A Parish at the Top of France Street
St. Philip Church stands at 1 Father Conlon Place in Norwalk, Connecticut, just off North Avenue and up a short hill from the corner of France Street. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Bridgeport and serves a steady community of Catholic families, retirees, and young adults in the northwestern part of the city. It is a parish that wears its history in its architecture: the sanctuary was designed to look like a Middle-Eastern tent, an image of the dwelling the ancient Israelites pitched to house the Ark of the Covenant, and that distinctive shape has defined the place since Easter Sunday 1969, when Mass was first celebrated in the new building.
St. Philip grew out of St. Mary Parish on West Avenue, one of the older Catholic congregations in Norwalk. When Bishop Walter W. Curtis carved the new parish out of the northwestern section of St. Mary in August 1964, he named Father Leonard Conlon the founding pastor and Father Robert Albert the assistant. The first five years of parish life were improvised ones, with Masses held in the basement of the old St. Mary school, weddings and funerals at St. Mary Church, and the priests still living at the St. Mary rectory until the new rectory was finished. Six decades later, the building is still recognizably the one that opened in 1969, but inside, parishioners have added and refined the space in waves of renovation, with the result that St. Philip today feels both of a piece with its founding moment and very much a living, working church.
The Lockwood Estate and the School that Became a Church
Before it was a parish, the land on which St. Philip now sits was the Manice Deforest Lockwood estate, a tract of about eight acres that locals called Oak Hill. The property was once a small onion farm, and by the early twentieth century the Lockwood family had replaced the farmhouse with a fifteen-room mansion, stables, and outbuildings. In 1947, the Reverend Henry M. Callahan, then pastor of St. Mary, bought the estate for $75,000 to build a convent and a parochial school for a parish that had outgrown its Leonard Street location. Ground was broken for St. Mary School in 1953, and a planned nine-room building was expanded to seventeen as enthusiasm grew.
When St. Mary was eventually divided, with St. Matthew forming in 1958, St. Jerome in 1960, and St. Philip in 1964, the Lockwood mansion became the convent of the new parish and the school building became the temporary church. Father Callahan used to tell the story of how he had to buy an awkward triangle of land at the corner of North Avenue and France Street as part of the original purchase, for an extra $3,000, only to sell that same triangle later for more than he had paid for the entire eight acres, when a gas station developer wanted it. That triangle, with its two gas stations on the corners, still marks the turn onto France Street for anyone driving up to Mass today.
Designing a Tent for the Ark
Within two years of its founding, the new parish launched a capital campaign to build a permanent home. The architect was George J. Lechner, then a member of the parish, of the Bridgeport firm Lyons and Mather. Lechner designed the church to evoke a Middle-Eastern tent, drawing on the image of the tent in the Book of Exodus that housed the Ark of the Covenant. The design later won an Excellence in Architecture award from the Association for a Better Community Design.
On May 23, 1967, Bishop Curtis awarded the building contract to the Thomas J. Riordan Company of Norwalk, with Standard Electric handling the wiring and Connery Brothers the plumbing, heating, and ventilation. The total price for the church and rectory came to $580,000. The first Mass in the new building was celebrated on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969, and the formal dedication followed on November 16, 1969. The sculptor Leslie Dor created much of the original art inside the building, including the Risen Christ statue, the Stations of the Cross, the stained glass windows, and later the Blessed Mother statue, which was installed on Mother's Day, May 11, 1975. All of these pieces were done in a modern, more abstract style, and the clean lines of the architecture make them a striking match for the tentlike space.
A Building Renewed by Its People
St. Philip's sanctuary has been transformed several times over the years by the volunteer work of the people who worship in it. The late John Fahey, who served as a kind of clerk of the works for the parish, was a constant presence on renovations, watching over cement pours, electrical work, and the tailoring of pews. Beginning in 1991, under the direction of Father Boccaccio, parishioners organized a Church Commission with a three-year charge to plan and execute a comprehensive renewal of the worship space. Timothy "Tex" Devine continued that work in later years, and more recently Art Petrone and a group of volunteers have carried it on.
Across the nave and sanctuary, the parish has replaced flooring and carpeting, added new art, and installed sound walls on either side of the sanctuary with twin display cases built into them. On the pulpit side, the case holds an In Memoriam et In Honorem scroll, recording the names of those in whose memory or honor contributions have been received. On the baptismal side, an ambry holds three decanters of the sacred oils used at Baptism, Confirmation, and the Anointing of the Sick. The baptismal side has lost several pews to make room for a music loft with an acoustic canopy, the first designated music space in the building, and wheelchair-accessible pews are now in place for those who need them. The day chapel has been renamed the Holy Family Chapel, and the statue of the Risen Christ that once stood in the main sanctuary now presides over it. A tabernacle shrine wall stands on the pulpit side of the sanctuary, and new exterior signs announce St. Philip Roman Catholic Church to passers-by on France Street.
Mass, Confession, and the Open Door
St. Philip keeps a steady weekly rhythm of worship. The Sunday schedule begins with the Vigil Mass on Saturday at 5 pm and continues on Sunday morning with Masses at 8 am, 10 am, and 12 noon. The 10 am Mass is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel, with the link distributed through Flocknote and the parish office; viewers can write to Father Sudhir at frsdsouza@stphilipnorwalk.org for the Zoom details.
Weekday Masses are celebrated on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:30 am, and on Tuesday and Thursday at 12:15 pm. The Sacrament of Penance is heard on Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:30 pm in the church, and any time by appointment. On the First Friday of every month, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration in the chapel from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, and parishioners can sign up online for a time slot during those hours. The church itself is open every day from 7 am to 6 pm for anyone who wants to make a private visit, a quiet invitation to step in and pray between Masses.
Faith Formation from First Grade Through Confirmation
Faith formation is the longest-running classroom ministry of the parish and reaches into nearly every Catholic family with school-age children. The program is led by Wendy DiTullio, the Director of Faith Formation, and is structured to walk with children from the early grades all the way through the reception of Confirmation in high school.
Children in Grades 1 and 2 attend class on Sundays during the 10 am Mass, three times a month, receiving a blessing at the beginning of Mass before heading to their classrooms. From January on, second graders move into a 11 am to 12 noon class with the older children as they prepare for First Reconciliation and First Communion. Grades 3 through 5 also attend the 10 am Mass and then move to a classroom session from 11 am to 12 pm, three times a month. Grades 6 and 7 meet twice a month at St. Philip, again beginning with the 10 am Mass, and once a month at All Saints Catholic School from 3:00 to 5:15 pm in a session that includes Mass.
Grade 8 and Confirmation candidates come to St. Philip once a month, beginning with the 10 am Mass and moving to a classroom session, and also gather for a special evening session once a month from 6:30 to 8 pm. Tuition is set on a sliding scale, with one child at $100, two children at $130, and three or more at $160. There is an additional $50 fee for First Reconciliation and First Communion materials in Grade 2, and a $150 fee for Confirmation retreats and materials. Registration is open online for the 2026 to 2027 year, and payment can be made through online giving or by check made out to St Philip Church.
Youth Ministry: Transform, Equip, and Impact
The parish's youth ministry is led by Jennifer Boccanfuso, who also serves as Confirmation Coordinator, and gathers teens around a four-part mission: to transform, equip, and impact. In the words of the parish, the goal is to lead teens to live a life pleasing to God and to guide them into spiritually mature adulthood, in a community where they feel unconditionally loved and cherished as members of the parish family.
The four pillars of the ministry are simple and scriptural. Under Explore Truth, the teens dialogue, learn, and teach what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Under Express Faith, they engage locally and globally in social action, service, evangelism, missions, and welcoming others into the Kingdom. Under Experience God, the ministry seeks to help young people love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength in worship. Under Embrace Community, the youth are encouraged to serve one another in love and unity, share life together with a common vision and diverse giftedness, and come together in frequent fellowship and mutual accountability. The youth group meets regularly on Wednesday evenings, and teens find a calendar of those gatherings through the parish office.
The Food Pantry in the Mansion
One of the most tangible ways St. Philip serves its neighbors is through the Saint Philip Food Pantry, which operates out of the parish Mansion every Friday morning from 8:30 to 11:30 am. The pantry keeps a steady list of items it needs to fill the shelves, week in and week out, including canned vegetables, small bags of rice, peanut butter and jelly, tuna fish, Spam, Vienna sausage, pasta and sauce, cereal, mac and cheese, Chef Boyardee, and small cans of fruit.
Parishioners can drop off donations in the basket at any church door, in front of the Mansion, or at the parish office Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm and on Friday from 9 am to 1 pm. Non-perishable items only, please, and the parish asks that everyone check the expiration dates. Grocery store gift cards are also welcome. The pantry is one of the most visible signs of the parish's commitment to feed the hungry, a Corporal Work of Mercy that is taken seriously in Norwalk.
Midnight Run and Bereavement: Outreach Beyond Norwalk
St. Philip's outreach goes beyond its own neighborhood. Once a month, a group of parishioners heads into New York City as part of the Midnight Run, bringing food and clothing to homeless brothers and sisters on the streets. The work begins before the run itself, with the prep of sorting and packing clothing and putting together food packages in the parish hall. For many in the parish, the Midnight Run is a defining ministry, one that puts the Corporal Works of Mercy into practice in a direct and human way.
Closer to home, the Bereavement Ministry reaches out to parishioners who have lost a loved one. Volunteers offer comfort and spiritual support during a time when the parish family can be a real presence. Together with the food pantry, the Midnight Run, and the seasonal Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter food collections, the bereavement work is part of the parish's wider commitment to the social concerns of the wider community.
Music, Art, and the St. Philip Artists' Guild
Music has a designated home in the church now, in the music loft on the baptismal side, and the parish music program offers a place for almost anyone who wants to sing or play. Tyler Tarver directs the music office, and the choirs include an Adult Choir, a Junior Choir for children and teens, a Praise Choir, and cantors for adults, teens, and children, along with instrumentalists. The Junior Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings, the Adult Choir on Wednesday evenings, and the music ministry lives by the old line that he who sings prays twice.
The St. Philip Artists' Guild, known as SPAG, brings together parishioners with a creative eye to design and decorate the church for the liturgical seasons. SPAG works in collaboration with the parish's Art and Environment committee, and the guild has its own studio space in the community. The parish is also the home of original art by Leslie Dor, the sculptor whose Risen Christ, Stations of the Cross, stained glass windows, and Blessed Mother statue have been part of the building since its earliest years.
Liturgical Ministries and the Work of the Mass
St. Philip's liturgical life is supported by a wide range of lay ministries. The Liturgy Committee focuses on fostering sacred liturgy and helping to plan, promote, and prepare parish spiritual activities, with an ongoing goal of encouraging a deeper awareness of, and more active participation in, the liturgy.
Altar Servers are young men and women in Grade 4 and above who assist the celebrant at the altar and learn about the Mass in the process. Greeters and Ushers are the first people visitors meet when they come in the door; they welcome the assembly, assist with seating, help gather the collection, and hand out bulletins. Scripture Readers proclaim the Word of God at Mass and at other liturgical events. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist with the distribution of the Eucharist, and many of them also bring communion to the homebound and to those in nursing homes. The Sacristans set up, coordinate, and oversee the details of the weekend Masses, and Art and Environment designs and decorates the church for the seasons. Each of these ministries is a way for a parishioner to take an active role in the prayer life of the parish.
Becoming Catholic and Returning Catholics
For adults who want to explore the Catholic faith, the parish runs the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA, the ancient process of formation restored by the Second Vatican Council as the ordinary way adults prepare for baptism. The RCIA journey moves through several stages: the Period of Inquiry, when inquirers first acknowledge that Christ may be calling them into the Church; the Rite of Initiation, which formally accepts them into the worshipping community; the long Catechumenate, a time of learning, faith sharing, and formation; the Rite of Election, when catechumens are chosen by the bishop to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter; the Sacraments of Initiation themselves, celebrated at the Easter Vigil; and finally Mystagogy, the post-Easter period of reflection and deepening. The parish has an RCIA team of sponsors who walk with inquirers through the process.
The parish also welcomes Catholics who have been away and are thinking about coming back. The Returning Catholics ministry points to the wider Church's open door and to resources such as Catholics Come Home for those who want to explore questions about the faith and how to take up active practice again. Newcomers of any kind, whether visiting, moving to Norwalk, or returning to the Church, are invited to register as parishioners through the online registration form.
Walking with Purpose, the St. Philip Walkers, and the Book Club
Parish life at St. Philip extends well beyond the church building. Walking with Purpose is a women's Bible study that connects women in the parish to one another and to Scripture. In the warmer months, the St. Philip Walkers gather on Saturday mornings from 9 to 10 at Calf Pasture Beach, in front of what used to be Ripkas, for a flat, stroller-friendly walk and a chance to meet other parishioners. The group runs from mid-May into September, weather permitting.
For those who would rather stay indoors, the parish has been forming a St. Philip Book Club, with details to be announced. The Men's Ministry meets in the Mansion on Saturday mornings, and the parish's St. Michael's Lent program invites the men of the parish into a forty-day journey through the Book of Daniel, with a theme of standing firm, rooted in the story of Daniel in the lion's den. All of these are ways of building the friendships that hold a parish together outside the doors of the church.
All Saints Catholic School and the Wider Catholic Community
St. Philip's collaboration with All Saints Catholic School is one of the strongest features of its ministry to children. All Saints is a K-8 school that shares space and program with St. Philip, and a number of the parish's middle school and confirmation classes meet there. The principal is Linda Dunn, and the school can be reached at 203-847-3881. The school building is also where some of the parish's older faith formation classes gather, and several of the parish's Confirmation retreats and special events happen on its grounds.
The parish belongs to the Diocese of Bridgeport, and through that connection, it participates in the wider work of the Catholic Church in southwestern Connecticut. The Safe Environment program, required of all adults who work or volunteer with children, follows the VIRTUS Protecting God's Children training that meets the standards of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The parish is committed to keeping that program as part of its ministry to children and youth.
Stewardship, Giving, and the Work of the Buildings
St. Philip is a parish that takes stewardship seriously. In the most recent year, the parish has used its gifts to put a new ceiling and lights in the school hall, paint the church entrances and the exterior of the rectory, install a votive candle stand, and continue the work of the Midnight Run and the CRS FoodFast. The parish welcomes donations of time, talent, and treasure, including online giving through the parish's online giving portal, checks, transfers of securities, and gifts of stock. Parishioners who are required to take IRA payouts can also donate those directly to St. Philip, an arrangement that may offer tax advantages. The parish asks that St. Philip be remembered in estate planning as well.
Every fall, the parish also hosts a Fall Festival that brings the wider community to the grounds. The festival is supported by business sponsors and community partners, with sponsors recognized in the bulletin, online, and at the festival itself, and the parish welcomes inquiries at fallfestival@stphilipnorwalk.org. The festival is one of the social high points of the year and a place where newcomers meet longtime parishioners.
What Catholics Believe at St. Philip
The Catholic faith at St. Philip is the Catholic faith everywhere: rooted in the Nicene Creed recited each Sunday at Mass, the seven sacraments, the Ten Commandments, the eight Beatitudes, and the four marks of the Church as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. The parish holds up prayer as communion with God, public or personal, spoken or silent, and the Psalms as the prayers the Church has always sung. The Mass is the source and summit of Catholic life, the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, made present in every Eucharistic liturgy.
The sacraments are central. Baptism initiates the Christian into the life of the Church and washes away original and personal sin. Confirmation perfects baptismal grace and roots the confirmed more deeply in the divine life of the Trinity. The Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, under the forms of bread and wine. Penance, or Reconciliation, is the sacrament in which sins committed after baptism are forgiven, restoring the penitent to right relationship with God, self, and others. The Anointing of the Sick is offered to anyone struggling with illness, not only those at the point of death. Marriage is a covenantal union that reflects the love of Christ for the Church, and Holy Orders, in three degrees, continues the apostolic ministry through bishops, priests, and deacons.
The parish also follows the precepts of the Church: assisting at Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, confessing serious sins at least once a year, receiving holy communion frequently and at least during the Easter season, fasting and abstaining on appointed days, contributing to the support of the Church, observing the laws of the Church concerning marriage, giving religious training to one's children, and joining in the missionary spirit and work of the Church. The Catholic social teachings call the parish to care especially for the dignity of the human person, to tend to the poor, to care for the environment, and to work for just working conditions and an economic system that allows for the equal treatment of all people.
Pastoral Leadership and the Parish Office
St. Philip is pastored by Fr. Sudhir DSouza, who can be reached at frsdsouza@stphilipnorwalk.org. The pastoral assistant is MaryAnne Tripodi, who can be reached at matripodi@stphilipnorwalk.org. The parish office staff includes Clyna Richardson and Terri Sargent, who can be reached at c.v.richardson@stphilipnorwalk.org and tsargent@stphilipnorwalk.org respectively. The Director of Faith Formation is Wendy DiTullio, at FaithFormation@stphilipnorwalk.org. The Youth Minister and Confirmation Coordinator is Jennifer Boccanfuso, at YouthMinistryStPhilip@gmail.com. The Director of Music is Tyler Tarver, at tylertarver.music@gmail.com.
The Finance and Property Committee is chaired by Michael Sullivan, and the parish trustees are John "Jay" Devine and Elizabeth Broncati. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm, and on Friday from 9 am to 1 pm, with the office closed in summer on Fridays. The office is also closed on national holidays, from Good Friday through Easter Monday, and from Christmas Eve through January 1. The parish can be reached by phone at 203-847-4549 or by email at info@stphilipnorwalk.org, and a contact form is available online.
Finding St. Philip in Norwalk
St. Philip sits a short distance from both major routes into Norwalk. From the Merritt Parkway, take exit 40A for Main Avenue south, bear left onto Route 123 south at the seventh traffic light, and then turn left onto US Route 1, North Avenue. At the second traffic light, turn left onto France Street, where two gas stations mark the corners, and proceed about a tenth of a mile up the hill. The parish driveway is on the left, with a sharp left onto Father Conlon Place.
From I-95, take exit 16 for East Avenue. From Westport, turn right off the ramp; from Darien, turn left off the ramp. Proceed six-tenths of a mile on East Avenue, then bear left at a five-way intersection onto Park Street, with the Town Green on the right. Continue two-tenths of a mile to US Route 1, North Avenue, cross over it, and proceed up the hill. Turn left into the parish driveway or sharp left onto Father Conlon Place. The address is 1 Father Conlon Place, Norwalk, CT 06851, and the parish phone is 203-847-4549.
More than six decades after Bishop Curtis signed the decree that brought the parish into being, the tent-shaped church on the hill is still the heart of a community that takes its Catholic faith seriously, that feeds its neighbors, that walks the streets of New York with food for the homeless, that teaches its children the prayers and sacraments of the Church, and that finds in the building, the school, and the mansion a place to call home.