Our History
The first effort to establish an Episcopal Parish in the area was made in 1850 or 1851, by The Rev'd. Asa Griswold. At the end of December, 1853, The Rev'd. James A. Robinson visited to determine interest in establishing an Episcopal Parish. On the first Sunday in January, 1854, Fr. Robinson officiated with a large congregation.
On March 1, 1854, The Rt. Rev'd. William H. Delancey, then Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York, gave his approval for the organization of a Protestant Episcopal Parish at Hornellsville, Steuben County, New York. The newly formed parish met in Washington Hall for approximately seven years, until the building of the present Christ Church. In 1859 the Vestry purchased a lot owned by Judge Hawley for the sum of one thousand dollars. This lot was subsequently exchanged with Martin Adsit for the one on which Christ Church now stands, at the corner of Main and Center Streets. The cornerstone of Christ Episcopal Church was laid on May 2, 1860. On Christmas Day, December 25, 1860, the first worship service was held.
In 1954, Christ Church celebrated a century of service to God and the community. On Tuesday, July 16, 1957, fire swept through the interior of the sanctuary. While initially expected to be a total loss, efforts of the fire departments to save the building paid off. Firefighters broke through the roof instead of breaking the stained glass windows to pour water on the fire. Worship continued in the Parish Hall during the summer. Over time, the church was restored to the beautiful interior you see today.
In 2004, Christ Church celebrated its 150th anniversary.
Sunday Service videos are posted weekly at https://www.youtube.com/@christchurchhornellny2084/streams
On June 1, 2023, our new rector, The Rev'd Shanna Hawks, began her ministry with Christ Church, Hornell, NY, and The Church of the Good Shepherd, Savona, NY.
Here, in her own words, Shanna introduces herself to us.
HI,
I'm looking forward to joining you soon as your next rector. I'm delighted to have this chance to begin to introduce myself before I arrive.
My first name can be tricky sometimes. Despite how it looks, it's pronounced Shayna (the first a is long), but I'm pretty patient when it takes awhile to get it right. And it's perhaps not a surprise that I value learning other people's names and saying them correctly.
I'll be joining you from Washington state, where I am finishing up my time as a priest in the Diocese of Spokane. I'm a Washington native; I was born in Ellensburg, a small town in the center of the state, and I've spent the last four years in Richland. Richland was the bedroom community for the Hanford branch of the Manhattan project, and I've enjoyed getting to know more about that history and legacy. I really have spent most of my life in Washington, as I studied history, Latin and Greek at Western Washington University, though my Masters in Divinity comes from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA.
At the church that I've served for the last four years, my ministry has focused some on leading and coordinating pastoral care ministries and working with youth. I fell in love with youth ministry while in seminary, when I spent a summer on staff at the Diocesan camp on Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. In addition, I have experience with adult formation and I've served on diocesan bodies focused on youth, formation, congregational development and oversight of the diocese; and while my first call had some particular focuses, it also included what I sometimes summarize as "a little bit of everything."
Outside of church, my passions include reading and singing, and while I haven't acted since high school, I still enjoy attending live theater. And though both my Latin and my Greek are rusty, I still enjoy the occasional brush with both languages. My cat is making the move with me; Lennon is a domestic short hair who is nearly all black (he has a few stray white hairs) who will be two in May. He's named after John Lennon - the Beatles are my favorite band.
More than anything else, I hope you'll hold onto this last piece: I'm excited to be heading to NY soon and looking forward to meeting and ministering both with and among you all!
In peace,
Shanna+
