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On August 12, 1867 the Mission of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in San Luis Obispo was formed. And on September 4, 1867, The Right Reverend William Ingraham Kip, Bishop of California, gave canonical consent for the parish to be formed.
In 1860, the first daily stage runs from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo began bringing passengers and mail. More families were beginning to arrive. They brought a need to start a Sunday school for Protestants. The first meetings were held at Dr. W.W. Hays’ home, the Odd Fellows Hall and in the “schoolhouse east of the old jail”. Seven years later, on August 12, 1867, St. Stephen’s was organized. William Ingraham Kip, the first Bishop of the Diocese of California, gave canonical consent on September 4. (The delay of 7 years was possibly due to the drought from 1860-1864 and lack of housing for a priest.)
The first elected officers were: Sr. Warden, W.W. Hays, Jr. Warden, C.H. Johnson, Clerk, W.E Parker, and Treasurer, J.H. Hollister. Vestrymen were: John Hartford, H.W. Little, and G.F. Sauer. Others at the original meeting were: Thomas McGreal, John See, James Van Ness, David Mallagh, John Biggs, and Andrew Sauer. These men all came to California and San Luis Obispo to make their fortune. More than 150 years later, these names are found on our street signs, buildings and land areas, and their families are still prominent members of our community.
The church site for St. Stephen’s was located on a hill in “the best neighborhood of San Luis Obispo”. The land cost $10.00 in gold and the church nave cost $3,000 dollars. The design was “Carpenter Gothic” or “Gothic Revival” and was completed in 1873. It was made of hand hewn Monterey pine beams and frames from Cambria. The outside was covered with California redwood board and battens siding, with pine tongue and grove paneling, and plaster inside. It was 20 feet wide and 60 feet long. The length of available beams determined the width. The chancel, choir, robing room, sacristy and sanctuary were added later in 1889.
Between 1907 and 1910, the interior of the church was renovated by plastering the walls, installing electric lights and adding stained glass windows to replace the cathedral glass. Our windows were beautifully made, and except for one, the artists are unknown. Parishioners presented the St. Stephens’ window in 1937 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of our founding. The Rose window, in the choir area, was designed and made by parishioner Dale Owen in memory of his mother, Stella Owen. It was installed in 1994.
On Saturday evening, January 24, 1970, a wedding rehearsal was held at St. Stephen’s church. At 12:15am Sunday morning, a driver for the Yellow Cab Company called the fire department after seeing flames coming through the roof of the church. It was believed that the fire started because of defective wiring in the sacristy where vestments, linens and service implements were kept. The fire gutted the church building leaving large holes in the church roof and damage to the parish hall. The walls of the church remained standing and most of the stained glass windows were intact.
The Vestry agreed to rebuild the old church and add to the transept to enlarge it to seat 200. 25 months later, the church was open.
In 2017, St. Stephen’s celebrated is 150th anniversary! Our more recent history is chronicled on our Facebook page. However, the best way to get to know St. Stephen’s is to join us!
After spending 15 years in Higher Education Administration, Jen finally pursued their call to ministry and recently received an MDiv degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Jen is passionate about connecting with those finding themselves unwelcomed in religious communities, is passionate about justice issues, including Queer and Trans inclusion, food, and housing insecurity, and is looking forward to working with the students at Cal Poly and Cuesta. Jen has also been a poll worker since they were eligible in most elections. Fun Fact about Jen: They love music, musicals, and any accessible hiking trail they can find.
Cassandra has her Bachelor’s Degrees in Church Music and English Literature from Westmont College, Santa Barbara. She holds Master’s Degrees in Performance Flute from CSU, Northridge, and in Choral Conducting from SJSU. Ms. Tarantino has taught at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo since 2006 where she conducts the Concert Choir, teaches private voice and flute, and Musicianship and Classical Music Appreciation. In 2006 Cassandra founded the Cuesta Concord Chorus and has enjoyed touring the world with them singing with fellow choirs and for veterans. Ms. Tarantino became Director of Music in 2017. In April of 2021, Ms. Tarantino passed her Level III Sommelier Exam with the International Sommelier Guild. She has since become the Sommelier at CASS Winery in Paso Robles and has designed private wine events at Beda’s Biergarten in San Luis Obispo.
After spending 15 years in Higher Education Administration, Jen finally pursued their call to ministry and recently received an MDiv degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Jen is passionate about connecting with those finding themselves unwelcomed in religious communities, is passionate about justice issues, including Queer and Trans inclusion, food, and housing insecurity, and is looking forward to working with the students at Cal Poly and Cuesta. Jen has also been a poll worker since they were eligible in most elections. Fun Fact about Jen: They love music, musicals, and any accessible hiking trail they can find.
Pastor Karen came to St. Stephen’s in 2018, having retired from 25+ years of ordained ministry. She has an educational background in nursing, chemistry, environmental management, and theology. She graduated from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 1992 and has served as an associate and rector in several different churches in CA. The three great loves in her life are Medicine, the Church, and Steph (her partner). She and Steph are delighted to be part of the St. Stephen’s family.
Fr Ian became Rector in 2016. Prior to moving to SLO, Fr Ian served as the University of Chester’s Chaplain to the Warrington Campus and to the Faculty of Health & Social Care after serving in the parish of St Clement’s Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, UK. Prior to ordination, Fr Ian worked in Environmental, Health & Safety consulting in the Silicon Valley and then corporate events management and marketing. Following God’s call, Fr Ian attended seminary at the University of Cambridge and was ordained in the Diocese of Manchester, Deacon in 2004 and Priest in 2005. He was born in California, and was raised in both rural western Nebraska and on the central coast of California. Fr. Ian is very interested in showing the Church and active faith in a positive light in the public arena, including in the media. He hosts a monthly radio segment on KCBX public radio called “Playing With Food”.