The Parish on Oakland Avenue
St. Paul's Episcopal Church has stood at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Pine Street in the heart of the Doylestown borough since the fall of 1846. The parish traces its origins to a young woman named Elizabeth Ross, who once rode on horseback every month from Doylestown to Philadelphia in order to receive Holy Communion. Her initiative brought the Episcopal Church to the borough, and in the spring of 1846 the St. Paul's mission was formed. The Rev. George Hopkins was called as the first Rector, and a stone church in the Gothic Revival style was erected and consecrated on September 9, 1846. From that September Sunday onward, neither Elizabeth nor anyone else in Doylestown had to make the long ride to Philadelphia to receive the Sacrament.
Nearly 180 years later, the parish that began with one woman's monthly journey is now in its twenty-seventh rectorate. The church's mission is to be an Episcopal church in Doylestown that exists to worship Almighty God as a part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. St. Paul's is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, which is a diocese of The Episcopal Church and, through it, a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Today the parish describes itself as a Christian community whose worship grounds everything else the congregation does: fellowship and breaking bread with one another, making food for the hungry, gathering for Bible study, and leading children into a deeper knowledge and love of God. The church affirms the diversity found in God's creation and welcomes everyone who walks through the doors. The Rector has written that there is a place for everyone at St. Paul's, and a place for any visitor who comes looking for one.
Sunday Worship: Two Expressions of the Eucharist
Worship at St. Paul's centers on the Holy Eucharist, celebrated each Sunday in two distinct forms drawn from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979. The 8:00 a.m. service is a Rite I mass, celebrated in the original traditional language of the Prayer Book, in the spirit of the King James Bible. It is a low, spoken mass without music. The parish describes the 8:00 a.m. service as a shot of espresso: classic Anglican liturgy in high concentrate form.
The 10:15 a.m. service is a Rite II mass in contemporary language, with organ music, hymns, and an adult choir. From September to June the mass is accompanied by the parish choir, and incense is used as a sign of the prayers rising to the Lord. The congregation calls it "smells-and-bells worship," engaging all the senses. Both rites include the full sequence of the liturgy: the gathering, the Liturgy of the Word, the Holy Communion, and the sending forth. At the choral mass the congregation may stand or kneel, bow, make the sign of the cross, and hear bells rung at the consecration. Visitors are invited to participate to the extent that is comfortable, and to take up these customs even if they do not yet fully understand them.
Hymns and service music at the choral mass come from The Hymnal, 1982 and Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal. The 10:15 a.m. mass is also livestreamed to the church's YouTube channel each Sunday, so that members who are traveling, ill, or otherwise unable to attend in person can join the liturgy from home. A bulletin with the scripture readings, prayers, and hymns is published online in advance, along with a prayer for spiritual communion for those watching remotely.
Beyond Sunday morning, St. Paul's offers a noonday mass on Wednesdays and on other principal feasts and holy days of the Church year. These weekday services are simple and contemplative, lasting about forty minutes, and take place either in the church or in the chapel. The parish calendar lists the principal feasts of the year, including the Feast of the Holy Name, the Epiphany, St. Joseph, the Annunciation, and the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, each marked by a midday Eucharist.
The Austin Organ and the Choir
Music is central to worship at St. Paul's. The parish is home to the first pipe organ of its kind in Doylestown, installed in 1997 by Austin Organs to mark the 150th anniversary of the church. The instrument was fashioned after English-style organs of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with electronic voices produced by Robert Walker of Zionsville added because of limited space for pipes. The organ sits in the upstairs gallery of the church and contains 34 ranks, 52 stops, and more than 1,200 pipes. A smaller portativ organ next to the pulpit can be played independently of the main instrument or in concert with it. Installation was completed and the organ dedicated in 1999.
The adult choir, made up of twelve to sixteen parishioners supported by four section leaders, leads the music at the 10:15 a.m. mass from September to June, and accompanies the parish on principal feasts such as Christmas Eve and Easter, on days of special devotion like Ash Wednesday and Holy Week, and at periodic services of Choral Evensong throughout the year. Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings at 7:15 p.m. during the academic year, and anyone who wishes to offer their choral talents is welcome to join. The Organist and Choirmaster oversees the program and the organists.
Forming Children and Youth
Children and youth are full members of the parish family at St. Paul's. The children's and youth ministries are designed to raise them in the knowledge and love of God and to form them as followers of Jesus who love God with their whole heart and their neighbor as themselves.
On Sunday mornings during the school year, children from preschool through sixth grade gather in the parish chapel for the Children's Liturgy, led by a team of adult lay members. The Children's Liturgy mirrors the Liturgy of the Word taking place in the main church: the children sing, pray, hear the Gospel, and respond with an activity. Midway through the mass they rejoin their families in the church to share in the Holy Communion, which is the heart of the parish's Sunday worship.
Older children in middle and high school make up the Youth Group, which begins in worship at the 10:00 a.m. mass and then meets for group time after the Holy Communion. The youth weave matters of the Gospel into the everyday joys and challenges of adolescent life, take part in service projects and parish outreach programs, and gather for special events such as all-night lock-ins. Children ages ten and older are also invited to serve as acolytes at the altar, assisting the clergy by bearing incense, cross, and torches. The acolyte ministry is a special opportunity for young people to be immersed in the worship of the Church.
Nursery care is available at the 10:00 a.m. mass for toddlers and babies. All nursery workers have completed background checks and are certified in CPR and First Aid. Parents who prefer to keep their children with them in the pew are warmly welcomed; the parish notes that the ambient noise of little ones is expected and embraced, in the spirit of Jesus welcoming the children.
Each June, St. Paul's offers a week-long Vacation Bible School developed in-house for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The program, led by many adult lay leaders, guides children through the story of the Bible through games, music, crafts, lessons, and snacks. Older youth members serve as shepherds to the younger children. Vacation Bible School has long been a key feature of the parish's ministry to children and families.
Adult Formation and the Brotherhood of St. Andrew
Adults at St. Paul's have several opportunities to grow in the Christian faith. From September through June, a twice-monthly Bible study meets on Sunday mornings. The parish also offers a Lenten "Soup and Speaker" series on Wednesday evenings during Lent, with a soup dinner in the parish hall followed by a talk on a theme related to Christian faith and life. Past themes have included "Love Thy Neighbor: an exploration of love in practice" and "As It Is In Heaven: what on earth has salvation got to do with the present?"
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew is a longstanding men's ministry at the parish, oriented around prayer, study, and service. The Brotherhood meets monthly for fellowship and conversation, and recent studies have ranged from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity and Rowan Williams's Being Christian to Tim Keller's The Reason for God and Rob Bell's Nooma video series. Beyond monthly meetings, the Brotherhood hosts meals for the parish throughout the year and takes an annual weekend retreat to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Preparation for Confirmation is offered periodically and is led by the Rector. The aim is for candidates to develop a solid grasp of the Christian faith and its Anglican expression, to learn their way around The Book of Common Prayer, and to be fluent in a variety of basic Christian practices. Courses are scheduled in advance of the Bishop's visitation to the parish.
Outreach Across Bucks County and Beyond
St. Paul's participates in an extensive and varied group of outreach programs, grounded in the words of Matthew 25: "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Food-based ministries include gathering non-perishable items for the Food Larder of New Britain and cooking and packing meals distributed throughout Greater Philadelphia by Aid for Friends.
The parish supports women and homeless persons in the region through relationships with A Woman's Place, which serves victims of domestic violence, and the Women's Recovery Community Center, which serves women in recovery from addiction. St. Paul's has a longstanding relationship with the Bucks County Housing Group, and half the proceeds of the annual Christmas in Doylestown house tour go to that organization. The money raised for "the little red house" goes directly toward unhoused families staying in the local shelter. The parish has also increased its involvement in the Code Blue Project, run by the Coalition to Shelter and Support the Homeless, which provides nighttime shelter during sub-zero temperatures for homeless men and women in Central Bucks.
Collection-based ministries run throughout the year: food, gift cards, and Christmas gifts for students at a local elementary school; backpacks and Christmas gifts for children through Episcopal Community Services; and used bras collected by Free the Girls to support victims of sex trafficking worldwide. Internationally, St. Paul's maintains a sister-church relationship with St. Mary's in Sololá, Guatemala, through a companion relationship between the dioceses of Pennsylvania and Guatemala that has lasted more than twenty years. The parish raises scholarship funds each year for students at St. Mary's to further their education, and the sister church is remembered in the prayers of the mass week by week.
Fellowship and Parish Life
The Rector has written that at its best, church is like a loving family, and going to church should feel like going home. Fellowship at St. Paul's happens every Sunday morning after mass, when coffee and treats draw people together in the parish hall. Children run around; adults introduce themselves; visitors are welcomed in. Beyond Sunday mornings, the parish gathers in one another's homes, hosts evening meals in the parish hall, and holds all-parish social events such as the annual parish picnic. Advent and Lent bring additional opportunities for shared meals, including the Lenten Soup and Speaker suppers.
The Christmas in Doylestown house tour is a long-running tradition, and a biennial Christmas Attic sale in the parish hall offers gently used Christmas decorations at bargain prices. The parish community also takes seriously the stewardship of its resources; pledging is an annual practice, and members are invited to consider their financial giving as part of their discipleship.
Clergy, Staff, and Vestry
The Rev. Daniel T. Moore has served as the 27th Rector of St. Paul's since 2017. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia, he came to the Christian faith in progressive Baptist and reformed evangelical environments in his youth, was confirmed in The Episcopal Church in 2007, and was ordained as a deacon and priest in 2015. He holds a B.A. from James Madison University, an M.A. from the University of Virginia, and an M.Div. from Duke University. Prior to St. Paul's he served parishes in North Carolina and Florida. He and his wife Kristin have four children.
Dr. Michael J. Diorio joined St. Paul's as Organist and Choirmaster in August 2026, bringing more than thirty years of experience in church music. He has served congregations including the Episcopal Cathedral in the Diocese of New Jersey, Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, and Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge. He holds degrees in organ performance, with piano and music history concentrations, from Westminster Choir College, the Institute of Sacred Music and the School of Music at Yale University, and the College of Fine Arts at Boston University. As a recitalist he has performed throughout the United States and in Europe, where he received a citation for outstanding public performance from the Mayor of Innsbruck, Austria.
Angela Stoots has served as Parish Administrator since 2008. A native of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, she settled in Doylestown in 1992 after graduating from Penn State University and worked in the newspaper industry for sixteen years before joining the staff of St. Paul's. Erich Kessling has been the Sexton since 2001; a native of Cheltenham, he moved to Doylestown in 1987 and lives with his wife Jean.
The Vestry, the governing body of the parish, is made up of twelve adult lay members who serve three-year terms. The current officers are John Fraser (Rector's Warden), Michael Kelly (Accounting Warden), Laura Pankoe (Secretary), and Wendy Brumbaugh (Treasurer). The Vestry is responsible for all matters concerning the church's corporate property and the relation of the parish to its clergy, and gives an example of faithful discipleship by its life and doctrine.
Visiting St. Paul's
St. Paul's is located at 84 East Oakland Avenue, in the heart of the Doylestown borough. The church's parking lot is behind the building, off Pine Street, and street parking on Sundays is free and plentiful, including on Oakland, Pine, and Ashland. As a last resort, drivers can park at the Doylestown Library two blocks down Pine Street. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The main phone line is (215) 348-5511, and the office email is office@stpaulsdoylestown.org. The Rector can be reached at rector@stpaulsdoylestown.org.
On a typical Sunday from September to June, the day begins with the 8:00 a.m. spoken Rite I mass and continues with the 10:15 a.m. choral Rite II mass. The 10:15 a.m. service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel. Children are welcome in church at either service, and nursery care is offered during the later mass. Visitors are invited to introduce themselves to the clergy, the ushers, or the parish administrator, and to stay for coffee hour after the service. Those wishing to learn more about the parish, arrange a baptism, or inquire about weddings or funerals can contact the clergy and staff.
St. Paul's offers giving online through Realm and PayPal, publishes a seasonal mass book and weekly bulletins online, and maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The parish calendar is updated regularly with feasts, weekday masses, formation events, fellowship gatherings, and outreach opportunities throughout the program year.