Our History

Saint Alban's was the first Episcopal parish to be established in Arlington, Texas. The first services were held on January 12, 1947, with sixteen people present. In the earliest days, services were held in private residences, at the First Christian Church, and even at a local dance hall. In 1951 a church building was erected -- which today serves as the parish hall.

In 1954, under the direction of Fr. W. Harrison Beste, Saint Alban's was admitted to union with the Diocese of Dallas (now Diocese of Fort Worth) as a self-supporting parish. A parish parochial school was begun in 1958. The present church building was completed in 1960 and a classroom building was added to the original church structure in 1967. In January 1988, the parish occupied a new 18,000 square foot addition that tied the church facilities into one integrated unit. Renovations in 1993 included Parish Hall refurbishment, a small Chapel, and a columbarium with room for expansion.

In 1997, the parish began leasing land across University Drive from the University of Texas at Arlington, and placed several modular buildings and a parking lot as the school expanded to upper division. In 2003 the parish purchased the land from UTA, and designated that campus as Northbridge and the principal church campus as Southbridge.

Since Fr. Beste, the parish has been served by Frs. Dennis Smart, Irv Mitchell, Courtland Moore, Mark Cannaday, Dwayne Bauman, and most recently Fr. Edward Kresowaty as rectors, and a succession of outstanding assistant clergy.

The family of Saint Alban's consists of 1,342 communicants in 364 family units as of January 2008, placing St. Alban's among the top 3% of Episcopal Churches in America in membership.