Our History

A High-Society Church That Learned To Welcome All

In 1899, St. Thomas’ Parish was known as Washington’s most beautiful church, and in the early decades of the 20th century, the city’s elites – including presidents and first ladies – came to worship. But as society changed, so did the parish. A devastating 1970 fire was a turning point that ultimately strengthened St. Thomas’ resolve to embrace those on the margins. The congregation stayed in place, continuing to meet in the parts of its building that survived the blaze. Decades later, a modern, open, new building rose from the ashes at 18th & Church Streets, today housing both a vibrant faith community and nonprofit organizations that serve and enhance life in the nation’s capital. All are welcome!

Early Years

St. Thomas’ Parish was founded in 1894, originally under the name Calvary Parish. In 1894, construction began, and the first service in the Gothic-style stone cruciform building was held June 25, 1899. It was described as “the most beautiful ecclesiastical building in the District” and had a gilded cross that could be seen over the Dupont Circle skyline.

In its first decades, St. Thomas’ was known as “very high society” because so many Washington elite came through its doors, including Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Edith (Mrs. Woodrow) Wilson, and Lyndon Johnson. Roosevelt was very involved in the parish from 1913 to 1920, while he was assistant secretary of the Navy (he even served a term on the vestry). When he returned to St. Thomas’ for the first time as president, in 1933, hundreds of people lined up at the front entrance, hoping to join him at the service.

Turbulent Times

The next few decades saw the neighborhood surrounding St. Thomas’ shed its upscale feel. Hippies, activists, artists and others on the fringes of society flocked to the city.

As the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement gripped the nation, the Rev. Henry Breul, who became rector in 1965, steered the parish through its own identity crisis. The church building was used as a shelter and aid station for protesters who were tear-gassed during antiwar demonstrations in Dupont Circle. The parish also became involved in a program to tutor the neighborhood’s poor and minority children. In 1966, Breul began an annual Rogation Day procession around the neighborhood, a variation on the English custom of walking the boundaries of the geographical parish.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968 sparked riots that destroyed a large portion of the business district along 14th Street, only a few blocks away. Breul wrote, “We were worshiping in distressing surroundings and most suburban people would not come back downtown without fear and trepidation.”

From Arson to Inclusion

In August 1970, the stately stone church was destroyed in a fire. The blaze was set by an arsonist who would never be caught.

The fire was the last straw for many in the 550-member congregation. Membership shrank by more than half. Many of those who stayed viewed the fire as the defining moment in St. Thomas’ history. “It really cleansed the church,” said one former parishioner. While St. Thomas’ had already begun to identify as a parish committed to social justice and the concerns of urban life, the fire in many ways solidified that shift. For the first Rogation Day procession after the 1970 fire, Breul commissioned a bright floral print chasuble that would draw attention to the procession and show that the congregation was alive and well despite the destruction of its building.

After considering various options, the vestry voted to remain in place. The foundation of the church building was converted into a park that could be enjoyed by the neighborhood. The Parish Hall, which was left standing, became the worship space. Community organizations and various recovery groups also held meetings on the property.

During the 1970s, St. Thomas’ was one of the few churches that would allow Integrity, an organization of gay Episcopalians, to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in its worship space. By the 1980s, Dupont Circle had evolved into the center of LGBTQ+ life in the city. The parish became a spiritual home for many who’d been excluded from their previous faith communities. St. Thomas’ hosted funerals for people who had died from HIV/AIDS, and held regular healing services for people with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones. In 1992, St. Thomas’ called the Rev. James Holmes, an openly gay and partnered man, as rector. In 1998, after a prayerful, deliberative process, St. Thomas’ began offering blessings of same-sex unions.

A Phoenix Rising

In 2009, St. Thomas’ Parish decided it was time to move ahead with constructing a new church building. A portion of the property was sold to a developer to make the project possible (and is now home to the Madison House apartment building on Church Street).

Ground was finally broken in 2017 for a modern four-story building designed by the architecture firm Hickok Cole (click here to read about the project and the multiple design awards it received). While construction was ongoing, the parish went “on the road,” borrowing worship space from nearby churches.

On April 20, 2019, the Great Vigil of Easter, the parish began worshiping in its new space. A service of consecration was held on May 30, 2019, Ascension Day.

Less than a year later, in March of 2020, the church building was closed for public worship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The congregation continued to worship, serve, study, and connect with one another mostly online for more than a year.

Since regathering on Pentecost of 2021, St. Thomas’ Parish has rejoiced at the opportunity to worship together, welcome newcomers, and bless the community. The building is also now home to two nonprofit partners: the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and Capital Clubhouse, a program for adults with chronic mental illness.

All are welcome!

The video segment below about the history of St. Thomas’ is from a longer feature called “Sanctuary,” produced in 2010 by the parish as part of its renewed efforts to rebuild on its historic site.

St. Thomas’ Parish Clergy

• 1891: The Rev. J.A. Aspinwall was the first rector
• 1902: The Rev. C. Ernest Smith called as rector
• 1936: The Rev. Howard Sargent Wilkinson called as rector
• 1947: The Rev. Harold Sedgwick called as rector
• 1958: The Rev. John Thorn Golding called as rector
• 1965: The Rev. Henry Breul called as rector
• 1991: The Rev. John Keller serves as priest-in-charge
• 1992: The Rev. James C. Holmes called as rector
• 2002: The Rev. Elizabeth Carl serves as interim rector
• 2004: The Rev. Dr. Nancy Lee Jose becomes priest-in-charge (installed as rector in 2005)
• 2017: The Rev. Alex Dyer serves as priest-in-charge
• 2020: The Rev. Lisa Saunders Ahuja becomes priest-in-charge (installed as rector in 2021)