The Franciscan Friars arrived in Boston in 1873, and immediately were welcomed by the city’s growing Italian population, many of which viewed the order as patriarchal. The Franciscans main objective was to service the needs of their parishioners, building churches, schools, and orphanages all for the use of the immigrant population, particularly in Italian communities.

This is not to say that the Friars did not welcome all nationalities into their institutions, simply that the relationship between the Franciscans and Italian immigrants was always held in special regard. The number of Italians in Boston was still developing, numbering only in the hundreds, when the population petitioned Archbishop Joseph Williams to organize a parish.