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The story of Afton Villa is the story of a succession of people who have owned and loved it through over a century and a half, all of whom have contributed something to its beauty and in turn have left something of themselves – their vision, hopes, sorrows, joys, tragedies.  It is this intermingling of joy and sadness that gives Afton Villa a strange, haunting beauty that the visitor usually feels as he enters the gates and first looks down through the cathedral-like archway of live oaks that line the winding avenue for one-half mile.  It is this quality that endures even though the villa itself was destroyed by fire in 1963 and only the gardens remain.

Welcome to the Home of the Episcopal Church in St. Francisville.  We are a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.  What this means is that we share in the same apostolic succession that started after the death of Christ. We are a member Church of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, The Episcopal Church, and the wider Anglican Communion.  The Anglican Communion comprises over 80 million members in 44 regional and national provinces around the globe. We can trace our origins to the 16th century, and especially to 1570 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Contrary to the other churches of the Reformation, the Church in England has always thought of itself not as a new foundation, or even a new denomination, but rather as a reformed continuation of the ancient "English Church" and a reassertion of that Church's rights.   At Grace Church we want to be a loving congregation seeking to restore all to unity with God and each other in Christ.  We believe in the supremacy of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, in the “Apostles' Creed” as the Baptismal symbol of unity among Christians, and in the “Nicene Creed” as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith. We are a “Sacramental” church, which means that we celebrate the Holy Sacraments of Baptism, Communion, Confession, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, and Anointing of the Sick. Lastly, we are an “Episcopal” church, which means that we follow the spiritual leadership of  the Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana, the Right Reverend Morris K. Thompson.