St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Oxford CT

06478

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Who we are

St. Peter's Episcopal Church is a community of faith that gathers, embraces and accepts all people and, in the Welcome name of Christ, Bears witness to His healing power in our lives.

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Location of worship

St. Peter's Episcopal Church
421 Oxford Rd
Oxford, CT 06478
United States
Phone: 203-888-5279
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Church Pastor

The Rev. Ellen A. Donnelly
The Rev. Ellen A. Donnelly
Rector
421 Oxford Rd
Oxford, CT 06478
United States
Phone: 203-888-5279
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Episcopal Church



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Service for March 13, 2022




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421 Oxford Rd, Oxford, CT
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St. Peter's Episcopal Church Service Times

Sunday 9:00am

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St. Peter's Episcopal Church History

History of St. Peter's Episcopal Church

The events leading up to the founding and construction of present day St. Peter's church begins some sixty years prior to the year 1741, wherein Oxford was set apart as a separate congregational parish.

Until that time settlers of Oxford were obligated to take the long journey to Derby for services at the congregational meeting house. In May 1740 the people of what is now Oxford presented a petition to the General Assembly of Connecticut that a new parish be created, separate from Derby, to have the name of Oxford, and a year later, in May 1741, the petition was granted.

The first meeting of the Oxford (Congregational) Ecclesiastical Society was held June 30, 1741, at the residence of Mr. John Twichel. This house, 162 years later became the rectory of St. Peter's Church on Academy Street. At a society meeting held Oct, 6 1741. it was voted to build a Meeting House, and to ask the General Assembly to appoint a commission to decide where the meeting house should be built. The committee selected the site "at the south end of the hill commonly called Jack's Hill, and near the highway that runs on the east side of the Little River". This was apparently near the location of the present Congregational Church.

The first meeting house was built in 1743, and the first minister was the Rev. Jonathan Lyman. Six years after the building of the Congregational Meeting House, namely in 1749, a missionary from the English "Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts," the Rev. Richard Mansfield, became rector of the Episcopal Church in Derby. He was a young man of twenty-five, "of indomitable zeal and energy." Whatever Church of England people there may have been in Oxford must have continued journeying each Sunday to Derby - quite a trip, even in these days of automobiles, and much more so on horseback over poor roads until 1760, when, it is said, Episcopal services began to be held in Oxford homes.

In 1764, the Rev. Mr. Mansfield founded St. Peter's Church, when he was forty years old. In 1766, the church (or mission as it was), purchased five acres of land from Joseph Davis, known by name as Meeting House Lot, lying near Oxford meeting house.The Rev. Mr. Douglas says the old church was built on the Davis five acre lot, presumably in the year 1767. As to the appearance of the old church building, all that has been known is that it had a high pulpit with staircase and the pews had straight backs, not inclined. As to the location of the old church building, it was undoubtedly at the southwest corner of the St. Peter's Cemetery on Governor's Hill Road, for as Mr. Douglas points out "The site of the old church can be approximately located as all of the grave stones in that location are dated after 1834 (the year when the old church was demolished) whereas it is surrounded by stones of an earlier date." Also the late Mr. Atwater Treat, senior Warden for many years, pointed pointed out at the site, considerable quantities of broken glass in the ground which had probably fallen there when the old church was torn down.

When the church was first organized in 1766, the Church Wardens were Abel Gunn and William Bunnell, and the following were a "committee" of the church - Abel Gunn, Thomas Wooster and Samuel Hawkins. There is thought that St. Peter's Church was closed for a time somewhere between 1775 and 1778 do to the decision made by the Clergy to close their churches amongst controversy over the Book of Common Prayer. The book was said to have "extreme expressions of loyalty to the King of England, who was looked upon as the anointed and ins inspired representative of God. On Jan. 30th of every year prayers declaring the national penitence and humiliation for the "Martyrdom of the blessed King Charles the First were to be read. Morning and evening prayers included a "Prayer for the King's Majesty", desiring that he "may vanquish and overcome his enemies".

St. Peter's again went though a long period of uncertainty regarding a settled minister in Oxford. During this time, on June 6 and 7th, 1827 it was made official that the chapel at Quaker Farms separated itself from St. Peter's as a new parish. On Dec. 20, 1828 the first vestry of St. Peter's was elected. At a special Parish Meeting held Feb. 6, 1834 it was voted "that the present society's committee be a committee to procure subscriptions for the purpose of building a new church for this parish." The reason for a new building was as follows; "Considering the decayed state of the old church and its local situation and disadvantages, it was therefor unanimously resolved at a meeting of the Society of St. Peter's Church held of the sixth day of Feb. A.D. 1834 to erect an Episcopal Church for said society at such place near the main street in the center of town as shall hereafter be agreed upon by said society, on condition that the necessary funds for erecting the same be obtained by subscription or donation.

The new building was presumably completed in 1835 and it was said that "Sometime during the autumn of 1835 the new church was consecrated to the glory of God and in honor of St. Peter the Apostle by Bishop Brownell, the third Bishop of Connecticut." The demolition of the old church and the building of the new one was done during the short rectorate, 1834-35 of Rev. Charles Smith. After the building of the new church it became a yearly custom to auction off the seats in order to raise money for the support of the services.

In 1851 during the rectorate of Rev Charles Jarvis Todd (1850-54) a meeting was held on May 10 of that year for the organization of a Sunday School. The total of seventeen teachers total seemed to indicate quite a sizable Sunday school with perhaps from eighty to one hundred children. This is the earliest record of a church school at St. Peter's. On April 14, 1854 the appointment of tithing men is recorded for the first time, although it seems likely that such officers had been appointed long before this, to maintain order in church, especially among the young folks. Also during the Rectorate of Rev. Todd, in 1852, the Ladies Association of St. Peter's Church, Oxford was formed.

In the 1959 Convention Journal it was stated that a vestry room had been added and improvements made in the church building at a total cost of $80. No details are given of the improvements.

The Rev. John T. Pearce began his service to the church in 1863 and became the longest serving rectorate (10 years) since Dr. Richard Mansfield's founding. For the first two years he was in charge of both parishes (St. Peter's and Quaker Farms), but in the 1865 journal he reported "At Easter I resigned the charge of Christ Church, Quaker Farms, in which parish I divided half my time and attention, between the parochial reports of 1864 and the date of my resignation, April 16, 1865". In an historical sketch, written in 1878 by the Rev. Sheldon Davis, he says that "In 1875 a formal proposition was made by St. Peter's Church, through Mr. Anketel (Rev John Anketel 1873-75, Oxford), to merge the church in the Farms, in that of Oxford, which was summarily rejected".

Changes were made to St. Peter's in 1878 as it was said, "After the elapse of a little over forty years from the building of the church, there was a desire on the part of the members to enlarge, redecorate and otherwise to improve the edifice.

The present chancel with two side rooms was built on at this time and the old box pews were replaced by oak ones. The stained glass windows in the side of the church were given by the different families A new red carpet was installed and the interior re-decorated.

The Rev. Lewis L. Morris came to St. Peter's in 1887, in charge of both oxford parishes as well as the Mission of the Good Shepherd in Southford during his tenure. His was the longest rectorate since Mr. Pearce. In 1903 St. Peter's parish bought, for use as a rectory, the house on Academy St., (formerly the old John Twichel house, and known at this time as the Ayers place) on the north side, between the Oxford-Southbury Road (Route 67) and Jack's Hill Brook. Under the leadership of Mrs. Kate Davis, money was raised to buy, repair and paint the house. The Rev. Mr. Peck delivered an address on the occasion of the opening of the rectory in 1904. After Mr. Pecks Tenure, it was occupied by the Rev. George J. Sutherland, from 1906-1914. Then for fourteen years 1914-1923 there was no settled minister and whether the house was vacant or rented out is not on record.

The Rev. Mr. Sutherland came to Oxford in July of 1906, coming from the missionary district of Asheville. His was quite years. In 1931 Bishop Acheson told Mr. Henry S. Douglas that he wanted him to go to Oxford and take charge of the two churches there, and make them his life work. In March of that year, the Rev. Harold Edwards, Rector of Trinity Church, Seymour, reported to the churches Douglas as Lay Reader. Mr. Douglas was ordained Deacon, June 9, 1931 by Bishop Acheson at Christ Church, Quaker Farms and was advanced to the priesthood June 9, 1933 at St. Andrew's Church, New Haven. Mr. Douglas resided with his mother and her sister, and the latter's two children in the rectory in Oxford center until the church.

In 1931 the church building again required new sills, those having been installed in 1858, having again rotted. It is said that at the funeral services of the older Mrs. Cable, while the casket was being carried out down the center aisle there was an ominous cracking sound in the floor, and the casket had to be carried back to the chancel and handed down the side aisle over the pews. As a result the church held an "Old Home Day" to raise money for repairs. Two of the oldest members active in it were Mr. Elijah Treat and Mrs. Harriet Hawkins.

In 1932-33 a new carpet was laid, the gift of the woman's society under Mrs. Julian James, the same year, 1932 occurred the celebration of the George Washington Bi-Centennial, Saturday and Sunday, May 28-29, 1932. The open-air service at 4:00 P.M. Sunday was a celebration of the Holy Communion. It was held at the site of the old church building at the south west corner of the cemetery on Governor's Hill Road. The tablet commemorating the founding of St. Peter's church was placed on a rock near the road so as to be readily viewable there from, rather than at the actual site of the church building.

In 1933 one of Rev. Douglas's major efforts was the starting of the Boy Scouts in Oxford. In 1935 a pageant-play was given by the Sunday School entitled "The Little Pilgrims of the Book Beloved", in which some forty persons took part. In 1935 the celebration of Connecticut Tercentenary was held in Oxford in which Mr. Douglas and members of St. Peter's Church were active.

In 1936 the Little Parish Hall and Sunday School Room were erected back of the Rectory. Church services were held there during cold weather. In the same year the chancel platform was extended out into the nave, so that the organ could be placed on it, convenient to the choir. In 1937 a pageant was enacted entitled "The Holy Church", and in 1938 the "Quest of the Holy Grail" was given in costume, in which about 40 persons participated. In 1938 the church furnace was installed.

In 1939 the 175th Anniversary was celebrated of the founding of the Episcopal Church in Oxford. In the Fall of 1948 the Rev. William Emery Soule came to St. Oxford. Immediately on taking charge of the two churches in Oxford, Mr. Soule instituted regular early Sunday morning celebrations of the Holy Communion, those at St. Peter's being held on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month. In January 1949 Mr. Soule started issuing a parish news letter entitled, "Church News" the name of which he changed to "Babbles from the Rectory Brook", the Rectory properly being bound on the West by the brook known as "The Little River".

In 1952 a plot of ground was purchased east of route 67 opposite the church. So for nearly two hundred years, St. Peter's Church has stood steadfast through many storms, it being well named after that great man whom Christ called Simon, The Rock. A more in depth history of St. Peter's Church, the Episcopal Church in Oxford and history of Oxford town can be found in the book referenced for this history; The history of St. Peter's Church in Oxford Ct. by Norman Litchfield, 1955-56.

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St. Peter's Episcopal Church FAQs

Question: Where is St. Peter's Episcopal Church located?
Answer: St. Peter's Episcopal Church is located at 421 Oxford Rd, Oxford, Connecticut.

Question: Who is St. Peter's Episcopal Church's pastor?
Answer: St. Peter's Episcopal Church's pastor is The Rev. Ellen A. Donnelly.

Question: What time is service at St. Peter's Episcopal Church?
Answer: Sunday 9:00am

Question: What is St. Peter's Episcopal Church's Facebook page?
Answer: https://www.facebook.com/StPetersEpiscopalChurchofOxfordCT/

Question: What is St. Peter's Episcopal Church's live streaming page?
Answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40vbb3BQZIY

Question: What is St. Peter's Episcopal Church's website?
Answer: https://www.episcopalassetmap.org/dioceses/episcopal-church-connecticut/list/st-peters-episcopal-church-1

Question: What denominaiton is St. Peter's Episcopal Church?
Answer: St. Peter's Episcopal Church belongs to Episcopal Church denomination.

The power of Christian prayer My hidden sins
Here they are, Lord Jesus, my hidden sins. I bring them out of the secret chamber of my heart. I take them out of the darkness and expose them to Your light. Lord, You have promised You will execute Your word upon the earth, thoroughly and quickly. Oh God, thoroughly cleanse my heart; purify me quickly!
St. Peter's Episcopal Church listing was last updated on the 12th of September, 2022
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