Church of St. Augustine & St. Martin on Lenox St. in Boston’s South End by AR Crite
For a respite from the bustle of the holidays, a visit to the Gardner Museum was in order. There, in the exhibit Allan Rohan Crite: Urban Glory, we learned of the project that Crite completed as an artist in residence at the Museum of African American History on Beacon Hill. Continue reading
The local commemorations of Juneteenth included three events of note. Dio Mass held its Juneteenth service at St. Stephen’s Church, Lynn, with the Rev Bernadette Hickman-Maynard presiding. At Old South Church. The Reverend June Cooper, Theologian in the City of Boston and alum of the United Boston Sankofa Cohort, preached. Her reflection on the holiday, and the unfinished work of repair, appears in this blog post, Juneteenth, and the Unfinished Work of Freedom.
Juneteenth at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters was held on June 22, 2025. The accompanying video, Who are my ancestors? highlights the reflections of the descendants of Cuba and Darby Vassall, who lived at the house. Continue reading
January 7, 2025
Last Juneteenth some Emmanuelites attended the celebration at the Church of the Holy Spirit (CHS), Mattapan. Since that time, we discovered an essential connection between our church and CHS. In 1886, a generous gift of Annie Lawrence Lamb (1857-1950) enabled the founding of CHS which was dedicated to her father, Benjamin Smith Rotch (1817-1882). Benjamin Rotch was co-founder of the New Bedford Cordage Company and one of our church’s founding proprietors. He was a member of Emmanuel’s first vestry, one of the first convention delegates, and warden from 1880-1882. Appointed to the committee to obtain subscriptions for the building of the church in the 1860s, Rotch also served on the committee considering the enlargement of the church during the same period. Our Emmanuel website has wonderful descriptions of the family’s gifts, in particular, the Rotch reredos and communion table. Continue reading
The theme of our October Diocesan Convention was “In Christ, Called to Collaborate.” Several of the sessions were recorded and can be viewed here. In summary:
Clergy and delegates of eastern Massachusetts Episcopal congregations, gathered in Diocesan Convention last month, adopted measures to advance ongoing racial justice work in the diocese as well as congregational health and wellness, and they expanded organizational procedures in the diocesan canons to allow for a new category of ‘intentional Episcopal communities.’ Continue reading
When we met last July in Chapel Camp, Emmanuelites said that they would welcome learning more about resources related to repair, reconciliation, and reparations. Last week, we offered a glimpse of Diomass’s journey on the topic. We’ve begun to explore other dioceses’ postings about discussions and/or commitments to ongoing processes and approaches to restoration and healing. We are gradually learning, too, about other local churches’ processes of inquiry and action in this regard. Continue reading
As we begin our shared journey into Reparations, we need to assess how far we have come, both individually and as a faith community. Last Fall in a historic vote, the 237th Annual Diocesan Convention created a Reparations Fund with a goal of $11.1 million, “as part of our effort to address our legacy of wealth accumulated through the enslaved labor of Africans and Afro-Caribbeans on our behalf and for our use today.” More information is here.
We will draw on our diocesan Tool Kit for Reparations in Community, as we explore our response to reparations. Before any talk of specific reparations, however, we must explore some basic questions together from that Tool Kit.
March 7.The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz was installed as 12th rector with the Rt. Rev. Thomas M. Shaw presiding. See The Musical Intelligencer‘s interview with John Harbison, in which he discusses the history of Emmanuel Music, its founder Craig Smith, The Rev. Alvin L. Kershaw, Pam’s musical background, and her dedication to our music program.
Our first website was launched by Donald Kreider, who later served as vestry member, clerk, and treasurer.
Ecclesia today sustains common cathedral, common art (which meets at Emmanuel on Wednesdays), and Boston Warm (which meets at Emmanuel on Mondays and Fridays).