Contemplative Citizenship

Reflections and prayer practices to help us
hold convictions and reduce divisions

Faith, Loyalty, and Revolution

In this Contemplative Citizenship series, we explore with intellectual rigor and a contemplative spirit how our history as American citizens and as a faith community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has shaped us and others. In 1776, Lancaster was a thriving frontier town, and Saint James was at the heart of it. When revolution came, it tore the congregation apart. One member signed the Declaration of Independence. While many others enthusiastically embraced the patriot cause, the rector remained true to the King. And for a time, the church doors were nailed shut. Parish historian Dr. Cordelia Moyse takes us back to meet the community that lived through it and asks what their choices might say about ours today.