Framingham Reactivates Cushing Memorial Chapel Advisory Committee

Press release from the City of Framingham:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/23/24

For further information, contact:

Susan Scully Petroni

City of Framingham Public Information Officer

spetroni@framinghamma.gov

508-782-8629

Framingham Mayor Re-Activating Cushing Memorial Chapel Advisory Committee & Accepting Applications For Committee

FRAMINGHAM – City of Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky is re-activating the Cushing Memorial Chapel Advisory Committee. The Committee has been inactive since Framingham became a City in 2018.

Built on what was the grounds of Cushing Memorial Hospital in 1943-44 by Italian Prisoners of War (POWs), the Chapel will mark its 80th anniversary later this week. A dedication ceremony was held for the Hospital Chapel on January 26, 1944.

“I want to re-activate the advisory committee, so the committee can plan an 80th anniversary celebration in conjunction with the Veterans Council and my office in 2024,” said Mayor Sisitsky. “The Committee, which has been dormant for years, is also needed to review needed repairs to the 80-year-old Chapel.”

This 100-acre South Framingham property was purchased by the U.S. War Department during World War II. A military hospital was built on the site consisting of more than 100 buildings, including seven operating room suites. It was named after Dr. Harvey Cushing, a pioneer in the field of neurosurgery. The Chapel is the last building remaining from the former WWII hospital compound.

In 2015, City of Framingham Historian Fred Wallace wrote the book Pushing for Cushing in War and Peace: A History of Cushing Hospital.

The former hospital site is now one of the most popular parks in the City. But the Cushing Memorial Chapel is still very vibrant. Most recently, the Chapel was the site of a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.

Over the years, the Chapel has been the site of Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and September 11 ceremonies. It has also been the place for weddings.

The Cushing Memorial Chapel Advisory Committee is comprised of 9 members, plus the City of Framingham Director of Facilities James Paolini.

The deadline to apply to volunteer on the Advisory Committee is Tuesday, February 20, 2024.

To apply visit: www.framinghamma.gov/FormCenter/Office-of-the-Mayor-12/Boards-Committees-Commission-Officers-Ap-46

Not only is the Chapel 80 years old, but June 6 will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, on which Allied forces invaded Normandy beach in France.

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This press release was produced by the City of Framingham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.