For most of the 19th century, the Board of Missions of the Episcopal Church, created in 1835, was the main national organization leading the church between General Conventions. The Domestic Committee of the Board, seeking to set up bases from which to expand the Episcopal Church’s presence, directed and financed the activities of missionaries in the United States. Bishops supplemented the Board’s funds by making direct appeals to eastern benefactors.
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The Rev. William Richmond |
The Rev. St. Michael Fackler |
The Rev. John McCarty |
The Board of missions sent the Rev. William Richmond to Oregon Territory in 1851. He met the Rev. St. Michael Fackler and they quickly founded four congregations. The Rev. John McCarty, army chaplain in the Mexican-American War, joined them in 1853 and served as Rector of Trinity Parish, Portland, and chaplain at Fort Vancouver. The same year, the Domestic Committee moved its offices to Astor Place in New York City.
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The Rt. Rev. Thomas Fielding Scott |
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The missionaries sent by the Board of Missions found potential members and began forming congregations. Meeting in Oregon City in 1853, local people requested a bishop and recommended McCarty. The Rt. Rev. Thomas Scott (1854 – 1867), elected bishop by General Convention in 1853, reached Oregon in 1854.
