The Destruction of a Beloved New York Choir School Epitomizes the Fall of the Episcopal Church

The dismantling of the St. Thomas Choir School is not simply a governance decision; it is an act of cultural desecration.

It is no secret that the Episcopal Church is in decline — its once-significant cultural influence reduced to a faint echo, its ancient liturgies regarded as quaint relics in a world that no longer values the transcendent. The leadership, distracted for decades by virtue-signaling on fashionable social causes and political correctness, now finds itself teetering on irrelevance. In trading its spiritual heritage for the fleeting concerns of modernity, the church has rendered itself hollow.

Even within this broader decline, St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue’s decision to dismantle its storied choir school — a pillar of Anglican choral excellence for over a century — stands out as a profound misstep. If the Episcopal Church is a sinking ship, St. Thomas was its last lifeboat: dignified and steadfast amidst mediocrity. Yet, in a move ironically branded as “preservation,” the church appears ready to cast that lifeboat overboard.

A Legacy of Grandeur

Founded in 1823, St. Thomas Church was once the epitome of ecclesiastical grandeur in New York City, blending sacred music, solemn liturgy, and a sense of permanence that has all but vanished from modern life. The choir school, established in 1919 by Dr. T. Tertius Noble, embodied this mission by integrating faith, academics, and music to shape young men into stewards of Anglican tradition. Its success owes much to benefactor Charles Steele, whose endowments ensured the school’s excellence and enduring cultural impact.

Yet today, this venerable institution is being undermined by a vestry prioritizing expediency over vision. When questioned about the school’s significance, the wardens, Gregory Zaffiro and Lloyd Stanford, offered little beyond empty platitudes, betraying a lack of reverence for the choir school’s liturgical and cultural contributions.

Dismantling Tradition

The vestry’s plan replaces the choir school’s integrated academic model with a partnership with the secular Professional Children’s School (PCS). Boys will be shuttled across Manhattan for classes, leaving the choir school a mere boarding facility stripped of its academic framework. This decision, cloaked in Orwellian doublespeak, masks the abandonment of the institution’s very purpose. As George Orwell observed, political language often serves to “make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.”

The rationale for this change is riddled with inconsistencies. While fiscal challenges are cited, vestry communications fail to provide detailed financial comparisons between the PCS model and a scaled-back version of the current program. Additionally, despite the rector residing in an $8 million rectory, the vestry has not seriously considered reallocating assets to support the school. Instead, the rector’s wife has been appointed “Interim Director of Transition,” a move emblematic of governance by nepotism.

A Unique and Irreplaceable Institution

St. Thomas Choir School is one of only three such institutions globally, alongside Westminster Abbey Choir School in London and Escolania de Montserrat in Barcelona. These schools uphold a tradition that integrates choral education with faith. Destroying this model at St. Thomas is not merely a loss for Anglicanism but a blow to a centuries-old cultural legacy.

The choir school’s impact extends far beyond its students, influencing the entire parish, visitors, and an international audience inspired by its music. Its methods have set a global standard for choral excellence, attracting choirmasters eager to emulate its approach. In an era increasingly hostile to tradition, this model is more vital than ever.

The Cost of Permanence

Yes, the choir school is costly, but so is anything worth preserving. Its expenses are not frivolous but an investment in cultural and spiritual permanence. Meanwhile, the church has funded significant projects like organ replacement and stained-glass restoration, revealing a selective approach to fiscal responsibility.

Instead of exploring creative solutions, the vestry has chosen the path of least resistance: dismantle the choir school, outsource its academics, and declare the institution “preserved.” This is not stewardship but fiscal cowardice masquerading as pragmatism.

A Call to Action

The dismantling of the St. Thomas Choir School is not just a local tragedy but a symbol of the Episcopal Church’s broader retreat from meaning and purpose. This decision threatens to sever one of the last links to a tradition our culture can neither recreate nor replace.

Preserving the choir school in its entirety is about more than saving a single institution; it is about defending values that affirm beauty, faith, and permanence. Let us not fail in that defense.