Parish History

In 1898, All Saints’ Church was founded by a group of nineteen Episcopalians. They met for Sunday afternoon services in the Harrison Fire House hall. Services were conducted by the Rev. Kirby, Rector of Christ’s Church, Rye, NY. Shortly after, land was purchased by parishioners and plans were drawn up to build a church. The church was consecrated on November 1, 1898, the feast of All Saints.

In 1902, the Archdeaconry of Westchester took over the church as a mission of Christ Church, Tarrytown, NY. In 1903, the Rev. MacNaught was transferred from Connecticut and officially became the first Rector. He served in that capacity for 32 years. The Rectory was built in 1903 while the parish house was built in 1940, and named for our first Rector.

Succeeding rectors have been:

   The Rev. James Knapp (1935–1945)

   The Rev. George Keith (1945–1950)

   The Rev. Walter Chater (1950–1971)

   The Rev. Alfred Montalto (1971–1976)

   The Rev. G. Anthony Hoeltzel (1977–1985)

   The Rev. Constance C. Coles (1986–2001)

   The Rev. M. Jonah Kendall (2003–2007)

The Education Wing (Knapp Building) was added in the late fifties and included a new parish hall, kitchen and classrooms. The Harrison Children’s Center is now housed in this area as is the All Saints’ Thrift Shop. The Webster Avenue Nursery School, a ministry of the church, is located in the original parish hall.

During the period of 1960–1971, many refugees from Europe were sponsored by the Rev. Chater and housed on the upper floor of the Rectory. All Saints’ also welcomed the Jewish community before and during the building of their synagogue. Space was also made available for the children of St. Gregory R.C. Church for their religious education classes. Other organizations have been welcome as they made use of our facilities and still do.

During the 1970s, chancel renovations were completed to enable the use of a free-standing altar. Also during this time, females first served as acolytes and as lay readers and chalice bearers making worship more inclusive.

Arriving in 1985, the Rev. Constance Coles was the second woman to serve as rector of a parish in Westchester County. During her years here, members of the laity became more active in the worship, outreach, and other activities of the parish. Emphasis was placed on music, the choir, family involvement and a week-day healing service and Bible study. Numerous renovations and repairs were carried out including roofing, painting, carpeting, window replacement, electrical upgrade and a ramp for the physically disabled. A new courtyard and garden were created enabling the use of this area for after service refreshments in the summer months. The Rev. Coles was called to be the Canon of Ministry in the Diocese of New York in 2001.

The Rev. Cooper Conway served as interim rector from the fall of 2001 till fall 2003. She was very effective in negotiating new rental agreements with our tenants which were more in line with the actual costs of maintaining those spaces and she helped the parish overcome a significant budget deficit by leading a very effective stewardship drive. Most of all she helped the parish recover from the sadness of losing a long-time and much loved rector.

The Rev. Jonah Kendall served from September 2003 through Christmas 2007. During his years of service a steady stream of young families joined the parish and two large classes of youth were confirmed at The Cathedral. Many adults were also confirmed or received. A special Lenten series was established which attracted many outsiders. The Feast of St. Francis was celebrated in a new way for the parish with animals being welcomed into the church. Family Eucharists were often highlighted by Rev. Kendall dressing up and acting the part of a Bible character. Outreach took some new approaches including serving a meal several Saturdays a year at the Carver Center in Port Chester. The undercroft of the church received a major renovation which made the space much more attractive for the Webster Avenue Nursery School and included a comfortable room in which the choir could vest. All the buildings were painted on the exterior with help from a loan from the diocese. Pledging increased for three years in a row by about 10%. And a large donation was received to supplement the music program which enabled the parish to hire some paid singers who add immeasurable richness and stability to the Sunday morning music.