As is the case in many other New England cities, the history and development of Worcester can be inextricably linked to the history of its faith communities.
The Congregational Church was the region’s foremost, for some towns, often the only organized institution of worship available in the 17th century. In 1719, following the village’s first permanent settlement six years earlier, a meetinghouse was erected on the Common. At this time the building served a dual purpose as both meeting house and a place of worship. In 1763, the Congregationalists’ meetinghouse, now outgrown, was replaced by a much larger one eventually known as Old South Meeting House.
In the 1780s, Massachusetts ended state-church sponsorship; it was around this time that Worcester witnessed the development of other faith communities, such as the establishment of a Congregational Unitarian Church at Lincoln Square. Unitarianism continued to define a new spirit of Christianity as it grew to some dominance among Worcester’s citizens in the mid-19th century. The Baptists and Methodists also founded their own churches; by the advent of the 20th century, they were both among the largest faith communities in the city. By the late 20th century, these congregations (and some newer denominations) included members from Brazil, Ghana, and Vietnam and others.
It was the construction of the Blackstone Canal (1825-1828), as well as rapid industrialization and need for labor, that kicked off the town’s growth to city status. The influx of immigrants resulted in diverse faiths, traditions, and cultures from Western and Eastern Europe. In the decades following the canal’s completion, the growth of industry welcomed many industrious workers that were largely Catholic, especially people from French Canada, Italy, Poland, and Lithuania.
Population growth and cultural diversity continued into the 20th century; specifically, a growing Latin community helped to further strengthen the diversity of the local faith community. The most populous faith community in Worcester, Roman Catholics today include faithful who trace their roots to not only Europe, but also to countries in South and Central America, northwestern Africa, southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Saint John’s
The construction of the Blackstone Canal 1825-1828, dug predominately by Irish immigrants, brought the city’s first large group of Catholics. Saint John’s church was established in 1834, built in 1845 and is the oldest Catholic parish in the city, and New England with the exception of Boston. The current building sits on the site of an earlier wooden church, which was completed in 1835. Due to the growth of the Catholic population in Worcester, this building was soon outgrown and the current building was constructed on the same site. It is the only Greek Revival style church in the city.
Worcester has a rich history of ecclesiastical architecture; many structures still survive today, while others have been adapted for reuse for various purposes, sometimes by other congregations. The city has witnessed a surge in religious diversity and an increase in the amount and variety of worship structures.
Regardless of denomination, these places of worship were, and are, places of community, while serving a spiritual purpose. And today, they serve as a place to honor the past while participating in the future of the city. Regardless of their venue, be it Romanesque or storefront, their ability to serve as religious and community centers reflects Worcester’s longstanding tradition of mutual support.
Armenian Apostolic Church of Our Savior, 1909
Located on Laurel Street and consecrated on Armenian Christmas (1891), the church was both the first Armenian church building and the first Armenian church and the first Armenian Apostolic congregation in Worcester and in the United States. Because of its significance, it became a gathering point for Armenians throughout America and served as a cultural, religious community hub for Worcester Armenians as well as throughout America.
