Our History:

The Name

Of more than 7,000 parishes in The Episcopal Church, only 18 are named for The Holy Innocents of Bethlehem, making it fairly rare, and understandably so, given its gruesome meaning. The name comes from a group of children remembered in The Gospel according to Matthew. When the Wise Men came into his territory, looking for The Christ Child, they were interviewed by King Herod. Having learned from them that a new King of the Jews had been born, Herod became afraid; he sent soldiers into the neighborhood of Bethlehem, seeking the Christ Child, to destroy him. Herod's soldiers killed all children in the district, two years of age and under. Those slaughtered children became known as "The Holy Innocents."