Church of St. Andrew and St. Philip (Mss. Gr. 222)

Historical note

St. Philip’s Church (Cromton, situated in West Warwick, RI) was established as a mission in 1845 under the leadership of Rev. Eames and Rev. James Cook Richmond and its congregants worshiped in a store hall until January 1, 1846 when a newly built church was dedicated for the purpose by Bishop Henshaw. Bishop Henshaw’ son, Daniel, and Rev. James Mulcahey served as deacons at that time. There had been nine succeeding rectors to the parish during the previous thirty years. Rev. Thomas H. Cocroft became deacon of the mission in 1875. As the parish grew and flourished the need for a new building was apparent and new building was erected in 1883. The land had been purchased two years before with the rector’s son, Mason Freeman, ceremoniously breaking the ground on September 8, 1881 and Bishop Thomas March Clarke consecrating the land on June 22, 1882. Among the gifts to the church was a bell given in memory of William Tully Dorrance. In addition, the church received a window in memory of Rev. Eames by his widow. In 1918, under Rev. William Smith, the Howard Richmond Memorial Hall was completed replacing the Guild Hall. In 1926, under Rev. Harvey B. Marks, the Church was renovated and enlarged.

While the Churches of St. Andrew’s (Phenix, part of the Northwest corner of Warwick, RI) and St. Philip’s (Crompton) were established as separate missions and later parishes, they have a connection in Rev. Thomas H. Cocroft. As pastor of St. Philip’s he saw the need of people in the Phenix area and so established St. Andrew’s Mission. The first services were held on November 26, 1876 in a music hall rented for $80 a year and located near the Harris Bridge. Over three hundred worshippers attended those first services. Six successful years later, in 1883, funding was acquired to buy the land and the cornerstone was laid by Bishop Thomas March Clarke. Rev. Cocroft resigned to become rector at Church of the Messiah on November 30th 1883 and Rev. George S. Pine of New Haven, CT became the first rector of St. Andrew’s Church. The building was completed two years later and was consecrated by Bishop Clarke.

The two churches thrived until the mid 1960s when demographic and economic changes affected many parishes and the Diocese reorganized to reflect those changes. In January of 1968 a special meeting was held and it was agreed that "faced with many problems which demand that the parishes be consolidated for a more efficient operation." (Typescript synopsis of the chronology in the merger, in Mss. Gr. 41, Records of the Episcopal Diocese of RI, box 88, folder17)

The name was changed to Church of St. Andrew and St. Philip February 15, 1968 with Rev. Peter Weylan assuming the post of rector of St. Andrew’s (now reorganized as mission) during the merger and Rev. David Ryan became the rector of the newly merged church, a post he held (1982?). Rev. Weylan left to become Vicar of St Thomas Church and Chaplain at the Children’s Center Dec. 1, 1968.

St. Andrew’s along with the St. Andrew and St. Philip’s parish hall were eventually sold and in 1970 the parish agreed to build a new church with the proceeds "partway between the two old buildings" on land already owned by the Diocese in Coventry (Journal of the Diocese of Rhode Island, 1972). The ground at 170 Fairview Ave. was broken on August 24, 1971. St. Philip’s church, de-consecrated in 1972, was used for storage until 1975 and permission for its demotion was granted in July of that year.

The Vestry of the Church of St. Andrew & St. Philip voted in 2005 to leave the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. The church was reorganized as Church of the Apostles, an Evangelical Anglican church.