William Reed Huntington

(1838–1909) was an American Anglican priest and author

Huntington was born in Lowell, Mass. He graduated at Harvard in 1859 and in 1859–1860 was an instructor in chemistry there. Entering the Episcopal ministry, he was rector of All Saints Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1862–1883 and of Grace Church, New York from 1883 until his death. Dr. Huntington always took a prominent part in public affairs. He was active in the movement for liturgical revisions and was long chairman of the Prayer-Book Revisions Committee, and editor with Dr. Samuel Hart of the Standard Prayer-Book of 1892.

In his book The Church Idea (1870), Huntington undertook to discuss the basis of Christian unity, and he formulated the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, a statement adopted first by the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in 1886 and then, with slight modifications, by the Bishops of the world-wide Anglican Communion assembled at Lambeth in 1888. The statement set forth four principles which Anglicans regard as essential, and offer as a basis for discussion of union with other Christian bodies.

Despite his involvement in the national affairs of the Church, Huntington was foremost a parish priest, for 21 years (1862-1883) as All Saints' Church in Worcester, Massachusetts, and for 26 years (1883-1909) at Grace Church, New York City. He died 26 July 1909.


William Reed Huntington - 27 July - Priest, Poet, Author and Churchman

The Collect.

O Lord our God, we thank thee for instilling in the heart of thy servant William Reed Huntington a fervent love for thy Church and its mission in the world; and we pray that, with unflagging faith in thy promises, we may make known to all peoples thy blessed gift of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


The Epistle - Ephesians 4:11-16.


The Gospel - St. John 17:20-26.


Reference and Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Reed_Huntington
http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/wrh/
http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/07/27.html
http://02continuum.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/1892-prayer-book/
http://comfortablewords.blogspot.com/2009/08/our-help-cometh-from-lord.html

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