The Church's website (
visit link) reveals this history:
"All Saints Episcopal Parish arose from the consolidation of three Episcopal churches in Hoboken in the early 1980's: St. Paul's (located at 820 Hudson Street) was founded in 1832; Trinity (our current worship site at 701 Washington Street) was founded in 1853 and is the oldest continuous congregation in Hoboken; and Church of the Holy Innocents (located at Sixth and Willow Streets) which was founded in 1874 by the Stevens family in memory of their daughter Julia who died of typhoid at the age of seven. It was intended as a church for Italian and German immigrant families and was unusual because it charged no "pew rental" in order to attend.
OUR RECENT HISTORY (1980—present)
In 1980, the Rev. Geoffrey Curtiss was sent to Hoboken by the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong and the Department of Missions to resurrect the Episcopal Church in Hoboken. In 1983, All Saints Episcopal Parish was formed through the consolidation of three congregations: Church of the Holy Innocents, St. Paul’s and Trinity Episcopal Church.
In 1982, the Hoboken Clergy Coalition established the Hoboken Shelter for the Homeless. The Rev. Curtiss, as the president of this newly organized coalition, and All Saints were instrumental in the court fight necessary to secure the shelter’s right to exist.
In 1985, All Saints Episcopal Day School opened its doors to the first class of three and four-year-old children. Today, we serve children through the eighth grade and will graduate our first eighth grade class in the spring of 2012. All Saints has an enrollment of over 180 students, received accreditation by the National Association of Independent Schools in 2007, and is one of the leading private schools in Hoboken.
In 1989, All Saints took the lead in hosting The OASIS as this new mission was established by the Diocese to be with and among gay, lesbian, transsexual and transgendered persons. We were honored to host the Most Rev. Edmund Browning, then Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, in celebration of the anniversary of The OASIS in June, 1997.
In 1996, All Saints formed a Community Development Corporation that provided us the vehicle to purchase land at 6th and Jackson Streets and to build the Jubilee Center which opened in 2003.
In 1997, All Saints was honored as Church of the Year in the Diocese of Newark by The Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong.
In 1998, All Saints was recognized by the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church as a National Jubilee Center for our work in urban ministry and serving the poor of the city through a wide and varied set of ministries. At the 128th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Newark in 2002, All Saints received a “Certificate of Recognition of Jubilee Ministry.”
In June 2001 the Rt. Rev. John Palmer Croneberger led the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Jubilee Center, on the corners of 6th and Jackson Streets, on the west side of Hoboken.
In September 2001, All Saints led Hoboken’s response to the tragic events of 9/11. Laurie Wurm, our parish missioner, and Sandy O’Connor organized a 9/11 Support Group which met regularly for the next five years to share their stories and support one another. In thanksgiving for the work of Laurie Wurm and for All Saints’ hosting of their group, these individuals donated the bell that now sits in our tower at Trinity Church.
In 2003, The Jubilee Center opened its new building and was dedicated on April 4, 2003. Our after school and summer programs serving children on the west side of Hoboken moved into this facility and expanded to include arts enrichment as well as academic assistance.
All Saints has been blessed with the opportunity to raise up a number of clergy; The Rev. Stephanie Wethered, the Rev. Margaret Hodgkins, the Rev. Phil Dougharty and the Rev. Laurie Wurm. We have also served as a training site for deacons and seminarians.
On November 11th 2005, All Saints received the first annual Community Awareness Award from Hoboken’s Quality of Life Coalition, especially citing our work in the creation of the Jubilee Center.
2009 marked the thirtieth year of the ministry of the Rev. Geoffrey Curtiss in the city of Hoboken. The hymn, Too Often, God, Your Name is Used, was written in honor of Geoff’s first 25 years.
In January, 2010, we opened St. Nicholas Center at the corner of 6th and Clinton Streets to house the Nursery and Pre-K students of our Day School.
In January, 2010, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez visited the Jubilee Center in part to celebrate the federal grant of $250,000 to assist in the creation of a computer center and enhancement of the academic enrichment program for the children we serve on the west side of Hoboken. During his visit, Senator Menendez praised All Saints for its focus on children, recognizing that they are the future of our society."