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In 1885, three
years after Bishop George Dunlop of Arizona and New Mexico brought the
Episcopal Church to Phoenix, The Rev. Thomas W. Haskins invited local Episcopalians
to organize a new congregation. They purchased acreage across
the street from the courthouse and built a brick church with a small tower.
The first service in the new structure was held on the Feast of Epiphany
1889.
When Arizona was established as a separate missionary district in 1910,
Trinity's rector, the Rev. Julius W. Atwood, was elected Bishop.
At his first annual convention, he accepted Trinity Church as the pro-cathedral.
The congregation, which had grown rapidly in both membership and influence,
needed larger facilities and, encouraged by Trinity's new dean, the Very
Rev. William Scarlett, they purchased another parcel of land on Roosevelt
Street. The new site was so far north of Phoenix's business section
that it was called "The Episcopal Folly!" |
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Building plans
called for a blend of Arizona territorial and Spanish-colonial architecture
styles in a quadrangle to form the Cathedral Close. On one side was
the Cathedral House, begun in 1915. On the second side was
the Cathedral itself which was competed in time for the first service to
he held Christmas Day, 1920. On the third side was Bishop Atwood Hall,
completed in 1931.
In 1988, Trinity Cathedral was accepted as the Cathedral of the Diocese
of Arizona, making it one of only a handful of diocesan cathedrals in the
United States. Others include the National Cathedral in Washington,
D.C.; the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City; and Grace
Cathedral, San Francisco.
In addition to its life as an Episcopalian congregation, Trinity Cathedral
is the diocesan center for regional confirmations, ordinations and other
gatherings. It is often the chosen site for significant events in
the life of the greater Phoenix area, including pre-inaugural services
for the governor and burial rites for some of Arizona's most esteemed leaders.
More than a century after is was founded, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral continues
to be a vital center for community enrichment. As it lives into its
second century and the new millennium, Trinity Cathedral will expand its
role as a presence in the community for service and outreach, as well as
the arts, and provide an elegant space for offering to God what is beautiful
and good.
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LINKS OF INTEREST:
The Episcopal Church
The Diocese of Arizona
The Anglican Communion
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