Rev. Justin E. Titus

Rev. Justin E. Titus began his role as Pastor of Plymouth in 1929 after the retirement of Rev. Erwood;. Rev. Titus was a graduate of the Morris Pratt Institute (America’s oldest Spiritualist Seminary and College), and served as a Spiritualist Minister, Teacher, and Lecturer around the United States. 

Before arriving in Rochester, he was Pastor of the Spiritualist Science Church, and the Progressive Spiritualist Church of Indianapolis in Indiana, and the Tampa Spiritualist Church in Tampa Florida. At the age of 21 he was appointed Vice-President of Camp Chesterfield, Indiana and later served as President of Camp Etna Maine. He was also a veteran of WWI, which heavily influenced him with a commitment to Anti-War and Pacifist tendencies in his writings. 

Rev. Titus was one of the most educated Spiritualist leaders of Rochester. From his writings, it is evident that he was incredibly familiar with not only the teachings and principles of Modern Spiritualism, but was also highly informed on the subjects of World Religions, English Literature, and Natural Sciences. 

He drew much of his personal spiritual inspiration from Oahspe: A New Bible a book published in 1882 by John Ballou Newbrough that was written through automatic writing. Oahspe is over 900 pages long, and contains incredibly complex non-linear cosmic time cycles, and a detailed cosmic hierarchy of spiritual beings ranging from humans, to inter-dimensional spirits. 

As esoteric as the writing found in Oahspe is, the core messages found in the text are very simple and beautiful, and can be found throughout much of Rev. Titus’s teachings and writings particularly emphasis on ministering angels and spirits, the importance of personal responsibility, and self improvement through prayer, positive thoughts, good works, and vegetarianism. 

Rev. Titus was the author of three books: The Lost Word, Eternal Progression, and Alpha and Omega. He was also the author of several articles in various Spiritualist publications. After several years serving in Rochester, Rev. Titus was called to act as a missionary and traveled the United States lecturing on Spiritualism, and for a period of time he served as Pastor of the World Temple of Light on Sunset Blvd, Hollywood California. 

He later returned to Rochester, NY several times in the 1940s to serve as Pastor of Plymouth Spiritualist Church when a minister was needed. He was the longest recorded serving Pastor in the history of Plymouth Spiritualist Church.