Childrens' Formation

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.

Youth

One can never tire of hearing about the legacy of Phoebe Nourse. Her grandfather, Joseph, owned the land overlooking Washington, named Mount Alban, where our Parish sits today. A devout Christian, he hoped a church would be built on the 30-acre plot, but when he died in 1841 Mount Alban had to be sold. It became the site of an Episcopal school for young boys, however, and neighbors attended Sunday services in the school chapel. When Joseph Nourse’s granddaughter Phoebe died in 1850 at the age of 23, she left a small box on which she had written that it was to be given to the Reverend Anthony Ten Broeck, headmaster of the school, to start a fund to build a church on Mount Alban. In the box were some 40 dollars in gold, which Phoebe had earned, in part, from the sale of her needlework. Neighborhood churchgoers made contributions, other offerings were received, and ground was broken for the church on the first anniversary of Phoebe’s death. Three years later, with the help of the Nourse family and neighbors, the church was completed, and the doors were opened to worshippers on April 30, 1854. A tiny wooden structure with benches for the congregation, St. Alban’s had one bell, painted glass windows, and an altar of black walnut.

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