Founded in 1993, Worcester Interfaith began when several Catholic parishes joined together with organizers Lew Finfer and Frank Kartheiser to strengthen their collective work on food security, immigrant support, and neighborhood needs. Over the next two decades, the organization grew to include Protestant congregations, mosques, and synagogues united by a shared commitment to justice rooted in faith. Clergy and residents worked side-by-side to advocate for youth jobs, public pools, and community well-being.

In 2017–2018, Worcester Interfaith completed a major strategic planning process that shifted our focus toward racial and economic justice. Under the leadership of Executive Director Isabel Gonzalez-Webster (2018–2021), we helped launch the Worcester Coalition for Educational Equity, contributed to the Worcester Census Complete Count Coalition, mobilized hundreds of voters each year, and filed a voting rights lawsuit that transformed Worcester’s School Committee into a district-based system. These victories demonstrated what was possible when everyday people organized across neighborhoods.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Worcester Interfaith expanded its reach by hiring ambassadors and cultural brokers to support public health outreach, distribute resources, and deepen relationships in immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC communities. We also played key leadership roles in winning the Eviction & Foreclosure Moratorium, advancing statewide Police Reform, and supporting the local Racial Justice in Policing coalition.

In 2022, Roberto Diaz became Executive Director. Since then, we began to rebuild our base and passed three major ballot initiatives. One, was the Community Preservation Act which has increased our local affordable housing budget. Two, was the Fair Share Amendment which has committed by law an additional two billion dollars for transportation and education across the state. Third, we supported the twenty year battle to pass the Family Mobility Act, which now ensures undocumented residents can obtain driver’s licenses.

In 2024, we launched the School of Prophetic Action (SOPA), and have trained over 100 emerging leaders since. In our civic engagement work over the last three years we have connected with more than 14,900 voters, and we have increased voter participation by 4%, helped remove School Resource Officers from public schools, and influenced the ARPA Funds process to prioritize smaller, grassroots, women and Black-led groups and organizations.

Today, through deep relational 1:1 organizing, leadership training, and collective action, Worcester Interfaith develops BIPOC and working-class leaders such as single parents, retiree’s, car mechanics, youth workers, clergy, immigrants, nonprofit staff, small business owners, and students. Across our history, one practice has remained constant: we build power through relationships. Our leaders come together to confront the systems that cause hardship. We nurture courage, and take collective action for things like immigration and housing justice, civic engagement, and economic dignity. Worcester Interfaith continues to grow as a home for residents who want to transform their own lives and the systems that shape our city.