St. John's Episcopal Church

I visited St. John's Episcopal Church this Sunday (June 12). St. John has a long history in Petaluma, first established 1856, soon after the town was established. The current church was started in 1890, and dedicated in 1891, designed by Ernest Coxhead. It is an architecturally beautiful building.

I previously wrote that most of the conservative congregation followed Rev. David Miller in breaking with the Episcopal Church and reforming as part of the Anglican Church (St. John's Anglican Church). Those who remained, and others who joined, have reformed as the local Episcopal Church, and now are being led by a new local priest, the Rev. Daniel Green. On my visit, I would estimate the newly reformed congregation to be around 60 (about 30 at the first service and about 30 at the second service, though in summer, it is hard to know how many of the congretation are travelling.) Rev. Green was on vacation on this Sunday, so a visiting priest presided over the services.

Kayleen Asbo, who lead the music at the first service, a contemplative worship time, and who leads a class afterwards, also conducts several interesting lectures that combines art with the study of saints or biblical figures, and also leads Taize services, a candlelight contemplative nightime service preceded by her lectures preceding the service. She teaches at several San Francisco Bay Area institutions including Sonoma State University.

I wrote a small bit about the history of the Anglican/Episcopal Church in my post about St. John's Anglican Church (see the link above.)