St. George's Episcopal Church

Give Online
You are here: Home / Archives for History Blog

History Blog

St. George’s Celebrates the Faulkners – May 3

by Leave a Comment

On Sunday afternoon we had a wonderful time reflecting on the life and ministry of Rev. Tom and Mary Faulkner, who served at St. George’s for 30 years. Cindy Helton, chair of our History Committee provided an overview of the the Faulkners ministry and its place in our church history. Ann Faulkner Ridgeway, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Faulkner, shared her memories of growing up at St. George’s and how her parents’ legacy has impacted her into adulthood. Rev. Charles Sydnor, who served as Rev. Faulkner’s Associate Rector before becoming Rector at St. George’s, offered a glimpse into the day-to-day work of serving alongside Rev. Faulkner. Our Rector, Rev. Joe Hensley, shared readings by the Faulkners. Additionally, attendees shared memories of the Faulkners. It was a warm afternoon of homecoming. The event concluded with reception in Faulkner Hall. Rev. Joe offered a blessing for the newly renovated space. A special thank you to Foode who generously donated the catering for the event. You can view a video here.


Public Notice

by 2 Comments

Quatrefoil_WideSt. George’s will host a public meeting May 7, 2025 at 5.30 pm in the nave to inform the parish and community about our projects to build an accessibility ramp and a columbarium and how we are caring for our historic graveyard in the midst of construction. This meeting is part of how we are working with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and Dovetail Cultural Resources as we show respect for our ancestors and past while addressing the needs of the present.

Below is the full public notice as well as information on how to provide comments on this project. A PDF download link is also included below.

Public Notice of Intent to Relocate Interments within the St. George’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia

View PDF of Public Notice Here.

 

Public Notice of Intent to Relocate Interments within the St. George’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia

  1. APPLICANT:
    St. George’s Episcopal Church
    905 Princess Anne Street
    Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401
  2. PROPOSED WORK AND NEED FOR RELOCATION: The applicant proposes to perform three modifications to the church property located at 905 Princess Anne Street (GPIN #7789-14-3959) in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Proposed improvements include a handicapped access ramp, a new columbarium, and a walkway railing installation. All will take place within the Church cemetery, which contains numerous burials dating to the eighteenth and nineteenth century; some burials are marked with headstones and others are not. It is believed that approximately 16 burials are located in the improvement areas.

The Applicant has determined that disturbance of the cemetery cannot be avoided due to necessary work on the parcel to accommodate the improvements. Pursuant to the requirements of VA Code §10.1-2305, the Applicant intends to apply for a burial permit through the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) to allow the archaeological excavation and relocation of the aforementioned burials within the footprint of the ramp, columbarium, and railing. A copy of the completed application may be requested from DHR.

The exhumed human remains and funerary objects will be temporarily curated in a secure location at Dovetail Cultural Resource Group (a Mead & Hunt company) located in the City of Fredericksburg and will be respectfully reburied in an alternative location within the St. George’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, unless otherwise requested by interested parties.

  1. COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on this project should be made in writing, addressed to the following:

Kerri Barile Tambs, Dovetail Cultural Resource Group (a Mead & Hunt company)
11905 Bowman Drive, Suite 502
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22408 or by email at kerri.bariletambs@meadhunt.com

Joanna Wilson Green, Virginia Department of Historic Resources
2801 Kensington Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23221 or by email at burialpermits@dhr.virginia.gov

Written comments should be received by the close of business on May 11, 2025. A public hearing may be requested by any respondent to this notice.

  1. CONTACT INFORMATION
    If you have any questions about this project, please contact Kerri Barile Tambs at kerri.bariletambs@meadhunt.com

Caring for Our Graveyard

by 1 Comment

St. George’s beloved historic graveyard has recently received some much needed TLC. Recently, we had a special Graveyard Care Day to clean our historic stones. We have also been working with an expert in stone care and preservation to provide some additional care.

Our First Ever Graveyard Cleanup Day

On Saturday, October 28, 2023, about thirteen St. Georgians showed up to provide care for our historic graveyard. Volunteers used water, soft brushes, and plastic palette scrapers, to clean nearly half of the stones in the graveyard. Thanks to St. Georgians Gina Moriarty, Brenda Hynson, and Shannon Lee, everyone used the proper techniques to carefully do the cleaning. Gina, Brenda, and Shannon have each taken classes through the Fredericksburg City Cemetery on how to care for historic gravestones.

The Graveyard Care Day was all part of St. George’s celebration of Hallowtide – the time leading up to and including All Saints and All Souls. During Hallowtide, we sit in the space between death and rebirth, remembering saints and sainted loved ones, and praying for those who have gone before and are in between. Caring for some of our oldest and most beloved saints in our graveyard is one such way we are intentionally remembering we are all part of a larger Body of Christ and each of us belongs to the Communion of Saints.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Calling in the Experts

Additionally, we have been working with Robert Mosco of Mosco Cemetery Monument Repair for ongoing maintenance and preservation older stones in need of additional care. Shortly before our Graveyard Care Day, Robert Mosco and his associate, Tom Reger worked to:

  • Correct the mortal color and inscribe missing lettering on the stone for Elizabeth Lyons
  • Add mortar and complete preservation work on the stones for Charles Colson, Michael Jackson, John Pearson, and Henry Garett White.
  • Reassemble the stone for Mrs. M.J. Carlin
  • Add mortar and provide preservation work for the footstones of Elizabeth Lyon and S.W. Fry.

 

300th Anniversary Celebrations

by Leave a Comment

Neither power outage, nor poor WiFi connectivity, nor traffic jam on I-95 could keep St. Georgians from celebrating the 300th Anniversary of the Parish of St. George’s April 30 – May 2, 2021! A big thank you to the Rev. Deacon Ed Jones for capturing the spirit of these celebrations. He wrote an article in The Free Lance-Star. You can read the article here.

On Friday, we began our celebrations with An Evening with Bishop Curry. This Zoom conversation was moderated by our Rector, the Rev. Joe Hensley, and the Rev. Deacon Ed Jones. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church – the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry – spoke about love and the Episcopal Church. Additionally, he challenged us as Christians to be imitators of Christ. It was a truly unforgettable evening. You can view a video of the conversation below.

Next, on Saturday, we celebrated the Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of St. George’s. Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw attended and read a proclamation. The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff, Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, also provided a special blessing. St. Georgians young and old – and some with four paws! – gathered on the street outside our building for the special service. We also unveiled the plaque which honors our designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Below is a video of the celebrations.

St. Georgian Earl Baughman was onsite to take photographs of the celebrations.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our Sunday morning worship included a special sermon from Bishop Curry.

Thank you to everyone who helped make these celebrations possible!

Announcing St. George’s 300th Anniversary Commemoration Events

by Leave a Comment

Fredericksburg, VA – St. George’s Episcopal Church announces two upcoming events as part of their 300th Anniversary celebrations. On Friday, April 30 at 7 pm, they will host The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, for a Zoom conversation. On May 1 at 11 am, St. George’s will welcome The Rt. Reverend Susan Goff, Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, and Mary Katherine Greenlaw, Mayor of Fredericksburg, for a special commemoration. ASL Interpretation will be provided for both events.

Hosted by Rev. Joe Hensley, Rector of St. George’s, and Rev. Deacon Ed Jones, former Editor of The Free Lance-Star, An Evening with Bishop Curry on April 30 will explore how we are called to be bridge-builders and people of faith, hope, and love as we look to the future of the church and nation. The evening will include a Q&A with Bishop Curry. Advance registration is required at: https://bit.ly/stgbishopcurry.

Bishop Curry will also preach at the 10 am livestream service on Sunday, May 2.

May 1 marks the 300th anniversary of when the legislation which created St. George’s parish officially went into effect. To celebrate, Bishop Susan Goff will provide a special blessing and Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw will issue a proclamation. The outdoor ceremony in front of the church at 905 Princess Anne Street will include an unveiling of the parish’s new National Register of Historic Places plaque. This event will be livestreamed on YouTube Live: https://bit.ly/StGYouTube.

For more information about St. George’s Episcopal Church, visit www.StGeorgesEpiscopal.net.