Our new, holistic 2021-2022 Faith Formation Program kicks off on September 12th. Click for More Information. Register Now!

Photo gallery from our “Hello and Goodbye” party.

Father Brent’s Homily
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (year B)
July 25, 2021

Welcome Fr. Joe

My name is Joseph Canavan and I was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston on May 23,1970. I have spent many years working with Hispanic and English populations in Woburn, Haverhill, Lynn and Cambridge. For a couple of years I also worked with Cambodian refugees in Lawrence and Lowell. In my last assignment I was the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Cambridge for 5 years. I asked for and was granted a year’s leave of absence in 2004 and I moved in with my sister in Tupelo, MS and worked as a counselor in a state hospital. Before I was able to return to Boston In 2005, my mother at the age of 89, a serious accident and she was forced to sell her house. She, too, moved to Mississippi since my sister and I were both living there. We moved to Florida in 2011. I had the blessing of taking care of her until her death at 103 in January 2020. I attempted to work part time as a priest in Mississippi and Florida but I was told that wasn’t possible until I returned to Boston and could participate in a four month refresher course at Pope John XXIII Seminary. I was not willing to put my mother in a nursing home since I could and wanted to care for her, so I had to wait.
I did attend Pope John XXIII from January to May of this year. As you can imagine, my return was delayed for almost a year due to the pandemic. However, I am now here and even after a few days, I consider myself to be the luckiest priest in the Archdiocese. This community has endured many challenges but rather than succumb to them, you have grown stronger. I am indeed honored to be a part of all that this community represents.

Welcome Lee Maleno

Hello- I am Lee, and I want to thank you for your warm welcome!  I am happy to introduce myself as the Pastoral Assistant for St. Anselm’s Church.  I am originally from RI and I graduated from Assumption College, now University.  

For the last ten plus years, it has been a sweet blessing to have served and worked in Youth Ministry and Faith Formation in the Diocese of Worcester.  I am thankful for this special call now to be present, serve, and teach through pastoral care work and in Faith Formation here at St. Anselm’s Church in the Archdiocese of Boston.  

Please know that I look forward to journeying with you as I begin this position in mid-July, and I  invite you to join this special journey with me to share faith and life together.  In addition to Ministry work, I enjoy reading, art, music, and nature as well as spending time with God, and my dear family and friends.  It is a blessing to have met some of you already, and I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming weeks!

Upcoming Events

• Save the Date – Fr. Gabriel will be visiting St. Anselm in August and celebrating Mass with Fr. Joe on August 7th & 8th. We will have a coffee social after Mass Sunday, August 8th so we can say hi to Fr. Gabriel.
• Church Picnic – The popular church picnic is going to be on Sunday, September 12th.
• Faith Formation – Our new, holistic faith formation program kicks off on Sunday, September 12th. Please go to our Faith Formation page for more information and to register.
• Prayer Requests – You can now write in our Virtual Book of Special Intentions at #StAnselmPraysWithYou. Prayer is so powerful.

Bertelli Scholarship

From Our Worship Team

Mass Schedule

Saturday Indoor Mass & Livestream at 5:00 pm. To watch the livestream, click here

Sunday Outdoor/Drive In Mass at 11 am.

Morning Indoor Mass at 8:00 Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Read about the Revised Covid Guidelines effective May 29, 2021. By clicking here.

Weather

If conditions are too adverse to use the outdoor altar, mass will be celebrated indoors while you listen on your car radio outside. Communion will be brought out to you.

Please Contribute to St. Anselm

Use the button below or visit our Give page for more information

The Drive-In Mass comes to Sudbury

Click here to read the Sudbury Town Crier article about our outdoor masses.

Reinstatement of Sunday Mass Obligation effective the weekend of June 19 and 20, 2021

Here in our part of the Lord’s vineyard we have been blessed to receive such effective vaccines, and to have in our state the nation’s second highest vaccination rate of any state. The resulting lowest rate of Covid infection and transmission in about 15 months is evidence of that. Cardinal Seán, starting on the weekend of June 19/20, is thus lifting the dispensation from participation in Sunday Mass that has been in place since the beginning of the pandemic last year. (The Cardinal’s full statement is here) It will be good for us to be together again more fully as a community than we have been in a long time! Remember that everyone’s safety has been and remains the highest priority at St. Anselm’s. Thus, we will continue to have a masked and socially distanced section for indoor liturgies, and the 11am Sunday mass will continue to be outdoors. The livestream of the 5pm Saturday mass will continue for those whom Cardinal Seán reminds us are not obliged to attend in-person: “This obligation does not apply to those who are ill; those who have been recently exposed to COVID or any other communicable illness; those who are confined to their homes or to hospitals or other facilities due to illness, infirmity, frailty, or age; and those who are not yet able to be vaccinated, due to age or any health consideration.” See you at church! “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name; good indeed is the Lord, His mercy endures forever,” (Psalm 100:4-5) 

Our Mission

St. Anselm Church is a caring committed, Catholic community fostering a close and effective collaboration among the clergy, religious and laity, living the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. With appreciation of our diversity, we create a welcoming partnership of loving relationships through our commitment to sharing our time, talent, and treasure. We provide an atmosphere of collective thankfulness and spiritual nourishment through our vibrant sacramental life.