African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas
African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas | |
---|---|
Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Country | United States |
Denomination | Episcopal |
Website | About St. Thomas |
History | |
Founded | 1792 |
Founder(s) | Absalom Jones |
Administration | |
Diocese | Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania |
The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (AECST) was founded in 1792 in
The congregation remains within the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The church move several times over the years in response to the needs of the congregation, including where the majority of the worshiping community resided. In spite of that, it has remained in constant operations since its founding.
St. Thomas became a leading institution in Philadelphia's black cultural life.[citation needed]
Its second rector was
St. Thomas was the first black church in the country to purchase a pipe organ, and the first to hire a black woman organist, Ann Appo.[3] Other notable organists were John C. Bowers and his brother, Thomas J. Bowers.[4][5]
Location
While the congregation has worshipped in several different buildings, it has remained continuously active since its founding. The site of the original building, dedicated on July 17, 1794, at Fifth and Adelphi streets, is now covered by the passageway/plaza known as St. James Place. It also worshipped for a time on Twelfth Street south of Walnut Street, before following changing demographics and moving out of the downtown area to West Philadelphia, where the congregation worshipped at 57th and Pearl streets, and 52nd and Parrish streets. It then moved to Philadelphia's Overbrook Farms neighborhood, where it currently worships at a church at the intersection of Overbrook and Lancaster avenues[6]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-385-48576-0.
- ^ "Archdeacon Henry L. Phillips Ninth Rector (1912-1914)". African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ISBN 0-393-03843-2. p. 603
- ^ Trotter, James M. (1881). "Thomas J. Bowers, Tenor-Vocalist; Often styled the "American Mario"". Music and Some Highly Musical People. Readcentral.com. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ISBN 0195170555.
- ^ "The AECST - About St. Thomas". Aecst.org. Retrieved 23 December 2017.