By Gregory L. Tracy

BROCKTON -- Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley joined parishioners of St. Patrick Parish for a Mass and reception to close the sesquicentennial year of the parish Dec. 12.

Established in 1856 in what was then North Bridgewater to serve a small but rapidly growing Catholic population, St. Patrick’s is the mother church of the local Catholic community. Today the parish serves a diverse community and is the only parish south of Boston to offer a Spanish-language Mass.