Members of Chelsea Council #83 Knights of Columbus plan to gather with families and friends at Our Lady of Grace Church on Sunday, November 8, 2015, for a Mass of Remembrance. The service, scheduled for eleven o’clock, will be dedicated to all deceased members and their families.
Past and present members along with their families are invited to attend the mass at Our Lady of Grace Church on Nichols Street, located on the Chelsea/Everett line.
For more than 110 years, Chelsea Council #83 Knights of Columbus has maintained an active presence in the Chelsea community. The Knights of Columbus, established in 1882, represents the world’s largest Catholic Fraternal Service Organization and was originally created to assist low-income Catholic immigrants in Hartford, Connecticut before expanding throughout the United States and beyond.
The Chelsea Council recently discovered that Our Lady of Grace parish, which has served the local Catholic community for over 100 years, faced a significant financial challenge. The church required funds to replace a large retaining wall supporting the hill behind the structure. Previous repair attempts had proven unsuccessful, and the deteriorating wall now requires complete replacement to prevent potential damage to the church’s structural integrity. The estimated cost for this project exceeded $200,000.
Upon learning of this situation, members of Chelsea Council #83, including many who currently worship at Our Lady of Grace or attended the parish school, pledged $125,000 to support the church. Established in 1913, Our Lady of Grace is presently under the leadership of Father James Barry, who has served the parish for more than 20 years.