Ernest Joseph Dennen (September 6, 1866 – January 22, 1937) was an American Episcopal clergyman. He was the founder and supreme director of the Order of Sir Galahad, which was an organization for Anglican and Episcopal boys and men. In 1906, he founded the Order's summer camp, Camp O-AT-KA in

Sebago, Maine Sebago is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,911 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. History Originally called Flintstown, it was granted in 1774 by t ...

. He was also the author of several books, including Introduction to the Prayer Book, 1906; The Sunday School Under Scientific Management, 1914; The Manual for Leaders (booklet for The Order of Sir Galahad), 1921.

Family and early life

The son of Charles Oscar and Josephine (Day) D., he was born in

Naugatuck, Connecticut Naugatuck ( ) is a consolidated borough (Connecticut), borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, had a population of ...

on September 6, 1866. Dennen earned a B.A. from

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1893 and a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

from the

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is an unaccredited theological school in New York City. Established to train people for ordination in the American Episcopal Church, the seminary eventually began training students from other denominations. T ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

in 1896. He became a Deacon in 1895 and a priest in 1896. On November 17, 1903, he married Anna Blake Hayden. The couple had four children—Anna Hayden, Elizabeth Blake, William Ives, and Susan Williams.

Professional life

He worked as an assistant at St. Stephen's Episcopal church in Boston, St. John's Church in East Boston, and Trinity Church in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

until 1905. From 1905 to 1914, he served as rector of St. Stephen's Memorial Episcopal Church in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest List of municipalities in Massachusetts, municipality in Massachusetts, United States, and the largest city in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line ...

. In 1914, he became the

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of Boston. From 1927 to 1929, he was rector of Christ Church in the City of Boston (better known as the

Old North Church The Old North Church (officially Christ Church in the City of Boston) is an Episcopal mission church located in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The church, which was built in 1723, is the oldest standing church building ...

). From 1929 until the end of his life, he served on staff at Boston's Cathedral Church of St. Paul. He suffered a heart attack in September 1936 and died suddenly the following January. More than 1,500 people attended his funeral services at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dennen, Ernest Joseph 1866 births 1937 deaths People from Naugatuck, Connecticut University of Michigan alumni Episcopal Divinity School alumni 20th-century American Episcopal priests 20th-century American writers Clergy from Boston