U S A Memorial Day

The Wall

This is a story of my family.  My grandmother, Marie,  was born on a farm in Petasky, Michigan.  She had 5 brothers and 4 sisters.  She moved to Wisconsin as a bride and died in 1952 at age 67 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.  My mother kept in touch with several of her brothers and sisters.  One of these was her Uncle Charlie who had moved to Rapid City South Dakota. In 1956 when I graduated from high school and my brother graduated from grade school my mother took us by train and then bus to visit the Black Hills, Yellowstone Park, and her Uncle Charlie.

I had heard about her Uncle Charlie over the years.  He and his 1st wife Kate had never had children.  Then in his 60's they were divorced and he married his second wife, the young Kate.  Kate had been a nurse in the Korean War.  Her 1st husband had been a pilot who was killed in that war.  She had a son, Alan, from that marriage. Kate and Uncle Charlie also had a son, of course, named Charlie. Charlie had red hair and freckles, was rambunctious and looked like "What me worry?"  This great gift to Uncle Charlie so late in his life became his life.  Alan was 9 and Charlie was about 5 when my mother, brother, and I visited this family.

Many years after this visit I heard that Charlie, the great gift to my mother's Uncle Charlie, was killed in Vietnam.  My prayers went out to Uncle Charlie in his grief and Kate who had suffered such a loss in the Korean War.

When the Vietnam War Memorial was installed in Washington D. C. an accompanying "Moving Wall"  went on tour.  The replica was true to the original, a long rambling wall of black with the names of those that sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.  A soldier stood on guard with eyes on the wall. This "Moving Wall" came to Vancouver in 1988 and was mounted in Sunset Beach Park.  It was here that I visited the "Moving Wall".  I approached the soldier on guard who took me to the spot where "Charlie Reberg" was carved into the black surface.  I touched his name and thought of the little five year old with red hair and freckles and his parents who adored him.  And I prayed for them and all the other parents who had such a loss.

In 1998 the US Government offered rubbings of the names of those on the wall on request.  I gratefully received a copy of "Charlie Reberg" as it appears on "The Wall".  It can be seen in the photo below.

Each Memorial Day, I remember.  I remember the sparkle in Uncle Charlie's eyes as he watched his five year old Charlie play in the front yard of their Rapid City home.  I remember that quietness of 9 year old Alan that seemed to reflect the death of his father in the Korean War. I think of the grief of young Kate and her double sacrifice.  And I pray for all the other families that have made this sacrifice.  Let us remember.

Photo: Taken of Suzanne Wilson's copy of "Charlie Reberg's" name on the Vietnam Memorial, "The Wall."
Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial

***********

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

St. Nicholas Cathedral
Monaco

"Monaco... officially the Principality of Monaco is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe on the northern central coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is surrounded on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its center is about 16 km (9.9 mi) from Italy. Its area is just under 2 km² with an estimated population of almost 33,000.



"Monaco is the name of the country and its capital (and only) city. It is famous as a tax haven, and wealthy foreigners make up the majority of the population, around 84%.[7] It is often referred to as the Las Vegas of Europe." Wikipedia. It is the second largest micro country, the largest being the Vatican. "Monaco is a constitutional monarchy and principality, with Prince Albert II as head of state. The House of Grimaldi has ruled Monaco since 1297, and the state's sovereignty was officially recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Despite being independent, Monaco's defence is the responsibility of France." (Link 1: Wikipedia)

"Saint Nicholas Cathedral, known also as Monaco Cathedral (French: Cathédrale de Monaco), is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco in Monaco-Ville, Monaco, where many of the Grimaldis were buried, including Grace Kelly (See photo below.) and more recently, Rainier III.

"The cathedral was consecrated in 1875, and is on the site of the first parish church in Monaco built in 1252 and dedicated to St. Nicholas. Of note are the retable (circa 1500) to the right of the transept, the Great Altar and the Episcopal throne in white Carrara marble." (Link 1: Wikipedia)

Altar (Flicker/Striderv photo)

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Cathedral,_Monaco

Photos: Top two taken in April 2010 in Monaco by SW.
Photo: Bottom photo taken by Striderv in 2010 as posted on Flicker.

**********

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

First Presbyterian Church
Alameda, California

"Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island (also known as Harbor Bay) portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 72,259.

"The island that Alameda occupies was originally a peninsula connected to Oakland...The city was founded on June 6, 1853...Alameda became a charter city and adopted a council-manager government in 1916." (Link 1.)

"Preparations to organize the First Presbyterian Church of Alameda began in 1864 when all Protestants residing in hamlets of the Oakland peninsula known now as Alameda attended the Methodist church. By 1865, the Presbyterian Church had 12 charter members that were meeting in the schoolhouse, having paid their "rent" by purchasing a bell for the school. In 1867 Rev. Nash was installed as the first "non-traveling" pastor.


"Under Rev. Nash’s leadership, the purchase of land and erection of the first sanctuary building, then located at the current corner of Central and Versailles Avenues, was accomplished. The new church was dedicated on March 8, 1869 and the congregation grew quickly. A Sunday School building was added and soon as many as sixty children received their Christian education in the building. A parsonage was built nearby on Versailles to house a succession of pastors who led the congregation.


"By 1883, the church membership had outgrown the original sanctuary building. The city’s population center was expanding towards the western end of the peninsula and the sandy roads made travel difficult for new members to attend. These factors motivated the congregation members to begin raising funds to purchase land and build a new sanctuary in a more central location.

"Nearly 20 years later, land was purchased at what is now the corner of Santa Clara and Chestnut. Congregation member Henry H. Meyers, a prominent local architect, designed the new sanctuary building. Mr. Meyers had been part of the design team to create the plans for the Alameda City Hall built in 1895 and the Carnegie Library in 1902. Meyers chose a Grecian design that followed the design of Kings Chapel in Boston, Old Trinity of New York City and similar buildings in Paris. He fashioned the side elevations similar to the Boston Public Library.

Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church of Alameda

                                                                       Christmas 2005

"Rev. Frank Brush, having traveled to Italy, was instrumental in the inclusion of the beautiful stained glass windows similar to the ones he had seen in Italy. (Stained glass windows line both sides of the sanctuary.)

FPCA Window

 

1904 Stained Glass Window
(Link 2.)

"Under the direction of Mr. A. J. Burgner, an Elder and Trustee as well as a prominent local builder, the cornerstone was laid in September of 1903. (2001 Santa Clara Ave.) The completed sanctuary was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1904. The beautiful sanctuary has been in continuous use since for social, cultural, and religious purposes. In 1977 the City of Alameda declared it an Alameda Historical Monument.

"In preparation of the sanctuary¹s centennial, the exterior of the sanctuary was painted and the stained glass windows were cleaned and repaired by the congregation in 2003. Partial funding provided by PROPOSITION 12 California Heritage Fund Grant Program was used to restore the church facade.

"Centennial celebrations were held at the beginning of September 2003 and culminating in a time capsule ceremony on Easter Sunday 2004.  Extensive interior renovations were completed in 2005." (Link 2.)

Photo: Top photo taken in February 2011 by Suzanne Wilson.

Thank you: To Sue, Office Manager at First Presbyterian Church, for the photos

                of  the  Sanctuary on Christmas 2005 and FPCA window.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda,_California
Link 2: http://www.alamedachurch.com/

************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                          May 15, 2011

4778  Island Highway

St. Andrew's Pioneer Church
Courtenay, B.C.

St. Andrew's Pioneer Church is situated at 4778 Island Highway. It is one  mile north of downtown Courtenay, B.C. and 27  miles north of the Fanny Bay Inn (See October 2nd, 2010 blog post, http://www.demolitionmama.blogspot.com/ Saturday Travel Feature, the Fanny Bay Inn, Fanny Bay, B.C.) on the very same highway as the Inn.

Courtenay, B.C. on Vancouver Island (Mapquest)

"Used since 2002 by Living Word Reformed Episcopal Church, this building is also known as St. Andrew's Pioneer Church. It was constructed in 1876 after a group of local Presbyterians, who had been meeting  jointly with the people of St. Andrew's Anglican Church, chose to form their own congregation. The building was actively used by the original congregation until about 1950, at which time it was temporarily taken over by a Lutheran congregation in the process of building their own facilities. From approximately 1955 to 1977 the building was vacant and fell into disrepair. In the late 1970's the descendants of the original builders restored the building. It came back into use as a church in 1989 when Covenant Congregational Church began using it. They met there until late 2001. The main body of the church remains essentially unchanged. A small addition was made to the back of the church in the mid-1990's to house a kitchen and washrooms downstairs and office and Sunday School space upstairs.

                                                 Sanctuary with original pews
                                                                    (Link 2.)

"The pews are original and were made from local materials not long after the building was constructed....  In the late 1990's wooden crosses were made and affixed to the end of the pews. I believe this was done about the same time the cross was added to the front of the church.... The pulpit, judging from the style, dates from 1900-1925 or thereabouts, but as far as I know has always been with the building.  The Communion Table was donated to the St. Andrew's Heritage Society by Comox United Church, I believe at the time of the centennial restoration project in 1977..  Like the pulpit, it's made of quarter-saw oak and probably dates to the same time period. 

"Based on the photos I have and/or have seen, the lychgate was built by Covenant Congregational Church, which used the building between 1989 and 2001." (See Reference.)

 "The building is a great example of early Vancouver Island pioneer architecture, built from local materials. Of special interest is the portion of wall just inside the main doors. Preserved behind glass is a section of wall showing the original plaster made on-site from oyster shells and horsehair. The floors in the nave are still the original hand-cut timbers.

City Cemetery 2011

City Cemetery Gravestone 2011

The church is situated in the city cemetery which was originally the parish cemetery. Grave markers for some of the founders are just outside the north door of the building." (Link 1.)

***********

Reference:  E mail from Rev. William Klock of history of the church and
               sanctuary.
Photo: Taken in Courtenay B.C. in 2011 by SW.
               For other photos see Link 2.
Link 1:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3ZH1_Living_Word_Reformed_Episcopal_Church
Link 2: http://homepage.mac.com/klock/lwec/index.htm

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen
(SW)

St. Francis De Sales Cathedral Parish
Baker City, Oregon

"Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States.^[4] This city was named after its county.^{[citation needed]} The population was 9,860 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 10,140 in 2008.  ...by 1900 it was the largest city between Salt Lake City and Portland..." (See Link 3.) ^5]

"St, Francis de Sales Cathedral is located on the corner of First and Church Streets.  Pope Leo SIII established the Catholic Diocese of Baker on June 19, 1903.  It included all of Oregon east of the Cascade Mountain range.  Before this time the region had been a part of the Archdiocese of Oregon City (later Portland).  The Pope likewise named Father Charles J. O'Reilly of Portland to be the first Bishop of Baker.  Almost from the beginning, the new Bishop took steps to inaugural a fund for the building of a new Cathedral.  On Sunday, may 14, 1905, Mass was celebrated for the last time in the old Mission Church of St. Fancis de Sales.  The old church was removed from the site on May 20 1905 and ground broken for the new Cathedral on May 24, 1905.  The foundation stone was laid down in 1906. (2235 First Street.)

Sanctuary of St. Francis De Sales Cathedral 2011

                                                               Baptismal Font

"The architect, M. ". White of Baker described the new Cathedral: "The style of the Cathedral is pure Gothic.  The building proper is 144 feet from front steps to rear of balustrade wall.  The front, including steps, towers, etc. is 68 feet wide and the nave is 48 feet.  Two imposing towers rise superbly above the structure to a height of 112 feet from the ground.  The entire building was built of Pleasant Valley local stone, known also as volcanic tuff.  The Cathedral proper will be 44 feet high from floor to apex of Gothic ceiling" ....Since equipment was limited at that time, a horse was positioned underneath the spires and kept going around and round, while the stones were lifted up higher through a pulley system.

                                                               Balcony pipe organ

"The original plans called for the church to extend to the curb, but because of lack of funds, the length of the Cathedral was shortened.  The official dedication of the Cathedral was held on April 9, 1908 with many  prelates and priests and parishioners in attendance...."On Sunday evening, Jan. 14, 1912 ,the new pipe organ in the Cathedral was solemnly bless. During August and September 1920, the wooden steps were replaced with present concrete one... 

                                    Appellations from the Litany of Loreto, 1958

"8 new stained glass windows were installed by the middle of May 1923 crafted by the Povey Bros. of Portland.  The larger ones cost $1000 each and the smaller ones $500.  The first major renovation was undertaken in 1944..., a second renovation of the Cathedral began on June 26, 1958.  The 2 newer stained glass windows in the sanctuary of the Church were designed and built by the Rambusch Decorating Co. of New York and Cost $8,100 each, and were blessed by Bishop Leipzig on June 14, 1959.  The new smaller Stained glass windows under the choir loft were blessed...on April 10, 1965.

                                      Appellations from the Litany to the Sacred
                                                            Heart of Jesus, 1958   
                                                   
"In 1975...Lee Kelly, a noted Oregon metal sculptor (was commissioned) to design new Cathedral doors." 

More renovations took place in 1980 and 1981 and again in 2007 in preparation for the Cathedral's centennial in 2008. "...relocating the tabernacle under a baldacchino, placed under the apse which was restored, as were the hidden stencils unveiled after 50 years."

 

                                                                Chapel Windows

 New day-Chapel at the Cathedral was opened officially in May 2005.

                                                                        (Link 2.)

Note:  "Spectacular Stained glass windows" Suzanne Wilson 2011.
Photos: Taken in 2011 by SW.
Reference: St. Francis De Sales Cathedral, A short history of the Cathedral
                parish... 1908-2008.  Information and quotes.
Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Saint_Francis_de_Sales
Link 2: http://www.saintfranciscathedral.com/
               (See this link for extensive photos of the cathedral.)
Link 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_City,_Oregon

                                                                                                                      May 1, 2011

312 W. Hawthorne Road

Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church

Spokane, Washington

"Whitworth University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Spokane, Washington, that offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees in a variety of academic disciplines. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of 2,675 students, offers 55 undergraduate and graduate programs.^[2

"In 1883 founder George Whitworth established the Sumner Academy in Sumner, a small town in Washington Territory.  The school was incorporated in 1890 as Whitworth College.  In 1899 the college moved to Tacoma.  When a Spokane developer offered land just before World War I, the college moved once more. In September 1914 classes were held for the first time in Spokane." (See Link.)

Whiteworth Community Presbyterian Church owns the property it sits on at 312 W. Hawthorne Rd., Spokane, on the south west corner of the Whitworth University campus. "...the church  "has had eight homes in its 75 years (as of 1999).  It has added to these until the present structure that we know as WCPC.  Each has been a building block to the present and has a story to tell.

"Whitworth College was 7 years old when people met to start a Sunday School near the campus at the far north end of Spokane.  The year was 1921 and the first home was Whitworth Grade School.  Three years later the college invited the people to join with them to start a Vesper church service on the campus...

After World War II area military buildings were sold.  The first one to be bought was by the Presbyterian church meeting on Whitworth College campus. It was the chapel from the Baxter Military Hospital.  "The chapel took two days to move and 75 people helped... only one window was broken...Whitworth Chapel was the only church north of the city limits!" 

Tiffany Hall

"The structure was dedicated to a deceased military officer, " Rev. Frank Tiffany was chosen since he had been a pastor in Sandpoint, Idaho.  He had been lost at sea as a prisoner of war.  The Japanese ship he was on was torpedoed by U. S. forces in the Philippines... Tiffany Chapel was officially dedicated in 1951.

"In 1957 membership was at 523..." and a new building was needed.  "In 1959 came the official dedication of the new church..." (This is the present sanctuary.)

                           Sanctuary of Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church

In 1972 Tiffany Hall was remodeled and a choir loft added to the sanctuary. "

(In the center of this balcony choir loft is the acoustic organ and pipes."

                                                                  Acoustic Organ  

In 1970 a Christian Education wing was approved and started... In 1995 Quill Hall (and gymnasium) was dedicated and with it began our "contemporary"services..." Church membership reached the "average attendance (of) over 1000 for each Sunday."

Thank you: To Barbara Lee, Administrative Assistant, Communications,  for

                         the tour of the church and e mailing me the reference below.

Reference: Diamond Anniversary Memories, 1999. All not attributed quotes are

                         from this source.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitworth_University

                                                                     *************

                                                                

                                                                         Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)