St. Mary’s Church, Hamilton Village, is an Episcopal Church located on the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

campus in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It calls itself the Episcopal Church at Penn to emphasize its campus ministry. The parish is part of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. In 2022, it reported 226 members, 33 average attendance, and plate and pledge financial support of $103,951. The church is a remnant of the Hamilton VillageHistory of Hamilton Village
/ref> neighborhood that existed in

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Although there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the n ...

prior to being subsumed by the University. The land was given to the church by the Hamilton family for whom the town was named.

Background

Founded in the early 19th century to serve as a summer congregation for Philadelphians who were vacationing west of the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

, it soon had year-round services. The current building dates from 1872 and the parish hall from 1896. During the mid-19th century the parish became a focal point for the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

movement, which the Rector and congregation supported. St. Mary's played a leading role in supporting African-American civil rights, the anti-war movement of the Vietnam era, women's ordination within the Episcopal Church, and the lesbian/gay community's quest for full acceptance. A former rector, the Rev. John Scott, was known for having performed an

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...

of the Philadelphia campaign headquarters of

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, and was the founder of the Philadelphia Third Order Franciscans, a worldwide lay religious community. In the 1970s the parish was host to the local chapter of

IntegrityUSA Integrity USA was a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the United States. It was founded in 1974 to promote the inclusion of Q members and their Straight allies, allies for equal access to Episcopal liturgy, rites, bu ...

, immediately after the chapter's founding, and before the chapter moved to Center City. Due to its proximity to the Philadelphia Divinity School (which has now merged with

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is an unaccredited theological school in New York City. Established to train people for ordination in the American Episcopal Church, the seminary eventually began training students from other denominations. T ...

and closed its facilities in Philadelphia), many seminarians often attended services here in the days immediately preceding the ordination of the Philadelphia Eleven and the eventual admission of women to the priesthood in 1976. The church house
St. Mary's Nursery School
and formerly hoste
Neighborhood Bike Works
and th
Bearded Ladies Cabaret
The sanctuary is often used for concerts, such as the long-running
Gatherings Concert Series

References

External links

*
St. Mary's Nursery School official websiteThe Gatherings Concert SeriesGuidebook to St. Mary's Church, Hamilton Village (1946)Directory for St. Mary's Church, Hamilton Village
1928-1949 *{{HABS , survey=PA-1642 , id=pa0806 , title=St. Mary's Protestant Episcopal Church, 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA , photos=3 , cap=1 Mary Churches completed in 1872 Mary Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia Mary University City, Philadelphia 19th-century Episcopal church buildings

Background

See also

References

External links