Strong, Vibrant Religious Community in the North End

If you are Catholic and new to the North End, you’ll want to visit Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Parish at the corner of Hanover and Prince streets.

It’s the one Roman Catholic parish in the community that operates three churches: Saint Leonard, Sacred Heart Church at 12 North Square and Saint Stephen’s Church at the corner of Hanover and Clark streets.

Father Antonio Nardoianni, a pastor at Saint Leonard, recently explained the history of churches in the community.

“There were four parishes in the North End until the 1970’s,” he said. “Saint Mary’s merged with Saint Leonard’s parish; Saint Stephen’s followed; and in 2004, Sacred Heart ceased to be an independent parish and became part of Saint Leonard.”

In September, Father Antonio will celebrate nine years of being a pastor at Saint Leonard.

“Father Claude Scrima and I came here at a very critical moment in the history of the Catholics in the North End,” he said. “(We arrived) when the Archdiocese of Boston had just implemented the reconfiguration program by which churches closed or merged with others.”

Father Antonio said the program caused a lot of disappointment with many Catholics.

“Because of that, our community was very divided because of the attachment of parishioners to the churches that were stripped of the title of parishes,” he said.

Father Antonio explained it took “a great deal of time and efforts to promote a more peaceful co-existence and cooperation.

“Eight years later, I consider this achievement the most important one in the recent history of the parish.”

Today, Father Antonio is pleased with the way spiritual life is celebrated in the North End.

“We have a very strong and united community,” he said. “It’s not a large community (about 800 faithful regularly attend our weekend services). It is a vibrant community with a great dedication on the part of old and new parishioners.”

Father Antonio highlighted some of what Saint Leonard offers.

“The parish comprises a parochial school (Saint John School located at 9 Moon Street). It’s an outstanding school on the academic and human Christian formation of the students and we have a waiting list,” he said.

“Our ministry also involves service at the North End Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center and some senior apartment places like 145 Commercial Street and Michelangelo Place on Charter Street.”

There’s a Mass at Saint Leonard Church Monday through Friday at 12:05 p.m., at Sacred Heart Church every Sunday at 9:00 a.m.; at Saint Stephen’s Church Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m.; at Christopher Columbus Plaza Apartments every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.

“We extend our service to every community of Italians in the Archdiocese of Boston upon their request,” Father Antonio said.

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