In about the year 1890, the Syrian and Lebanese people began to migrate to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. For many years they struggled to adapt themselves to customs and language of their new homeland. People named Abdelnour, Aboody, Arraj, Abraham, Bollus, Esper, Haddad, Halal, Hajjar, Lewis, Nejaimey, Nassif, Lian, Debs, Syiek, Thomas, Trabulsi, Salem and Wekeen moved to Worcester because they wanted to be close to Graton-Knight Tannery to obtain work in a craft they learned in Lebanon. People that were proud of their civic and religious heritage longed for a church and a priest to care for their spiritual needs in the ancient rituals and traditions of their ancestors. More than a generation had passed before the ambitions and desires of these people came to fruition.

In the meantime the spiritual needs of the people were taken care of by Melkite priests from Lawrence and Boston, the Orthodox priest of Worcester and also by the local Latin clergy.

The very first Melkite Liturgy in Worcester was offered in the home of Jacob and Emiline Lian at 59 Norfolk St. until Finally the blessing of Bishop Sayigh of Beirut (later to become Patriarch Maximos IV Sayigh) provided the necessary impetus to establish a parish in Worcester. He promised the Melkites as soon as they purchased property for a church, he would provide them with a priest. On June 19, 1922, the Covenant Methodist Church on Hamilton Street agreed to sell their old church on Houghton Street to the Melkites.

In 1923, they purchased the church building on Houghton St. for $6500. They were poor people in those days and fewer in number, yet they raised $800 in one night from about 47 families for their church building.

The church was known as St. Mary’s Catholic Syrian Church until it was blessed by the late Bishop Thomas M. O’Leary in July of 1925. Since then the church has been known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Father Polycarpe Warde was born in Damascus, Syria, was ordained in 1905. He served in parishes in Damascus, Beirut, Saida and Cairo. He came to the United States in 1924 and proceeded to be the spiritual father and guide to the Melkite community of Worcester for 31 years.

Living conditions for the first Melkite Pastor of Worcester were extremely primitive; a small room in the back of the church served as his living quarters and office. A few years later a rectory was built for the pastor behind the church. Father Warde’s years of service to the parishioners will not be forgotten. In, real sense, he was a shepherd to this small but devoted group.

Reverend Anthoney Saigh was Father Warde’s First Curate from 1948-1950. In the year 1951 brought a young priest from St. Elias Parish in Zahle, Lebanon- Rev. John W. Haddad to assist the aging Father Warde. The Worcester Melkites were again blessed with a sincere and devoted man of God. Reverend John Haddad was quiet, scholarly and fully devoted to his duties. When in 1955, Father Warde died; Fr. Haddad shouldered the parish duties first as administrator and later as Pastor.

Now the second generation of parishioners came to a point of responsibility. In 1956 the idea of a new church building came to the minds of several parishioners. The first proposal for construction of a new church was made in a Men’s Club meeting with Nicholas Wakeen presiding.

He strongly urged a formal effort to raise funds. Gradually the idea took hold and soon became a driving force for the whole parish. The generous voluntary giving of this small group exceeded every quota set for them. They gave not only of their funds, but ever so much of their time for numerous functions to raise funds. To name those who have given so generously of their money and time would call for nearly every name in the parish.

The late and affectionately remembered Attorney George J. Lian was the first Chairman of the Building Fund Committee. It was for the acquisition of a choice location for our new church that Mr. Lian worked so hard. In 1958, more than a year of negotiation with the City of Worcester and with the aid and blessing of Bishop John J. Wright, land at 256 Hamilton St. was purchased for our Church. No less than the complete record of the negotiations can do justice to Mr. Lian’s effort which capped lifetime of service and generous contributions to our church and the Worcester Diocese.

Incidentally, the site was first conceived as a location by Mrs. Nora Salem. She dreamed of the church being built across the street from where she lived and it is that spot where it stands now. George Lutfy Esper’s engineering efforts on the site of construction saved thousands of dollars. Dr. George M. Joseph devoted his time to the duties of chairman Building Fund Committee. We are grateful to him for sincere and sensible leadership.

At long last the dreams of Father Warde and Father Haddad and the hopes of the original founders of the church were fulfilled when on June 16, 1963 a new church was dedicated by Reverend Bernard J. Flanagan who stated that “For the first time our people of the Melkite Rite not only have a church worthy of their faith and devotion but one built specifically to carry out the impressive liturgy of their Rite in a proper manner.”

The next eight years were difficult ones. Burdened with a heavy mortgage, the pastor, Father John Haddad, went to work in organizing his parish activities that greatly reduced the church debt. The nineteen years that Father John Haddad labored at the church in its most important phase of history ended when he was transferred in 1970.

Reverend Charles Aboody was born in Worcester. He was one of the first graduates of St. Basil’s Seminary which was founded by Basilian Salvatorian Fathers in Methuen in 1953.

Upon his ordination to the deaconate, Ed Kakaty was assigned to the chancery office and remained there until his ordination to the priesthood. Father Kakaty then returned to Worcester to assist Father Aboody in the capacity of Religious coordinator. He was not here too long when his services were needed as pastor of Our Lady of The Cedars in Manchester, NH.

With every new pastor in any parish, new ideas and some changes were introduced. Among the first of his projects, Father Aboody recognized a need for an active and strong Parish Advisory Council. Within three months of his appointment elections were held and the Archbishop, His Excellency Joseph Tawil, installed the newly elected members of the Parish Council in April of 1971. The Council, consisting of 11 members at that time, became the executive power of the parish and assumed the responsibility of caring for all its needs. The parish continued to grow and as of its 50 anniversary the number of families were 186.

In 1973, there was a burning of the mortgage and the church property was deeded from the Bishop of Worcester to the Melkite Eparch. The parish hosted the 14th Annual Melkite Convention in late June.

A sign of changing times in the Melkite Church reached Our Lady of Perpetual Help when Father Charles was succeeded by our first non-Syrian/Lebanese pastor, the Reverend Frank Milenewicz who served until 1982 when he was transferred to St. George’s Church in Milwaukee.

The next pastor was Reverend Basil Adcock. He served until the fall of 1983 and was succeeded by the man who quickly entered the hearts of his new parishioners by bringing to us a new awareness of the traditions and customs of our forefathers, Pastor Father James King.

Father James returned to work in the Diocesan Chancery in 1991 after many years serving not only our own Parish, but the needs of the Church at large through work with such groups as the Civil Air Patrol and Veterans.

He was succeeded by Father George Gallaro, whose short but busy time with us was marked by an extensive updating and remodeling of the Rectory. And who can forget the Spaghetti Dinner, with the sauce lovingly prepared by Father George’s brother and shipped fresh from Ohio.

Father Edward Kakaty, who had served as Deacon with Father Charles, returned as Pastor in 1992. Gifted with an appreciation of the aesthetics of the Byzantine Tradition, Father Ed embarked on a project of Church Beautification. He gathered donations for several new icons, improved our iconostasis, and commissioned the Pantocrator and Paltytera. Not forgetting other aspects of our Church life, Fr. Ed also had published a Photo Directory which remains a valuable resource, and gathered the community for several very successful social & cultural events.

Father Ed was appointed Rector of Annunciation Cathedral in 1994, and Father Paul G. Frechette arrived, following a term as Rector of St. Gregory Seminary. Father Paul brought to completion of the Pantocrator and Platytera projects, and turned his attention to the best lighting for our church. With a love for proper comprehensible Liturgy, he has undertaken the printing, for Parish use, of many of the Services we pray over the course of the church year.

Although a small community, Our Lady of Perpetual Help has always had an impact beyond its boundaries. The annual Lenten Charity Dinner raises an increasing amount every year for the orphans in Lebanon. For several years, the Church has hosted students from the Loreto Program of the Worcester Diocese. Father Frechette introduces the young people (and staff) of the Roman Church to the presence, insights, and practice of the Eastern Church.

Within our own Diocese of Newton, our efforts to improve our Religious Education Program, tailoring it to a small, vital number of students, put us in the forefront of creative yet faithful innovation. Our Church, both with a central location and source of leaders, has played an important role in the revival of the Thesis Program of our Melkite Diocese.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a part with St. George Orthodox Cathedral and Our Lady of Mercy Maronite Church of the Antioch Association. This group seeks to further understanding, cooperation and joint efforts among those churches with roots in Antioch, where Disciples were first called Christians.”(Acts 11:26).