First Advent 2023 marked the 70th anniversary of St. Francis’ first formal worship service in non-borrowed space. St. Francis had its beginning as a Parochial Mission of St. John’s Worcester. This mission church had worshiped in various places including the Holden First Congregational Church and the Holden Town Hall before purchasing the Gould Property on Phillip’s Road in 1953. With renovations completed, the mission church finally had a space of its own. Rev. Harold Boughey presided over the service which took place in the Chapel of The Gould House. Even after our current worship space was built, this property served as the parish house until it was damaged by a fire in 1973.
