Our Mission

The Blessing of the Clergy Team

 

We welcome you to Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, a vibrant, growing parish of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Our Mission is to worship, love and serve Our Lord Jesus Christ through the Anglican tradition and our unique choral heritage.

Saint Thomas is a vibrant parish church of the Episcopal Diocese in the heart of Manhattan. Renowned for its liturgy and choral music, our Rector, The Reverend Canon Carl F. Turner, leads a team of clergy and staff who are committed to excellence in music, preaching, education and pastoral care. The church is open every day of the year, the Eucharist is celebrated daily and there are 25 services a week.

Saint Thomas is the only church in the United States with a residential boys choir school. Founded in 1919, The Saint Thomas Choir School plays a vital role in the life of the church. Choristers attend regardless of their ability to pay and their lives are transformed through this extraordinary experience.

The choristers are an important part of the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys which is known throughout the world as one of the leading ensembles in the Anglican choral tradition. The Choir of sixteen men and thirty boys sings at five weekly worship services and prepares over four hundred pieces of sacred music a year. Many of our services are available to an international audience through the web.

Charitable outreach has always been an important priority for Saint Thomas. This outreach includes tens of thousands of dollars in grants to worthy programs throughout the world, contributions to victims of natural disasters, significant scholarship support for choristers that need it and our weekly Soup Kitchen and Prayer Shawl Ministry.