The Church of England established its first parish in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and was designated as the established church in New York in 1693. The Episcopal Church in America was organized following the end of the American Revolutionary War when it was forced to separate from the Church of England because, according to English canon law, no clergy could be consecrated without taking an Oath of Allegiance to the English Crown. Under the new church organization in America, the first Anglican services were held in Brooklyn in 1784. By 1786, because English clergy helped to change the law requiring the oath of allegiance, the Church of England was able to offer episcopal consecration to churches outside England.
The first Episcopal Church established in Brooklyn was St. Ann's Church, incorporated in 1787 in the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights.
There are two official names for the church: The Episcopal Church and The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Until the mid-19th century, Episcopal churches in America used Protestant Episcopal in their official names. After the mid-19th century many churches dropped the word Protestant.
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Sources:
- Wright, J. Robert. "Episcopalians." In
The Encyclopedia of New York City, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson, 378-381. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New-York Historical Society, 1995.
- The Episcopal Church. "NewsLine." Accessed November 29, 2010. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline_22035_ENG_HTM.htm
From the guide to the Episcopal Churches of Brooklyn collection, 1832-1985, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
