Christ ChurchMembers of Boston’s King Chapel grew tired of the long trek to Boston for church, and decided to start Cambridge’s first Anglican Congregation. In 1759, when they commissioned the church, the French and Indian War was in full swing. Debts in England were mounting. The King began to levy taxes.
Most of Christ Church was very loyal to the Crown, being families of high means. They were soon glowered upon, and eventually the congregation was forced out in 1774. Its brief reopening in 1778 for the funeral a Prisoner of War (killed “accidentally”) was met with a riot. The church was finally able to raise funds for a new rector in 1829. They now fell under the heading Episcopalian Church, once it was made clear that it had nothing to do with England, save the Anglican beliefs. Today, the church remains Episcopal, but the “ecumenical interests” of the rectors, welcoming all faiths into an accepting environment, predominates their mission. |