Welcome!  Thanks for visiting our website.  I hope you will learn a little more about our Parish as you scroll through these pages.  You can also find out more about us on our Facebook Page.

I am Perry Hildreth, and I serve as Priest-in-Charge of the Episcopal Parish of the Holy Communion.  I was ordained to the priesthood at Holy Trinity Church in Glendale Springs in March 2024, and I have served in the Parish since August 2023.  Before I became a priest, I was a college philosophy professor for almost 30 years.  I grew up in Anson County, North Carolina as a Baptist.  My training in Baptist seminaries led me, naturally and eventually, to The Episcopal Church!  I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, Palm Beach, Florida, in May 2004.  If you are interested, I would be glad to share more of my story with you, but let me simply state that I am more than grateful to God that I discovered the beautiful and thoughtful expression of the Christian faith that is The Episcopal Church.  And I am also very thankful to serve in this joyful and active parish.

Our parish is exactly that--joyful and active!  We welcome thousands of pilgrims to our churches each year to visit the magnificent frescoes that have been entrusted to our care.  If you are interested in visiting or bringing a group, please click on the "About the Frescoes" tab above or here.  The care of these paintings and all the pilgrims who visit is part of our Parish's ministry of hospitality. 

While our churches house these paintings, they are not museums.  We gather for worship in these buildings regularly, and we welcome you to join us.  Our weekly service of Holy Eucharist is held at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings.  We move between the two church buildings, so be sure to check our website for the location.  Generally, we are at St. Mary's during even-numbered months and at Holy Trinity during odd-numbered months.  We will greet you with the warm and unconditional welcome of our Lord. 

You can read more about our Parish below.  Please email me if I can be of any assistance to you in your visit to our churches.

God's Peace be with You!
Rev. Dr. T. Perry Hildreth

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Our parish is active in worship, education, and community activities.  Parish picnics,  playing with pottery clay, Creationtide hikes, the Great Easter Vigil, decorating the church for Christmastide, helping with clean-up after Hurricane Helene, and playing hand bells are some of the many ways we live out our faith together in our community!

Our Divine Purpose

The Parish of the Holy Communion exists as a witness to God’s grace. We offer a welcoming environment in order to serve each other and those in our wider community with gratitude and generosity, recognizing the gifts of those present among us as we continue to grow in our faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.

WE BELIEVE, walking in the path of Jesus, that we are called to respect and welcome the diversity of both our congregation and our local community. We are called to be attentive to the needs and strengths of all, affirming that each person brings beauty and unique gifts that reveal God’s goodness.

WE WORSHIP in an orderly, participatory manner in common with Episcopal/Anglican churches everywhere. We are a congregation, not an audience. Our worship is varied and reverent, yet somewhat informal. We use musical and liturgical resources, traditional and contemporary, with language that is inclusive of all persons. Our worship calls and directs us to service, to go in peace to love and serve the world and each other.
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WE SERVE and support one another with prayers, visits, and contributions in times of need. Mindful of the needs of our community, we offer hands-on service and financial support to agencies in Ashe County and internationally. We serve the world at large through the 24/7 ministry of the frescoes inviting people to discover the presence of God, attracting visitors and pilgrims from around the world. 

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Our History

​The Episcopal Parish of the Holy Communion has a long history in Ashe County and enjoys a unique situation among Episcopal parishes: It is comprised of two churches, St. Mary’s in West Jefferson and Holy Trinity in Glendale Springs, and these churches contain world-famous art works. In the late 1800’s, Episcopal missionaries came to this region to provide schooling and medical help for the people living there. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church was built in Glendale Springs in 1901, and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church was built in 1905 near West Jefferson. Episcopal missionaries from Valle Crucis held services at various locations in Ashe County as early as 1852, but no continuing presence of the Episcopal Church existed until 1895 when 19 candidates were presented for confirmation. St. Mary’s was originally called the Church of St. Simon the Zealot, but its name was changed to St. Mary’s in 1903. The construction on the present St. Mary’s was begun in 1905 with consecration of the completed church in 1906. In 1900, construction started on a church on 12 donated acres in Venus, now Glendale Springs, and was a mission of St. Paul’s of Wilkesboro. The Mission House was built in 1913, housing a school tended by women missionaries from the Episcopal Church Army. From 1934 until 1971, the Episcopal Church was served by priests whose primary responsibilities were elsewhere. The Rev. Faulton Hodge became priest-in-charge at St. Mary’s in 1972.  During Rev. Hodge's tenure, Ben Long painted his famous frescoes in the churches.  St. Mary's and Holy Trinity joined together to become the Parish of the Holy Communion in 1976.  The Rev. Robert Crewdson, The Rev. Steve Miller, The Rev. Kimberly Becker have also served the parish. The Rev. Dr. T. Perry Hildreth currently serves as priest-in-charge.