Events Around the Diocese
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Commemoration of the Blessed Absalom Jones
February 15 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Join us as we celebrate the life and ministry of The Rev. Absalom Jones (1746-1818), the first Black Episcopal priest, ordained in 1802. This annual service, hosted this year by Saint Matthew’s in Chandler, welcomes participants and attendees from across Arizona. Together, we will honor this milestone in Episcopal history and recognize the challenges faced by African Americans in the early Church.
Presented by: Union of Black Episcopalians Karl and Virginia Washington Arizona Chapter and The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona.
Absalom Jones was America’s first Black Episcopal priest. Born into slavery in Delaware in 1746, he taught himself to read, using the New Testament as one of his resources. He was released from slavery in 1784 and served as a lay minister and then deacon to Black congregations. In 1802, at 56, he became a priest at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Rev. Jones remained a community leader, continuing to call for the abolition of slavery until his death in 1818.
Learn more HERE
