Lo Sagrado
Faith-Based Social Services

Source: Adapted from LHP narrative, "The Latino Experience in Worcester"

When Latinos first began arriving in the 1950s and ´60s, the Worcester Diocese of the Catholic Church was among the first to provide essential support services. At the time, over 90% of the community expressed a religious preference for Roman Catholicism. The Church provided a familiar community and sense of belonging for these immigrants as they struggled to adapt to a new environment.

In 1958, Rev. Gerald Durosher of the Worcester Diocese was appointed to assist the Spanish-speaking Catholics of Worcester County. Under his supervision and Pastor Cales’ presidency, the Spanish Society (Sociedad Hispánica) was founded in February of 1959. By 1961, it had 360 Spanish-speaking members: 232 Puerto Ricans, with the rest from Cuba, Spain, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile and Mexico. The first Sunday masses in Spanish and celebrations of Latin American religious holidays like the Epiphany were offered at Saint Anthony Church, located in Kelley Square. The Sociedad Hispánica also sponsored Puerto Rican music and traditional feasts such as the Aguinaldo. In 1967, under the direction of Rev. Kenneth J. Smith, a regular schedule of Sunday masses in Spanish was inaugurated in the lower level of Saint Paul’s Cathedral as well as family and community programming in the Father Power Center, the Cathedral’s community center.

In addition to Roman Catholic priests, Protestant clergy in Worcester were among the first to coordinate social services for the 150 or so Latino families living in the Main South area as of 1968. This was a collaborative effort between Rev. Smith, Pastor Rodrigo Vera of First Christian Church at 829 Main Street, and several other Protestant churches. In 1969, Worcester’s first Hispanic evangelical church was incorporated on Austin St.; The Rock of Salvation would soon become the largest Pentecostal congregation in the city. The first pastors were Rev. José Pérez Sr. of Puerto Rico, a decorated Korean War veteran of the 65th Infantry Regiment (The Borinqueneers), and his wife Ramona Pérez.