USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Lawrence > The first hundred years of Grace church > Part 3
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At 11:00 A.M., the Consecration Service began; to take part in which not only Bishop Lawrence and Bishop Bab- cock, but bishops from other Dioceses had come. The Con- secrator, the Presiding Bishop, Bishop Tuttle, widely known and honored in the Church for his years of service in the mission field, had been himself Missionary Bishop of Utah from 1867 to 1888. Bishop Lawrence and Bishop Hall of Vermont were co-Consecrators. Bishop Lawrence preached the sermon.
In the parish it was a proud day, proud in that the be- loved rector had been considered worthy of his new great responsibility, but sad too, for the service brought home more strongly than ever the realization that from this service he was going forth to leave his people in the Church he so loved.
On Sunday, May 2nd, he confirmed the class which he had prepared.
On the evening of May 4th, a farewell reception was given him in the State Armory by the citizens of Lawrence;
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more than a thousand gathered to show their respect and affection for him. Representatives of different organizations, including churches of other faiths, set forth the many ways in which he had been an influence for good in the City, and expressed their sense of loss and the loss of the City in having one who had so whole-heartedly served it, leave it. Not words alone, but the gift of a purse of one thousand dollars, testified to this.
On May 6th, a parish reception was given him at which time he received gifts from the societies of the Church. Though his official connection with the Church came to an end with his consecration, his love for the Church and his interest in his people have never grown less.
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CHAPTER V
1920-1925
The election of the Rev. Malcolm E. Peabody as rector took place in April, 1920. On May 30th, he was inducted to that office by his father, the Rev. Endicott Peabody.
Now for five short years Mr. Peabody guided the affairs, spiritual and temporal, of the Church. At first the building of the new parish house was of absorbing interest. On Sun- day, September 12, 1920, the corner-stone was laid after Morning Prayer. Bishop Lawrence was present and blessed the stone, thus linking the old parish house for which he was in so large a degree responsible, with the new one which would meet the new demands of service which the years had brought.
In the sealed copper box was placed a copy of two Law- rence daily papers, eight copies of the Grace Church Monthly of 1920, a short history of Grace Church by Miss Marcia Packard, the Honor Roll, and a list of names of all who had contributed to the fund for the parish house; also photographs of the rectors: Dr. Packard, Bishop Lawrence, Mr. Amory, Bishop Moulton, Mr. Peabody, and one of Mr. Charles G. Saunders.
On February 4, 1921, though much still remained to be done, the new parish house was formally opened for the Annual Parish Meeting.
Now that Grace Church was in possession of a building that would require care in meeting the problems that might arise at first in its management, a Board of Governors was appointed. This consisted of a representative from each society and two members of the parish at large, chosen by the rector.
In October, 1920, Mr. Peabody's first curate, the Rev. Arthur O. Phinney came. On March 6th of the following year he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Moulton in Grace Church. In 1921, a branch of the Order of Sir
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Galahad was organized under Mr. Phinney. From Novem- ber 5th to November 12th, 1922 there was a mission con- ducted by two laymen, Mr. E. C. Mercer and Mr. H. H. Hadley, 2nd.
From time to time there had been fairs on a fairly large scale to raise money for different needs, but it was in Mr. Peabody's rectorship that an annual two-day fair in the Parish House became a recognized part of the parish pro- gram. This all means hard work for those who are inter- ested in making these fairs successful year after year. It is, however, considered worth while, not only for the money raised, but for the opportunity it accords for the parish to work together for a common object.
Linking the past with the present has ever been a feature of Grace Church Anniversaries. This was especially true of the Seventy-fifth. The Sunday, October 16th, celebrat- ing this, was truly a red letter day. To the morning service came Bishop Lawrence and Bishop Moulton and two who had been curates, the Rev. George J. Prescott of Dr. Pack- ard's rectorship and the Rev. George Fiske of Mr. Amory's. Besides the rector the Rev. Malcolm E. Peabody, and his curate the Rev. Arthur O. Phinney, there were present Mr. Peabody's father the Rev. Endicott Peabody and Dr. Drown who had been so closely associated with the parish at the time of the World War. Bishop Lawrence preached and short addresses were made by others of the visiting clergy. Bishop Moulton preached at the evening service.
On Tuesday, October 11th, there was a reception and entertainment at the Parish House. The entertainment consisted of a lecture by the Rector with specially produced lantern slides of "Ye Olden Tyme Atte the Churche," and tableaux representing most important events in parish his- tory.
Mr. Peabody's second curate was the Rev. Thomas F. Marshall who made for himself many friends. The third curate was the Rev. Augustine McCormick who was or-
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dained to the priesthood by Bishop Lawrence in Grace Church the first Sunday after Easter, April 19, 1925. Mr. Peabody having left in Easter week to become Rector of St. Paul's Church, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Mr. Mc-
REVEREND MALCOLM E. PEABODY
Cormick had charge of the Parish while it was without a rector. Though his years in the Parish as Curate and Rector were comparatively few, Mr. Peabody made a deep im- pression on its life and left a constant reminder of his rector- ship in the Parish House for which he did so much not only
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in the raising of money, but in arousing and keeping the interest of people in what was really for Grace Church a great undertaking. It would be hard to estimate how much work and how much pleasure have been made possible by having such a house for young and old to meet in. So many are the demands for the privilege of using the rooms for this or that by the societies, that it is necessary to have a care- fully worked out schedule for dates weeks ahead. Of course, its most important use is providing the proper place for the Church School.
In the Summer of 1925 the Church Army was in Law- rence for a day or two holding meetings on the Common and in the Church.
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CHAPTER VI
1925-1937
When Mr. Peabody left there was the first break in the line of clergy from the founding of the Church in 1846, for from Dr. Packard's day curates had been chosen rectors. The Rev. Raymond A. Heron who suceeded Mr. Peabody was the first who had not learned to know the parish and its traditions through association with it as curate. Unlike his predecessors, his ministry had not begun with it. He had gained experience first as Curate of St. Paul's Church in Chicago and then as Rector of St. Thomas' Church, Men- asha, Wisconsin.
To his new parish he brought a deep sense of responsibil- ity which extended even to the smallest details of work. To the sick and shut-in he was a devoted visitor, always think- ing of things to give them pleasure and to lighten dreary hours. Very strongly he stressed the duty of working and giving for missions and other objects outside the Church walls; teaching that whatever was done in Grace Church must also be done for the cause without as well as for the needs within.
In 1925, the practice of having a service leaflet for dis- tribution in the pews on Sundays was established. Christmas of that year there was for the first time in Grace Church a midnight celebration of the Holy Communion preceded by a half-hour of Christmas music. This service has been from that day on a highlight in the observances of the great days of the Christian year.
In 1926, Miss Gertrude Bicknell became parish sec- retary; a very fortunate thing for the parish for she has been most faithful and efficient in the varied responsibil- ities that are hers; always cheerfully responding to the many calls made on her for assistance when unexpected needs arise in this or that branch of parish work.
In 1927, Grace Church with the other Episcopal Churches
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in the neighborhood took part in the Bishop's Crusade, a challenge to the Church to go forward bravely in the Chris- tian life, not faltering however hard the way. The outstand- ing feature was an evening meeting in the Colonial Theater. Bishop Slattery and Bishop Dallas of New Hampshire were the speakers. The next day Mrs. Thorne and Miss Sturgis, both well known for their devoted work for missions, ad- dressed the women of the Churches.
The interest aroused by the Crusade happily did not die when the meetings were over, but made itself felt in many ways in renewed desire for personal and united advance- ment toward a higher spiritual goal expressed in lives more consecrated to the service of the Church, whatever sacrifices might be demanded.
A striking change in the interior of the Church was made in 1928 by taking out a part of the west wall of the nave and replacing it with a screen separating it from the vestibule. This was given by Mrs. William D. Livermore in memory of her husband, and of her sister, Pauline Tingley.
In 1928, there was again a mission in Grace Church though of somewhat different character than the former ones. The Rev. J. Raynor Banks, head of the Nazarene Society was the conductor, taking for his subject personal religion and healing.
In the summer of 1929 the Church underwent a thorough renovating. The walls were repainted and other work done to restore the freshness which the years had naturally destroyed. At that time the Rood Beam and Calvary, the work of Lualdi, under the direction of Cram and Ferguson, was placed in the Church. This was given in memory of Charles Gurley Saunders.
Through the years have come now and then services which mark the day on which they occurred as a day to be remembered in the history of the Church. Such was the dedication of the Rood Beam and Calvary on the twenty- second Sunday after Trinity, October 27, 1929, in connec- tion with Morning Prayer in which Psalm, Lessons, and
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music, including the Anthem, "Souls of the Righteous," were in accord. The spirit of All Saints' Day, only a few days away, was in it all, not only in the Collect for that day, but in the two that followed it.
REVEREND RAYMOND A. HERON
After the blessing of the Rood Beam and Calvary was the petition that "the Church may be benefitted, the worship made more worthy and Thy name exalted and glorified constantly." Bishop Lawrence, with whom Mr. Saunders had been closely associated as a member of the Standing Committee, Chancellor of the Cathedral, and other posi-
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ATROLL ORT TRE BIR6 OR SBORY O CHRIST
PRESENT ALTAR
tions which he had held in the Diocese and National Church, gave the address.
From 1895 to 1916 Mr. Saunders was a deputy from Massachusetts to the General Convention, which is held
CHARLES G. SAUNDERS
triennially. From time to time he was appointed by the General Convention a member of many important com- mittees, chief of these being the Commission on the Re- vision and Enrichment of the Prayer Book and the Com- mittee on Canons. He was considered an authority on Canon Law.
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Shortly after this a new system of lighting, in memory of Sarah C. H. Dana, was installed.
In 1930, the Church received from Lillian W. Andrew a very valuable gift, nine acres of land in Windham to be used as a Church camp. This has made possible many a good time, many an outing for societies and small groups. Not alone has it been a source of pleasure, but one summer it was put to a practical use. In the spring of 1932, when many of the parishioners were seriously affected by the hard times known as the depression, the rector started a fund for a garden at the camp. This would not only furnish vegetables for those who could not afford to buy them, but employment as well for those who had lost their means of livelihood at this time.
Into this project the rector with his wonted enthusiasm for whatever seemed worth while threw himself, not sparing time or thought, and working hard. At the end of the season he expressed himself satisfied with the results.
On Monday evening, November 28, 1930, there was a Parish Thanksgiving dinner commemorating the many blessings bestowed on the Church in the eighty-four years of its existence. An especial cause of rejoicing was the fact that the parish house was at last free of debt. The mortgage, greatly reduced from the start, had been paid off during the year.
Statues of the Blessed Virgin and the Angel Gabriel in the niches of the reredos at the ends of the Altar, in memory of Marian F. Hart, were dedicated at the morning service Sunday, January 17, 1932.
A few years later two statues, one, St. Elizabeth of Hun- gary, in memory of Helen J. Ralton; the other, St. Cather- ine of Alexandria, in memory of Bessie E. Wingate, were placed in the other niches of the reredos. These four lovely figures add much to the beauty of the Sanctuary.
June 11, 1933, Howard P. Kellett was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Moulton.
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:
Grace Church has always been loyal in its response to the cause of the National Church, showing that clergy and people realize that a parish is but a unit of the whole and must, of necessity, unite with the Church at large in the fight against sin, either personal or of the world. Such a call came from the Presiding Bishop in 1934, and in answer the Rev. Eric M. Tasman was invited to conduct a mission. This he did, setting forth in his message to the people that the mission was an effort to rediscover the purpose of God for the world, for society, and for the individual. The interest aroused did not end with the mission for there were many evidences of the impression made upon the parish.
As his tenth anniversary drew near Mr. Heron expressed the wish that the people should observe it by coming to Church. On Sunday evening, December 1, 1935, there was a special service at which the Rev. W. Appleton Lawrence preached. This was attended by a goodly number of the parish.
More than once the appeal of the Red Cross had come for aid for victims of flood, but Lawrence had not known by experience what such disaster meant until March, 1936. In that always to be remembered month the Merrimack River fed by freshets at the north rose to an alarming extent, threatening devastation to property. Fortunately the Church was not harmed, but many of the parishioners lost possessions damaged by the waters. They learned to know that sympathy is not lacking for those who suffer, practically expressed by gifts largely from without the City.
More than this, hard work was done to restore their houses to usual conditions. In this Mr. Heron took an active part as always.
Mr. Heron's first curate was the Rev. John B. Lyte, 1926-1930; the second, the Rev. Harry J. Knickle, 1930- 1931; the third, the Rev. Ernest F. Roebuck, a Grace Church boy who had gained experience working in the Missionary District of Western Nebraska, 1931-1935. In
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A
GROUP OF CLERGY
Back Row: Rev. Arthur F. Roebuck, Rev. Frederick P. Taft, Rev. John B. Lyte, Rev. William E. Arnold, Rev. Arthur O. Phinney, Rev. Thomas F. Marshall. Front Row: Rev. Archie H. Crowley, Rt. Rev. W. Appleton Lawrence, Rt. Rev. Raymond A. Heron, Rt. Rev. William Lawrence, Rt. Rev. Arthur W. Moulton, Rev. Malcolm E. Peabody.
1933, the Rev. Frederick P. Taft generously gave his ser- vices for several months.
In 1937, Mr. Heron was appointed Archdeacon of Boston and going back to the old tradition, his curate at that time, the Rev. Archie H. Crowley, was chosen rector. Bishop Babcock, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese, retired in 1937, and the following January Mr. Heron was elected to take his place.
He was consecrated in Trinity Church, Boston, February 16, 1938. This was indeed a memorable day for Grace Church. Rarely could such a gathering of the clergy of Grace Church be possible, representing so many phases of parish life, from the first days of Bishop Lawrence's rector- ship to the present.
The following Sunday found the new Bishop in Grace Church, having come for the rite of Confirmation which always meant so much to him, but how different from the past; then he presented the candidates to the Bishop; now, he was confirming them himself.
It is to be remembered Grace Church is not a parish off by itself, but belongs to a Diocese over which is the Bishop.
In thinking of the Bishops of the Diocese, naturally we think first of Bishop Lawrence and Bishop Heron. Bishop Eastburn was much interested in the starting of the Church. Perhaps many of the congregation were confirmed by Bishop Paddock. Bishop Brooks lived so short a time after his consecration that he made but one visitation. In the manifold cares of the Diocese, Bishop Slattery never lost his interest in the individual. As was once said of him by a friend, a Bishop of another Diocese, "He had the pastoral heart." Bishop Babcock was well known by the congrega- tion as he confirmed many classes.
Grace Church appreciates that Bishop Sherrill has its interests at heart, and relying on his judgment, is glad al- ways to do as far as possible what he requests for the Church at large.
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CHAPTER VII
1937-1946
The Rev. Archie H. Crowley was ordained to the diac- onate June 15, 1934 in St. Stephen's Church, Lynn, to which Parish he belonged as had two other Grace Church curates, the Rev. Arthur O. Phinney and the Rev. John B. Lyte. This is not the only connection between the two churches as St. Stephen's has had two of Grace Church clergy, the Rev. Augustine H. Amory and the Rev. W. Appleton Lawrence. Before Mr. Crowley came to Grace Church he had been on the staff of St. Paul's Cathedral, Boston, where he was ordained priest May 10, 1935.
In the summer of 1937, the congregation gladly wel- comed Bishop Moulton back to his old parish. For four weeks he officiated on Sundays and Saints' Days and through the week there was opportunity for his old friends to see him. Again in the summer of 1938 he was in Grace Church for a month and it seemed as if the years since 1920 had vanished. In October, the Rev. William E. Arnold took up the duties of curate.
September 9, 1938, the thoughts of the congregation turned towards Syracuse, New York, for on that day their former Rector, the Rev. Malcolm E. Peabody was con- secrated in St. Paul's Church, Bishop Coadjutor of Central New York. On the resignation of the Bishop of the Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Edward H. Coley in 1942, he succeeded him as Bishop.
June 8, 1940, in Grace Church there was an ordination of unusual interest to the parish for one of its members, Norman Lawrence Kellett was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Heron. His brother, the Rev. Howard Kellett, presented him; and another brother, the Rev. Ernest W. Kellett preached.
In 1940, extensive and much needed repairs were made in the Church and Parish House. Three years previously
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money for a new roof for the church had been raised in an ingenious way; sections, squares and shingles were bought and certificates given for them.
In the spring of 1941 the churchyard was much improved
REVEREND ARCHIE H. CROWLEY
by the shrubs and trees that were set out. In this connection it may be recalled that the iron for the fence was given by Mr. John C. Hoadley in 1871.
The Ninety-fifth Anniversary of the founding of the parish was observed October 12. The rector's sermon was on the
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history of the parish as illustrated by two of its families who were of the many who had stood by through the years.
On November 6, Bishop Lawrence died and as was fitting there was a memorial service for him in Grace Church. This took place on the Fourth Sunday in Advent: the Rev. Endicott Peabody, D.D., preached.
It would be impossible to estimate in any way what World War II brought to Grace Church, not alone to the many who bravely accepted the challenge to their Country and to free other lands despoiled by their enemies, but to their families and friends enduring the strain of anxiety for them. Alas, for some, this ended in bitter grief, such grief can only be spoken of with reverence, it is too solemn, too sacred, for ordinary words, no matter how well meant. Through it all, Mr. Crowley stood faithfully by, doing all he could for those in service and those at home. It is a satis- faction, for it shows the loyalty of clergy and people, that interest in the needs of the parish was not lost however great the domination of war.
The boundary of Grace Church was no longer local but stretched out all over the world wherever her people were; at every service prayers were offered for them. Twenty-five years after Bishop Peabody went away to be a chaplain in the first World War, another curate, Mr. Arnold, was pre- paring to do the same. Before he left April 27, 1942, a recep- tion was given him at the Parish House. June 14, the Rev. A. Chandler Crawford took his place.
Once more Grace Church had the gratification of seeing another of her own boys, Alvin Holt Hanson, who had grown up in the parish, serving as choir boy and acolyte, ordained to the diaconate September 14, 1943, by Bishop Heron. The Rev. Arthur F. Roebuck preached.
November 14, 1943, a presentation service was made part of the Morning Prayer on which occasion the Church received a special award from the Army and Navy in recognition of the sacrifice made in giving the service of the
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Rev. William E. Arnold to be a chaplain. Although the Church is always open for private devotion, the purpose of setting apart the Chapel was, that there might be a place where any one might feel free to go to meditate, to pray for friends taking part in the war and to ask intercession for them by writing name or names in the book on the table provided for this purpose, these names afterward to be inscribed in a Book of Remembrance, a memorial gift. The use made of the Chapel showed it was appreciated and that it did fill a real need.
In May, 1945, Grace Church was again called on to part with a curate. Mr. Crawford, who had now been nearly three years in the parish, had been anxious for some time to be a Chaplain in the Navy. He was, however, unwilling to leave until it was assured that the vacancy would be filled. The appointment of the Rev. Alfred W. Burns solved this difficulty. Before he left, a reception was given for him and his bride in the Parish House.
The solemn services of thanksgiving for VE Day and VJ Day should mark 1945 if there were nothing else to chronicle. However there are other days to be remembered. In the summer a new High Altar in memory of Mary Livermore Saunders and Annie Grace Saunders had been placed in the Sanctuary. This was made by Irving and Casson, Cram and Ferguson being the architects. The carvings on the seven panels, symbols of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, were done by Mary Ogden Abbott. The dedi- cation of the Altar by Bishop Heron was on the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 7th, at the 11:00 A.M. ser- vice, before the service of Holy Communion. Bishop Heron preached the sermon in which he alluded to the dedication of the Rood Beam and Calvary in memory of Charles G. Saunders, brother of Mary Livermore Saunders and Annie Grace Saunders, thus as it were, linking the two services.
A beautiful white altar cloth given in memory of Jose-
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phine May King was used for the first time on All Saints Day.
On November 27, the Rev. Alfred Warren Burns, who a few months earlier had come as curate, was ordained to the
I. WISDOM
An old man in a turban-suggesting "the wisdom of the East," holding a (cruciform) staff which supports the Serpent-symbol of wisdom.
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priesthood by Bishop Heron in Grace Church. Taking part in the service besides Mr. Crowley were The Rev. George L. Cadigan, Rector of Grace Church, Salem; The Rev. Cornelius Wood, Curate of Grace Church, New Bedford;
2. UNDERSTANDING
A male figure who holds the Book on whose pages appear the holy monogram and an angel. The Holy Spirit de- scends upon him in the form of a dove. His feet rest on a mask of Satan.
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the Rev. James A. Doubleday, Curate of St. George's Church, New York.
At the close of the year another enrichment of the fabric of the Church was the doorway and paneling given in
CONCIE
3. COUNSEL
A male figure who seeks for counsel in the Bible which is supported by an eagle. His feet also rest on a mask of Satan suggesting his suppression of worldly temptation.
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4. GODLINESS
A female figure of a saint with halo. She kneels to receive the Sacrament which is represented by the cross and the (Tassilo) communion cup (Eighth century). She is sur- rounded by seven doves which represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and is supported by a scroll and the grapes and wheat-symbols of the Sacrament.
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