St. Ignatius of Antioch Church

552 West End Avenue | also 264 West 87th Street | Upper West Side | built 1902

Open on the map4 entries

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1. 1871

   Rev. Ferdinand Ewer founds the Anglo-Catholic parish of St. Ignatius of Antioch

   The Rev. Dr. Ferdinand C. Ewer founded the parish in 1871 as part of the Anglo-Catholic movement in the Episcopal Church. Its patron saint was a first-century bishop and martyr, apparently chosen for his emphasis on the Eucharist. The congregation met first in a former church on Seventh Avenue, then in a former Dutch Reformed church on West 40th Street facing Bryant Park.

   Source: Wikipedia

2. 1902

   The new English Gothic church opens without the bishop of New York present

   Architect Charles C. Haight designed the English Gothic church, built under the parish's second rector, Arthur Ritchie, and first used for services in 1902. Bishop Henry Codman Potter of New York stayed away from the opening to show his disapproval of the parish's ritualist practices. Bishop Charles C. Grafton of Fond du Lac, a leader of the Anglo-Catholic party, presided in his place.

   Source: Wikipedia

3. 1913

   May 1

   Rector Arthur Ritchie steps down in 1913 after nearly three decades

   The Rev. Arthur Ritchie, rector since 1884, stepped down on May 1, 1913, because of ill health. Four years earlier, ahead of his 25th anniversary, he had asked that a cash gift the congregation was expected to give, reported at $25,000, go toward the parish mortgage. He died in 1921 at age 72.

   Source: Daytonian in Manhattan

4. 1980

   Rev. Ellen Barrett, the first openly gay woman ordained an Episcopal priest, preaches at St. Ignatius

   In 1980 the Rev. Ellen Barrett, the first openly gay woman ordained in the Episcopal Church, preached at the parish's Good Friday services and was later invited to become an associate priest. The move was controversial and set St. Ignatius apart from many other Anglo-Catholic parishes that were slower to welcome the ministry of women.

   Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

• St. Ignatius of Antioch Church (New York City)Wikipedia
• St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church - 552 West End AvenueDaytonian in Manhattan

Nearby

• Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew263 West 86th Street | 8 entries
• 520 West End Avenue3 entries
• Congregation B'nai Jeshurun257 West 88th Street | 11 entries
• The Belnord2360 Broadway | 13 entries
• 601 West End Avenue3 entries
• 505 West End Avenue1 entry

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