St. James' Church is an
Episcopal parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
located at the intersection of
Madison Avenue and 71st Street on the
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
of
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 ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
Founded in May 1810 as a
summer chapel for New Yorkers with country homes north of the then city, it has grown into one of the largest Episcopal churches in New York City. In addition to worship, it has programs for children and young families, youth and young adults, as well as a music program and a devotion to mission and service in the community.
In 2021, it reported 1,559 members, average attendance of 165, and $2,749,445 in plate and pledge income.
Worship & music
St. James' Church worships in a variety of styles within the
Anglican tradition. Four services of
Holy Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
are celebrated every Sunday.
Music
In 2008–2009, the parish installed the St. James' Bicentennial Organ, built by
Schoenstein & Co. Organbuilders (op. 156 & 157) in San Francisco. The organ contains a total of 5,538 pipes, with 4,407 pipes in the
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ov ...
organ and 1,131 pipes in the gallery. The new organ was dedicated in October 2010.
Recent history
In 1996 St. James' called as
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
the Rev. Brenda G. Husson, the first woman chosen to lead a parish of such size and prominence in the diocese.
Under Husson's leadership, St. James' received a large private grant to establish the Partners in Mission program. The PIM grant currently supports ongoing partnerships with the
Anglican Diocese of Southern
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...
in Africa, three Episcopal parishes in
Haiti, as well as regular work with the Osborne Association's outreach to children with incarcerated parents in New York.
St. James' was invited to participate in the
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and among the largest endowments in the United States. It was founded in 1937 by Josiah K. (J. K.) Lilly Sr. and his s ...
's nationwide Transition into Ministry program for the mentoring of new clergy. The position of 'Lilly Fellow' was created in 2003 to train new priests in all aspects of parish life.
St. James' celebrated its bicentennial year in 2010. The parish welcomed
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954) is the former Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she was the first woman elected ...
,
Presiding Bishop of the
Episcopal Church, for a festive service marking the culmination of the bicentennial year on November 14, 2010.
Rectors
*
Samuel Farmer Jarvis
Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bib ...
(1811–1819)
* William Richmond (1820–1837)
*
James Cook Richmond
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
(1837–1842)
* John Dowdney (1842–1847)
* Edwin Harwood (1847–1850)
*
Peter Schermerhorn Chauncey
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
(1851–1866)
* Cornelius Bishop Smith (1867–1895)
* E. Walpole Warren (1895–1903)
*
Frederick Courtney
Frederick Courtney (5 January 1837 – 29 December 1918) was an eminent Anglican bishop, the fifth Bishop of Nova Scotia.
Life and career
Born in Plymouth into an ecclesiastical family — his father was Septimus Courtney, vicar of Charl ...
(1904–1915)
*
Frank Warfield Crowder
Reverend Frank Warfield Crowder (June 6, 1869 – September 27, 1932) was the rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in New York City. He was a supporter of the death penalty.
Biography
He was born on June 6, 1869, to Alexander N. Crowder and ...
(1916–1932)
*
Horace William Baden Donegan
Horace William Baden Donegan (May 17, 1900 – November 11, 1991) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and served as the Bishop of New York from 1950 to 1972.
Early life
Donegan was born at Cordella, the f ...
(1933–1947)
* Arthur Lee Kinsolving (1947–1969)
*
John Bowen Coburn (1969–1975)
*
Hays Hamilton Rockwell
Hays Hamilton Rockwell (born August 17, 1936) is an American prelate who was ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.
Early life and education
Rockwell was born in Detroit, Michigan on August 17, 1936, the son of Walter Francis Rockwell ...
(1976–1990)
* Mark S. Anschutz (1992–1995)
* Brenda G. Husson (1996–present)
In popular culture
* The 5:00PM St. James' Christmas Eve service of
Lessons and Carols was broadcast over the local
WOR and
WQXR radio stations in New York City as early as 1934, and then annually from the early 1950s through 2000.
* St. James' Church was the site of funerals for
John Steinbeck,
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe f ...
, and
Montgomery Clift
Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''.
He is best remembered ...
.
* The exterior and interior of St. James' have been seen in ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...
'' (CW television series).
See also
*
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
*
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
*
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
External links
*
Further reading
James Elliot Lindsley. ''A History of St. James' Church in the City of New York 1810–1960.''
Francis J. Sypher, Jr. ''St. James' Church in the City of New York, 1810–2010.'' (New York: St. James' Church, 2010).
Gallery
File:Christmas Eve2.jpg
File:StJamesAltar.jpg
File:Back of the church.jpg
File:Balcony Organ.jpg
File:Tutu children2.jpg, Desmond Tutu preaching a children's sermon, March 2010.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James' Episcopal Church, Manhattan
1810 establishments in New York (state)
Episcopal church buildings in New York City
Churches in Manhattan
Gothic Revival church buildings in New York City
Ralph Adams Cram church buildings
Churches completed in 1885
Upper East Side
19th-century Episcopal church buildings
Religious organizations established in 1810