Saint Bridget Parish anchors the Catholic community in Abington, a Plymouth County town south of Boston. The brick church on Plymouth Street has stood at 455 Plymouth Street since November 1863, when its first pastor celebrated Mass for the Catholics who had gathered for decades in private homes and in the town hall, then called Lyceum Hall, a few hundred feet to the west. Today the parish shares its ministry with neighboring Holy Ghost Parish in Whitman as part of the Light of Christ Catholic Collaborative, but Saint Bridget's keeps its own schedule of weekend and daily Mass, confession, sacraments, school and parish life.
A Church Built for the Irish Families of Abington
The story of Saint Bridget's begins before the church itself. In the 1840s and 1850s, Catholics in Abington, many of them living in what is now Rockland, attended a monthly Mass celebrated by a priest from Immaculate Conception in Easton in the Town House, later called Lyceum Hall. Father Aaron Louis Roche bought the lot in April 1862, construction began that September, and Bishop McFarland of Hartford dedicated the finished building in November 1863. He named it for Saint Bridget, patron saint of Ireland, in keeping with the heritage of the families it was built to serve.
Father Roche was pastor until his death in January 1869. His monument in nearby Saint Patrick's Cemetery bears the inscription "Erected by a Grateful Parish." Successors paid off the original building debt, opened mission churches that would become parishes of their own (Saint Peter's in Plymouth, Holy Family in Rockland, and Holy Ghost in Whitman), and over more than 160 years added a rectory (1904), a Parish Hall (1953), Saint Bridget School (1961) and a convent for the Sisters of Divine Providence (1966). The parish celebrated its centennial in 1963 under Monsignor Charles E. Riley, who was elevated to that honor in 1966 and retired in 1973, the year of his seventy-fifth birthday.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Saint Bridget's reached an agreement with the Capuchin Friars to occupy the convent; it became Saint Lawrence Friary, and the Friars gave spiritual assistance to the parish until 1989.
Pastors and Parish Leadership
The parish is currently served by Reverend Adrian Milik as pastor and Reverend Steve Baruffi as parochial vicar. Four deacons assist: Deacon James V. McLaughlin, Deacon Joe Nickley, Deacon Paul Breadmore, and transitional Deacon Joseph Jasinski. Caroline Boffoli directs the Religious Education program, with Cathleen Smith as Director's Assistant, Confirmation Coordinator and Youth Minister. Carrie Bates serves as organist, and Jessie Bishop directs the Collaborative Youth Choir. The parish secretary can be reached at 781-878-0900 or at sbparishsecretary@comcast.net.
Mass Schedule and Confession
Saint Bridget Parish offers a Saturday Vigil Mass, two Sunday Masses and three weekday Masses each week:
- Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 PM
- Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM
- Daily Mass on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9:00 AM
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Saturdays from 2:30 to 3:30 PM, or by appointment through the rectory. Mass is livestreamed on YouTube, with current and recent Sunday liturgies posted so that those who cannot attend in person can still follow along.
Sacraments and Sacramental Records
The parish welcomes families for the three sacraments of initiation and for marriage. Baptism is celebrated on the first and second Sunday of the month at 1:30 PM, and parents are asked to register with the parish shortly after a child's birth. Baptism instruction is required for parents, though not for godparents. Godparents must be at least sixteen, with one Catholic godparent in good standing and a Christian witness permitted as the second.
Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the parish office at least six to eight months in advance to arrange a meeting with one of the priests. The Archdiocese of Boston maintains a schedule of Marriage Preparation Programs in the area. Requests for sacramental records, including Baptismal, First Communion and Confirmation certificates, are submitted online and processed in the order received. A downloadable Annual Report is also available for those who want a fuller picture of parish activity.
Saint Bridget School
Saint Bridget School opened in 1961 under Monsignor Riley and has been a fixture of parish life ever since. The school has its own presence on the web and serves families from Abington and the surrounding South Shore towns. Parishioners interested in enrolling a child can contact the school office directly.
Religious Education and Youth Ministry
Faith formation for children who do not attend the parish school runs in grade-level groupings: Grades 1 to 2, Grades 3 to 6, and Grades 7 to 9. Caroline Boffoli serves as Religious Education Director, with Cathleen Smith as Director's Assistant, Confirmation Coordinator and Youth Minister. Registration for the coming year opens in the spring, and a dedicated Facebook presence keeps families current on class schedules and events. All students must be baptized before entering the program.
Vacation Bible School draws children entering Grades 1 to 5 for a half-day program held at Saint Bridget Parish, with Catholic faith lessons combined with daily adventures, snacks included. Middle-schoolers and older can volunteer as helpers, and financial sponsorship is available for families who need it.
Music Ministry
Music at Saint Bridget's is led by organist Carrie Bates and supported by two choral groups. The Saint Bridget Adult Choir sings at the 4:00 PM Vigil Mass on the third Saturday of each month and at special liturgies, with a rehearsal that same afternoon at 3:00 PM. The Collaborative Youth Choir sings twice a month, with an hour-long rehearsal before Mass. Both choirs are open to new members.
Service and Outreach
Saint Bridget's offers its parishioners a wide range of ways to serve. Liturgical roles include adult and youth altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers (who also bring Communion to the sick), sacristans, ushers and greeters. Funeral servers and adult altar servers assist at weekday Masses and funerals. The parish also runs a Bible study program on a periodic basis.
Outside the sanctuary, the parish participates in the collaborative's outreach. Saint Vincent de Paul and the Abington Food Pantry serve neighbors in need, and the parish partners with the Cunniff Pine Street Inn Food Group, which brings desserts three times a year and Christmas gifts of warm clothing in December. The Quilting Ministry sews comfort quilts for those in need, meeting on the third Friday of each month at the Saint Bridget Friary.
Parish Life and Organizations
Several groups meet regularly under the parish umbrella. The Blessed Virgin Mary Sodality gathers women in service to the church and the stewardship of its goods, meeting on the first Sunday of the month at Holy Ghost. Boy Scout Troop 22 meets Thursday evenings at the Spellman Center in Whitman. The Pro-Life Committee coordinates the parish's pro-life activities, and the Knights of Columbus Council #5254 serves the Abington parish. The parish also maintains a lending library of Catholic books, CDs and DVDs in Fr. Glennon Hall, open around the clock with a simple sign-out borrowing system.
Saint Patrick's Cemetery
The parish administers Saint Patrick's Cemetery on Central Street in Rockland, which has served the community since 1850. Plots, regulations and a cemetery map are available through the parish office. The superintendent is Jeff Allen, and correspondence can be sent to the rectory at 455 Plymouth Street, Abington, MA 02351.
Visiting Saint Bridget's
The rectory at 455 Plymouth Street is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. The building is wheelchair accessible via a ramp. Telephone is 781-878-0900 (fax 781-878-6566), and email reaches the parish secretary at sbparishsecretary@comcast.net. Online giving is available through the parish's giving portal, and sacramental records requests can be submitted online. Newcomers are warmly welcomed to register through the Newcomers section, and the parish's pastoral plan and annual report are available for anyone who wants a fuller picture of its mission and ministries.