Adult education occurs Sundays at 11:15 am in the library or chapel, and at other times throughout the year.
Children’s Church
From September – May, children celebrate their own Liturgy of the Word beginning at 9:45 a.m. in the lower level of the parish hall and rejoin their families at the offertory. There are two programs:
Preschool Children through age 5 gather in the Children’s Chapel and listen to a story each week using a modified Godly Play method. The children sit in a circle with a storyteller who quietly shares a story using props such as a desert box, wooden figures, felt pieces, and other materials. The storyteller then invites the children to wonder about the story and to expand on their responses though art, puzzles, books, or other playful “work”.
Elementary Children ages 6 and older gather in the double classroom where they explore God’s promises in their lives through a curriculum designed for Episcopalians, Weaving God’s Promises. Class sessions are structured around the Holy Eucharist: Gathering, Telling the Sacred Story (Liturgy of the Word), Prayer (Prayers of the People), Sharing (Holy Communion), and Sending Forth. Within this structure there are creative projects, engaging stories, play, and snacks accompanied by earnest discussion.
Junior and Senior High Students are invited to assist with the young children.
Following their lessons, all children come together to celebrate with music through the leadership of Ron May, Director of Music Ministries. They participate in services on special occasions—on All Saints Day in procession dressed as Saints, on Christmas Eve in a pageant, and on other occasions to sing.
A faithful team of teachers are committed to children’s Christian formation with the understanding that it is a lifelong process, happening in community and shaping all of us into the people God created us to be.
We welcome all children and encourage parishioners to invite families with children to join us—as well as grandparents to bring their grandchildren. This is a gift to share.
Hildegards
All women are invited to deepen their spiritual lives through study and prayer.
Regular meetings are typically the third Saturday of the month at 9 a.m. in the Cathedral Library.
Quiet Day Saturdays will begin at 10 a.m. and meet in the Great Hall.
See the event calendar for more information.
New Life Prayer Group
Scripture study and prayers for the parish and others happen every Thursday.
Saturday Bible Study
Every Saturday this group meets on Zoom for Morning Prayer at 8:30 am followed by Bible study from 9:00-10:30.
Historic Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is the historic cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. As Episcopalians, we are part of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Trinity Cathedral is a Eucharist-centered parish. Our ministry begins at the altar, where we gather to celebrate, through Holy Communion, God’s love, grace and mercy in our lives. Our liturgy reflects traditional Anglican practices and theology, and our music program underscores the beauty, majesty and joy of this ancient liturgy.
Building of the cathedral was spearheaded by The Right Reverend Henry Washington Lee, first Episcopal Bishop of Iowa. The cornerstone was laid in 1867, and the building was completed in 1873, when the structure was consecrated as Grace Cathedral. It was renamed Trinity Cathedral in 1910, when Grace Cathedral and Trinity Parish united.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral has been called one of the finest gems of English Gothic architecture in the entire country. It is constructed of native Iowa limestone, trimmed in Indiana limestone, adorned by wrought iron Gothic ornamentation and highlighted by 19th century stained glass windows.
The 131 ft. tall spire was added in 1998.
Sunday and Weekday Services
Morning Prayer: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM in the Chapel. Enter at the Office Door.
Contemplative Prayer: Tuesday at 9:00 AM in the Chapel. Enter at the Office Door.
Morning Prayer via Zoom: Saturday at 8:30 AM.
Holy Eucharist:
- Sundays – 10:00 AM in the Cathedral. Nursery care for small children (through age 3) is provided from 9:30 AM to Noon.
- Tuesdays – 11:00 AM in the Chapel.
Masks are optional.
Building Access is available as follows:
- Entrance for Elevator Use is on the North side of the building via the small parking lot accessed from 12th Street. (Doors are locked at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday when the service begins.) During the week, access is available Monday – Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Please ring the buzzer to the left in the Vestibule.
- Front Door on Main Street (west) side of building is open on Sundays and during other services.
- Bell Tower Entrance at the southeast corner of the building is open on Sundays and during other services. There is also a ramp for handicapped access.
- Office Door is at the northeast corner of the building.
History of the Episcopal Church in Davenport
Trinity Episcopal Parish was established in 1841 worshiping in the residence of Dr. John Emerson at 219 East Second St. The first missionary was the Rev. Zachariah Goldsmith of Virginia. The first church that Trinity Parish erected was a small frame building at Fourth and Main Streets, with a rude altar, plank benches and a round stove in the nave. Trinity’s second church at Fifth and Pershing (then called Rock Island) Streets was built in 1852 in a Gothic style with a rose window and was the first church in Iowa to have a pipe organ. This building was destroyed by fire in 1874. Trinity then erected a new stone church with bell tower, rectory and day school at the S.W. corner of Seventh and Brady Streets.
From...HISTORY OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN DAVENPORT By Hazel Williamson
The first Episcopal services in Davenport were held in 1836 and were conducted by a traveling Episcopal clergyman. When the Wisconsin Territory was set with boundaries to include Iowa, Bishop Jackson Kemper was petitioned and Davenport was adopted as a mission station in 1838.
The first Episcopal services in Davenport were held in 1836 and were conducted by a traveling Episcopal clergyman. When the Wisconsin Territory was set with boundaries to include Iowa, Bishop Jackson Kemper was petitioned and Davenport was adopted as a mission station in 1838.
Trinity Episcopal Parish was established in 1841 worshiping in the residence of Dr. John Emerson at 219 East Second St. The first missionary was the Rev. Zachariah Goldsmith of Virginia. The first church that Trinity Parish erected was a small frame building at Fourth and Main Streets, with a rude altar, plank benches and a round stove in the nave. Trinity’s second church at Fifth and Pershing (then called Rock Island) Streets was built in 1852 in a Gothic style with a rose window and was the first church in Iowa to have a pipe organ. This building was destroyed by fire in 1874. Trinity then erected a new stone church with bell tower, rectory and day school at the S.W. corner of Seventh and Brady Streets.
Another parish, St. Luke’s, built a large brick church on the N.W. corner of Seventh and Brady Streets in 1857 but had financial problems and sold it in 1864 to the Presbyterians who later sold it to Putnam Museum and this was where the museum was located for many years. in 1864, Christ Mission Church was built at Third and Pine Streets. It was a timber structure with vertical siding and a bell tower.
In 1854, The Rev. Henry Washington Lee of Rochester, N.Y. was elected first Bishop of Iowa. Lee had dynamic ideas, a driving energy and he created a fund for the Diocese with the sale of lands he had purchased in the West, through contacts with Eastern churchmen and generous gifts from friends at St. Luke’s Church, Rochester, including a large gift from David J. Ely. With this fund, Bishop Lee’s dream of a beautiful cathedral was realized. Lee contacted one of the leading church architects in the country, Edward Tuckerman Potter of New York City who designed the new building. It was Gothic in architecture and of such construction that it would remain through the centuries as a witness to the Christian faith. In 1873, the structure was consecrated and named Grace Cathedral since that was the name of the New York church from which gifts had come predominately from two families. Less than 10% of the funds came from Iowans. The cathedral’s name was changed to Trinity Cathedral in 1910 when Grace Cathedral and Old Trinity Parish united to become a single parish. In 1928, Christ Mission Church merged into the Cathedral.
In 1960, St. Alban’s Church was organized, largely financed by Trinity Cathedral, and was located in N.W. Davenport. In 1966, St. Peter’s Church was organized and a modernistic church was built in Bettendorf.
The C.C. Cook Parish House of Trinity Cathedral was built in 1917 and it served the parish well for many years until it deteriorated and had to be replaced. In 1993, the new Haines Parish House was completed after a parish-wide fund drive had raised more than two million dollars to build it. It was named for Elizabeth Haines who made the largest single gift toward its construction. Haines Parish House is connected to the Cathedral building through two cloisters enclosing an outdoor garden or garth. The Parish House features a Great Hall, an octagonal chapel, kitchen facilities, classrooms, offices and a children’s chapel.
In 1998, a 131 ft. tall spire and bell tower was erected due to the desire and generosity of a lifelong parishioner, Elizabeth Haines, who totally paid for it. The spire had been part of Architect Potter’s original plans but it was not included when the cathedral was built due to lack of sufficient funds. Now more than 130 years after the cornerstone was laid, Bishop Henry Washington Lee’s dream of a beautiful cathedral atop the hill in Davenport is finally complete with a magnificent spire and bell tower.
Churches United Dinners
Trinity Cathedral is one of approximately 50 churches participating in the Churches United of the Quad City Area Meal Site Program.
Our meal site has been at Zion Lutheran Church at 8th and Marquette Streets in Davenport. Meals are provided five times annually, on the third Monday of March, May, July, September, and November.
Volunteers shop for and prepare the food, then deliver and serve it. Food prep volunteers are asked to arrive at the church by 1 p.m. Volunteers for delivering meals should arrive at the Church by 5:30 p.m.
Sacramental Practices at Trinity
Sacraments are an important part of the faith and worship life in the Episcopal Church and at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. The seven sacraments are Holy Baptism, The Holy Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Confession, Anointing and Ordination.
- Holy Baptism is offered five times each year: on the Feast of the Baptism (early January), the Easter Vigil (springtime), Pentecost (early summer), the Sunday after All Saints’ Day (early November) and on the occasion of the Bishop’s visitation. Baptismal instruction/preparation is required.
- The Holy Eucharist is offered to all baptized Christians who repent of their sins and seek to be in love and charity with their neighbors.
- Confirmation is available annually for those who complete a course of preparation, make a public affirmation of their faith and wish to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop.
- Marriage is the sacramental rite of the church in which two persons “enter into a life-long union, makes their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows”. In the Episcopal Church it is required that at least one of the parties be a baptized Christian, that the ceremony be attested by at least two witnesses, and that the marriage conform to the laws of the state and the canons of the church. The member of the clergy who will solemnize the marriage typically meets with the couple on several occasions prior to the service to discuss the meaning of Christian marriage in the couple’s life.
- Confession of sin to God in the presence of a priest may be scheduled by appointment with the clergy.
- Anointing of the sick for healing is offered every Sunday during the 10:00 service by members of the International Order of St. Luke. Appointments can also be arranged to meet people at their place of residence.
- Ordination to service as a bishop, priest or deacon requires discernment, preparation and affirmation by the wider Church. Lay persons too are ministers by virtue of their baptism and giftedness.
