History

On December 25, 1915, the first gathering of Episcopalians met at Colonel and Mrs. Daniel Cornman's home on Columbian Street and voted unanimously to give the name of the Church of the Holy Nativity to the mission to commemorate that date.

In the summer of 1919 on land donated by Mrs. Edward B. Nevin, ground was broken for the church. The building, designed by architect John Vining to resemble a small village church in England, was built of Weymouth seamface granite. Services were held for the first time on Easter Sunday, April 4, 1920, with Suffragan Bishop Samuel G. Babock representing the diocese. The church buildings are set on a 36,580 square-foot lot of land located one block from the intersection of Columbian Street and Main Street (Route 18), behind the Nevin Building at 851 Main Street.

From its original small altar and a few pews, the church was enlarged in 1946 to accommodate  a choir and additional seating, doubling capacity. In 1958, a new wing was added to the parish hall for Sunday School classrooms. At the same time, the sacristy was enlarged, alterations were made to the sanctuary and offices expanded.

​In December, 2015, the parish celebrated 100 years with a Centennial Celebration starting with a commemorative service, officiated by The Right Reverend Bishop Alan M. Gates, The Reverend Harold G. Birkenhead, The Reverend Brad Hultman and Bishop’s Deacon Phil Flaherty.
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