Christ the King Catholic Church

Churches, Worcester Worship

On November 29, 2009 I attended a Sunday Mass at Christ the King, a Catholic church located on Pleasant Street in Worcester. I arrived early and found a handful of people were involved in personal prayer. I could hear the church choir singing hymns in a distant room.

Christ the King Church was less ornate than other Catholic chuches that I have seen, due to being a fairly modern structure (built in 1958). It reflects the architecture that was common of that era. The outside of the church has a beautiful mosaic representing Christ's rising. Upon entering the large vestibule I noticed a circular space where there was cushioned seating and a statue of the blessed virgin with the Christ child. There was a door to the right where personal confessions were heard by the parish priest on Saturday afternoons. To the left side of the vestibule was a small soundproofed room where people with small children can participate in the Mass without the cries of the children disrupting the Mass. There were two holy water dishes in the vestibule. Before entering the church, the churchgoers blessed themselves with the water.

The center of the church was a large rectangular space. This space was filled with oak bench seating and cushioned kneelers. The church felt very spacious with its wood slat cathedral ceiling. At the front of the church was the altar which was elevated from the pews by a few marble steps. On the altar was a large marble table from which the priest prayed and changed the host and wine into the body and blood of Christ. On the altar were two candles and an open Bible. To the right of the altar was a small ornate gold box with a key which is where the hosts were kept until the consecration (the consecration being when the host is transformed by the prayers of the priest into the body of Christ, according to Catholic beliefs). To the left of the altar was a large baptismal pool where infants are baptized. To the left of the altar was seating for the church choir. Over the altar hung a large copper cross of the crucified Jesus. At the back of the altar were seats for the Priest and Deacons. Two young girls dressed in white robes participated in the Mass by bringing water and a towel to the priest for him to wash his hands before the consecration. They also held the Bible open so that the priest could recite the prayers of the Mass from his seat. To the right of the altar were a few seats for parishoners who read the readings from the Bible for that particular Mass. The priest was dressed in a long ornate robe. The choir also wore plain blue robes which fell to the ankle. The sides of the church were decorated with large stained glass windows depicting the stories of the Bible. Along the walls were the stations of the cross which tell the story of Christ's crucifixion.

At the start of the Mass the choir, altar servers, deacons and priest proceed up the side aisle singing a hymn. They walked down the central aisle and took their places on the altar. The people of the church sang along as well. The priest and parishoners stood and asked the Lord to forgive their sins. A reader then came to the lecturn and read the first and second reading of the Mass. The priest then gave the gospel reading. He gave a homily based on the gospel reading. He came down to the people and attempted to make sense of the gospel reading. By giving present-day examples he applied the gospel to the parishoner's lives. Then an offering was taken in order to pay the expenses of the parish. The choir and parishoners sang an offertory hymn. The priest then asked for peace to the congregation. The parishoners then offered peace to each other with a smile or a nod of the head. The priest then took the host from the gold box and consecrated the bread and wine through a series of prayers. He then asked the parishoners to come forward and receive the body and blood of Christ. They received the host either by the tongue or hand. People returned to their seats for a time of silence and prayer. The priest then gave a blessing to the congregation. A hymn was sung by the choir and parishoners. The priest, deacons and altar servers then proceeded down the center of the aisle and out to the street. The priest and deacons posted themselves outside the door in order to speak and greet the congregation as they left the church.

November 2009

Owen Hurlburt

Founded 1936. Building constructed 1958, refurbished 1966 and 1985.

Our Lady of Angels Parish

Our Lady of the Angels Parish is a Roman Catholic Church located at 1222 Main Street in Worcester. The church was founded in 1916 by Bishop Thomas D. Beaven on the corner of Montague and Main Street. On October 8, 1916, the first mass was held by Fr. O’Connell and celebrated at the nearby Gates Lane School. In 1917, a barn on the church property was transformed into a temporary church. Because of the fast growing number of parishioners, the church acquired a nearby property in 1922 (This is where the church is currently located; a street down from the old church property). The cornerstone of the church was laid on June 19, 1927 and was said in the newspapers of the time that it was “one of the largest gatherings of Catholics in the history of Worcester”. On Christmas 1928, the first mass in the newly built church was held. The church is a Gothic style church and has been through a few major renovations and restorations since it was built. The church still offers daily masses and provides numerous services to the parishioners and residents of Worcester. Source: The History of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, 75th Anniversary Commemoration Book; written in 1991 for the church.

Bishop Thomas D. Beaven, Worcester Archdiocese

Parish founded 1916. Building constructed 1927.

Sarah Fulginiti

Saint Charles Borromeo Parish

Religion in Worcester

St. Charles Borromeo Parish is a Roman Catholic Church located at 341 June Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01602. The Pastor is Father Chester J. Misiewicz. The mass I attended was the 11 A.M. mass on Sunday, September 20, 2009. The mass lasted around 1.5 hours. There were approximately 200 people in attendance. English is the language spoken at St. Charles Borromeo Parish. During the mass, hymns were sung, accompanied by organ music. Specifically Hymns 517, 389, 434 and 504 were sung. During the mass, readings of St. Mark were read from the Holy Bible, in which the Pastor commented on the teachings of those readings.

The people who attended mass varied greatly from race to gender. There were many ethnicities, ages and males and females in attendance. There were whole families, partial families, mother’s with their daughters, father’s with their sons, individuals, the elderly, many variations of people attended. The mass began with the entrance of the Altar Servers first, then the Lector and then the Pastor. They walked from the rear of the church towards the front. The first Altar Server entered with a staff with the image of Jesus on the Cross. The Mass consisted of spoken words by the Pastor and responses by those in attendance. The Lector reads selected passages from the Holy Bible.

The mass consisted of sitting and listening to the Pastor and Lector, standing and singing hymns, and kneeling and praying. A collection was then taken by the Parish. Following that the Eucharist was performed. The Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion is when wafers are eaten and then those taking the Eucharist drink from a goblet.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish uses a prayer book called the Heritage Missal. It is broken down into each and every mass for the entire year. The Heritage Missal has the Hymns and the words to the Hymns which are to be sung, which readings from the Holy Bible are going to be read and a complete agenda to the entire mass. At the beginning of the Heritage Missal there is a page for visitors. This page explains the Eucharist, and says that, “the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life and worship.” It explains that only Roman Catholics can accept the Eucharist, unless that person is another type of Catholic and has received permission from the Bishop of the Diocese. It goes on to say that St. Charles Borromeo Parish welcomes all Catholics, Christians, Non-Christians and non-believers. The Heritage Missal states that if you are in these categories, that you can still, “Pray for the good of man, good health of others and safety for others,” and “offer their prayers for the peace and unity of the human family.”

The interior is wide open. A majority of the building consists of cushioned wooden benches. Each bench has a section that can be pulled down in order to kneel while praying. The benches are divided into four blocks and each block consists of several rows. The blocks are divided lengthwise from front to back right down the middle and width wise from left to right. The lengthwise division is where the Servers, the Lector and the Pastor enter into the room from the back and walk to the front of the room. The front is the focal point of the room. It is where the Pastor, Lector and Servers all sit and stand. It is like a stage carved into the room, the front is smaller width wise than the rest of the room. It is there where the altar, the seats for the Pastor and the Servers, and the podium for the Lector are located. Along the walls of the Church, there are stained glass windows. Between each stained glass on the walls is the story of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. At each of the entrances/exits there are small moldings on the walls containing holy water. At the back of the room there is a balcony which is where the organ is located. In the rear of the room at the base is a separate room where the confessional is located. There is a basement area of the church where there is a kitchen and dining hall.

The exterior of the Church is made of brick in a tall triangle arch, almost like an A-frame, except that the two sloped roofs meet the exterior walls, which stand about 15 feet tall. Three flights of stairs lead up to the main entrance, which brings you into the rear of the interior of the Church. The top of the Church’s arch is adorned with a cross. On the left side of the Church is the parking lot, which includes a basketball court and a grill area.

As of the mass I attended, St. Borromeo’s Parish has been sending donations to a Parish in Dixcove, Ghana, West Africa. In total they have sent $1000 there for a bell to be mounted in the Dixcove Church. Also, St. Borromeo’s Parish holds CCD for the children of the St. Borromeo’s Parish.

St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Parish

Pastor: Father Chester J. Misiewicz
Secretary: Anne Queenan

Visited 20 September 2009, 11 a.m. Mass.

James Hotaling