“A Historic Past, A Welcoming Future”
The 300th Anniversary of St. George’s Episcopal Church, 1720-2020
“A Historic Past, A Welcoming Future”
The year 2020 marked the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of St. George’s parish. Planning for celebrating this important landmark began in early 2010, when the St. George’s Founding Date Task Force met to review records and evidence for verifying the date of the official establishment of St. George’s Parish. Task Force members (formerly members of the St. George’s Archives Committee) included Barbara Willis, John Pearce, Ed Jones, Cindy Helton, Trip Wiggins, and Ben Hicks. Supporting evidence substantiating the founding date of 1720 was compiled from earlier histories of the parish, from legislative documents, from church records, and from existing primary sources for the period. The Task Force submitted its findings and recommendations to the rector and the vestry on January 15, 2010, that confirmed the establishment of St. George’s Parish by the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1720.
In recognition of the need to update the history of the church and to prepare for a suitable celebration, Rector Joseph H. Hensley, Jr. convened a meeting on January 25, 2017, with former Archives Committee members who were available to create a History Committee. The purpose was to update and narrate a history of St. George’s from its beginning to the present in the context of the mission of the church and with the involvement of lay leadership. Barbara Willis and Cindy Helton agreed to co-chair the committee. Lay leaders who joined them were Trip Wiggins, Craig Rains, Malanna Cary Henderson, and Steward Henderson. In February 2017, the History Committee convened its first meeting, and they met each succeeding month to review church records and publications, both secondary and primary, including official vestry meeting minutes, oral interviews, courthouse deeds and records, as well as past published histories of the church. Trip Wiggins completed biographical sketches of each rector who served St. George’s over the three hundred years period.
To organize a celebration of the 300 years of St. George’s existence, the vestry authorized a Steering Committee to coordinate and plan activities for the 300th Anniversary Celebration with Marilyn Farrington and Lisa Durham as co-chairs. Others who volunteered to help plan and guide the events and activities for the celebration included: Earl Baughman, Nick Cadwallender, Bob Carter, Linda Coker, Cindy Helton, Louise Morton, Peter Rasmusen, Evin Rivera-Orellano, Jessica Atkinson, Chris Baggett, Jeanette Cadwallender, Shannon Lee, Josue Orellano, Kitty Lee Wafle, Sharon Null, and Katherine Willis. Still others joined the work as various events took shape.
The Steering Committee, led by Marilyn and Lisa, was named the 2020 Committee. They structured the scope and sequence of the 300th observance to include a series of events and celebrations with each to be led by a “champion”. The committee chose the theme for the celebration as, “A Historic Past, A Welcoming Future.”
In April 2019, the 2020 Committee, in consultation with clergy, vestry, and staff, set the date of April 25, 2020, as the beginning for events marking the 300th anniversary of the founding of the church. A 300th anniversary commemorative calendar, championed by Shannon Lee, was published by Laurel E. Loch and the Communications Commission for the period 2020-2021. Elizabeth Seaver contributed as the cover artist, and the calendar included relevant St. George’s facts, figures, important dates of celebratory events, pictures, and notes describing the church’s ministries. Holy and special days from multiple faiths were noted to reflect St. George’s welcome of all. The commemorative calendar went on sale on January 2, 2020. On February 16, the Sunday Adult Forum featured a preview of the events and activities, and the congregation was invited to participate in the work.
Unforeseen national and world events resulting from the spread of the COVID-19 virus, however, would disrupt and reshape daily life in the community and the church in ways that would alter the original plan of events and activities as outlined in the calendar. March 11, 2020, marked the designation of the Novel Corona Virus as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and on March 13, 2020, the U.S. President declared a National Emergency. Americans were told to avoid gathering in groups of more than ten, to cease eating in restaurants, pause nonessential trips, maintain social distance, and wear protective masks.
The Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, the Right Reverend Susan E. Goff, declared a fast from in-person worship to protect parishioners and others in the community. St George’s leaders adjusted quickly by utilizing information technology to live-stream and record worship services from St. George’s, and the 2020 Committee arranged for the continuation of many of the 300th celebration events by means of virtual communication with remote participation.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on St. George’s will be remembered as one of the most significant events in its history. But even at its founding in 1720, disease and illness were a part of life in eighteenth century Virginia. Diphtheria was a plague among children, dysentery was common, and epidemics of smallpox were always a fear. To deal with outbreaks, colonial governments established quarantines of ports and sometimes neighboring communities, isolated homes, created pest houses, and destroyed animals. In 1918, St. George’s had to deal with a major pandemic with a massive outbreak of influenza in Virginia and the nation. Churches and schools were closed, parishioners isolated themselves in their homes, cloth masks were worn, businesses were closed, medical staff and facilities became overwhelmed, and over 16,000 Virginians perished. The mayor of Fredericksburg, J.P. Rowe, followed the advice of the city health and school boards, and closed all places of public assembly. From its beginnings to the present, St. George’s has adapted and maintained its mission to its parishioners during challenging and changing times which have marked its 300 years of existence.
While the parish was separated physically, during the COVID -19 pandemic, the rector, on April 23, 2020, challenged everyone to be connected by reading the whole Bible before May 1, 2021. With a published suggested schedule of readings, weekly encouragement from the rector, and virtual gatherings powered by Zoom, the 300th Anniversary Bible Reading Challenge was on. In addition, the 300th Anniversary Lands’ End apparel site opened for business online. Parishioners ordered scarves, fleeces, and more with the church logo. The champion of this event was Kitty Lee Wafle.
The 300th Anniversary History Lecture Series, championed by Peter Rasmussen, began on July 21, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. with historian David Marsich, professor at Germanna Community College, presenting a livestream webinar. His lecture was entitled “St. George’s in Context: A Primer on Early American Religious History.” It examined the history of the parish in the context of colonial American religious history, including the religious history of the colonial church and its role in the institution of slavery. This was the first of a 300th Anniversary three-lecture series. On August 18, Dr. Erin Devlin of the University of Mary Washington presented the history of the church amidst racial strife and during the civil rights era. Finally, on November 17, John Hennessey, chief historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, closed the series by examining the role of St. George’s during the Civil War. These lectures were also presented in livestreamed webinars.
As a part of the continued celebrations, the 2020 Committee hosted a virtual panel discussion on November 1, 2020, “Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, Where We’re Going.” The panelists included the current Rector of St. George’s, the Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr.; previous rectors, the Rev James C. Dannals, and the Rev. Charles Sydnor; and Ann Faulkner Ridgeway, the daughter of former Rector, the Rev. Thomas G. Faulkner. The panel was moderated by the Rev. Deacon Ed Jones, former editor of the Free Lance-Star, and members reviewed changes in St. George’s over time, and shared their views about the parish’s role in the community, its history, and its future.
During the month of December 2020, special commemoration ornaments and notecards became available. Parishioners could purchase these online and pick up their orders in Faulkner Hall. Marilyn Farrington championed this event for the 2020 Committee, and proceeds benefited the Landmark Building Fund.
On February 21, 2021, the 2020 Committee scheduled a History Committee presentation on stories about “African Americans at St. George’s,” a virtual webinar for the Sunday Adult Forum. Trip Wiggins shared a biographical sketch of the Rev. James Marye, and Malanna Henderson described the Bray School for African Americans. Steward Henderson described the Sunday School for enslaved children through the eyes of Washington Wright. He recounted the story of Mary Minor Blackford and her concern for African Americans. Cindy Helton gave details about the Rev. McGuire and his promotion of the Colonization Society. Steward Henderson narrated the history of the 23rd and 9th Corps, African Americans in the Civil War. Trip Wiggins presented information about St. George’s Rector, the Rev. Lanier, who published an autobiography of Joseph Walker, the sexton who served at St. George’s for 53 years. Malanna Henderson presented the Walker autobiography.
In another 2020 Committee webinar on March 9, 2021, members of the History Committee, Craig Rains and Trip Wiggins, presented “History of St. George’s Parish: A Unique Microcosm of America.” They sketched the early history of the first settlers in St. George’s Parish, beginning in the 1700s in the Germanna community on the western edge of the Virginia Colony to the establishment of the church in Fredericksburg. Local historian John Hennessey continued the story in a webinar on March 16, 2021, with “A Place of Peace in a Time of War: St. George’s, Fredericksburg, and the Civil War.” His talk focused on the impact of the war on the citizens of Fredericksburg and the parishioners of St. George’s and addressed life in Fredericksburg and the church in the crosshairs of two giant armies. Topics ranged from the gathering storm, the city uprooted, the combat in the streets, the worship services during the war, the church as a hospital, and the town and St. George’s following the aftermath of the war.
On April 3, 2021, “St. George’s: The Church in the Public Square” exhibit opened in cooperation with the Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM). The exhibit described the unique role of St. George’s in the public square of Fredericksburg over three centuries and featured three-dimensional objects, written accounts, photography, and graphic elements from the church’s collection. The exhibit guided viewers through the major events in the church’s history as it made the transition as the only authorized church from the Church of England under the English monarch to being a member of the Episcopal Church of America after the American Revolution. With the change to the new country’s independence and the separation of church and state, St. George’s made the difficult transition from being supported by the state to being supported by the voluntary contributions of parishioners.
The exhibit presented the history of the church as it dealt with the social, economic, and political changes in the Fredericksburg community and its struggle to meet the challenges of these changes through war and peace, slavery and emancipation, Jim Crow and desegregation, poverty and welfare, education, and women’s rights. Objects from the church, including the silver communion set stolen during the Civil War and later returned, the 1754 Bible, portraits, and furniture, provided visual images to viewers of the exhibit in support of the story of how one local institution grew and adapted in the historical Fredericksburg community for over 300 years.
The exhibit was guided and directed by Sara Poore, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Fredericksburg Area Museum. John Hennessey, chief historian of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Battlefield Parks, wrote the object labels. Lisa Durham championed the exhibit and assisted with design and layout, and Cindy Helton, St. George’s History Committee co-chair, drafted and documented the exhibition text. Also serving on the project committee were Marilyn Farrington, the late Barbara Willis, History Committee co-chair, and Malanna Cary Henderson. The FAM Exhibit Committee expressed gratitude to Ben Hicks for his digital archives and photography, and to the St. George’s History Committee, including members Trip Wiggins, Craig Rains, Malanna Henderson, Steward Henderson, and the late Barbara Willis, who contributed a copy of the original Joseph Walker Autobiography.
Other contributors to the exhibit project included Michael Spencer, associate professor and director of the Center for Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington, who produced the three-dimensional models of the churches that were built on the St. George’s site; Tristan Bennett who interpreted and completed the artistic finishing of the models; Lisa Bogardus for the handbell display; Jeanette Cadwallender for providing the report on the needle point kneelers; Bryn Roth for contributing samples and information from the quilting ministry, “Prayers and Squares;” Ann Tebbutt for the knitted prayer shawls display; Laurel Loch for continuous support, including photography and the printing of the chronology trifold outlining some of the events over the past 300 years compiled by the History Committee; the Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr. for his guidance and support; Nicholas Perron and Riley Mullen, St. George’s sextons, who performed much of the work in transporting objects to the museum; and Theresa Cramer for providing educational support and interaction with tours at FAM.
On April 30 and May 1, 2021, the church celebrated the anniversary of the establishment of St. George’s Parish in 1720 with a series of events. On May 1, 1721, the law which had been passed in November of 1720, creating the parish, went into effect. The originally planned closing events for the tricentennial celebration were centered around this date. Instead, the 300th observances would be extended until the last Sunday of the liturgical year, November 21, 2021, to allow a few more in-person events if the pandemic subsided.
On April 30, 2021, St. George’s welcomed the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, for two events. Parishioners were invited to gather virtually for an interactive conversation with Bishop Curry. The following Sunday, May 2, Bishop Curry provided a pre-recorded sermon in special recognition of the 300th Anniversary celebration at the 10 a.m. livestreamed worship service.
The date of May 1,2021 marked a long-awaited outdoor celebration with a ceremony at the entrance of the church for unveiling the new National Register of Historic Places plaque, which had been made possible largely by the work and contributions of the Honorable JMH and Mrs. Barbara Willis. At this ceremony the Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr. recognized the Indigenous People from whom the land which became St. George’s parish was taken. This event featured a proclamation from the mayor of the City of Fredericksburg, the Honorable Mary Katherine Greenlaw, and a blessing from the Bishop Suffragan and Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese of Virginia, the Right Rev. Susan E. Goff. Neither a power outage, nor poor Wi-Fi connectivity, nor a traffic jam on I-95 kept the celebration from taking place. The Rev. Deacon Ed Jones captured the spirit of the celebration in an article in the Free Lance-Star, “Curry, Presiding Bishop of Episcopal Church, helps St. George’s mark 300th anniversary,” May 1, 2021.
The announcement of the St. George’s Landmark Building Fund also marked this event. This fund was established at the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region for the future preservation of the historic landmark of St. George’s Church. A goal was set to raise $300,000 for this fund by November 22, 2021.
On August 2, 2021, the Virginia House of Delegates passed House Resolution 706, commending St. George’s on the 300th anniversary. The bill was sponsored by our local delegate, Joshua Cole. Delegate Cole visited the parish adult forum and presented the church with the commendation. Parishioner David Durham researched and drafted the text which was incorporated in the resolution.
The 300th anniversary historic worship service took place on October 31, 2021. This was a special combined worship service at 10:00 a.m. It featured the liturgy from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which was the same liturgy used by the people of St. George’s in the early decades of the congregation. Sharon Null and Susan Tyler were the champion for this service. Several parishioners dressed in clothing of the period, and the service was livestreamed on YouTube Live. A virtual forum discussion followed the service to provide additional historic context and an opportunity to share responses.
Sunday, November 21, 2021, marked the official conclusion of the anniversary observances. The service included a special prayer, as well as the performance of a new hymn, “Sacred Space (A Clogyrnach),” with lyrics created for the anniversary by Beth Spragins and music, “Monroe,” by John Vreeland. The parish History Committee presented a hybrid program in which attendance was both virtual and in person, and which featured the changes in the structure of the church over its 300 years, with a tribute to the late Barbara Willis, who lovingly researched the history of our parish. In the afternoon, renowned organist Erik William Suter, who served for almost ten years as organist at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., performed a special concert in the Nave which included works by Dupré, Duruflé, Mozart, Bach, and more. Though these events marked the formal end of the observances, the FAM exhibit, “St. George’s: The Church in the Public Square,” remained open until November 11, 2022, when the 2020 Committee and the FAM staff hosted a closing reception at the museum.
Compiled by Cindy Helton