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Calvary Episcopal Church |
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CALVARY HISTORY The roots of the Episcopal Church in Warren County go back to colonial times, when Anglicans met in each other's homes for morning prayer and even song. No records exist from that time, nor from the post-Revolutionary War period that saw the birth of the Episcopal Church in the newly-formed United States of America. The first records of what was to become Calvary Episcopal Church are from 1854, when the members of "The Protestant Episcopal Congregation of the Town of Front Royal and Vicinity"; laid the cornerstone for a wooden frame church on Main Street adjacent to the courthouse. The Civil War brought armies to the Shenandoah Valley, and Front Royal was not immune to this conflict. Legend has it that the church on Main Street was used as a stable for the horses of the Northern Army and that it was also used as a military hospital. Twelve years after the building of the original church and the year after the cessation of hostilities, the congregation was able to construct a wooden rectory on adjacent land. By 1869, the congregation was known as Calvary Church. Disaster struck on the evening of January 3, 1892, when fire damaged the church building to the extent that it was unusable as a house of worship. The vestry, under the leadership of the Reverend Joseph R. Jones, resolved to replace the church as soon as possible. The Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian congregations of Front Royal quickly came to the aid of their fellow Christians by donating the use of their buildings until a replacement structure could be built. The Front Royal and Riverton Improvement Company donated a lot at the corner of North Royal Avenue and Second Street. The cornerstone of the new church was laid later in 1892, but the actual date of completion is a matter of speculation. The architect was a Mr. Charles Macatee, who worked from donated plans of a neo-gothic church in Anacostia, Maryland. Many local tradesmen donated time and materials to the project, and the steeple bell was donated by friends of the congregation in Baltimore, Maryland. Reverend Jones passed away in 1894, leaving the congregation without a pastor. In mid-1896, after serving the congregation as a Deacon, the Reverend E.A. Temple was appointed the Pastor of Calvary Church, also serving Meade Memorial Church in White Post and a congregation in Middletown. The church building was consecrated on May 24, 1898 by Bishop Whittle, who described it as "a beautiful church - one of the prettiest and most substantial in the Diocese - built of limestone, and is commodious, comfortable and conveniently arranged." Twelve years after the consecration of the church, the lot on the northeast corner of Second Street and Virginia Avenue was purchased, with an existing frame structure converted for use as the Rectory. The decade of the forties brought renewal to the church facilities, with the addition of a Parish Hall and the westward expansion of the chancel, under the guidance of the Reverend Charles N. Tyndell. In 1946, The Warren Sentinel described the interior renovation as having "brought Calvary to the forefront among the handsomest Church interiors in Virginia. In elegance of appointments, the great white marble Altar, hand-carved solid oaken Lectern, crypt-form Credence, hand carved Cathedra and Pulpit and the gem-like Lady Chapel, place Calvary in the very fore-front of parish churches in the entire country and have won it the subriquet: - 'The Little Cathedral of the Shenandoah.'" Building continued in the fifties when Weber Hall was constructed on the rear portion of the rectory lot to serve as a Church office and Sunday School building. In 1964, the old wooden rectory was replaced by the current brick structure. Lots and a residence on the southwest corner of Virginia Avenue and Second Street were acquired fifteen years later to ensure that space continues to be available to support church growth. Calvary Episcopal Church has been served by eighteen rectors. Our current rector, The Reverend Deborah Rutter joined the congregation in 1995 following the brief stewardship of the late Reverend T. Whitney Barker as interim rector. With the visit of Bishop Clayton Matthews on May 24, 1998, we began a year-long centennial celebration of our occupancy of the church. The growth of our church family continued with two baptisms and the confirmation of eight new members by Bishop Matthews during that service, once again demonstrating the vitality of the ministry of Calvary Church in Front Royal. |
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