History

The first Episcopal services in the Montecito area of Santa Barbara were initiated in the early 1890s. The Miramar Hotel was a major draw for wealthy tourists and the established Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Santa Barbara faithfully responded to requests for a service near the Miramar Hotel – thus allowing these Episcopalians to avoid the 90-minute horse-and-buggy ride to downtown and another one back.

The “All Saints” mission received canonical consent in 1896 and a temporary chapel was built in 1898 on land owned by the Doulton family, adjacent to the Miramar Hotel. A chiseled cornerstone on our Church building proudly proclaims 1900 as the date our current Sanctuary was built. By 1913, the Rev. Melville Moore had guided the mission to sustainability such that his successor’s call was used as a focal point to raise enough funds to warrant the removal of the mission status.

A must-read, delightful history of All Saints, “One Hundred Years . . . a History of All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church,” was edited by parishioner Marni McGee. The 185-page book covers the early years through 2000 and is available at the Church Office at no cost. Please stop by and pick up a copy.

Rectors

All Saints has a history of long-serving Rectors, each with their own style and different strengths, representative of our congregation’s diversity of spiritual need and openness to the rich variety within the Episcopal tradition.

• Rev. William J. O’Brien 1896 – 1897 Missionary in Charge
• Rev. Melville M. Moore 1898 – 1913 Vicar
• Rev. Dr. George F. Weld 1913 – 1933
• Rev. John DeForest Pettus 1933 – 1948
• Rev. Dr. George J. Hall 1948 – 1980
• Rev. Canon Gethin B. Hughes 1980 – 1992 Became Bishop of San Diego
• Rev. Anne S. Howard 1992 – 1993 Interim Rector
• Rev. Kenneth Higginbotham 1993 – 1993 Priest-in-Charge
• Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Odekirk 1993 — 2001
• Rev. Dr. Robert Voyle 2001 – 2002 Interim Rector
• Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Bullock 2002 – April 2012
• Rev. Hank Mitchel May 2012 – July 2012 Priest-in-Charge
• Rev. Dr. J. Robert Honeychurch October 2012 – September 2014
• Rev. Aimée Eyer-Delevett November 2014-Present