Our History

Not very long after the American Revolution, the former Church of England parishes in this country organized themselves into a new Church – one standing within an exceptionally long-lived tradition. The new “Episcopal” Church was merely a continuation of the ancient, but now reformed, Catholic Church. It retained the structures of the ancient Church but with a new focus on Holy Scripture.

In 1826, a group of laypersons in Marietta founded St. Luke’s Church. In 1833 they built a structure for worship. In 1856 they moved to a new structure on Second Street, one that still houses the congregation. For almost 190 years, Christians have gathered in this community to praise God, seek divine guidance and comfort, to engage in acts of justice and peace, and to give thanks for all they have been given. The mission continues today. We do things in a different key from our ancestors in faith, but we recognize that the faith that inspires us to pursue God’s vision is an ancient one.

Our Connection to the Anglican Communion

St. Luke’s is part of the Episcopal Church, which is itself a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is a federation of thirty-eight Provinces around the world, all of them in communion with the See of Canterbury in England. Branches of this Communion are to be found in more than 150 nations. The titular head of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury, who presides over the Church of England. The Archbishop is given primacy of honor, but not of jurisdiction, throughout the Communion. The Primate (or chief bishop) of the Episcopal Church in this country is the Presiding Bishop, an office currently held by the Most Reverend Michael Curry.