About Christ Church Plymouth, MA
Coming into a church community can be a scary and intimidating endeavor for many. Who will I meet there? What customs do they observe? Will I be accepted? These are just a few of the questions that go through the minds of people searching for a church home. Here at Christ Church Parish, we understand this because we have all been there.
We are a community of seekers and doers from all walks of life. The people who call Christ Church their spiritual home have the same doubts, foibles and struggles that we all have, but we also enjoy one another and look for ways to be encouraging.
The Episcopal Society in Plymouth was formed on November 15, 1844 at the home of the Reverend Robert B. Hall, the former pastor of the Church of the Pilgrimage (Congregational). On October 3, 1846, Bishop Manton Eastburn consecrated the first church building, a small wooden gothic church located at 20 Russell Street. Reverend Theodore W. Snow was the first rector of the new Christ Church.
In 1871, due to financial difficulties, the new parish had to close and did not reopen until the summer of 1878. By 1906, the congregation outgrew the small church and a decision was made to build a new one. The current church was built on the corner of Court and Lothrop Streets on property that was willed to the church by the Hall family.
The church design incorporates elements from St. Wilfrid’s Church in Scrooby, England where Elder William Brewster once lived. The ceremony of laying the cornerstone, which contains a piece of Plymouth Rock, took place on October 4, 1912. The first service was held on Christmas Day, 1914.
At its present location for over 100 years, Christ Church Parish offers expanding opportunities for worship, spiritual growth, education, music, and outreach to the community of Plymouth and beyond.
Our parish consists of a wide variety of people of various ages and stages of life. We seek to embrace the diversity of God’s creation and strive to meet people at whatever point they are in their spiritual journey. We believe that we are called to encourage each other, to discover and develop our relationship with God and to discern and carry out the ministries for which we are gifted and called.”
Quote from The Rev. David A. Fredrickson, 19th rector of Christ Church Parish, at the 100th Anniversary celebration of the laying of the cornerstone on December 14, 2014.