History of Christ Church Port Jefferson

In the winter of 1887-1888, the land on which the church stands was purchased by P.T. Barnum of circus fame for $150. The newly constructed yellow pine church building, designed by Fred Raynor and standing on high ground overlooking both the town and the harbor, held its first services on Trinity Sunday, June 3, 1888.  The new church was attached to Caroline Church in Setauket, and the Rev. Dan Marvin, priest in charge of Caroline Church, preached the first sermon. The first congregation had 23 families plus individual members, some 70 parishioners in total and 31 communicants.  

In 1893, the church was separated from Caroline Church and made a mission of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk County. The Rev. W.G. Webb was appointed minister-in charge.  The number of services increased, the church was gifted a manual organ, and 16 children were enrolled in Sunday School.  Rev. Webb resigned in 1895, and supply priests and lay readers led the congregation for the remainder of the century. In 1901 the Rev. Arthur Fenton was appointed priest-in-charge, followed by the Rev. J. Morris Coerr in 1906.  Gifts and bequests made expansion of the sacristy and sanctuary possible, as well as the addition of a choir room, the finishing of the basement, new pews and choir stall, plus a fresh coat of exterior paint. The congregation reported to the Diocesan Convention in 1908 that the number of baptized persons was 100, and the number of communicants, 45.  

Very little appears in the archives covering the next forty years or so, as the congregation was served by resident priests-in-charge, and eventually by priests from Caroline Church, to which the mission once again became attached as an auxiliary chapel. After World War II, however, there was a steady influx of residents to Suffolk County, and Christ Church would share in this growth.  From July 1949 to 1993, there have only been two priests-in-charge: the Rev. Robert Capon (1949 to 1977) and the Rev. Jeff Simmons (1977 to 2001).  Fr. Simmons was assisted by the Rev. Robert Brandt from 1983 to 1985, and Fr. Brandt returned in 2003.   

A Statement of Mission was adopted in September 1984:

“Christ’s Body was broken for us in order to reconcile us to the Father. Christ incarnate embodies our broken humanity in order to make us whole in body, mind and spirit.  By Christ’s healing our brokenness, we at Christ Church are a holy people.  We are a royal priesthood commissioned for the work of healing within our broken bodies, within the fragmented community, within our pluralistic diocese and within the alienated world.”

In 1986, the congregation petitioned to be incorporated as a Parish at the Diocesan Convention. 

During the nineties, the church continued to grow under the guidance of Fr. Simmons. After he left the parish, the church went through a difficult few years without a rector. In 2003, Fr. Brandt returned to lead the congregation. The numbers, which had been declining, started to rebound during his tenure.  

Fr. Brandt retired in 2011, and that year the congregation welcomed Fr. Anthony DiLorenzo. And so, our story will continue, as we continue to trust in the Lord and his goodness and mercy.