OUR HISTORY

Saint Stephen’s was born in 1837 when a small group of parishioners from nearby churches untied to form a unique community for Christian worship and service. In 1862, the church moved to its current home on George Street, amidst the grounds of Brown University. A distinguished example of the "Gothic Revival" style, designed by the renowned Victorian architect, Richard Upjohn, the church now stands as a landmark in Providence and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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In the 1850's, S. Stephen's absorbed the communicants of Christ Church, an African American parish, one of the earliest examples of integration in the American Church. The inspired leadership of the two great nineteenth-century rectors, Henry Waterman and George McClellan Fiske, firmly established S. Stephen's as an exemplary parish in the catholic tradition of the Episcopal Church with an emphasis on sacramental worship.