Ste. Marie Church is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church on the

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham ...

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The church was founded to serve the needs of

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

Catholic immigrants to New Hampshire. The

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

church building is a prominent feature on the Manchester skyline, and dominates the West Side skyline. The building is perched atop the plateau that makes up Rimmon Heights, and forms one of the focal points of the Notre Dame neighborhood, along with Lafayette Park across the street. In 1908, while pastor of Ste. Marie, Monsignor

Pierre Hevey Pierre Hevey (October 21, 1831 – March 21, 1910) was a Canadian-born American priest, and second pastor of Ste. Marie Church in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the early 20th century. He played a key role in the establishment of the first credit ...

organized the founding of St. Mary's Bank, which is still based at the foot of the hill beneath the church. Today, Ste. Marie is known, among other things, for its popular

Midnight Mass In many Western Christian traditions, Midnight Mass is the first liturgy of Christmastide that is celebrated on the night of Christmas Eve, traditionally beginning at midnight when Christmas Eve gives way to Christmas Day. This popular Christm ...

each

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

, Easter Vigil, and Pentecost Vigil. In September 2019, the church, and the other buildings on campus were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as part of the

Sainte Marie Roman Catholic Church Parish Historic District The Sainte Marie Roman Catholic Church Parish Historic District, located in the city of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States, includes seven red brick buildings dating from the late 19th century and 20th century. The district was placed on ...

References

External links

Official website
French-Canadian culture in New Hampshire Roman Catholic churches in Manchester, New Hampshire Churches in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire 1880 establishments in New Hampshire {{NewHampshire-RC-church-stub