Robert Ritchie (March 6, 1845 - January 7, 1907) 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

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where he was a member of the

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(1862); 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 ...

(1867) in New York. He was made deacon on June 30, 1867, and ordained to the priesthood in 1869. Ritchie served as curate at both the Church of the Messiah and the Church of the Advent in Boston. Ritchie was elected rector 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 ...

, Philadelphia in 1870 and served as rector for the ensuing 37 years. He was a deputy to the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1904. He was also a founder in 1897 of the Clerical Union for the Maintenance and Defense of Catholic Principles and a member of the Catholic Club of Philadelphia.

Personal life

Ritchie married Helena Bridge on June 21, 1871, in Boston. His brother Arthur Ritchie was also a major Anglo-Catholic leader, serving as rector of the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch in New York City and editor of the ''Catholic Champion'' newspaper. (Robert Ritchie was a primary contributor to the ''Champion''.) Another brother, Edward Ritchie (1851-1936) succeeded Robert Ritchie as rector of St. James the Less, becoming rector emeritus in 1924 after retiring in 1923.

Bibliography

*''The Growth of the Papal Supremacy and Feudalism'' (New York Church Club Lectures, 1894) *''The Indissolubility of Marriage'' (1896) *
A Sermon Preached before the Vice-President and Council of the Clerical Union for the Maintenance and Defense of Catholic Principles, and the Catholic Club of Philadelphia in Memory of the Reverend Henry Robert Percival, D.D. in St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia, November 10th, 1903
' (1903) from Philadelphia Studies

References

*Obituary, ''The New York Times'', January 8, 1907, p. 9. *Obituary, ''The Church Standard'', January 12, 1907, p. 383. *Francis A. Lewis,
Robert Ritchie: An Appreciation
from Philadelphia Studies
Grave
from Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, Robert 1845 births 1907 deaths 19th-century American Episcopal priests American Anglo-Catholics People from Philadelphia 20th-century American Episcopal priests Anglo-Catholic clergy University of Pennsylvania alumni