Disciple: On Almost Visiting the Church of the Advocate

An historic church struggles, but hope remains

By the Rev. Kevin Matthews

The Church of the Advocate, sight of the ordinations of the Philadelphia 11, has a storied past but is struggling to find its future. Originally built as tribute to a Philadelphia merchant in a predominantly Jewish and German immigrant neighborhood, the church faced money problems during the late 19th century construction that resulted in shortcuts being taken which, along with deferred maintenance, have left the building unsafe.

Truthfully, the Gothic Revival church complex was always going to be a challenge for the neighborhood to maintain. In the 1940s and 50s, the neighborhood population became predominantly Black. When the Rev. Paul Robinson became rector in the 1960s, the parish turned its attention outward, supporting not only civil rights activism but the women’s movement and LGBTQ+ rights.

[Image: Although the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia has fallen into disrepair, the church is a National Historic Landmark that played important roles in the history of women’s ordination, the Civil Rights Movement and LGBTQ+ activism. Public domain, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS PA,51-PHILA,734-2]

During the same period as the ordinations, the church commissioned 14 paintings of biblical events depicted in Black images to reflect who the church had become. Those paintings also are endangered now.

In short, by 1974 the Church of the Advocate was an obvious place for the ordinations to take place; ironically, the crucifer for that service was the not-yet-ordained Barbara Harris, who was later to become the first female bishop in The Episcopal Church.

Over time, however, the congregation has shrunk, and the building problems have grown. A full repair would cost millions of dollars. At the same time, the building has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

This year, the national Young Adult & Campus Ministries chose Philadelphia as the site of our annual conference with plans to visit the Church of the Advocate as a centerpiece of our visit. The week before the conference, however, we were informed that we would be unable to enter the building due to insurance concerns.

Tyler Ray, a member of the congregation, came to the conference and a gave a wonderful presentation on the fuller history of the church, but it was not the same thing as a pilgrimage to the site.

However, that is not the end of the story. Several chaplains worked to develop a resolution for General Convention. They joined with members of the deputation from the Diocese of Pennsylvania and, with help from the committee that heard the resolution, succeeded in getting a resolution (D077) passed to commend the parish and develop the building as a pilgrimage site. It is only a start.

In the meantime, whenever you remember the Philadelphia 11, take a moment to honor the parish that also went out on a limb to make these ordinations possible.

Learn More

For more information about the Church of the Advocate, visit the church’s Wikipedia page or the photo essay on Shorthand.

The Rev. Kevin Matthews recently retired as the campus minister at St. Mary’s House, Greensboro, and served as the head of deputation to the 81st General Convention.