St. Joseph Catholic Church — Attraction in Boston

St. Joseph's Catholic Church is nestled quietly at the end of Thoreau's Path in the West End, bordered by towering condos, the MGH megalith, and a shopping complex with a CVS Pharmacy, Whole Foods supermarket, and large validated parking lot. There is a Bluebikes hub nearby on Charles St. The parish was established in 1862 and the building is gorgeous inside and out. It stands alone on its lot and is connected in the rear to a large multistory rectory. The placement allows plenty of natural light to illuminate their lovely stained glass windows, extending up to the high vaulted ceiling on either side of four columns of pews with both short and long rows. The organ looks and sounds impressive as well , however the sound system is somewhat inadequate for the space, with what appears to be only two column speakers on the front pillars. Old churches often are nightmares for AV installers trying to provide adequate sound reinforcement while maintaining the historical architectural characteristics of the building. I attended the 11:30 Sunday mass and was surprised to see a relatively small turnout of quite homogeneous attendants. The priest had the accent and good attitude of a local Bostonian and could not resist offering a little holy hope for the Patriots in the Superbowl. The parish also holds a 'Superbowl Sundae' food drive. The music program was quite lovely with a talented organist and pitch-perfect male vocalist who were hidden in the choir loft. A handout with the music and lyrics is provided, but the small type and black and white printing make it hard to read without glasses. Overall a pleasant Sunday mass in...

The priest insults his parishioners and celebrates an illicit Mass.

After being told that in accordance with the GIRM (paragraph 308) that there must be an altar on or near the crucifix, the priest told me the processional crucifix sufficed (it did not, after the procession it was hidden away in the sanctuary), then that the painting of the crucifixion in the apse sufficed (it does not, just as paintings of candles don't meet the requirement for candles being present). The priest then squeezed my hand as hard as he could - hard enough it was plain that he had an intent to injure - and called out to anyone in audible range that I was a "nitpicker for Christ." He then told me to "go get ordained," and to "go where you're fed" - basically, I should shut up because I was not a priest and to look elsewhere for spiritual guidance.

I waited until the church was empty to tell him what he did was wrong - insulting a churchgoer in front of others is not acceptable behavior - and all he did was invoke the Holy Name long enough to tell me I was a jerk, then to announce to anyone in earshot what a fool I was for caring about the rubric.

Worst experience I've ever had at a church. The priest celebrates an invalid Mass, someone attempts to correct him - calmly - and he insults them, tries to hurt them, and tells them to buzz off? What is going on here?

Steer clear if you're seeking a reverent liturgy or spiritual guidance. Given the vacancy in the pews, many have already...

Having a Catholic church so close to mgh while a family member was there was a blessing. We were able to pray and light a candle during the day. Mass on Sunday was beautiful...