St. Paul’s had its beginnings in 1834 as St. Jude’s Church, which was one of several Episcopal congregations founded in Illinois to minister to the increasing flow of people westward. It was located on the southwest corner of Main and Monroe Streets in what is now downtown Peoria. In 1848, this church became St. Paul’s Church, during the ministry of Bishop Philander Chase, who had been elected first Bishop of Illinois in 1835.

During the post-war years, St. Paul’s outgrew this sandstone and wooden facility. With modernization too costly and landlocked on a 90' by 90' lot, the decision was made to construct a new facility away from the downtown area. Led by the Rev. Canon Gordon Gillett, “new” St. Paul’s was completed in 1959. The church was consecrated in 1963 and later that same year was named the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Quincy by Bishop Lickfield. To accommodate this additional responsibility, a new wing and extra facilities were completed by 1968.

The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy is an integral part of the world-wide Anglican Communion. It is bordered by the Dioceses of Springfield, Chicago, Missouri and Iowa. Although we are one of the smaller Episcopal Dioceses, one can easily see in a day’s drive church architecture from Prairie Gothic to Victorian to Contemporary, as well as Jubilee College, the site of one of the early Episcopal colleges in the west.  To learn more about the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy, please visit the following website www.thedioceseofquincyonline.com.

The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the World-Wide Anglican Communion. Primarily located in 100 dioceses in North America, The Church also has dioceses in South and Central America. With 2 million members The Episcopal Church engages in missionary work in other countries as well. The Presiding Bishop is Katharine Jefferts Schori, and her office is located in The Episcopal Church Center in New York City www.iamepiscopalian.org.