A Diverse, Active, Welcoming People

God’s people of diverse backgrounds find a home with us as we embrace our founding call to be a “House of Prayer for all people.” Our congregation numbers about 150 parishioners, reflecting the makeup of downtown Boston with a robust community of young professionals, college, and graduate students; a sizeable LGBTQ+ community; families with young children; empty nesters and retirees.

Our community is decidedly international, including many from Great Britain, as well as Canada, Korea, China, France, Croatia, and more. Parishioners live throughout the Boston area – neighbors in the North End and Beacon Hill, many commuting from the suburbs, and some coming from as far as New Hampshire. Our online community joining us for worship includes family and friends who live across the country and world.

The Old North community is committed to Gospel principles of justice and service, striving to make a positive impact in our neighborhood, city, and the world. We are dedicated to learning from our history in order to be a more faithful, inclusive, and loving community, nourished and sustained by scripture, sacraments, music, fellowship, and outreach beyond our walls.

We are not just a museum or historic site. We are an active community of Christians who cherish the stories and legends of our extraordinary past while living fully in the present.

A Historic Mission and a National Shrine

The Right Rev’d Julia E. Whitworth, Bishop of Massachusetts, is the ex-officio rector of the Old North Church, a reflection of our unique status as an historic mission and national shrine. The bishop is represented by our vicar, the Rev’d Dr. Matthew Cadwell (who acts vicariously for the bishop and oversees our worship, ministries, and programs).

Our congregation is governed by the vestry of Christ Church in the City of Boston, elected lay leaders who meet monthly to oversee the operations and ministry of the church. One of the original parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, (est. 1784), Old North was reclassified as a mission congregation in 1939, a status we maintain in recognition of our vocation as a national landmark. Together with other Episcopal churches, Old North is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

We warmly invite you to join us in our life together, whether you are visiting Boston for a brief time or looking for a permanent church home. Married or single, gay, straight, transgender, young or old, whatever your race, color, background, religious questions, doubts, or concerns, you are welcome at the Old North Church, a House of Prayer for all people.

Our Beliefs

We are incarnational. We believe that God is uniquely alive in Jesus Christ, and that God is also present within every human being. Our call is to “grow into the full stature of Christ,” as stated in the Book of Common Prayer.

We are sacramental. Through Baptism and the Holy Eucharist (also known as Holy Communion and the Mass) we experience God’s presence in our lives. We affirm Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist and invite all baptized persons to share in Holy Communion, through which are united as “very members incorporate in the mystical body of God’s Son, the blessed company of all faithful people.”

We are scriptural. We affirm the Bible as the Word of God “containing all things necessary to salvation.” We encourage individual and communal study of the Bible, following one’s conscience and guided by the wisdom found in traditional and contemporary interpretation. Together, we come to deeper understanding of the meaning of scripture for life today.

We are inclusive. Following Jesus, who exemplified loving inclusion, we pledge to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” We seek to embrace all of God’s beloved people, including full welcome of those who identify as LGBTQ+.

We are a community of service. With Jesus, we approach life by coming “not be served, but to serve.” We are devoted to stewardship of the earth, social responsibility, and to “seeking out and serving Christ in all persons.”