Father Harold M. Wren Council No. 3963, Knights of Columbus

Father Harold M. Wren Council No. 3963 is the Billerica council of the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic fraternal benefit society founded at New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882. It is named for Rev. Harold M. Wren, who was pastor of St. Mary's Church in Pinehurst in the 1950s, and it is the only council of the order in town. Its building association owned a hall on Maple Avenue, now Wedgewood Avenue, in Billerica Centre from 1956 to 1999, and the council now meets at St. Andrew's Church in North Billerica.

The order was known in Billerica before there was a council in town. In his report for 1917 the fish warden, John M. Kennelly, recommended that the salary of his office "be divided between the Red Cross and K. of C. societies of this Town, to aid in a small way the Billerica boys at the front" (see World War I), and a Knights of Columbus float was in the parade of the town's Welcome Home celebration for its returning servicemen on July 4, 1919. The society lists in the Billerica directories of 1916 to 1957 name no council in the town.

On December 19, 1956 Kate R. Barrington, widow of John A. Barrington, then living in Vienna, Virginia, sold Lots D and E on Maple Avenue, a short way running west from River Street to the Boston and Maine railroad, "with the building thereon," to the Knights of Columbus of Billerica Building Association, Inc. The warrant for the next annual town meeting, printed in the town report for 1957, carried a Planning Board article to rezone the association's land, about three acres between Maple Avenue, the railroad and land of the town, from an industrial to a general business district. The Knights of Columbus Hall served the town as well as the council. In 1972 the Knights of Columbus and the Jayceettes gave Thanksgiving and Christmas parties for the tenants of the Housing Authority's Greenwood Apartments. The hall was on the town's 1973 list of churches and halls connected to the sewer, and when the town began kindergarten in September 1973, with no room in its school buildings, the school department held classes in the Knights of Columbus Hall in the Centre, in St. Mary's Church in Pinehurst and in the Unitarian church building; the hall was used again in 1974 and 1975, when kindergarten became a full-day program. The Polk directory of 1985 lists the "Wrenn Harold M Rev Council (K Of C)" at 14 Maple Avenue. The association sold the land in 1999, as 12 Wedgewood Avenue, to Content Homes II, Inc.

The council has given scholarships to graduating seniors of Billerica Memorial High School. Its advertisement in the Warrior of 1982 marked the order's centennial, "A tradition of devotion, a century of service, 1882-1982." The senior awards in the yearbooks list a Knights of Columbus scholarship in memory of Chester D. Ingraham in 1989, given with the Thomas Talbot Lodge of Masons as the Knights of Columbus/Thomas Talbot Lodge Scholarship in 1991 and 1992; a Knights of Columbus scholarship in memory of Sylvester O'Toole from 1991 to at least 1998; and a Knights of Columbus and Masons Scholarship in 1993. The town also holds a Knights of Columbus scholarship endowment among its trust funds, listed in 2000 as "Knights of Columbus #80" with a principal of $10,000.01, and with a principal of $9,175.26 from 2017.

Billerica public men who belonged to the Knights of Columbus include Lawrence E. Desmond, town treasurer, collector and principal assessor between 1932 and 1958, a member of "the Billerica Knights of Columbus"; Stanley J. Bocko, selectman and state representative; Arthur L. Doyle, selectman from 1977 to 1998, a member for seventy years; William G. Greene Jr., state representative; and Brion M. Cangiamila, state representative and selectman.

The council is active today. The Massachusetts State Council places it in its Middlesex County North region, with St. Andrew, St. Mary and St. Theresa of Lisieux in Billerica as its home parishes and Fourth Degree Assembly No. 404, St. Pius X. In 2026 the council's own website described it as the council of St. Matthew the Evangelist Parish, made up of the St. Andrew and St. Theresa of Lisieux churches, meeting on the first and third Thursdays of the month in Father Wilson Hall at St. Andrew Church, 45 Talbot Avenue. The date of the council's charter has not been found.

References

1. Billerica Town Report 1917, fish warden: salary to be divided between the Red Cross and K. of C. societies of the town
2. Billerica Town Report 1919, Welcome Home celebration, July 4, 1919: parade floats include the Knights of Columbus
3. Billerica Town Report 1957, warrant Article 48: rezone land of the Knights of Columbus of Billerica Building Association on Maple Avenue
4. Billerica Town Report 1972, Housing Authority: Thanksgiving and Christmas parties by the Jayceettes and the Knights of Columbus
5. Billerica Town Report 1973, sewer connections: churches and halls include the Knights of Columbus Hall
6. Billerica Town Report 1973, superintendent: kindergarten housed at St. Marys, the Unitarian Church and the Knights of Columbus in the Center
7. Billerica Town Report 1974, superintendent: kindergarten units at St. Marys, the Unitarian Church and the Knights of Columbus building
8. Billerica Town Report 1975, superintendent: full time kindergarten using the Knights of Columbus Hall
9. Billerica Town Report 2000, trust funds: Knights of Columbus #80 scholarship endowment, principal $10,000.01
10. Billerica Town Report 2017, trust funds: Knights of Columbus scholarship endowment, principal $9,175.26
11. Warrior 1981: advertisement of the Knights of Columbus, Father Harold M. Wren Council No. 3963, Billerica
12. Warrior 1982: Father Harold M. Wren Council No. 3963, a tradition of devotion, a century of service, 1882-1982
13. Warrior 1989, senior awards: Knights of Columbus in memory of Chester D. Ingraham Scholarship
14. Warrior 1991, senior awards: Knights of Columbus/Thomas Talbot Lodge Scholarship (Chester Ingraham) and the Sylvester OToole scholarship
15. Warrior 1992, senior awards: Knights of Columbus/Thomas Talbot Lodge Scholarship and Knights of Columbus Scholarship in memory of Sylvester OToole
16. Warrior 1993, senior awards: Knights of Columbus Scholarship; Knights of Columbus and Masons Scholarship
17. Warrior 1998, senior awards: Knights of Columbus/Sylvester OToole Memorial Scholarship
18. Polk Lowell City Directory 1985, organizations, benevolent and fraternal: Wrenn Harold M Rev Council (K Of C) 14 Maple Av (B)
19. Massachusetts State Council, list of councils: Council 3963 Fr. Harold M. Wren, Billerica, active; home parishes; Assembly 404
20. Knights of Columbus Council 3963 website: Father Wilson Hall, St. Andrew Church, 45 Talbot Ave; first and third Thursdays
21. Wikipedia: Knights of Columbus, Catholic fraternal service order founded in New Haven in 1882

Deed References Expand all

Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted.