St. Thomas's Episcopal Church (New Haven, Connecticut)
| St. Thomas's Episcopal Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 41°19′55″N 72°54′48″W / 41.33194°N 72.91333°W | |
| Location | New Haven, Connecticut |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Founded | 1848 |
| Consecrated | October 8, 1939 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Connecticut |
St. Thomas's Episcopal Church is a parish church of the Episcopal Church located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1848, the original English Gothic church was completed in 1855 on Elm Street, on the site of a temporary chapel the parish built in 1849. St. Thomas moved to its present site on Whitney Avenue in 1939.
History
[edit]Early years
[edit]On February 24, 1848, a meeting was held by sixteen lay Episcopalians in New Haven, Connecticut, to discuss the opening of a third Episcopal church in the city.[1] The first services were held in a room that belonged to Center Church on April 23, 1848, where they remained until 1849.[2]
Elm Street 1849–1939
[edit]The rector purchased a lot on Elm Street that year,[3] and began construction of a temporary chapel. Five months later, the first services were held in the chapel on August 12, 1849.[4] The congregation decided that a new, larger church would be built on the site of the existing chapel, and the last services in the chapel were held on March 12, 1854.[5] One month later, the cornerstone of the new church was laid, with Bishop John Williams in attendance. In the meantime, services were held in Brewster Hall.[6] The completed church was consecrated on April 19, 1855.[7] It was constructed in the English Gothic Revival style out of Portland stone.[8] A parish house was not built until 1888. The cornerstone was laid on May 21, and the building was dedicated on February 3, 1889.[9]
In 1893, the composer Charles Ives served as an organist at the church.[10]
Relocation to Whitney Avenue
[edit]In 1923, the rector proposed that the church relocate to another part of New Haven, as since the founding of the church, Elm Street had become entirely commercial.[11] The congregation purchased a lot on Whitney Avenue, between Ogden and Cliff Streets in 1923.[12] There, a new parish house was constructed in 1931.[13] A new church was constructed there, and consecrated on October 8, 1939.[14] The new buildings were designed by Allen, Collens & Willis in the English Gothic style.[15]
Founding of St. Thomas's Day School
[edit]In 1956, the Rev. William R. Robbins and Dr. Dorothy Asch[16] established St. Thomas's Day School, a private elementary school on the grounds of the church.[17] In 1992, the church added a new wing to the parish hall to accommodate the growth of the school. [18]
Leadership on same-sex marriage in the Episcopal Church
[edit]In 2005, during the rectorship of the Rev. Michael F. Ray, the vestry of St. Thomas's adopted a resolution calling for the church to treat all couples equally in administering the sacrament of marriage. Because Connecticut's Episcopal bishop Andrew Smith prohibited churches in the state to perform same-sex marriages at that time, the result was a moratorium on all marriage ceremonies.[19][20][21] The moratorium lasted for two years, ending when the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut permitted churches to bless same-sex unions.[22]
Rectors
[edit]| Start | End | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1848 | 1891 | The Rev. Eben Edwards Beardsley, DD |
| 1892 | 1934 | The Rev. William A. Beardsley, DD |
| 1934 | 1949 | The Rev. Robert S. Flockhart, DD |
| 1949 | 1984 | The Rev. William R. Robbins, S.T.D. |
| 1985 | 2015 | The Rev. Michael F. Ray |
| 2015 | 2023 | The Rev. Keri T. Aubert |
| 2024 | present | The Rev. Alan C. Murchie, Priest-In-Charge |
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 2
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 23
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 26
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 27
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 32
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 33
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 39
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 43
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 62
- ^ Sherwood Magee, Gayle (2008). Charles Ives Reconsidered. Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-252-07776-0.
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 87
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 88
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 89
- ^ Beardsley 1941, p. 98
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100606105036/http://www.stthomasnewhaven.org/building
- ^ https://www.stthomasnewhaven.org/dr-dorothy-asch.html
- ^ https://www.stthomasnewhaven.org/history.html
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100606105036/http://www.stthomasnewhaven.org/building
- ^ https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Gay-marriage-divides-church-11648976.php
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/nyregion/a-debate-filled-with-faith.html
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/nyregion/a-moratorium-on-weddings.html
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100606144410/http://www.stthomasnewhaven.org/history
Sources
[edit]- Beardsley, William A. (1941). History of St. Thomas's Episcopal Church, New Haven, Connecticut, 1848–1941 (PDF). New Haven, Connecticut: The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Company. OCLC 10610775. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019 – via Project Canterbury.
