USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > History of the Church of Our Savior, Protestant Episcopal, in Longwood, Massachusetts > Part 8
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In addressing the Episcopalian Club of Massachusetts shortly after his election to the Bishopric, Dr. Sherrill said: "If I felt that as Bishop I was to be a mere adminis- trator, raising and investing funds, and sitting in an office all day, no power on earth could have made me leave Trinity Church. I long to be out in the field. Scores of ministers in the diocese need help and encouragement, also the vestries and candidates for the ministry. I hope to broaden the responsibility of laymen and free the clergy and bishop for spiritual leadership."
By his own choice, Bishop Sherrill conducted his first confirmation service in The Church of Our Saviour, Oc- tober 20, 1930, it being the Church in which he first served as rector. Dean Henry B. Washburn of the Epis- copal Theological School in Cambridge assisted the new rector, the Reverend Henry McF. B. Ogilby, in con- ducting the service and presented two students from that school as candidates for confirmation. Candidates for confirmation also were presented from All Saints Church in Brookline and from The Church of the Advent in Medfield. In his first sermon as a bishop, preached on that occasion Dr. Sherrill took for his subject the words: "Christ the Hope of the World." He reviewed the current confusion in thinking, saying: "There are millions of
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people throughout the world who are hungry for spirit- ual truth, who long for something real in a world of change. They have been perplexed by the many changes in thought due to the discoveries of scientists. They have been discouraged by the breakdown in moral sanctions following the tragedy of the World War. They do not know where to turn for guidance. What have Christ and the Church to give to these people? They can give testi- mony to the reality of the eternal life of the spirit; the challenge of the teaching of Jesus; the account in history of one who lived victoriously, and is the Revealer of God. Christ is the hope of the world. He gives to each one of us Victory. We have no right to be discouraged or fear- ful. We welcome all progress and all truth because Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life."
Following this service a reception was held in the Parish House where every member of the congregation was given opportunity to meet Bishop and Mrs. Sherrill. The corporation presented the Bishop with a clock which had a painting of The Church of Our Saviour on the lower door.
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CHAPTER X
REVEREND HENRY McF. B. OGILBY RECTOR 1923-
ON March 31, 1923, eight days after the receipt of Reverend Mr. Sherrill's resignation, which was written March 23 of that year, the corporation of The Church of Our Saviour, appointed a committee of seven persons, headed by the Senior Warden, Dr. Augustus Thorndike, to secure a new rector. On the same day the vestry signed the application of Mr. Sumner J. Brown for Holy Orders.
On June 29, on recommendation of the committee on rector the corporation instructed the vestry to extend a call to Reverend Henry McF. B. Ogilby, rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Watertown, which was done. A luncheon was tendered Mr. Ogilby at the City Club, Boston, July 5. Soon thereafter his letter of ac- ceptance was received.
Mr. Ogilby began his duties as rector of this Church on the third Sunday in September and on November 16 a reception was tendered to Reverend and Mrs. Ogilby in the Parish House, which was largely attended.
Reverend Henry McFahlan Brinkerhoff Ogilby, fifth rector of The Church of Our Saviour, was born in Jamaica Plain, November 4, 1885, was confirmed in St. John's Church in that district of Boston and was educated in the Roxbury Latin School and Harvard University, grad-
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REVEREND HENRY McF. B. OGILBY Chosen Rector in 1923
REVEREND HENRY McF. B. OGILBY
uating from the latter in 1907. After graduation he taught for three years in St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire. Entering the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, he received a Master's Degree in 1911 and the degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1913, being ordained deacon in the latter year. For two years thereafter he was assistant to Reverend George R. Hazard, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Manchester, New Hamp- shire. While engaged in that work he was ordained a priest. In 1915, he became rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Watertown, Massachusetts, where he served until called to The Church of Our Saviour in 1923 to succeed Mr. Sherrill. In Watertown, Mr. Ogilby em- phasized organization work, especially among young people and scouts. He served on the City's Park Com- mission, was for three years chairman of the playground committee and was also chairman of the Board of Edu- cation Committee on Young People. For one season he was instructor of young people's work at the Concord, New Hampshire conference. In 1922, he succeeded Reverend Edward T. Sullivan, D.D., as editor of The Church Militant, the diocesan paper, which position he held until the summer of 1936. A brother, Reverend Remsen B. Ogilby, is president of Trinity College, Hart- ford, Conn. Mrs. Ogilby, prior to her marriage, was Miss Anne Elizabeth Freeman.
The ceremony of institution of Mr. Ogilby was held October 28, 1923, Bishop Lawrence preaching the sermon.
At a meeting of the corporation, October 29, 1926, the following message signed by the wardens was authorized to be sent:
To the Rector, Vestry and People of All Saints, Brookline
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THE CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOUR
The Corporation of The Church of Our Saviour, Long- wood, meeting this day, wish to extend to you their hearty congratulations on the completion and consecra- tion of your beautiful church.
We are glad and proud to be your neighbors. May God prosper your efforts in the years to come as He has so abundantly blessed your work for the Kingdom in the years past.
Signed Augustus Thorndike -
Wardens Philip S. Parker
Alfred Johnson, Treasurer,
Edward B. Richardson,
Augustus W. Soule,
Benjamin K. Hough,
Walter H. Kilham,
George S. Parker,
C. Clifford Payson,
F. Tracy Hubbard,
I. Lloyd Greene,
J. H. Ellis,
George F. Hussey, Clerk,
Rev. Henry McF. B. Ogilby
On February 21, 1924, the corporation voted to ac- cept with thanks a donation towards the Church debt by relatives of Mrs. F. W. Lawrence as a memorial of her.
On February 13, 1925, the rector, Reverend Mr. Ogilby, made an appeal to the corporation for the creation of an endowment fund. The corporation voted approval of the idea and appointed a committee to further the project. On May 26 of the same year, the corporation voted to send a letter relative to the endowment, as prepared by Reverend Mr. Ogilby, to every member of the parish, and on October 2, Mr. Ogilby read to the
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REVEREND HENRY McF. B. OGILBY
corporation a letter from Bishop William Lawrence en- closing a check for a substantial sum to start the endow- ment fund. At the meeting on October 2, Dr. Alfred Johnson was elected treasurer to succeed Mr. A. P. Gar- diner, resigned. On the third Sunday in October, 1925, the credence table, a memorial to Reverend Reginald H. Howe, D.D., was dedicated. On April 26, 1927, the corporation voted to place a tablet in the Choir room in Memory of Mr. George H. Carnes. On November 22, 1927, the corporation voted to add to the endowment fund a bequest of $2000 left to the Parish by Miss S. Elizabeth Huntington. On November 13, 1928, the corporation voted to accept with thanks the gift of a memorial prayer desk for the Chancel from Mrs. W. E. Lewis and the gift of a plaster cast of Bishop Lawrence from Mrs. Harold Peabody. It was also voted to consoli- date the various Church trust funds. On November 19, 1929, the corporation voted to extend hearty thanks to Mr. F. Tracy Hubbard for a copy of the Madonna Detta Della Vina by Murillo, the original of which is in the Cossini Gallery in Rome.
On April 13, 1933, the Wardens and Vestry con- firmed a previous vote of the corporation for the sale of the real estate owned by the Church on Monmouth Court.
On September 27, 1933, the corporation unanimously adopted the following minute: "This being approxi- mately the tenth anniversary of the institution of Rev- erend Mr. Ogilby as rector of The Church of Our Saviour, the corporation at this meeting voted to place the fol- lowing on its records: 'During the ten years of the rec- torate of the Reverend Mr. Ogilby he has shown his sin- cere devotion and loyalty to the parish, and in appreci-
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ation of his and Mrs. Ogilby's deep interest in our Church we here record our gratitude and pledge him our support in his work in the future.' "
The construction of the present steeple on The Church of Our Saviour came about in this wise: At a meeting of the corporation September 29, 1933, a letter from Bishop Lawrence to Senior Warden Philip S. Parker was read stating that in her will, dated April 21, 1921, his sister, Susan Mason Loring, wife of Mr. Justice Wil- liam Caleb Loring, and fifth child of Amos A. and Sarah E. Lawrence, bequeathed the sum of $150,000 from the residue of her estate to three trustees-her brother Wil- liam Lawrence, her sister Hetty S. Cunningham and her nephew William A. Lawrence-the same to be used, after the death of her husband, for religious purposes, ex- pressing a preference that the same be expended in pro- viding handsome, durable Episcopal churches. Follow- ing Mrs. Loring's death March 10, 1923, it was found that the residue of her estate fell $3294.43 below the $150,000 devised. Mrs. Cunningham, who had received a legacy from her sister, Mrs. Loring, insisted upon making up the deficit. The three trustees, reduced to two by the death of Mrs. Cunningham August 20, 1931, ex- pended portions of the fund for the construction or re- construction of Churches or for other religious purposes, in Japan, the South, the earthquake district of Los Ange- les and in the Massachusetts diocese. The letter offered $13,000 from the fund for the construction of a new spire on The Church of Our Saviour from plans of Messrs. Allen and Collens, architects, and a contract by the Casper Ranger Construction Company, provided the corporation, within two years, should put the ma- sonry and other external parts of the Church and con-
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nected buildings in such excellent condition as meets the approval of the architects.
A letter from the Senior Warden, Philip S. Parker, to Bishop Lawrence also was read in which the writer stated that the corporation, meeting September 27, 1933, authorized him to express the corporation's great ap- preciation of the gift, and its acceptance of the same with the terms mentioned in the Bishop's letter, it being un- derstood that the words "excellent condition" in the Bishop's letter be interpreted as meaning "good or sound condition." The Bishop's letter suggested that any por- tion of the $13,000 not expended might be used to pro- vide a memorial for the two sisters, in glass or tablet form, as approved by the trustees.
The corporation appointed Edward B. Richardson, Philip S. Parker and Benjamin K. Hough a building committee with authority to sign a contract with the Casper Ranger Corporation. The other work to be done on the buildings, in order to comply with the condi- tions, was placed in charge of Philip S. Parker, E. B. Richardson and I. Lloyd Greene. The work of con- structing the new spire was begun in the autumn of 1933 and completed early in 1934, at a total cost of $14,274.70, the cross involving an extra expense of $132.00.
During the first few years of Mr. Ogilby's rectorate the Church and Parish suffered the loss by death of sev- eral old and prominent members, special notice of which was taken by the corporation.
Mr. Charles Pelham Greenough, who had been a mem- ber of the corporation for thirty years, died Novem- ber 22, 1924. At a meeting of the corporation Decem- ber 15 of that year, the following resolution was adopted: "Mr. Charles Pelham Greenough who died November 22,
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1924, had been a member of the corporation of The Church of our Saviour, Longwood, since March 26, 1894. During his long service he showed his loyalty to the Church and to the Parish by his great interest in all important matters which affected its life and welfare. He was always ready with valuable counsel and assist- ance to do his part when called upon. We, his fellow members and friends, rejoice that we were privileged to be associated with him in the official life of the Par- ish, but bow with resignation to the Will which has called him to Eternal Life in the communion of the many Saints who have loved our Parish and helped to make it what it is.
Two years later, Mr. George H. Carnes who had been very useful to the Church for some years as assistant organist and in other ways, passed to his reward. At a meeting of the corporation, October 29, 1926, the fol- lowing resolution was unanimously adopted: "Whereas we, members of the corporation of The Church of Our Saviour, Longwood, have learned with sorrow of the death of George Henry Carnes, a fellow member of the Church and of the Corporation and a devoted fellow worshipper in our Parish, and whereas we all feel that his wonder- ful devotion to the practical and the spiritual work of the Church has been a constant inspiration and exam- ple to us all, therefore, be it resolved that these resolu- tions be spread upon the records of this meeting as a token and mark of our love, thankfulness and respect for his valued example and friendship, and that the Clerk be instructed to send a copy to his relatives and family."
In 1930, the Parish suffered the loss of Mr. Frederic Cunningham, who had held the position of Church treas-
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REVEREND HENRY McF. B. OGILBY
urer for many years. At a meeting of the Corporation October 31, 1930, the following resolution was adopted: "Whereas our Parish has lost through the recent death of Frederic Cunningham a loyal friend who had been our parish treasurer from 1906 to 1919, therefore, be it resolved that at this meeting of the corporation of The Church of Our Saviour we express our appreciation of his sterling character, our deep sense of loss and our sympathy with his family, and furthermore, we direct that this resolution be spread on the records and a copy be sent to his family."
On May 7, 1931, the corporation authorized the Clerk to send a letter of thanks to Mrs. Frederic Cunningham for a gift of $1000 towards the indebtedness on the Par- ish House.
During the year 1931, the members of the Parish were especially grieved by the loss of Mr. Henry S. Howe, who for many years had been one of the most staunch and dependable supporters of the Church, as well as a devoted worshipper. Very soon thereafter came the death of Mr. E. C. Brush of the Vestry and then came that of Mrs. Frederic Cunningham, a sister of Bishop Lawrence, who died very suddenly at her summer home in Hub- bardston.
At its annual meeting January 19, 1932, the corpora- tion adopted the following resolutions, presented by spe- cial committees: "In the death of Henry S. Howe, the Parish of The Church of Our Saviour has lost a devoted parishioner and a generous supporter; the community a valuable citizen, and the business world an outstand- ing example of what a man should be in his dealings with his fellow-men; wise, efficient, arduous in whatever he undertook to do and of unquestioned integrity of act
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and purpose. Away from the business world his life and his kindly charming manner and personality earned him the devotion of his wife and children and the affec- tion and respect of friends, neighbors and employees. For forty-four years he was a member of the Corpora- tion of The Church of Our Saviour and for many years one of its Vestry. He gave to the Church building its present lovely interior decoration; he gave a large sum to the clergy pension fund, and in all times of need he was generous in help and support. His fellow members of the corporation are thankful that his life of useful- ness and good example was long. They are thankful too that his self-discipline and devotion to duty were rewarded by health and success and for most of his years freedom from family sorrows. They are thankful for his example of what a Christian gentleman should be and they regret for themselves, for the community and for his friends and family that he is no longer with us in flesh. We direct that the Clerk send a copy of the above to his family."
"Again it is the sad duty of the corporation to record the death of one of our honored members, Mr. E. C. Brush, who died October 26, 1931. Mr. Brush was born in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1845, and served in the Con- federate Cavalry under General Joe Wheeler. He came to New England in 1889 and was elected a member of our corporation in 1907, serving twenty-four years, dur- ing seven of which he was a member of the Vestry. Mr. Brush's life work was fire insurance in which he was successful as a special agent as manager in his profes- sion. His wife, Cornelia D. (Wood) Brush died Janu- ary 10, 1925, and his son, Edwin M. Brush, died July 10, 1927. Both of them were members of this Church. Mr.
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Brush and his family were faithful members and con- tributors, and we all miss him."
On November 14, 1932, the Corporation adopted the following memorial:
"Mrs. Frederic Cunningham (Hetty Sullivan Law- rence) whose recent death was a great blow to our Par- ish, was next to the youngest child of the late Amos A. Lawrence who with his brother Dr. William Lawrence, built our Church, sixty-three years ago. As a child she came to the first services in it and she always remained one of our most loyal worshippers. As she grew to womanhood she soon became the earnest, unobtrusive helper in the Parish work which she maintained to the end. Her helpfulness was unbounded and was exhibited in many quiet ways, so that it was unnoticed, but her un- suspected influence was a power for good in our midst. Her aim was to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only ; to live uprightly and to befriend and serve her fel- lowmen. Her activities were world-wide, so many and so various that an enumeration would be too lengthy, but in recognition of our loss and as a token of appreciation of her Christian character we hereby direct that this res- olution be a part of the record of this meeting and that a copy be sent to her family."
At the same meeting, the Wardens were requested to extend the thanks of the Corporation to Mrs. Horace Binney for a gift of $2500 in the name of her mother, Mrs. Frederic Cunningham.
Also at that meeting the corporation adopted the fol- lowing memorial to Mr. James M. Hubbard: "James Mascarene Hubbard was a faithful and devout worship- per at The Church of Our Saviour, Longwood, for over forty years. He was a member of the corporation from
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THE CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOUR
January 15, 1906, until January 7, 1912, and a member of the Vestry from April 1, 1907, to January 17, 1912. He lived to be ninety-five years old and was always at his place in Church on Sundays up to a few weeks of his death. For many years Mr. Hubbard conducted Bible Classes, first for young men and later for all members of the Parish, which were always largely attended. His acute mind centered upon the interesting and important points of a subject which he developed with skill and forcefulness, while his sense of humor, always apparent, enlivened the class. It is interesting to note in passing that Mr. Hubbard was ordained a Congregational Min- ister in 1862, and was at one time the Pastor of the Sears Chapel. He came into the Church about 1874. He was deeply versed in English literature and held many posi- tions of importance. But we remember especially his personal charm and gentleness, his love of nature as he studied it in his daily walks, his deep religious convic- tion, his interest in the Church, and as the possessor of all those qualities which endeared him to the members of the parish. We revere and delight in his memory. We think of him at this All Saints season among all the other true Saints of our Parish who have attained their reward and a place in the Blessed Company of Our Lord."
At its annual meeting, January 20, 1933, the Corpora- tion adopted the following memoriam:
"Alfred Johnson, who was buried from The Church of Our Saviour on Sunday afternoon, January 15, 1933, at the age of 62 years, had been a member of the Cor- poration nine years and two months. In 1914, he bought the old red house among the trees opposite the Church. He soon became a regular attendant at our Church and
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REVEREND HENRY McF. B. OGILBY
an enthusiastic worker. He was confirmed here while Bishop Sherrill was rector. Dr. Johnson was active in the affairs of the Men's Club, served in various canvasses and drives, was treasurer of the Church for a time, lec- tured in the Parish house and taught in the Church School. Especially noteworthy was his influence upon the older boys and young men to whom his home and dining room were always open. An unstable, nervous temperament, which handicapped him all his life, had kept him from the Church most of the past five years. He was, however, a devoted communicant, a loyal sup- porter and an ardent friend of the clergy. By his pro- motion The Church of Our Saviour has lost a real friend."
At the annual meeting of the Corporation January 19, 1934, the Wardens and Dr. Augustus Thorndike were appointed a committee to inquire into the matter of a memorial for Mrs. Cunningham.
At a Meeting January 28, 1934, the Wardens and Ves- try voted to accept the cross on the spire as a gift from Mrs. S. C. Payson as a memorial to her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Lincoln, and to reserve a place in the Church for a tablet to them. The tablet now hangs on the wall near the entrance to the sacristy.
On Sunday, October 28, 1934, Bishop Lawrence vis- ited The Church of Our Saviour, and conducted a beau- tiful and reverential service of dedication of the new steeple and the doors to the sacristy, as a memorial to his sisters, Mrs. Susan Mason Loring and Mrs. Hetty Sullivan Cunningham; also the new spire, given as a me- morial to Mr. and Mrs. William H. Lincoln, by their daughter, Mrs. S. C. Payson. In a striking address from the pulpit the Bishop related the story of the building of the church, the motives of those who gave it and of
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those who contributed largely to its support in its early years. He then stated with great impressiveness that the days of large gifts and endowments, by people of means, to churches, hospitals, colleges, universities and foundations in this country, had passed, and if such in- stitutions were to be supported in the future it must be by a wholehearted, co-operative giving on the part of all the people; especially The Church of Our Saviour must depend for its support upon the people of the com- munity in which it is located and who are benefited by its presence and the service it renders.
On Sunday, January 27th, 1935, the rector, Mr. Ogilby conducted a service of dedication of a new altar cross given by Mrs. Charles F. Wentworth and Mrs. Richard Soule as a memorial to their sister, Miss Sarah E. Whit- temore, who was a member of the first class confirmed in the Church and who completed her earthly life May 1, 1934.
On Sunday morning, March 31, 1935, the rector, Mr. Ogilby, conducted a short but impressive service of dedi- cation of a new rector's stall, located back of the lectern, a gift of Mr. I. Lloyd Greene, the Church treasurer, and his family, as a memorial to Mrs. Mary Belle Greene, the treasurer's wife, who for many years was a leader in the woman's work of the church and whose sudden death in the summer of 1933 was a shock to the Church as well as to her family. The stall was designed by Mr. Collens the architect of the tower and the sacristy doors, the execution being by W. J. Ross and Company.
On June 6, 1935, Mrs. Charles F. Wentworth (Ethel Marion Whittemore) passed away after a long illness. An outstanding member of the parish from its begin- ning, she had been active in its work and a regular at-
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tendant at its services. Her record as a teacher in the Church School for over fifty years was unique. In dio- cesan work also she took a noteworthy part and was long a director of the House of Mercy. An enumeration of her service to church and parish and her many acts of private generosity would not tell the whole story of her useful life. It was what she was even more than what she did that made her such an influence in the community. Using her ample means with liberality and simplicity, able, downright but nevertheless appreciative of humor, unfailingly interested in people, she gave her friendship widely, but it was nevertheless a thing to be greatly prized. Of her character perhaps the best note was fidelity. She bore her long illness with heroism and like a feminine counterpart of Bunyan's Greatheart "when she passed over all the trumpets" must have "sounded for her on the other side."
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