Origins and Founding

Trinity Episcopal Church’s roots trace back to 1688, when French Huguenot refugees settled in New Rochelle seeking religious freedom. That year they began worshipping in the home of the Guion family—the first residence (and first informal chapel) of the fledgling community. By 1692, the Huguenots built their first dedicated church near the site Trinity occupies today. Originally a French Reformed congregation, they soon received support from the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. In 1709, the parish voted to join the Church of England, adopting the name “Trinity Church.” The congregation received its first royal charter from King George III in 1762, affirming its status under English rule. After the American Revolution, Trinity severed ties with the Crown and became part of the new Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Thus, by the late 18th century, Trinity Church was an established Episcopal parish—one whose continuous worship on the same ground now spans over three centuries.

Growth and Changes

As New Rochelle grew in the 19th century, Trinity evolved along with the community. To serve parishioners living in the town’s northern reaches, Trinity helped establish St. John’s Wilmot Church in the late 1850s as a “chapel of ease.” The first Sunday school at St. John’s was held in 1858, and its Carpenter Gothic chapel, designed by Alexander Durand, was completed in 1859 on North Avenue at Wilmot Road. Trinity’s rector even led the inaugural service at St. John’s groundbreaking, cementing the bond between the churches. St. John’s Wilmot remains New Rochelle’s oldest extant church building, and began as an extension of Trinity’s ministry.

Meanwhile, Trinity’s own facilities expanded. The congregation replaced its old wooden building with the present stone church in 1863, a Gothic Revival landmark designed by renowned architect Richard Upjohn (famed for New York City’s Trinity Church on Wall Street). The cornerstone was laid in 1862, and the new Trinity Church opened for worship on September 13, 1863. Its distinctive clock tower was finished in 1864. Constructed of granite and brownstone, the church stands on land deeded to the parish back in 1743. This historic building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A matching Parish House was added in 1892 to support education and outreach programs, a mission Trinity has continued ever since—for example, housing a preschool and hosting community meals for the needy in the Parish House.

By the early 20th century, New Rochelle’s Episcopal community had grown more diverse. A new congregation, the Church of St. Simon the Cyrenian, began in 1912 as a mission organized by Black Episcopalians in New Rochelle. St. Simon’s worshiped in rented spaces until building its own church on Remington Place; it was formally incorporated as an independent parish by 1955. Despite these separate institutions, Trinity Church remained a spiritual home for generations of New Rochelleans, adapting through the city’s changes. By the mid-20th century, Trinity’s congregation itself increasingly reflected the broader Anglican Communion—including immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa—adding to the rich tapestry of traditions in the parish’s life.

Re-Invention

Trinity Church’s history has also been marked by reunions with sister parishes. In 1987, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (another New Rochelle parish founded early in the 20th century) merged into Trinity. The combined congregation adopted the name “Trinity-St. Paul’s,” while continuing to worship at Trinity’s historic Huguenot Street site. This merger honored St. Paul’s legacy even as it concentrated resources at Trinity’s downtown location, helping preserve Trinity’s buildings and ministries into the 21st century.

Most recently, Trinity has been part of a bold new chapter of collaboration. In 2022, the three Episcopal congregations of New Rochelle—Trinity-St. Paul’s, St. John’s Wilmot, and St. Simon the Cyrenian—came together to worship as one community. This recent union is especially significant in historical context: St. John’s was originally founded by Trinity to extend its reach, and St. Simon’s was born from Black members of Trinity forming their own worship home—now all three have reconciled their paths and reunited. Legally consolidated on October 2, 2024, the name Trinity Episcopal Church, New Rochelle, was chosen through an election by its members. The reunion of the three parishes represents a true “re-invention” of Trinity’s presence in the city, bringing together diverse people and traditions into one renewed church. It honors each parish’s heritage—French Huguenot, Anglo-Caribbean, African-American, and more—while combining strengths to better serve the community today.

Throughout its long history, Trinity Episcopal Church in New Rochelle has adapted and endured—from a humble 17th-century refuge of French Protestants to a 21st-century multicultural parish. Each milestone of relocation, expansion, merger, or consolidation has strengthened its mission. Today, as Trinity enters a new era, the church continues to thrive on the foundation of faith laid in 1688, ever looking ahead to future generations who will worship and serve in this community.