Arthur Ritchie (June 22, 1849 - July 9, 1921) was a prominent American

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

priest, author, and leader. He was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1867. He was next graduated from the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

in New York in 1871. He was made deacon by Bishop

Horatio Potter Horatio Potter (February 9, 1802 – January 2, 1887), was an educator and the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Dearth of biographical information Potter "shrank from public notice, left no literary monument and has, regrettabl ...

on July 2, 1871, for the

Episcopal Diocese of New York The Episcopal Diocese of New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing three New York City boroughs and seven New York state counties.

and served brief curacies at S. Clement's Church, Philadelphia and the Church of the Advent, Boston. He was assistant priest of

Mount Calvary Church Mount Calvary Church is a Catholic parish located in the Seton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The church was founded in 1842 as a mission congregation within the Episcopal Church and is now a community within the Personal Ordinariate ...

, Baltimore in 1874. Ritchie served as rector of the

Church of the Ascension, Chicago The Church of the Ascension is an Anglo-Catholic parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Founded in 1857 as a mission of St. James Church, it is now located on North La Salle Drive on Chicago's Near North Side. The church became a part of th ...

from 1875 to 1884 and then most notably as rector of the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch, New York, from 1884 to 1914. The parish's current building was completed to Anglo-Catholic specifications in 1902 during Ritchie's tenure, featuring a tabernacle for reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, built-in confessional booths, permanent stoups for holy water, and a de-emphasized pulpit (which was itself removed in 1929). A prolific author, Ritchie was the editor of the major Anglo-Catholic periodical ''The Catholic Champion'' from December 1, 1888, to November 1, 1901. (''The Catholic Champion'' merged with ''

The Living Church ''The Living Church'' is a magazine based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, providing commentary and news on the Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion. In continuous publication since 1878, it has generally been identified with the Anglo-Catho ...

'' in 1901.) He was also a founder with his brother Robert of the Clerical Union for the Maintenance and Defense of Catholic Principles. He received an honorary doctorate from

Nashotah House Theological Seminary Nashotah House is an Anglicanism, Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically Conservatism, ...

in Wisconsin in 1904.

Personal life

Arthur Ritchie's brothers Robert Ritchie and Edward Ritchie were also prominent Anglo-Catholic priests, both serving in succession as rectors of the

Church of St. James the Less The Church of St. James the Less is a historic Episcopal church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was architecturally influential. As St. James-the-Less Episcopal Church, it was designated a National Historic Landmark for its Gothic Revival ...

in Philadelphia between 1870 and 1923. He was unmarried, and he was buried from St. Ignatius of Antioch at Rockland Cemetery in

Sparkill, New York Sparkill, formerly known as Tappan Sloat, is a suburban hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Palisades; east of Tappan; south of Piermont and west of the Hudso ...

Bibliography

*''Some Common Objections to Catholic Worship and the Answers to Them: Being the Substance of a Sermon Preached at the Church of the Ascension, Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 1st, 1880'' (Chicago, 1880) *
Spiritual Studies in St. John's Gospel for Workaday Christians
' (Chicago, 1887) *''The Ave Maria and Other Sermons: Preached in St. Ignatius' Church, New York'' (New York, 1889) *''Dancing before the Lord, and Other Sermons'' (New York, 1889) *
With a Song in the Heart, and Other Sermons, Preached in St. Ignatius' Church, New York
' (New York, 1890) *
What Catholics Believe and Do: Or Simple Instructions Concerning the Church's Faith and Practice
' (New York, 1891) *''Perishing in Jerusalem, and Other Sermons Preached in St. Ignatius' Church'' (New York, 1893) *''The Prodigal's Elder Brother, and Other Sermons Preached in St. Ignatius' Church, New York'' (New York, 1893) *''The Stars of God, and Other Sermons'' (New York, 1895) *''The Chastening of the Lord: Sermon Preached in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, on All Souls' Day, November the 2d, 1896'' (New York, 1897) *''The Unjust Steward, and Other Sermons'' (New York, 1896) *''Adrift among the Dead, and Other Sermons'' (New York, 1897) *
Through Fire and Water, and Other Sermons, Preached in St. Ignatius' Church, New York
' (New York, 1897) *''God's Good Cheer, and Other Sermons'' (New York, 1899) *''Alexander the Coppersmith, and Other Sermons Preached in St. Ignatius' Church, New York'' (New York, 1900) *''Children of the Resurrection, and Other Sermons Preached in St. Ignatius' Church, New York'' (New York, 1901) *''Two Pence, and Other Sermons'' (New York, 1901) *''Spiritual Studies in St. Matthew's Gospel'' (New York, 1902)
volume one

volume twoA Sermon in the Memory of Rev. George H. Moffett, Rector of St. Clement’s Church (1905)
from Philadelphia Studies *''Spiritual Studies in St. John's Gospel'' (Milwaukee, 1913) **volume one **volume two **volume three **volume four **volume five **volume six **volume seven *''Spiritual Studies in St. Mark's Gospel'' (Milwaukee, 1917) **volume one **volume two
volume three

References

*"Arthur Ritchie Dies in Nyack at 72, Was the Rector of St. Ignatius's Episcopal Church for Over Twenty-five Years," ''The New York Times'', July 10, 1921, p. 22. *"Funeral Services for the Late Dr. Arthur Ritchie", ''

'' (Milwaukee), July 23, 1921, p. 387. *William H. A. Hall, "Arthur Ritchie, Priest and Doctor: An Appreciation," ''

'' (Milwaukee), July 30, 1921, pp. 406–407.

External links

Bibliographic directory
from

Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ho ...

Grave
from Find a Grave
Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch
official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, Arthur 1849 births 1921 deaths 19th-century American Episcopal priests American Anglo-Catholics Clergy from Philadelphia 20th-century American Episcopal priests Anglo-Catholic clergy University of Pennsylvania alumni