James Otis Sargent Huntington (1854–1935) was an American Episcopal

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and professed

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

who founded the

Order of the Holy Cross The Order of the Holy Cross is an international Anglican monastic order that follows the Rule of St. Benedict. History The order was founded in 1884 by the Rev. James Huntington, an Episcopal priest, in New York City. The order moved to Mar ...

, a Benedictine

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

order for men, whose mother house is now located in

West Park, New York West Park is a hamlet on the west side of the Hudson River in the Town of Esopus, Ulster County, New York, United States. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area became attractive to the well-to-do seeking second homes becaus ...

Early and family life

James Huntington was born on 23 July 1854 in Roxbury,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, the younger son of Frederick Dan and Hannah Huntington. While he was a child his father, a Unitarian minister, converted to the Episcopal Church, and in quick succession was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

and priest, and then

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

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. After completing studies at St. John's Academy,

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, where he was head boy in 1873, James went to

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, as had his father. After graduation, Huntington studied for the ministry at St. Andrew's Divinity School in

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."Huntington, James Otis Sargent", The Episcopal Church
/ref>

Ministry

James Otis Sargent Huntington by William Notman c1875

Huntington was ordained priest by his father on 30 May 1880. In 1880 James ministered to a working class congregation at Calvary Mission, Syracuse. The following year he went to Holy Cross Mission on

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

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. Soon after his ordination, Huntington attended a retreat at St. Clement's Church in

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and began to feel called to the monastic life. Rather than join the Society of St. John the Evangelist which had established a foundation in Boston ten years before, Huntington decided to found an American congregation, the Order of the Holy Cross with two companions, Robert Dod and James Cameron. They continued working in the poorest sections of the Lower East Side. The grueling hours and daily regimen of community life took its toll, and his companions left. On Nov. 25, 1884, at the Chapel of the

Sisters of St. John the Baptist The Sisters of St. John the Baptist (Baptistines) are a Roman Catholic female religious institute, founded in Angri, Italy in 1878, by Alfonso Maria Fusco. History Shortly before he was ordained in 1863, Alfonso Maria Fusco dreamt that he was cal ...

, New York City, Huntington made his profession as a monk. Huntington also became involved in the

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

and

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land-tax movements. He was later a founder of the

Church Association for the Advancement of the Interests of Labor Church Association for the Advancement of the Interests of Labor, commonly known as "C.A.I.L.", was an American Social Gospel organization founded in 1887, in New York City. It was organized by nine clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church. F ...

(C. A. I. L.),, and was an early member of the

Knights of Labor Knights of Labor (K of L), officially Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was an American labor federation active in the late 19th century, especially the 1880s. It operated in the United States as well in Canada, and had chapters also ...

. The Order of the Holy Cross chose Huntington as Superior for several non-consecutive terms. However, he concentrated his time and energy on parish and missionary work. Under his leadership, the order moved to rural

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, in the 1890s, and in 1902 to

."James Otis Sargent Huntington, Priest and Monk, 1935", Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of the Episcopal Church
/ref> The cornerstone for the order's monastery, which now serves as its guest house, was laid in 1902, and the building was finished in 1904. Designed by Gothic-Revival Architect

Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfor ...

, it was the first building built for an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

religious order since the reign of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. Huntington also founded or helped to found St. Faith's Home for Wayward Girls in

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, St. Andrew's School at

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Kent School Kent School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school in Kent, Connecticut, United States. Frederick Herbert Sill established the school in 1906. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States. Acade ...

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(in 1906 by Frederick H. Sill), and a Mission in

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Death and legacy

Huntington died on 28 June 1935 and is buried in the Monastery Church of St Augustine in West Park. The order he founded remains active; several of the schools the order founded also continue teaching children. The Episcopal Church commemorates Huntington annually on the anniversary of his entry into monastic life, 25 November 1884.

References

Sources

Biography and Lectionary Readings for James O.S. HuntingtonHoly Cross Monastery's web site
* ''New York State Men: Biographic Studies and Character Portraits''. Frederick S. Hills, Compiler Editor; The Argus Company, Albany, N.Y., 1910 {{DEFAULTSORT:Huntingdon, James Otis Sargent 1854 births 1935 deaths Anglican saints American Episcopal priests Anglican monks American Christian monks Harvard University alumni 20th-century Christian saints Manlius Pebble Hill School alumni