All Saints Episcopal Church, Stoneham, MA

All Saints Episcopal Church, Stoneham, MA

Pillars & Foundations documents a journey through my surrounding communities, as seen through the experience of its religious institutions. My intent is to share exploration, and spread the positivity that I observe. The hope is to provide a window into these organizations allowing those who might not other wise venture in to appreciate these thoughtful, often impactful groups in our midst. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work.

 This post is unique because I unfortunately did not have the pleasure of attending All Saints before their final service on January 7, 2018. Perhaps poignantly, I dropped by this week following work, and took these photographs at dusk in the autumn. I'm certain All Saints left an unforgettable mark on the community. Memories will last for years, and impact, both known and unknown will last longer.


Building & History

Here we see newer structure attached to an older church with a covered walkway. Pictures on All Saint's Facebook page, highly active only a year ago so the warm light shining through the wall of windows at one end of the sanctuary. The sign, now empty, says in a photograph "November 7, 1907 - January 7, 2018," speaking to a century, or generations of impact that this little church had on the surrounding area. The FB page discusses Kelly's Garden, a place to seek some solitude in the back of the church. I would have liked to take a peek, however I did not as to avoid trespassing. 

The church grew out of the Parish of the Epiphany from Winchester, MA and first located in a house at its location on Central St. The house had been modified several times before the new church was constructed in 1964. 

The Congregation

The FB page is still populated with pictures of loved congregants participating in the community, and memories to some who recently passed. Some inspirational quotes which range from those religious, to commentary from none other than Alice Cooper (Yes that Alice Cooper) paint a picture of a down to earth group of people. And yes, there was even a meme featuring Yoda, suggesting that the Force indeed was with congregants of All Saints.


This is a very unique feature on the building which must have served to bring in a lot of light

Outreach

The Facebook page captures the recent history demonstrating yet another community that delivered benefits to the surrounding neighborhoods that made its home. Blood drives and a benefit for a charity called Bikes Not Bombs which reconditions bikes, creating jobs for teens, while providing bikes as well as other benefits for developing nations. Another example was a fundraiser for Eyes on Refugees an organization that helps those being displaced by unrest across the globe.


All Saint's Facebook page noted that their services often ended on the following benediction:

Life is short,
and we do not have much time
to gladden the hearts of those who
travel the way with us.
So, be swift to love,
and make haste to be kind.
And the blessing of God,
who made us,
who loves us,
and who travels with us
be with you now and forever.
AMEN

This reflection on the passage of time, constant change, and beginnings and ends, makes me pause. There's beauty around us that we take for granted. There's time that we take for granted. We need to value our lives, those around us, the moments, and the experiences that are offered to us. We need to take time to make the world better, be it through simple understanding, or efforts of charity and generosity. Don't let the opportunity slip away. 

Of interest if interested in hearing the sounds of the past, the Stoneham Public Library has made a 250th anniversary service for Stoneham which was held at All Saints, available in 4 wave files. Hearing the organ and the congregants sing accompanied by brass, is very heart warming. Listen through the first hymn and you'll recognize the church transition into "My Country Tis of Thee."

Text and photographs by George Parks
Sources are embedded in links

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Wakefield, MA

Image
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Wakefield, MA  This is the third entry in my blog project where I intend to explore and experience the services of many different churches, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. The motivation for this activity/journey is detailed in the introduction post of this blog. The institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants as well as others through their generosity and public serve. I'd like to learn about their impact and share what I find. It is possible that through this activity I may eventually consider a long term relationship with one of these pillars and foundations of the community, however I am eager to do a lot of exploring first. The building and history: Emmanuel has a very informative website that I was able to rely upon heavily to add to my observations made this Sunday. The parish itself predates the structure by more
Read more

Madonna Queen of the Universe National Shrine, East Boston, Massachusetts

Image
Madonna Queen of the Universe National Shrine, East Boston, Massachusetts Pillars & Foundations was initiated as an exploration communities as well as faith through religious institutions. My intent is to share experiences, and spread the positivity that I observe. Faith centers embody a drive to make a difference which they deliver upon, regardless if it is with one person looking for hope & community, or a recipient of their expansive charitable work. This post took to the fringes of what I'd consider my neighborhood, and shows how much there can be to see right in our own back yards that we take for granted. For many years the sign on the side of Rt. 1A intrigued me but I never took the time to explore it. For whenever I saw it, despite being a twenty minute drive away, I was headed to a destination, perhaps the airport, or a business along the road. When I began exploring area churches, I finally made a point to research, and the reviews of visitors blew me awa
Read more

Immaculate Conception Parish, Malden, MA

Image
Immaculate Conception Parish, Malden, MA My visit to Immaculate Conception on Ash Wednesday is part of an effort to explore and experience the services of many different churches, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. These institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants as well as others through their generosity and public service. It is possible that through this activity I may eventually consider a long term relationship with one of these pillars and foundations of the community, however I am eager to do a lot of exploring first. Building and History The parish itself was founded in 1854 however the current sanctuary appears date from the mid 1960s. The church building is modern, but still possesses a more traditional layout. It has art deco features throughout the church, and I had always assumed that it may have been older than it actually is. The stained
Read more

Jacobs Family Cemetary, Peabody, MA

Image
Jacobs Family Cemetery, (Revolutionary War Cemetery) Peabody, MA My second posting of 2020 is another spontaneous, unplanned post, and only my second post entirely dedicated to a cemetery. I was walking on the Independence Greenway which connects Peabody to Middleton with two fantastic, long rail trails. On the eastern most portion, parallel to Lowell Street, I could barely make out this tiny gravesite in the woods. With a marsh in between the bike/walking path and the tiny overgrown lot, there is not an obvious pathway to access, and I'm divided on whether this is a good or a bad thing. I found a trail through the forest off of the rail-trail, followed it and found that ultimately it led far behind where the cemetery should be. Exasperated, I decided to take care of this winter day and head through the dead leaves and bramble, knowing that thankfully it would be too cold for ticks and that the poison ivy was dormant (and from the vines on the trees, there's plenty of it!)
Read more

Saint Athanasius Parish, Reading, MA

Image
Saint Athanasius Parish, Reading, Massachusetts I intend to explore and experience the services of many different churches, predominantly near where I live in Massachusetts. Discovering all of these different faith communities builds my knowledge of the neighborhoods around me and the people who live there. These institutions are important, often overlooked and even misjudged centers of our communities that seek to make a positive impact on their participants, as well as others through their generosity and public service. It is possible that through this activity I may eventually consider a long term relationship with one of these pillars and foundations of the community, however I am eager to do a lot of exploring first. History & Building I was pleased to find that Saint Athanasius has an excellent write-up on their web page about their parish history. The parish is fairly new when compared to many I have visited, establishing in 1960, and their unusual, modern ch
Read more