USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > Fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of St. Mary's parish, Dorchester, 1847-1897 > Part 1
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Gc 974.402 D72doc 1993836
REYNOLDS DIETORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
. .
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00085 1490
Gc 974. D72( 1993
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/fiftiethannivers1847unse
50 th
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
FOUNDATION
OF
t. WarD's Marish
DORCHESTER
mass.
1847-1897
PRINTED FOR THE PARISH 1 898
78 10046 14
993836
SEMI-CENTENNIAL 1847-1897
ST. MARY'S CHURCH DORCHESTER
Read Max 28- 1978
-
OLD ST. MARY'S IN 1870.
35
8 $
£
50 th
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
FOUNDATION
OF
St. Mary's Parish
DORCHESTER That.
1847-1897
PRINTED FOR THE PARISH 1.898
The Church Press
SI!
THIL
T.R.MARVIN & SON BOSTON PRINTERS ESTACK
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
T. MARY'S Church, Dorchester, completed the fiftieth year of her history on the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, 1897. In a sermon preached early in the spring of 1897, the Rector of St. Mary's called attention to the fact of the approaching Semi-centenary of the Parish, and suggested that suitable preparations be made to cele- brate the event. The suggestion met with immediate approval, and a Committee was chosen by the Vestry of St. Mary's to make all the necessary arrangements. Invitations were sent to present and past mem- bers of St. Mary's Church, inviting them to be present at a Service to be held at the church on Sunday, October 10, 1897, at 10.45 A.M. At this Service there were present, the Rev. Dr. George W. Porter, the first Rector of the Parish; the Rev. Edward L. Drown, the second Rector ; the Rev. Lindall W. Saltonstall, the fifth Rector; and the Rev. Walter- E. C. Smith, the present Rector. The. Rev. Charles E. Barnes, of the Grove Hall Mission, was also present and assisted in the Service.
The Rev. Dr. Porter celebrated the Holy Communion, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Drown. The Commemoration Sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Saltonstall, which is printed in full on the following pages. It was a matter of much regret that the Rev. Mr. Silvester could not be with us ; but the consecration of the Church of the Advocate, Philadelphia, of which Ire was Rector (taking place on the Monday following our celebration), made it impossible for him to be with us on this occasion.
4
Introductory Note
The day itself was one of rare loveliness, and the Service throughout was most impressive. In the evening, the Rector of St. Mary's preached a sermon upon " The Progress of the Christian Church during the last Fifty Years." In addition to these services, it was felt to be fitting that there should be a social gathering at which addresses might be made by the Bishop, and the different Rectors and guests of the Parish, - somewhat reminiscential in character. By invitation of the Phillips Brooks Club of St. Mary's Church, this was made possible at a Dinner given at the Hotel Brunswick on Monday evening, October II.
On the following pages will be found the Historical Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Saltonstall, together with the Annals of the Parish, taken largely from the Parish and Vestry Records, and a brief account of the Dinner (under the auspices of the Phillips Brooks Club of St. Mary's Church), on the following day.
For the careful selections of the items of interest from our Records, we are indebted to Mr. Martin L. Bradford, who (as one of the Committee on Publication), has given a great deal of time and labor to this work. That a record of the work being done at the present time may be preserved, the Year Book of St. Mary's, for 1897, forms an Appendix to this volume.
WALTER E. C. SMITH,
For the Committee on Publication of Memorial Volume.
THE REV. L. W. SALTONSTALL.
HISTORICAL SERMON
BY
THE REV. LINDALL W. SALTONSTALL
N the history of institutions - as of persons - cer- tain focal points are discoverable. On these all the really formative influences, active in the past, seem to centre, and from these they radiate, transfigured, purified, simplified, to effect in the future greater things than past conditions permitted.
These focal points are generally therefore points. of depart- ure. They may occur at some critical stage in the evolution of the institution or the development of the individual, as . a result of trying experiences ; or when changed external conditions demand the sudden exercise of long dormant powers to adapt the individual to a new environment.
Whatever be their immediate cause, these focal points are centres towards which the best influences, formerly effective, converge - nay, are summoned by the individual to safe- guard his interests and direct his movements in a future near at hand and big with possibilities.
Such, my friends, seems to be the character of the occa- sion which calls us together to-day. This Semi-Centennial
6
Fiftieth Anniversary
celebration of the life and activity of this Parish is, it seems to me, a focal point in the history of St. Mary's - when in view of its present and future possibilities the Parish may well strive for a more distinct consciousness of itself, clearly recognize its own individuality, properly estimate its own worth, justly determine its privileges and its responsibilities, and recall to its remembrance, not the painful experiences of its Forty Years in the Wilderness, but rather those human virtues and Divine gifts which enabled it to overcome obsta- cles, and to persist in fulfilling its mission to this day.
If such memories come with the rehearsal of the simple annals of this Parish ; if out of the past, its difficulties and its successes, there come voices which say to us "This is the way, walk ye in it"; if in the midst of present-day prob- lems we feel the steadying, conservative influences, which, acting in the past, made secure the present prosperity, and if we then remember that these forces were incarnated every step of the way in men and women who wrought day by day, only in faith and love, as we of this present time,- then from this focal point as a centre and source will radiate in- fluences - helpful, inspiring and formative ; influences which shall assure to this Parish a future characterized, as is its past, by the wholesome activity of those virtues which re- strain from the wrong and impel towards the right,-a con- secrated spirit, a simple faith and an earnestness in doing good.
And just here it is well to remind ourselves that the institution whose Fiftieth Anniversary we to-day celebrate, is not secular, not to be confounded with a college, or bank, or other corporate agencies of social life, but that it right- fully claims a preeminence. It is a Church, and therefore special in its nature, character and office :- an institution
7
St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
whose purposes are spiritual and religious, whose results therefore cannot always be seen or touched or counted, and whose agencies must not be secularized.
This makes the work of the annalist more difficult, yet none the less important. The fifty years of parochial life and work now commemorated, surely have other results than these goodly walls. As the Roman matron pointed to her children as her jewels, so may 'St. Mary's to-day.
There are those before me who are her children -spiritu- ally nurtured under her fostering care, from their birth to this day. Baptized at her font, reared in homes permeated chiefly by her religious influences, taught the elements of the Christian faith and conduct in her Sunday School, con- firmed in her sanctuary, regularly nourished at her altar - of some who now listen all this is true. They are living epis- tles of her faithful ministry. Nor they alone : - others there are, now absent, who not merely look back with loving thoughts to their carly. years in the old church, but also show their faith in and by their works, some giving all their · time and efforts in other fields of the Church's work - others active and interested Churchmen and women, though in sub- ordinate degrees and differing measures.
And so into this commemoration enter high and holy memories of blessed privileges, of spiritual experiences, and 'of fellowship in good works such as none but a Church can occasion. Until some of us saw, what we shall never forget -old St. Mary's in ruins -a confused mass of charred beams and twisted iron bars, blackened and distorted in her last agonies, and then realized that the one object of our common care, the ark of our common privileges, could thereafter be no longer related to our lives; until then we never knew how a mere building could knit itself into
1
8
Fiftieth Anniversary
our life-experience and become an inseparable part of our past.
Yet, since then, we have come to realize that that building was but the "outward and visible sign " of the "inward and spiritual " life of the Parish itself, - a thing as real as it is subtle, and passing analysis ; as indescribable as it is mani- festly effective in its proper sphere.
And what a mysterious thing the life of such an institu- tion is! How surely it possesses an individuality all its own, peculiar, and effecting peculiar results! A life in the world, yet not of the world ; ministering to each generation, yet identifying itself with none ; seemingly inseparable from its outward form and ritual, yet really independent of both.
This Parish life is thus seen to be continuous and inde- pendent, while always incarnated in a slowly changing mem- bership. It has an unearthly property by which it persists "through changes and chances of mortal life," that wreck the frail bodies of even its most devoted agents. Now, it is this mysterious and subtle thing - the real life of the Parish - that we must keep ever in mind while recalling the incidents affecting its bodily form.
It is now a matter of but little moment that mortgages were cheerfully paid off by arduous efforts, that additional land was bought-that memorial windows were given - that vines were planted, the grounds carefully sodded, and the church itself decorated anew at intervals. These things, that meant so much then, may now be passed with a mere men- tion. Rather, it is the loyal, loving, gracious spirit of the life finding its outward manifestation in these acts of devo- tion ; it is this upon which our attention must be fixed, for it is this alone which has persisted, imperishable, and is the richest possession of St. Mary's to-day !
The Wardens and 'Vestry, St. Mary's, 1861.
Capt. Chas. Emery. Mr. Shelton Barry. John P. Clapp.
Martin L. Bradford. Dr: C. Ellery Stedman. Mr. Daniel Sharp. Mr. N. W. Coffin.
Rev. W'm. H. Mills.
Mr. John T. Clark. Mr. D. B. Stedman.
Mr. Chas. Stimpson. Mr. Wm. W. Page.
Mr. John P. Townsend.
9
St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
We are to trace this life from its birth, fifty years ago, on through its varied experiences, -its rapid growth in num- bers and usefulness ; its expansion and contraction ; its days of strength, when it surpassed its own peculiar limits and ministered to others in neighboring districts, and also its days of weakness, when only the tender care of wise heads, loving hearts and ready hands nursed its struggling spirit through perilous crises.
And as we recall these facts, we would not, and indeed we cannot, dissociate them in our grateful memories from our loving appreciation of those faithful workers who thus, ac- cording to their ability, loyally served their Parish as occa- sion demanded. Some, thank God, still remain - earnest, loyal, and interested, now as then - to carry on the good work and transmit the same fine spirit of loyalty and self- sacrifice to those who come after ; some (and here, too, let us give thanks), having finished their course in faith, have entered on the rest that remaineth for the people of God.
I cannot name them all - these uncalendared saints. In- deed, they need no mention ; for as we recall the past in which we lived and labored together, not names merely, but faces and forms, and faint echoes of loving voices, come back to us. We are inwardly assured that "living saints and dead but one communion " make, and that as we kneel once again before the Parish altar we are not alone. "Young men and maidens, old men and children," father, mother, brother and sister, husband, wife and friend, -all who in any measure partook of the Parish life, and in return gave of theirs,- these all, though absent, are yet present, "knit together with us in this one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Christ our Lord."
IO
Fiftieth Anniversary
With these thoughts in mind, let us turn now to a brief rehearsal of those carly efforts and fair attainments which made possible the greater glory of this later temple.
The religious problem of the New England town (which was so forcibly described in a recent issue of a popular re- view) is not a perplexing question of a late date. Traces of its existence may be found in the records of the times long " before the war." And the New England Town of Dor- chester was no exception. When we read of the widely separated boundaries of the old town, and infer that, com- pared with its present, it must have been sparsely settled ; when we remember that those were the days of the leisurely stage-coach and corner-store, that life was simple and society more primitive in its manners and customs than at present, we cannot help admiring the loyalty and the courage of the fifty persons who assembled on Sunday, July 16, 1843, in the Town Hall, and listened to " an impressive sermon and ser- vice " conducted by the Rev. John P. Robinson, the Rector of Christ Church, Quincy.
What had preceded this first "sermon and service" the reader of the carly chronicles is left to imagine. What abun- dant discontent with the doctrines and worship then duly set forth in no less than seven different churches and societies - what earnest longings for the familiar words, the digni- fied and reverent forms of worship prescribed in the Prayer Book - what going from house to house in friendly consul- tation as to the possibilities of securing and supporting the services of our Church if once duly established; what patient waiting and wistful looking in every direction for help to real- ize their desires - of all this the simple record says nothing.
Some here present can remember these things, and most of us can imagine them. If so, we can also easily enter into
II
St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
the hopeful enthusiasm and satisfaction of that little band of several active Episcopalians who extended the invitation to Mr. Robinson to form an Episcopal Church, in response to which the first "sermon and service " was held in the Town Hall. The text of that sermon was the words of St. John iii. 16: " For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."
As to the Service proper, this was the first occasion on which the Book of Common Prayer was publicly used in Dorchester. "The interest " then awakened "proved so general that it was decided to hold Evening Prayer at the Town Hall every two weeks." This was "the starting-point of St. Mary's Church." These occasional services were con- tinued with regularity during the remainder of the year, and to January 28 following, and afterwards at longer intervals . to Easter Sunday, April 7, 1844-the Rev. Mr. Robinson officiating eleven times and the Rev. Darius R. Brewer, once.
"From that date" (Easter-Day, 1844) "until June, 1847, it is supposed that no Church Services were held." At any rate, no records have been preserved. Only one item is at hand referring to what occurred in the interim. Among some loose papers relating to Parish affairs, the following, written on a leaf torn from a pocket blank-book, has been. found :- " Having learned that the erection of a church is contemplated, on a lot of land in Roxbury, near Dorchester, presented by Mr. Ralph Haskins, I hereby signify my entire approval of the object, and hope that it will be carried vigorously into effect.
" MANTON EASTBURN.
" BOSTON, May 23, 1846."
1
12
Fiftieth Anniversary
The Rev. Dr. David G. Haskins, recently deceased, of Cambridge, told me in 1884, that the donation of land re- ferred to by Bishop Eastburn was made in answer to his (Dr. Haskins's) request, and that only sickness prevented his acting promptly and securing the title in due form. While he was ill the Rev. George W. Porter called upon him and offered to carry on the work of Church extension in Dorches- ter in his stead. To this Dr. Haskins consented.
As a result of Rev. Mr. Porter's activities a meeting of the friends of the Church was held in Lyceum Hall, June 9, 1847, to consider the subject of organizing a Parish.
It is evident from this that the seed sown in those occa- sional Services in 1843-44 had fallen on good ground. Occasional they were, perforce, for the Rector of Christ Church, Quincy, had his own more immediate parochial duties to discharge, and no train or trolley service then con- nected the two towns. His missionary work in Dorchester seems to have been a "labor of love "- sincere, devoted, self-sacrificing ; and here we should not fail to observe, that such " love's labor was not lost."
I am not informed as to the term of Mr. Robinson's ser- vice in Quincy, or when he died. But this is certain : the development and prosperity of St. Mary's Parish, as step by step its strength was manifested, must have given him a soul-pleasure, rich, sufficient and abiding, which more than compensated him for his extra duties in behalf of the Church in Dorchester. It is evident, also, that during what I may call the three silent years - from June, 1844, to June, 1847, of which term we have no record -the life of the Parish, soon to be born and duly organized, was feeble and fluctuating, as is inevitable in the case of a people without a country - a Parish without a Church. For we read that,
.
13
St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
notwithstanding the general interest awakened by the occa- sional services in 1843-44, "it was thought inexpedient to organize a Parish." This inexpediency, however, gradually vanished as evidences of interested sympathy came from the Clergy and the Laity of Boston.
Already, in May, 1846, the Bishop (Eastburn) had heard and approved of the erection of a church ; and that simple fact warrants the inference that in those silent years influ- ences were at work seizing every opportunity, using every agency, which might further the development of Churchman- ship in Dorchester. So effective was this preparatory work that a "primary subscription list," circulated in order to secure the pledges of contributions for the erection of a church edifice, bears the names of persons whose joint sub- scriptions amounted to $1,150. This "list " bears date June 7, 1847. Two days later - June 9, 1847 -the question of organization was discussed by friends assembled in Lyceum Hall. Of the course of the debate, - who spoke for, and who against the project ; what was the nature of the arguments presented ; what hopes and what fears were expressed, - we have no record. But it is evident that the spirit of caution, and possibly of wisdom, presided in this council of our elders ; for we read that, although "several wealthy Episco- palians [ had] offered to donate land" on which a church should be erected, the meeting was adjourned to August 11, having accomplished little that called for record.
On that date a petition for a warrant was addressed to the Hon. S. P. Loud, Justice of the Peace, representing that "the signers have associated themselves for the support and enjoyment of public worship, under the name of the Parish of St. Mary's Church in Dorchester." The petitioners asked that a warrant be issued directing one of their number to
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Fiftieth Anniversary
notify 'the qualified voters of said Parish to meet at such time and place as may be therein specified for the purpose of legal organization, according to Chap. 20, of the Revised Statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.' This petition was signed by William Withington, Joseph Hooper, Robert Richardson, Thomas Hill, Edward Holden, and A. W. Hayter. In answer, Mr. Richardson was the signer selected to issue the notice, and he called a meeting to be held in Lyceum Hall, October 23, 1847. At that meeting a compact, or constitution and by-laws, was adopted ; two Wardens (Hooper and Withington) were chosen, and the Rev. George W. Porter unanimously elected Rector.
Thus the eighth religious society or association for Divine worship and charitable work came into existence in Dorches- ter, was legally established, duly constituted as to its inner being, and of necessity, entered forthwith upon the struggle for existence and useful activity common to all created things. The religious problem in this New England town, already, no doubt, somewhat confusing and troublesome to the various officers and others pledged to provide ways and means of support, became in time still more perplexing ; and it is quite probable that many thought - then as now - that the existence of the new Parish was wholly uncalled for and unjustifiable.
To vindicate the action of our forefathers, and to show the existence "in the nature of things" -then as now present, -of a certain compulsion tending sooner or later to the establishment of an Episcopal Church here, would require a 1 .
digression into the realms of theology, metaphysics, and ecclesiastical history, and a sketch of social conditions of that time, for which this is not a proper occasion or place. It is enough for us to notice that the faithful efforts of carnest
15
St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
workers, - clerical and lay - in spite of the doubts and diffi- culties, " the foes without and fears within," which inevitably appear in a term of four years of uncertainty, now began to yield results full of promise.
The seed-sowing had not been in vain. The rootlets had been all the while striking downwards, aided, in the main, by those subtle influences which open human hearts and estab- lish firm convictions in human minds, influences which inter- mingle with the ordinary experiences of common life, yet though in the world are not of the world : - His influences, "unto whom all hearts are open," and who ever gives "a right judgment in all things.".
With these thoughts in mind we can readily imagine with what gratitude, enthusiasm, and hope those first members of St. Mary's, Dorchester, prepared for, and enjoyed - about one month later -the first Service of this Parish, held in Lyceum Hall, Sept. 26, 1847, the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. On this occasion the Order for Morning Prayer was first read and the surplice was first used in Dorchester ; or, as the chronicler expresses it : " the Rev. Dr. Porter appeared in full canonicals." Owing to unfavorable weather, only twenty-two persons were present at the morning and thirty- two at the afternoon service. The average attendance upon both Morning and Evening Service during the first two months was about seventy-three. The Sacrament of Baptism was first administered October 10, the Sunday School was organized November 22, and the Holy Communion first ad- ministered on the first Sunday in December, 1847. The Parish was admitted into union with the Diocesan Conven- tion the following year, June 14, 1848.
Four and a half years had now passed since that mem- orable " first sermon and service " impressed the fifty persons
.
16
Fiftieth Anniversary
assembled in the Town Hall, - Sunday, July 16, 1843 ; and the Parish duly established, which was then no doubt dreamt of by some, was now, in December, 1848, an accomplished fact, - a religious, civil, and social institution, having its recognized existence, sphere of action, and influence, and regularly related to the Diocese and its head the Bishop.
Having thus a name and position in the world, it naturally needed and desired a local habitation. Among several offers of sites for a church edifice, one had been received from Mrs. Catherine Dodge. This proposed to give to the Parish one- half acre of land on Bowdoin Street opposite Olney Street, to be used for Church purposes ; these failing, her gift was to revert to her estate. This offer was accepted Nov. 2, 1848. Subscription books were once again opened ; the Church people of Boston and vicinity responded liberally, and the necessary funds were soon obtained. Among those donating to the building fund were the Rev. Dr. Codman, Mr. John Wyman Trull, and Miss Abby M. Loring. The two latter continued for some time to take a lively interest in the growth and welfare of the Parish.
The church, a simple wooden structure, was planned by Mr. Arthur Gilman, an architect of Boston. The corner- stone was laid April 5, 1849, by Bishop Eastburn. The church cost about $5,000, or exactly, $4,932.67. The organ and the chancel furniture were added later. The consecra- tion took place September 20, and was attended by the Bishop and twenty-one Clergymen. The Rev. Mr. Porter was instituted Rector of the Parish, April 7, 1850.
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