per the published schedule).
- Lent Weekday Masses Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 5:30 PM (St. Patrick)
- Adoration & Confession — Wednesday 5:30 PM (St. Patrick)
- Stations of the Cross for Families — Friday 7:00 PM (Sacred Heart)
Visit, Contact & Hours
Parishioners and visitors can reach the office by phone at (617) 926-9680 or email at [email protected]. The parish mailing address is 26R Chestnut Street, Watertown, MA 02472; the church itself is at 212 Main Street. Office hours cover weekdays plus extended Saturday and Sunday hours to coincide with Mass and confession times.
- Phone: (617) 926-9680
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: 26R Chestnut Street, Watertown, MA 02472
- Church address: 212 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
- Office hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Saturday hours: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
- Sunday hours: 8:00 – 11:00 AM
The Watertown Catholic Collaborative
St. Patrick is partnered with Sacred Heart Church (770 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown) in the Watertown Catholic Collaborative. The two parishes share a pastor (Bishop Robert Reed), staff, faith formation, and a unified Mass and sacrament schedule, while each retains its own church building, history, and identity. The collaborative website at watertowncatholic.com is the central hub for news, the bulletin, livestream Mass, and giving.
- Partner parish: Sacred Heart Church, 770 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown
- Shared pastor: Bishop Robert Reed
- Shared Faith Formation program
- Shared stewardship / giving page
- Collaborative website: watertowncatholic.com
- Original parish site: stpatswatertown.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Patrick Flooduntil 1863
Built the first Catholic church in Watertown; cornerstone of the larger church blessed September 11, 1847; church dedicated June 1848.
- Rev. Bernard Flood1863–1864 (in Watertown)
Probable nephew of Fr. Patrick Flood; born in Castle Tara, County Cavan, Ireland; came as assistant in 1851; became pastor in 1863, moved to Waltham in 1864.
- Rev. John W. McCarthy1864–1871
Resided as parish priest in Watertown; assistant Rev. Edward S. Galligan.
- Rev. M. M. Greenfrom September 1871
Appointed pastor in September 1871.
- Rev. Robert P. Stackfrom 1872 as assistant; later pastor
Commissioned as assistant June 1872; enlarged and decorated the church; built a brick schoolhouse (~ $35,000) on Church Hill.
- Rt. Rev. Monsignor Daniel C. Riordan, P.P.through 1947 centennial
Pastor at the 100th anniversary in February 1947, when Archbishop Richard J. Cushing celebrated.