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St. Mary's-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church Pacific Grove and Monterey California |
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St. Mary's
was the first church building constructed in Pacific Grove. The parish was
founded on Annunciation Day, March 25, 1886, by a small group of women who
formed St. Mary's Guild. The church itself was built in 1887 on land donated by
the Pacific Improvement Company. The Rt. Rev. William I. Kip, first Episcopal
Bishop of California, presided at its dedication held July 10, 1887. Architect
for the church was William Hamilton of Sacramento.
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Clay Hall, named for the Rev. Dr. Albert E. Clay (rector 1926-1936), was built in 1965 to a design by local architect, John Taras, on the site of the former rectory. The church and Edwards Hall underwent extensive maintenance repairs in 1976 and 1993. Several of the stained glass windows have been removed, one by one, to be cleaned and re-leaded by Milligan Glass of Santa Cruz. The Annunciation window over the main altar contains more than 3000 pieces of glass. This window designed and created in 1894 by Bruce Porter of San Francisco, took six months and 400 man-hours of work in 1980 to clean and reinstall. An addition was made to the Church building itself in 1984. The ramp which leads to the 13th Street door was funded as a memorial to Lucile Killingsworth Mann whose concern and work for others was a witness in the Parish for more than 40 years. In 1993 the church roofs in four layers (including one layer from 1910) were removed, and a new roof was installed. Interior tie bars now strengthen the shell of the building. The porch entry of the church was added to the original building during the 1911 reconstruction. The stairway to your left leads to the bell tower, and the bell therein was one of the first gifts to the parish, donated before the church itself was built. The door directly to the front leads to the north aisle. The
church is assumed to face east. In this church the main altar is actually at
the southeast point; this is called "liturgical East." The stained
glass windows on the north wall are all gifts to the parish, and in order
toward the altar they are:
Turning to the right, the pulpit is among the original church furnishings. The choir and congregation pews bearing fleur de lis (one of the most popular symbols for Mary) and three intertwining circles (symbolizing the equality, unit and co-eternal nature of the Trinity); the lectern to the right of the three Trinity Steps; the oak and wrought-iron altar rail; the Altar; and the bishop's chairs, are all part of the furnishings given and in place on July 10, 1887. The crosses, candlesticks, vases and vestments are memorial gifts given by members of the congregation over the years. The needlepoint cushions for the altar rail were handmade by the late Dorothy Nicholas. The banners, one on each side of the altar area, are the work and gift of present day parish and former members. The pomegranate banner is by the late Henrietta Pearce and the Mary banner is the work of Jane Snibbe. Various memorial plaques, commemorating the lives and witness of some of the parish's laity and clergy, represent for us the faith and service given in each generation.
The reredos behind the altar was designed by Sigismund Wolf of Carmel in 1968, and the carving done by craftsmen in Taiwan, who presented to St. Mary's as their own gift the Stations of the Cross which line the north and south walls of the church. The reredos depicts the life of Mary, learning at the knees of her mother, St. Anne; the Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel; finding the boy Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem; the Crucifixion; and the central panel depicting the presentation by Mary of her Son to all people. The altar frontal is the work of Mrs. Nicholas and is embroidered in "Mary blue" on the white, bearing the initials "MR" for Maria Regina: Mary, Queen of Heaven. The windows of the south wall, in order toward the nave are:
The (liturgical) west wall of windows has as its central theme the lily. These windows were designed by Bruce Porter. The lovely figure of the Madonna was hand carved in Italy and given in 1981 in memory of Erik Olinger. The font at the nave entrance is of Italian marble and was one of the first gifts to the church, presented in 1887. The clergy and congregation of St. Mary's hope you have enjoyed your visit, and that before you leave you will add your prayer to those of the thousands of people who have worshipped in this place. |