The History of Saint Michael's on the Heights, Worcester, may be considered "a tale of two congregations". There was a "before" and there is the "after". The watershed event in the short life of St. Michael's Church occurred on June 9, 1953. On that day a tornado destroyed much of the area of upper Burncoat Street, including the church and parish hall. One member of the congregation died in the tornado.

St. Michael's was founded in the fall of 1926. With the assistance of the Right Reverend Thomas F. Davies, a group of Episcopalians began meeting in private homes, with their worship led by a lay reader. Once a month a priest from the diocese would worship with them and give them communion. It wasn't long before they outgrew the home meetings and considered becoming a mission congregation. On February 20, 1927, at 3 p.m., the first service was held in the Mission House with the Reverend H. Murray Elliot as the priest-in-charge. Because Bishop Davies was fond of his private chapel in Springfield dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels, the mission was so named. The bishop liked the idea of locating the church on one of the hills in Worcester to be higher than the business of the city (hence the title "on-the-Heights"). A plot of land was purchased on the corner of Burncoat Street and Fairhaven Road.

The first church building was erected in the fall of 1927 and the first used for services on November 20 of that year. It was a portable building and was designed in such a way that the altar sanctuary could be moved to provide space for community events, including stage plays. It was not until the winter of 1938-39 that a permanent structure was erected. It was first used for services on Palm Sunday, April 2, 1939.

The first decade of St. Michael's history spans the period of time when the "new" Prayer Book of 1928 was introduced. The congregation was lively and energetic and grew rapidly in the early years. By the late '40s, the church had grown to such an extent that two hundred children were enrolled in the Sunday School.

Buildings are often an expression of an "inward and spiritual grace." To accommodate the expanding congregation, a parish hall was constructed in two phases. A first floor was built between 1948 and 1950 and a second floor was added in 1952. The new parish hall made St. Michael's the center of community life. Dance classes and many other community activities were held there.

Then came the tornado. It ripped through the church and parish hall at 5:10 p.m. on June 9, 1953. The rector, the Reverend Robert Throop, and parishioners gathered immediately after the storm to salvage what they could. Services were conducted without interruption even though buildings had been destroyed. What was remarkable for the congregation was the outpouring of prayers and financial support from the congregation within and outside the diocese. Rebuilding was undertaken in 1953-54. The present buildings were dedicated by Bishop W. Appleton Lawrence on May 16, 1954.

For a congregation living in the aftermath, not only of a tornado, but also in the gracious love and support of other congregations, life takes on a sense of mission. If the "before" of congregational life was building up the parish, the "after" has been serving the community and the world. St. Michael's parishioners yearly send funds throughout the nation to congregations in need, Episcopal and otherwise. A note accompanies these gifts explaining the disaster of June 9, 1953, and the church's desire to assist those undergoing a tragedy similar to St. Michael's.

St. Michael's-on-the-Heights, Worcester, is a tale of two parishes - the "before" and the "after". Before the 1953 tornado it was a congregation focused on providing religious services to one of the hilltop communities in Worcester. Since 1953, St. Michael's has been a community focused on exploring its mission in the world.

This information was found in the book "From the Blackstone to the Houantonic - A History of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts The First Hundred Years".