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| Trinity Church / New York City |
Trinity Church was founded in 1697 as the first Anglican, or Church of England, parish in the colony of New York. Imagine, at the time, the entire city of New York lay south of the church – south of Wall Street!
The first church building opened on its current site in 1698.
Back during the Revolutionary War years of 1775 to 1783, Trinity parish soon expanded. It included two “chapels-of-ease”: St. Paul’s and St. George’s, which allowed it to serve a growing Anglican congregation. However, during this period, the Great Fire of 1776 destroyed the first Trinity Church building. St. Paul’s Chapel was used for worship until the second church building was built and opened in 1790.
I learned how among our country’s founding fathers – and mothers – that George Washington, our first President of the United States, worshipped in Trinity parish during the time when New York City was our nation’s capital (before it moved to Philadelphia and, subsequently, to Washington, D.C.). The first Justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay, was also a Trinity parish member as were the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, and his wife, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, who was a philanthropist and orphanage co-founder. Both Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler Hamilton are buried in the churchyard at Trinity Church.
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| Alexander Hamilton and his wife, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, are buried in the Trinity Church churchyard. |
When structural damage to the second Trinity Church, caused by a heavy snowfall in 1838, occurred, the architect Richard Upjohn was hired to design a new church building, which still stands today. The third – and current – Trinity Church was consecrated in 1846.
By the late 19th century, thanks to immigration and industrialization, which transformed New York City, Trinity Church saw an expansion of its ministries. It began to operate a mission house, a day school, a night school, an industrial school, a cooking school and a ladies’ employment society. It also added worship services catering to business people.
As New York City continued to grow and expand to the north, Trinity parish included 11 chapels located in neighborhoods around the city, including the Church of the Intercession, located on 155th Street, and St Cornelius on Governors Island.
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| Inside Chapel of All Saints / Trinity Church |
During the 20th century, Trinity Church continued its mission of responding to the city’s changing needs. It began offering music ministries that were innovative, it supported homeless services, and it went about building a diverse congregation that was color blind. Most chapels became independent parishes by the 1970s.
Which brings us to Trinity Church today in the 21st century. As Trinity Church undergoes a two-year renovation, it continues a tradition of supporting its neighborhood through its work on social justice initiatives, conducting workshops and offering daily worship services. It remains a growing and vibrant Episcopal community that “seeks to serve and heal the world by building neighborhoods that live Gospel truths, generations of faithful leaders, and sustainable communities.”
With daily and Sunday morning worship at Chapel of All Saints as well as daily and Sunday worship services at St. Paul’s Chapel (on Broadway at Fulton Street), both offer sanctuaries of quiet and churchyards full of historic memorials and monuments.
Photos: Trinity Church exterior, courtesy of church website. Alexander Hamilton tombstone and Chapel of All Saints interior, by Michael Dickens © 2019.
