Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (19)
Similar to Mission of the Holy Redeemer - Trinity Episcopal Church, Marshall, TX
Similar to Mission of the Holy Redeemer - Trinity Episcopal Church, Marshall, TX (20)
More from marifrance
More from marifrance (17)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Mission of the Holy Redeemer - Trinity Episcopal Church, Marshall, TX
- 1. Trinity Church Outreach to the Railway Community
- 2. Marshall Newspaper, July 1884 Courtesy Harrison County Historical Museum
- 5. Listed as a public free school in Harrison County Texas School Journal, Volume 5, 1887.
- 9. Mission services led by Rev. H.H. Waters, Rector of St. Paul’s New Orleans to begin on January 22, 1888
- 10. Services of Parochial Mission Missioner: Rev. H.H. Waters, Rector of St. Paul’s, New Orleans
Editor's Notes
- The majority of this information comes from Parish records and some from Parochial reports that JHJ presented to annual Diocesan councils in which he took part. All handwritten notes that you see save one are in JHJ’s handwriting. John Howe Jenkins was born in Ireland and was the eldest son of David Jenkins, owner of the Shire shipping line and later a member of Parliament. He was educated at both Cambridge and Oxford and began his ministry with a curacy at St. Martin of the fields, Sarum (the ancient name for Salisbury). He was ordained a priest by the Bishop of Salisbury in the Salisbury Cathedral. Three years later, he married Katherine Crozier Cole in London, England. He served briefly as chaplain for a Railway Company in the Punjab, India before being called to the rectorship of Trinity Episcopal Church, Marshall. And where the connection is…between England, India, and Marshall…I have no idea! But I’m still looking What I do know is that he arrived in Marshall in the summer of 1884 and assumed the leadership of Trinity Church which had suffered several years’ absence of a permanent rector and a great deal of turnover up to this point.
- Another key figure in this story is Rev. Alexander Gregg, the first Episcopal Bishop of Texas. One responsibility of the Bishop is to make frequent visits to parish churches in their diocese. Bishop Gregg took this duty very seriously and paid annual visits to Marshall during the years we will be discussing. His parish reports and speeches recorded in the minutes of the Annual Diocesan meetings also serve as supporting evidence for this discussion.
- The Mission in its early incarnation was simply a series of services held by the Rector in a private home or possibly a small schoolroom which we will talk about in just a moment. In his book, “As It was in the Beginning,” a history of Trinity Episcopal Church from 1850-1950, Max Lale reported that early mission efforts attracted only 2 people but later parish records show that this turnout increased exponentially over the course of the almost 3 years that the Mission existed. Despite the early low turnout, the rector attended to the mission regularly as we read here: A Mission at the Eastern portion of the town carried on by the Rector among the Railway Community. The work consists chiefly of regular visiting and of one service a week held pro.tem. in Marvin’s schoolroom until such time as funds and opportunity allow of a mission chapel being built. Day & hour of service: - Tuesday weekly at 7.30 p.m. These services were continued throughout the winter of 1885 & 6 & a weekly lecture (calculated to raise a healthy moral tone) was given in February, March and April on Thursday evenings – Subject – “Men who have risen.” They were very well attended. (These services are NOT recorded in the Parish records other than this brief mention in the Rector’s log. So we have no way of knowing who these “Men who have risen” were.) The rector goes on to say: In Holy Week – Monday to Thursday – Mission Services & Addresses were held & given daily at 8 p.m. & were well attended. And the final sentence gives us some context for the times in which the rector was working: A ‘strike’ of alarming proportions & duration affected the work financially in a serious manner, & checked all prospects of present building. He’s writing about the Great Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886 which pitted Jay Gould and his railroads against the early union, Knights of Labor. The strike actually began in Marshall, TX when a member of the Knights of Labor attended a Union meeting on company time. The strike collapsed in part because the Engineers refused to join it and there were workers who could be hired to break strike and continue to run the railroads. Still, protests led to work stoppage and slowdowns, vandalism, and arson. The failure of the strike led to the dissolution of the KoL and the formation of the AFL. This note shows that even in these early days, the rector was contemplating the construction of a permanent mission church whose purpose was to serve the Railway workers and their families.
- As noted in the Parish records, the early services of the mission were held in Marvin’s Chapel school. I have only been able to find one reference to the correct Marvin’s Chapel online but there were several mentions of the school in the Marshall newspaper of the time. Unfortunately, none of them related to the Episcopal mission. According to the Handbook of Texas Online, Dr. G.P. Rains attended school there.
- In this Parochial report to the 37 th Annual Council we see again that the Rector had plans as early as May 1886 to construct a Mission chapel separate from Trinity Episcopal Church to house the services of the Mission. However, this goal was easier stated than achieved and, although the regular meetings would continue, the rector’s dreams of building a dedicated mission chapel would not soon be fulfilled. Not to be stopped, in Easter 1886, the rector penned a brief prayer asking for Gods’ blessing on plans for a Mission Service to be held by a visiting priest during the coming Advent season (November/December 1886). Please God, in Advent, we shall hold a parochial mission and shall earnestly pray for fruit. The parochial mission that he envisions here is a week-long series of services running almost all-day long. Some biographical information that is worth mentioning at this point that JHJ and his wife Katherine Crozier Jenkins had welcomed their first child earlier in the year. Sybil Kathleen Howe Jenkins was born on January 23, 1886 and baptized in Trinity Church. In July 1886, JHJ and his family spent a month at Hynson’s Springs reportedly to recover from illness (this was mentioned both in the parish records and in the local newspaper). One can imagine that illness to be fatigue!
- “ In December 1886 a friend kindly came forward with money for a site. We have not yet been able to find a suitable one at a reasonable price, $200 only being available. We are earnestly hoping to begin building in the spring.” (1887)
- Note: by this time, JHJ and Katherine had also managed the construction of a Rectory, the beautification of the interior of Trinity church, and were in the process of starting a school – they began giving music lessons in their home not long after this in order to fund the school. This led the Bishop to declare the following praise: “… indefatigable Rector and his wife, who in all good works is a help-meet indeed.” Of the eight persons confirmed that December, I’ve only been able to track down definitive information about one of them. Clara Lottier (a.k.a Katie Clara) was the daughter of a tobacco manufacturer named Thomas W. Lottier. However, in the 1880 census she was living with her mother, sister, and brother, L.J. Lottier, who was listed as Head of House, suggesting that her father may have been deceased by this time. L.J. (short for Louis John) Lottier was working as a Locomotive Fireman in 1880 so the connection to the railroad families is apparent. Not long after her confirmation, Clara would marry Thomas Davis, who was listed in the 1920 census as a Railroad Engineer.
- Epiphany = January 6 At last my prayers and efforts are answered; we are to have a Mission beginning January 22 nd . [Saturday] Missioner: Rev. H.H. Waters Rector of S. Paul’s New Orleans. At first I expected Dr. R. H. McKim would have conducted it, but his work, on which he had just entered, prevented his doing so. When this other came forward to my assistance, I found consolation in a Psalm for matins of the day on which he accepted the invitation: - 15 th Morning of the Month Psalm Ixxv.8. “And why? God is the Judge; He putteth down one, and setteth up another.” See pages 267-271 for full account
- The Mission services began Saturday, January 23 with a Mission Address to a congregation of 3. By 7 pm the next evening, the congregation had grown to 150 souls. Print this photo! Non Nobis Domine Non Nobis Sed Nomini Tuo Da Gloriam Not To Us O Lord Not To Us But To Your Name Give Glory (Psalm 113, v.1)
- Consisting of 3 closely written pages, the rector’s reflection on the mission was positive one and contains a belief statement that is well worth reading.
- Much more difficult to read!
- Work at Mission Chapel still going on, funds coming in very slowly. Hope to open on S. Peter’s Day. [June 29 th ]
- The Church of the Holy Redeemer is now used as the official designation for the mission outreach to the Railway Community.
- From the Baptism records you can see that the new church, little church, or mission church has taken on the identity of Church of the Holy Redeemer – a separate entity from Trinity Episcopal Church. William Lane (adult) Fred James Davenport (4 months) – You may recognize the last name Davenport or possibly his mother’s name, Beverly LaNoue Davenport.
- Sept 24, 1887: Finished and beautifully so by September 24th Just below that you will see the note commemorating the opening of the Parish school with 44 scholars on September 12.
- June 18, 1888