Timeline

In 1771, Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, a prominent Boston druggist and physician and one of the original Kennebec Proprietors, gives a sum of money to build a church in Gardinerston.

Maine is admitted to the Union as the as the 23rd state, As part of the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Maine was admitted only after Missouri was allowed to enter the Union as a slave state, maintaining the balance of free and slave states.

Designed by the Rev. Samuel Jarvis, DD, Christ Church is the first Maine church to use the Gothic style throughout, with Gothic spires at the corners of the building and the bell tower. It was consecrated October 19, 1820. It is the oldest Episcopal Church in Maine and features a Paul Revere bell, an Aaron Willard clock, and the original bannerette weathervane.

The church is consecrated as Trinity Episcopal Church by Bishop Alexander V. Griswold. Today it is the oldest original church building in Saco and the third oldest in the Diocese of Maine.

Built from 1835–1836, St. John's Episcopal Church is consecrated in 1839, designed by Richard Upjohn (who would go on to design Trinity Church in New York City and St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo). St. John's is the first church designed by Upjohn, the first Gothic Revival style church in Bangor, and is perhaps the finest example of a Gothic Revival church in Maine.

St. Paul’s is founded as a “mission” to serve a few local Episcopalians, with hopes of attracting more in the growing town of Brunswick. People outside of Maine joined local supporters to fund the church building. Designed by prolific church architect Richard Upjohn, the building was finished in 1845.

From its founding, Grace Church has thrived in historic Bath, the “City of Ships” along the Kennebec River.

St. John's Episcopal Church is a historic church on the south side of Maine State Route 27 at Blinn Hill Road in Dresden Mills, Maine. Built in 1832, it is a distinctive architectural blend of Federal, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival styling. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It transitioned from a year-round church to a summer chapel in 1965 and is now closed.

Christ Church is established, with the Rev. Chadwell as its first rector.

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is built in 1860, by architect Richard Upjohn. It is a graceful example of his mid-19th century, wooden, board and batten, Gothic design.

St. Luke's lays a cornerstone containing a history of the Church in Portland from 1765 to 1863, religious documents and journals, and a Prayer Book.

The history of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Winn is somewhat fragmentary, with the earliest records found in the Parish Register beginning in 1868.

Although its first service is held in 1869, the church was built in 1875, the oldest standing church in Presque Isle.

The Reverend Herbert C. Miller, rector of St. Philip’s, Wiscasset, begins weekly services in Newcastle, probably in private residences. Services soon moved to the Taniscot Engine House.

The report in the Northeast of November 1877 states that St. Luke's Day, October 18th, was "one of the loveliest days of the year; so warm and sunny that but for the many hued foliage of the wood-bine and the elms around the Cathedral Close, one would hardly believe that summer could be really gone."

St. Mark’s provides a warm and welcoming community to those looking for a church home, those visiting their area, and others seeking a supportive place as they travel on their spiritual journey. They are a parish of over 200: children, families and singles, elderly and youth. They live in many of the Maine towns in the Waterville area and enjoy a rich life together of worship, fellowship, and service.

St. Saviour's Episcopal Church, an active parish of the Diocese of Maine, is housed in the oldest public building on Mount Desert Island. The church and the rectory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The First Chapel of St. Mary's by the Sea is built 1882. It was consecrated by Rt. Rev. William C. Doane, Bishop of Albany. The Chapel of Mission of St. Jude in Seal Harbor was built in 1888. They were united with the mission of St. Mary's in 1908. They became the parish of St. Mary's and St. Jude in 1924. The Parish House was built in 1925 as a chapel for the winter congregation. The stone church was built in 1902, designed by Henry Vaughn.

Listed in National Register, the building has Tiffany stained glass with nautical themes.

St John’s is a church that has hung on through the years —a mission for over 100 years, often sharing their clergy with the prison or with St. Peter’s in Rockland. In 1970, the church was recommended to close, yet the church has hung on to become a beacon of faith on U.S. Route 1.

The chapel celebrated their 120th year of continuous services on Orr’s Island in 2020.

Christ Church is founded as a mission church at the request of Mrs. William Kendall Bickford. The sanctuary was built in 1897, and in 1974, it became a parish.

Robert Codman (1859–1915) of Boston, Massachusetts, is elected third bishop of Maine. He was the first bishop to be consecrated in Maine.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church was completed in 1901, as a mission of St. Thomas, ready to accommodate approximately 100 parishioners.

The original church is built in the early 1900s using rocks from the Swift River. The front steps and porch leading into the church were added in 1928. Bishop Lane blessed the vegetable and flower gardens in 2017.

The church is consecrated on St. Bartholomew’s Day, August 24, 1906, by Bishop Robert Codman.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Portland is a small church with the love of friendship, fellowship, and the enjoyment of music.

The church begins as a private memorial chapel to honor Alida Greely Brown, daughter of General John Marshall Brown and Alida Carroll Brown.

Oliver Leland Loring (1904–1979) of Massachusetts is elected fifth bishop of Maine.

The driving force for building a church rests in three women: Mary Hooke, of Castine, and Frances Wey and Caroline Schenck, from Philadelphia. They raised money for a building, and Schenck, an architect, designed the arts and craft stone building. On July 1, 1900, the first service was held in what was then Trinity Chapel.

The church begins in 1953. It has never owned property but relies on local island venues to hold Sunday services during July and August each year.

St. Martin's is named one of 300 best small churches in the United States by a study done by the Lilly Foundation.

The church is founded in 1960 as a mission. It became a parish in 2015.

Frederick Barton Wolf (1922–1998) of Vermont is elected sixth bishop of Maine.

Elizabeth Ann Habecker is ordained in 1977, the year after the Episcopal Church approved the ordination of women.

St. Columba's is founded as a mission church in Boothbay Harbor.

In 1980, after 75 years as a mission church, St. Matthew’s becomes an independent parish in the Diocese of Maine.

Edward Cole Chalfant (1937–2023) of Southern Ohio is elected bishop coadjutor of Maine.

Edward Cole Chalfant (1937–2023) becomes the seventh bishop of Maine.

Chilton Abbie Richardson Knudsen (1946–) of Chicago is elected eighth bishop of Maine.

The Center begins its ministry in 2001, housed in several different locations before finding a home at St. Luke’s Cathedral in 2007.

Stephen Taylor Lane (1949–) of Rochester is elected ninth bishop of Maine.

Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church (formerly St. Mark’s Episcopal and Prince of Peace Lutheran) in Augusta is the only Federated church within the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.

Thomas James Brown (1970–) of Massachusetts is elected 10th bishop of Maine.

The 200th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine is held at the University of Southern Maine, Portland.