About The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a group of about 70 million Christians, which claims its spiritual ancestry in the Church of England. We are often characterized as the “middle way” between Protestants and Roman Catholics because the Church of England preserved almost all of the Roman Catholic Church through the time of the Reformation. Throughout its 450-year history, Anglican churches have been in the forefront of education, health care, and service to the poor. The fastest growing areas in the Anglican community are in South America and Africa.

In the United States, the Episcopal Church was formed shortly after the American Revolution. The word “episcopal” means “governed by bishops.” Instead of an Archbishop, we have a Presiding Bishop; currently Katherine Jefforts-Schori is the Presiding Bishop. He is the spiritual leader of our 2.4 million member denomination. In this denomination, matters of policy, doctrine and discipline are widely studied and voted on by elected clergy, lay people and bishops.

Our local geographic area is The Diocese of California, which consists of 84 churches in the 5 county area around San Francisco. We are governed locally by Diocesan Convention, which consists of clergy and elected lay representatives from all the churches who gather once a year. Our bishop is Marc Andrus. The Diocesan headquarters is at 1055 Taylor St. on Nob Hill in San Francisco, right next to Grace Cathedral. Through the diocese, the Episcopal Church operates retirement homes, homeless shelters, and other social services, and provides a wide variety of spiritual services.

St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church began as a mission on November 7, 1948. When the Church moved to its current location in 1950, it was on the outskirts of town. The office space, “Farmer Vicarage,” housed the priest and his family and was also the worship space for several years. The outdoor chapel, St. Clare’s Chapel, was built in 1951, and the sanctuary was built in 1952. As Novato grew from a small ranching and farming town into a suburb and business center, the Church also grew. Father Philip Rountree is the seventh priest to serve St. Francis Church