The roots of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church stretch back to 1884 when residents of French Canadian decent celebrated Mass with Fr. Isaie Solis in a skating rink on Nichols St. A year later, this small community raised enough money to purchase two acres of land where the present church stands this day. By 1886 a Chapel was built that served as a church, school and priest residence.

In 1892 a fire broke out in the Chapel. Fr. Alfred Langevin, the then pastor, reconstructed the building enlarging it to accommodate the growing number of school children. He also oversaw the building of what is the present residence of the priests. In 1895 work began on building the fine Romanesque church that stands today. The church sits on what an old history of the area calls the “great ravine”. In building the church, the parishioners had the ravine filled in so that by October 3, 1915 the church was dedicated.
At first the church served the spiritual, educational, cultural and communal needs of those immigrating to the United States from the Quebec Province of Canada. As time went on, the church began ministering to the new wave of immigration of French speaking Canadians from the New Brunswick Province. These French speaking Canadians spoke Acadian French, which is very distinct from their Quebec Province neighbors. Up until the 1980s one could still hear French spoken in their liturgies.

On July 1, 2009, for pastoral reasons Bishop Robert McManus, bishop of Worcester, established a shared pastoring dynamic between Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish and its neighboring Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. Currently, both parishes share the ministry of one pastoral team.

There are many wonderful ministerial opportunities at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish. Visit our parish’s school link and see a fully accredited educational program from Kindergarten to Grade 8. If you are in the area the weekend after Columbus Day in October, come to the parish’s annual three day Bazaar. Experience an Acadian tradition “poutine” and “rapée”. Or, if you are in the area any time in the year, come and join us for prayer and worship. All are welcome!