The St. Luke’s Episcopal Church congregation formed in 1801, first worshiping in a school house on Thompson Street. St. Luke’s was the first church in Catskill, New York. The first Rectors of the church were Reverend Ammi Rogers who served from 1801-1802, Reverend Richard Bradford who served from 1802-1805 and Reverend John Reed who served from 1806-1810. The first church building was consecrated in 1807 but burned down in 1839. A new church building was consecrated in 1841, having been built in the Gothic Revival architectural style based on plans from Thomas Cole, the famous artist and active member of the church. The second church suffered from several fires, including one in 1855 and another in 1877. This second church was used by the congregation until 1899, when it was old to Amos Post, who used it as an automobile repair shop, and was then used by The Daily Mail, the local newspaper, who purchased the building in 1879. The building was unfortunately torn down in 2002 to make way for a new parking lot for the Greene County building at the corner of Main and Church Streets.
By 1893 plans were made for a new church and the cornerstone was laid that year, and although construction was slow due to the economy and slow pledges, it was finally dedicated in 1899. The church was designed by Henry Martyn Congdon (1834-1922), a New York architect, and constructed by George W. Holdridge, a local contractor. The church cost approximately $35,000 to construct. According the church website “Many furnishings and artifacts were moved from the old church, including pews (1840), the bell (1881), sedilia (1881) and the Baptismal font. Many of the furnishing that were donated in 1899 are still in the church. The marble altar, the brass Communion rail and chalices, ewer, candlesticks are just some of these items. The beautiful stained glass windows were contributed as memorials for loved ones beginning in 1898 and continuing through the 1960’s. The bell spire was erected in 1898 in memory of Rachel Van Loan by her sister, Jane Van Loan.”
The first service was held on June 6, 1899 in a ceremony officiated by Reverend Frederick Barry, Bishop of Albany. The service was widely attended with clergy from Peekskill, Saugerties, Albany, Utica, Rochester and Long Island participating.
The church is named for St. Luke the Evangelist, who “is the author of the Gospel according to St. Luke. He was a physician and the companion of St. Paul, the Apostle. He is known as the patron of the sick, physicians and nurses and those who work in the healing professions and of artists. St. Luke is also known for his complete and systematic presentation of the Christian faith.”
Today “St. Luke’s continues to be a house of prayer and healing which is welcoming to one and all.” For more information about St. Luke’s Episcopal Church visit their website at www.stlukescatskill.org.
Selected Sources: Gallt, Frank A. Dear Old Greene County: Embracing Facts and Figures, Portraits and Sketches of Leading Men Who Will Live in her History, Those at the Front Today and Others who Made Good in the Past. Catskill, NY, 1915.
Schwartz, Rebecca Ayres. Thomas Cole on Architecture: Picturing the Gothic. A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Art History. Spring 2016.
