The History

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1908 - 2001

As the Black population of Boston increased and became centered in other neighborhoods, Father Field's pastoral concern took him where the people were, in the home of Sarah J. Jackson at 17 Westminister Street. Saint Martin's mission had its beginnings. Father Field, accompanied by two altar boys, would come to the South End for celebration of Mass in Mrs. Jackson's living room. From 1899 to 1908, the congregation outgrew Mrs. Jackson's living room, outgrew a storefront on Camden Street and a small wooden framed chapel on Lenox Street.

In the West End, the church of St. Augustine was formally organized by the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. In 1886, a building was purchased on Anderson Street for its worship and congregational life. In 1892, a new building was erected on Phillips Street that served as the center of the congregation's life. The church of Saint Augustine served as a center for community, cultural and religious concern. The Saint Augustine's Trade School was established to teach young men marketable skills. From that center, a successful effort was launched to have the City of Boston establish the vacant Old West Church as a branch of the Public Library.

Father Charles N. Field, a stern yet loving pastor, encouraged the religious arts. In addition to the splendid worship services in the high Anglican ceremonial tradition. Father Field produced and directed Christmas Pageants and Easter Mystery Plays to teach God's passionate involvement and concern with our daily lives.

In 1908, the Society purchased the land next to Saint Martin's Chapel on Lenox Street and began construction of the present building. Later that year, Saint Augustine's Church in the West End was closed and many of its religious artifacts were incorporated into the new church building. On Saint Martin's Day, November 11, 1908, the Church of Saint Augustine and Saint Martin was formally opened with a ten-day preaching mission led by a black priest, John A. Williams, Rector of Saint Phillips Church in Omaha, Nebraska.

It is that event which we are celebrating today. The congregations of two mission churches came together in one meeting place to more effectively worship God and serve the people of the community where they lived. Pastoral leadership transferred from Father Field to the Reverend Father Fitz in 1911. Father Fitz continued the tradition of community involvement and pastoral care. He was a priest dedicated to living for others. He worked at developing Saint Augustine's Camp in Foxboro where youth from our congregation and community had an opportunity for physical, educational and spiritual development.

Although the members of the congregation were poor, there was a richness of spirit that expressed itself in the way the people of the Church of Saint Augustine and Saint Martin took care of one another. Jobs were scarce for people of color, so to help out while parents went to work Saint Martin's Day Nursery was founded. For ten cents a day, children were cared for all day and received a hot meal at noontime. The longstanding relationship with the Society of Saint Margaret that began on Beacon Hill continued. Women's groups worked to aid Saint Monica's home with funds, as well as to assist the Sisters with caring for sick or aged women and their families in Roxbury.

The old wood framed Saint Martin's Chapel served as a fellowship hall and community center. Numerous guilds, clubs and organizations formed to foster the sense of extended family and concerned neighborliness that marked these years of the church's life on Lenox Street. There were plays, musicals, entertainment and dinners designed to bring people together, as well as to support the community about a God who cares how we live our lives, and to encourage young people to pursue their educational and economic goals, to become their very best.

At the heart of all this activity was the daily and weekly cycle of celebrating the Holy Mass. With all the dignity and beauty the people could establish, the Lord's supper was celebrated as a reminder of God who shares life with us in a shared meal. Beautiful religious art, splendid vestments and solemn sacred music surrounded the offering of worship. All of these served as reminders of a loving, nurturing God who calls us to discover the beauty of life, by sharing the creative activity of loving one another.

The Society of Saint John the Evangelist continued to provide for pastoral leadership in the congregation after the retirement of Father Fitz. The Reverend Oliver B. Dale succeeded him, who was assisted for a time by Father Paul Wessinger. The last of the Cowley Fathers to serve as the Vicar of the Church of Saint Augustine and Saint Martin was the Reverend Frederick C. Gross, who was assisted by Father Robert Smith. All of these priests continued the tradition of loving, pastoral care coupled with a concern that life be centered at the altar.

However, times changed and communities are growing entities. The neighborhood began to develop a new character. Many who grew up around the church moved away after World War II. Urban renewal transformed the appearance of the community. The desire for independence and autonomy was felt in the late 1960's. It was time to develop ministry in relationship to the changing time and neighborhood. For many this meant seeking a Black priest to be pastor and assuming some measure of responsibility for the congregation's ministry and fiscal affairs. Encouraged by the Right Reverend John M. Burgess, the congregation separated from the Society of St. John the Evangelist and began to move toward becoming a Parish in union with the Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

Under the pastoral leadership of a succession of vicars and interim pastors, the congregation prepared for the day it would be acknowledged as a full partner in proclaiming the Gospel as a Parish church.

The Reverend Charles Victor was sent to minister to our spiritual needs. He not only helped us spiritually but he made us aware of others and ourselves. During his stay, the church was accepted as a Mission of the Diocese. Mr. David F. Whitley became the first Senior Warden, and with the support of many, the church grew.

On May 7, 1973, Bishop Burgess appointed the Reverend Don Eric Lowery to be the Vicar. He worked very hard, always keeping us aware of the duty we owed to ourselves and to our neighbor. We were unaware that he was a very sick man, and was shocked when he died suddenly in February of 1974. In January of that year we had just elected our second Senior Warden, Mr. Eugene A. Andrews. He was first faced with making funeral arrangements for the vicar, Father Lowery and securing the Interim Priest to continue the work.

We were very fortunate the Reverend George Thomas, from Jamaica, West Indies, was attending the Episcopal Theological Seminary at that time. He was able to help us weekly from February through June with the help of another seminarian, Lloyd Prator, who has since become a priest. Father Thomas is now serving as Cannon of the Cathedral of Jamaica, located in Spanish Town, West Indies.

In September of 1974 we interviewed a priest from the state of Washington, the Reverend James. D. Manning. He accepted the challenge and came to work with us on November 17,

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