St. Augustine's is a parish in the Episcopal Church, a denomination with historical roots in the Church of England. Today, the Episcopal Church embraces a diverse people united by the common recognition of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason as authoritative in all that we think, say and do. It is a church that encourages dialogue, discussion, ongoing study and active participation in the liturgy and sacraments.

Diocese of Chicago

St. Augustine's is part of the Diocese of Chicago, a vital Christian community of 41,000 people in Northern Illinois. In the Episcopal Church, dioceses are clusters of congregations and members who are organized around a Bishop for pastoral guidance and spiritual leadership. Our diocesan community is under the leadership of Bishop Jeffrey Lee and Assistant Bishop Victor Scantlebury.

The diocese, which traces its beginnings to 1835, is considered a leader in the Episcopal Church in the areas of leadership development and lifelong Christian formation. Its commitment to social witness and community service is expressed through the work of twelve Episcopal Charities and community service agencies. St. Augustine's is one of the many Episcopal parishes who make outreach a priority, and we support the diocese's m.inistries and programs financially as well as with volunteer efforts.

The Episcopal Church

The Diocese of Chicago is part of the Episcopal Church, a community of more than 2.4 million members in 110 dioceses and 16 countries in the Americas and abroad. The Episcopal Church is an open and inclusive church that is part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ, who commissioned his followers to go into the world and preach the Good News. We retain that connection to the earliest Apostles through our bishops (in Greek, episkopoi, for "oversight"). The current Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, elected in 2006, is the Most Reverend Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori.

 As Episcopalians, we strive to live by the message of Christ, in which there are no outcasts and all are welcome. We are a sacramental and worship-oriented church that promotes thoughtful debate about what God is calling us to do and be, as followers of Christ. For more about the Episcopal Church, we invite you to their multimedia site "Come and Grow."

The Anglican Communion

The Episcopal Church is part of the world-wide Anglican Communion. There are some 80 million Anglicans in independent, self-governing, national and regional churches on every continent, comprising a multinational, multi-lingual, multi-racial fellowship of faith. The titular leader of the Anglican Communion is the Most Reverend Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.