First Parish Church in Dorchester
Dorchester
MA

02122-3029

First Parish Church in Dorchester, Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States
The sanctuary
Christmas Eve candlelight service 24 December 2019
Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-Ladd, the 24th settled minister of First Parish Dorchester, called on January 24, 2021

Who we are

We are brave, curious, and compassionate thinkers and doers. We are diverse in faith, ethnicity, history and spirituality, but aligned in our desire to make a difference for the good. We have a track record of standing on the side of love, justice, and peace.

We have radical roots and a history as self-motivated spiritual people: we think for ourselves and recognize that life experience influences our beliefs more than anything.

We need not think alike to love alike. We are people of many beliefs and backgrounds: people with a religious background, people with none, people who believe in a God, people who don’t, and people who let the mystery be.

We are Unitarian Universalist and Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, atheist and agnostic, believers in God, and more.

On the forefront of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer inclusion for more than 40 years, we are people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

We welcome you: your whole self, with all your truths and your doubts, your worries and your hopes. Join us on this extraordinary adventure of faith. Get involved!

Church Address

10 Parish St.
Dorchester, MA 02122-3029
United States
Phone: (617) 436-0527
Fax: (617) 436-0527

Download First Parish Church in Dorchester vCard with Service Times


Church Pastor

Minister
10 Parish St.
Dorchester, MA 02122-3029
United States
Phone: (617) 436-0527
Fax: (617) 436-0527

Download Minister Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-Ladd vCard with Bio


Quote of the Day

2 Thessalonians 2:15

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

Denomination


Affiliations:

Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)



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Social Media




Leadership

Leader Name:
Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-Ladd
Leader Position:
Minister
Formal Title:
Leader Address:
Tel:
Fax:
(617) 436-0527

Leader Email:
Leader Bio:
Rev. Carrier-Ladd began their Ministry at First Parish Dorchester in August 2020.

Rev. Elizabeth is a fourth generation Unitarian Universalist who grew up in the Boston area. As a minister’s kid, they grew up deeply entrenched in church life. As a teenager, she rose to national UU leadership, culminating with service as the Youth Observer to the UUA Board. They studied Theater and Film at Hampshire College and earned her Master of Divinity at Meadville Lombard. Elizabeth has served congregations in San Diego, CA, Tulsa, OK, Lafayette, IN and Indianapolis, IN.

She has found a real sense of purpose in anti-racism work and has been a part of the leadership collective of Allies for Racial Equity for 9 years. Yoga feeds their spirit, leading to sharing this movement meditation as a 200RYT teacher for 5 years. Watching the Red Sox play is also a spiritual practice for her. Their spouse, Seth, is a UU minister and together they raise 4 children: Mira (8), Theo (7), Elias (5) and Phoebe (2). The six Carrier-Ladd humans and two dogs reside in Revere very close to the beach as they all find great meaning and joy in the ocean.
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First Parish Church in Dorchester Leadership Photos

Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-Ladd


Administration

Admin Name:
Kit Binns
Admin Position:
Office Administrator
Admin Address:
Telephone:
Fax:
(617) 436-0527

Admin Email:

Mailing Address





First Parish Church in Dorchester on the map




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First Parish Church in Dorchester - 10 Parish St., Dorchester, MA
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Travel/Directions Tips

First Parish Dorchester’s historic Meetinghouse is located on Meetinghouse Hill, next to the Mather School.

Public Transit

FPD is less than a mile from the Savin Hill station on the Red Line.


Parking

There is plenty of street parking and the church owns the small parking lot on Parish Street.


First Parish Church in Dorchester Dorchester Service Times

Regular Sunday Services are at 11 am in person and by Zoom

Service Times last updated on the 17th of November, 2023


Worship Languages



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Children and Youth Activities

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Special Needs/Accessibility:

The first floor is entirely accessible, including the Sanctuary, Parish Hall, and an accessible restroom. The second floor will be made accessible though the addition of an elevator a during the next phase of our Meetinghouse Restoration Project.


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First Parish Church in Dorchester Photo Gallery

First Parish Church in Dorchester, Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States
The sanctuary
Christmas Eve candlelight service 24 December 2019
Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-Ladd, the 24th settled minister of First Parish Dorchester, called on January 24, 2021



First Parish Church in Dorchester History

The congregation’s roots run deeply throughout Dorchester history; our first church was built by the Puritans shortly after their 1630 landing. A church of this congregation has stood on Meetinghouse Hill since 1670. We are the oldest congregation within the present-day boundaries of the city of Boston, and since its founding, First Parish Dorchester has been committed to a strong social mission.

The congregation held the first recorded town meeting in Dorchester in 1633, and was one of five churches that founded Harvard College. The original Puritan congregation is still remembered for establishing the country’s first tax-supported, free public elementary school (The Mather School) in 1636.

The first four meetinghouses acted as Dorchester’s town hall. The fifth building, built in 1816, was the host to many social justice leaders, such as William Lloyd Garrison and Theodore Parker, because of First Parish Dorchester’s long-standing pastor Reverend Nathaniel Hall who was dedicated to the abolitionist cause. In the 1880s, the work of FPD’s minister, Christopher R. Eliot, and the Fields Corner Congregational Church’s minister, Reverend T.J. Volentine, inspired FPD members and friends to organize the Fields Corner Industrial School for local children, which has evolved into DotHouse Health, a multi-service health center where church members continue to serve on the board of directors.


First Parish Church in Dorchester Historical Photos

Fifth meetinghouse ca. 1870s



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