A Parish in the Heart of a University Town
Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church sits on the corner of Foster Avenue and Fraser Street, in the heart of downtown State College, just a short walk from the Penn State University campus. The parish describes itself as a large parish in the heart of a vibrant university community and welcomes all people interested in worship that is prayer-book centered in the tradition of the Anglican Communion. Its position next to Penn State's main campus, the regional library, schools, and community athletic fields has shaped the church's identity for more than a century. The building is also a fixture of community life, hosting sporting events, theater productions, parades, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and First Night State College.
The church's welcome statement names the breadth of that welcome plainly: "We are a community of faith seeking to share the love of God we know through Jesus Christ; therefore, we welcome all people and invite persons of every race, ethnic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, capability, or circumstance to participate fully in every aspect and at every level of our parish life." Its mission is succinct: "With God's help, we the people of St. Andrew's seek to know and accept God's love in Jesus Christ for all people and to witness to God's love in word and action." St. Andrew's is a parish of the Episcopal Church, in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, and the current bishop is the Rt. Rev. Dr. Audrey Scanlan.
A Mission Church Begun in 1908
The history of St. Andrew's is closely tied to Penn State. Shortly after the university was founded in 1855, the Rev. George C. Field, rector of Saint John's Bellefonte, began riding into State College to lead services, a practice continued by his successors into the 20th century. In 1906, the State College chapter of the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew formed, and two years later the bishops of the commonwealth were persuaded to establish and support a mission church, naming it St. Andrew's in recognition of the Brotherhood.
The Rev. Canon Edward Monroe Frear became the first vicar, and in 1911 construction began on a small building and adjacent rectory at Foster Avenue and Fraser Street. By 1921, the original space had become so crowded that Episcopalians sat on the floor during worship. A building fund was launched and the cornerstone was placed in February 1928; Bishop Ethelbert Talbot presided over the consecration on November 8, 1928.
The mission was formally incorporated as a parish in 1952, when the Rev. Jones B. Shannon became its first rector. He was followed in 1957 by the Rev. Canon John R. Whitney, who helped establish the Parishioners' Ministry, an outreach agency that continues today. The Rev. Canon James B. Trost led the parish for 28 years beginning in 1965, overseeing the parish life center in 1973, the installation of the Schantz organ in 1982, and all but one of the Willet Studios stained-glass windows. He retired in 1993.
The Rev. Larry J. Hofer, called in 1994, saw the installation of the final "Te Deum" stained-glass window in the south transept in 1998, completing the building. He also established companion parish relationships with St. John's Episcopal Church in Bellefonte and with Santo Andre in Campinas, Brazil, initiated the Stephen Ministry program, and acquired Trinity House, which now serves as the rectory. After his retirement in 2008, the Rev. Richard Wall became the fifth rector in 2009 and left in 2015. The Rev. Douglas Dailey served as interim rector until the parish called the Rev. Jeffrey A. Packard, a son of St. Andrew's who was baptized in the church as an infant and confirmed by Bishop Dean Stevenson. After more than 20 years serving parishes in northern Pennsylvania and Virginia, Father Packard returned to the parish he grew up in. The Rev. Edward (Ted) Christopher serves as assistant rector and as Episcopal campus chaplain at Penn State.
Three Eucharists Every Sunday
Sunday is the heartbeat of parish life. St. Andrew's celebrates the Eucharist three times each Sunday, each in a different style, an "umbrella approach" the parish believes recognizes that one size does not fit all.
At 8:00 a.m., the church gathers for a spoken Rite I Eucharist using the traditional Elizabethan English of the Book of Common Prayer. Lasting about 50 minutes, the service has a short homily and no music, and it is followed by a well-supported continental breakfast in Room 325. The service is welcoming to all, including families with small children.
The 10:00 a.m. service is the principal weekly Eucharist and runs about 75 minutes. It is a Rite II service that balances dignity, spontaneity, and joy, with music led by the organ and the adult choir and occasional use of incense and bells on high days and holy days. The parish places a high priority on involving children and young people in the liturgy, and there are many opportunities for participation. Nursery care is available for infants to age 3, and church school classes are held for children ages 3 through sixth grade. The 10:00 a.m. service is also livestreamed on Facebook Live for those at home or away.
At 5:00 p.m. a smaller group gathers for a more informal Rite II Eucharist led by the Five O'Clock Musicians, a volunteer band. The congregation describes the evening service as a casual gathering for a wide and diverse group of worshipers, old and young, long-term parishioners and those new to the family. On the first Sunday of each month from October through May, the 5:00 p.m. Eucharist is replaced by Choral Evensong sung by the adult choir; in December, the service shifts to the festival of Lessons and Carols.
The worship rhythm extends through the week. Morning Prayer is said at 8:30 a.m. on weekdays. On Wednesdays the church offers a 12:15 p.m. Healing Service with Holy Eucharist, with the laying on of hands and prayers for healing, followed by a Brown Bag Bible Study from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in Room 325, and Evening Prayer in the chapel at 5:15 p.m.
Music, the Schantz Organ, and the Willet Windows
Music has long been integral to worship at St. Andrew's. The adult choir, an unauditioned volunteer group open to everyone from high school age and up, sings at the 10:00 a.m. service and for special services such as the Easter Vigil and Ash Wednesday. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings from September through mid-June, and during the summer the choir meets 45 minutes before the 10:00 a.m. service and sings Choral Evensong on the first Sunday of each month from October to May. The youth choir, for children ages 7 to 16, rehearses on Wednesday afternoons and sings at the 10:00 a.m. service on the first Sunday of the month from October through May. The church is a member of the Choristers Guild, which supports the use of many styles of music in worship.
Walter Wells has been the choir director since 1976. A Penn State graduate and composer of numerous works for organ and choir, he serves on the Diocesan Liturgy and Music Commission and is an honorary lay canon of the cathedral in Harrisburg. Gwen Catchen has been the organist since 1983; she holds a Master of Fine Arts from Penn State and a Bachelor of Music from Syracuse University.
The Schantz Organ was built by the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio, and dedicated in 1981. A two-manual instrument arranged in three divisions (great, swell, and pedal) with 1,161 pipes, 19 ranks, and 26 stops, it anchors the music program in the sanctuary. St. Andrew's is also a member of the Anglican Association of Musicians, the American Guild of Organists, and the American Choral Directors Association.
The sanctuary itself is enhanced by a complete set of stained-glass windows designed by Willet Studios of Philadelphia under the guidance of Henry Lee Willet. Willet Studios is known worldwide for its windows, including those in the chapel at the United States Military Academy at West Point and other major American churches and cathedrals, including the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The windows at St. Andrew's depict scenes from scripture and the life of the church: the Creation, the Annunciation, baptism, and the Transfiguration, along with Old Testament figures such as David, Elijah, Isaiah, Deborah, Hannah, Samuel, Eli, and Amos, and New Testament scenes including the Lord's Supper, the lost sheep, the calling of St. Paul, and St. Timothy. The "Te Deum" window in the south transept, installed in 1998, was the final piece in the building's program.
Children, Youth, and Episcopal at Penn State
The parish takes seriously its ministry to children and young people, including the many students of Penn State who find a spiritual home here.
Nursery care is available every Sunday during the 10:00 a.m. service for infants and children up to age 3. During the same service, two church school classes meet: Story Makers, for ages 4 to 8, in Room 338, and Story Tellers, for ages 9 to 14, in Room 330. Teachers greet the children in the hallway to make sure everyone finds their way.
The youth ministry includes the youth choir, confirmation preparation for high schoolers (with confirmations taking place about every three years when the bishop visits), and an annual summer mission trip. The first youth mission trip in 2010 went to New Orleans to assist with Hurricane Katrina recovery; in 2012, the youth group established a relationship with Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and the parish has sent a delegation there every summer since.
Reed Dressler, the director of family ministry who joined the staff in January 2026, oversees the church's programs for children and youth. A graduate of Southwest Baptist University and Phillips Theological Seminary, he is also working toward becoming a board-certified chaplain through a residency in Clinical Pastoral Education.
Just down the road, the parish also hosts Episcopal at Penn State, a student organization led by the assistant rector, the Rev. Ted Christopher, in his role as Episcopal campus chaplain. Episcopal at Penn State functions as a student organization on campus, with both undergraduate and graduate students, and describes itself as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement on Penn State's University Park campus. The group welcomes skeptics as well as believers and affirms the God-givenness and God-giftedness of all identities, shapes, and sizes.
Adult Formation
Adult Christian formation at St. Andrew's takes the conviction that growth in faith is a lifelong process. The parish's offerings include Sunday morning classes at 9:00 a.m., a roster of short-term study groups, and several ongoing small communities.
Education for Ministry (EfM) is a four-year theological distance-learning program of the School of Theology at the University of the South. Students meet weekly in seminars under the guidance of trained mentors, covering the Old and New Testaments, church history, liturgy, and theology, and earn a certificate and 18 continuing education units per year.
The parish is home to the Julian of Norwich chapter of the Daughters of the King, an international order of women from the Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran churches who take a vow of daily prayer, service to their rector, and a Christ-shaped life. Over the years the chapter has hosted quiet mornings, rosary construction workshops, the recitation of the Anglican rosary, prayer workshops, and book discussions.
Lectio Divina, a slow contemplative reading of a Bible passage, meets the third Sunday of the month at 9:00 a.m., sitting with one of the lectionary readings for the day. The Compassionate Life group, made up primarily of women from St. Andrew's, meets on the first and third Thursday of each month during the academic year at 9:30 a.m. to learn about compassion and contribute to local and international works of mercy. A Book Group meets monthly in the church library to discuss a wide range of fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, and a Friday Film Series shows classics and contemporary films in Canterbury Hall, with discussion afterward. The parish also supports Arts at St. Andrew's, a blog exploring the relationship between Christian faith and artistic creation.
Pastoral Care and the Sacraments
The Pastoral Care Committee, made up of clergy and specially trained laypersons, coordinates the parish's many ministries of care: pastoral counseling, grief support, prayer support, outreach to care facilities, home and hospital visits, and assistance to those in need. Because privacy laws prevent hospitals from notifying churches about admissions, the parish asks members to call the office if they or a loved one are hospitalized so a pastoral visit or the Sacrament of Holy Unction can be arranged. The rector is also available at any time to administer Last Rites.
For those unable to leave home, a team of Lay Eucharistic Visitors, women and men trained and approved by the bishop, carries Holy Communion to the housebound. Prayer support is available through a parish prayer chain, the Daughters of the King prayer list, a Sunday sign-up sheet in the narthex, and individual requests.
Life after Loss, an ecumenical grief support group, runs twice a year for six consecutive weeks. Each session opens with a light meal, and the program is free, confidential, and open to anyone in the community who is at least 18 and at least three months past the start of bereavement. The clergy are also available to hear confessions, which the parish notes fall under the traditional Anglican rule: "All may; some should; none must."
Holy Baptism is celebrated three Sundays a year, on the Sunday after All Saints' Day, the first Sunday after the Epiphany, and the Day of Pentecost, and adults are encouraged to be baptized at the Great Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday. There is no charge for baptism. The Sacrament of Confirmation is offered during the bishop's annual visit; baptized adults from other traditions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox) can be formally received into the Episcopal Church at the same time. All couples preparing for marriage meet with a priest for at least three sessions of pre-marital counseling, and at least one of the parties must be baptized. Funerals and memorial services may be scheduled throughout the year, with the exception of Sundays and times when the church is being prepared for major liturgies.
The Community Cafe and a Wide Net of Outreach
St. Andrew's is well known in State College for the warm, weekly hospitality of its Community Cafe, which has been serving a free hot supper every Thursday evening since March 2009. The meal runs from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and is open to anyone; donations are accepted but never expected. What began as soup and bread has grown into a hearty meal with one or more entrees, sides, soup, salads, bread, vegan choices, and a dessert buffet, plus a take-home table of baked goods and produce donated by Trader Joe's and Wegman's. A team of volunteer cooks, soup makers, servers, and grocery pick-up drivers keeps the operation running each week. Ron Rovansek is the executive director, and a five-member board oversees the cafe alongside Father Packard.
Other outreach ministries have a long history. Parishioners' Ministry, founded in 1958 under the leadership of the Rev. Canon John R. Whitney, works quietly and confidentially with social agencies in the State College area to meet emergency needs such as medical expenses, eyeglasses, utility bills, rent, and gasoline. The Knitting Ministry, joined to the international Women4women/knitting4peace network, gathers monthly to make Peace Pals, Caps4kids, Scarves4peace, prayer shawls, and Afghan Soldiers Hats, with patterns available for knitters and crocheters. A Prayer Quilt Ministry makes and ties quilts for newly baptized children and others in need of prayer. The Social Justice Committee leads the parish's engagement with issues of housing, health, hunger, and prejudice.
Each summer the youth group leads a mission trip, returning to West Virginia almost every year since 2012 to work with Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity. The parish also participates in the CROP Hunger Walk each year, hosts guests of Out of the Cold: Centre County for a two-week period each winter, and supports the State College Food Bank through volunteer time, cash donations, and a basket in the narthex. A Pet Food Pantry operated by the Faith Centre in Bellefonte runs out of St. Andrew's each Wednesday from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. St. Andrew's is one of more than 30 congregations that govern Interfaith Human Services, a non-profit that helps low-income neighbors with heating costs, rental assistance, money management, and furniture recycling. The parish is also a member of the Interfaith Initiative Centre County, a post-9/11 gathering of Bahá'ís, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
Because of its central location, the building is a venue for 12-step meetings every day of the week and hosts community fundraisers, concerts, and art exhibits.
Visiting St. Andrew's
For those planning a first visit, parking is available on Fraser Street on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings, in designated spaces behind the church, and at Trinity House across the alley. Additional Sunday parking is available at the Beaver Avenue Parking Garage at the corner of Beaver Avenue and Fraser Street. Handicapped parking is behind the church.
Wheelchair access is gained by entering through the double glass doors facing Fraser Street and taking the elevator to the second floor, or by entering through the back door near the handicapped parking signs. Visitors are asked to fill out a "News from the Pews" card in the pews and drop it in the offering plate, and to introduce themselves to the clergy after the service.
The parish keeps an open, "come as you are" approach to dress and worship customs. The expectation is that worshipers stand to sing, stand or kneel to pray, and sit to listen. All are welcome to receive Communion at God's altar; gluten-free wafers are always available, and those who cannot come forward can ask an usher to have communion brought to them.
Children are warmly welcomed. Nursery care is available during the 10:00 a.m. service for infants and children through age 3, and church school classes are offered for children ages 4 to 8 and 9 to 14. The 10:00 a.m. service is livestreamed on Facebook Live for those at home.
Stewardship is supported online through the parish's Realm account, where members and visitors can make one-time donations, manage scheduled giving, and view past gifts. Text-to-give is available by texting StAndrewSC and a dollar amount to 73256, and the offering is taken up at every Sunday service. Pledges and planned gifts (bequests, gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and life insurance designations) help sustain the church's ministries.