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Grace Episcopal Church (Alexandria, Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Grace Episcopal Church is an Episcopal Church serving the west end of Alexandria, Virginia
. The church was founded in 1855 as an offshoot of Christ Church and the current church building was built in 1948. Grace Church is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
. The church frequently hosts seminarians from the nearby Virginia Theological Seminary
.
Today, this approach continues, as the parish proclaims itself to be a place, "where all may worship freely by God's grace." The parish is inclusive, and welcomes all persons, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other attribute. Openly gay persons serve at every level within the parish, including as vestry members, lay eucharistic ministers, and countless other places. Additionally, for many years the parish advertised in the Washington Blade, a publication for the GLBT community.
The parish also provides La Gracia, a spanish-speaking Mass.
or Anglo-Catholic. The Eucharist
is the center of worship at Grace Church, and is celebrated ten times per week during the school year. Grace Church uses both Rite I and Rite II from the Book of Common Prayer for worship services, and conducts one mass on Sundays in Spanish
. http://www.gracealex.org/espanol.htm http://www.gracealex.org/worship.htm
. The six windows portray twelve prominent church figures, including:
The stained glass window in the narthex
is a rose window
and contains the phrase And the truth shall make you free.
The pulpit is wood carved, and shows images of five great British evangelists
:
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. The church was founded in 1855 as an offshoot of Christ Church and the current church building was built in 1948. Grace Church is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
The Diocese of Virginia is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the state of Virginia. The diocese was organized in 1785 and is one of the Episcopal Church's nine original dioceses. However, the diocese has...
. The church frequently hosts seminarians from the nearby Virginia Theological Seminary
Virginia Theological Seminary
Virginia Theological Seminary , formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is the largest accredited Episcopal seminary in the United States. Founded in 1818, VTS is situated on an campus in Alexandria, Virginia, just a few miles from downtown Washington, DC. VTS...
.
History
Grace Church was founded as a place where “all may come without regard for temporal estate, freely and without fee, as brethren come one to another.” http://www.gracealex.org/about.htm This was in contrast to the common practice at the time for parishioners to pay a pew tax.Today, this approach continues, as the parish proclaims itself to be a place, "where all may worship freely by God's grace." The parish is inclusive, and welcomes all persons, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other attribute. Openly gay persons serve at every level within the parish, including as vestry members, lay eucharistic ministers, and countless other places. Additionally, for many years the parish advertised in the Washington Blade, a publication for the GLBT community.
The parish also provides La Gracia, a spanish-speaking Mass.
Worship
Grace Church considers itself to be High ChurchHigh church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
or Anglo-Catholic. The Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
is the center of worship at Grace Church, and is celebrated ten times per week during the school year. Grace Church uses both Rite I and Rite II from the Book of Common Prayer for worship services, and conducts one mass on Sundays in Spanish
Spanish in the United States
Spanish is the second most used language in the United States. There are more Spanish speakers in the United States than there are speakers of Chinese, French, Italian, Hawaiian, and the Native American languages combined. According to the 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S...
. http://www.gracealex.org/espanol.htm http://www.gracealex.org/worship.htm
Church Building
The current church building was constructed in 1948. It has eight stained glass windows, including 6 in the naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. The six windows portray twelve prominent church figures, including:
- Paul of TarsusPaul of TarsusPaul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
- Athanasius
- Augustine of HippoAugustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
- BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
- DunstanDunstanDunstan was an Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church...
- Anselm of CanterburyAnselm of CanterburyAnselm of Canterbury , also called of Aosta for his birthplace, and of Bec for his home monastery, was a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109...
- Francis of AssisiFrancis of AssisiSaint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
- Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
- William LaudWilliam LaudWilliam Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
- Samuel SeaburySamuel SeaburySamuel Seabury was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He had been a leading Loyalist in New York City during the American Revolution.-History:Samuel Seabury was born in Groton, Connecticut in 1729...
, first bishop of The Episcopal Church - Edward Pusey
- Bishop Fabian of the Anglican Diocese of Trinidad and TobagoAnglican Diocese of Trinidad and TobagoThe Anglican diocese of Trinidad and Tobago is the administrative structure grouping together Anglicans in the nation of Trinidad and Tobago under a bishop. As of 2009, it included 30 parishes, and was responsible for 59 primary schools, one special school, and nine high schools. It is part of the...
The stained glass window in the narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
is a rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
and contains the phrase And the truth shall make you free.
The pulpit is wood carved, and shows images of five great British evangelists
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
:
- St. Patrick
- St. Margaret of Scotland
- Thomas a Becket
- John DonneJohn DonneJohn Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
- C. S. LewisC. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...