Grace Episcopal Church in Westwood stands at the bend of Harrington Avenue known locally as Five Corners, where several of Westwood's residential streets meet in northern Bergen County. The brick sanctuary has watched over that intersection since 1910, and the parish still gathers there under its founding motto: "Called to re-member and share God's love and grace." A member of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, Grace is known for its liturgical rootedness, its family-friendly schedule that includes a dedicated Children's Mass, and a long partnership with Family Promise of Bergen County through the Walk-In Dinner Program.
From Ten Founders to a Self-Supporting Parish
The story of Grace Church begins on December 1, 1904, when a group of ten dedicated young men and women met to ask for the establishment of an Episcopal mission in Westwood. In 1905 the Rt. Rev. Edwin S. Lines, the Third Bishop of Newark, formally established Grace Church as a mission of the Diocese of Newark. At the first annual meeting in December 1906, the mission agreed to purchase a plot of land that became the present site, and in 1909 construction began on a small brick chapel. The chapel was completed in 1910 and remains the core of the present building.
On May 19, 1925, Grace Church was accepted as a self-supporting parish of the diocese, and the Rev. Laurence A. C. Pitcaithly, who insisted on being addressed as "Mr.," became its first rector. Mr. Pitcaithly served through the Great Depression and retired in June 1949. The Rev. George H. Palmer followed in August of that year and led the parish through the post-war baby boom, enlarging the nave in 1956 to accommodate a congregation that had overflowed into the narthex, sacristy, and even the kitchen.
The parish's third rector, the Rev. Thomas M. Foster, accepted the call in November 1963 and guided Grace through the liturgical changes of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He insisted that the Holy Eucharist should be the principal act of worship celebrated at every Sunday service. The Rev. Edward W. Schmidt, instituted on May 6, 1973, gave the parish much of its present liturgical style, restoring the procession to and watch before the Altar of Repose from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, full Good Friday and Easter Vigil liturgies, the great celebration of Corpus Christi, and the use of incense and bells at the Eucharist. He arranged the chancel and sanctuary into their current configuration, with the choir screen, the altar with its tabernacle, the Lady Chapel, and the fourteen carved Stations of the Cross.
The Rev. H. Gaylord Hitchcock, Jr. succeeded Father Schmidt in 1979 and restored the weekday Eucharist, believing frequent reception of Holy Communion strengthened the parish. By the end of his tenure, Grace had elected its first woman warden, and women served at the altar in all capacities. Father Hitchcock returned to the parish in 2014 to celebrate Holy Week, and that same year the parish marked the solemnization of his civil marriage. The Rev. John Elton Smith, Jr. came as sixth rector in 1999, expanding outreach especially in prison ministry. The Rev. Robert Rhodes, called in June 2008, oriented the parish toward questions of justice and fairness for those less privileged and led a long catechumenate process for adults preparing for baptism. He was followed in 2017 by the parish's present rector.
Sunday at Grace: The Children's Mass and the Holy Eucharist
Sunday worship at Grace is shaped for households. At 9:00 AM the Children's Service gathers children five years of age and younger for a hands-on, interactive Mass with lots of singing and physical movement. An animated picture Bible is used to teach the Christian story in an age-appropriate way, and the children gather around a small table to assist the priest and participate in the prayers of Holy Communion. The service lasts about twenty-five minutes and is designed for families who want to experience Christian community together.
At 10:00 AM the principal Sunday service is the Holy Eucharist, normally Rite I with Eucharistic Prayer II, with Sunday School for children from kindergarten through fourth grade. The calendar shifts the language through the seasons: during summer months and parts of the long Pentecost season, Rite II with Eucharistic Prayer B or D is used, and Family Eucharists are scheduled throughout the year. The Sunday bulletin, including the collect, readings, and propers, is published for each week. Lay volunteers serve as acolytes, ushers, readers, altar guild members, coffee hour hosts, and counters.
Wednesday Morning Eucharist with Healing
On Wednesdays at 9:00 AM Grace offers a regular weekday low Mass that includes Holy Unction. The parish describes the service using the language of the Book of Common Prayer: "Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body." The Wednesday gathering exists for the sake of healing, to restore a person to physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness, and it forms a small, prayerful rhythm in the middle of the week.
A Sanctuary Shaped Over a Century
The brick chapel built in 1909 and 1910 remains the heart of the building. The 1956 expansion enlarged the nave to seat the post-war congregation. Father Schmidt's reordering in the 1970s brought the altar closer to the people, added the choir screen, and arranged the chancel for clear sightlines between clergy, choir, and congregation. The sanctuary also holds a Lady Chapel, the carved Stations of the Cross, and a tabernacle on the high altar.
In October 2025 the parish celebrated the blessing and ribbon cutting of a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp, a visible sign of the parish's effort to welcome all who come. Photographs from that day are part of the parish's ongoing record.
The Choir of Grace Church
Music is central to worship at Grace. The Choir of Grace Church leads the congregation on Sunday mornings and on feast days under the direction of the Organist and Choirmaster, whose ministry to the parish has extended over a period of more than forty years. The choir sings a wide range of musical offerings drawn from the Anglican choral tradition, and the parish's Peragallo pipe organ supports both congregational singing and the choral repertoire.
Clergy and Staff
The Rev. Anthony Puca, Jr. has served as rector of Grace Church since January 2017. He holds a degree in Religious Studies from Temple University and, after working at the Interfaith Center of New York, discerned a call to ordination in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. He graduated from The General Theological Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood in June 2014. Father Puca has served several congregations within the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, has held part-time positions with the Seamen's Church Institute, currently serves as a chaplain with the New Jersey Army National Guard, and is a Chaplain Resident with the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System. His particular interests include Christian mysticism and spiritual direction.
The Rev. Deacon Leonard "Len" Roberts joined Grace Church in 2022 after being ordained to the diaconate in December 2017 in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. He is currently discerning a call to the priesthood. Deacon Len holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology from Wilkes University, a Master of Arts in Student Personal Services from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate in Education from Seton Hall University, and a Master of Divinity from Drew University Theological School. He worked as a college administrator for nearly thirty-five years, completed a residency as a chaplain at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and currently serves as a chaplain at United Hospice Inc., covering Rockland and Orange Counties in New York.
The parish administrator, Organist and Choirmaster, also serves the parish in administrative and musical leadership.
Two wardens share leadership of the vestry alongside the rector and a nine-member elected vestry drawn from three classes. Delegates and alternates to Diocesan Convention represent the parish at the annual gathering of the Diocese of Newark.
The Church Year at Grace
Grace observes the full round of the Christian seasons. Particular days are set aside for the celebration of the Sacraments: Baptisms are held as part of the Sunday celebration of the Holy Eucharist, particularly on the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, the Great Vigil of Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints' Day. Confirmations and receptions are usually offered in the spring after Easter, following a period of preparation and instruction. Weddings involve the whole community: couples new to the parish are encouraged to attend services in the months leading up to the marriage, and clergy preparation is normally required.
The Triduum is celebrated with particular care. On Maundy Thursday the altar is stripped and the congregation keeps a watch before the Altar of Repose through to Good Friday. The Good Friday liturgy is followed by the Great Vigil of Easter, with the lighting of the Great Fire. Corpus Christi receives its own great celebration, and incense and bells accompany the Eucharist. Other recurring occasions include the annual Blessing of the Animals and, in late autumn, a parish-wide Advent Breakfast.
Outreach: The Walk-In Dinner and Christmas Ministry
Two long-running outreach programs are central to Grace's identity. Since July 1993 the parish has participated in the Walk-In Dinner program coordinated by Family Promise of Bergen County, which provides a hot dinner every day of the year at the Housing, Health and Human Resources Center in Hackensack. Grace's share is bimonthly, on the first Thursday of odd-numbered months, serving between ninety and one hundred ten persons. Standard menus include a cooked item of either chili over rice or ziti with meat sauce, salad, bread, a beverage, and dessert. Volunteers prepare cooked items at home, gather non-cooked items at the church, and a team of six to eight takes the food to Hackensack to serve. A wider circle of "Friends of the Walk-In Dinner" joins the parish in this ministry.
Since 1999 the parish has also run a Christmas program. Originally connected to the national Angel Tree program affiliated with Prison Fellowship, the effort now provides gifts for children, and sometimes parents, who are among the poorest of the poor. In some years the parish has partnered with Apostles House in Newark, an Episcopal-affiliate ministry that serves single or homeless mothers and their children. A Food-for-Friends barrel in the narthex collects canned and packaged food for distribution to a local food pantry, and the parish supports the Westwood Cares Food Pantry through regular donations.
Parishioners also join the monthly prayer vigil held outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility, coordinated by the Diocese of Newark's Justice, Peace and Racial Reconciliation Commission on the fourth Sunday of each month.
Parish Life
Grace nurtures community beyond the sanctuary. The annual Church Picnic brings members and friends together outdoors, and a Shrove Tuesday gathering marks the threshold of Lent. A Welcome Back Potluck Supper in early autumn re-gathers the parish after the summer. Parish trips have included a guided visit to the Cloisters Museum in Fort Tryon, New York, where a visiting priest offered instruction in Gothic and Renaissance art. The Children's Christmas Pageant is a fixture of the Advent season, and the parish calendar also features a children's sermon most Sundays.
Stewardship at Grace is shaped by an annual survey, a written promise card, and the option of online giving. The parish is part of the wider life of the Diocese of Newark, in the Province II of the Episcopal Church, and shares the wider Anglican Communion's prayer and mission.
Visiting Grace
The church sits at 9 Harrington Avenue (at Five Corners) in Westwood, New Jersey, with parking available on site. Sunday worship begins with the Children's Service at 9:00 AM, followed by the Holy Eucharist and Sunday School at 10:00 AM. The Wednesday morning Eucharist with Holy Unction meets at 9:00 AM. The parish office can be reached by telephone and email, and visitors are warmly welcomed.