St. Alban’s Church was established as an Episcopal mission in Centredale in 1844 to serve the growing Episcopal community working in the mills of North Providence. From 1844 to 1855 services were led by various clergy in old store fronts and empty buildings until they were discontinued in 1855, due to lack of interest.
In 1897 mission work was revived in Centredale in a room supplied by a local mill company and the service was well attended each Sunday afternoon. Frank C. Angell, the grandson of a faithful communicant, donated land at the very best location in the village – the intersection of two main roads. On February 21st, 1900, the first service was held for St. Alban’s mission in the new church. The church was incorporated a s a parish on March 20th, 1911. Mr. Angell served as Senior Warden for the next 32 years. The church hall was built in 1953, and sometime later the sanctuary was enlarged.
Most of the mill workers who were the founding members of St. Alban’s came from England, so it is no surprise that the church was named for a very English saint. Alban was a Roman soldier, a pagan who sheltered a persecuted Christian priest, and was converted. He helped the priest escape by disguising himself in the priest’s cloak, whereupon the fury of the pagans turned against him. He became the first English martyr when he was beheaded about 303 in a city in England that now bears his name. The symbol of St. Alban is a sword and cloak. Hence, our parish newsletter is called The Cloak.
St. Alban’s Church is a part of the Episcopal Church, the American branch of the world-wide Anglican Communion which numbers some 70 million members. Our worship, which is centered in Holy Communion, follows both the rich traditional language of our Catholic-Protestant heritage and today’s more contemporary language.
Our current rector, The Rev. Becky Anderson, is the 11th rector of St. Alban’s, and the first woman to hold that position. She leads a lively parish which offers many opportunities for worship, education, fellowship, and outreach to the community.
