Parish & Building History

The word "church" itself comes from Greek words for "gathered people" or "the Lord's holy congregation." When two or three or a thousand Christians gather, we constitute much more than a collection of volunteers who have chosen to work together. We are the People of God: the community gathered by the risen Christ.

This building, constructed in 1921, is more properly called a "House for the Church." It primarily serves as a place for "the Church" to gather for prayer. It is also a visible, tangible sign of the Christian community present in our world. Finally, it is a reminder of the generations gone before us, those who worshiped here; the Communion of Saints.

Sometime around the year 1834, Christians of the Roman Catholic tradition began gathering regularly for the celebration of Mass. These earliest liturgies took place in the homes of local Catholic families and, eventually, in the Town Hall. Our parish history records the purchase of an old Baptist church in 1869. This building would serve the Catholics of Westborough until it burned to the ground in 1886. A second wooden structure was dedicated in 1888. This second building would serve the growing Catholic population until 1921 when the present brick Romanesque style structure was built.

In 1968 the interior of the building was completely renovated. The changes were meant to implement the reform of the liturgy mandated by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Renovation included a free-standing altar and a simplification of the overall décor.

Our most recent renovation is the result of almost ten years of planning, dialogue and consultation. Its goal is to further facilitate the celebration of the renewed liturgy, better harmonize the interior with the overall style of the building as well as to adapt to the changing needs of our congregation.

Whether in homes or halls, in buildings of wood or brick, generations of Catholics in Westborough have gathered in prayer. Today, as always, our parish is summoned by the words of scripture:

"Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Peter 1, 15)