Attended a beautiful Mass here during Boston Marathon weekend! The atmosphere was warm, welcoming,…read moreand fairly intimate. This church also happens to be within walking distance of several great bakeries in the North End which was a huge plus. Definitely plan to attend Mass here the next time we're in Boston!

Feeling a little unsettled these days due to alot of things.. I stopped by here with my Dad late…read morelast night and we were awed by the beauty of this building. We hope to attend a mass here one day and noted the bulletins about their young adults groups and mass in Italian. Life is quite long and yet also quite short and standing inside this church, time didn't seem to move much at all. The attention to detail in every nook and cranny was stunning. It was difficult to take it all in and yet I so badly wanted to. I've never come across a church open so late but thank you for being open & I look forward to coming back during St. Anthony's festival later this month! I absolutely intend to stop in again (if you are open)!

You can almost feel the energy in there. I prayed, and soaked in all the positive energy.....read more

While traveling I try to go Sunday services at a local church. Sacred Heart's Sunday's Italian…read moreservice was exactly like the Italian services my parents took me to when I was a child. It was a lovely service and the priest did a wonderful with his homily. The church itself reminds me of our family church in southern Italy.

Beautiful church grounded in history! It warms my heart to find this Catholic Church open…read morethroughout the day... to pray and be with the Lord. God is so good! Here is the history of the church taken directly from their website! Sources linked below: Prior to 1870, very few Italian immigrants resided in Boston. Rapidly, there grew a number of Italians leaving their homes and country to find a better life in a new world. Along with the immigrants came the rich traditions of Catholicism and legacies of strong faith and devotion to the Church. Tending to the spiritual needs of his people, Archbishop Williams called upon the Order of Friar Minors, the Franciscans, many whom were recent immigrants themselves; to go out and serve those in need, and so began what is now known as Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Church. Originally situated on a small lot of land, within a decade the continued influx of Italian immigrants prompted the need for a larger place of spiritual respite. Construction began on the Saint Anthony Shrine, named for a great Franciscan saint, with many devotees from the old country. By the mid-1890's, the parishioners numbered close to twenty thousand. Once again, the Friars recognized the need for a larger worship space to accommodate the faithful. Under the leadership of pastor Father Ubaldus Pandolfi, OFM, the community raised $160,000.00 (the equivalent of over $4 million in 2018) to begin construction. On November 6, 1899, the dedicated parishioners saw the consecration of the new upper church, named after Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, OFM. Known as "Father of the Italian Immigrant," Father Pandolfi continued to follow the footsteps of our Seraphic Father Francis as he sought to minister to the next generation. Calling to the Franciscan Sisters for help, Saint Anthony School, situated on parish property, opened in 1902 with an enrollment of 200 children. Within two years, enrollment doubled to 400 children necessitating the construction of a larger school. Throughout the 20th century, loyal parishioners and the Franciscan Friars built on their humble foundations, consistently reaching out to those most in need. Responding to the deadly influenza epidemic of 1917-1919 and the many orphans left in its' devastating wake; then-pastor Father Antonio Sousa, OFM and several community members speared a fundraising campaign to create the Home for Italian Children. Located in nearby Jamaica Plain, the Home for Italian Children officially opened in 1921 with 30 children. The dawn of the 21st century saw Saint Leonard Church incorporate Saint Mary's Chapel (formerly run by the Jesuit priests) and Sacred Heart Italian Church (formerly run by the Scalabrini Fathers) in the North End of Boston into what became Saint Leonard Parish. The Franciscan Friars continue their ministry to the combined Parish with two worship sites: Saint Leonard Church and Sacred Heart Church. Spirituality, fraternity, and tradition continue to be the center of life at Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Parish. Rich Italian traditions and customs infuse the diversity of 21st century as new generations and multiple ethnicities embrace the religious societies, the Church, and its ministries. Source: https://saintleonardchurchboston.org/about-us

St. Stephen's is a lovely Catholic church. First time I saw this church, I thought it was the…read morefamous Old North Church that Paul Revere made famous. Soon found out that I was mistaken. Nothing fancy about this church. Although, it is one of the only two remaining Bulfinch designed churches. Nice for a quick visit and a prayer.

After years of studying U.S. history, I finally visited one of the most storied locations with my…read morewife while we were traveling to Boston. The docents were all nice and helpful (I particularly appreciated that their playlist in the giftshop went from Howard Shore's score for "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" to BNL). The audioguide is well-produced with clear narration and some nice intro music. Some of the later tracks tend to bunch up, but this can be helpful if tours are crowding the space. The team staffing the crypt was particularly nice as were the cooler temps underground amid the day's heat. This landmark does not disappoint and is well worth a visit for anyone interested in history!

Old North Church is the oldest in Boston! Right in the heart of North End, part of the Freedom…read moreTrail walk if you choose to take it. Lots of history here, you can stop by to check it out: Tuesday - Saturday from 10am - 5pm and on Sunday from 12:30 - 5pm. It's a regular church, still open for service, so plan accordingly. $30 admission. Or you check it out from the outside! It has a big significance for the American Revolution: "One if by land and two if by sea."- Paul Revere There are clean, all gender public restrooms here, a major plus while sightseeing! It's worth a visit!

I have been exploring churches in the greater Boston area for a while and came across Renewal. The…read morelocation of Renewal Church is a bit tricky with services taking place in an AMC theater on an upper level. Worship music was lovely, but overall the experience felt short and by the time I settled in, it was over. The sermon was a prerecorded video too which was a bummer especially for my first time. I signed up for their communications, which was nice in the beginning, but quickly felt spammy. I'm sure the community is lovely! I just don't think this place is for me.

Renewal made me feel welcome from the first day I visited, which was my favorite thing about this…read morechurch. The greeters took some time to talk to me, and they have a hospitality area with coffee and tea. I sometimes feel lost when visiting a church, so the fact that people took some time out to talk to me was very nice. The teaching is also very easy to follow, and breaks down the Bible in a way that I'm able to learn and also apply it, which I feel is important. I'd definitely recommend this church to anyone!

Historical must stop location! The architecture is cool, but nothing spectacular. What makes this…read moreplace special is its impact in the American Revolution as it was large enough for meetings that planned and informed those involved with the Revolution. Take in the history, take in the craftsmanship and take in some of the Spirit!

I've attended this church for many years and I'm sad to say that the leadership has gone very much…read moredownhill. They once were a place that embraced women in ministry, but the present leadership has marginalized the voice of women leaders. When the Senior Minister was called out on it, he responded during one of his sermons, "The rules for diversity are different in a corporation from that in a church. I'm not going to go out of my way to create candidate pools that include women and I'm not going to hire someone just because they're a woman." Worse than that, our church did have a democratic structure that embraced the voice of the congregation. Now, the present leadership has often delayed or even ignored the congregation's requests for meetings to review decisions of the church, the Elder Board ignores congregant emails, and the Senior Minister has harnessed control of every committee so there are no "checks and balances" to his power. In a church born only 30 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it's sad to see the attack on the democratic structure of the church. Not a good time to make this your church home, but if you want to stop by to listen to a pretty choir and see the inside of a historical building then pay it a visit.

This has been my home for the last year and it has been a blessing to be apart of what God is doing…read morein the heart of city. The team across the board is so welcoming and make people feel appreciated just for being at church. Can't wait to see what God does through this community.

Hillsong is a diamond in the rough. Coming from the Bible Belt it was hard to find a church in…read moreBoston but Hillsong is perfect. Everyone is super welcoming and I felt at home instantly when coming here. Would definitely recommend to anyone!

This church stands as a reminder of another era in Boston and ultimately of a sad story. The sad…read morestory part is what happened to the West End of Boston where this church is located. Back in 1862 when this church was built the West End of Boston was not unlike the North End or Beacon Hill, both of which stand virtually unchanged now. Like those two areas, the West End was a dynamic and thriving community filled with 4 and 5-story brick buildings which were homes to thousands of families. It was a real neighborhood representing a variety of cultures, including a fairly large Italian population. During the 1950s, 46 acres of the West End were entirely leveled. 3,000 units of housing were destroyed (all those brick buildings), which forced approximately 10,000 people to leave the only homes in America they had known. This was done under the auspices of "Urban Renewal". Many wealthy Bostonians had considered the West End to be filled with "slums" and lobbied for its demise but it was not a slum. The West End was a working class neighborhood. It's destruction was wanton and reckless with little care for the people living there who had little to no political clout. What was erected in place of those low-rise brick buildings were a series of ugly, uninspired and entirely soul-less high-rise apartment buildings. Community, connection and neighbors knowing neighbors, relationships forged over decades, were simply gone by 1960. Somehow this church managed to stay put. It was one of the central features, along with a local synagogue of spiritual life for that now displaced West End community. I'm happy that this church is still standing and didn't get lost in the destruction of the rest of the real neighborhood. It's a lovely building with an inside design that reminds me of the church I grew up attending with an old-fashioned homey feel to it. It's a peaceful place with beautiful stained glass, lovely art work and gilded touches. It's hard not to sit in a pew and feel a sense of calm come over you which to me is a welcome feeling. I have often reminisced while sitting in there about what these church walls have witnessed over the years. I can imagine this church as a spiritual home for many of those early immigrants who settled in the area and where baptisms, weddings and funerals were regular occurrences. While the West End remains a busy area, it's heart is lost. That this church still stands of course is a good thing but to me it exudes a somewhat sad beauty of another era. The immigrant story of the West End has been largely erased and it's not been replaced with anything particularly special. This church is special though and worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood. Read up on the West End though before you come and so you can imagine what a tragedy this history really is. http://004e136.netsolhost.com/images/4WestEnd.pdf .

Moved here recently. Reached out to give and get help. Fr is one of the good ones, but has not…read morefulfilled his offer of help or took me up on mine. I am not sure what is happening in the background, however I need to find a community especially in these crazy times. I will be moving on.

We were walking through North End back to our car when we stumbled upon this fascinating alley. I…read moredidn't know what this actually was until I looked carefully. It's a catholic shrine! It's beautiful, yet so spiritual. Even if you're not religious or a non-believer, this is still a cool place to see. The man who maintained this passed away this year so not sure who actually takes care of everything. I hope someone is able to keep this up.

A MUST DO! A FREE EVENT! 4 & 1/2 STARS. All Saint's Way is one of The Secret Hidden Gems of America…read morethat most people have never even heard of before. This is a Shrine that is dedicated to The Saints that is located in a tiny, tiny vertical space. It is stuck between 2 brick buildings with Statues, pictures, Memorabilia etc. You won't believe how much Stuff they can stick on the exterior of these buildings. You never knew there were that many Saints! In the world.In addition the Shrine changes with the Holidays like Christmas, St Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, etc. St Patty's Day is an Irish Holiday but celebrated here in this Italian section of The North End Boston at this homage to Saints decorated in Green. Go figure? It is a Religious & Non Religious & sometimes Holiday Display all mixed up together. It is a Tribute to Roman Catholic Saints, Whimsical, Kitschy, Off Beat, Unusual, A Place to Reflect & Humorous all Rolled into one. When was the last time you visited a place that had all that in one spot? When people discover this place it puts a Big Smile on their faces. And isn't that what it's all about anyway? PETER BALDASSARI has been collecting Religious Artifacts his whole life. His collection is located in an alley way between 4 and 8 Battery Street in Boston's North End right across from Maria Della Cava. There is a black door which leads to the sanctuary. Even when the door is locked you can observe many items from the street. Strangers & Neighbors alike contribute to the Shrine as well. People from around the world have discovered this place, visited or bookmarked it when visiting Boston. Yet most Americans know nothing about the place & never heard if it. Obviously that's the case because I am the second person to review this place on Yelp. The first reviewer was some 4 years ago. It is located off the busy Main Street- Hanover Street on the same side as Modern Pastry but at the opposite end. It is in a little niche spot on Battery. If someone didn't point it out to you, you would totally walk on by & never even notice the place was there. You can see it in the day time for one view. The Shrine really lights up & shines at night. If you are visiting Boston & in The North End be sure to check it out. It will put a Smile on your Face & IT'S FREE! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!