Saint Chrysostom's Episcopal Church

Henry Pryor Almon Abbott: A Brief Tenure, 1928-1929

In 1908 and 1909, when St. Chrysostom's had last been without a rector, the parish was on the verge of collapse and the first man chosen had refused the call. Twenty years later the situation was very different. The Reverend Henry Pryor Almon Abbott was one of the most distinguished priests in the church. He had been born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 11, 1881, the son of the Reverend John and Ella Almon Abbott. The Almons were descended from the 17th century Massachusetts Puritan divine Increase Mather. A great-grandson, the Reverend Mather Byles, converted to the Church of England and emigrated to Canada after the Revolutionary War; the Dictionary of Canadian Biography includes biographical sketches of several members of the Byles and Almon families. The new rector's older brother Mather was headmaster of Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.[1]

Henry Pryor Almon Abbott was a graduate of King's College in Windsor, Nova Scotia, and had studied in England at St. Stephen's House, Oxford. After short periods as assistant at St. Luke's Cathedral, Halifax, and St. James the Apostle Church, Montreal, he had been appointed rector and dean of the cathedral at Hamilton, Ontario while still in his twenties. In 1914 he became dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, and five years later was named rector of Grace and St. Peter's Church in Baltimore. Dr. Abbott and his wife Rachel were the parents of five children: Paul, Rachel, Osler, Faith and Nancy.

He had preached at least once at St. Chrysostom's (at a Wednesday evening Lenten service on March 14, 1917), and had on several occasions been the preacher at noonday midweek Lenten services in the Loop. Former parishioners of Trinity Church who had moved north and affiliated with St. Chrysostom's may well have remembered him; newspaper stories state that in 1910 he was seriously considered for the rectorship of Trinity. Dr. Abbott was the author of several books, and before his fortieth birthday was listed in Who's Who in America. He had in the recent past refused calls to several well-known churches in the United States and Canada and had on four occasions been nominated for bishop; the parish felt a measure of pride that such a notable priest had accepted the call to St. Chrysostom's. Betty Redmond recalls him as distinguished in appearance, with a slight English or Canadian accent.

Dr. Abbott's first Sunday in full charge of the parish was December 9, 1928. His message to the congregation in that day's bulletin conveyed a pleasant note: "I greet many of you this morning, my dear friends, as my new Parishioners. I know that your hearts are sad to see a stranger in the pulpit; but for Dr. Hutton's dear sake, and for charity's sweet sake, you are going to give me welcome, and cooperate with me to the utmost of your individual and corporate ability. I am new to you, and you are new to me, and so we are going to meet on the grounds of mutual loneliness and comfort and encourage one another."

Dr. Abbott immediately introduced changes in the service schedule, adding celebrations of Holy Communion on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. "I shall begin these ... in faith, and continue them, I hope, with increasing numbers present. I cannot bear the thought of this lovely Church being vacant of Church Services, save on Saints' Days, and from Sunday to Sunday. I need the Blessed Sacrament several times a week myself, and I hope that there are members of the Congregation who will come to feel the same way about it." Since that date, midweek services have remained on the parish calendar almost continuously; the Tuesday service, scheduled on the day of the Women's Guild weekly meeting, formed an important addition to that group's program. Although Dr. Abbott's hope that "we may eventually work up to a daily Celebration" has not been realized in the ensuing sixty-five years, midweek services have been an important part of parish worship, and their benefit can surely not be measured by attendance numbers alone.

The new rector, though planning to call on every family in the parish, also made it a point to attend meetings of parish organizations; he was a guest of the Tuesday Nighters and of the Men's Club in his first week at St. Chrysostom's. His letter to the congregation not long after the Men's Club meeting described changes in ushering practices designed to reduce the amount of time that unoccupied rented pews were held for pewholders at the start of the service. (They apparently did not prove a complete solution to the problem, since the topic was frequently discussed at vestry meetings in ensuing years.)

The Altar Guild had in previous years been small in number; nine members attended the group's corporate communion in the children's chapel in 1923, and the size of the group seems to have remained relatively steady during Norman Hutton's years as rector. The addition of midweek services to the schedule may have influenced Dr. Abbott to reorganize the group and broaden its membership. Now known as the Altar Society, the group had two classes of membership; communicants "willing to take part in the regular work of the Society" were eligible for active membership, while others could express their interest by becoming associate members. Dues for both groups were $2 per year, and active members were expected to join the sanctuary, floral decoration, clergy vestments, choir curators or church care and order committees according to their interest. (The constitution as quoted in the January 27, 1929 bulletin does not indicate that membership was restricted to women; however, the description of the society states that Dr. Abbott was "most anxious that every woman communicant ... should become a member of the Altar Society.")

He began a weekly group as part of the Women's Guild which would roll bandages for Chicago hospitals and institutions: "We want to give our young women who are doing such worthwhile things outside the church the opportunity of doing worthwhile things within the church ... The meetings will be in the mornings or afternoons, in accordance with the convenience of the greatest number, and, if held in the afternoons ... will finish with Afternoon Tea."

Dr. Abbott maintained his predecessor's tradition of having a service at Christmastime honoring students home from school for the holidays, a practice he was probably happy to continue since his two sons were among those in this group; Paul was a student at Princeton, while Osler attended Lawrenceville School where his uncle was headmaster. On New Year's Day the new rector wrote a letter to the congregation: he was continuing an annual resolution to take special care in the preparation of his sermons and hoped that the more than twelve hundred parishioners on the membership list would resolve to attend church every Sunday morning when "unhindered by illness and present in the city." His letter apparently had some effect; at the new rector's first vestry meeting on January 13 senior warden Frederic Norcross "emphasize[d] the noticeable increase of attendance at the Sunday services." At this meeting Dr. Abbott presented a resolution (which passed unanimously) naming Dr. Hutton rector emeritus of the parish.

A series of "advertising 'dodgers'" delivered weekly during January at homes and apartments in the vicinity of the church provide insight into Dr. Abbott's sermon topics and his approach to attracting nonchurchgoers.

If you are not a member of any church will you not attend some of our Services and give us an opportunity to persuade you to become a member of our church? We are anxious to serve our neighborhood and to make our parish "a praise in the community." To that end, we want to have you with us.

The sermon topic for Sunday, January 6, was "The Art of Happiness"; for the following Sunday, "The World View of Christianity." On January 20, when the sermon was on "Doubt," the circular touched on reasons for attending church:

(1) Because Jesus Christ went to church ... Surely, it should be a case of "like Master, like disciple."

(2) Because we go to church to worship God ... We go to church primarily not to GET, but to GIVE ...

(3) And negatively: Because the objections to church-going are unworthy of the intelligence of thinking people. "The services are so dull," "I prefer to worship God in the country or at home." ... I imagine that the synagogue service in the time of Jesus was often dull ... but He attended the services regularly ... As for worshipping God in the country or at home� � candidly, do you? Personally, I have never seen anyone kneeling in the woods, or assuming an attitude of prayer on the golf links.

The circular for January 27, reflecting the widespread concern with business and financial issues during the late twenties, began with a quotation from the Parable of the Talents.

"Thou oughtest therefore to have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest."

We do that every day, so far as our secular possessions are concerned; for Chicagoans are "long" on business and well-up on rates of interest; but do we do that sort of thing in relation to our spiritual possessions?

... The suggestion is: Use your talent for Religion. If you use it, it will multiply a hundred-fold ... Take the talent ... and throw it into the service of Christ's Church ... If you do that, then you will be at home in the things of Religion, even as you are at home in the things of Commerce, and you will appreciate the significance of the words, "I am come that ye might have life, and have it more abundantly."

Come to Saint Chrysostom's Church ... and hear a sermon on "The Talent of Prayer." You will find that Prayer bears its interest, and the rate is HIGH.

The new rector seemed to be making a promising start; the future appeared bright. Then, on Wednesday, January 30, came word from the diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, that Dr. Abbott had, on the eighth ballot, been elected its bishop. Two days later, he informed the diocese of his acceptance of election.

"A Word from the Rector" in the bulletin of February 10, 1929 stated:

I have accepted my election as Bishop of Lexington, Kentucky. It is sad to have to leave you so soon after knowing you so short a time, but I have felt the unmistakable urge to accept a work that is crying out for leadership, and at much personal sacrifice. I know that you will wish me well. You have all been extraordinarily good to me and mine and, when the time comes to say "Good-bye" I shall part from you with real regret. In the meanwhile, for the next two months and more, let us work unitedly and enthusiastically to make Saint Chrysostom's a bigger and a better Church, something immeasurably worthwhile to hand on to my successor.

The specialized ministry of the diocese included an area of the Kentucky mountains where there was considerable poverty and need. The "personal sacrifice" mentioned in his message may refer to the considerably lower salary he would receive as Bishop of Lexington than as rector of St. Chrysostom's Church, as well as to the fact that he would be working in an area lacking the cultural amenities of the larger cities where he had previously lived. (Elizabeth Redmond recalls that Dr. Abbott appeared more likely to become bishop of a large metropolitan area than of a Kentucky mountain diocese.) John Henry Hopkins, in his book The Great Forty Years in the Diocese of Chicago, states that Dr. Abbott "was rector of St. Chrysostom's Church scarcely long enough to unpack his books"; a statement which may be literally true. The vestry accepted his resignation effective April 30 "with heartfelt regret and keen disappointment ... consoled by the fact that our Rector leaves to accept election as Bishop of Kentucky [sic], to which field the Vestry's best wishes follow him with hopes and prayers for success."

During the remaining period of Dr. Abbott's ministry, which included Lent and Easter, he indicated his intention to put himself "as heartily into the work as if I were to remain with you indefinitely." Dismayed by the "slackness of attendance" at services during previous Lents, he scheduled one weekly service on Wednesday evenings and urged everyone to attend if not ill or out of town. He also expressed his concern at the small attendance at the 8:00 service on Sundays: "with some thirteen hundred persons affiliated with Saint Chrysostom's Church, there is something infinitely pathetic in the handful of people who present themselves at the Altar at Eight o'clock on Sunday mornings."

On April 21 a bulletin notice invited parishioners to be present at the bishop-elect's consecration at Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington, on Wednesday, May 11. On what Dr. Abbott termed "the greatest and most solemn day of my life," he hoped that "just as many of my friends and well wishers as possible" would attend the service. He continued:

I would take this opportunity of expressing my warmest thanks to those members of the Parish who have presented me with a set of Bishop's Robes ... The robes are exquisite� � the very best that may be procured. It is extraordinarily kind of the donors to give me such a handsome gift after my short stay among you of only five months. Words are feeble; but I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You may be interested to know that my former parish, Grace and St. Peter's, Baltimore, is presenting me with another set of robes; that a dear friend of mine in Baltimore is giving me my Bishop's Ring and that the Pectoral Cross is being sent to me by friends in my last Canadian Parish, Christ Church Cathedral, Hamilton, Ontario. I am a very much spoiled middle aged man!

Pat Warren, who had been elected to the vestry in January, arranged for train reservations for parishioners wishing to attend the service (at a cost of $26.80 round trip plus $9.00 for a lower berth or $7.20 for an upper berth). The overnight trip on the Big Four Railroad left Chicago at 10:10 p.m.; we may hope that the train was on time, as it was scheduled to arrive in Lexington at 9:40 a.m., less than an hour before the service began at 10:30.

Dr. Abbott's farewell message to the congregation appeared in the bulletin of April 28.

I have been with you for five months. The time has been short; but I do not look on it as wasted time. ... I shall always look back with joy upon my residence among you, and I shall ever "thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

... I know that you will rally around my successor ... and give to him the same loyalty and cooperation that you have given to me and my distinguished predecessor. A great future lies before this Parish, a future, as yet, undreamed of by many, and you are going to have your part, each and every one of you, in making that future all that it ought to be. Leave my name and the name of Dr. Hutton out of your vocabulary and concentrate in thought and fact upon the personality of the man who is to be chosen to be your leader ... God is with you, and tomorrow is in your keeping, and the things that have been will be as nothing compared to the things that are to be.

�An unidentified newspaper account in parish archives, presumably from a Lexington paper, describes the consecration. Presiding Bishop John Gardner Murray was the consecrator; retired Bishop of Lexington Lewis Burton (who had served thirty-three years in the diocese) and Bishop Charles Goodcock of Kentucky were the co-consecrators. It appears that most of the clergy in attendance were known to Dr. Abbott from his days in Cleveland and Baltimore, though "Bishop Griswell" (Sheldon Griswold, the suffragan bishop of Chicago) was present.[2] Music included an anthem, "Lord, Who Dwelleth on High" (described as "to the 'Largo' music") and Semper's "short communion service." Ewing Bonn, a Johns Hopkins graduate student who had been Dr. Abbott's acolyte in Baltimore, served as acolyte at the service. Not all the Abbott children were able to attend; Paul, Osler and Faith Abbott were at school and unable to come to Lexington for the occasion.

Although the vestry and congregation felt proud that a rector from St. Chrysostom's had been elected bishop, there must also have been feelings of loss at the departure of the new rector only a few months after his arrival. (We may share Dr. Abbott's view that the parish's gift of a set of bishop's robes was generous under the circumstances.) After his consecration, Bishop Abbott continued to preach with some regularity at midweek noonday Lenten services in the Loop and nearly always visited St. Chrysostom's on these occasions. Friendships made by Dr. Abbott among the members of the congregation in his months as rector continued throughout his life, while his institution of midweek services of Holy Communion had an influence on the parish far outlasting his tenure there.

The locum tenens (interim rector) named to serve until a permanent successor to Dr. Abbott was appointed was to have a distinguished career in his own right. The Reverend John Crippen Evans had earlier that spring been appointed religion editor of the Chicago Tribune. His past career had been varied. The son of an Iowa Methodist minister, he had attended Cornell College in that state and Wesleyan University in Connecticut and had worked as a lay missionary, a school principal, a newspaper editorial writer and a lecturer on the "Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits."[3] He joined the Episcopal Church in adulthood and became lay missionary in charge of a small church in Montana; from 1922 to 1924 he attended Berkeley Divinity School in New Haven, after which he served for two years as rector of St. Mark's Church, Havre, Montana. He came to Chicago from St. Stephen's Church, Escanaba, Michigan, where five young men of the congregation had become candidates for the ministry during his rectorship. John Evans, his wife Belva and their twelve-year-old daughter Irma moved into the parish house, at first occupying the Simonds apartment during the family's absence from the city.

Mr. Evans' sermons (whose titles were included in parish bulletins) covered a wide range of topics and were apparently well received by the congregation: they included "Sources of Christian Dynamic" (on Whitsunday), "How to Read a Newspaper," "Christ and the Growing World," "Prophets and Profits," "The Prophet Amos and the Voice of Labour" (on the day before Labor Day) and "Problems of Religious Education" (on the opening Sunday of the Church School year). Vestry minutes record his work to develop a plan for "coordinating the social efforts of the parish," presumably the work of the Social Service Committee and the Community Center.

On becoming acquainted with the parish's work at Camp Oronoko, Mr. Evans recognized story material for the Tribune: the July 28, 1929 issue contained his feature on the camp.

There they go! Sixty of them! Splash! Sixty splashes merge into one. The waters of the sleepy St. Joe River become greatly troubled, but sixty boys from Camp Oronoko are not. The hour for the 4 o'clock swim has come ...

But all of the boys ... are not permitted to swim. Several watch from the bank. They are not envious of the swimmers. Not a bit. Furthermore, they are having a grand time� � watching the others. It is great fun ... especially after having been cooped up for weeks, or months with heart disease as wards of the Chicago Heart society. One of the boys sitting there is permitted to take only 50 steps and then he must sit down and rest. Of course he came down to see the fun� � 50 paces at a time.

... In a letter to Frederick C. Spalding, camp director, Mrs. Gertrude Howe Britton, the head of the Heart society, related the gratitude the boys are unable to express for themselves.

"Until you did give us this opportunity at Camp Oronoko," Mrs. Britton's letter stated, "there was no place we could send boys 14 years of age and over."

Mr. Evans described the history of the camp and its service to the choirboys and Boy Scouts before the parish adopted an adult choir, at which time "the director planned a fresh air camp with a slogan, 'A camp for children of all ages and creeds.'" He continued:

Camp Oronoko activities are under the direction of Robert E. Pegel, assistant football coach of Lane Technical High School. While splendid discipline is constantly maintained, yet there is little of the "institutional" atmosphere about the place ... From the rising call at 6 every morning until taps at 9:20 each night, there is something doing every minute.

... Approximately seven weeks will be given to boys and three to girls. More than 500 boys and girls will be provided with a summer outing at Oronoko.

The maintenance of Camp Oronoko is a major activity of St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church ... Frederick C. Spalding has given fifteen years to the development of the camp as well as constant summer supervision during those years, without compensation.

By the time the Tribune article had appeared, the vestry had already voted to call a new rector; the Reverend Stephen E. Keeler of St. Paul's Church, Akron, Ohio, had been chosen in late June, but his official acceptance was not received until September.

Stephen E. Keeler: From Prosperity to Depression, 1929-1931

Vestry member Frederick West was probably in part responsible for the selection of the Reverend Stephen Edwards Keeler as the parish's new rector. Mr. Keeler had served for over eight years as rector of St. Stephen's Church in Pittsfield, Mass., where the West family had a summer home, and had officiated with Norman Hutton at the wedding of the Wests' daughter Eleanor to Perry Shepard in Pittsfield in 1920. Born in New Canaan, Connecticut, on April 16, 1887, Stephen Keeler had been educated at Hoosac School and Yale University. At Yale, where he won awards as an intercollegiate debater, he studied under the noted professor William Lyon Phelps, who tried to persuade him to become a writer; though his parents hoped he would make a career in business, he felt a call to the ordained ministry and worked for a year before entering General Theological Seminary as well as during his studies there to earn money for his tuition. Following his graduation from seminary in 1913 he served for two years as curate at St. Paul's Church, Cleveland, before accepting the call to Pittsfield; in 1923 he became rector of St. Paul's Church in Akron. Mr. Keeler and his wife Eunice had one son, Stephen, Jr.

Not long after the Keelers' arrival at St. Chrysostom's, the Reverend James E. Wolfe of West Congregational Church in Akron wrote to the vestry:

At a recent meeting of the Executive Board of the Akron Council of Churches, I was asked to write you of our high regard for the Rev. Mr. Stephen E. Keeler, now your Rector ...

The Rev. Mr. Keeler greatly endeared himself to all Akron, both by his gracious qualities as a Christian gentleman and by his unusual ability as a leader ... While doing an outstanding piece of work within his own Parish, he was able also to render an outstanding service to the entire City.

... Embodying in himself what a Preacher, Minister, Pastor and Friend can be and ought to be, he changed the spirit and method of many a minister's life and work. Having in his own Parish the wide stretches from poverty to great wealth, from unlearned to learned, he was friend and shepherd to all alike.

It is interesting to muse over the number and sort of people who sought his friendship and counsel. The poor fellow whipped by life sought his advice. The leader of the colored community work leaned much upon him. Social Service Agencies counted on him. Ministers of other Churches sought his sympathy and guidance. Foreign-born, now in a strange land, shared his sympathy. Politicians, both good and bad sought the weight of his influence. The former often, and the latter only once.

Although vestry minutes indicated that the Keelers would occupy the parish house apartment used by the Huttons and the Abbotts, the new rector preferred not to live in the parish house and the Keelers moved into an apartment at 1235 Astor Street. This apartment served as the rectory for nearly fifty years, housing five rectors of the parish and their families.

Mr. Keeler's first message to the congregation appeared in the bulletin of November 24, 1929.

It is my earnest purpose and desire to build upon foundations wisely and well laid by your beloved Dr. Hutton, and fostered by Dr. Abbott. In a real sense I am entering into their labours with mutual enthusiasm for those common tasks which the Rector and Parish will carry into that new and greater day whither the Parish, under God's blessing, is destined.

Before his arrival at St. Chrysostom's, Mr. Keeler had met with Mr. Evans in September; his impression was obviously favorable.

The Reverend John Crippen Evans has been such a faithful friend and worker since he came to you ... that I find the Parish well-organized and doing splendidly. Mr. Evans and I are fellow-workers; side by side we would, to the highest degree possible, live up to the ideals of our priesthood.

Although Mr. Evans had earlier informed the vestry that he planned to resign at a time to be agreed upon after the arrival of the new rector, he remained as associate at St. Chrysostom's throughout Stephen Keeler's tenure as rector.[4]

Weekday celebrations of Holy Communion, eliminated during the interim period, were reinstituted:

From now on there will be ... Celebrations of the Holy Communion on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. and on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. ... Engagements are such that the privilege of attending weekday Services falls only to a few; however, I do believe that there are some who will welcome the chance of building our spiritual life by increased loyalty to the Holy Communion.

The new rector hoped to become quickly acquainted with his parishioners, and planned to be in his office every day from eleven till noon "affording opportunity for parishioners to meet him somewhat more quickly than by the usual method, to be followed in due course, of calling at the home." "Just as fast as engagements permit," he wrote in the December 1 bulletin, two weeks after his arrival, "I am making parish calls and taking pleasure in doing so, for I am old-fashioned enough still to believe that 'a house-going parson makes a church-going people.'" That day's bulletin also included a Thanksgiving message of welcome by Dr. Hutton from his new parish, St. Andrew's, Wellesley, Massachusetts. "I am thankful today that the old Parish I love so dearly has you to lead it on to greater usefulness. May the day be one of real joy. If opportunity arises present my love and felicitations to the congregation. I shall remember you all at the Altar."

Stephen Keeler made it a point to attend meetings of all the parish organizations and wrote of his pleasure at becoming acquainted with the groups and their members, but took a special interest in the Church School. The teachers had for some time been holding monthly meetings; in announcing the December 9 meeting Mr. Keeler wrote, "Saint Chrysostom's has a rich field for the development of ideals of religious education. I intend to be actively engaged in it, and want to give of my best to it. Consequently I anticipate with great interest the next meeting of the faculty ... Put it on your calendar, and be there without excuse!" Early in 1930 he instituted the "rector's catechism" program in which Church School students were to memorize the answers to weekly questions; Prayer Books were presented to those successfully completing the program. A Sunday morning adult Bible class under John Evans was added as part of the Christian education program. Mr. Evans was apparently well qualified to teach the class; more than one of his Tribune articles at that time discussed current approaches to Bible study.

An innovation in the 1929 Christmas schedule was the hour of carols sung by the junior choir preceding the 11 a.m. service on Christmas Day; probably thanks to Mr. Evans' connections, their performance was broadcast on Tribune radio station WGN. A New Year's Eve Watch Night service also formed part of the holiday schedule, but apparently was not popular as it was not continued the following year. Mr. Keeler maintained the practice of a special service honoring students home for vacation, though students' names were no longer listed in the bulletin. The Girls' Friendly Society, as was its custom, invited children from an orphanage to a Christmas party at the church; Eliza Littler, supervisor of the Home for the Friendless at 5059 Vincennes Avenue, wrote to thank the group for "the lovely party ... We appreciate your furnishing the transportation as it was such a stormy night. Upon their return the girls told us of the wonderful time they had."

The present-day reader examining parish documents from this period looks in vain for any immediate impact of the stock market crash of late October. Mr. Evans' sermon titles at that time do not indicate any reference to the crash, and Mr. Keeler's optimistic vision of "that new and greater day" seems to reflect the confidence of the late 1920s rather than the troubled times of the next decade. The first possible reference to problems ahead appears in the December 1929 vestry minutes, which included "a careful discussion of the financial situation." The bulletin of January 5, 1930 noted that 31 families had been helped during the Christmas season just past, while the rector's New Year message in the same bulletin sounded a considerably more somber note than his first message six weeks earlier. "We stand, dear friends, on the threshold of the unknown. Immediately before us is the doorway of the new year, and we are entering in to possess it. Who can tell what we shall find? ... But here is a comforting, cheering, gladdening message from the Heavenly Father: 'The Lord thy God careth for thee' and 'in quiet and confidence shall be your strength.'" The March 9 bulletin requested gifts of men's clothing: "The suffering this winter, I am told ... has been worse than ever before. We need ... especially suits that men may wear, as they seek for employment."

The early months of Stephen Keeler's ministry at St. Chrysostom's were marked not only by the worsening financial situation but by sad events in the parish. In December 1929 George Edwards, who had served as sexton since 1916, was forced to retire due to ill health. "Mr. Edwards has seen the remarkable growth of this parish," wrote the rector in the bulletin of December 1. "Increased work and responsibility ... have been cheerfully and faithfully met by Mr. Edwards. His work will always remain a factor in the fabric of St. Chrysostom's." The vestry voted to retire Mr. Edwards on half pay; he and his wife left the city for Moscow, Pennsylvania, where he died on November 1, 1930.[5] A tribute to him appeared in the November 9 bulletin: "Kindly and courteous and untiring in his efforts for the good of this parish, Mr. Edwards will always be remembered most gratefully." Mrs. Belle Dunn, who had been the choir mother in the days of the boys' choir and had participated in the early choir camps, died on February 2, 1930 after a long illness and was memorialized in the following week's bulletin. "She is still spoken of with affectionate interest by many who remember her as choir mother ... a woman of a very sweet and gentle nature who always brought out the best in every character that touched hers." Samuel Felton, chairman of the Chicago Great Western Railroad and donor of the Virgin Mary window, died on March 11. The Tribune of March 12 contained a lengthy front-page feature story on Felton�s distinguished career. As director general of military railways in World War I, he had been responsible for the transportation of railway forces and supplies to France and the transportation of troops to the Atlantic seaboard. At the end of the war he was awarded the French Legion of Honor and was the first civilian to receive the American Distinguished Service medal.� His father Samuel, also a railroad official, had arranged secret rail transportation for president-elect Abraham Lincoln to Washington to avoid an assassination plot. On the day of Samuel Felton�s funeral at St. Chrysostom's on March 13, the C.G.W. trains were stopped for one minute in his memory.

Joseph Henry Thompson, parishioner for twenty years, member of the choir, superintendent of construction and maintenance at Camp Oronoko, former president of the Tuesday Nighters, passed away Tuesday morning and was laid to rest on Friday ... His outstanding work was in connection with the fresh air camp, where he planned the building operations ... crowned last summer with the erection of the recreation hall. In this building Mr. Thompson expected to continue this work, making it his week-end summer home. His identification with this enterprise ... was so complete, and his devotion to it so self-effacing, that the campus ... becomes at once his impressive monument and his fitting memorial.

Outside the parish, Bishop Charles P. Anderson's death on January 30 must have grieved Episcopalians throughout the diocese (and beyond it, since Bishop Anderson had been elected presiding bishop a few months before his death).[6] The election of a new presiding bishop took place in Chicago on March 26; a memorial service for Bishop Anderson was scheduled at St. James Church the previous evening, conflicting with St. Chrysostom's Tuesday evening Lenten service. Bishop Abbott, who had been scheduled to return to his former parish for the first time as preacher that night, asked that the service be canceled so that he and any parishioners who might wish could attend the memorial service, adding that he preferred to make his first return visit to St. Chrysostom's on a happier occasion.

Not all the news at this period was sad. The vestry meeting of January 12 made reference to a happy anniversary.

The Rector ... called attention to the fact that Sunday, January 12, 1930 marked the thirty-seventh anniversary of the day [Frederick Spalding] first became connected with St. Chrysostom's Parish, whereupon the individual members of the Vestry present expressed to Mr. Spalding and to the Rector ... the esteem and affectionate regard in which Mr. Spalding is held ... [and] VOTED to commemorate the event in the minutes of the meeting and to express to Mr. Spalding the grateful thanks and appreciation of the Parish and the Vestry for his continuous, constant and untiring effort for the welfare of the parish and particularly his splendid and successful management of the Summer Camp.

Later in January, the annual meeting voted its appreciation for John Evans' "splendid service" as locum tenens.

Vestry minutes for April 13, 1930 record a milestone in parish history, when the group signed the petitions of Clyde Daniel Wilson and George Albert Wilson, the first candidates from the parish for the ordained ministry. (We do not know if the two were related.) Mr. Evans' encouragement must have helped to influence their decisions, as both had been members of his parish in Escanaba and had transferred to St. Chrysostom's the previous year. No information on George Wilson's later career has been found, but Clyde Wilson, after serving at parishes in DeKalb, Illinois and in Connecticut and Ohio, became rector of Grace Church, Oak Park, in the late 1950s. During the search process he came to St. Chrysostom's as guest preacher, allowing Grace Church members to hear his sermon.[7] John Evans regularly assisted at Grace Church after Clyde Wilson became its rector.

Sunday afternoon services, not scheduled since Dr. Hutton's time, were resumed in January. A carillon recital preceded the services, music was provided by the senior choir, and there was a ten-minute address, normally given by Mr. Evans. The Tribune expressed interest in broadcasting the service; cost to the parish was estimated at $50 a month and vestry member Benjamin Taylor offered to assume the first month's costs. Letters from listeners came from as far away as Peoria, Illinois and Des Moines, Iowa. The Des Moines listener wrote, "Thinking you might be interested to know that you had some appreciative listeners to the Vesper Service which I and my family have just heard on WGN, I drop you a few lines to that effect. As an Episcopalian, I think that the radio is a splendid medium in educating the American people to the value, quiet beauty and dignity of our services." Stephen Keeler was "convinced that the interest in our service of Evensong" would "grow both in the city and among our radio listeners"; however, the broadcasts lasted for only a few weeks, as WGN chose to broadcast a nondenominational service from its studio instead.

In 1907 Mr. Snively had deplored the ill effects of "automobiling" on the parish. Although his worst fears had not been realized, an automobile-related problem was discussed at the vestry meeting of February 2, 1930. "Statement was made that parking of automobiles in front of the church prevented the safe and convenient arrival and departure of other members, whereby Mr. Redmond volunteered to have 'No Parking' signs suitably erected by order of the City Council." At the same meeting the vestry discussed the purchase of an adding machine, referring the matter to a committee for final decision.

During Lent, Mr. Keeler conducted a preaching mission in Ohio which he had originally scheduled for the previous Advent but postponed in order not to leave his new parish immediately after his arrival. (When out of the city on preaching missions he took care to announce his absence in the bulletin, and regularly expressed his gratitude to the parish for allowing him to fulfill his engagements.) The Holy Week schedule included a Maundy Thursday prayer vigil as in previous years. Among the Church School students taking part in the pageant on Easter afternoon were Stephen Keeler, Jr., Orville Hicks and David Simonds; David Simonds was among those confirmed the following month when Bishop Sheldon Griswold made his visitation to St. Chrysostom's.

That spring saw the last recorded performance of the Cloister Mummers. Their director Gloria Chandler left the city for an extended period in late 1930. On her return she resumed responsibility for the Church School pageant, but, perhaps because at a time of financial hardship interest in amateur dramatics had waned, the Cloister Mummers did not resume their productions.

Sheldon Griswold, the former suffragan bishop of the diocese, had been elected diocesan immediately after Bishop Anderson's death. He was older than his predecessor and in poor health, and called for the election of a coadjutor in May 1930. Though Stephen Keeler had only been in the diocese for a few months, at a preliminary vote taken the day before the official election he received twelve clergy votes and seven and one-half lay votes.[8] The great majority of votes were given to the Reverend George Craig Stewart, rector of St. Luke's Church, Evanston; Mr. Keeler and Dr. George Thomas of St. Paul's Church on the south side (who had received twenty-two votes) immediately withdrew in favor of Dr. Stewart. Although Bishop Stewart came from a high church parish whose traditions differed from St. Chrysostom's, his relationship with St. Chrysostom's was a warm one; he often expressed his gratitude for the strong support given him by the parish and its members, and during his episcopate two St. Chrysostom's parishioners received his Distinguished Service Cross award.

June 1930 brought happy news to Stephen Keeler and to the parish when he was awarded an honorary D.D. degree by Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, probably at least in part for his work in 1928 and 1929 as president of the Gambier Summer School and Conference for Clergy and Church Workers. On June 29, Norman Hutton made his first visit to St. Chrysostom's since his resignation, officiating at a special evening service for Crane Company employees commemorating the firm's seventy-fifth anniversary and preaching at the 11:00 service. Visiting American Bar Association delegates and British lawyers in Chicago for the ABA convention were honored on August 24; as Dr. Keeler was on vacation, Mr. Evans preached, taking as his topic "The Commandments and the Law."

By the fall of 1930 Dr. Keeler was ready to make some changes in parish activities and staff. Ida Lehr, who had served as parish visitor for fourteen years, resigned when her request for a salary increase was refused; the bulletin of October 19 paid tribute to her. Malcolm Langley, a senior at Western Seminary (one of the five members of John Evans' Escanaba parish who had gone on to study for the ministry), joined the parish as lay assistant in the Church School.

For the winter season of 1930/31, Stephen Keeler planned a series of "Church Nights," described as "rally nights for the entire parish." At the first of these, on October 22, Bishop Stewart was the speaker� � his first official appearance at St. Chrysostom's. According to the next week's bulletin, the evening was "very successful"; the bishop's address on "What It Means to Believe in God" was said to be "one of the most inspiring ever made" in the parish, and the Boy Scouts did such a good job waiting on table that the rector donated a flag to the troop. St. Chrysostom's commemorated the feast day of its patron saint (observing the Eastern Church date of November 13) on November 16; Dr. Keeler commented in the day's bulletin that "were he alive today and living in Chicago, he would doubtless attack much of the evil and graft in municipal politics and government. Injustice, selfishness and greed never failed to rouse in him eloquent opposition. We who love him as our Patron Saint ought to reflect his devoted zeal ... on behalf of church and state."

The Christmas bazaar was resumed in 1930 after a year's hiatus. After the women informed Stephen Keeler of the tradition of the "rector's table," he wrote to the men of the congregation: "Chicago is full of hold-up men and I have never desired particularly to belong to their number. However, in this special interest I am helpless, for the ladies in charge of the Parish Bazaar, on Thursday, December 4, say there has to be a Rector's Table." Receipts from the bazaar totaled over $8500, over half of which supported the work of other parish groups, principally the Community Center and Camp Oronoko.

Robert Pegel and his wife Eva now directed the Community Center. Mr. Pegel, assistant football coach at Lane Technical High School, had been confirmed at St. Chrysostom's in 1918; formerly a member of the parish Boy Scout program, he had attended Camp Oronoko as both camper and counselor. The Center's activities that year included gym, cooking and handicraft classes for boys and girls, sewing classes and "home management" for girls, manual training for boys, and dramatics; archery was added to the program a short time later.

The Church School continued its long-standing tradition of collecting canned goods for St. Mary's Home on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and sent a Christmas box to "St. Christopher's Colored Sunday School" in Atlanta and a gift of $10 to St. Andrew's Industrial School in St. Andrew's, Tennessee, recently destroyed by fire. Two Girls' Friendly Society groups continued their activities; younger members made scrapbooks and an older group sewed for the Church Mission of Help, a diocesan charity.

January 10, 1931, was a date "of special interest to the entire Parish"; Malcolm Langley's ordination to the diaconate, the first ordination held at St. Chrysostom's. "The Church should be filled," read the previous week's bulletin, pointing out that the occasion was also the first time Bishop Stewart would officiate at a service at St. Chrysostom's. John Evans was the preacher and Stephen Keeler the presenter at the service. Mr. Langley had grown up in Newburyport, Massachusetts, missing only two Sundays in seven years at Sunday School; he had served in the Navy and been in business before entering seminary. He remained on the parish staff for the rest of the school year.

These events took place against a worsening financial situation in the parish as well as in the city and nation. Coupon books issued by the Chicago Christian Industrial League enabling donors to give to persons on the street "without indiscriminate giving away of money" were available from parish executive secretary John Astley-Cock; the coupons were good for food and lodging for a night at League headquarters, and streetcar tokens for transportation to the headquarters could also be purchased. (Ninety percent of the coupons, according to the bulletin, were used for their intended purpose.) An appeal was made for suits for boys from fifteen to eighteen. The Endowment Fund income was used to meet delinquent payments from the parish's mission account; money was taken from the carillon fund to pay for music at the Sunday afternoon services. Despite these measures, in October 1930 it was necessary for the vestry to borrow $6000 from the Northern Trust Company, with the possibility of adding an additional $1500 to the amount before the end of the year; a canvass headed by the rector, John Astley-Cock and vestry member Joseph King was scheduled later that fall.

By early 1931 the parish financial situation had worsened considerably. According to a letter from the vestry in March, the deficit for 1930 had been approximately $6000 and a $10,000 deficit was projected for 1931. "Substantial reductions have been made in the salaries of the members of our staff, including the rector ... The sacrifices ... have been made cheerfully and willingly by every one affected. The amount of saving so effected is inadequate, and our revenue must be substantially increased. Are you not willing, in order that we may avoid a curtailment of staff, music, and useful work, to increase your support of this Parish? This may be done by an immediate increase in your weekly pledge, or by your acceptance of an increase of 20% in rental, if you are a pewholder, or by voluntary and prompt pledge of an amount of additional money to be paid during the year as a special contribution. If you have no pledge ... will you not make one at this time and so add to the regular income of the Parish?" On March 22, "in the interest of economy in parish administration," the bulletin was reduced considerably in size.

Dr. Keeler led the children's Friday afternoon Lenten services, using the theme "Adventuring with Christ"; children were urged to think of themselves as modern Crusaders. In addition, he conducted both the youth and adult confirmation classes in preparation for Bishop Stewart's visitation on May 3, and gave meditations on "Three Scenes in the Life of Mary Magdalene" at a quiet day on March 19 sponsored by the Daughters of the King and the diocesan Women's Auxiliary. At the evening service on Palm Sunday, March 29, the choir performed Maunder's "Penitence, Pardon and Peace," which had been sung twenty-one years earlier by the boys' choir directed by John Astley-Cock; on Good Friday, in addition to the traditional Three Hours service, the choir sang Stainer's "Crucifixion" at 8 p.m. The children's Easter service featured The Pathway, an Easter Pageant, in which David Simonds played the part of a Wise Man and Virginia Elwood an "American child"; Virginia Elwood Franche in later years regularly attended the 8:00 service and served for some years as president of the Women of St. Chrysostom's.

The results of the election of a bishop coadjutor of the diocese of Minnesota on April 15 came as a surprise to both Dr. Keeler and the parish. In an election for which no nominations had been made in advance, Stephen Keeler was elected unanimously on the first ballot. The following day's Tribune described the election as "practically unique in the history of the American Episcopal Church," adding that Stephen Keeler's "rise in the church has been considered sensationally rapid." According to the vestry minutes of April 20,

Dr. Keeler stated that this election was made without consultation with him and without assurance of his acceptance. He further stated that the fact his election was unanimous, on the first ballot, impressed him deeply and he felt himself obliged to give the election earnest consideration� � that he had reached no decision as yet and that, inasmuch as the cities and towns of the diocese were unfamiliar, he intended to pay a visit there before making his decision.

... The Junior warden congratulated Dr. Keeler on the very great honor that had been conferred on him and on St. Chrysostom's parish and expressed the hope ... [he] would reach his decision solely on the point of his own feeling of greatest opportunity and usefulness in the service of the church, and expressed ... the loyalty of ... the Vestry in whatever decision he might reach.

The rector expressed the hope that he might not be confused or embarrassed by too much discussion of the question ... The Clerk of the Vestry [Fletcher Durbin, a vestry member since 1924] feels these minutes would fail to be a complete record ... if they did not record the mixed feelings of the Vestry of pride in their Rector and of distress at the thought he might leave the parish at this time.

On April 30 Dr. Keeler notified the vestry of his acceptance; the circumstances of his election, the fact that Minnesota was the second largest diocese west of the Mississippi, and his substantial responsibilities as coadjutor (he would have charge of all work outside the Twin Cities) were factors in his decision. The vestry's offer of St. Chrysostom's as a site for the consecration service was accepted immediately.[9]

Bishop Keeler was consecrated on 10:30 a.m. June 24 (St. John the Baptist's Day). Betty Redmond, in attendance on the occasion, recalls that the church was exceptionally hot, a memory confirmed by the Tribune comment that "several persons were overcome by the heat and were forced to leave the church." Since two hundred clergy from Chicago and Minnesota were present, space for parishioners was at a premium and attendance was, as at the 11:00 service on Easter Sunday, by ticket only; the service was amplified so that it could be heard in the parish house and cloister. John Evans was master of ceremonies for the occasion.

Besides the clergy from Chicago and Minnesota and other Episcopal clergy participating in the service, the Reverend Harrison Ray Anderson of Fourth Presbyterian Church, the Reverend John Timothy Stone, former pastor of Fourth Presbyterian and now president of Presbyterian Theological Seminary, the president of the Chicago Church Federation, and bishops from the Serbian, Russian and Greek Orthodox churches marched in the procession to the hymns "Ancient of Days" and "From All Thy Saints in Warfare," the latter chosen to commemorate the feast of St. John the Baptist. Presiding Bishop James DeWolf Perry of Rhode Island was the consecrator, Bishops Frank McElwain of Minnesota (under whom the new bishop would serve) and George Craig Stewart of Chicago were co-consecrators; Bishop Abbott returned to his former parish to read the Epistle. Sixteen acolytes took part in the service, including the bishop-elect's son Stephen Keeler, Jr., senior acolyte Elmer Tengberg, vestry member John Redmond's sons John and Norman, Orville Hicks and David Simonds. The sermon hymn "God of the Prophets" and a sermon by Ohio Bishop Warren Rogers preceded the consecration; the offertory, Mendelssohn's "How Lovely Are the Messengers," had also been sung at Malcolm Langley's ordination. The setting of the Sanctus was by Allum (perhaps the parish's former choirmaster Charles Allum). As was the custom at ordinations and consecrations at the time, the congregation were requested not to make their communions at the service. Following the recessional hymn, "I Heard the Sound of Voices," a luncheon was held at the Ambassador East Hotel for the visiting clergy, at which junior warden George Ranney acted as toastmaster.

Stephen Keeler remained in charge of St. Chrysostom's for the rest of the summer, not leaving for Minnesota until September; John Evans was again named locum tenens until a new rector was chosen. Ironically, Frederick West, Stephen Keeler's parishioner in Pittsfield and Chicago, died in late September, shortly after the bishop's departure. "His high integrity, loyalty and kindliness endeared him to all his associates in the work of the church," read a resolution passed at the annual meeting the following January.

Dr. Evans' second period as interim rector was considerably more difficult than his first.[10] The financial situation continued to worsen; in October printed bulletins were abandoned altogether as a cost-cutting measure and replaced by a monthly mimeographed letter. Dr. Evans' November letter quoted from a recent sermon: "The present economic situation offers a magnificent opportunity for Christians to be Christian, for Churches to proclaim the religion of Jesus." He went on to discuss the Community Center: "More than 200 boys and girls were in our Parish House during the afternoons and some of the evenings of last week ... removed from the tension of homes where the next meal, perhaps, is a bit of guess-work." Deacon assistant Malcolm Langley had by now left for a parish in Bishop Keeler's diocese.

Norman Hutton returned to the parish on the weekend of November 7 and 8 to officiate at the wedding of Bertha Baur's daughter Rosemary to Bartle Bull and to preach at the Sunday service. The wedding was a large one with a number of attendants; passers-by filled the courtyard, and the Tribune wrote that invited guests had some difficulty getting into the church. The weekend, undoubtedly eagerly awaited by members of the parish, was not altogether joyful, for Richard T. Crane, Jr. died in a hospital in New York on his fifty-eighth birthday, November 7. Mr. Crane's heart had been bad for some time; according to news stories his condition was worsened by concern for his company, and the necessity of dismissing some workers preyed on his mind and was said to have hastened his death. Dr. Hutton remained in the city for the funeral, which took place at St. Chrysostom's the following Thursday. "Though not a member of this Parish," read a resolution passed at the 1932 annual meeting, "Mr. Crane not only contributed generously to ... [the] Building Fund, but erected, installed and maintained the Tower and Carillon as a memorial to his parents ... His high integrity and keen sense of honor made him an outstanding character in his business and social life."

Another nonparishioner who had been a generous contributor to the building fund died on January 26, 1932. William Wrigley, Jr. was buried in Pasadena, California, but memorial services were held at St. Chrysostom's; baseball figures present included Cubs manager Rogers Hornsby and catcher Gabby Hartnett, Louis Comiskey and Harry Grabiner of the White Sox front office, and the presidents of the National and American League. John Evans' eulogy praised Mr. Wrigley as "a man who lived completely ... Although he passed the scriptural three score years and ten, old age was unable to lay hold on him ... It is in that sort of attainment that the Christian pulpit is primarily interested, because the message ... is wholly concerned with life ... that will not die." William V. Kelley, who with his wife Lilian had given the Mary and Martha of Bethany windows in the church, had died a few days earlier on January 21; though too ill to attend his son Gordon's wedding to Hortense Henry at St. Chrysostom's on January 16, he had insisted that the service continue as planned.

The parish financial situation continued to worsen. Another loan of $12,000 was arranged from the Northern Trust, and Dr. Evans recommended that a formal canvass be scheduled after the parish annual meeting. The vestry were obviously feeling some stress; a committee headed by John Redmond recommended the institution of a rotating vestry, though no action was taken on its report. Bishop Stewart expressed concern in late 1931 that no replacement had as yet been selected for Dr. Keeler; the vestry assured him that a committee "had matters in hand."

By the end of January 1932 a candidate had been chosen. On January 22, Bishop Stewart wrote that the Reverend Dudley Scott Stark of the Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City had made a favorable impression on him; on January 27th, St. Chrysostom's Day in the western calendar, Mr. Stark was called (at a salary of $7500 a year plus the use of the Astor Street apartment).

John Evans' contribution to the parish was an important one. We may share the vestry's "personal appreciation ... for his faithful and devoted service during his incumbency" as recorded on February 2, 1932, and can appreciate the "rising vote of thanks" given to him at the annual meeting of January 17. When in April he "accepted temporarily pastoral duty elsewhere in the Diocese of Chicago," the vestry appealed by letter for contributions to a purse for him.

He came to us in May 1929, assuming full charge of our Parish after Dr. Abbott left until the election of Dr. Keeler as Rector ... Continuing on as Assistant until Dr. Keeler's consecration ... he again assumed full charge until March, 1932.

... During this trying period of changes in the history of the Parish ... Dr. Evans endeared himself to us all by his unfailing tact, his prompt and faithful ministrations, and his thought-inspiring sermons. We of the Vestry acknowledge this devoted record of service with gratitude: and we think, as we wish him farewell, that his numerous friends should be afforded an opportunity of joining with us in giving him some tangible evidence of appreciation for his splendid ministry.

The congregation responded with a gift of $500, a generous donation for a period of hard times.

Copyright 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Saint Chrysostom's Episcopal Church.
Telephone the church: 1-312-944-1083
Contact The Webmaster