Fr Ben Garren

Dear Siblings in Christ,

The Evangelist or the Apostle? When we come across a Saint Philip, be it within the calendar of saints, within a list of congregations, or within scripture, it is important to ask if we are referring to the Evangelist or the Apostle. Today our celebration is not the Major Feast of Saint Philip the Apostle, who we celebrate alongside the Apostle James on the first of May, but the lesser feast of Saint Philip the Evangelist and Deacon.

We gather under the patronage of Saint Philip the Apostle and our story is typical for such a congregation. We were founded as a parish church, we have a robust set of buildings on a large campus, we have always been one of the largest congregations in the diocese, we have sponsored multiple mission congregations that have then become parishes themselves, we provide funding and outreach programs that reach across all of southern Arizona. Truly an Apostolic Mission that we should be proud of… and such is the narrative of many congregations under the patronage of Saint Philip the Apostle.

The stories of congregations named after Saint Philip the Evangelist and Deacon are often quite different. These are almost always started as missions, many never achieving parish status. Their histories often involve multiple buildings, as municipalities have forced them to relocate when their neighborhoods were destroyed in the name of progress. They will generally be small congregations with big hearts. Their ministries will be local and often run with meager budgets. They are, predominantly, historically African American Episcopal Congregations.

While Saint Philip the Apostle went on to do everything we expect of Apostles… Saint Philip the Evangelist is remembered for baptizing the Ethiopian Eunuch. This individual was the first baptized gentile, the first baptized person from Africa, the first baptized non-binary individual. We know little else about this deacon. This is enough, however, for him to be beloved by so many Episcopalians who exist on some margin of the greater church and society. People going about truly scrappy ministries in communities often forgotten and neglected.

We should be overwhelmingly thankful for all that we do as a congregation under the patronage of Saint Philip the Apostle. The expectations set for us as a community seeking to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles are great and we strive for them with faith and earnestness. We must remember, however, that the work of Saint Philip the Evangelist and Deacon is equally vital to that of Saint Philip the Apostle. That the work of small scrappy mission churches struggling in the midst of marginalized communities are just as much the work of the church, if not more so. May we come to honor both Saint Philips in our lives as individuals and as a community.

Pax,
Ben