About the Catholic Parishes of the Blue Hills
Mission Statement:
"We, the faith community of the Blue Hills Collaborative, are committed to reflecting God's unconditional love for all."l."
History of the Collaborative
In 2007, Rev. Peter P. Nolan, C.S.Sp., pastor of Most Precious Blood Parish, was appointed "temporary" administrator of Saint Pius X Parish, following the death of their long-time pastor Rev. David M. Burke. The two parishes soon began to share a Mass schedule and other resources, to accommodate their one shared priest. In a sense, this was the "collaboration before the collaborative."
In October 2013, as part of Phase Two of the archdiocesan "Disciples in Mission" program, Boston archbishop Sean Cardinal O’Malley announced the formation of 21 parish "collaboratives," one of which was made up of the parishes of Most Precious Blood and St. Pius X, as well as Saint Anne Parish. St. Anne pastor Rev. William F. Joyce retired about that time and was replaced briefly by Rev. David O'Leary as administrator.
On June 3, 2014, Fr. Nolan retired, Fr. O'Leary was reassigned, and Rev. Ronald D. Coyne became pastor of all three parishes in the collaborative. Rev. Charles Madi-Okin also became the parochial vicar for all three parishes. After considering several names for the collaborative, “Blue Hills” was chosen by popular vote in late 2014.
Fr. Coyne left the collaborative in September 2019, and after a period of two administrators (Rev. Michael Bova-Conti and Rev. Daniel Finn) and delays in clerical assignments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rev. Joseph Mazzone arrived as our new pastor in September 2020.
What is a Collaborative?
A "collaborative" of parishes is simply an arrangement among a number of parishes to share a pastor, high-level staff, and certain overhead expenses. It is not a merging or suppressing of parishes, and there is no legal entity "The Blue Hills Collaborative"; all three parishes remain separate and distinct entities, with their own assets and liabilities. While all parishes contribute to shared overhead expenses, monies from one parish may not be transferred to another. All offertory and other donations must, by Canon Law, remain with the specific parish to which they are donated.
The name of our collaborative refers to the geographic area in which our three parishes are located; Hyde Park, which includes Readville, lies in the Neponset River Valley in the shadow of the Blue Hills, and Brush Hill in Milton is an offshoot of the Blue Hills themselves. As the name does not signify something religious, the names “Blue Hills Catholic Collaborative” or "The Catholic Parishes of the Blue Hills" are also used.
Clergy and Staff
List of Services
-
Fr. Joseph Mazzone, PastorList Item 1
857-342-9500, ext. 13
Fr. Mazzone grew up in Rhode Island and went to the University of Notre Dame. After graduation in 1987, he went to New Orleans for a service project working with the poor. From there he went to Prague, working as a journalist for the Prague Post. When he returned he came to Boston, where he entered Pope John XXIII Seminary (for those who decide to enter the priesthood later in life). He was ordained May 24, 2008, after working in the human services industry. Fr. Mazzone comes to us from the Collaborative of the Catholic Parishes of Stoughton (Immaculate Conception and Saint James), where he also served as pastor; prior to that assignment, he was pastor of Saint Mary's Parish in Hull.
-
Fr. Charles Madi-Okin, Parochial Vicar
617-364-9501
Fr. Charles a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one of the six children of Celine Kinsaba Madi and Julien Madi. Before entering St. John Seminary for theological formation, he attended elementary school in Kipala, Congo, Institute Bosembo in Kinshaha, Congo and completed university study at Saint Augustine in Dakar in the West African nation of Senegal. He was ordained by Archbishop of Boston Sean Cardinal O'Malley May 26, 2007 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. He loves his ministry and, with God's grace, tries to live it every day.
-
Anna Williams Cote, Director of Pastoral Ministries
857-342-9500, ext. 15
Anna's roots are in Brockton. She is one of six children and she attended parochial school from elementary through high school. While in high school at Cardinal Spellman, and later at Stonehill College, Anna taught Faith Formation, was a lector and a Eucharistic minister, participated in and led the youth group, and was a member of the Liturgy Society and evangelization programs. She went on to graduate school and she lived Cursillo in 1996 at Stonehill College. Anna's professional career has been varied: Most recently, she spent 20+ years in higher education, first as a professor, then as Dean of the Plymouth Campus of Quincy College, and finally as the Vice President for Academic Affairs until 2013. She and her husband Michael live in Marshfield where they are parishioners at St. Ann by the Sea.
-
Tony Domenici, Director of Finance and Operations
Tony Domenici began his professional career in finance with the public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, in 2011. In this capacity, Tony provided audit and assurance services for various organizations within the healthcare industry. From there, Tony spent time as a Research Administrator with Boston Children’s Hospital, and as a Senior Accountant with Commonwealthcare Alliance, a healthcare company providing free health insurance and medical services to those who so desperately need it yet have no means of paying for it. Tony also spent over a year with Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Braintree at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tony and his family are deeply rooted in the Catholic faith, are parishioners of St. Mary’s of Randolph and aspire to see the church thrive along with the community it serves. In his current role, Tony’s goal is to have the Catholic Parishes of the Blue Hills Collaborative achieve a balanced budget and to strengthen the financial and operational efficiency of parish resources.
-
John Morton, Director of DevelopmentList Item 3
857-342-9500, ext. 14
John grew up in Quincy and attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, where he was active in campus ministry programs including serving as a lector at Masses on campus, leading retreats and participating in alternative spring break trips. After graduating from college, John worked for three years in college campus ministry in Ithaca, NY on the campuses of Ithaca College and Cornell University. Upon returning to Massachusetts, John attended Boston College to study theology and ministry and graduated with an MA degree in May 2021. While working on his MA degree, John worked as the part-time young adult minister for those aged 18-39 at the Paulist Center in Boston. As Director of Development, John will be promoting the events and happenings of the Collaborative parishes through electronic, video and print media, manage social media pages and coordinate photography and video of parish events. He will also assist in community development and building relationships with various people and businesses in the Hyde Park, Milton, and surrounding communities.
-
David Jenkins, Director of MusicList Item 2
David's responsibilities include planning music for all liturgies, scheduling our church musicians, and overseeing maintenance our various musical instruments. David had been the organist and music director at Most Precious Blood Church for over 40 years before assuming the directorship role for the Collaborative as a whole. Click here to read a 2012 interview with David about his adventures in music ministry!
-
Sheila Farley, Religious Education Coordinator
857-342-9500, ext. 22
Sheila is responsible for the religious education and spiritual formation of the children and young people in Grades K–10 in all three parishes of our Collaborative. Together with a team of caring and enthusiastic catechists and assistants, she creates a safe and welcoming learning environment, where the faith formation team shares their knowledge of the Catholic faith with the children and teens, as well as their families.
-
Kathi Ryan Flynn, Office ManagerList Item 4
857-342-9500, ext. 10
Kathi greets and welcomes visitors both in person and via telephone. She helps book Mass intentions and funerals, types up baptism, marriage and other parish certificates, helps to coordinate parish events and assists with with many other duties. Kathi is a lifelong Hyde Park resident and brings her love for her neighborhood to our Collaborative every day.
-
Amy McLaughlin, Administrative Assistant
857-342-9500, ext. 17
Amy will be assisting in our Collaborative office on a part-time basis. She brings over seven years of experience in working alongside executive teams in higher education. Amy will bring her background in administration to assist parishioners with their needs. She will be welcoming visitors, booking Mass intentions, maintaining the office records, and providing various receptionist services for the parish office. Amy is also anxious to bring her background in event planning to assist in the organization of parish events. Amy grew up in Pennsylvania but has called the Boston area her home now for over nine years. She resides in Milton with her husband and son.