User:Mcksci/St. Mary's History

History of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Sparta NJ is History of St Mary’s

The Beginnings:

In 1918, Marie Von Shrenk, an Episcopal Social worker, visited her brother Walter on Glen Road and wrote to inform Bishop Lines in Newton, that there were needs in Sparta as the closest Episcopal church was in Newton, Hamburg or Dover.

Bishop Lines asked a newly ordained deacon, the Reverend E.B. Ford, who was in charge of the Church of the Good Sheppard in Hamburg, to investigate conditions in Sparta.

May 3rd was the first Episcopal Service of evening prayer, held at an undenominational Church at Sparta Mountain and Father Ford held services there once a month until the Church burnt down in 1925. It was an ironic twist that Father Ford and William Castimore had started the township Volunteer Fire Department in 1923, and that riding up on the new fire truck, Father Ford and the other fire fighters were unable to save the Church.

Father Ford in the first fire truck of the newly formed VFD

St Mary’s Main Street

Following the demise of the undenominational church, Father Ford moved to Sparta, buying a house on Main Street from Mrs. Mary Kays. He had a church builtadjoining the house, which was called St. Mary’s Church for 33 years.

In the early 1930s, during the depression, Father Ford interested a friend, Mrs. Howles, in donating $8,000 to build a house (The equivalent of $96,000 today) on the property next to the vicarage on Main Street. Gilchrist House became the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Giveans

St. Mary’s produced a newsletter called “The Messenger”. The oldest copy remaining is dated February 14th, 1925 and appears to be the first issue. The name changed to “Angelus” at Christmas in 1933. During the ‘80s, it became “The Bells of St Mary’s” and of late “The Bells”.

In 1932 The Board of Missions of the Diocese purchased for permanent church use the Vicarage, Gilchrist House, two two-car garages, and St. Mary’s Church on an acre of land.

December 10th, 1933 the choir of St. Mary’s made its first appearance. Eight girls and seven boys occupied the front pews. The girls wore their confirmation veils which were soon to be replaced by blue veils.

In 1939, as he was just about to go off to college, Richard Hixon, Jr., Son of Richard Hixon, the first Church Warden, gave $5.00 of his summer’s earnings to begin a fund to build a new St. Mary’s Church in Sparta. It was prophesied in 1927 that the church would never be filled. On Sunday November 12th there were 63 worshipers with seats for just 42. In the summer the numbers reached 90.

During WWII, the Jenning’s house near the street on the property between Gilchrist House and the Town Hall was put up for auction. Father Ford bid $5,000.00 and no-one else said a word. St Mary’s owned a third property which became the Parish Hall in 1950. The new church building fund stood at $6,500.00

In 1952 after 33 years of service to the Lord and Sussex County, Father Ford retired, to be replaced by the Reverend Dean Edwards who served until his retirement in 1954.

Though Father Edwards tenure was short, he successfully installed Florence Ridge, who purchased lessons and an electronic organ so she could practice at home. Father Edwards also found a nursery school with paying students and paid teachers.

St Mary’s Current location

In 1954, a 28 year old, newly ordained Deacon, Harold Shaffer was appointed Vicar of the Western Counties Mission and henceforth Vicar to the parishioners at St. Mary’s. In 1957, Father Shaffer Acquired 4 acres of land on Conestoga Trail. With a fund drive which netted $53,000, ground breaking was held in 1957. The new Church was built with the outgoing church as inspiration. For example, the Chapel was built as a replica of the Main Street Church. Building began in March 1958 and the Reverend Leyland Stark dedicated the building in February 21st, 1959. The main Street properties were sold in 1960 for $40,000 which helped fund the building of a new Vicarage new to the new church.

Furnishing the Church:

Mrs. Emily MacDonough donated Church vestments they had purchased in Russia right after the Bolshevik Revolution. It was later learned from a Russian Orthodox Priest that they were Chalice and Paten covers probably sewn by Russian Nuns.

“Si” Simonson, a summer resident, asked Father Shaffer to name something that was really needed that that probably no-one else could afford to give. A high Altar of black walnut with ebony floating panels and silver sculptures, all sanctuary furniture, communion rail and pulpit, Oriental rug, gray slate floor and two property lots on the back corner of the church property became Si Simonson’s gift.

The pews were ordered in 1959 and a contract written to guarantee delivery and installation by a given date. For each day past the date that the pews were not completely installed, there was a 5% penalty against the price. Delivery was made just days before the anticipated completion date, but before installation could be completed, the IRS stepped in and padlocked the company for non-payment of social security. The Foreman, now out of work, agreed to do the installation.

The Offertory table and light fitting in the Narthex were fabricated by the Anderson’s of Morristown and given by Mrs. Leslie as a memorial to her husband, Canon Leslie who became a regular participant at St. Mary’s.

In 1958, Father Shaffer discovered Rudolph Buenz through Robert Clothier, the Church architect. Stained glass windows became a necessity after some of the pews began cracking due to the light. The only Stained Glass in the Church was the All Saints window in the balcony, given by Herbert and Marion Closs, including not only Apostolic Saints but also some from the medieval period as well as the 19th and 20th centuries. You can see Rudolph Buenz in the window given by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Nobile, the first window on the lower level on the Epistle Side, a commemoration of people at work, beginning with the depiction of the building of King Solomon’s Temple.

The Baldwin 5 organ, purchased in 1955 for $5,000.00 was ready to retire. The options were a new electronic organ for $15,000 or a magnificent pipe organ for $40,000. An alternative was suggested and for $1,000, an old 21 rank pipe organ was sold to St. Mary’s by the vestry at an Episcopal Church in Camden Maine. For a total of $12,000, Mr. O’Neill from Austin, took it apart, transported it to St. Mary’s, reassemble it, updated several ranks and parts, and rehabilitated the console.

The 60s

With the cooperation of the Lutheran Church of America and with the approval of the Diocese of Newark, St Mary’s invited the Lutheran community to use the Parish Hall on Sundays and to found the Sheppard of the Hills Lutheran Church. After several years they built their church on Woodport Road.

In 1967 St Mary’s sponsored the founding of the Hilltop Montessori School.

In 1969 St Mary’s celebrated its 50th anniversary

In the late 60’s, St Mary’s was part of an Ecumenical Council that in a dramatic action of cooperation, organized two corporations to purchase 21 acres to build the Knoll Heights senior citizen Housing community. $42 million in state and federal loans was secured to build 150 apartments.

January 1978:

After 59 years as a mission, St. Mary’s was officially incorporated as a Parish, meaning that the Bishop no longer appoints the Priest to be the Vicar. A Vestry of nine persons was elected and will in turn elected and called the first Rector – Father Shaffer – and less than 10 months later, Father Shaffer turned in his letter of resignation, having “Labored in the Lord’s vineyard for 29 years”

The 80s

The Vestry and congregation scrambled. The search committee recommended James W.H. Sell who came from the hills of West Virginia to Sparta, which in 1980 was a suburban community of 17,000; nearly triple the population of 1954. St. Mary’s congregation consisted of about 185 households. From 1980 to 1985 under Father Sell, attendance doubled and St. Mary’s giving tripled. Father Sell was grateful of the miracle of Judy Royce who acted as his secretary and was from his hometown in Charleston. Father Sell resigned in October 1985 to become Archdeacon of the Diocese of Newark. The Reverend Robert B. Dendtler was installed as St. Mary’s third Rector on October 11th 1986.

Father Dendtler came to St. Mary’s with his wife Charlotte, who had brought her Christian Education Talents with her. The Church was spruced up and reconfigured to better accommodate the growing congregation. St. Mary’s had continued over the years to expand Outreach. The “Santa Sack” program was started, and under the leadership of Dick Stone, a $10,000 matching diocesan grant was obtained for the “Healthy Mothers Program” in conjunction with the March of Dimes.

Blessed Kateri was formed and once again St. Mary’s reached out and offered worship space and time until its congregation was able to move into their new building in the spring on 1993

Clergy at St Mary’s

1919-1952 The Rev. Edwin S. Ford, Vicar Assistants: 1948: The Rev. Clarence Sickles 1950: The Rev. Michael Lynch

1952-1954 The Rev. Dean R Edwards, Vicar Assistants: 1953-54 The Rev. George Tocker 1954 The Rev. Harold F. Shaffer

1954-1979 The Rev. Harold F. Shaffer, Vicar/Rector Assistants: 1963-66 The Rev. Canon William O. Leslie, Jr. (Retired Archdeacon of Newark) 1965-66 The Rev. Gerald A. Pisani, Jr. (Former Baptist Minister) 1968-74: The Rev. Frank Marshall (Retired Col. Chaplain US Army) 1978-79 The Rev. James F. Jannucci (Former Roman Catholic Priest)

1979-1980 The Rev. Henry Powers (Interim)

1980-1985 The Rev. James W.H. Sell, Rector Assistants: 1982-83 The Rev. James Johnson 1984-87 The Rev. Betsy D.I. Smylie

1985-86 The Rev Richard Trask (Interim)

1986-1993 The Rev. Robert B. Dendtler, Rector Assistant: 1990-93 The Rev. Luke Nelson

1993 The Rev. Luke Nelson (Interim)

1993- The Rev. John Neiman, Rector

External links

St Mary's Episcopal Church, Sparta, NJ 07871