The diocesan library & archives is the official repository for the permanent records of the diocese. The archives contain a wealth of historical and official documents from the diocese and its parishes and missions.
You may write, e-mail or fax the archivist with requests for information. In the case of sacramental records, please keep in mind:
The archive staff supports the diocesan staff and parishes. We cannot conduct research for outside users. However, we will be glad to answer simple questions as time permits.
Please contact us by letter, e-mail or fax, and please nclude the name and location of your parish.. If you e-mail or fax, please include your complete mailing address.
Although the archives are not a general public research facility, they are open by appointment to qualified researchers for scholarly research. Please call (see below) or archivist [at] diomass [dot] org to arrange to use the collections. Official application must be made in writing (letter, e-mail or fax). Please include:
Diocesan Archivist
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Diocesan Library and Archives
138 Tremont Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02111
617-482-4826, x504
800-696-6079, x504 (in Massachusetts)
FAX: 617-482-8431
E-mail: archivist [at] diomass [dot] org
Abbey Newsletter (preservation)
American Association for State & Local History
American Religion Data Archive
Archives of the Episcopal Church
Connick Stained Glass Foundation
The Diocese of Massachusetts is among the oldest and largest in the Episcopal Church, with 74,000 baptized members in 194 congregations. It officially dates from 1784 when delegates from a few struggling parishes around Boston met with others in the first convention of the Episcopal Church since the Revolutionary War. It took a great sense of mission to build a diocese out of a handful of 18 th century parishes, but the spirit matched the purpose. With the 19 th century leadership of bishops Griswold, Eastburn, Paddock and Brooks, the church in Massachusetts entered the 20 th century as the second largest Episcopal diocese in the country—growth that resulted from a focus on ministry in mill towns and emerging cities.
The accelerated pace of social and economic change in the late 19 th century gave enormous opportunity for mission. By 1900 the church’s responsibilities threatened to become unwieldy. Bishop William Lawrence pushed for the establishment of the new Diocese of Western Massachusetts in 1902, and immediately sought to unify the now compact eastern Diocese of Massachusetts in a common mission around a physical symbolic center. The vision for a cathedral church was brought to fruition in 1912, when the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston was commissioned to be the “People’s Church.”
The Diocese of Massachusetts is known for some auspicious firsts. In 1970 the Rt. Rev. John M. Burgess was installed as the diocese’s 12 th bishop, thus becoming the first African-American diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church. In 1989 the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris was the first woman to be consecrated a bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
| Diocesan Bishops | Suffragan Bishops | |
| 1797-1803 | Edward Bass | |
| 1804-1804 | Samuel Parker | |
| 1811-1843 | Alexander V. Griswold | |
| 1843-1872 | Manton Eastburn | |
| 1873-1891 | Benjamin H. Paddock | |
| 1891-1893 | Phillips Brooks | |
| 1893-1927 | William Lawrence | |
| 1913-1938 | Samuel G. Babcock | |
| 1927-1930 | Charles L. Slattery | |
| 1930-1947 | Henry K. Sherrill | |
| 1938-1954 | Raymond A. Heron | |
| 1947-1956 | Norman B. Nash | |
| 1956-1970 | Anson P. Stokes, Jr. | |
| 1956-1968 | Frederic C. Lawrence | |
| 1962-1969 | John M. Burgess | |
| 1970-1975 | John M. Burgess | |
| 1972-1982 | Morris F. Arnold | |
| 1976-1986 | John B. Coburn | |
| 1986-1995 | David E. Johnson | |
| 1989-2002 | Barbara C. Harris* | |
| 1995- | M. Thomas Shaw III, SSJE | |
| 2001- | Roy F. Cederholm, Jr. | |
| 2003- | Gayle E. Harris |
*First woman to serve as Episcopal bishop
Information and quotes from G.L. Blackman & M.J. Duffy, "The Tradition of Massachusetts Churchmanship," The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, 1784-1984, M.J. Duffy, ed.; and Wikipedia: Episcopal Church in the United States and Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts. As host to the mission of the Diocese, frequent meetings and events as well as worship services take place at the Cathedral. In the midst of the very active life of the Diocese of Massachusetts, which is among the largest Episcopal Dioceses in the United States, the Cathedral's doors remain open to all. For many it is simply what it has always been - a quiet place for prayer and meditation.
St. Paul's Church, Boston's fourth Episcopal Church, was established in 1818 by a group of wealthy and influential Boston patriots who decided to found a distinctly American Episcopal parish. The two existing Episcopal churches, Christ Church (Old North), established in 1722, and Trinity Church, founded in 1733 on downtown Summer Street, had been formed before the American Revolution. The oldest Anglican parish, King's Chapel (1686), had already been swept away by the rising tide of Unitarianism.
The original St. Paul's Church founders include such names as Amory, Revere, Winthrop, Pickering, Tudor, Bowdoin, Tyng, Hale, Greene, Reynolds, Gerry and Hancock. Members of the building committee included George Sullivan, John and George Odin, Daniel Webster, William Appleton, Shubael Bell, William Shimmin, Francis Wilby, Henry Codman and David Sears.
In 1819, the founders commissioned Alexander Parris and Solomon Willard to construct a Greek temple to contrast with the existing colonial and "gothick" structures of the town. St. Paul's Church was consecrated by Bishop Alexander Viets Griswold on June 30, 1820.
The first example of Greek Revival architecture in Boston, St. Paul's contrasted strongly with the colonial meeting house appearance of the Park Street Church (1809) across Tremont Street. The light Quincy granite, used for the body of the building, was brought from the quarries on the first railroad operated in the United States. The Ionic columns on the portico are of brown sandstone quarried near Acquia Creek in Stafford County, Virginia. To symbolize the patriotic fervor that inspired the church, a stone from Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was also included.
The exterior of St. Paul's remains virtually unchanged since the time of its construction. The still unfinished pediment was intended to contain a carved frieze representing Saint Paul preaching before King Agrippa.
The interior of the church has undergone repeated and extensive redecoration. The current curved apse is a later addition to what was originally a nearly square New England meeting house interior.
In the most recent redecoration in 1986, the walls and ceiling were painted in a polychromatic style, new granite flooring laid in the aisles, and the baptismal font moved from a side aisle to its current location, the majestic but initimidating wineglass pulpit removed and replaced by the more simple pulpit-lectern, a free-standing altar constructed, and a dramatic cross bontonnee suspended over the altar.
St. Paul's Church becomes the CathedralAs early as 1876, a discussion of the question "Shall there be a Bishop's church in Boston?" was printed in the local newspapers. In 1904, it was announced that two sisters, Mary Sophia and Harriet Sarah Walker, had left an estate of more than a million dollars for the purpose of building, establishing, and maintaining a cathedral or Bishop's church of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the city of Boston. In 1908, the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Massachusetts was founded.
To symbolize that the new Cathedral was indeed "a house of prayer for all people," Bishop Lawrence arranged for the doors to the pews to be removed.
In 1988, after 100 years on Beacon Hill's Joy Street, the diocesan offices moved to the building adjacent to the Cathedral; the Cathedral now functions as the center of mission of the Diocese. Well executed liturgy and music in the best contemporary Anglican tradition are the key Cathedral responsibilities on behalf of the whole Diocese.
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Address and Phone Numbers:
138 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02111
617-482-5800
Toll free in eastern Massachusetts: 800-696-6079
Fax: 617-482-8431
E-mail: elc [at] diomass [dot] org
The Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, is located on 326 wooded acres on the shores of Otter Lake in Greenfield, New Hampshire. The camp and conference center is named after Barbara Harris, retired suffragan bishop of the Diocese and the first woman bishop consecrated in the Anglican Communion.
Campers and conference attendees alike can take advantage of the facility's numerous amenities:
The Center staff are also happy to recommend nearby attractions.
The camp has a wide variety of programs including:
"The camp," as it is affectionately known, opened in the summer of 2003 and has quickly established itself as one of the premiere Christian camps in New England. Campers and parents from the first summer on have discovered the cornerstones of the camp: an incredible staff, spectacular facilities, a caring Christian community and a strong commitment to excellence.
The Barbara C. Harris Center is a beautifully designed new facility that offers year-round professional accommodations for charitable, religious, educational, and other non-profit groups ranging from a few up to 200. the Center offers a choice of lodging facilities ranging from 24 attractive guest rooms with private baths, which can accommodate one to three people, to modern winterized or seasonal cabins accommodating up to 10 people each. The Conference Center includes a variety of spacious meeting and break-out spaces and state-of-the-art audio visual equipment to meet any group or conference need. Healthy and delicious home-cooked meals are served in the new dining hall overlooking the lake. Your group's time spent at the Center will be refreshing and productive. Whether it's a structured meeting, relaxing on the porch, or strolling along the lakeside, the Center is dedicated to providing outstanding service and hospitality to all our guests.
The setting for the Center makes it a perfect place to hold an off-site planning meeting or community-building retreat. Far enough from urban bustle yet close enough for easy New England access, the Center offers guests a beautiful natural setting for relaxation and meetings. Recreational opportunities include a variety of outdoor activities to complement your time together.
The Diocese benefits from the life and witness of three religious orders.
The Order of St. Anne is an Episcopal religious community of women based in Arlington. The sisters of St. Anne live their lives according to the Benedictine rules of peace, prayer and work.
The Society of St. John the Evangelist is an Episcopal religious community of men in Cambridge that lives under traditional monastic vows. The society is the oldest men’s religious order in the Anglican Communion.
The Society of St. Margaret is an Episcopal women's religious community seeking the presence of Jesus in a common life and in ministries that concentrate on responding to the needs of the time.
The Brotherhood of Saint Gregory is a Christian community of the Episcopal Church whose members follow a common rule and serve the church on parochial, diocesan, and national levels. Brothers live individually, in small groups, or with their families and support themselves and the community through their secular or church-related work.
E-Mail: vocations [at] gregorians [dot] org
Br. Ciarán Anthony DellaFera, BSG, Minister Provincial, Province 1
ciaran-anthony [at] gregorians [dot] org
In 1205, Francis of Assisi was called by God to rebuild the Church. Early in his ministry, Francis recognized the need to include people from all walks of life within his movement of reform and renewal. The work of following Christ in humility, love and joy, which is the vocation of all Christians, could not be restricted to the traditional life of the friars and sisters.
Today, there are estimated to be over a half-million Franciscans worldwide in the various denominations of the Christian family. Anglican Franciscans include First Order Brothers and Sisters, who live a celibate life in their respective communities, and the Third Order. The Third Order consists of men and women, single or in committed relationships, who, though following ordinary professions, are called to a dedicated life of service to our Lord through prayer, study, and work. Like the First Order, members of the Third Order make a lifetime commitment to live a Rule of Life in company with the sisters and brothers in their order.
The Diocese of Massachusetts is committed to educational opportunity for everyone. Although Epiphany School, in Dorchester, and Esperanza Academy, in Lawrence, are independent of the Diocese, their mission of educating children from disadvantaged communities and backgrounds is fully in line with the vision of the Diocese.
Epiphany is an independent, tuition-free, middle school for children of economically disadvantaged families from Boston neighborhoods. We admit children of diverse faiths, races, cultures, and cognitive profiles, believing in the Episcopal tradition that we find God in and through each other's presence.
Epiphany's small classes, individualized curricula, and extended school days provide rigorous academic, moral and social instruction. In close partnership with families, we are an innovative learning community that affords structured support to help students thrive. Together, we are a school that never gives up on a child.
Epiphany challenges students to discover and develop the fullness of their individual gifts. We seek to prepare graduates who will contribute intelligently, morally, and actively to the society they will inherit.
Visit Epiphany School's web site for more information.
The Esperanza Academy is a free-tuition Episcopal middle school for girls in the city of Lawrence. Founded as an independent school in a partnership of Grace Church, Lawrence, and Christ Church, Andover, the school opened its doors in September 2006 with 40 students in grades 5 and 6. At full enrollment the school will have 80 students in grades 5-8.
Based on the Nativity Model for inner city education, Esperanza cares for the mind, body and spirit of its students through rigorous academic preparation, athletic and other enrichment programs, daily chapel, low student-teacher ratios, parent or care-giver involvement in the school, one-on-one tutoring and ongoing relationships with our students through high school and college.
Esperanza has and needs many more partners in the parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in the form of volunteers, financial support and in-kind donations. For more information about how you or your parish can get connected to Esperanza, visit our website. To arrange a visit to your parish by Laurie or one of Esperanza's board members, call Laurie at 816-838-9316.
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
138 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02111
Phone: 617-482-5800
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (except holidays)
Our offices and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul are located just across Tremont Street from the Park Street Station of the Green and Red MBTA Lines. They are also one block from the Downtown Crossing station of the Orange Line and a few blocks' walk from the commuter rail terminal at South Station.
We highly recommend that you consider taking advantage of parking at MBTA terminal stations, such as Braintree, Quincy Adams, Alewife, Riverside and Wonderland, where parking generally ranges from $3.00 to $4.00, or less, and then using the MBTA transit system.
Driving & parking
1. Common Garage, Zero Charles Street
From the north:
Take I-93 to Storrow Drive, exiting at the Downtown exit. Dogleg left, then right onto Arlington Street. At end of Public Garden take a left onto Boylston Street, staying over on the left side. At the next intersection take a left onto Charles Street, immediately crossing to the right lane and going down the ramp into the garage.
From the south:
Take I-93 North to exit 20 (South Station/Chinatown). At the end of the ramp, turn left and follow Kneeland Street (which becomes Stuart Street) to Park Square. Turn right on Charles Street. Go one block and cross Boylston Street. Stay right and follow the signs to the Boston Common Parking Garage.
From the west:
Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Copley Square Exit. Follow Stuart
Street to Charles Street. Turn left on Charles Street, getting in the right lane. Cross Boylston Street and go down the ramp into the Common Garage.
To get from the garage to the Cathedral: From the main exit from the Garage, turn left and walk through the Common toward Park Street Station. The Cathedral is across the street from the Station at 138 Tremont Street.
2. One Beacon Garage, Cambridge Street at Center Plaza
From the north:
Take I-93 to Storrow Drive, exiting at 24B-A. Turn left onto John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road, then right onto State Street. St. At the top of the hill, Center Plaza will be in front of you; make a left onto Tremont Street. Take the ramp immediately after Center Plaza down to the parking garage, going to the left at the bottom of the ramp into the One Beacon Garage.
From the south:
Take the I-93 North to exit 23 (Government Center). Take a slight right at North Street, then make a left onto Congress Street. You'll pass between Faneuil Hall on your left and City Hall on your right. Make the next right onto State Street. At the top of the hill, Center Plaza will be in front of you; make a left onto Tremont Street. Take the ramp immediately after Center Plaza down to the parking garage, going to the left at the bottom of the ramp into the One Beacon Garage.
From the west:
Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Copley Square Exit. Follow Stuart Street to Charles. Turn left on Charles Street. Cross Boylston Street, get into the right lane, and turn right on Beacon Street. Pass the State House on your left, and turn left onto Bowdoin Street. Turn right onto Cambridge Street. Go past Center Plaza on your right. Take the ramp immediately after Center Plaza down to the parking garage, going to the left at the bottom of the ramp into the One Beacon Garage.
From the garage to the Cathedral: From the main exit from the Garage, turn right and walk down Tremont Street toward the Common. The Cathedral is across the street from the Park Street Station at 138 Tremont Street.
Parking information
Lafayette Parking Avenue de Lafayette (off Washington)
Rates
One Beacon Garage
Cambridge Street (at Center Plaza, turn left at bottom of ramp)
$5.00 1/2 hour or less, $ 11.00 1 hour
$16.00 1 - 1 1/2 hours
$21.00 1 1/2 - 2 hours
$28.00 2 - 2 1/2 hours
$30.00 over 2 1/2 hours
* Note: If you have a pink parking ticket, bring it to the desk in the lobby or in the narthex of the Cathedral and ask one of the sextons to validate your ticket with the "Cathedral Church of St. Paul" stamp. Your validated ticket will reduce the rate to $4.00 for the evening and weekend.
Boston Common Garage
Zero Charles Street (across from Public Garden)
(Note: parking is restricted to vehicles less than 6'3" in height)
Rates
** Note: Have your parking ticket validated by a sexton at the Cathedral. On Sundays, this will greatly reduced your parking rate.