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St. Clement's is a parish with a rich history PDF Print
St. Clement's is a parish with a rich history. For most of its early years, the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota focused its church building efforts in the many farming communities founded among the fertile prairies and woodlands of the new state.

In the 1890's, that emphasis began to change. The rural churches that had been the focus of Bishop Whipple's activities found themselves isolated in a sea of immigrants from Germany and Scandinavia whose ethnic identities were tied to the denominations of their homelands. Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches sprang up all over the landscape, but the number of Episcopal churches remained fairly small. Growing cities, particularly St. Paul and Minneapolis, became the areas of greatest potential for Episcopalians.

The Right Reverend Mahlon N. Gilbert, Bishop Coadjutor of Minnesota, was a particular advocate of new missions in St. Paul, especially in the rapidly growing suburbs west of the city. The advent of electric streetcar lines on Grand and Selby Avenues was driving new development, and the Episcopal Church was quick to realize the opportunity to locate new churches in the area.

Emanuel Mission opened in January 1893. Its first home was a vacant store at the corner of Selby Avenue and Victoria Street. Under the able and energetic leadership of its young vicar, Deacon Ernest Dray, the mission flourished. In just a few months, it moved into a new frame building that served both as chapel and vicarage. As the new mission made headway, things were also happening in far-away New York that would greatly shape its future.

The Diocese of Minnesota had long-standing connections with the Episcopal Church in the Empire State. Bishop Whipple was born in Pierpont Manor, Jefferson County, New York which is about 40 miles northwest of the Mohawk Valley. During his long tenure he frequently solicited support for his frontier diocese from wealthy New Yorkers, who generously supported his work. In 1894, Mrs. Theodore Eaton, widow of the rector of St. Clement's Church in New York City, approached Bishop Gilbert with a proposal to fund a new church in Minnesota. The church was to be named St. Clement's Memorial Church, in honor of her husband. The bishop happily accepted her offer, and saw Emanuel Mission as the most promising recipient of this gift. Mrs. Eaton was prepared to spend some $25,000 on the new building (a very large sum in those days) and she insisted on the best possible architect. Fortunately, there was one available in turn-of-the-Century St. Paul. His name was Cass Gilbert, Minnesota's best-known architect.

The church commission came at a turning point in Gilbert's career, just before he won the competition to design the State Capitol. He had previously designed a number of prominent residences and churches in St. Paul, and would later win commissions for the original St. Paul Seminary buildings, the University of Minnesota campus plan, the Woolworth Building and U.S. Customs House in New York, and finally the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Gilbert had traveled in Europe for a year, and it was from his notebook sketches of English parish churches that the Gothic design for St. Clement's evolved.

His design for the church included many elements of English country churches: roof beams, linen-fold paneling, a lychgate, and rood screen. A particular feature commissioned by Mrs. Eaton is the chancel window. She commissioned Tiffany studios to produce a window based on a painting by Weir that hung in the chancel of St. Clement's New York. Unfortunately the design called for one large window where Gilbert had intended three lancet windows. As is usual in such cases, the client won the day and the large window, with its richly textured depiction of St. John and the Virgin Mary at the site of the crucifixion, graces the chancel today.

The diocese purchased three lots on Portland Avenue between Milton and Victoria Streets and ground was broken for the building on November 5, 1894. The cornerstone was laid on April 17, 1895, and St. Clement's Memorial Church was consecrated on October 6, 1895 in an impressive service presided over by Bishop Gilbert with the Bishop of New York, Right Reverend H. C. Potter as the guest preacher. Mrs. Eaton was unable to attend but was represented by her cousins and Mrs. J.P. Morgan.

The recently ordained Reverend Dray continued as Vicar of St. Clement's, which remained a mission church until it was formally accepted by the diocese of Minnesota as a parish on May 25, 1905. He was formally called to be Rector of the new church that year and continued until January 1910 when he left to become a missionary in Wyoming. Dray died in 1938 in his native England.

In 1913, major additions were made to St. Clement's. The vestibule facing Milton Street was added and the present parish hall, designed by Clarence Johnston, was finished in the fall of that year. As the neighborhood continued to grow, so did the church. In 1920, the parish had 529 communicants and a Sunday School with 239 members. The size of the parish continued at around 500 communicants through the 1950's. Beginning in the 1960's however, St. Clement's went through a period of decline, much of it due to changes in the neighborhood and society at large. More families moved out of the area following World War II and the once prosperous neighborhood gradually aged and became rundown.

By the early 1980's the parish had shrunk to fewer than 300 members and many of those still listed on the books had not darkened the door for years. The financial situation was equally bleak. By 1982, St. Clement's was facing some very hard choices: close the doors for good, merge with another parish or find a way to grow. With the assistance and encouragement of interim rector, David Parachini, the Vestry decided to stake everything on one last chance to grow. In 1983, St. Clement's called the Rev. Daniel V. Pearson to be its new rector. It was an unusual arrangement. There was only enough money in the invested funds to pay him for three years. If we could not turn things around in that time the church would die.

With leadership and guidance from Father Pearson -- who resigned in 2005 to assume the interim rector post at St. Stephen's in Edina -- and a lot of hard work from parishioners, St. Clement's lives and in fact thrives. Membership approaches historic highs, the Church School is burgeoning, and our financial situation allows us once again to turn our resources to uses outside the parish with the leadership of our current rector, the Rev. V. Beth Royalty, and commitment of parishioners.
 
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August 29: Power Grant Art Show

Bible Conversations Group meets each Sunday in the Chapel from 9:15-10:15 am. This group reads aloud the lectionary readings for the day and joins together for dicussion, study and discernment. Facilitated by Bob Hanson and members of the group. Newcomers are always welcome!