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The story of today’s St. Peter’s Church is the story of three faithful congregations
come together in one location. This is the story that is remembered in the stained glass window in the back of our present sanctuary. This window depicts three trees
with intertwining branches. The story begins in the late 19th century western Loudoun County. Here in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains many generations led a life
centered on agriculture and small businesses.
In
1871, the 76th Council of the Diocese of Virginia approved a petition to separate the
congregation of Catoctin Free Church, Shelburne Parish, from St. James, Leesburg. These communicants became St. Paul's Church, Hamilton. In 1877 they laid the cornerstone for the new church.
With assistance from the Diocesan Missionary Fund, this new congregation exerted untold effort to pay its debt. On August 9, 1884, the building was consecrated by Bishop Randolph.
Within a few years the need for
another church in Western Loudoun became evident, and in 1892 Mt Calvary in Round Hill was established under the sponsorship of St. Paul's. Mt. Calvary was consecrated by
Bishop Robert Gibson on September 23, 1898.
The rapidly growing community of Purcellville, lying in the center of the
Parish, requested a third church for its communicants. Thus, in 1911 St.
Peter's was built on Main Street and was consecrated the following year by Bishop Gibson.
By 1930 the Episcopal church in Western Loudoun had flourished to such an extent that the vestries of the three churches petitioned the
Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia to separate them from Shelburne Parish to form Madison Parish. This Parish consisted of St. Paul's 42 communicants, Mt. Calvary's 25 communicants, and St.
Peter's 46 communicants. The name of the Parish was selected to honor James Madison, the first Bishop of Virginia.
In Madison Parish improved transportation and the advantages
of one strong congregation led to the consolidation of the three small churches. With prayerful consideration and careful planning for the present and future, the new St. Peter's was
built in Purcellville. The first service in the centrally located church was held in 1964. Since 1964 the facility has been expanded several times, most recently with the addition of the Memorial Bell Tower.
Madison Parish has been faithfully served over the years by a series of clergy:
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