Our History

St. Patrick’s Church

Wareham played a prominent role in the early days as the Catholic Church spread south of Boston. In 1830, Catholics in Wareham became a mission church of Sandwich under the pastoral care of Fr. Patrick Canavan.

The first Roman Catholic Church building in Wareham was an abandoned Baptist Church located on High Street. It was purchased on August 14, 1865 for $3,000 and dedicated to St. Patrick. This was the second Catholic Church in the area of the Cape. The abandoned Baptist Church building survives today as our Parish Center.

In 1872, the Diocese of Providence was formed and included all of Rhode Island and part of southeastern Massachusetts, including Wareham. In 1904, the Diocese of Providence was divided and the Diocese of Fall River was formed. Wareham, still a mission of Sandwich, was incorporated into the Diocese of Fall River.

In the early 1900s, the population of Sandwich was declining and Wareham’s population and importance was increasing. As a result, St. Patrick’s in Wareham, which included Marion, became a parish in 1911. St. Anthony’s Chapel in West Wareham was dedicated in 1935 to serve Tremont.

St. Patrick’s Church building was too small to serve the increasing summer crowds, so Fr. Francis D. Callahan, pastor at that time, petitioned Bishop Cassidy for permission to build a colonial church in Wareham. Permission was granted, the current church building of St. Patrick’s was dedicated in 1940, and the former church building was moved to its present site to serve as the Parish Hall and the Religious Education Center.

The Sisters of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity (MSBT) have been a presence in our parish from 1940 to the present day, serving in roles of catechesis, as well as performing parish work in the community. In 1950, they opened a kindergarten class that served until 1967 when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts mandated public kindergarten. Their legacy continues today as Sr. Catherine ministers to the homebound.

In 1972, St. Rita’s Church in Marion became a separate parish. St. Patrick’s and its mission of St. Anthony’s remain to serve the people of Wareham.

St. Anthony’s Mission Church

The Catholic community in the Tremont section of Wareham, a neighborhood surrounded by cranberry bogs and iron works, travelled by streetcar or walked to St. Patrick’s Church in Wareham to attend Mass and religious education classes. They were anxious to obtain a building for worship closer to their own neighborhood.

Mrs. Assunta Borsari donated a parcel of land in Tremont. An unused Protestant Church was purchased and moved at night, in the cold of winter, from South Wareham to its present location on Gault Road. The women of the area donated much time and talent to fund raising events to help cover expenses. The men worked evenings to renovate, paint and landscape the building and grounds.

On November 17, 1935, the Most Reverend James E. Cassidy, Bishop of Fall River, dedicated the new St. Anthony’s Chapel and Father Callahan offered the first Mass.