St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene
The parish of St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene is located in the Historic City Hall Historic District. Our downtown parish is a unique mixture of two white and African American parishes. The two parishes merged in 1988 to become one locally known as Two Saints. The parish of Two Saints worships in a historic church building erected in 1824, which is the oldest, continuously used public building in Rochester. One of the founding members in 1817 was Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, who was one of the parish’s first wardens and the city’s namesake. St. Luke’s Church, Genesee Falls, was the first Episcopal parish in what would soon be the city of Rochester.
In the fall of 1921, a group of African American Episcopalians met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Adamson on Morton Street to discuss the creation of what would soon be called the Congregation of St. Simon Cyrene. The first church service was held at Epiphany Church (Jefferson Avenue), and the invitation of its Rector, the Rev. W. W. Jenkins. The first pastor of St. Simon Cyrene was The Rev. Dr. Charles Roger Allison. The congregation was under the care of Bishop David Ferris, co-adjutor (later first Bishop of Rochester) of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York confirmed twenty-five adults of St. Simon’s at Christ Church. The Rev. Frank Louis Brown was the mission parish’s first Vicar.
We are known for our music program, which features a variety of musical styles. We are most proud of our Moore Choral Scholars and have regularly featured the works of African American composers in the classical style, such as Florence Price. Since 2017, Two Saints has offered Jazz Vespers on the first Friday of the month. We are well known for our warmth and hospitality.
