A Collaborative of Two Parishes on the Merrimack
St. Lucy Parish, at 254 Merrimack Street, is one half of Methuen Catholic, a collaborative of Roman Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston that also includes St. Monica Parish a short distance away at 212 Lawrence Street. Together, the two communities describe themselves as "an urban, multi-ethnic, socially, culturally, and educationally diverse faith community," united at the Eucharistic table and dedicated to service. Fr. Marcos Peña serves as pastor, with Fr. Eric Velasquez as parochial vicar, and Deacons John Pierce and John Kobrenski assisting across both parishes.
From a Merrimack Street Furniture Store to a 1959 Church
St. Lucy Parish is the younger of the two. It was established on April 7, 1958, with groundbreaking for a new church held on October 12 of that year. The first Mass was celebrated on December 19, 1959. Before the building was completed, parishioners gathered for worship at the Chapel Furniture Store on Merrimack Street.
St. Monica, Methuen's First Catholic Parish
St. Monica's roots reach much further back. Catholics of Methuen originally worshipped at St. Mary's in Lawrence. In 1846, Bishop John Bernard Fitzpatrick of Boston purchased land in Methuen in anticipation of a local parish, but it took another fifty years for Father McCranor of St. Mary's to begin planning a church at the corner of Park Street and Broadway. The first Catholic church in Methuen, dedicated to St. Monica, was completed in 1897 at a cost of $16,000 and consecrated on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1897.
For more than twenty years, St. Monica's was a mission church of St. Mary's in Lawrence, with curates coming up to hear confessions and celebrate Sunday Mass. In July 1917 the community petitioned Cardinal William O'Connell to become a parish of its own, and the cardinal agreed that month, assigning Rev. James J. Farrelly as the first resident priest. Two years later, in 1919, Father Farrelly was appointed the first pastor.
St. Monica School opened in September 1959 under the direction of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, on Lawrence Street. As the parish grew and the original church aged, a new St. Monica Church was built at the same site and dedicated in 1997.
Mass in English and Spanish, Seven Days a Week
The collaborative's regular worship schedule is split between the two churches and includes Mass in both English and Spanish. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Saturday: Monday brings a 9:00 am Mass and a 6:00 pm Mass in Spanish, both at St. Monica. Tuesday through Friday, the 9:00 am Mass is celebrated at St. Lucy. Saturday morning Mass is at 9:00 am at St. Monica.
On weekends, the Saturday Vigil Mass is at 4:00 pm at both parishes. Sunday Masses are at 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 5:00 pm (in Spanish) at St. Monica, and at 10:30 am at St. Lucy. Holy Day schedules are listed in the bulletin. Masses are livestreamed on the collaborative's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person.
Confession, Adoration, and Prayer Spaces
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on a regular weekly schedule. Confessions take place on Mondays at 6:30 pm in the Gethsemane Chapel at St. Monica, on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 6:45 pm at St. Lucy Church, on Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 am in the Gethsemane Chapel, and on Saturdays from 3:00 to 3:45 pm at both St. Lucy Church and the Gethsemane Chapel.
Communal Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in Spanish in the Gethsemane Chapel, on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 pm at St. Lucy, and on Saturdays from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm in the Gethsemane Chapel. Confessions are available for the first thirty to forty-five minutes of each adoration period.
The Gethsemane Eucharistic Chapel at St. Monica is open daily for private prayer from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. The Immaculate Conception Candle Shrine at St. Lucy is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. The Rosary and Chaplet are prayed on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm in the Gethsemane Chapel, on the second Wednesday of the month at 1:15 pm (sponsored by the Knights of Columbus), on Thursdays at 6:00 pm via Zoom, and on Fridays at 1:30 pm in the Gethsemane Chapel.
Sacraments for Every Stage of Life
Infant baptisms are celebrated on the second and third Sundays of the month at St. Monica and St. Lucy, respectively, with at least six weeks of preparation expected before the celebration. Adults preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist enter through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, with sessions beginning each September.
Confirmation preparation follows the Archdiocese of Boston's policy of reception in the eighth grade. First Holy Communion typically takes place in second grade, with preparation beginning as early as kindergarten. Adult Confirmation is offered through the OCIA team. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is available by contacting the parish office, and couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the office at least six months in advance and before booking other venues.
RISE | Community, a Lifelong Faith Formation Program
The collaborative's faith formation program is called RISE | Community, a whole-parish catechesis designed for everyone from age four to ninety-nine. RISE gathers after Mass one Sunday each month, alternating between the two parishes, for refreshments, fellowship, adult discussion, and youth classes. It runs from September through April.
Adults, parents, and pre-kindergarten through seventh grade students meet at St. Monica following the 9:00 am Sunday Mass, from 10:00 am to noon. Adults, parents, and Confirmation students in eighth grade and up meet at St. Lucy following the 10:30 am Sunday Mass, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Participation in RISE is required for families whose children are preparing for First Communion or Confirmation.
In addition to RISE, First Communion students (second grade and up) and Confirmation students (eighth grade) attend supplementary sacrament preparation classes on alternating weeks. Christ Life, a nationally recognized evangelization program, meets on Tuesday evenings for eight sessions in the Lower Church Hall at St. Lucy, gathering around a shared meal, a teaching, and small-group discussion.
Youth Ministry and the Don Bosco Program
Youth RISE provides small-group faith communities for high school students, meeting weekly from September through June with annual retreats and larger gatherings. Volunteer mentors, who receive training, walk alongside teenagers as living witnesses of the Catholic faith. The Don Bosco Program is the collaborative's middle school ministry, meeting on Mondays from 2:00 to 5:00 pm during the school year, with opportunities for adult volunteers to teach, lead small groups, or assist with hospitality and special skills.
Liturgical Ministries and the St. Vincent de Paul Society
Parishioners of both parishes are invited to serve at the altar and in supporting roles as Altar Servers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Decorators, Music Ministry members, Greeters, Sacristans, and Collectors. All adult volunteers complete a one-time, three-hour VIRTUS (Protecting God's Children) training session and an annual CORI background check.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Monica's Parish is a lay Vincentian conference that serves those in need through home visits and benevolent programs, supported by donations from the St. Monica poor boxes and food donations from both parishes. The conference generally meets twice a month on Thursday evenings, under the care of its current president, Frank McKernan.
St. Monica School, Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade
St. Monica School, located at 212 Lawrence Street on the same campus as the present St. Monica Church, has served Methuen families since 1959. Originally staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the school continues today as a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade Catholic school. Donna Henderson serves as principal.
Welcoming Newcomers
Visitors and new parishioners are warmly invited to attend Mass and introduce themselves to one of the priests or greeters. Registration forms for either St. Monica Parish or St. Lucy Parish can be downloaded, filled out, and returned by email, placed in the offering basket, or dropped off at the Parish Offices at 254 Merrimack Street. Parish office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm; the office is closed on Wednesdays. The bulletin can be delivered by email, and online giving is available through the parish's giving partners.