An Anglican Parish on Green Street
Christ Anglican Church meets at 95 Green Street in Warrenton, the seat of Fauquier County in northern Virginia. The building itself tells a quiet story of transformation: a former carpenter's workshop that was renovated into a sanctuary in time for Christmas Day of 1983. Inside, a small and close-knit congregation gathers around the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Members describe the parish as a place where every individual is known by name, and the rhythm of the week is shaped by traditional Anglican liturgy rather than contemporary programs.
Founded Around the 1928 Prayer Book
Christ Anglican Church was founded in the early 1980s in response to the Episcopal Church's decision to withdraw the 1928 Book of Common Prayer from regular use. In October 1981, a group of parishioners began searching for an alternative that would restore the older prayer book to their worship. They held their first service on September 12, 1982, marking what the parish calls "a new beginning."
By Christmas Day of 1983, the congregation had moved into its present home on Green Street, a former carpenter's workshop that had been renovated into a place of worship. Sixty-five people, including three members over the age of ninety, braved a zero-degree morning to celebrate the Nativity in the new building. The parish has continued in that same space ever since.
Today the church is affiliated with the Episcopal Missionary Church (EMC), a continuing Anglican body, within the EMC's Diocese of the East. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer shapes every aspect of worship. Its calendar lays out daily readings, collects, and the Psalter, and many of its prayers reach back to the early church, allowing members to pray alongside Christians of many centuries. The prayer book also provides a framework for daily devotion, listing the day's Scripture, psalm, and collect, so that personal prayer can be joined to the same rhythm the church keeps in common worship.
Sunday Worship: Holy Communion and Morning Prayer
Sunday brings two services at Christ Anglican. At 8:30 AM, the early liturgy follows the Book of Common Prayer with Holy Communion on the second and fourth Sundays and Morning Prayer on the first and third. At 10:00 AM, the pattern reverses: Holy Communion on the first and third Sundays, Morning Prayer on the second and fourth. Both services use the same traditional Anglican shape, with the congregation praying the collects appointed for the day, hearing the Scripture lessons, and gathering at the altar for the Eucharist when the liturgy calls for it.
On holy days such as Easter Sunday and Ash Wednesday, an additional 6:00 PM service is offered, allowing the wider community to mark the major feasts and fasts of the church year. The calendar of the church - Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and the long green seasons of Ordinary Time - structures the congregation's life together, and the readings appointed for each day give shape to private devotion as well.
Wednesdays Around the Word
Bible study meets on Wednesday evenings, with the topic changing week to week. Members come to walk through Scripture together, often bringing prayer concerns into the conversation. The Wednesday gathering has become a steady midweek touchpoint alongside the Sunday liturgy, and the parish calendar lists each session's subject in advance. For those who want to dig deeper into the readings they hear on Sunday, this is the gathering that ties the week together.
Father Bruce deGrazia
Father Bruce deGrazia is one of the two clergy who shape the pastoral life of Christ Anglican. He holds a Master of Arts in Archaeology and a Bachelor of Divinity from the University of London, along with a law degree and a Bachelor of Arts in History from DePaul University. This unusual combination of training - in theology, archaeology, history, and law - enriches his ministry with what parishioners describe as a broad perspective on ethics, human dignity, and the historical journey of God's people. Whether assisting at the altar, preparing families for sacraments, or offering guidance and prayer, he seeks to serve with humility, clarity, and what the parish calls "an open heart."
Deacon David Dutton
Deacon David Dutton was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Missionary Church in January 2025. A Northern Virginia native, he has lived in Fauquier County since 1997. He first sensed a call to priesthood while studying at the University of Mary Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Historic Preservation in 2010. He later completed a Master's in Historic Preservation from Goucher College in 2014. Since 2015 he and his father have run Timeless Restorations, a consulting business that breathes new life into historic pipe organs and stained-glass windows.
At Christ Anglican, Deacon David leads Morning Prayer, gives homilies, assists the priest at the altar, supports the Altar Guild, and works with the Junior Warden on the buildings and grounds. He has previously served as a Eucharistic Lay Minister and occasionally plays the cello for special services. Outside the parish he volunteers as a certified locomotive engineer at Walkersville Southern Railroad near Frederick, Maryland, where he operates vintage diesel-electric and steam locomotives, and he spends his free time tinkering with antique machines, reading about Anglican history, and hiking and kayaking around Fauquier County.
The Women of Christ Church and Outreach
The Women of Christ Church (WOCC) is the engine of much of the parish's outreach. The group meets regularly and oversees one of the church's signature projects: a Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing party each year, when members fill boxes to be sent to children around the world. Beyond the shoebox ministry, the ladies of the parish help their neighbors in practical ways, and the WOCC coordinates other seasonal outreach efforts throughout the year.
Christ Anglican also gathers for events that mark the rhythms of the church year. Annual highlights have included a Thanksgiving lunch and a Passover Seder, both of which have become cherished moments in the life of the parish. The church publishes a monthly newsletter, and sermons are recorded and posted to the parish's YouTube channel so that members and friends who cannot attend in person can follow along. The calendar is busy with other events as well, including an annual church picnic, men's and women's luncheons, and regular vestry meetings that keep the business of the parish in the hands of its elected leaders.
Resources for the Wider Community
Although Christ Anglican is a small parish, its members point visitors to a network of local agencies that meet pressing needs in Warrenton and the surrounding county. The church's resources page lists organizations that can help with medical and dental care, financial assistance, shelter, food, and clothing.
- Medical and vision: Fauquier Free Clinic, 35 Rock Pointe Lane, Warrenton, offers dental and eye care for those in need.
- Financial assistance: Fauquier County Department of Social Services, 320 Hospital Drive, Warrenton.
- Shelter: Fauquier Family Shelter Services, 95 Keith Street, Warrenton.
- Food: Fauquier FISH, 680A Industrial Road, Warrenton, and the Fauquier Foodbank, 249 East Shirley Avenue.
- Clothing: Hope Heals Community Freestore, 606 Falmouth Street, Warrenton.
What the Parish Believes
The parish holds to the historic Anglican faith. Members confess belief in the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and affirm that the Bible remains as pertinent today as when it was written. The Book of Common Prayer shapes the church's prayer life, and the church year structures its worship and seasons. The congregation describes its work as devoted to embracing and embodying the divine presence, seeking to be a refuge for those looking for traditional worship amid the pressures of contemporary life.
Planning a Visit
Christ Anglican Church is located at 95 Green Street, Warrenton, Virginia 20186, with a phone number of (540) 347-7634. Sunday worship is at 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM, and Bible study meets on Wednesday evenings during the week. Online giving is available through the church's giving page. Visitors who want to follow the parish online can find recordings of sermons on the church's YouTube channel and updates on Facebook. For those drawn to the 1928 Prayer Book and the rhythms of the traditional church year, Christ Anglican offers a quiet and steady place to pray.