St. Joseph Parish sits on South Franklin Street in Holbrook, a Norfolk County town, where Catholic faithful have worshipped for generations under the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Boston. Today the parish belongs to the Avon-Holbrook Catholic Collaborative, joined closely with Saint Michael Parish in neighboring Avon. Together the two parishes share clergy, a unified Mass schedule, a combined religious education program, and a deep spiritual rhythm that stretches across every day of the week. The community centers on the Eucharist, the seven sacraments, and a devotional life that includes not only Sunday Mass but also daily Mass, an evening prayer service every Friday, and a long list of ministries for every age and stage.
A Week Rooted in the Eucharist
Mass is the heart of life at Saint Joseph and Saint Michael. The schedule moves back and forth between the two churches so that parishioners can worship at whichever location is most convenient. On Saturday evening the Vigil Mass is celebrated at 4:00 PM at Saint Michael Church in Avon and at 5:30 PM at Saint Joseph Church in Holbrook. Sunday brings three Masses within the collaborative: 7:30 AM and 11:00 AM at Saint Joseph, and 9:00 AM at Saint Michael. There is no Saturday morning Mass at either parish.
Weekday Masses follow a similar back-and-forth pattern. On Monday and Tuesday the 9:00 AM Mass is offered at Saint Michael in Avon. On Wednesday and Thursday it moves to Saint Joseph in Holbrook. Friday is the fullest day of the week, with a 9:00 AM Mass at Saint Michael and a 6:30 PM Mass at Saint Joseph, the lead-in to the Friday evening devotion described below. The collaborative music ministry supports every liturgy with cantors, choir, and organ.
The parish office is located at the Saint Joseph Rectory on 153 South Franklin Street. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with the office closed on Tuesdays. The collaborative can be reached at 781-767-0605, and a weekly bulletin is published online for parishioners who cannot pick up a printed copy at Mass. Online giving is available.
Friday Evenings: Rosary, Mass, Adoration, and Confession
Every Friday evening the church at 153 South Franklin Street opens its doors for what the parish calls the RMAC devotion: Rosary, Mass, Adoration, and Confession. The evening begins at 6:00 PM with the recitation of the Holy Rosary. Mass follows at 6:30 PM. From 7:00 PM onward, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is held and confessions are heard. The invitation reads, "Join us and experience the peace of Christ in the sacraments and hear His voice in quiet prayer. He is here and He is waiting for you."
A parallel Friday morning devotion takes place at Saint Michael Church in Avon. From 8:30 AM the Rosary is recited, Mass is offered at 9:00 AM, and from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM both Adoration and Confession are available. The two churches together give the faithful four distinct windows each week for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and many hours of quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
During Lent, the Friday evening rhythm expands at Saint Joseph with the Stations of the Cross at 6:30 PM in the chapel, followed by a simple supper and gathering in the Sacred Heart Hall.
The Seven Sacraments at Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph Parish celebrates each of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ, that nourish, strengthen, and express the Catholic faith. The seven are Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist (the Sacraments of Initiation); Penance and Anointing of the Sick (the Sacraments of Healing); and Marriage and Holy Orders (the Sacraments at the Service of Communion).
The Eucharist is received at every Mass. Sacramental preparation begins in the home and is supported by the parish's religious education program. First Reconciliation and First Communion are celebrated as part of a two-year preparation that spans grades one and two. Confirmation is celebrated as part of a two-year preparation that spans grades seven and eight, with the sacrament typically received in eighth grade. Anointing of the Sick is available to anyone facing illness, surgery, or the effects of aging, and the parish encourages anyone, including those homebound or preparing for surgery, to call the rectory. The number is 781-767-0605.
The collaborative schedules Reconciliation primarily around the Friday hours described above. Holy Orders, as a vocation to ordained ministry, is presented in the parish's catechetical materials as a call worth prayerful discernment, with the parish encouraging anyone considering priesthood or religious life to speak with a priest.
Baptism and Marriage Preparation
Baptisms at Saint Joseph Parish are celebrated on the third Sunday of odd-numbered months (January, March, May, July, September, and November), immediately after the 11:00 AM Mass. The neighboring Saint Michael Parish celebrates baptisms after its 9:00 AM Mass on the third Sunday of February, April, June, August, October, and December, so the two churches alternate months between them. A baptism preparation class is required and is held one evening during the last week of the month before the baptism. Parents of a newly registered child who was baptized elsewhere should bring a Baptism Certificate when they register.
Couples planning to marry at Saint Joseph must be registered parishioners and must contact a parish priest at least six months before the wedding date to begin the formal preparation process. Registration is available online or by contacting the parish office.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA for Adults
For adults and older children who have never been baptized, for baptized Christians from another denomination seeking full communion with the Catholic Church, and for baptized Catholics who have not yet received all the sacraments of initiation, Saint Joseph Parish offers the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). The parish describes the program as a journey of conversion rather than a course of study: a process of education, faith sharing, and rituals that takes place within the local parish community and culminates in the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
Donna Martyniak coordinates the OCIA process and the collaborative's adult faith formation programs. She can be reached at stjoesreligioused@gmail.com or through the parish office. The collaborative is currently working with several young people between the ages of eight and twenty-one who are discerning the call to become Catholic, as well as baptized young men preparing to complete their sacraments of initiation. The OCIA journey can be adapted to the needs of each inquirer, from catechumens preparing for full initiation to candidates who have already been baptized and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition before being welcomed into the Church.
Forming Young Disciples
Religious Education in the collaborative is now a single program shared by both parishes, with classes meeting at Saint Michael Parish. The program serves children in Grades 1 through 8 and runs on Sunday mornings from 8:00 to 8:45 AM, immediately before the 9:00 AM Family Mass. Children enrolled in the program attend both the class and the Mass as one integrated experience.
Director of Religious Education Elaine Flanigan oversees the program across both parishes and can be reached at 508-586-7210, extension 119, or stmichaelsavonreled@comcast.net. Registration for the 2026-2027 school year opens on July 1 and closes on August 23. The registration fee is $100 per child, with a maximum of $200 per family; a $10 late fee is applied to registrations received after August 23.
Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion is a two-year program that spans grades one and two. Confirmation preparation is a two-year program that spans grades seven and eight, with the sacrament typically received in the eighth grade. Special activities built around the liturgical year are central to the program: the Living Rosary, the Parade of Saints, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy service projects, the Living Nativity, group Advent activities and the Jesse Tree, the Stations of the Cross during Lent, retreats for second-graders and eighth-graders, the Crowning of the Blessed Mother in May, the annual Child Safety Program, and a service project through Cross Catholic Outreach's Box of Joy initiative. Each grade level takes part in a special prayer service during the year.
Music Ministry and the 11 AM Liturgy
Music at Saint Joseph Parish is a team ministry. The 11:00 AM Sunday Mass is sung by the Adult Choir under the direction of Choir Director and Organist Stephen Williams, with Laura Grant serving as Music Ministry Coordinator and Cantor. Anne Andrea is the Music Ministry Coordinator at Saint Joseph, and Wendy Hess directs music at the partner parish of Saint Michael. The two music teams plan together, selecting music that reflects the themes of each Sunday's readings and supports a wide repertoire that includes traditional hymnody as well as more contemporary settings such as the Mass of Creation and the Mass of St. Louis Jesuits.
The Adult Choir rehearses every Thursday evening from 7:00 to 8:00 PM in the church, and the program is open to new members. Rehearsal time often extends before Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter. The Music Ministry also provides music for First Eucharist, First Penance, Confirmation, weddings, and funerals. Couples planning a wedding at Saint Joseph should contact the Wedding Music Coordinator, Laura Grant, at 781-767-1469, or the Cantor and organist Stephen Williams at 781-767-2763. General questions can be sent to music@stjosephholbrook.org.
A 2002 parish visitation report from Bishop Richard Malone noted, "compared to other parishes, it has been our experience that the people of St. Joseph's Parish participate in the music of the Liturgy to a much greater extent than usual." The Music Ministry team at Saint Joseph and Saint Michael continues that tradition today.
Ministries That Shape Parish Life
Saint Joseph Parish is sustained by a wide network of volunteer ministries. Liturgical roles include Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (who also bring the Eucharist to the homebound), Altar Servers (open to boys and girls from the third grade and up), Senior Altar Servers, Sacristans, and a Liturgical Linen Service. The Finance Council, Parish Pastoral Council, Offertory Counters, Flowers and Grounds, and the Fellowship Committee provide the operational and social backbone of parish life.
Outreach and service ministries have a long tradition. Non-perishable food is collected on the last Sunday of each month at the back of the church and donated through local charities. The Parish Crafters meet on Wednesday evenings in the Saint Vincent de Paul Room to make crafts sold at the school fair, with proceeds supporting the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, September through April, with volunteers signing up for an hour or more to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.
Adult groups include the Monday Night Prayer Group, which meets in the Convent Chapel at 7:00 PM to read and reflect on the upcoming Sunday's Gospel, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and offer intercessory prayer along with either the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet; the Saint Joseph Men's Group, which gathers on alternate Saturday mornings from 7:30 to 8:50 AM in Saint Charles Hall for coffee, a light breakfast, and conversation about faith; and the Pro-Life Rosary, which gathers the community to pray for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. The Adult Faith Formation committee recently completed a 24-week Bible Timeline study and has begun a new series breaking open the Sunday readings. All clergy, staff, and volunteers participate in the Virtus "Protecting God's Children" awareness training required by the Archdiocese of Boston.
Council 5683 of the Knights of Columbus
The parish is also home to the Reverend James T. Smith Council 5683 of the Knights of Columbus. Membership is open to practical Catholic men, eighteen and older, in union with the Holy See. The council supports Saint Michael's and Saint Joseph's parishes through a broad range of service projects, including youth basketball free-throw tournaments, an annual Tootsie Roll Drive that raises funds for children with intellectual disabilities, Right to Life missions, local seminarian grants, and college scholarships. Council members help prepare and serve the Friday Lenten Dinners at Saint Michael during Holy Week, volunteer at the annual Craft Fair, march in the Memorial Day Parade, and serve throughout the collaborative as catechists, lectors, ushers, and members of the parish and finance councils. Knights facilitate the morning Rosary at 8:30 AM on Mondays and Fridays at Saint Michael, just before daily Mass.
The current Grand Knight is John Perrotta. The Chaplain is Reverend Thomas C. Boudreau. Those interested in joining can complete the council's online form or write to grandknight5683@gmail.com.
Adult Faith and the Wider Church
Beyond its regular programs, Saint Joseph Parish offers a range of resources to help parishioners grow in the Catholic faith. The parish provides descriptions of the seven sacraments, an introduction to the Mass (with the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist), short essays on becoming Catholic and returning to the faith after time away, and a primer on the four marks of the Church (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic), the Ten Commandments, the Eight Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, the fourteen Stations of the Cross, and the Precepts of the Church.
The parish provides the daily Mass readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, with a podcast and a written reflection, and features regular columns from the Catholic news services Our Sunday Visitor and Simply Catholic. News from The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, is included, along with material from the Archdiocese of Boston, the Vatican, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law, the documents of the Second Vatican Council, and the New American Bible. Online giving is available for both Saint Joseph and Saint Michael, and a parish registration form is available for new arrivals.
Rooted in Holbrook, Joined to Avon
The parish draws its identity as much from Holbrook as from its relationship with Saint Michael Parish in Avon. The collaborative Mass schedule, the combined religious education program, the shared music ministry, and the unified sacramental preparation mean that most families worship, learn, and serve together across both towns, while each parish keeps its own building, its own patron, and its own distinctive devotional rhythm. Saint Joseph is the church of Holbrook, a Catholic community devoted to the Eucharist, to the Mother of God, and to the people of South Franklin Street and the streets around it. Saint Michael, descended from a small wooden church built in 1872 by Irish Catholic immigrants in what was then the village of East Stoughton, has now been a continuous Catholic presence in Avon for more than a century.
Whether a family comes to the parish for the first time, returns after years away, or has belonged for generations, the parish extends an open invitation. Newcomers can register online or by calling the parish office, returning Catholics are welcomed warmly back to the sacraments and the community, and those who feel called to become Catholic are invited to begin the OCIA journey with Donna Martyniak. The two church communities of the Avon-Holbrook Catholic Collaborative remain "a welcoming Catholic Community" whose people "seek first and foremost to offer the faithful knowledge and spiritual experiences that will strengthen their relationship with God and each other."