USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Dorchester > Fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of St. Mary's parish, Dorchester, 1847-1897 > Part 2
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Two and one-half years later, Nov. 1, 1852, he resigned the rectorship. With the organization and early history of St. Mary's, he writes me, " some of the pleasantest memories of my official life are connected." His term of service extended
THE REV. GEORGE W. PORTER.
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St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
through five years and two months. He preached his last sermon as Rector, November 1, 1852, and a committee was appointed to provide for the services until his successor should take charge. That successor was found six months later in the person of the Rev. Edward L. Drown, who was called May 25, 1853.
He preached his first sermon, June 26. His text was Ehbu's words in Job 36: 2, 3: "Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe right- cousness to my Maker." Mr. Drown took charge as Rector July 1, 1853. During his administration, about three years later, the church was enlarged at a cost of $2,876.35. One who is still a member of the Parish remembers his " eloquent sermons." Attentive listeners in increasing numbers bore witness to the power of St. Mary's pulpit in those days. Mr. Drown held office about seven years. His resignation, dated July 12, 1860, to take effect September I, was accepted. Before September came, the Rev. William H. Mills had been elected to succeed Mr. Drown. Mr. Mills took charge of St. Mary's, September 2, 1860, but did not enter upon his full duties as Rector until the first Sunday in Advent, November 4, 1860.
Although the gloomy forebodings, the unrest and anxiety that accompanied our Civil War were already filling every New England town with disquieting rumors, the life of this Parish then entered upon the period of its greatest expan- sion. One writes : " In the business activity during the war, and for several years after it, the Parish prospered. From all parts of the town, from many beautiful and spacious homes, families drove in their carriages to the little church." So noticeable was this that often in conversation it was
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referred to as "the Church of the Spans." "Money was plenty, easily earned and readily spent. In working for the soldiers, women became accustomed to working together, and the Ladies' Sewing Society flourished then as it has never done since. At frequent intervals the ladies of the Parish, meeting to sew in the afternoon, remained to supper, the gentlemen being invited to meet them, and several hours were passed in social intercourse. Sometimes one hundred members of the Parish met, and to many these opportunities of making the acquaintance of their fellow-worshipers were pleasant and profitable."
The church increased in numbers until the building was crowded. In 1862 a small floating debt of $600, and in 1863 a mortgage debt for the first enlargement of the church (in 1856 amounting to $2,000), were paid. During this year the lot west of the church, costing $900, was bought and paid for. The Parish at this time (1863) was entirely free from debt. It so continued, and with increasing income, until 1866, when, all the pews having been rented, the church was again enlarged. Transepts and a large chancel, 25 x 20 feet, were built on ; a small tower at the north-west corner and a porch on the south side were added, and a Sunday School- room and a Vestry-room were finished in the basement. The whole cost of the enlargement was about $20,000. The chancel was handsomely furnished, the expense being de- frayed by a large gift of money from Mrs. Safford, a parish- ioner, who also gave the chancel window. Two other win- dows were given,-one by Mrs. C. E. Stedman, the other by the Sunday School under the leadership of Miss Messinger.
A lot of land on the south side of the church was bought about this time, costing $400. The expense of the enlarge- ment, $20,000, was met by Parish contributions, amounting
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St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
to $13,000. The remaining $7,000 was provided by mort- gaging the church property. This last measure was very greatly regretted by the Rector, who used his best efforts to remove it as soon as possible, refusing, on account of this debt, several calls to other Parishes. In 1873, seven years later, this mortgage debt had been reduced to $4,000. By great effort the Rector had obtained subscriptions for this whole amount, and he thought the Parish would be again, and soon, free from debt. But before he had begun to col- lect the subscriptions, the "great Boston fire" occurred, causing the financial ruin of many. Some of the principal supporters of the Parish died ; others moved away. This was the turning point in St. Mary's prosperity, and in suc- cooling years the mortgage debt was a constant source of trouble.
At this time the ninety-four communicants who were enrolled in 1860, at the beginning of Mr. Mills's ministry, had increased to two hundred and fifty-four, and the congre- gation in proportion. St. Mary's was then regarded as one of the strongest and most prosperous Parishes in the Diocese outside of Boston. The offerings taken in the church during Mr. Mills's rectorship, exclusive of pew-rents and donations of all kinds, amounted to $52, 130.38; or about $4,000 an- nually for a term of thirteen years. These figures of income and membership give one some idea of the condition of the Parish when in its strength. This condition was the result of God's blessing on the faithful labors of an earnest Parish Priest and a loyal and willing people. One who knows, describes Mr. Mills's teachings as " direct, earnest and un- compromising ; his work, faithful and well organized ; his influence, directed towards strict Churchmanship and settled beliefs." As might naturally be expected, "the spiritual
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results of Mr. Mills's work were long apparent." This was the day of St. Mary's power.
Cheered by the abundant evidences of God's blessing attending his parochial labors, the faithful Rector sought to extend the Church's influence beyond his own borders.
In the fall of 1867 he began mission work at Milton Lower Mills by sending to that village, to make inquiries, Miss Hannah Austin, to whom a great debt of thanks is due for faithful services long rendered. She found, to begin with, two Church families. Services were, however, at once commenced, and were held every Sunday evening in the American Hall, and thenceforth were never interrupted. On March 14, 1869, by the Rector's appointment, the Rev. J. B. Clark, of Needham, assumed and continued in charge of them until January, 1871. Then, for one year and a half, the Rev. Dr. George Waters conducted them. At the end of that term the Rector again took personal responsibility for their continuance, and, with occasional Lay help, minis- tered at this Mission until he left Dorchester in 1874.
Meantime, in 1870, a lot was bought for $2,000. In 1871, a neat and substantial church was erected costing somewhat more than $5,500, which amount was raised mostly by Mr. Mills's personal efforts, the people of St. Mary's giving lib- erally. March 23, 1874, the Mission was duly organized and became All Saints' Parish. It was then free from debt. After a rectorship of thirteen years, seven and one-half months, Mr. Mills resigned his charge on Easter Day, April 5, 1874, and accepted a call to Eric, Pa. His last years were spent as Rector of St. Paul's Parish in Yonkers, N. Y., where he died, respected and beloved, carly in 1893.
I have dwelt thus at length upon this period of St. Mary's greatest prosperity and usefulness because, only so, by the
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St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
simple statement of incontrovertible facts, can be explained the love, loyalty and energy of those who in succeeding year's so faithfully persevered in guarding the interests of this Parish. With Mr. Mills's departure, the causes effect- ing a decline in vigor, and demanding a careful economy in expenditures, began to operate with greater stress.
" The unexpected social results of the annexation of Dor- chester to Boston - the centralization of all interests in the city proper, the removal of many wealthy citizens to the city and the effects of the financial crisis following the great fire in 1872 --- the: e compelled St. Mary's to pass through severe trials." And through them all, a little band of devoted parishioners persisted in maintaining the regular services and in doing what they could for others in the distant mission- fields of the Church's work. Their courage, their faith, and their self-sacrifices preserved and transmitted to this genera- tion the very life of their beloved Parish. They deserve at our hands, not formal thanks or "honorable mention," but, the only worthy recognition acceptable to them, an earnest striving to follow their good examples in the same spirit of loyalty and devotion.
The Rev. W. W. Silvester was called to succeed Mr. Mills, June 9, 18744. He entered on active service five days later, June 14, 1874, the Second Sunday after Trinity. Soon after, about $2,500 were raised for renovating the church building and $500 for improving the grounds. In recalling the expe- riences of his rectorship, Mr. Silvester writes ; - "I have only a recollection of. continuous hard times and a great struggle forever going on to meet the current expenses of the church. No people were ever more willing, it seems to me, to try and bear the burdens, than the people of St. Mary's. One year I succeeded by personal effort in raising
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a sum of money which the Vestry believed it impossible to raise. The truth was, that the people were willing, each one, to do his best, and the instances which cost something that year, were undoubtedly a good many; I feel sure they are written down in the book of good deeds to the credit of the faithful."
The only aggressive work done was in laying the founda- tions of what is now St. Anne's Parish in 1876. It was the Rector's personal work, assisted by Mrs. Anne Phillips, a communicant of St. Mary's Parish, who gave a plot of ground ($1,000) for that purpose, and aided personally by one or two friends who lived near by. The work passed through the usual stages of parochial existence, beginning with Sunday School sessions in a barber's shop on Dudley Street. These, with the occasional addition of religious ser- vices, kept alive an interest in the scheme until, with money raised in various quarters, the church was. finally built and, I believe, paid for. Since then, the services have been regularly maintained.
Here again, my friends, we have an instance of the spirit of the life which pervaded St. Mary's Parish. The zealous efforts of the Rector and two or three communicants of this Parish began and continued as long as their help was neces- sary, -a work which, Bishop Paddock once said, "became a self-supporting Church sooner than any Mission ever started in Boston." St. Anne's Parish is thus, virtually, a child of St. Mary's, owing its existence to her members, and partaking with her of the same ministry.
Not until 1879 did the Rector of St. Mary's, in whose name the property was legally held, sever the tie that bound St. Anne's and St. Mary's by transferring the legal control to the Rector of St. James's Parish, Roxbury. Soon after
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St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
it was duly organized as an independent Parish and was admitted to Convention. After a pastorate of three years and nine months, Mr. Silvester resigned his charge of St. Mary's affairs, March 3, 1878.
The season of Lent, with its customary demand for extra services, was at hand. The committee of the Vestry, charged with "the supply of the pulpit," asked the then Assistant Minister of St. John's Memorial Church, Cambridge, to officiate at some of these. He complied with their request, and, like the patriarch of old, "he went, not knowing whither " It proved to be the " land which God would shew him uf"
He was called, while still a Deacon, to the Rectorship, April 12, 1878, and entered upon his duties the first Sunday after Easter. He was ordained Priest in the month of July following. The Parish treasury had so long been in a crip- pled condition, that for some time it had been questioned whether it were not wise to close the church and once again worship in Lyceum Hall. The indebtedness amounted to $6,roo. The payment of the interest on this sum, in addi- tion to the current expenses, was a heavy burden to the small body of parishioners. To decrease this debt, a fair was held in Horticultural Hall in the fall of 1879. To this the leading churches of the city contributed articles, helpers, and, lastly, patrons.
This effort, carefully planned and most skillfully conducted for eight days and evenings, at a great distance from their homes, by a small band of ladies, calls for much more de- tailed mention than can now be given. It embodied a spirit of wisdom, courage, devotion and self-sacrifice, and a noble perseverance in well-doing, through the months devoted to preparations for the event, which, account for it as one may,
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still manifests pre-eminently a spirit of true consecration and loyal Churchmanship. It is to be hoped that the story of this and subsequent efforts made by the ladies of St. Mary's may be fully told, and all honor given to those leaders and helpers to whom grateful praise is so richly due.
The results of the enterprise were various. Financially, the Parish treasury was the richer by some $2,300, of which sum the Rev. Dr. Brooks, then Rector of Trinity Church, promised and later gave from his Easter Offering in 1880, $1,000. The remainder was the net proceeds of the fair itself. Socially, the Parish life was invigorated. In reference to this, one writes that "the tact and energy of the ladies who assumed the lead in this undertaking con- tributed much to the harmony and kindly spirit which pre- vailed at the time, and brought the members of a very small Parish into most kindly relations with one another." Subse- quently two other fairs were held for this same purpose, - one in the vestry of St. Paul's Church, netting about $1,000, and the other in Lyceum Hall, Dorchester.
The energy which had thus successfully reduced the debt was next directed to the improvement of the interior of the church. It had a seating capacity of eight hundred - almost equal to that of St. Paul's Church, Boston. To reduce this, a portion of the pews near the entrance were removed, a curtain was extended across the width of the church, and the floor of this large vestibule was covered with matting. At the same time several much-needed repairs were made ; the walls were decorated, and four colored glass windows inserted as memorials of departed relatives of the donors. Thus renovated and beautified, the church, already dear to us, became also attractive to those others who now, one by one,
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St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
came and cast in their lots with the faithful few who had labored so long and so well.
The people now, for a time, "rested from their labors" and heartily enjoyed what their earnest efforts had secured. To them - now as perhaps never before -it was "none other than the house of God." He had set His name there, and in it He gave the " peace which passeth all under- standing" As their church, it was forever associated with ti.cir deepest and holiest experiences. It had in a mysteri- was way become bound up in the bundle of their lives. There was something peculiarly feminine in its influence. It had a tenderness and spirituality all its own. It was gentle, devout, comforting and worshipful. It was indeed a "house of prayer," yet it was pervaded by a presence as of a noble womanly nature -- tender, true and holy. It was - St. Mary's.
How subtle and penetrating this influence was ; how dear to the hearts of all the building which enshrined it had become ; what an important element it had supplied in the social and domestic experience of the parishioners, they did not realize until the end.
And how suddenly that end came !
It was early morning, between 2 and 3 o'clock, June 15, 1887, when those who lived nearest, aroused by the roar of fumes, the crash of falling beams, the unusual glare of light, the sound of escaping steam, and the shouts of excited men, recognized at once that the church was doomed. In less than three short hours the work of destruction was com- pleted. Four-fifths of the building had disappeared. . The northern end alone remained. The unconscious woodbine still clung confidingly to its trellis, and hung in peaceful pendants from the porch. The door, so often opened to wel-
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come those who came to worship, even now stood open, but it framed a picture of charred beams, twisted girders, and piles of bricks and cinders. Altar and organ, pulpit, lectern and pew, all mingled their ashes in one common and con- fused mass. The very foundations were laid bare. It might almost be said that " not one stone was left upon another," so thoroughly had the work of destruction been done. The scene embodied the very spirit of hopeless desolation, --- a spirit which can be voiced in no better words than those of Jeremiah's Lamentation : " Is it nothing to you, all ye that . pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me. He hath sent fire into my bones, and it pre- vaileth against them. He hath made me desolate."
The tears shed at the sight of St. Mary's ruins were those of sincere affection ; the expressions of sorrow and affliction were simple and earnest. The loss of the church was a personal loss to each parishioner. Nor to them alone : for as the news spread, all hearts that heard it were moved, for all had that 'one touch of nature/which makes all the world : : "akin' Expressions of sympathy were general and gen- erous. The fire occurred early Wednesday morning, and before the following Sunday kind offers of the use of their houses of worship had been received from the officers of the Unitarian, Baptist and other societies. With these, one came from a parishioner, promptly and generously placing Winthrop Hall, of which he was the owner, at our disposal. This latter was gratefully accepted, and the sad and some- what disheartened people met there for worship the Sunday following. This was the first of a series of Morning Ser- vices, followed by Sunday School sessions during the noon hour, which continued about eighteen months.
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St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
St. Mary's Parish was now homeless. Its financial re- sources were very limited. Among its members not one was wealthy ; a very few had moderate incomes ; the majority were salaried clerks or wage-earners. The business outlook was not hopeful. . Something was being done in the world's mar- kets, but "the times " had no air of prosperity either present or to come. Nor was a careful estimate of its assets en - couraging. The insurance policy was worth, when paid in full, only Str,coo, but from that amount should be taken about $2,500 to cancel the remaining mortgage debt, and at least $500 more were needed to buy a quit-claim deed to the land in case it were decided to sell the site of the old church ; and at that time the sale of land so situated and encumbered with ruins seemed quite improbable. The avail- able assets of the Parish, therefore, amounted to $8,000. To this it was thought that the parishioners could and would in time add, say, $5,000. But this was conjectural. . What, then, was to be done ?
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I will not weary you, my friends, with the story of the new St. Mary's ; how the idea of a new church in a more central location only gradually took shape and gained acceptance ; how carefully the condition of the Parish was considered in several meetings, and its possible future pictured ; how hard it was for some to sunder the ties which bound them to the old location ; how difficult it was to find a new site both suited to our purpose and within our means of purchase, -a site which presented the most advantages and the fewest dis- advantages ; how great were the discouragements of the way when once it had been decided to build elsewhere, and the work of collecting a Building Fund began ; how our earnest desires and repeated efforts for consolidation with St. Ann's Parish finally failed ; how the mere getting of subscriptions
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outside the Parish required four months of time and hun- dreds of miles of travelling ; how the story of St. Mary's needs was told along the New England coast, from Bar Harbor to Newport, to some sympathetic and some indifferent listen- ers, - some courteous and kindly, others harsh and almost abusive ; how misunderstandings of men and motives, appar- ently inevitable when many persons are intensely interested in one common object, gave pain when it was least suspected and where it was least deserved ; how the advance movement · began in October, 1887, with the purchase of the present site (20,318 feet) ; how difficult it was to secure the drawings for a church building which, when erected, should not again involve the Parish in burdensome financial obligations ; how the first suggestion of the present edifice was hastily sketched by one whom many still gratefully know as their "beloved physician "; how that sketch was fully developed by one of the foremost ecclesiastical architects in New England ; and, finally, how weary were the months of waiting until carly in the spring of 1888 (April 8), the sod should be cut and the foundations of the much-needed church be laid. To give the details here and now of what has thus been outlined would be as wearisome as unnecessary.
Nor need I mention the fact that the Rector, sick in mind and body, was granted a six months' rest, except to connect with that fact a grateful recognition of the kindness of his clerical brethren, who during his absence, often at much personal inconvenience, ministered to the faithful few who regularly met for worship in Winthrop Hall. These inci- dents must all be passed with a mere mention, yet they are far more important than some others recorded in detail. For it was such experiences as these that welded our lives with that of the Parish, enriching it by the best that each
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St. Mary's Parish, Dorchester
had to give, and ennobling ours by giving each his share in that larger and common inheritance which we to-day rejoice in.
The corner-stone of this, the new church, was laid July 2, 1888, by the Rector, assisted by the Rev. C. T. Whittemore, of All Saints' Church, Ashmont, and the Rev. A. H. Wright of St. Ann's Church, Dorchester. Slowly - it seemed to many very slowly -- the work of construction proceeded dur- ing the ensuing months. However, it was so far advanced by November II that a Vestry Meeting could be held in the new building on that date. "The few weeks immediately fol- lowing were brightened by joyful anticipations and busy with preparations for the long-expected first Service in the new church. That occurred on Christmas Day, 1888. The words of the Angels' Song were the text of the sermon at that Service, and a grateful and happy Parish then and there found the long-familiar phrases charged with a new signifi- cance. The original meaning was emphasized, specialized and. intensified by the joyful spirit of the occasion. Surely the emotions then stirring the hearts of all there present could find no more beautiful expression than in that ancient ascription of " Glory to God in the highest," and the mingled benediction and prayer for "Peace on earth and good will towards men."
The building of which the Parish had now taken formal possession was not a completed church, but only the nave of a cruciform structure, to which at some future time transepts and chancel might be added. A newspaper notice of the time described the material of the walls as being " seam- faced granite and Longmeadow stone"; the style of archi- tecture, "the English Gothic of the 15th century," and the interior of the church as "tasteful and handsome." A few
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years later, when it was completed, Bishop Brooks described it as "one of the pleasantest interiors in the Diocese."
It may be well to pause here and recall the ways and means employed in the attainment of this result.
The old site on Bowdoin street had been sold for $5,000. The insurance money, after certain deductions already re- ferred to, yielded $8,000. Contributions from within the Parish amounted to about $5,000 ; and donations, secured by personal solicitation without the Parish, added about $9,000, of which $1,000 was given to the Organ Fund in memoriam. With this sum, say $26,000 on paper and in bank, and $6,500 obtained as a loan -in all, a total of $32,500 - the land was bought and the nave of the church erected.
But where was the money needed for the purchase of an altar, a lectern, a pulpit, the chancel rail, and the sedilia, to be obtained ? That question had been asked and answered long before. Loyal hearts, active minds and willing hands had long been busy planning and working for the means with which the new church should be properly furnished. And so, before the day appointed for the first Service, most of those useful and beautiful gifts were in place.
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