House 10 - 414 N. Highland Avenue

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Open Friday

Homeowner: St. Hilda's of Whitby

St. Hilda's was built in 1939 as a Primitive Baptist church and remained so until the mid-1960's when it was acquired by a Pentecostal Evangelical congregation. In 1979 it was bought by and consecrated to the Anglican Catholic Church.

For those who may not recognize the denomination, the Anglican Catholic Church is an offshoot of the Episcopal Church, a separation that occurred in the 1970's. Currently, this denomination is represented through parishes around the country and maintains a hierarchy of bishoprics.

Father John Roddy, rector of St. Hilda's, has been with the Anglican Catholic Church since early on, but this is his first pastorate. Since the congregation is small, he is able to continue his secular work with the Georgia Department of Education.

Time has not been kind to the church building, and current plans call for some serious reconstruction of the roof support system and exterior walls. Though it is no longer visible, there is a full-immersion baptismal pool located beneath the altar, a remnant of the building's service to the Primitive Baptists.

Of special interest are the ten Stations of the Cross on the walls of the sanctuary. They are hand-painted on metal, possibly done by a local artist, and, as can best be determined, date from the early years when the church was home to the Primitive Baptist congregation. We don't normally associate the Stations of the Cross (there are traditionally 14 of them) with a Baptist denomination, and the four missing pieces are an additional mystery. Still, they are an appropriate inheritance for the current occupants.

In its lifetime, Inman Park has been home to at least eight churches of various denominations. St. Hilda's is upholding the tradition of diversity in the neighborhood.

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