The Town of Lynnfield traces its roots back to 1635, just
fifteen years after the pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Like most
of New England, the number of Roman Catholic residents was
small. Even after the first waves of Catholic immigration,
historian Thomas Wellman noted that in 1895 the town
had only “perhaps a half a dozen Catholic families.”
Lynnfield’s first Catholic congregation was considered a
“mission.” Priests for Lynnfield came from neighboring St.
Joseph Parish in Wakefield, and masses were celebrated in the
Firehouse. In 1937 the Lynnfield mission was named Our Lady of
the Assumption parish. In February of 1960, the Archdiocese of
Boston created Saint Maria Goretti as a second Lynnfield
parish. During construction of the building we still  call home, masses were
offered in the Wakefield Elks Hall. The first parish mass
celebrated in the church was on Christmas Eve in 1960.
St. Maria Goretti has continued to grow as a community of
faith and as an integral part of the Lynnfield community.
Through the years, our mission has remained constant: to
preach and live the gospel of Jesus Christ in accord with the
Catholic faith we have received. Our vision for St. Maria’s
centers on nurturing a true community of disciples in which
all can find a place in the heart of Christ and among fellow
believers in his Church. Pastors of St. Maria Goretti Parish
- Fr. James Garrity 1960
- Fr. William Shinnick 1961
- Fr. John Flynn 1981
- Fr. Michael Lawlor 1996
- Fr. Thomas Powers 2003
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