The Church of Simon the Cyrenian — History

Summary

During the turmoil of World War I, The Church of St. Simon the Cyrenian had its birth.  A small group of Black communicants, wearied and unhappy with the segregated worship practices they encountered at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Rochelle, decided to worship  together as a separate community. The families of Mr. Prince Boswell and Mr. James Scott were the nucleus of this new mission. The first minister was The Rev. U.F.H. Gunthorpe. Services were held in the Trinity Parish House. This was in the late summer of 1912.

The Church of St. Simon the Cyrenian was incorporated as an independent parish of the Diocese of New York on Monday, December 13, 1954 and formally admitted into union with the Convention of the Diocese at its Annual Meeting on May 10, 1955. The church building was consecrated on Wednesday, May 23, 1956 and its first Rector, The Reverend Arthur C. Moore, Th.M., who had served as Priest-in-Charge since December, 1951, was formally instituted as Rector on Sunday, September 10,1956. The first Wardens were Dr. Neslie Ounthorpe and Mr. Christopher Boswell.

Source : The Church Website  About Us ….. Our Start -January 2019 [https://www.stsimonnr.org/about-us-our-start]

The PDF “Documentation on Reverend Uriel Ferdinand Humphries Gunthorpe first Minister of St. Augustine’s Chapel and St. Simon the Cyrenian provides pictures and records reflecting his ministry.   The original are located in the  Diocesan archives. The congregation of  St. Augustine’s Chapel became part of the congregation of  Holy Cross Church, Yonkers  in 1976.  This was a combination of St. Augustine, Yonkers and Christ Church, Yonkers.

(February, 2019)