Desiderata Days

Winter Peril

2010-03-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

On Saturday February 13th as my wife and I were driving back to Baltimore from the Eastern Shore I received a voice-mail message from our Rector, Mark Stanley with the startling news that our dear old church had suffered a cracked structural beam and perhaps other roof damage as a result of snow accumulation and falling ice from the recent historic snowfall conditions.

When this news reached me, I rerouted and headed directly to the church and let Mark know that I would be there within the hour to inspect the situation. I called upon my friend and fellow parishioner, Basil Acey, to ask for his support as an expert in matters architectural. Basil very graciously offered to meet me at the church. Upon our arrival we were met by Rick Tomlinson and Daniel Rahayel who pointed out the evidence of the structural failure. Basil and I agreed that we needed to take immediate action to make the building safe for use and occupancy and prevent further damage.

A team of construction experts was quickly assembled and a meeting of all parties was underway by 1:30PM. An interior and exterior inspection ensued and the always kind management of the Tremont Grand allowed our team access to rooms throughout the hotel that enabled views of the exterior situation from above. A plan of action was agreed upon with regard to shoring up the damaged areas with scaffolding and timbers and by 3PM work was underway.

In the meantime Mark, Rick and Daniel were making preparations to have Sunday services at the Tremont Grand as we did not feel that the building should be occupied until the shoring was in place and an engineering inspection could be undertaken to certify a safe structure.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur, with the arrival and erection of scaffolding and timber shoring. By 9:15PM, the work was complete and our safety team went home.

As planned, services including baptisms were held at the Tremont and were well attended joyous occasions.

My sincere thanks to all who were involved in this effort with particular gratitude to Basil Acey who agreed to be my Deputy Junior Warden as I underwent knee replacement surgery on the following Monday, the 15th. Basil has been very generous with his time and talents and we owe him a sincere debt of gratitude. Our “First Responder Team” included Tom McCracken, AIA, whose firm is our project manager, Keast and Hood Co. , engineers, Lewis Contracting, construction firm, and Timothy Pierce Masonry who provided the same day scaffolding structure.

I will report more as the repairs move forward.

History Detective.

2009-08-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

I’m sure that it’s been hard not to notice the scaffolding that has inhabited the rear of the church near the south tower. This assemblage signals the beginning of a process that will lead to the painting and redecoration of the church interior.

The scaffolding has been used to allow our “History Detective”, Mr. Matthew Mosca, to examine and sample the various paint levels and to determine what previous paint schemes might have been throughout the lifetime of this building since its reconstruction following the disastrous fire of 1854 and its reconstruction which was completed in 1856 under the direction of architect Richard Upjohn.

Mr. Mosca, who has achieved a national reputation for work in this area has carefully exposed key sections of the wall surfaces and documented the found conditions relating to the 1856 original design and a renovation that took place in 1902. Following work in his laboratory performing analysis to determine dating and original paint coloration, he will be presenting us with a detailed report documenting his findings.

This report will be used as a reference and starting point to develop a new painting scheme for Old Saint Paul’s. The images shown above are of two of the exposed areas and reveal a very decorative treatment. More on all of this to come.

2009-06-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Curtain.

2009-06-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who never saw the elegant black man,
sometimes wearing a cape, stride to the front of our church
and climb to the lectern for the reading of the “word”-
For those of you who never heard his stentorian tones
reverberate from the walls and rafters-
well I’m afraid you have missed something wonderful.

This gentleman's name was Darryl.
Darryl Croxton. Most of us knew little about this man.
He seemed kind of theatrical, a little strange, mysterious, artistic,
but one of us.
Darryl was an actor.
He was also a native Baltimorean who achieved national
recognition for his work.
Unfortunately, we will not hear Darryl's voice again.
Darryl died three weeks ago. Alone.

Darryl appeared on Broadway in Hamlet, Little Indians,
The Taking of Miss Janie and Sly Fox.

His Off Broadway productions include The Threepenny Opera,
The Glorious Monster, In the Bell Of The Horn, Cabal of Hypocrites,
De Obeah Mon, MacBeth, Hamlet, Othello, Love's Labours Lost
and Benito Cereno.

Darryl toured internationally performing his acclaimed
one-man shows: The Best of Both Worlds, Portraits in Black,
The Sun in Splendor, Shadows in the Sun, and Shakespeare in Sable.

Darryl came back to Baltimore and to Old Saint Paul’s.
For the past 10 years in his active semi- retirement Darryl has been
Founder, Producer and Artistic Director of Baltimore’s Theatre
of the Rising Sun a theater company that focused on bringing
classical plays to Baltimore audiences. He also gave his talent
to reading on Sunday morning- ”the word of the Lord”.
“Thanks be to God”.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday June 11 at 10:30am
it would be great if it were S.R.O

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day was an outgrowth of our Civil War, in which some 620,000 Americans died and hundreds of thousands were maimed. The impact on communities both Union and Confederate gave birth to spontanous demonstrations of grief and respect.

In 1864, women from Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, put flowers on the graves of their dead from the recent fighting and slaughter at Gettysburg. The following year, a group of women decorated the graves of soldiers buried in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

In April 1866, women from Columbus, Mississippi, laid flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers. It was recognized at the time as an act of healing regional wounds. In the same month, up in Carbondale, Illinois, 219 Civil War veterans marched through town in memory of the fallen to Woodlawn Cemetery, where Union hero Maj. Gen. John A. Logan delivered the principal address. The ceremony gave Carbondale its claim to the first organized, community-wide Memorial Day observance.

On May 5, 1866, Waterloo, New York, began holding a yearly memorial service .

Waterloo received congressional recognition as the "birthplace of Memorial Day.

May 30, 1868, was designated "for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the fighting.

Historic Old Saint Paul's Cemetery predates the first "Memorial Day" by more than sixty years, having been established in 1800. The cemetery is the final resting place for a number of military heroes.

Among them:

John Eager Howard: A captain, who rose to the rank of colonel in the Continental Army, he fought at the Battle of White Plains and in the Battle of Monmouth. He was awarded a silver medal by Congress for his leadership at the Battle of Cowpens, during which he commanded the 3rd Maryland Regiment, Continental Army.

General George Armistead: who served as the commander of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.

General Lewis A. Armistead: was mortally wounded while leading his brigade towards the center of the Union line in Pickett's Charge. Armistead led his brigade from the front, waving his hat from the tip of his saber, and reached the stone wall at the "Angle", which served as the charge's objective. The brigade got farther in the charge than any other, but it was quickly overwhelmed by a Union counterattack. Armistead was shot three times just after crossing the wall and died two days later.

I have informally counted more than a dozen other names of military who are listed in the cemetery records.

The photos were taken at Old Saint Paul's Cemetery during a ceremony.

Fine Print: The foregoing represents the author’s somewhat informal meanderings in topics that he is unqualified to report on. Any discovered factual errors should not be reported to the author and should be kept to oneself. Any accusations of plagiarism or the like will be disregarded totally by the writer and will not be contested nor apologized for. The same holds true for missspelllings, typos, and other nit-picky rubbish.

Belated Bells.

2009-05-01T02:57:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I had coffee with Basil and Mary Ellen Acey in their Roland Park home and the topic of the Harrison Carillon came up. Basil was instrumental (no pun intended) in bringing to fruition this magnificent feature to our historic church. I asked Basil to send me some background information that I might be able to use for this blog. I have decided to include his written piece in its entirety as follows:

"Sunday morning services at OSP begin with a ‘peal’ from the Harrison Carillon located in the north Tower of the sanctuary over the Reading Room.

The Harrison Carillon is an assembly of 23 bells mounted on a large steel frame which can be seen through the screened arched openings in the Tower.

(ed. note: the photos shown here are not our carillon as I have not yet had the opportunity to climb the tower, but I'm pretty sure that ours looks much the same. -F.C.)

The Carillon is named in honor of the Baltimore businessman – George Harrison – who assembled a group of Baltimore companies which donated the $122,125 for the carillon to be fabricated, shipped and installed in the Tower. OSP was responsible for the costs for design and construction of the Tower interior structure to receive the carillon.

The current OSP – designed in 1853 by the New York architect Richard Upjohn (who also designed Trinity Episcopal Church in N.Y.)- with a bell tower – Campanile –of about 150 ft in height. However lack of funds limited the current height to 56 ft. Whether the original Tower or the current tower was to contain bells has not been confirmed, but the current Tower was constructed without any openings , leaving no doubt that bells were not planned for at that time.

Mr. Harrison had been involved in the installation of bells at other locations in the U.S., and had expressed an interest -in discussions with the Rector William McKeachie and members of the OSP Vestry and Senior Warden in October, 1988 - in bringing bells into OSP and downtown Baltimore. A Committee composed of members of OSP and prominent businessmen under the leadership of Mr. Harrison was established and plans for the future installation began to take form.

In early, 1990, Mr. Harrison selected The Verdin Company, founded in 1842 in Cincinnati, Oh., to provide the Carillon. Verdin, in turn, selected Petit and Fritsen Royal Bellfoundry , founded in the Netherlands in 1660, to cast the bells.

On December 10, 1990, the Carillon arrived in Baltimore, and assembly of the frame and bells in the Tower was completed in a few days. Concurrently , the internal components – control equipment, keyboard console, organ relays – were installed at the organ console, and the whole assembly was then calibrated ,tuned and programmed by Verdin and the OSP organist and choirmaster, Rodney Hansen.

The Harrison Carillon was dedicated to the parish, the generosity of Baltimore businesses and businessmen who supported it and the citizens of Baltimore."

More on this later!

Resting Place

2009-04-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today I met with a group of preservation professionals at our historic cemetery. Preservation Maryland is sponsoring a conference in May and one of the highlights is a hands-on workshop at Old Saint Paul's Cemetery. Here is a link to the program information for those who might want to attend. www.preservationmaryland.org/html/conference.html For those of you who haven't visited this wonderful oasis in the heart of downtown Baltimore, you are missing a special treat. Each time I visit, it is a delightful, spiritual, and aesthetic experience. Here lie our parishioners of 200 years ago. I remain hopeful that this place will play a larger role in the life of our parish and I would welcome your ideas. Originally called the Western Burying Grounds, this cemetery was created on the western outskirts of Baltimore Town in 1800. The prior cemetery was located next to the church, near today's Old Saint Paul's. Among those buried here are John Eager Howard, Revolutionary War hero, Governor, and U.S. Senator; Samuel Chase, signer of the Declaration of Independence and George Armistead who was the commander of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 British bombardment that inspired Francis Scott Key. Key was buried here until being moved to Greenmount Cemetery in the late 19th century. Lewis Armistead, brother of George, was a colonel in Lee's Army of the South who fought in several famous battles before being mortally wounded during "Pickett's Charge" at Gettysburg. Lewis is buried next to his brother George . There are many fascinating stories connected with those who lie in this sacred place amongst the hustle and bustle of city life. If you would like to learn more about any of this or to visit, just drop me an email (juniorwarden@osp1692.org) and I will see if we can get something together. Several times a year there are wreath-layings and ceremonies by historical enactors. I will try to post the details as they are announced. I anticipate volunteer opportunities for improving the conditions at the cemetery in terms of maintenance, gardening and repairs/restoration. There is much to be done and funds are in short supply.

The Hunt.

2009-04-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Easter Sunday, saw the annual egg hunt at Old Saint Paul’s. This was an indoor hunt conducted within the sumptuous halls of the Tremont Grand our beautiful, hospitable and generous next door neighbor here on Charles Street in downtown Baltimore. It was with great enthusiasm that our smallest parishioners stormed the banquet room when the glass doors were thrown open at 10:07 AM! Within minutes the swarm of hunters bedecked in their Easter finery captured their prey. Very exciting and fun for all!

I thought I would dabble a bit in a bit of Easter Egg and other secular history about this important Christian holiday and after a very superficial research project wish to put forth the following factoids.

The ancient Persians painted eggs for Nawrooz, their New Year celebration, which falls on the Spring equinox. The Nawrooz tradition has existed for at least 2,500 years.

The pre-Christian Saxons had a spring goddess called Eostre, whose feast was held on the Vernal Equinox. Her symbolic animal was the spring hare (read “bunny”). Some believe that Ēostre was always associated with eggs and hares. Hmmmm. I always wondered how rabbits and eggs came to be linked to Easter.

The English name for the festival of Easter derives from the Germanic word Eostre. It is only in Germanic languages that a derivation of Eostre occurs in the name of our Christian holiday. Most European languages use a term derived from the Hebrew pasch meaning Passover. In Spanish, for example, it is Pascua; in French, Pâques and in Dutch, Pasen.

Pope Gregory the Great reportedly directed his missionaries to absorb older pagan festivals and merge them into Christian rituals where possible. The Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ was ideally suited to be merged with the Pagan feast of Eostre.

In any event, the egg is an ongoing symbol of new life and that is exactly what was surrounding us yesterday at The Hunt.

Fine Print: The foregoing represents the author’s somewhat informal meanderings in topics that he is unqualified to report on. Any discovered factual errors should not be reported to the author and should be kept to oneself. Any accusations of plagiarism or the like will be disregarded totally by the writer and will not be contested nor apologized for. The same holds true for missspelllings, typos, and other nit-picky rubbish.

Ode to a Copier

2009-04-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful talented Maestro Dan Fortune made reference to this piece that appeared in Episcopal Cafe about a topic that he knows well from first hand experience.

Many of you know Father Schenck from his OSP days. Enjoy.

Father Tim Schenck writes on his blog "Clergy Family Confidential" the following:

Ode to a Copier A Prayer for Holy Week
Holy Week, dear friends, will soon draw nigh;
From St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery to Christ Church, Shanghai.
Parish secretaries and their rectors, too,
Thinking of the bulletins that will ensue,
Drop to their knees and begin to quake,
Praying their copiers will stay awake
Through Maundy Thursday and the rest;
Without behaving as if possessed.
Rectors wonder with uncertainty,
“Should I have purchased the extended warranty?”
Misfeeds, toner woes and a paper jam
Always seem to accompany the Paschal Lamb.
Why this happens is a great unknown,
A mystery worthy of the bishop’s throne.
So stoke the incense, say your prayers;
anything to stave off copier repairs.
As the dark shadows of Tenebrae now approach;
may your copier behave without reproach.
And as we begin the Good Friday fast,
May it wait ‘til Low Sunday to breathe its last.
Here is the link: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/saturday_collection/saturday_collection_4409_1.html
Have a wonderful Holy Week!
FC

The Robots are coming!!!

2009-04-01T18:04:00.001-07:00

Well folks it looks like we lost. You may have heard that for the past five years we have waged a campaign against developer David Hillman's plans to build a "robotic garage" next to our 1791 Old Saint Paul's Rectory building. Several weeks ago the plans received approval from the city's Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel, some of whose members continued to have issues with the design. However, they are now out of the loop and the Planning Department is in control and is determined to move this project forward come hell or holy water.

According to the Baltimore Sun "after the meeting, developer David H. Hillman said he had received verbal approval for his garage from the administration of former mayor and now Gov. Martin O'Malley. "The garage was part of a deal I made when I said I would buy and renovate the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building." He said that building, on nearby Lexington Street and converted into apartments, needs parking for tenants."
Apartments are part of the project and will face Saratoga street.
So, as they say "you can't fight city hall". WE TRIED.
Here is a rendering of the proposed design.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Patrick (c. 390 - 460)^[2] (Latin: Patricius,^[3] Irish: Naomh Pádraig) was a Roman Britain-born Christian missionary and is the patron saint of Ireland, along with Brigid of Kildare and Columba. He was educated at a monastery and school of divinity founded by Illtud (now Llantwit Major).

When he was about 16 he was captured by Irish raiders and taken from his native Wales as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the Church, he later returned to Ireland as a missionary in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked and no link can be made between Patrick and any church.

By the eighth century he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish monastery system evolved after the time of Patrick and the Irish church did not develop the diocesan model that Patrick and the other early missionaries had tried to establish.

The available body of evidence does not allow the dates of Patrick's life to be fixed with certainty, but it appears that he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century. Two letters from him survive, along with later hagiographies from the seventh century onwards. Many of these works cannot be taken as authentic traditions. Uncritical acceptance of the Annals of Ulster would imply that he lived from 340 to 460, and ministered in what is modern day northern Ireland from 428 onwards.

Saint Patrick's Day (17 March) is celebrated both in and outside of Ireland, as both a liturgical and non-liturgical holiday. Outside of Ireland, it can be a celebration of Ireland itself. In the universal Roman Catholic Church it is an optional memorial, though in the dioceses of Ireland it is a both a solemnity and a holy day of obligation.

The Church on the Hill ~ 1752

2009-03-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

In this engraving (click photo to enlarge) that was produced from a rather primitive sketch by John Moale in 1752, we see the fledgling new development called Baltimore Town. In their wisdom the Vestry of St Paul's Church decided to relocate from what is now Dundalk to Lot 19 in the new town. This parcel was on high ground at the northern end of town. The most prominent building in Moale's representation is the first church that was built on the exact same site as our present Old Saint Paul's.

Desiderata and Old Saint Paul's

2009-03-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

For text and some info go to-

http://www.fleurdelis.com/desidera.htm
Desiderata is Latin for "Things to be Desired."

My name is Fred Craig. As the current Junior Warden of Old Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Baltimore I am responsible for oversight of “buildings and grounds” that are owned by our historic church. You can be well assured that my list of things to be desired is quite extensive and has grown during my four years as the Junior Warden. Money has always been elusive for bricks and mortar needs and is not becoming less so during the current economic trials. I have two more years to serve as Junior Warden and "have the intention" to blog about what is going on in the physical realm of our church. The “Desiderata” an inspirational writing that has often been mistakenly associated with our church has provided me with a name for this blog that I will use to relate facts, fables and history about our buildings and grounds and hopefully generate interest and participation on the part of the parishioners. I welcome your comments and participation.

Fred Craig