“From its start as a mission of St. Alban’s Church in 1911 through today, the community of St. Patrick’s has moved from strength to strength, firmly establishing itself as a vibrant and nourishing spiritual home for thousands of souls over the years. The people of St. Patrick’s have survived and thrived through a dynamic and often challenging century with an indomitable will and the guiding principle that with God, all things are possible.”
The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, 8th Bishop of the Diocese of Washington
on the occasion of our centennial celebrations in 2011
1911 – St. Patrick's is Founded
St. Patrick’s, the first Episcopal Church in the United States to be named for the patron saint of Ireland, was founded as a mission of St. Alban’s Parish in October 1911 to serve Episcopalians in the growing far upper northwest section of Washington. Our first worship service, led by the Reverand Charles T. Warner of St. Albans, was held on October 22, 1911 in a house at 22 Foxhall Road. Warner was Rector of St. Patrick's mission from 1911-1946, and a series of vicars were appointed during that time to serve both St. Patrick's and St. David's (another mission of St. Alban's).
1914 – Our First Chapel is Built
Land on Foxhall Road was donated by the Lingan family to build the first St. Patrick's Chapel. In 1914, the congregation moved from a small rented house to a red brick chapel at the corner of Foxhall and New Cut (now Reservoir) Roads.
1920 – Creation of Our Baptismal Font
The Rector of St. Alban’s wrote to the Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland asking if "stones could be procured from that historic temple wherewith to make a font for little American St. Patrick's Chapel.” The Dean sent four 750-year-old stones from the edifice of the Cathedral that were used in 1920 to create a baptismal font, which is still in use today.
1927 – A New Parish Hall
By the mid-1920s, a parish hall was badly needed. St. Alban's bought a large lot at the southeast corner of Foxhall and Reservoir Roads, and a barn-like structure which came to be called "The Old Hall" was built.
1930s – Growth in the Neighborhood
In the 1930s, the community of Foxhall Village was developed on three sides of the chapel and the community began to grow with the rest of the city of Washington. In 1935, our original chapel on Foxhall Road was razed due to street widening and worship services were moved to "The Old Hall." A new chapel was built on the corner of Foxhall and Greenwich Parkway in 1936.
1946 – From Mission to Parish
St. Patrick's became self-supporting in 1943. The mission then sought and was granted independent status in 1946, thereafter to be known as St. Patrick's Episcopal Church. The Reverend F. Ernest Warren, rector of St. Albans who came to St. Patrick’s as Vicar in 1933, then became our first rector.
1956 – Founding the Day School
During the 40s and 50s, the new parish grew under the rectorships of the Reverend John F. Stevens and the Reverend William R. Williams. In 1956, a small nursery school was organized in response to parish and community needs that became what is now known as St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School.
1960s – Evolving to Serve the Community
The 1960’s saw St. Patrick’s evolve from a neighborhood church to one that would become actively involved in the life of the city. Under the rectorship of the Reverend Thomas D. Bowers, from 1961 to 1971, there were energetic outreach efforts through participation in civil rights activities, and a Head Start program for at-risk children flourished. In 1967, our church building was expanded and the parish school began adding elementary grades, with the first Grade 6 class graduating in 1974.
1966 – St. Patrick's & Civil Rights
In 1966 in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, the Reverend Bowers hired the Reverend Jesse Anderson, Jr. as Associate Priest. One of the first African-American priests to be hired in an all-white church in the diocese, he was called to fulfill a vision that St. Patrick's be "involved in the newly emerging America that recognized and accepted its racial, national, and gender minorities." While some families quit their membership upon the announcement of his appointment, Bowers remembered that moment as a pivotal moment in St. Patrick's history because "new people began to pour into our church with a different view of what church should be and our life together was changed forever." In 1972, Father Anderson followed a call to serve as Vicar of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Southeast DC, building a bridge between our churches. St. Patrick's provided seed money for St. Philip's Child Development center and provided food to the St. Philip's food pantry for many decades. With outreach funds raised by our parish, Father Anderson founded St. Patrick's Southeast Enrichment Center to offer community services like tutoring with local schools, food, and clothing.
1970s – Deepening & Expanding
The 1970s saw a deepening of the spiritual life of the parish and expansion of the role of the lay ministry within the parish under the rectorship of the Reverend Christopher Sherrill. The elementary school moved into a new building on Whitehaven Parkway and the school board was chaired for the first time by a lay person. A new Prayer book and the ministry of ordained women were introduced, our outreach efforts were enhanced, and lay people were encouraged to play new roles in the governance of the Diocese.
After the Episcopal Church approved the ordination of women at the 1976 General Convention, St. Patrick's wasted no time in sponsoring one of our own female parishioners for the priesthood. The Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon joined St. Patrick's with her family in the 1960s and was a longtime parishioner, and served as one of our Sunday School teachers. In the late 1970s, St. Patrick's sponsored Bishop Dixon for her entry to seminary. In 1992, she was elected Suffragan Bishop of our diocese, the 2nd ever woman bishop in the Episcopal Church. Bishop Dixon once said in an interview that "being at St. Patrick's Church...was really life-transforming for me, making friends of a lifetime...as well as expanding my understanding of the Gospel and what ministry is really all about." She said she would always consider St. Patrick's her home church, and worshiped with us as her schedule allowed.
Having been introduced to us as a teenager through our connection with St. Philip's in Anacostia, Cleveland Barnes began working on the maintenance team at St. Patrick's in 1974. A beloved pillar of the church, he retired as Head Sexton after nearly 40 years of service in November 2013.
1979 – Haiti Partnership Begins
In 1979, members of the St. Patrick’s community took “discovery trips” to Haiti to visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral School. During one of these trips, the group was invited to a wedding in the community of St. Etienne where they fell in love with the rural setting and its small church and school. Since then, the church and Day School have supported the St. Etienne church and school in southern Haiti by fundraising to provide supplies, pay for teachers’ salaries, and other help. Volunteers and students have traveled to Haiti over many decades to volunteer and experience their community firsthand.
1980s – Growth & Change
In 1979 the Vestry called the Reverend S. James Steen, who led the parish during a time of unprecedented growth and change. Membership growth led to a third service; a new church and nursery school were built next to the elementary school; and our outreach programs expanded to include national and international partnerships.
In 1981, the Reverend Jerry Anderson was hired as our full-time Assistant Rector, one of the first openly gay priests to be hired in the Episcopal church. St. Patrick's soon became known as a "gay-friendly" church, drawing gay members to the parish. In the biography in his 2018 book, Ordained by Angels: Memoir of an AIDS Chaplain, Anderson writes, "In 1981, I came out as a gay man at St. Patrick's Church in Washington DC, which set the stage for the vital role that I would play in the building of a ministry that served those afflicted with AIDS." St. Patrick's was a founding member of this ministry, the Episcopal Caring Response to AIDS.
In 1982, we began the St. Patrick's Senior Center, a joint ministry of the church and Day School for many years that brought younger and older people together. According to a contemporary newspaper article, "elderly participants, currently all in their eighties, gather on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. They discuss current events, go on field trips, and work individually with St. Patrick's students. Participants read to students and share their own experiences and personal histories."
1985 – Moving to Whitehaven Parkway
The current church building, dedicated on June 1, 1985 by the Right Reverend John T. Walker, Bishop of Washington, was the culmination of years of dedication and hard work by the entire community. St. Patrick’s Church and Day School were finally joined physically as well as spiritually. The building, designed by Hartman Cox Architects, won several awards: the 1987 AIA|DC Chapter Design Award for Architecture, the 1987 Mayor's Architectural Design Award, and the 1986 International Masonry Institute Award.
1990s & Early 2000s – Building Relationships
In 1995, the Reverend Elizabeth S. McWhorter answered the call of the Vestry to serve as Rector, where she used her considerable pastoral skills to engage parishioners in faithful community-building. Our annual Rummage Sale, one of our biggest community-building events, was launched during this time and continues to this day. Proceeds from the sale help to fund our many outreach programs.
During Betty's tenure, the parish was introduced to different styles of priesthood through the two assistants she hired, the Reverend Peter Jackson from the Church of England and the Reverend Paula Clark Green from one of the predominantly African American parishes in the city, and in the many seminarians she nurtured. Paula Clark was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago in 2020, the first Black person and first woman to hold the position.
In the mid-1990s, Peter A. Barrett became the Head of St. Patrick's Day School. In September 2002, the Day School completed the addition of Grades 7 and 8, and the first Grade 8 class graduated in 2003. Under Peter's leadership, the Day School grew to become a thriving PK-8 school encompassing three campuses with light-filled facilities, including multiple libraries, science labs, art studios, music rooms, a gymnasium and performance center, a stadium and regulation-size athletic field, and expansive outdoor playgrounds. The Day School currently enrolls almost 500 students in 3 divisions: Nursery School, Lower School, and Middle School.
During a Vestry retreat in 1996, a discussion about how the Rev. McWhorter and Vestry could show their support for one another led to a creative outcome: they hiked into the woods, found two weathered split fence rails, and used nails and rope to create a cross. It stood behind the altar for two years until a more permanent sculpted cross was carved from durable hardwood and installed in 1998.
2011 – Celebrating Our Centennial
In early 2010, the Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard was called as our eighth rector. In preparation for our centennial celebrations the following year, and throughout his tenure at St. Patrick's, Reverend Gerhard spearheaded many updates to our facilities and procedures that helped bring us into the 21st Century. On October 30, 2011, the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Frank Griswold, 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, led our Centennial celebrations. Our baptismal font, which had recently been refurbished, was rededicated during the service. Held on Halloween weekend, other festivities surrounding our centennial included a Holy Ghosts and Goblins auction with music and dancing, and a family picnic complete with a haunted house!
Present Day
Like most churches, we have felt the effects of the Covid pandemic. But we are blessed with a fantastic team that didn't miss a beat (or a Sunday service!) and quickly transitioned to live-streamed services, now a permanent fixture. We have several active outreach ministries that are focused on children, families, and providing food to those in need within our neighborhood and community, and we partner with groups around the city of Washington like Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, So Others May Eat, and more. We continue our partnership with St. Etienne in Haiti and recently began a partnership with St. Patrick's Church in Whitehead, Northern Ireland.
