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Altar Guild
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The Chancel of St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, Connecticut
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The Altar Guild prepares every service at St. John's Church, including weddings, baptisms and funerals. We work in the Sacristy every Saturday polishing the silver and brass, replenishing the candles, laying out the clergy's vestments, changing and caring for the hangings and setting out the elements for Holy Communion. The laundry is done every week. After the Sunday services, we clear the altar, put away the vestments, and wash the chalices. Before the festival services at Christmas and Easter all of us spend a time of special preparation so that the Church looks its best.
The Altar Guild is not supported by the funds of the parish. Our funds come from donations by parishioners for the commemorative flowers each Sunday, and we have a few small endowments which have been given over the years. From these funds we cover the cost of flowers, the beeswax candles, linens, bread and wine, and the replacement or repair of the hangings and clerical vestments. The sale of our Christmas cards and note cards help to support our work
St. John's Church was greatly blessed by a group of parishioners in the early years of the twentieth century who had the extraordinarily beautiful white, red and purple paraments designed and embroidered. Look closely at them and you will see exquisite embroidery of museum quality.
Silk brocade does not wear as well as the embroidery worked on it, and so we have to take great care of our antique paraments. In particular the white high altar frontal is so fragile that we bring it out only at Christmas and Easter. When we change the frontals, it requires two members of the Altar Guild to handle them with white gloves, as we are careful not to touch the silk with bare hands.
Someday in the future, someone may remember that in the early years of the twenty-first century, members of the Altar Guild, other parishioners, and friends of St. John's, commissioned the green and blue vestments from Grace Liturgical Vestments in New York City. These vestments were designed especially to reflect the glowing colors of our Mowbray murals. The green set which is used most of the year, - green for ordinary time - consists of a beautiful green chasuble, two stoles, two Bible markers, a Pulpit fall and a Veil and Burse.
For the first time in our history, we now have a blue set of vestments for Advent. The chasuble is designed as an Advent wreath encircling the shoulders with green representing the wreath and one rose and three blue medallions signifying each Sunday in Advent. There are two stoles, two Bible markers, a Veil and Burse, and a Pulpit fall in which you will see each of the Sundays in Advent represented.
Members of the Altar Guild generously give their time and labor three days a week, every week of the year. It is our service of love and care for our Church.
Ann M. Burton, Director
Members of the Altar Guild
Penny Bardel
Ann M. Burton, Director
Janet Chenery
Peg Duus
Isabel Fowlkes
Diana Hardee
Kirsten Knutson
Karen Lincoln, Treasurer
Susie Magee
Dagmar Pfanzelter
Drika Purves
Martin K. Rook
Ellen Seidman
Caroline Sorell
Bobbie Smith
Leila Walton
Members of the Flower Committee
Wallace Grey, Chair
Annette MacDonald
Susie Markert
Marion Pennell
Alec Purves
Lee Reese
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