A time of sadness as aging St. Thomas Episcopal closes

A chapter of Minneapolis church history closed this week, a story soon to be repeated in St. Paul.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 4400 4th Av. S., one of the first black Episcopal churches in the state, held a deconsecration service Tuesday evening. A similar fate awaits St. Philip's Episcopal Church in St. Paul, another one of the state's first primarily black churches, which will close by the end of June.

The two congregations, both of which date to the early 1900s, are forming a new church, the location and name of which is still to be determined. And while the birth of the new church is considered a bright spot for many of the members, the atmosphere at St. Thomas was somber.

"This is a sad day," said Alice Anderson, a member for 48 years. "We feel so displaced."

She and a small group of fellow members launched a last-ditch effort to try to save the church, including picketing on the sidewalk before Tuesday's service. She wondered why the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota singled out two minority churches to close.

The decision was made on the basis of demographics, said Thomas Lawrence, a member of the church vestry. "The average age of our members is 72, and a lot of them are unable to attend" because they're home-bound, he said. "We have to do something. This [merger] has been in the works for nearly four years. It was voted on and approved by the members [by a 3-to-1 ratio]."

Moving crews had spent Tuesday packing the church's property and removing it from the building. In order to enter the now-barren sanctuary, members had to work their way past boxes of files that had been stacked in the foyer.

The Rev. James Jelinek, bishop of the diocese, broke from the text of the deconsecration service to console members.

"I realize that many of you were married here, your children were baptized here and your loved ones had funerals here," he said. Then, alluding to the new church being formed, he added, "My wish is that this can be a time of hope, not just a time of loss."

Doing it by the book Thomas Cahill, a former college professor who has written a series of books about people doing good deeds during times of crisis, is practicing what he teaches. He's coming to the Twin Cities to raise money for Perspectives, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless and disadvantaged families.

Cahill is best known for his Hinges of History series, books recounting little-known stories about people who had pivotal impacts on history and culture. The latest book in the series, "Mysteries of the Middle Ages," was published last fall and recently came out in paperback.

He will appear at two events. The first is a private dinner, but the second is open to the public. It's at 7 p.m. Thursday at Christ Presbyterian Church, 6901 Normandale Rd., Edina. Admission is free; Cahill is donating part of the evening's book sales to Perspectives. For more information, go to www.perspectives-family.org.

Remembering her dad Honor Moore will be reading from her book, "The Bishop's Daughter," at 7 p.m. Thursday at Birchbark Books, 2115 W. 21st St., Minneapolis.

Moore's book is a memoir about her relationship with her late father, Bishop Paul Moore Jr., who spent 17 years as the Episcopal bishop of New York without the public knowing that he was bisexual.

Part of the reason the Twin Cities is included in her book-reading tour is that the author's sister, Marian Moore, lives here, and the bookstore, a block west of Lake of the Isles, is one of her favorite places to hang out.

Jeff Strickler • 612-673-7392