St. Philip's In The Hills
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St. Philip’s In The Hills Episcopal Church was founded in 1936. When the first service was held on Christmas Eve, the congregation overflowed the seating capacity. St. Philip’s was built in Spanish Colonial architecture, similar to the Franciscan mission churches built in California over 400 years ago. Tucsonans John and Helen Murphey had asked architect Josias Joesler to build a private chapel for them at their home. Instead, he persuaded them to build a small church at the corner of two dirt roads: Campbell and River. This was also a dream of the Rev. George Ferguson, who was a temporary supply minister in Tucson. He envisioned a place where beauty dwelt, where the glory of God was exemplified, and where learning (for children, youth, and adults) was an ever-present part of people’s lives.
Although it has undergone several expansions as the congregation grew, the integrity of Joesler’s design has been maintained in the buildings. In the mid-1980s, a large multi-purpose room, a memorial garden, the east and west transepts and a campanile, which houses the carillon, were added. During the summer of 1998, a Children’s Center and Recital Hall were built.
St. Philip’s is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today St. Philip’s is a large, active parish known not only for its worship, music, and art, but also for its inclusiveness, its educational programs, and its outreach to the community. St. Philip's welcomes all people just as God created them, with no boundaries of age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic condition, physical or mental ability.
Worship times
American Sign Language interpretation is available every week at the front left-hand side of the church.
This is a wonderful, ancient liturgy offered at 4:30pm every Sunday (October-May) in the sanctuary.
The service takes the form of sung prayers, psalms, and the traditional evening canticles—the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis—along with a hymn and anthem. The service is full of meditative moments, and is a perfect way to begin or end a week.
You are encouraged to participate as often as you can and invite your friends to join you. Saint Philip’s is pleased to offer this rich tapestry of music and prayer that follows a pattern of worship that is centuries old, but that speaks to us today as profoundly as in the 16th century.
Alternate choirs participate according to the following schedule:
*First Sundays—Saint Morwenna Voices
*Second Sundays—Saint Morwenna Voices and lay clerks, with Schola Cantorum volunteers
*Third Sundays—Saint Nicholas Choir and Schola Cantorum
*Fourth Sundays—Lay clerks
Saint Morwenna Voices—Senior youth choristers and alumna
Saint Nicholas Choir—Boys and girls age 8 through high school or until voice change
Schola Cantorum—Members from the adult choirs who participate in Choral Evensong
Lay Clerks—Professional singers who perform the core of adult ensembles, Schola Cantorum, and the Choir of Saint Philip’s
(On Tuesdays, this service is Rite II with prayers for healing and is held in the Chapel of the Nativity—next to the Chapel of St Benedict)
This is a quiet, meditative Eucharist.
Ministries
Sacred Ground Race Dialogue Circles
Sacred Ground is dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
Sacred Ground is a resource coming out of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people, while being open to all racial/ethnic groups. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.
News about St. Philip's In The Hills
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2024 Creation Care Grant Recipient - Cooling Our Neighborhood
Cooling Our Neighborhood: $12,000
Saint Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
4440 N Campbell Ave
Tucson, AZ 85718-6504
United States
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