History
Saint John’s and The Founding of the Episcopal Church in the West
The territory of Denver was a series of mining camps in 1860 when Father John Kehler arrived from Maryland as an Army Chaplain. Leaving the political tensions surrounding the Civil War behind, Kehler founded the first Episcopal Church in Colorado and held the first Anglican worship service on Christmas Eve of 1860.
Given the initial name of Saint John’s Church in the Wilderness, the closest Episcopal church was over 700 miles away in Kansas. From those humble beginnings, Saint John’s has played an important role in the expansion of the Episcopal Church and Denver’s social fabric.
Saint John’s Becomes a Cathedral
Shortly after Father Kehler’s arrival, a Methodist church was abandoned on 14th and Arapahoe, and this became the first regular home for Saint John’s.
In 1879, the Bishop of Colorado and Wyoming, the Rt. Rev. John Spalding named Saint John’s Church in the Wilderness as the cathedral parish. Two years later, the church moved into its first cathedral at the corner of 20th and Welton.
From Past to present
Our Current Cathedral
After a fire struck in 1903, the cathedral held a competition for an architectural design for the new building. The cornerstone for what now stands as the cathedral was laid on January 24, 1909, and the building was completed in 1911. It houses a collection of significant religious artwork, including Oberammeragau carvings as well as stained glass windows from the Edward Frampton Studios of London and the Charles J. Connick Studios of Boston.
Our Legacy
Since the founding of the Episcopal Church in Colorado, the cathedral’s central location in the city and its early founding allow the cathedral to have a large influence in the wider community. Just steps away from the capitol building, the cathedral has a legacy of beauty, mystery, and goodness which contributes to the rich social fabric of our community.
Over the years, the cathedral’s clergy and parishioners have left their mark in various ways, including helping to found the United Way, being a civil rights leader in Denver, and establishing the organization that we now know as the St. Francis Center.
Our Future
Under recent leadership, the cathedral partnered again with the St. Francis Center to create the Apartments at Cathedral Square, 59 units of permanent affordable housing on the northern partition of our property. One tangible example of the many ways we seek to be a source of light and hope for the Denver community.
This short history is no more than a glimpse at our rich history and draws almost exclusively on our official history: Saint John’s Church in the Wilderness: A History of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado, 1860 – 2000 by Robert Irving Woodward. Available from many online booksellers and to borrow in our cathedral library.
Cathedral Tours
Discover the rich history, art, and architecture of the cathedral. Our trained guides are passionate about our story and can’t wait to share it with you. Tours take place on the third Sunday of each month following the 10:30 am service.