With the arrival of the locomotive railroad, merchants, clerks, and other workers commuted daily into Boston before returning home to the comfort of the suburbs. In 1855, these commuters helped found Grace Episcopal Church, which met in a private residence and then a small wooden chapel before constructing a large, American Gothic Revival-style church in 1873. Noted Massachusetts architect Alexander Rice Esty designed the church, and it is recognized as among his finest works.

Grace is a mission-driven church that supports education, arts, mental health, and programming in the community. The church recently started a garden and donates produce to a local food pantry. Along with five other congregations, Grace participates in the Newton-Brookline Asylum Resettlement Committee, which assists families and individuals fleeing persecution and seeking asylum in the Boston area. The congregation donates books to children at one of Boston’s most under-resourced elementary schools and to the local justice system. Grace has been an active participant in the Bishop’s Safe Academic & Fund Enrichment program (B-SAFE) for 16 years, leading several days of youth programming each summer, and providing groceries and supplies year-round to community members facing unemployment or upheaval.

A National Fund grant of $100,000 with $110,750 in matching funds supported the installation of a comprehensive fire alarm system throughout three contiguous historic buildings. In addition, the congregation completed an urgent exterior masonry repair project that included a bell tower restoration. This completed project assures the preservation of the physical buildings and provides a safer environment as an active place of assembly. 

One church member affirmed the value of the project, “Now, not only have we been able to open our doors again, we have opened them to a broader and more diverse representation of our community, and we are looking ahead to new initiatives with pride and hope.”

Grace Episcopal Church by Chris Walton