About St. Peter's · Petersham, Massachusetts
St. Peter's Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the small town of Petersham, Massachusetts, part of the North Quabbin Catholic Community — a three-parish cluster along with Our Lady Immaculate and St. Francis of Assisi in Athol. The parish is in the Diocese of Worcester and is served by the Rev. Thien Nguyen, temporary administrator of the cluster. St. Peter's is the Sunday-morning home of the cluster's 9:30 AM English Mass, and is the site of the cluster's weekly Thursday recitation of the Rosary at 9:00 AM. The parish sits at 18 North Street in a quiet, rural corner of north-central Worcester County and shares its clergy, faith formation, food pantry and other ministries with its sister parishes in Athol.
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Thien Nguyen (temporary administrator of the North Quabbin Catholic Community)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester (Massachusetts)
Why belong here
St. Peter's is a small, intimate Catholic community in a beautiful rural setting, ideal for parishioners who value the traditional quiet of a country Mass while still being connected to a wider Catholic family. Through the North Quabbin Catholic Community cluster, members have access to weekday Masses at Our Lady Immaculate in Athol, the cluster's food pantry serving Athol, Royalston and Petersham, weekly recitation of the Rosary at St. Peter's on Thursday mornings, the cluster's Divine Mercy chaplet, and a full sacramental life including confessions before Mass and by appointment. It is a welcoming, prayerful place where neighbors know one another and priests serve the whole Quabbin region.
Mass times at St. Peter's
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sundays before the 9:30 AM Mass or by appointment (per cluster schedule)
- Saturdays 3:00 PM every week at Our Lady Immaculate (cluster)
- Saturdays 8:30 AM on First Saturdays at Our Lady Immaculate (cluster)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eucharistic Holy Hour at Our Lady Immaculate Main Church, cluster-wide)
St. Peter's Parish — Catholic Life in Petersham
St. Peter's Parish (18 North Street, Petersham, MA) is the Catholic parish serving the small hilltown of Petersham in north-central Worcester County. It belongs to the North Quabbin Catholic Community, a three-parish cluster that also includes Our Lady Immaculate and St. Francis of Assisi, both in neighboring Athol. The cluster shares a single pastoral team, a single church office and a unified schedule of Masses, devotions and outreach, with each parish retaining its own identity and worship site.
- Address: 18 North Street, Petersham, MA 01366
- Cluster: North Quabbin Catholic Community
- Sister parishes: Our Lady Immaculate (Athol) and St. Francis of Assisi (Athol)
- Diocese: Worcester
Devotions & Prayer Life
The cluster runs a full schedule of traditional Catholic devotions across its three parishes. St. Peter's itself hosts the weekly Recitation of the Rosary on Thursday mornings at 9:00 AM. Across the cluster, there is Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesday afternoons, the Divine Mercy Chaplet before every weekend Mass, a First Saturday program of Mass, Rosary and Confessions, and Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings during Lent.
- Rosary — Thursdays 9:00 AM at St. Peter's
- Eucharistic Adoration (Holy Hour) — Tuesday 2:00–3:00 PM at Our Lady Immaculate
- Divine Mercy Chaplet — Sat 3:30 PM & Sun 10:30 AM at Our Lady Immaculate; Sun 7:30 AM at St. Francis
- First Saturday Mass, Rosary and Confessions — 8:00 AM at Our Lady Immaculate
- Stations of the Cross — Fridays in Lent, 7:00 PM at St. Francis of Assisi
Cluster Clergy & Staff
The North Quabbin Catholic Community is led by Rev. Thien Nguyen, who serves as Temporary Administrator of all three parishes — Our Lady Immaculate, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Peter's. Fr. Nguyen is the principal priest celebrant and sacramental minister for the cluster, and was the public voice of the parishes in 2025 news coverage following the death of Pope Francis. The cluster operates from a single church office located at 925 Main Street, Athol, with office hours Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM.
- Temporary Administrator: Rev. Thien Nguyen
- Church Office: 925 Main Street, Athol, MA
- Office Hours: Mon–Wed 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
- Rectory phone: (978) 249-2738 ext 0
- Church Office phone: (978) 249-7690
Sacraments
Because St. Peter's is part of a three-parish cluster, the sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation preparation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation — are coordinated centrally through the Athol church office. Confessions at St. Peter's are heard before Sunday Mass or by appointment; couples preparing for marriage and families presenting children for Baptism are encouraged to contact the parish office in advance.
- Baptism — by appointment through the cluster office
- First Communion & Confirmation — cluster-wide faith formation
- Marriage — arranged through the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — on request
- Reconciliation — Sundays at St. Peter's; Saturdays at Our Lady Immaculate; or by appointment
Outreach & Charitable Works
The North Quabbin Catholic Community operates a food pantry that serves the towns of Athol, Royalston and Petersham — making St. Peter's an entry point for neighbors in need from across the region. The cluster also runs a traveling ('pilgrim') Divine Mercy image program: framed images of the Divine Mercy move from home to home within the parishes, with parishioners hosting prayers and inviting the priests to bless the home.
- North Quabbin Catholic Community Food Pantry (Athol / Royalston / Petersham)
- Pilgrim Divine Mercy image program (cluster-wide)
- Prayer ministry and visitation of the sick
The Diocese of Worcester
St. Peter's is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, a Latin Church diocese covering Worcester County in central Massachusetts. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius XII on March 7, 1950, when Worcester County was separated from the Diocese of Springfield; Bishop John J. Wright was installed as its first bishop at the Church of St. Paul, which became the cathedral. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Boston.
- Diocese erected March 7, 1950 by Pope Pius XII
- First Bishop: John J. Wright
- Cathedral: Church of St. Paul, Worcester
- Ecclesiastical province: Archdiocese of Boston
- Parish finder: worcesterdiocese.org/parishfinder
Visiting St. Peter's
St. Peter's is easy to find for travelers coming over from the Athol / Orange area or from the east via Route 2. From Route 2, take Exit 17 and turn right onto Route 32, which leads directly into the village of Petersham and on to 18 North Street. Parking is on site. Visitors are warmly welcomed to the Sunday 9:30 AM Mass and to the Thursday morning Rosary — and to any of the cluster's other Masses, devotions and outreach activities.
- From Route 2: take Exit 17, turn right onto Route 32
- Continue into Petersham village to 18 North Street
- Sunday Mass: 9:30 AM (English)
- Thursday Rosary: 9:00 AM
- Office: 925 Main Street, Athol, MA — Mon–Wed 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM