Grace Episcopal Church (Syracuse, New York)
Encyclopedia
Grace Episcopal Church is an historic Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 church in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

. It was designed by Horatio Nelson White
Horatio Nelson White
Horatio Nelson White was an American architect.He was one of New York State's most prominent architects from about 1865 to 1880. A resident of Syracuse, he designed many homes, armories, churches, and public buildings throughout sentralNew York State, included: The Hall of Languages at Syracuse...

 and was built in 1876. It is located at 819 Madison Avenue near Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

. On March 20, 1973, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

History

Grace Church was founded in 1871. The current church was constructed in 1876. Grace Church has a long history of social activism. In the late 1900s, the church baptized and ordained David Pendleton Oakerhater, a Cheyenne warrior and political prisoner. Oakerhater devoted his life to serving his people and the Episcopal Church. In 1992, Oakerhater was elevated to sainthood within the Episcopal Church. Grace Church is a national shrine for Saint Oakerhater - the first Native Episcopal saint. In 2004, windows were installed in his honor and in 2005, a celebration with Saint Oakerhater's decedents was held at Grace.
In 1957, Grace Church joined with St. Philip's - a historically black Episcopal Church - establishing grace as one of the first fully integrated Episcopal churches in the nation.
In the 1960s, Grace led the city's churches in its commitment to civil rights. Grace's activism included providing a home to one of the first HeadStart programs offering training for Peace Corps, and Vista volunteers, and holding meetings for the Congresses for Racial Equality (CORE).
In 1974, Betty Bone Scheiss of Grace was ordained three years prior to the Episcopal General Convention's recognition of women priests. She became associate rector.

(Taken from The Grace Church Brochure)

Current use

Grace Episcopal Church continues to be an active social justice parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the area in the center of New York....

. It's congregation is of the most racially integrated, and Grace continues to be a welcoming parish to all. Its current rector is the Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, who also serves as the Episcopal Chaplain at Syracuse University.

See also


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK