HISTORY

In the final months of World War II, going to church had become one of the quiet sacrifices on the homefront. In fact, in the woods of North Stamford, a small and faithful band of Episcopalians hadn't been able to attend Sunday services for months. Wartime gas rationing had made the 16-mile roundtrip to St. John's in downtown Stamford impossible to justify. So they stayed home. And they waited.

Most people might have kept waiting until the war ended and normal life resumed. But a woman named Audrey Logan talked the priest at St. John's into bringing the church to the people. So the Episcopal mission of St. Francis was born. The first services were held on Logan’s front lawn at 109 Mayapple Road, under open sky, with folding chairs and whatever weather God chose to send.

Of course, New England being what it is, the weather did not cooperate. After too many Sundays of pouring rain, the little community began to look for a building.

They found an abandoned building, owned by the Universalist Society. Constructed in 1834, Stamford’s oldest church building had been unused for years. It was once a space where farmers and factory workers from Long Ridge Village had gathered to pray. Now the Greek columns were half-hidden by weeds. High grass swallowed the entrance. 

Given permission to use the vacant church, the people of St. Francis rolled up their sleeves. They cleaned the building, cut back the growth, and opened the front doors. About forty people came every Sunday. Inspired by what they saw, two sisters — Mary Gilmoor and Lucy Newton — purchased the building and donated it to the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. 

On Christmas Eve 1945, the first service of St. Francis Episcopal Church was celebrated in what is now known as “the Historic Church” at 503 Old Long Ridge Road. In 1946, Bishop Frederick Grandy Budlong consecrated the building, with its four-column façade and classic proportions, and the parish officially joined the diocese.

Longtime parishioner Joe Mygatt recalled his mother inviting parishioners to the family’s house to sing Christmas carols and share a candlelight dinner on Dec. 23 for 40 years. Daian Frese-Harless’s family was also one of the first to attend the newly gathered St. Francis. She was baptized at the church at age 2. “My life at St. Francis began as a goofy toddler running up and down the aisle of the historic church,” Daian said. “I was told that made them decide to promptly install carpeting.”

Daian recalls Sunday School being held in the parish house down a path, which also hosted movies, plays and Boy Scout meetings. “They later had dances where my brother, Alan, taught me rock and roll,” she said. 

The first rector was The Rev. W. Keith Chidester (1947 to 1959), followed by The Rev. Edward W. Mills (1959 - 1965), The Rev. Robert M. Dresser (1965-1977), The Rev. Richard Mayberry (1978-2007) and The Rev. Mark Lingle (priest-in-charge 2008-2015; rector 2015-2024). The Rev. Dr. Linda Spiers served as supply priest until our current rector, The Rev. Joseph “Joe” Rose was called in late 2025.

A long and loving list of assisting clergy have also served St. Francis, including The Rev. Lynn Harrington, The Rev. Carol Gadsden, The Rev. Joade Dauer-Cardasis, The Rev. Molly McGreevy, The Rev. Edrice Viechweg, and The Rev. Debra Slade.

In the 1960s, the parish purchased six acres at 2810 Long Ridge Road, on which Assisi Hall and a parking lot were built. After years of growth, parishioners raised $1.1million for a capital campaign in 1999 to build a new worship space at the location. Joe Mygatt and longtime parishioner Jo Anne Cone were chosen as the architects. Parishioners attended to the finer points of the design, all resulting in a beautiful and sacred space for larger services. 

Using a design intended to offer flexible worship configurations and extraordinary acoustics, construction of what is now known as the “New Church” began in August 1999. Bishop Andrew Smith consecrated the new church building in October 2000. Nestled in the woods off Long Ridge Road, St. Francis is only the second church building built in the Diocese of Connecticut since the 1970s. In 2008, the sanctuary was enhanced with a Konzelman electric action pipe organ. At about the same time the new church was being built, the old parish house behind the rectory was dismantled. Some of the material was used to build the Meeting Room and Parish Office, connected to the Historic Church by a breezeway.

With its historic character preserved, the 192-year-old Historic Church continues as the home for 8 a.m. Sunday services and special services such as Thanksgiving, Good Friday and Christmas Lessons and Carols. The 25-year-old New Church celebrates 10 a.m. Sunday services with Holy Eucharist, a choir and Godly Play. Meanwhile, during the week, children fill the buildings connected to the New Church with life. The buildings have hosted the former Canaan Ridge School and are currently used by A Place Like Home daycare.

Through baptisms and marriages, celebrations and memorials, antique shows and meals, social justice work and interfaith collaboration, prayer and worship, a great cloud of witnesses have supported, built and lifted up this beloved faith community. What began as a small, improvised gathering during the challenges of World War II has grown over 80 years into a vibrant spiritual home that is a beacon of God’s hope, peace, and love in the entire Stamford community. Here’s to the next 80 years!