The Joint Service of Churches in the Diocese of Southern
Virginia celebrating the Feast of Absalom Jones, the first African
American priest of the Episcopal Church, will be held on Sunday,
February 24, at 4 p.m. at St. Stephen's, Petersburg. The Rev. Isabel
Steilberg, rector of St. Paul's, Newport News, will preach.
Absalom Jones was an African-American abolitionist and clergyman. After founding a black congregation in 1794, in 1804 he was the first African-American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church of the United States.
Absalom Jones was an African-American abolitionist and clergyman. After founding a black congregation in 1794, in 1804 he was the first African-American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church of the United States.
