St. James Cathedral is the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

of the

Episcopal Church in the United States of America The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

Diocese of Chicago in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The cathedral stands at the corner of Huron and Wabash streets.

History

It is the oldest church in the Chicago area of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

and Episcopal tradition, having been founded in 1834.

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and his wife

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (Birth name, née Todd; December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) was First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865. Mary Todd was born into a large and wealthy ...

attended church at St. James on November 25, 1860, about three weeks after he was elected president; he was joined by many Chicago dignitaries as well as

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

-elect

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...

. Originally built as a parish church, the original St. James building was mostly destroyed in the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

. Only the bell tower survived, and this was incorporated into the rebuilt church, including the soot-stained stones around the top of the tower which remain black today. St. James received the status of

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in 1928 after the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul was destroyed in a fire in 1921, but the arrangement was terminated in 1931. On May 3, 1955, St. James was again designated the cathedral and was formally set apart on June 4, 1955. The church is led by the

Episcopal Bishop of Chicago The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is the official organization of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Episcopal Church in Chicago and Northern Illinois, USA. The diocese is served by The Right Reverend Paula Clark, who serves as B ...

. Together with the

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Holy Name Cathedral on State Street and the

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Annunciation Cathedral on

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, the churches form the Cathedral District of Chicago.

List of Rectors and Deans

The following served St. James Parish as its rector prior to its consecration as a cathedral: * 1834-1843: The Rev. Isaac W. Hallam * 1843-1844: The Rev. William F. Walker * 1844-1849: The Rev. Ezra B. Kellogg * 1849-1865: The Rev. Robert H. Clarkson * 1867-1871: The Rev. Joseph H. Rylance * 1871-1872: The Rev. Hugh M. Thompson * 1872-1875: The Rev. Arthur Brooks * 1875-1879: The Rev. Samuel Smith Harris * 1880-1882: The Rev. Frederick Courtney * 1883-1890: The Rev. William H. Vibbert * 1891-1894: The Rev. Floyd W. Tomkins * 1895-1922: The Rev. James S. Stone * 1924-1950: The Rev. Duncan H. Browne * 1950-1955: The Rev. Howard S. Kennedy The following served the cathedral as its dean: * 1955-1964: The Very Rev. Howard S. Kennedy * 1964-1971: The Very Rev. William F. Maxwell, Jr. * 1972-1979: The Very Rev. James E. Carroll * 1979-1990: The Very Rev. Charles R. Greene * 1991-2000: The Very Rev. Todd D. Smelser * 2001-2005 The Very Rev. Ralph T. Blackman * 2006-2014: The Very Rev. Joy E. Rogers * 2015–2022: The Very Rev.

Dominic Barrington Dominic Matthew Jesse Barrington (born 1962) is a British Anglican priest. Since 2022, he has been Dean of York Minster, the cathedral of the Church of England's Diocese of York. He had been Dean (Christianity)#Cathedrals, dean of St. James Cathe ...

* 2022-Current: The Very Rev. Lisa Hackney-James

Gallery

Chicago pre-fire, St. James Church (NBY 1531).jpg , Original church pre-fire Chicago Fire of 1871, St. James Church (NBY 1412).jpg , Remains of the original church after the Great Fire of 1871 Saint James Episcopal Church, Chicago, 1913 (NBY 888).jpg , Rebuilt church in 1913

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago James Cathedral 1834 establishments in Illinois 19th-century Episcopal church buildings James Cathedral Churches completed in 1857 James, Chicago Episcopal church buildings in Illinois Gothic Revival church buildings in Illinois Religious organizations established in 1834

History

List of Rectors and Deans

Gallery

See also

References

External links