Father Paul Washington and Church of the Advocate

Father Paul Washington and Church of the Advocate by artist Walter Edmonds is located in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This mural is dedicated to Father Paul Washington who served as Pastor of the Church of the Advocate an Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.

Father Paul Washington (1921-2002) was an Episcopal priest and community activist who contributed greatly to the well-being of society and this community. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended the Avery Institute and subsequently Lincoln University and later graduated from the Philadelphia Divinity School of the Episcopal Church. During his 25 years at the Church of the Advocate, he was recognized as one of the key leaders of the Black Power movement. When there was nowhere else for gatherings to be held, Washington would allow them to meet at the Advocate. He hosted the National Black Power Conference in 1968. The 1970s also marked Washington’s increasing involvement in another area of inequality, the role of women in the Episcopal Church. In 1974, Father Paul participated in the ordination of the first 11 women into priesthood. Although the ordination was highly controversial, this event marked a new era for both the Episcopal Church and the Church of the Advocate.

Originally painted in 1991, the mural was restored by the artist in 2006.