THE HISTORIOGRAPHER of

THE NATIONAL EPISCOPAL HISTORJANS AND ARCIIlVISTS - and

THE IIlSTORJCAL SOCIETY OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH published to promote the preserving

of church records and the writing of parochial and diocesan history

Fall 20 1 2 Vol. L No.4

Editor: Deborah B. Crall, Trinity Cathedral, I 00 West Roosevelt Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 TheHistoriographer@gmail.com

The Early History of the First Order Brothers and Sisters of the

Society of St. Francis

Some fifty Francis­

cans from Europe,

Africa, Asia, the Pa­

cific and the Ameri­

cas gathered in West

Park, New York, for

an international

meeting of the First

and Third Orders of

the Society of St.

Francis (SSF) 111

September 2011. The First Order

The beginnings of the Franciscan life in the American Epis­copal Church date to 1893 when Fr. Lewis Wattson, the rector

Brothers and First Order Sisters (the latter also known as

Some of the First and Third Orders of the Society of St. Francis during their international meeting in West Park, NY, in September 20 1 1 .

., of St. John's Church, K i n g s t o n - o n ­Hudson, felt that he was called to found a community dedi­cated to the Mystery of the Atonement. Sr. Lurana White, a member of the Sis­terhood of the Holy

Photo courtesy the Society of St. Francis.

the Community of St. Francis) live in communities with

a common Rule and Constitution and take the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The members of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis are lay, clergy,

married and single, who follow the Franciscan charism while living singly or in families and pursuing ordinary

careers. One day of the meeting in West Park was de­

voted to an historical pilgrimage to local places in the

Hudson Valley which are linked to the origins of Fran­

ciscan life in the United States.

Child Jesus at Albany, New York, was equally con­vinced that it was her vocation to establish a community of women in the tradition of St. Francis of Assisi. Lu­rana and Lewis together founded the Society of the Atonement in 1898. John Moorman, the great historian of Franciscans in England, attributes much of the great upsurge of interest in St. Francis around 1900 to the 1894 English translation of The Life of St. Francis of

Assisi by Paul Sabatier. People of the time felt attracted to Francis because of increasing concern with the suffer-

Continued on page 4

Tri-History Conference Call for Papers

The Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, the

Episcopal Women's History Project, and the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists announce the 20 13 Tri-History Conference theme, "The Episcopal Church

on the Borderlands," and issue a call for papers or pan­

els that explore those places in the Southwest where different cultures and institutions have met in the Epis­copal Church. Topics such as ethnic expressions of the Episcopal faith, the adaptation of popular religious tra­ditions in the liturgical traditions within the Episcopal Church, the role of military personnel in church plant-

NATIONAL EPISCOPAL HISTORIANS AND ARCHIVISTS

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2

ing, the founding of educational institutions affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and the changing relation­ship of men and women in church leadership are espe­

cially welcomed. Propo�als submitted before 1 Novem­ber 2012 will be given highest priority. Proposals should be sent to Professor Robert W. Prichard

(rprichard@vts.edu): Virginia Theological Seminary, 3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22304. The Tri­History Conference will be held in San Antonio, TX, from Tuesday evening, 11 June 2013 , to Friday morn­ing, 14 June 20 13 .

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Issue

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Obituaries

Thomas F. Winslow

When NEHA member Tom Winslow began researching his family, little did he expect to find he was a lineal

descendant of Revolutionary War veteran, Lemuel Cook. Cook was a member of the 2nd Continental Light

Dragoons, also known as Sheldon's Horse,

commissioned by the Continental Congress on 12 December 1776. On realizing his

link to our nation's founding, he threw himself with a full heart into the re­established Dragoons by become a chaplain in the historical or­ganization that partici­pates in many educa­tional and civic activi­ties.

Those who knew him

would enthusiastically agree that the Ven. Thomas F. Winslow lived life with a full heart. Tom died 23 August 20 12 in Madison, Wisconsin from acute respiratory distress stemming from exposure to debris at ground zero while serving as Chaplain. He was 68.

Married to Peg in 1964 he worked as a Wisconsin State Fair Park patrol officer and later police chief, FBI chap­

lain, recovery counselor, and ordained Episcopal deacon (1983) then priest (2006). Perhaps his biggest achieve­ment was his ongoing successful control over alcohol with more than 33 years without a drink. He was a re­

covering alcoholic.

Winslow was at ground zero in New York City for a week in the fall of 2001 where he worked as an FBI chaplain out of St. Paul's Chapel a block from the

3

World Trade Center site. He suffered respiratory prob­

lems within a week of returning from New York and was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2005 after a CT scan revealed minute bits of glass or other sub­

stances in his lungs. A

lung transplant is the only cure and in 2009 one lung was trans­planted into Winslow.

Along with serving as Chaplain to the Bishop and Archdeacon of the Diocese of Milwau­kee, Fr. Tom was Ar­chivist for Nashotah House Seminary from 2004 until his death. Many NEHA mem­bers will remember him from the visit to

Nashotah House as part of the 2009 Con­ference held at Dekoven Center m

Racine, Wisconsin. Tom spent much time sharing the contents of the Ar­

chives with all who had interest, often going beyond simple requests to provide additional related informa­tion.

Prayers were offered during the 2012 NEHA Annual Meeting in Buffalo. Personal reflections were offered by the Rev. Jerry Carroon and Mr. Matthew P. Payne who

both personally knew Tom for many years. He is sur­

vived by his wife, two daughters, and three grandchil­dren. A funeral was held 4 September 2012 at All Saints' Cathedral, Milwaukee with The Rt. Rev. Steven Miller presiding.

Compiled by Matthew P. Payne with contributions from

the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Society of St. Francis, continued from page I

ings and privations of the poor in the industrialized soci­ety of Europe and America (Moorman 1974 : 112).

Although she was already a Sister, Lurana felt she

needed more formation in Franciscan poverty, so she spent a year in the noviti­

ate with the Sisters of Bethany in London. There

she met and made friends with Sr. Rosina Mary (Rosina Rice), another Sister who had an intense

devotion to St. Francis and

who longed to l ive the •

Franciscan l ife. Sr. Rosina withdrew from the Sisters of Bethany in 1905 to

Sr. Rosina Mary, CSF, the found the Community of founder of the Community ofSt. Francis (CSF) in Lon- St. Francis.

don.

Meanwhile Sr. Lurana returned to America in 1898 and took up residence in a farmhouse in Garrison, New York, known as Graymoor. Two friars moved to the property the following year. Lewis Wattson made his profession in July 1900, taking the name of Fr. Paul James Francis. Mother Lurana was the one with the strong Franciscan vocation and Fr. Paul felt called to promote Church Unity and Reunion with Rome. This drive for Church Unity led Fr. Paul eventually to peti­tion for the Society of the Atonement to be accepted as a body into communion with Rome, and to continue its corporate existence as part of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. The two Friars, five Sisters, and ten Teri­aries (secular Third Order) who composed the Society were received into the Roman Church in October 1909. The continuing legacy of the Society of the Atonement

is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which is widely observed in January of each year.

The loss of the Society of the Atonement to the Roman Catholic Church led directly to the re-founding of the Franciscan l ife within the Episcopal Church. A young Episcopal priest from Merrill Wisconsin, Fr. Claude

4

Crookston, was very interested in the Franciscan life. He spent some time before World War I visiting with the Society of the Divi�e Compassion (SDC) in Eng­land. SDC was the oldest of four Franciscan-inspired religious communities for men that arose in England and India between 1894 and 1930. Fr. Crookston gath­

ered a group of men and women beginning in 1908 to pray for a Franciscan order in the Episcopal Church. They eventually discovered that it was they themselves who were called to re-found the Franciscans.

In 1917 in Cincinnati, Ohio, twenty of those who had

been praying for a Franciscan Order adopted a Rule of Life and so became a Third Order. Membership of the First and Second Order (Poor Clares) was later to be drawn from these first Teriaries. Fr. Crookston, taking the religious name of Joseph, received training in the novitiate from the Society of St. John the Evangelist and officially began the Order of Poor Brethren of St. Fran­cis (OSF) on Holy Cross Day (14 September) 1919. The Brothers were very monastic, taking their inspiration from the Roman Catholic Conventual Friars. Fr. Joseph was a great missionary preacher and a noted liturgist who worked for many years on a Breviary for the Epis­copal Church. His vision for the Order was clear: to en­courage vocations to the priesthood and to nurture priests in their life and ministry. For the first years, the Order ran a parish in Merrill, but in 1928 the Brothers moved to Mount Sinai, New York, and established Lit­tle Portion Friary.

In 1910 the news reached England that the Society of the Atonement had been received into the Roman Catholic Church. Upon receiving this news, Mother Rosina Mary was faced with a major decision. She had been agonizing over the words at the beginning of St. Francis' First Rule of the Friars Minor in which he

promised obedience to the Pope. In the end she felt she must a lso submit to Roman obedience. Mother Rosina was in communication with Mother Lurana and in No­

vember 1910 Rosina and five other Sisters of the Com­munity of St. Francis sailed for America, passage paid for by Mother Lurana. They intended to join the Society of the Atonement but the Roman Catholic authorities

felt that these newcomers needed firm grounding in a

Continued on page 5

Society of St. Francis, continued from page 4

more established Roman community and they were sentto the nearby Francisc!n Missionary Sisters of the Sa­

cred Heart at Peekskill for their novitiate training. In the

end, Mother Rosina Mary and Sr. Mary Claudia stayed with the Sisters at Peekskill.

The loss of Mary Rosina and the other five Sisters left only three Sisters back in London with CSF. It was a

time of great poverty and difficulty, but they continued

faithfully in their prayer, ministry and community life under Mother Helen Elizabeth. Their ministry focused on parish work, especially pastoral visiting of the sick and dying. They did laundry work in order to support the community financially. In 1920 CSF began a nurs­ing home for women. During the Great Depression, the Sisters carried on a ministry to the "down and outs" -providing food, clothing, a place to rest, and occasion­ally work to the men who traveled through London. In 1962 the Sisters left London for the little Somerset vil­lage of Compton Durville where they added retreat and hospitality ministry to their nursing home work.

In 193 7 the first of several mergers of Franciscan men's communities in England created the Society of St. Fran­cis. The roots of SSF were in the Society of the Divine Compassion (SDC), the community Fr. Joseph had vis­ited, and also the Christa Prema Seva Sangha, a Chris­tian ashram founded in Poona, India, in 1922 as a com­munity of English and Indian men dedicated to the ser­vice of the Lord in the stark simplicity of the poor. An

Englishman who was part of this latter community, Fr. Algy Robertson, was forced to return to England be­cause of his health and there he founded the Brother­hood of the Love of Christ, using the Rule of the Christa Prema Seva Sangha. Fr. Giles Dawson, a member of SDC, was involved in the founding of the Brotherhood of St. Francis of Assisi in 1921, along with Br. Douglas Downs.

It was the merger of the Brotherhood of the Love of Christ and the Brotherhood of St. Francis of Assisi that began the great coming together of various Franciscan

visions. Under Robertson and Downs, S SF became very involved in ministry with the poor, especially to the

"wayfarers," jobless men wandering the roads of Eng­land during the Depression. In 1963 the remaining

5

members of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross (founded in 1924) joined S SF and in 1964 the Commu­

nity of St. Francis was brought under the umbrella as

well, becoming the Sisters of the First Order of the Soci­ety of St. Francis.

Fr. Joseph, OSF, the founder of the American branch

of the Society of

In the early 1960s Fr. Joseph's Order of Poor Brethren of St. Francis began formal negotia­tions regarding a merger and in 1967 OSF joined with the English Society of St. Francis. With this amalgamation of the English and American Franciscan communities and a new constitution in 1973, the world-wide S SF came into being. The merger brought more changes to the American Franciscans

St. Francis Brothers. than to the Brothers in England (and the Pacific). The monastic version of the

Franciscan life so dear to Fr. Joseph's heart largely gave way to the dynamic involvement in compassionate min­istry with the poor and advocacy for social justice which characterized the English Franciscans. The American Brothers had had a taste of work among the poor and deprived after World War II when they ran a Sunday School for African American farm laborers. Although Little Portion Friary has remained as a retreat and hospi­

tality ministry, the other houses of the SSF Brothers in America have mostly been smaller and focused on ur­ban ministry. Currently they also have houses in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The merger of OSF and S SF offered the Sisters of the Community of St. Francis the opportunity to expand

their work to the United States. In 1974 four Sisters from Somerset arrived in San Francisco, California, to

found St. Francis House. The life of the Brothers and Sisters of S SF in the Episcopal Church since the 1970s

has been a very Franciscan attempt to live a life of

Continued on page 6

St. Mary's Cathedral :

A Histo ry of Hea ling Ministry

When University of Tennessee medical resident Carlos

Reyes Sacin left Memphis, Tennessee, in August 2009 for a stint at Maseno Anglican Hospital near Lake Victoria in Kenya, it was the .. beginning of a 9000-mile journey. It was also a waypoint in a 150-year rela­

tionship which St. Mary's Cathedral has had with Memphis Medical Center. Its beginning can be traced to the work of Dr. Charles Todd Quintard, a New York-trained physician who came to Memphis in 1851 to join the faculty of Memphis Medical College. His study of public health was recognized nation­ally, and his knowledge of infectious diseases, physiology, and pathology was advanced for that time.

cian and as a chaplain. Among his many sad duties was conducting the first of two burial services for his friend,

Bishop ·�nd General Leonidas Polk. Dr.

Quintard returned to his home in Nash­

ville after the war and in September

1865 was elected bishop of Tennessee,

thus filling the position left vacant by Bishop Otey's death two years earlier.

Also called to priesthood, Dr. Quintard was ordained in January 1856. He had studied privately with Bishop James Hervey Otey, his friend and mentor, who was then residing in Memphis.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Charles Todd Quintard. Photo courtesy Project

Canterbury, http://

St. Mary's Church was built in 1857 on

the then-outskirts of Memphis and was consecrated by Bishop Otey on the Feast of the Ascension in 185 8 as a

"house of prayer for all people." On 1 January 1871, it became the cathedral church for the diocese, affirming Bishop Quintard's request to make it his see church. While devoting himself to rebuilding his war-shattered diocese, the bishop was also alert to the health care needs of the community and sup­ported the cathedral's dean, William Klein, in building a small hospital to

angl i canhistory. org/usa/ ctquintard/

Although a Connecticut native, Dr. Quintard served in

the Confederate Medical Department both as a physi-

serve the poor. Located near the site of the present medical center, St. Mary's Cottage Hospital began with

Continued on page 7

Society of St. Francis, continued from pages

prayer and contemplation while being actively engaged with the needs of the world according to the mandate of the Gospel. Over the years they have been involved with a variety of ministries: parish work, mission preaching,

chaplaincy to hospitals, prisons and seafarers; counsel­ing, nursing, and healing ministries; teaching, preaching

and retreat work; work with homeless and hungry peo­ple, immigrants, refugees and People with AlDS.

The early history of SSF weaves back and forth across

the Atlantic between the United States and England and the 30 years of mergers have provided links among S SF

Brothers and Sisters around the world which have proved to be enormously enriching. First Order Sisters

are currently in the United States, England, Wales and Korea and Brothers in the United States, Brazil, Eng-

6

land, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and Korea.

Sources:

Pamela Clare Magers, CSF csjsfo@aol.com

Anson, Peter F. The Call of the Cloister (Second Re­vised Edition). London: S.P.C.K., 1955.

Dunstan, Peta. This Poor Sort: A History of the Euro­pean Province of the Society of St. Francis . London: Darton, Longman and Todd, Ltd., 1997.

Mother Elizabeth, CSF. A Corn of Wheat: The Life and History of The Community of St. Francis . Oxford: Becket Publications, 1981.

Moorman, John. The Franciscans in England. London: Mowbrays, 1974.

St. Mary's Cathedral, continued from page 6

eight beds in a private home and was soon replaced with a new facility that included 28 beds and a staff of four

doctors. Although it closed a few years later because of

economic constraints, the cathedral's commitment to the physical as well as spiritual well-being of the city has been an important part of its ministry .

No part of St. Mary's history stands as a greater testi­mony to its healing ministry than the courageous service

provided by the sisters of the Community of St . Mary and the cathedral's clergy during the yellow fever epi­demic of 1873 and the horrific epidemic of 1878 . Through his friendship with the order's mother superior, Bishop Quintard sought to establish a branch of the or­der at St. Mary's that would organize a girls' school and also manage the Church Home for Orphans. The first group of sisters had just arrived in the sweltering August heat of 1873 when they were confronted with the news that yellow fever was epidemic in Memphis. The bishop's house had been given to the sisters for their residence. They quickly organized a soup kitchen and also provided nursing care and spiritual ministry during that epidemic . Thankfully, the sisters survived and with hard work opened St. Mary's School for Girls later that fall.

In August 1878, yellow fever struck Mem­

phis and the Mississippi Valley with a force and vengeance not previously experienced

in the south. Its virulence would claim more than 5, 100 Memphians, including large numbers of clergy and religious of all faiths. Led by the cathedral's dean, George C. Harris, the sisters again provided food, nursing care, and spiritual ministry to the sick and dying. The care of more than 100

orphans in two locations taxed their re­sources, and more sisters came from New York.

Mark's Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, asking for help . A priest and medical doctor who had acquired im­munity to yellow fever, Dr. Dalzell went immediately to

St. Mary's . He was joined by the young volunteer priest, Louis Sanford Schuyler, from Holy Innocents in Hobo­ken, New Jersey, and by Dr . Willard Birney Huson,

priest and doctor from Marianna, Florida .

As the epidemic raged, it claimed the lives of Sisters Constance (superior of the Memphis house), Thecla,

Ruth, and Frances as well as that of Mr. Schuyler . Among the courageous nurses and doctors who gave

their lives serving others in the stricken city was Dr . Paul H. Otey, oldest son of Bishop Otey, who died 29 September. Although seriously ill, Dean Harris and Sis­ter Hughetta survived. The heroism of those who will­ingly gave their lives to minister to a suffering city is honored by the Episcopal Church in the 9 September observance of Constance and Her Companions, the Martyrs of Memphis.

Following Bishop Quintard as bishop of Tennessee was his son in the faith, Thomas Frank

After Dean Harris fell seriously ill, the Rev. �

Charles Carroll Parsons assumed all clergy duties. He, however, died on 6 September . Bishop Quintard sent an urgent telegram to the Rev. W. T. D. Dalzell, rector of St.

St. Mary's Cathedral, ca. 1 908. Courtesy St. Mary's Cathedral - Memphis Photostream.

www.flickr.com/photos/stmarysmemphis/

Gailor, a man of great vision and leadership ability. In 1898, he began planning for a great cathedral that would be wor­thy of his diocese and the city of Memphis . It took more than a quar­ter of a century to complete the pre­sent building .

With many bish­ops from around the country in at­tendance , S t . Mary's Cathedral

Continued on page 8

7

St. Mary's Cathedral, continued from page 7

was consecrated on 19 January 1926. Bishop Gailor not

only served for many years as the elected leader of Ten­nessee Episcopalians, but was equally committed to the well-being of Memphis. In 1954, in recognition of his

community leadership, the city's first public psychiatric facility was named Gailor Memorial Hospital. A stone plaque in front of the building describes him as the "First Citizen of Tennessee, whose love of his fellow man made him the Bishop of all races and all creeds."

St. Mary's Cathedral is located in the city's medical center, bounded by the Regional Medical Center, the University of Tennes­see Health Science Cen­ter, LeBonheur Children's Hospital, and world­

renowned St. Jude Chil­dren's Research Hospital. With the diocesan office located next door to the

of Dr. Gerry Hardison, then the medical director of the

Anglican hospital in Maseno, Kenya. Dr. Hardison's wife Nan was head of the Anglican seminary in Maseno. Out of this cdngruence a new chapter in the

relationship between St. Mary's and the Medical Center

was born.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center has had a longstanding interest in global medicine, but there had never been a program enabling internal medicine and medicine-pediatric residents to spend a formal rota­

cathedral, West Tennes­see's present bishop, Don E. Johnson, recognized the importance of St. Mary's outreach mm1stry to this large medical com­munity and suggested to Dean William "Andy"

The Maseno School Nursing Inauguration ceremony in June 20 1 2.

tion m their post­graduate training in an overseas medical envi­ronment operating with limited resources. A St. Mary's Cathedral Fund for Global Medi­cine was established at the university. Believ­ing that the Anglican Hospital at Maseno appeared to be the per­fect place for this post­graduate rotation, Dr. Steinhauer spent a month in service at the hospital. Photo courtesy St. Mary's Cathedral.

Andrews that cathedral representatives meet with mem­bers of the Medical Center to consider collaborative projects.

In their discussions, it became clear that the university needed a setting in which to introduce its house officers to global medicine as practiced in those countries with limited personnel and resources. And here the Holy Spirit intervened. A former University of Tennessee medical student, Dr. Christianna Russ, working at Bos­

ton's Children's Hospital, had recently returned to Bos­ton from a missionary stint in Africa. Dr. Bruce Stein­

hauer, a member of the cathedral and university faculty member, was in Boston for a medical meeting. They met at an evening service at Trinity Church Copley

Square. In their lengthy conversation, Dr. Steinhauer mentioned that he had been a medical school classmate

8

Maseno is a rural community east of Lake Victoria, ru­ral in the African sense that it is agricultural. While the equator divides Maseno in half, it has a pleasant climate due to its high altitude. A startling percentage of the population is Anglican, the result of 100 years of vigor­ous evangelism.

The Maseno Anglican Hospital is composed of a series of single-story structures separating male, female, ob­

stetrical, and pediatric patients. The grounds are shared

with a few cattle, which supply milk for the patients, and a healthy population of chickens. Roofs of the hos­pital buildings are shared with legions of monkeys. Electricity is intermittent, and the water supply is vari­able. While most of the hospitals in Memphis have de­nominational sponsors, the University of Tennessee

medical residents in Maseno observed, to their surprise,

Continued on page 9

St. Mary's Cathedral, continued from page 8

that at an Anglican hospital in Africa, the nurses come

to work early so they can assemble for prayers before beginning their shifts . There are no "private" rooms, and

call buttons are not needed-patients and staff are quite visible for the length of each ward.

The pioneering residents who

initiated this program came back with changed minds and

hearts . Part of this was due to the charismatic and medically knowledgeable Dr . Hardison . The rest came from the

warmth, the acceptance, and the gratitude they received from the myriad Kenyans who came to the hospital. The residents were especially moved by their weekend vis­its to the parishes which, on a rotating basis, have orphan clinics typical Anglican parish in Maseno has more orphans than a Memphis parish has members.) The children line up on Saturdays for games, education, meals, and medi­cal care--partly provided by the residents from Mem­phis and by others drawn to this place. The program has added greatly to the intellectual resources of the Mem­phis residents who return with an enhanced ability to solve clinical problems without expensive equipment . All bring back stories and clinical accounts that capti­vate their fellow trainees and their faculty .

needed services to the children of St . Vincent's Center

for Handicapped Children. This ministry has been of even greater importance since the devastating earth­

quake of 12 January 20 10, that leveled much of Port-au­Prince, including St. Vincent's . Returning from an early

20 12 spring trip to

Haiti, Dr . Susan Nelson wrote about attending Sunday worship in an open­

air pavilion next to the ruins of Holy

Cathedral. choir sang

"Blessed Assur-

Pictured top, the Maseno Anglican Hospital. Bottom, an interior scene of the Maseno Anglican Hospital. Photos courtesy St.

Mary's Cathedral St. Mary's continues on its path of global healing minis-'-----------------------�

try through regular medical trips to Haiti . St. Mary's and other Memphis churches organized the West Tennessee

Haiti Partnership in 2005. They are joined by Episcopa­lians and other Christians in providing health care and

Dr. Susan Nel­son with chil­dren at St. Vin­cent's School for

Handicapped Children, Port­au-Prince, Haiti.

-�� Photo courtesyi-: Susan Nelson.

9

ance" in French, she had visual evidence that even in the

midst of great destruction, God is faithful and cares for "the least of these." She is one of several University of Tennessee Health Science Center faculty members who

are active in the life and outreach of St . Mary's Cathe­dral, upholding the medical tradition begun some 150 years ago under the Rt . Rev. Dr. Charles Todd Quintard.

Patricia LaPointe McFarland (pamcfarland@bellsouth.net), archivist and historian for the Diocese of West Tennessee. Dr. Bruce W Steinhauer provided the information on the Univer­sity of Tennessee global ministry work in Maseno, Kenya, and Dr. Susan C Nelson contributed information on work in Haiti.

The Sto ry of the Community of St. Mary

In 1962 twenty-two girls graduated from St. Mary's School in Peekskill, New York, an Episcopal boarding

school under the direction of the Sisters of St. Mary, an

Anglican/Episcopal religious order. I was one of the twenty-two graduates. I always loved the beautiful old school buildings, as I am an artist, and in preparation for our 50th reunion in 2012 began doing re­search on their history and on the history of the school. As a teen­age girl I had little in­terest in either. Soon I discovered the most interesting part of the history, for me, was the story of the sisters. Not only had some been my teachers, but at one time or another social workers, nurses, mar­tyrs, missionaries, and prisoners of war. They were the first formally instituted Episcopal religious -order in the United States, founded in 1865, 147 years ago, and are still in existence today.

Founding

In the early 1800s the Episcopal Church of the United States of America gained its first bishops, giving it a structure similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church. For this reason, among others, the Church was regarded with suspicion in the still-Puritan environment, and viewed as being too "Romish." When Dr. Augustus Muhlenberg, Rector of the Church of the Holy Com­munion in Manhattan, set out to found the Church's first religious order, he was careful to say the sisterhood would be different from Catholic orders, and would not

require irrevocable vows. Nonetheless, the order was often misunderstood, to the point of persecution. The resulting group, precursor of the Sisters of St. Mary and

never formally instituted, was called the Sisters of the Holy Communion. Among them was Harriet Starr Can­non, later first Mother Superior of the Sisters of St. Mary. These sisters taught in parish schools in Manhat-

1 0

tan, visited the poor and nursed the sick during recurrent cholera and smallpox epidemics.

In 1857 the Sisters of the Holy Communion were asked

to take over management of St. Luke's Hospital in Man­hattan. There was internal discord however, resulting in four sisters, including Harriet Starr Cannon, leaving the

Sisters of the Holy Communion in 1863. That year the departed sisters were asked to take over management of the House of Mercy, established in 1855 "for the reception and refor­mation of destitute women who may wish to abandon a vicious course of life."(Sr. Mary Hilary, CSM, Ten Decades) Through­out their early history

the sisters went places and did things women "just did not do" at the time.

The four sisters asked the Bishop of New York, Horatio Potter, for permission to organize a new sisterhood. Be­cause of Protestant prejudice against the Roman Catho­lic Church and negative views of its religious orders, no Anglican bishop had dared, since Henry VIII dissolved the English monasteries in the sixteenth century, to in­stitute a new religious order. Bishop Potter dared. As the Civil War was ending in 1865, five sisters professed their vows to him in a discreet ceremony at St. Mi­chael's Church, Manhattan. He chose St. Mary as their patroness.

Under the guidance of Bishop Potter the first Rule of the Order was drawn up. It contained "the provisions neces­sary for carrying the design of the incorporation into

effect...its form of government...its mode of transacting business, its property, and the general regulation of af­

fairs." (Dix, Harriet Starr Cannon) Sister Harriet was elected Superior; she remained so until her death in 1896, over 30 years later. During these years 91 sisters

professed. Continued on page 11

The Story of the Community of St. Mary, continued/ram page JO

From the beginning these "Romanist" nuns came under suspicion. They were "forced" to pray five times a day,

kill, New York, on the Hudson River. The sisters named it Mount St. Gabriel. A clapboard farmhouse was used

as the boarding and classroom facility for St. Gabriel's School for Girls; another building housed the sisters.

and were possibly held against their will.

Their formal-looking attire, with starched coif and scapular, dark veil and floor length tunic, contributed to the perception of re­striction and Roman­ism. As late as 1887 they were declared "white, female slaves in this land of free­dom,'' by the Ameri­can Protective Asso-ciation.

Above, Interior of St. Scholastica's Chapel, the private chapel of the Sis­ters in Peekskill, NY. Below, the exit to the chapel, framed by murals

painted by Sr. Mary Veronica. Photos courtesy Starr Helms.

A three-story wood convent, designed by H u g h C o n g d o n , known for his elegant townhouses and build­ings, was completed in 1876. In 1890 a mo­nastic church, and in 1903 a three-story convent, both made of

In 1866 Morgan Dix, Rector of Trinity Church, New York, and a supporter of the Anglo-Catholic �

movement, was named Chaplain of the Order. Dr. Dix revised the Rule, basing it on a Book of Hours he had compiled, Holy Scripture and the Holy Rule of St. Benedict. The Book of Hours was as­sessed by the Church Journal as "a Jes­uit device, to put into the hands of our Romanizing ritualists, a formula of de­votion which shall foster and feed the

taste for Litanies and Liturgies," "mawkish and idolatrous,'' with "half disguised Romanism," and "nauseating allusions to the Virgin Mary" (Gleeson, The Rule of the Community of St. Mary).

The First School

In 1868 the sisters were asked to take over management of the 18 students at Hobart Hall, a school for girls in

Manhattan. A building was rented and St. Mary's School was opened. This was first of many schools, all maintaining impressively high academic standards.

In 1873 thirty acres of property were acquired at Peeks-

1 1

granite blocks quarried on Mt. St, Gabriel, were completed. The convent contained St. Scholas-tica's Chapel, the sisters' private chapel. Only after the convent build­ing was sold did the outside world, including former students, see its beautiful murals, exquisitely painted by Sister Mary Veronica. In 1906 a

granite priest's house was built.

Nurses and Martyrs

At the request of the second Bishop of Tennessee, Charles Todd Quintard, in 1873 three of the sisters took over an orphanage in Memphis, Tennes­see. Within the year they had founded

a second girls' school. When yellow fever struck the same year, the sisters nursed yellow fever patients. Two thousand people died during the epidemic.

By 1876 the sisters were working in seven houses, St. Gabriel's School, St. 'Mary's School and the Cl1urch

Home in Memphis; in Manhattan, St. Mary's School; the House of Mercy, St. Mary's Hospital and Trinity Infirmary. There were six new houses by 1896: Kemper

Continued on page 12

The Story of the Community of St. Mary, continued/ram page JI

Hall, Kenosha, Wisconsin; St. Mary's Home, Chicago; the Cathedral Mission House, Chicago; Trinity Mission

House, Manhattan; Laura Franklin Hospital, Manhattan

and St. Mary's-on-the-Mountain, Sewanee, Tennessee

In 1878 the sisters were called into service again as a second yellow fever epidemic struck Memphis. In one

day alone 200 people died; in all, the epidemic claimed the lives of 5, 150 people, including four sisters working

as nurses: Sisters Constance, Thecla, Ruth and Frances. Events like these gradually brought the sisterhood to a

place of high regard by the public.

Teaching Social Workers; Missionary Prisoners of

War

St. Mary's-on-the-Mountain was established in 1888,

near Sewanee, Tennessee. There, the sisters continued

their focus on the education of women, opening the school with 20 "mountain girls" as boarding students, tuition and board $50 a year. The girls were taught "reading, writing, homemaking and Christian doctrine." In 1903 the sisters began teaching the mountain men. In 1940 the government stepped in; with the arrival of the public school system, St. Mary's-on-the-Mountain be­came a school for the daughters of University of the South faculty.

The sisters had begun missionary work in 1916 with the headhunting

lishing a branch house in Malawi, Africa.

The School at Peekskill Grows

In 1909 a new home for the school in Peekskill was be­gun. In 1910 St. Mary's School in Manhattan was com­

bined with St. Gabriel's to become St. Mary's School, Peekskill. The new school building was a large gothic quadrangle, designed by the architect Ralph Adams Cram. Cram was the chief American proponent of

Gothic Revival architecture, particularly Collegiate

Gothic. Among the hundreds of buildings he designed were St. John the Divine Cathedral (the completion) and St. Thomas Church in New York City; All Saint's

Chapel at the University of the South in Sewanee, Ten­nessee; and multiple buildings at Princeton, West Point and Sweet Briar College. The main St. Mary's School building is considered a noteworthy example of the Gothic Revival style.

In 1920 a wing was added to the school. It extended out­side the quadrangle and contained a gymnasium and space for a swimming pool. This addition was designed by another well-known architect of the time, the sky­scraper pioneer, Cass Gilbert. It was Gilbert who was architect of the Woolworth Building in New York City, "The tallest building in the world" in its day. The build-

Igorots in the Philip­pines. During World War II three sisters were held in a Japanese internment camp from 1942 until 1945. The lack of food and conditions of the

camp were appalling; it was a miracle none died. One sister weighed 85 pounds when released; undeterred, the sisters reestablished the house. In 2002 they were mis­

sionaries again, estab- A panoramic view of St. Mary's School and Convent.

1 2 Continued on page 13

The Story of the Community of St. Mary, continued/ram page 12

mg program which Detailshad begun m 1909 from St.

was completed m Scholas-

1963, with the addi-tica's

Chapel tion of the swimming paint-

pool. ings. Photo

The Mission Evolves Starr Helms.

By 1900 there were 74 sisters scattered across the country in 12 houses. Today there are five houses. As public wel­fare agencies in the twentieth century assumed responsi­bility for the poor and government regulations became increasingly restrictive, the Community changed its fo­cus. It continued with the mission of education, and es­tablished a number of retreat houses to serve the needs of the "spiritually impoverished." (Ten Decades of

Praise, by Sister Mary Hilary, CSM) "Our sisters in the sixties and seventies ... read the sign of the times that the next great need of Church and society would be less the institutional works which had defined their founding ethos, and more Christian spirituality and the primary place of Jesus Christ in both private and corporate lives. They believed that the countercultural monastic witness

the community was being called to in the next century" would allow them to share "the transformative relation­ship with Christ they knew as women given wholly to God." (www.stmaryseast.org)

With the societal changes of the 1970s school enroll­ments for all-boys and for all-girls schools declined; operating expenses did not. Accepting boys at St. Mary's School, Peekskill in the early 1970s had little

effect on its reduced enrollment. Consequently, in 1977 it was closed by the Episcopal Church, as was its

"brother" school, St. Peter's.

In the early 1980s financial considerations resulted in the sale of the school and convent properties to housing developers. The Chaplain's house was sold as well and

· is now a private home. After the properties were sold, application was begun for the Historic Register pro­gram. However, according to Mother Miriam, present

Mother Superior of the Eastern Province, the final pa-

1 3

perwork was never completed; "It would have made the expense for upkeep astronomical with little benefit ei­ther financially or for marketing the homes." It was found that it would cost over $250,000 just to move St. Scholastica's Chapel paintings.

In 2004 the Community moved to its current location in Greenwich, New York. Along with the convent and a new St. Mary's Chapel, the property is home to Christ the King Spiritual Life Center. The Center offers adult lodging and conference facilities, a nationally known healing prayer ministry, a theological library, a youth camp and a nature preserve. "Community life in the convent at Greenwich provides a stable Benedictine bal­ance of worship, study and work, out of which the sis­ters can live the consecrated monastic life ... Sisters reach out from within this stability, first to mission and minis­try at Christ the King Center and the Diocese of Albany, and then to the Anglican Church and the larger world." (www.stmaryseast.org)

I am thankful my life has been touched by these coura­geous, compassionate women and that, in some small way, the Class of 1962 is a part of their story.

Sources

Starr Helms

starrhelms@me. com

Sister Mary Hilary, CSM, Ten Decades of Praise.

Morgan Dix, Harriet Starr Cannon, Project Canterbury.

Terence Gleeson, The Rule of the Community of St. Mary: A Study in Development, anglicanhistory.org

www.stmaryseast.org

Historiographer and Archivist Reports

In an attempt to keep one another apprised of the work of historians and archivists from around the church, we asked

diocesan historiographers and archivists to begin submitting their reports to their diocesan conventions to The Histo­riographer. The following are the reports received

Diocese of Maryland 2012

The Archives The F . Garner Ranney Archives of the Diocese of Mary­

land plays a vital part in the mission of the diocese. We

must insure the continuation of this essential ministry, not only by using it, but by supporting it. Volunteers are

always welcome, as are donations to the Ranney Ar­chives Fund. One hundred percent of all donations go directly into the fund, and are used to keep the Archives open and functioning as the guardian of the long and unique h istory of this diocese . Checks may be made

payable to the "Diocese of Maryland" with "Archives"

in the memo line. Any and all donations are happily and gratefully accepted

Again in 20 1 1, volunteers donated many hours of their time and expertise to sustain the Archives . The Rev. Lance Gifford is a weekly volunteer, giving nearly 90 hours of his time to transcribe many of the 19th century letters of Bp . William Whittingham, as well as complete other archival duties. William Hardisky completed his h igh-school internship from Dulaney High School, con­tributing several far-reaching finding aids, while orga­nizing at least three large collections . Sarah Bomgardner also gave several hours of her time helping in the Ar­chives.

Because the Archives is the official depository of dioce­

san records, many and varied researchers continue to

avail themselves of the outstanding assets available to them. Topics of research are as different as the research­ers themselves, including parish histories, individuals, letters, Colonial music, places of interest, families,

buildings, and sacramental records, to name a few. There is never a charge for research done by the Archi­vist, and documents may be scanned and sent by email -a real bargain for researchers ! Diocesan staff members

continue to increase the number of research requests sent to the Archives, demonstrating the unambiguous

need for a well-func-tioning, professional repository.

The Archivist is always available to parishes, clergy and

14

lay persons to help set up or organize archives, assist in

historical research, plan workshops, write articles or deliver historical presentations .

Thanks go to our friends and supporters who help sus­

tain the Archives . You are sincerely appreciated ! Please join forces with others who are committed to the future

of the Archives, because not only will you help docu­ment the past, you will help secure the future.

Submitted by:

Mary 0. Klein, Archivist

The Historiographer

As my parish responsibilities at Immanuel Church, Glencoe, have lessened I turn now to the task of re­searching, writing and publishing a history of our dio­cese . My sources will be current parish histories and files, the extraordinary Garner Ranney Archives housed at the Cathedral of the Incarnation and Diocesan Center, and personal memo-ries . I have been in Maryland since my ordination in 1956, and I have recruited a company of other "Gray Shepherds" to assist me.

I hope to produce a history that is more than just a chronicle of names and dates, but rather insights into how we came to be and where God may be leading our

reformed catholic church . My goal is to be accurate, relevant and interesting.

This year I have visited 12 parishes in Baltimore, Poplar Springs, Silver Spring, Sykes-ville, Odenton and else­where, often conducting seminars as we discuss why a congre-gation came to be, how it's doing, and what its mission is to be.

I am happy to help other parish archivists, clergy and search committees; I can be reached at 4 10-825-8744

and at pksmi@comcast.net.

Submitted by:

The Rev. Kingsley Smith, Diocesan Historiographer

General Convention Report: 2012

The Episcopal Church historical societies had an excel­lent presence at General Convention 2012 in Indianapo­lis. Working cooperatively the Episcopal Women's His­tory Project (EWHP), the National Episcopal Historians

and Archivists (NEHA) and the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church (HSEC) presented a combined front

to raise awareness of the three organizations working to preserve and share the history of our Episcopal church.

There was also good conversation and crossover with the Archives of the Episcopal Church.

Materials

The booth was stocked with a surplus of recent AEH Journals, EWHP newsletters, a display from the African American Episcopal Historical Collection at the Bishop Payne Library at Virginia Theological Seminary, copies of the Historiographer, membership brochures, flyers for NEHA booklets and Conference brochure, a number of parish and diocesan histories as examples and a num­ber of archival catalogs.

Engagement

When someone paused so eye contact was made, this was a sign they wanted to interact. We offered our hand,

introduced our self, asked them who they were and where they were from, then asked "Has your church ever written it's history?" and let them talk. This usually provided enough material to make a connection to one of the organizations. A prepared packet of materials were bund led together and given to take with them. If someone appeared to have interest, we gave them a free

1 5

copy of AEH. Each interaction was a full conversation that took four, five or sometimes even ten minutes. We kept track and there were over 400 of these interactions.

Video Vignettes

A camera was used to take video if folks were willing to tell us one story about their church history, and quite a few did ! These will be processed to create a Video Vi­gnette section on the NEHA website posting these inter­esting stories

Engagement-Youth, House of Deputies & Seminary

Row

NEHA Board Members gave a presentation m the Youth Hospitality Suite to a group of 20 young people, most of whom stopped by the booth later with more questions. One afternoon as folks entered the House of Deputies they heard the clarion call 'Enjoy Church His­tory. Read a free newsletter !' and got a free Historiog­

rapher. A sojourn through seminary row included dis­tributing a good supply of free AEH journals (students love free stuff) and the Historiographer (conveniently stuffed with membership information).

Thank You Volunteers

A number of volunteers gave of their time to staff the booth so a living, breathing human was present at al­most all times while the exhibit hall was open. Thanks to Matthew Payne and Gillian Payne (Diocese of Fond du Lac), Susan Stonesifer (Diocese of Washington), Jim Lenz (Diocese of Chicago), Tom Mason (Diocese of Indianapolis), Jim Bishop (Diocese of Indianapolis),

Chris Agnew (Diocese of Virginia), Matilda Dunn (Diocese of East Tennessee) and Susan Johnson (HSEC Administrator).

Planning for 2015

As we look toward General Convention 2015 in Utah, we will build on 2012. Maybe we could engage re­enactors and have more freebie giveaways (stickers, buttons, post-it notepags, pencils, etc.). We can be proud

to have taken the opportunity to raise awareness of the historical societies of the Episcopal Church.

Matthew P. Payne, NEHA Websexton

2012 Annual Membership Meeting :

Historical Society o f the Episcopal Church

The Rev . Dr . Robert Prichard, President of the Histori­

cal Society of the Episcopal Church (HSEC) convened

the annual membership meeting Tuesday evening 3 July

2012 at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis, Indi­ana . HSEC Secretary, Dr . J. Michael Utzinger, reported 724 subscriptions to Anglican and Episcopal History

(AEH), 520 individual members in the Society, and 101

proxy votes received for the meeting.

On behalf of the Nominations Committee, Secretary Utzinger presented the following slate of officers to serve for the next year: the Rev. Dr . Robert W . Prichard (President), the Rev. Dr . Marilyn McCord Adams (1st

Vice President), Dr . J. Michael Utzinger (Secretary); and Mr . George Defilippi (Treasurer) . Two new mem­bers were nominated to the Historical Society's Board of Directors : Dr. Louisa E . Bonillas, professor at Mesa Community College (AZ) and Rev . Robyn Neville, re­cently appointed at the General Theological Seminary (NY). The Committee also nominated current board member Dr . Norman Jones, professor of history at Utah

State University for reappointment . The members unani­

mously elected both th� slate of officers and the nomi­nated board members .

Dr . Edward Bond announced Jacob M. Blosser, Assis­

tant Professor of History at Texas Women's College in

Denton, Texas, as the recipient of the Nelson R. Burr Prize for his article "John Tillotson's Latitudinarian Legacy: Orthodoxy, Heterodoxy, and the Pursuit of Happiness,'' which appeared in the June 201 1 issue of AEH.

The Rev. Dr. Matilda Dunn presented the Episcopal Women's History Project's Adelaide Teague Case A ward to Dr. Joan Gundersen.

The Rev. Dr. Gardiner H . Shattuck, Jr . addressed the Society with a paper entitled "This Great Day of Suffer­ing" at the society's banquet dinner .

Respectfully submitted,

J. Michael Utzinger, Secretary

2012 Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors :

Historical Society of the Episcopal Church

The Rev. Dr. Prichard called the meeting to order, on Tuesday, 3 July 2012 at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Center Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, and introduced the Rev. Dr . Dunn, who led an opening prayer .

The Rev. Dr. Prichard presented the HSEC Treasurer's

Report made in absentia by Mr. Defilippi . As of the meeting Mr . DeFilippi projected a surplus of about $81,565.96 for 2012, with $ 19,012.14 of income per

quarter coming from the endowment . The most recent valuation of the endowment was $1,349,382.08 at the end of April . Finally, Mr. Defilippi reminded the board that a draft budget will be presented to the executive committee for comments and approval and then to the whole board by mid-November .

The Rev . Dr . Prichard next presented a proposed by-law

change, a "Conflict of Interest Policy" from the execu­tive committee. The motion carried 15-0 .

16

On behalf of the Publications, Research, and Grants Committee, the Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend made a mo­tion to accept the following proposals for grants :

1 . The Diocese of Hawaii, in celebration of its sesqui­centennial, is publishing a facsimile edition of the first translation of the Book of Common Prayer into Hawai­ian, made by King Kamehameha in 1862. It will include his original preface, and his original translation of that preface into English, along with an introduction by the current bishop, the Rt . Rev. Robert Fitzpatrick . They have raised funds from several sources, and have asked us for a contribution of $1,000 to support their efforts .

2 . Stephen McNair, a doctoral candidate in architectural

history at the University of Edinburgh, to support a re­search trip for his dissertation on Gothic Revival Epis­

copal churches in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana . A grant of $2,000 is being awarded to him.

Continued on page 1 7

2012 Annual Meeting of the

National Episcopal Historians and Archivists

The Annual Meeting of the National Episcopal Histori­ans and Archivists (NEHA) was called to order by

President Chris Agnew immediately after the final luncheon on 24 August.

In addition to the normal business agenda, the most im­portant announcement was the Board of Trustees deci­

sion to establish as its priority was the long delayed publication of Jerry Carroon's History of NEHA by the time of the San Antonio Conference next June.

Those present heard the following reports: Sarah Hosk­ings' Treasurer's report which showed a deficit of ap­

proximately $1500 for the 20 11 year caused by a reduc­tion in membership income and the purchase of a laptop computer for the NEHA office; an encouraging report from Matthew Payne about the success of making a number of contacts through the NEHA booth at General

Convention and that NEHA is now on Face Book, and that the fourth issue of The Historiographer will be forthcoming in October and the Editor's request for arti­

cles. Margaret Landis renewed her request for assis­tance in suggestions for churches to be included in the Historic Churches publication from the Provincial Coor­dinators.

The meeting proceeded to the election of the members who had been nominated for three years terms on the Board of Trustees: Phillip Ayers from the Diocese of Oregon and Elizabeth Allison from the Diocese of Ver­mont who were eligible for a second term each and Kurt Cook from the Diocese of Utah as a new member.

Members were saddened by the letter of greetings from Stan Upchurch, a former NEHA President, now suffer­ing from the ravages of MSA in which his whole body

Continued on page 1 7

2012 HSEC Board of Directors Meeting, continued/ram page 1 6

O n a motion from the Publications, Research, and Grants Committee the board voted 15-0 to fund both ·

proposals.

The Rev. Dr. Al Moss, co-chair of the Committee on the African American Episcopal Historical Collection (AAEHC), presented a report on the African American Historical Collection for June 2011-2012. He noted that the AAEHC Joint Steering Committee has created cre­ate a Subcommittee on Securing Grants to expand the work, ministry, and effectiveness of the AASEHC.

As a sign of support regarding the goals of this subcom­mittee, the Rev. Dr. Moss presented the following mo­tion on behalf of the Committee:

"The Historical Society of the Episcopal Church en­dorses the following goals of the AAEHC Subcom­

mittee of Securing Grants:

I: To fund expansion of the AAEHC's oral history

program;

II: To establish an endowment that will generate funds for resident research scholarships to be awarded to qualified scholars and researchers who want to do re-

1 7

search i n the AAEHC;

III: To establish an endowment to fund purchase of important collections of papers, documents, and rare books that become available;

IV: To establish an endowment to fund the digitizing of the documentary collections of the AAEHC."

The motion passed viva voce.

On a motion by the Rev. Dr. Prichard, seconded by the Rev. Dr. Moss, the board unanimously passed the fol­lowing resolution:

"The Board of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church wishes to states its willingness to renew the con­tractual agreement between the Virginia Theological Seminary and HSBC as continued joint managers of AAEHC for five years pending approval of the letter of contract to be determined."

The meeting adjournM with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Prichard at 4:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

J. Michael Utzinger, Secretary

2012 NEHA Annual Meeting, continued/ram page 1 7

is closing down and asked that we remember Stan in our

prayers. Prayers were also asked for Barbara Turner, former Board member; Richard Seidel, and, especially for Tom Winslow, who was terminally ill.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of courtesy

resolution presented by Susan Rehkopf and Matthew Payne, several of which expressed greetings apprecia­tion to the following who participated in or supported

the conference : the Dean and Staff of St. Paul's Cathe­dral and Trinity Episcopal Pipes & Drums of Hamburg, New York, for their participation in the conference's

opening Eucharist; The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin,

11th Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York, for

his support and as the preacher for the opening Holy Eucharist; and Susan Witt not only for her service as a valued member of the Board of Trustees but for her co­ordination of the recently concluded annual conference.

The meeting concluded with the last official action of The Rev. Christopher Agnew as President in which he announced that our next conference and annual meeting

will be part of the Tri-History Conference scheduled for San Antonio, Texas, 11-14 June 2013. The topic is :

"The Episcopal Church in the Borderlands" and the call for papers is expected early in the fall.

Separate news item:

BOARD REORGANIZATION COMPLETED

At its organization meeting following the Annual Meet­ing, The Rev. Bindy Snyder of Memphis, Tennessee was elected as President and Susan Rehkopf, Archivist of the Diocese of Missouri was elected as Vice Presi­

dent. Sarah Hoskings, Diocese of New Jersey and Eliza­beth Allison, Diocese of Vermont, will continue as

Treasurer and Secretary, respectively.

Although his term of office has expired, The Rev. Chris­topher Agnew will continue as a Board Member for an­

other year.

Respectfully Submitted,

Elizabeth Allison, Secretary

The Wesleys : Memorable, Musical, But Not Really Methodists

The Wesley family has had a tremendous influence on

the Anglican Communion, both musically and doctri­

nally. Their story starts with Samuel Westley, born in

1662 in Dorset, southern England. Orphaned as a young lad, he was sent to a school for Puritans. Nevertheless, he converted to the Church of England and became rec­tor of Epworth Parish Church (St. Andrew's) in Lin­colnshire in 1695. By then he had shed the "t" in his surname and acquired a wife, Suza1ma. She was of dis­senting stock, part of the non-jurist tradition that later played a role in the ordination of the first Episcopal bishop, Samuel Seabury.

Suzanna and her Samuel never saw eye-to-eye on the legitimacy of William of Orange as king of England. She thought James II remained the true king, despite his

retreat to the continent, while Samuel was happy to see him go. Apparently this was more than just a minor dis­agreement for husband and wife parted for more than a

year until Queen Anne assumed the throne in 1702. Samuel and Suzanna could agree on her legitimacy, and

family harmony returned, not least in the birth of John

1 8

Wesley the following year !

Samuel and Suzanna had about 18 children (different sources list 17 or 19), of whom 10 survived to adult­hood. Samuel was apparently a stern and difficult man, especially for his daughters, yet he gained a reputation as a hymn-writer, the first Wesley to do so. Two of his sons became very famous - the aforementioned John, born in 1703, and Charles, born in 1707. John had a lucky escape from a burning parsonage at the age of 6 and often referred to himself as a "brand plucked out of the burning," a reference to the cleansing of Joshua in Zechariah, chapter 3. Both attended university at Oxford and eventually became deeply religious, so methodical in their observance that they were derided as following the "method" of the Bible. They took the name "Methodist" in defiance of this criticism but remained

within the Church of England. John served as a curate with his father, but in 1735, the year their father died,

the brothers sailed to the new colony of Georgia where John was to be Savannah's first chaplain and Charles

private secretary to General Oglethorpe. The trip was

Continued on page 19

The Wesleys, continued/rampage 18

pretty disastrous: Charles failed as a secretary, John failed to convert the natives, and both were unpopular with the colonists. Nevertheless, John did produce a hymnbook, America 's first, The Charleston Hymnal of

1737.

The brothers returned to England where they began preaching a rousing revivalist movement. Seen as rabble rousers, it was not long before they were forbidden to preach in churches. They then took to the streets. One

famous story has John preaching on his father 's grave at Epworth because of the ban to preach inside the church. The crowd was so large, however, that he would have had to preach outdoors anyway ! While they themselves never broke with the Church of England, it is pretty clear that the Church broke with them. Methodism took on a life of its own and has thrived both in Britain and the U. S.

Throughout their preaching, which emphasized evangel­ism and personal salvation, the Wesley brothers com­posed numerous hymns, Charles more than 6,000, in­cluding such favorites .as Christ whose glory fills the

skies and Lo! He comes, with clouds descending. Sev-

"' "'

<!) <!)

� -0 c �:z � u f=

,....; 00 0 °'

1 9

era! of Charles' and one of John's are in the Episcopal

Hymnal although others composed their tunes.

John, who spent much of his life as a traveling preacher,

was briefly and unhappily married. Charles had a long and happy marriage to Sarah. Five of their eight chil­dren died in infancy, but one son, Samuel, continued the family 's musical tradition, still within the Church of

England. He wrote several hymns, none in our Hymnal, but is better known as a composer and popularizer of

Johann Sebastian Bach. He would perhaps be forgotten but for the fact that he sired an illegitimate son, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, in 1809. Samuel Sebastian is widely respected as one of the greatest organists of his genera­tion and a composer of church music ahead of his time. His anthems are a beautiful and central part of the An­glican repertoire; seven of his tunes are in the Episcopal Hymnal. His love life, however, was checkered, and in 183 5, the organist of Hereford Cathedral eloped with the dean's daughter as he moved on to his new post at Exe­ter. His biographer notes, however, "His genius as an organist was such that church authorities overlooked his often questionable conduct in personal and professional affairs."

Roger C. Prince, St. Thomas ' Church in Alexandria, New Jersey

The National Episcopal Historians and Archivists c/o Trinity Cathedral 1 00 West Roosevelt Street Phoenix, AZ 85003

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE

PAID PHOENIX, AZ PERMIT NO. 1

• Annual Board of Directors Meeting, Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, pages 1 6-1 7

• Annual Meeting, National Episcopal Historians and Archivists, pages 1 7-18

• Annual Membership Meeting, Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, page 1 6

• The Early History of the First Order Brothers and Sisters of the Society ofSt. Francis, pages 1, 4-6

• General Convention Report: 2012, page 15

• Historiographer and Archivist Reports to Diocesan Conventions, page 14

• In Memoriam: Thomas F. Winslow, page 3

• St. Mary 's Cathedral: A History of Healing Ministry, pages 6-9

• The Story of the Community of St. Mary, pages 1 0-13

• Tri-History Coriference Call for Papers, page 2

• The Wesleys: Memorable, Musical, But Not Really Methodists, pages 18-19

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