| St. Thomas Episcopal Church | |
|---|---|
 St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Abingdon, Virginia | |
 | |
| Location | 124 E Main St, Abingdon, VA 24210 |
| Denomination | Episcopal |
| Website | https://stthomasabingdon.dioswva.org/ |
| History | |
| Consecrated | October 22, 1846 |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | The Rt. Rev. Mark Allen Bourlakas |
| Rector | The Rev. Boyd Evans |
| Laity | |
| Organist(s) | Schéry Collins |
St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a historic parish of the Episcopal Church in Abingdon, Virginia, within the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. [1]
In 1841, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia formed what was named the Holston Parish, the bounds of which included all of Washington County. [2] Parishioners met at the Washington County Courthouse as they organized themselves into a congregation which they named for Saint Thomas the Apostle. [2] The parish gonfalon depicting the symbols of Saint Thomas, the carpenter's square and the spear, stands beside the altar. [3]
The first church building was constructed and consecrated on October 22, 1846 by Bishop John Johns of the Diocese of Virginia. [2] Confederate troops stole the bell from the steeple during the American Civil War in order to make cannon balls. [4] The first church building also housed the first pipe organ west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which was transported over the mountains by ox cart. [5] One of the most notable figures to frequently visit the church during his long stay in Abingdon was Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt, father of former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt and younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. [2] Elliott Roosevelt gifted a large lectern Bible to the parish in memory of his wife Anna Hall Roosevelt. [2]
On December 27, 1924, a fire started in a neighboring shop which quickly spread to the church building, which was completely destroyed. [4] Following the fire, the congregation organized an effort to quickly rebuild and hired Smithey & Tardy, an architectural firm based in Roanoke, to design a new building. [2] The new building was completed in 1925 and was consecrated in 1928 by Bishop Robert Carter Jett of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. [2] In 1925, Eleanor Roosevelt gifted a new lectern Bible in memory of her parents as a replacement to the one lost in the fire. [2]
The current church building's design is based on a fourteenth-century English Tudor Gothic chapel. [2] The chancel is in the traditional split chancel design, which became popular in England and the United States after 1840. [2] The current building houses a baroque pipe organ of twenty-four ranks. [5] As a versatile instrument, the organ is used for both worship and recital. [5] In 1968, St. Thomas Episcopal Church was granted parish status. [3]
Worship opportunities at St. Thomas Episcopal Church include a Sunday morning Holy Eucharist Service using Rite I or Rite II, a Holy Eucharist and Healing Service on Wednesday mornings, and a Taizé service on Wednesday nights. [6] Services include various liturgical ministers from the laity, including lectors, intercessors, chalice bearers, the altar guild, the flower guild, and ushers. [7]
Educational opportunities include Wednesday morning Bible studies and the adult forum, which proceeds the Holy Eucharist Service on Sunday morning. [8] During worship services, a nursery is provided for small children and older children participate in Children's Chapel. [9] All children's education workers are certified in the Safeguarding God's Children program. [9]
The church is also involved in outreach ministries, which include the monthly "We Care Dinners." [10] At "We Care Dinners," individuals from various adult long term care facilities within the area are offered the opportunity to join the community at the church for fellowship and a meal. [10] Parishioners are also active volunteers with Ecumenical Faith in Action and Stone Soup Food Pantry located in Abingdon, Virginia. [10]
From 2004 to 2006, a local artist, Mary Jane Miller, produced icons in the traditional Byzantine art style following the traditions of icon writing. [11] The icons were created at the nearby William King Museum of Art. [12] The collection totals twenty-two icons, eighteen of which depict important events in the life of Jesus Christ, three of which depict events in the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, and a recent addition was included titled "The Mystical Supper." [12] Although the icons are venerated in Eastern Orthodox Churches, as a protestant church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church uses the icons to teach about the life of Jesus Christ. [11]
The titled icons include: [12]
The Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper among other names, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper; giving his disciples bread and wine during a Passover meal, he commanded them to "do this in memory of me" while referring to the bread as "my body" and the cup of wine as "the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many".
The Last Supper is the final meal that, in the Gospel accounts, Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper is commemorated by Christians especially on Holy Thursday. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "Holy Communion" or "The Lord's Supper".
Holy Week is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, which includes Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Eastern Lutheran traditions, Holy Week occurs the week after Lazarus Saturday and starts on the evening of Palm Sunday. In the denominations of the Western Christianity, which includes the Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Moravianism, Anglicanism, Methodism and Reformed Christianity, it begins with Palm Sunday and concludes on Easter Sunday. For all Christian traditions it is a moveable observance. In Eastern Rite Churches, Holy Week starts after 40 days of Lent and two transitional days, namely Saturday of Lazarus and Palm Sunday. In the Western Christian Churches, Holy Week falls on the last week of Lent or Sixth Lent Week.
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The Chrism Mass is a religious service held in Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.
Eucharistic theology is a branch of Christian theology which treats doctrines concerning the Holy Eucharist, also commonly known as the Lord's Supper. It exists exclusively in Christianity and related religions, as others generally do not contain a Eucharistic ceremony.
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In keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the catholic tradition and a church of the Reformation. With respect to sacramental theology the Catholic tradition is perhaps most strongly asserted in the importance Anglicanism places on the sacraments as a means of grace, sanctification and forgiveness as expressed in the church's liturgy.
Eucharist here refers to Holy Communion or the Body and Blood of Christ, which is consumed during the Catholic Mass or Eucharistic Celebration. "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood, ... a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'" As such, Eucharist is "an action of thanksgiving to God" derived from "the Jewish blessings that proclaim – especially during a meal – God's works: creation, redemption, and sanctification."
The Mass is the central liturgical rite in the Catholic Church, encompassing the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, where the bread and wine are consecrated and become the Body and Blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, is present and offered in an unbloody manner". The Church describes the Mass as the "source and summit of the Christian life". Thus the Church teaches that the Mass is a sacrifice. It teaches that the sacramental bread and wine, through consecration by an ordained priest, become the sacrificial body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ as the sacrifice on Calvary made truly present once again on the altar. The Catholic Church permits only baptised members in the state of grace to receive Christ in the Eucharist.
Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals, and practices of worship of God or honour of the saints which are in addition to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes devotions as "expressions of love and fidelity that arise from the intersection of one's own faith, culture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ". Devotions are not considered part of liturgical worship, even if they are performed in a church or led by a priest, but rather they are paraliturgical. The Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican publishes a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy.
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Coordinates: 36°42′40.2″N81°58′20.7″W / 36.711167°N 81.972417°W