An Episcopal Parish Tucked into the Princeton Woods
All Saints' Church sits at 16 All Saints Road, the second driveway on the left, on a quiet, sylvan lot that opens onto a 142-acre forested nature preserve. The setting shapes the parish: members speak of worship, formation, and fellowship happening against a backdrop of trees rather than pavement. Within the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, All Saints' is one of the larger parishes in the diocese and describes itself as a "purple" congregation, a place where people of all political and theological persuasions gather around the same liturgy.
The parish's stated vocation is to celebrate and participate in God's creative and healing work in the world through liturgical worship, the cultivation of the mind, works of love, and the experience and co-creation of beauty. Two Sunday services anchor that vocation, and a calendar of choirs, classes, fellowship events, and outreach partnerships fills the week around it.
From Parochial Chapel to Independent Parish
All Saints' began its life in 1960 as a "parochial chapel" established by Trinity Episcopal Church on Nassau Street in Princeton. The chapel was built to relieve overcrowding at Trinity's downtown location and was originally considered a second site in what some called the northeastern hinterlands of Princeton. The sanctuary, offices, meeting spaces, and education building were fully funded by Trinity's members at a cost of roughly $600,000, equivalent to about $4.5 million in 2020 dollars.
The wooded setting is itself a gift. In the 1950s, Mrs. Moses Taylor Pyne, a member of one of Princeton's most distinguished families, gave 73 acres of land to Trinity; All Saints' now sits within that generous tract. Just ten years after the chapel's founding, All Saints' was granted status as an independent parish. Today it is among the largest congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. In 2021, on the fiftieth anniversary of attaining parish status, several of the founding members were still in the pews, a connection the church says has helped it remain a vibrant Christian community in the Anglican tradition, grateful for its past while focused on the future.
The Trinity-All Saints' Cemetery, jointly owned with Trinity Church, lies on the All Saints' grounds between the church and Herrontown Woods. Established in 1972, it remains a working cemetery for those of the Episcopal faith and a quiet reminder of the link between Princeton's two Episcopal parishes.
Sunday Worship at All Saints'
Two services are offered each Sunday, both in person and online. At 8:00 a.m., a said Holy Eucharist is celebrated using Rite I language without music. At 10:15 a.m., the congregation gathers for Holy Eucharist, Rite II, sung by the full choir. The 10:15 service is livestreamed on YouTube and is followed by a coffee hour where newcomers are warmly encouraged to linger.
Visitors are told to come in whatever makes them comfortable: some wear jackets or dresses, others wear jeans and sneakers. A large surface lot offers plenty of parking, with handicapped spaces along the curb by the church doors. The last pews are set aside for families with young children and include a soft space with room to move and play. Nursery care is available each Sunday beginning at 9:00 a.m. in a room directly off the sanctuary, so parents can stay close to little ones while attending Adult Forum or singing with the choir.
A Music Program That Travels Far
Music at All Saints' is treated as an act of devotion as much as an art form. The program draws on the Anglican heritage, spanning ancient plainsong, Reformation motets, classical works, and pieces by living composers. Each program year includes choral evensong, Lessons and Carols, music from the Taizé community, concerts with other local choirs and orchestras, and occasional performances in Philadelphia and New York City. The choir has also served as a residency choir at Exeter Cathedral in the United Kingdom.
The Adult Choir sings most Sundays during the academic year, with a 9:00 a.m. rehearsal before the 10:15 service and additional Thursday rehearsals from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The only prerequisite is the ability to match pitch; reading music is helpful but not required. The Youth Choir, open to children of reading age through eighth grade, sings four times a year in Sunday worship and rehearses during Sunday school time, learning rhythm, pitch matching, and team building along the way.
Director of Music and Organist Kevin J. O'Malia, who holds degrees from Westminster Choir College, has performed at St. Paul's Cathedral London, Lincoln Cathedral, Christ Church Oxford, Notre-Dame de Paris, the White House, and Princeton University Chapel. He is also a frequent clinician for the American Guild of Organists and the Royal School of Church Music in America, and a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians. Director of Music Emerita Lois Laverty led the program for nineteen years before retiring in 1998.
The Sanctuary itself supports that mission. Open, bright, and acoustically rich, it is fitted with a Steinway piano and a full sound system, making it a frequent venue for large musical events as well as Sunday worship.
Children, Youth, and the Christmas Pageant
During the school year, Children's Church is offered during the 10:15 a.m. service for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Lessons draw from the Jesus Storybook Bible and follow a familiar pattern of prayer, listening to the Word, and sharing experiences, feelings, and gratitude. The program is designed to introduce children both to scripture and to the rhythms of Episcopal worship.
The Youth Choir, described above, gives older children a place to grow musically and liturgically. Each year on Christmas Eve, the 4:00 p.m. service features a pageant that brings the nativity to life, complete with live animals. Children as young as seven are also welcome to serve as acolytes, carrying the cross and torches in procession and assisting the clergy at the altar.
Adults Forming in Word and Conversation
All Saints' takes seriously the cultivation of the mind alongside the soul. On Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., during the church school year, the Adult Forum gathers for an hour of speakers and discussion on topics ranging from scripture and theology to church history, mission reports, and current concerns in the Episcopal Church.
On weekday mornings and afternoons, smaller groups gather on Zoom. The Men's Group meets every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. for theological and practical conversation, then continues as a Book Study at 8:00 a.m. that is open to women as well. On Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m., the Women's Bible Study works through scripture and takes occasional outings to local theatres. The Rector's Reading Group meets monthly during the academic year on Sunday afternoons in the Rectory, with the rector choosing the book.
Throughout the year, additional formation happens around the table. A Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper brings the Men's Group to the griddle, jazz on the patio fills the Butler Courtyard in early summer, and the Fall Picnic after the 10:15 service opens the program year. In early January the parish marks the close of Epiphany with a 12th Night gift exchange, and in late October, Director of Music Kevin O'Malia provides live organ accompaniment to a classic silent film such as The Phantom of the Opera or The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
A Purple Parish That Serves Beyond Its Walls
All Saints' has earned the designation of Jubilee Ministry within the Episcopal Church in recognition of its many outreach projects. Parishioners support a stable of local and international partners through financial giving, in-kind donations, and hands-on volunteering.
The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) is a long-standing partner; parishioners prepare and serve lunch at the soup kitchen in addition to underwriting its work. Arm In Arm, which addresses food and housing insecurity for Mercer County residents, receives food donations, financial partnership, and in-person service. HomeFront, which works to end homelessness in Central New Jersey, has received meals, clothing, and an annual Christmas present drive for inner-city children; the parish has also built a pergola at HomeFront's Family Preservation Center to shelter resident mothers supervising their children's play.
Anchor House, which serves homeless, runaway, and abused children and youth, is supported through a 500-mile fundraising bicycle ride each summer. On the international side, the parish contributes to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), the church's compassionate response to human suffering worldwide. Inside the parish, lay ministries sustain daily life: the Altar Guild prepares the Eucharist before and after each service, the Flower Guild delivers arrangements to those grieving or ailing, the Ushers offer the first smile of the morning, Lectors read scripture, and the Prayer Chain lifts up the parish's many prayer requests each week.
The Wooded Grounds: Sanctuary, Cemetery, and Gathering Spaces
Beyond Sunday worship, All Saints' makes its facilities available for gatherings large and small. The Sanctuary seats a crowd for concerts, weddings, and funerals. The newly renovated Woodlands Room is a bright reception hall with wooded views, opening onto the Butler Courtyard; it holds ten 60-inch round tables, six rectangular serving tables, six bar-height tables, and eighty cushioned chairs. A new commercial-grade kitchen supports catered events with counters, sinks, a commercial refrigerator and freezer, an induction range, an oven, a microwave, and a warming cabinet. The Library, overlooking the courtyard, suits small meetings with a kitchenette for light refreshments, while the basement's open common area and eight classrooms accommodate schools and private lessons.
The Trinity-All Saints' Cemetery, which occupies a tranquil stretch of the grounds between the church and Herrontown Woods, is open to those of the Episcopal faith and is administered by Cemetery Manager Annie Thomas.
Clergy and Music Leadership
The Rev. Dr. George Rambow serves as Rector. A native of Houston who came to faith as an undergraduate at the University of North Texas, he served with his wife Emily as missionaries in Argentina, earned both an MDiv and a PhD in the history of Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary, and was ordained to the priesthood at All Saints' in 2019. He returned in 2023 to lead the parish.
Four Priest Associates extend the ministry of the parish. The Rev. Dr. Shawn Armington, raised in midcoast Maine in a non-Christian family and shaped by both contemplative and charismatic streams of spirituality, is retired from parish ministry and public librarianship. The Rev. Canon Joan E. Fleming, born and educated in England, came to Princeton in 1961 and was ordained deacon in 1986 before entering parish ministry. The Rev. Dr. Karl F. Morrison, the Lessing Professor of History and Poetics at Rutgers-New Brunswick, has served in bi-vocational ministry since being ordained in 1998. The Rev. Megan Thomas, for whom All Saints' was home parish when she moved to Princeton in 1983, was ordained by the Bishop of New Jersey in 2014 and continues to supply in the diocese in retirement.
Kevin J. O'Malia serves as Organist and Director of Music, with Lois Laverty as Director of Music Emerita. Two wardens, Scott MacPherson (Senior Warden) and Suzanne Thompson (Junior Warden), along with a Vestry of nine elected members, share in the governance of the parish.