Who Was Saint Zepherin? St. Zepherin (Zephyrinus) was the 15th bishop of Rome, 199-217. He was born Roman and came to the papacy with few qualifications and only a limited education. He was the first bishop of Rome to exclusively use latin where his predecessors were Greek speaking. Callistus, who succeeded him as Bishop of Rome, was his able archdeacon and set up the administration of the official church cemetery that he located near the Appian Way. It is now known as the Catacombs of Callistus and it is also there on a wall that the first authentic piece of Christian art is found: a young shepherd - Jesus as good shepherd. Defender of Christ Zepherin reigned during times of heavy Roman persecution and great dissension in the early church. He excommunicated leaders of one group drawing many of the rebels back to the faith. He was a defender of full forgiveness in the church at a time when some taught that some sins could never be forgiven. He was the principal defender of Christ's divinity during his times. It is assumed that he is buried in the catacombs of S. Callisto, his own cemetery. We are Unique Our parish, the only one in the United States named after Saint Zepherin, acquired it's name probably because some founders of the parish came from the village or the area near the village of St. Zepherin in the Province of Quebec. A Brief History of Saint Zepherin Parish In the late 1870s, the area known as Cochituate was a thriving shoe manufacturing center. Many French Canadians were attracted to the area because economic conditions in their homeland were difficult. At first these Catholics walked to Saint George Parish in Saxonville. However, because they did not speak the language of the other parishioners, they sent a committee to the Archbishop to request permission to build a church in Cochituate. In 1880, permission was given to have Mass at the Lokerville School. In 1889, Father George Rainville was sent to build a church, and ground was broken in March 1889. On April 19, 1890, eighty-five parishioners gathered for the dedication of the new church which was named Saint Zepherin. Some people say that the church was so named to honor Father Rainville's pastor in Marlboro, while another theory is that it was named after a small village in the province of Quebec. By the end of World War I, most of the factories and a number of the Catholic families had moved out of the area. After World War II, many new families moved into the area, especially into North Natick. The pastor, Father Otis Kelly, established a building fund, and a new church was dedicated on April 29, 1960. All of the stained glass windows from the old church were installed in the new church. In July 1960, Father Kelly died as a result of a car accident, and Father Frederick Hobbs, who had served at Saint Zepherin as administrator, was named pastor. Father Hobbs was pastor until 1983. Father Robert Flynn, who grew up in Natick, was named the next pastor. He served the parish until 1988. Father Paul Berube, whose French Canadian heritage brought full circle the first 100 years of Saint Zepherin Parish, was named pastor as the Parish was about to celebrate its centennial in April 1990. In 1991, the old church was razed, and a new Parish Center was built. Fr. Paul retired as Pastor in 1999. Father Ronald Bourgault is our present Pastor, he grew up in Salem, MA. Saint Zepherin Parish is a suburban parish encompassing parts of the towns of Natick and Wayland. It is located in the Cochituate Village section of Wayland. The parish consists of approximately 1250 families. Return to the Parish Welcome Page

Click on the image above to return to the Welcome Page.     More History An extensive Parish History was created and edited by Stu Cartwright, our first Webmaster. Visit and see many wonderful photographs and read the complete history of Saint Zepherin Parish.