Grace Episcopal Church

Recently, I attended the annual meeting of the Williams-Borden Neighborhood Association. It was held in the Parish Hall of the historic Grace Episcopal Church, located at 1115 36th Street.

The WBNA meeting gave me the perfect opportunity to visit the church for the first time.

Admittedly, the Parish Hall was a surprise. The building is impressive, not at all what I expected. The space inside is large and lovely. It features high, vaulted ceilings with exposed wood rafters. There are stained-glass windows all around. Immediately, I understood why the Parish Hall is a popular meeting place for our group.

Spending time in The Parish Hall made me want to take a peek inside the sanctuary of Grace, as well. I had heard often about its beauty, and I knew a bit about its history, including that it was dedicated as a National Landmark in 1975. Visiting this beautiful sacred place would be a memorable experience.

In 1884, wealthy Galveston businessman and philanthropist Henry Rosenberg and his wife, Leticia, moved their church membership to Grace Episcopal Church (due to a major disagreement). After Leticia’s death, Rosenberg married Mollie Macgill. Two years later, Rosenberg left a bequest of $30,000 to replace the Grace’s small frame church with the beautiful neo-Gothic building that stands today. Consecrated in 1895, the Leon limestone building was designed by noted architect Nicholas Clayton.

Mollie Rosenberg donated $10,000 of her own money for the church’s interior furnishings and many of its incredible stained-glassed windows. The magnificent hand-carved reredos and altar have been called “the richest ever been put in any church in the south.” Other gifts of “Aunt Mollie,” as she is still affectionately known, include the bronze statue of Gabriel, the brass pulpit, the bishop’s chair, credence table, chancel railings, clergy stalls and all the oak pews. Succeeding generations of Grace Episcopal Church members have added memorials, including bronze tablets, candelabra, hand-stitched linens and the Christos Rex in the chapel.

A survivor of the Great Storm of 1900 and Hurricane Ike in 2008, Today, it continues to stand strong in the Galveston community. It serves as a spiritual home for a large and diverse congregation.