Maplewood Matters

Sesquicentennial Sanctuary
Started in 1859, and still going strong, St. Andrew brings a deep historical perspective to South Orange
by Maria Morrison Heningburg photos by Kristen Ryan

This year marks a momentous milestone for a South Orange house of worship. The Episcopal Church of Saint Andrew & Holy Communion celebrates its 150th anniversary. The church was established before South Orange became South Orange, when the agrarian village was on the cusp of transition from rural to suburban community.

In the beginning, the Church of the Holy Communion, as it was known, was without a physical house of worship, relying on the hospitality of a nearby Methodist parish. But within a year, the cornerstone of the present church was laid, and soon afterwards the first services were held in the congregation's new home, at the corner of Ridgewood Road and South Orange Avenue.

Whether standing at the curb admiring this picturesque Gothic Revival church or inside its sanctuary, bathed in the light streaming through its stained-glass wndows, one is instantly transported to another time, to a quaint country church. And with good reason: Its model was an English parish church of more than half a millennium earlier, the 13th-century Saint Michael's Church in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, a distinction St. Andrew shares with the church of St. James the Less in Philadelphia, designated a National Historic Landmark as "the first example of the pure English Parish church style in America, and one of the best examples of a 19th-century American Gothic church for its coherence and authenticity of design."

Despite additions and adaptations to the original Holy Communion structure, its innate appeal and charm have been lovingly preserved and even enhanced. Memorials to loved ones were first dedicated in 1880. The addition of these numerous memorials includes its resplendent stained glass windows, some credited to Louis Comfort Tiffany.

In 1973 Holy Communion consolidated with the parish of St. Andrew, which had been founded in 1892 and located at the corner of Center Street and Sterling Avenue in South Orange, with the combined congregation renaming itself St. Andrew & Holy Communion.

Five years ago the parish welcomed a new rector, Dr. Sandye A. Wilson, who as president of the national Union of Black Episcopalians had exceptional leadership experience which she brought to the parish along with her pastoral skills. "This church is like a team with the greatest coach for humanity," says Joanne Douds, a member of the vestry.

Don Thomas has belonged to the parish since childhood. When he was a young teenager, he first noticed a bronze plaque bearing the name of Cornelius Roosevelt. Recognizing the Roosevelt surname, Thomas wanted to know more, and began what has become a lifelong and passionate exploration of local history. Today he can point out every nuance, every decorative detail, and much of the history of the prominent building.

Thomas waxes enthusiastic about all of the remarkable people who have sat in the pews and worshiped in the church, people of importance who in life have made significant and lasting contributions to society. He explains that over the years it has been like eating an artichoke, peeling back the artichoke layer by layer, under each leaf new information and discoveries. Thomas is currently compiling a complete history of the Episcopal Church of Saint Andrew & Holy Communion, his personal contribution to the church’s significant anniversary.

The Episcopal Church in America (ECUSA) celebrates the feast of Saint Andrew on November 30, and on its eve this congregation is going all out. Parishioners will usher in the day with Dr. Sandye’s "best buddy," the Right Reverend Michael B. Curry Bishop of North Carolina, whom she calls one of the best speakers in the nation. That evening they will move their celebration forward to a gala affair at Mayfair Farms in West Orange. Eva Kresofsky of South Orange chairs the event, an evening of dinner, dancing and celebration.

As an enduring legacy of its 150th anniversary, the parish has joined forces with Green Faith, which describes itself as an "interfaith coalition for the environment." Says its mission statement, "Founded in 1992, we inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse spiritual backgrounds to rediscover their relationship with the sacred in nature and to restore the earth for future generations." The parishioners and their rector are excited that this new initiative, coming just as the Season of Creation in the Episcopal liturgical calendar begins in September, will be a living example of the parish's ongoing commitment and an affirmation of its identity as "an old church with a new spirit and responsibility to our planet."

For more about Saint Andrew & Holy Communion, please visit its Web site, sahcchurch.org

Talking to Rev. Sandye made Maria Morrison Heningburg want to go to church.

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