Past, Present, and FutureFounded on St. John's Day (December 27), 1841, St. John's Episcopal Church, St. Louis, is the second oldest Episcopal Parish in St. Louis, and the fifth oldest in the State of Missouri. St. John's first rector, the Rev. A. Whiting Griswold is pictured at the right. Since then, we have had 20 more rectors. We have a lot of history behind us and we look forward to a bright future, trusting in God's abundance and grace. The present building was finished in 1910 (the cornerstone laid in 1907). St. John's has been the home to the Wainwright Family (of the Wainwright Building fame) and Betty Grable, who was baptized as an infant in the large baptismal font. (See "Worshiping".) St. John's has been the home of various historic "firsts" in the Episcopal Church. St. John's was the first parish in Missouri to discontinue "pew rentals" (a caste separating process), and the first to have a "vested" boys' choir. The boys came from the orphanage that Mr. Griswold founded on Lafayette Street, west of Grand Avenue. The Rev. Teresa Danieley is the 21st rector. Ms. Danieley and Mr. Griswold may not look a lot alike - but they both share a love of God, the Episcopal Church, and the St. John's community, as well as a commitment to serving the people of the City of St. Louis. For more on our history, please visit the Photo Tour. Bryan Cather has been doing a lot of historical research on St. John's. Thanks, Bryan! Visit the St. John's Timeline on Timetoast http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/81440 and the St. John's Slideshow on Flickr Timeline1841: Bishop Jackson Kemper organized St. John's Church. First service, December 28. 1842: Brick church building erected at 5th and Spruce. 1852: Cornerstone laid for a new church building at 6th and Spruce on July 7. Bishop Hawks consecrated the new church on September 2. 1871: New St. John's church building completed at Hickory and Dolman. 1889: New church building consecrated by Bishop Daniel Tuttle on December 27. 1907: Cornerstone laid for the present St. John's church building. Occupied in early 1908. 1958: Parish Hall added. 2009: Peace Meal Project starts weekly, after extensive renovations to the kitchen 2010: New classrooms and new entryway constructed.
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St. John's Rectors
Mr.Griswold founded one of the first orphanages in St. Louis. Unfortunately, Mr. Griswold died during the cholera epidemic of 1849 at the age of 34, as he tried to relieve the suffering of others. See "Ministries" for a picture of the plaque at St. John's that honors Mr. Griswold.
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