Founded on December 28, 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. The first rector was the Rev. Whiting Griswold, who died while serving parishioners and orphans in the 1849 cholera epidemic.  Since then, we have had 21 more rectors. We have a wealth of history behind us and we look forward to a bright future, trusting in God’s abundance and grace.

Originally founded to serve residents in the southern part of downtown St. Louis, the St. John’s congregation moved to the Lafayette Park neighborhood, where the church building was almost destroyed by a tornado in 1896. The congregation then relocated to the Tower Grove neighborhood, as parishioners moved to the City’s newly-expanded South and West. The present building was finished in 1910.

St. John’s has been the home of various historic “firsts” in the Episcopal Church. St. John’s was probably the first parish in Missouri to discontinue “pew rentals” (a caste separating process), and the first to have a “vested” boys’ choir.

As we continue to discern God’s plan for us, we will draw inspiration from those who came before us, and built this vital community of faith.