Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness in Denver, Colorado
is the seat of the bishop and the cathedral
of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado
and part of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Construction began in 1909, the first service held in the cathedral in 1911, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975.
.
The first cathedral was at 20th and Welton and held its first services in 1881. Dean H. Martyn Hart was the first dean of the cathedral and he worked with other Denver clergy in 1887 to create the Denver Charity Organization, the first community charity solicitation fund in the United States - later renamed the United Way.
A fire struck the church in 1903 and led to the construction of the current cathedral block at 14th and Washington. Dean Hart would lead the construction of the new building and it would host its first services in 1911.
After many years of "trial liturgies" for the Episcopal Church in the 1970s, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
, the third American BCP which had been ratified in Denver in 1931, was replaced, again in Denver, at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 1979.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
is the seat of the bishop and the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado
Episcopal Diocese of Colorado
The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Colorado. It is in Province VI. Its cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness, is located in Denver, along with its offices. John F. Spalding was the first...
and part of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Construction began in 1909, the first service held in the cathedral in 1911, and it was added to 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...
in 1975.
History
Father John H. Kehler traveled from Virginia to the group of mining camps known as Denver City in January 1860 and delivered the first public services of the Episcopal Church in what would become Colorado Territory. He eventually established the parish of St. John’s in the Wilderness, so named because the nearest Episcopal parish was seven hundred miles away in KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
The first cathedral was at 20th and Welton and held its first services in 1881. Dean H. Martyn Hart was the first dean of the cathedral and he worked with other Denver clergy in 1887 to create the Denver Charity Organization, the first community charity solicitation fund in the United States - later renamed the United Way.
A fire struck the church in 1903 and led to the construction of the current cathedral block at 14th and Washington. Dean Hart would lead the construction of the new building and it would host its first services in 1911.
After many years of "trial liturgies" for the Episcopal Church in the 1970s, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, the third American BCP which had been ratified in Denver in 1931, was replaced, again in Denver, at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 1979.