St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church: A Narrative History, 1995.
Original version by Thomas W. Woodward, with subsequent edits and additions.
Saint John the Baptist Episcopal Mission and Church [SJB] has graced the Village of Hardwick, Vermont since the first decade of the Twentieth Century. Never as large as the Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, or Unitarian churches in the area, it nevertheless established a firm anchor in the Northeast Kingdom, and still thrives today.
The first reference to the date of Episcopal services in Hardwick is listed in the parish register as 1894, when a group of people met for worship in private homes. This event coincided with events that were occurring in Hardwick at the time.
Toward the end of the Nineteenth Century, the granite industry was growing in both Hardwick and nearby Woodbury, where there were extensive quarries of fine, rich, stone. From 1870 to 1915, Hardwick Town and Hardwick Village had their largest combined population ever; in fact, after 1890, their population growth significantly outpaced that of neighboring communities. It became “the building granite capital of the world.” Industrialization, following the spread of the railroads in northern Vermont in the 1870s, had brought an influx of new workers, particularly those who sought work in the ten granite sheds. There, the stone cutters, who were highly paid craftsmen, were the most highly regarded of the unionized workers. Hardwick became prosperous, with a foundry and a number of small firms manufacturing products such as straight razors, brooms, small granite items, furnaces, manure spreaders, “vegetable kidney pills”, butter tubes, and finished hides. In addition, there were numerous dairies and creameries.
In 1903, the Woodbury Granite Company won the bid to provide 400,000 cubic feet of granite--quarried, cut, and delivered--for the Pennsylvania State Capitol, a business success that was repeated many-fold for the next fifteen years and helped put Hardwick on the map. With new families arriving, many to work in the many small businesses that sprang up, there came those who searched for worship as Episcopalians.
Coincidentally, the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont was already establishing a series of missions in small towns throughout the northern counties of Lamoille, Orleans, Caledonia, Chittenden, and Franklin. At the turn of the century, Bishop Hall of Vermont and his missionary board were searching for a home for the mission in the Hardwick area, which would become part of a chain of missions in the towns of Morrisville, Hyde Park, Stowe, Johnson, and Jeffersonville. This was not unlike the concept of the Spanish missions in the southwestern United States. The villagers of Episcopal background were soon ready for a regular place of worship they could call their own.
Prior to moving into permanent quarters, members of the new SJB Mission congregation held their first services in the old Hardwick Academy Building. It later moved to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall, located at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets. After an unsuccessful attempt to hold Sunday school in the homes of parishioners, the young people were, at the invitation of the United Church, allowed to attend Sunday school there.
We tend to associate much of the history of SJB with its location and buildings, and therefore, mention should be made of its physical beginnings. At the turn of the century, a portion of Russell Bridgman’s farm, covering the area of what is now West Church Street, was subdivided and passed on to his daughters, Ina M. Bridgman and Ida Bridgman Estes. They in turn sold the property to Wallace L. Dow, who built the house on the present site, with its attached building, in 1902. The comfortable, commodious New England village residence, with a carriage house toward the rear, was built in the turn of the century manner with a hint of the then-popular Italianate style of architecture.
In 1909, this property on the new street dividing the meadow, was purchased by Bishop Hall of Vermont and the Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese to become, in 1910, the permanent site of the SJB Mission, with its convenient rectory to house the traveling missionary priest and his family.
- By Thomas M. Woodard et al.
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church: A Narrative History, 1995
The first reference to the date of Episcopal services in Hardwick is listed in the parish register as 1894, when a group of people met for worship in private homes. This event coincided with events that were occurring in Hardwick at the time.
Toward the end of the Nineteenth Century, the granite industry was growing in both Hardwick and nearby Woodbury, where there were extensive quarries of fine, rich, stone. From 1870 to 1915, Hardwick Town and Hardwick Village had their largest combined population ever; in fact, after 1890, their population growth significantly outpaced that of neighboring communities. It became “the building granite capital of the world.” Industrialization, following the spread of the railroads in northern Vermont in the 1870s, had brought an influx of new workers, particularly those who sought work in the ten granite sheds. There, the stone cutters, who were highly paid craftsmen, were the most highly regarded of the unionized workers. Hardwick became prosperous, with a foundry and a number of small firms manufacturing products such as straight razors, brooms, small granite items, furnaces, manure spreaders, “vegetable kidney pills”, butter tubes, and finished hides. In addition, there were numerous dairies and creameries.
In 1903, the Woodbury Granite Company won the bid to provide 400,000 cubic feet of granite--quarried, cut, and delivered--for the Pennsylvania State Capitol, a business success that was repeated many-fold for the next fifteen years and helped put Hardwick on the map. With new families arriving, many to work in the many small businesses that sprang up, there came those who searched for worship as Episcopalians.
Coincidentally, the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont was already establishing a series of missions in small towns throughout the northern counties of Lamoille, Orleans, Caledonia, Chittenden, and Franklin. At the turn of the century, Bishop Hall of Vermont and his missionary board were searching for a home for the mission in the Hardwick area, which would become part of a chain of missions in the towns of Morrisville, Hyde Park, Stowe, Johnson, and Jeffersonville. This was not unlike the concept of the Spanish missions in the southwestern United States. The villagers of Episcopal background were soon ready for a regular place of worship they could call their own.
Prior to moving into permanent quarters, members of the new SJB Mission congregation held their first services in the old Hardwick Academy Building. It later moved to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall, located at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets. After an unsuccessful attempt to hold Sunday school in the homes of parishioners, the young people were, at the invitation of the United Church, allowed to attend Sunday school there.
We tend to associate much of the history of SJB with its location and buildings, and therefore, mention should be made of its physical beginnings. At the turn of the century, a portion of Russell Bridgman’s farm, covering the area of what is now West Church Street, was subdivided and passed on to his daughters, Ina M. Bridgman and Ida Bridgman Estes. They in turn sold the property to Wallace L. Dow, who built the house on the present site, with its attached building, in 1902. The comfortable, commodious New England village residence, with a carriage house toward the rear, was built in the turn of the century manner with a hint of the then-popular Italianate style of architecture.
In 1909, this property on the new street dividing the meadow, was purchased by Bishop Hall of Vermont and the Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese to become, in 1910, the permanent site of the SJB Mission, with its convenient rectory to house the traveling missionary priest and his family.
- By Thomas M. Woodard et al.
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church: A Narrative History, 1995
As for the official beginning of SJB as a mission, the year would appear to be 1902, for by 1903, parish records were being regularly kept. This is time of the tenure of the Reverend William Forsyth, who had a large missionary area of responsibility in the Lamoille Valley and began holding regular services for Hardwick Episcopalians. He is considered the first priest-in-charge of SJB during its first four years. He had been educated at St. Augustine’s College, Canterbury, England. He served sixteen years in Quebec, fifteen in Vermont parishes, and four in South West Harbor, Maine, where he died in June 1918. He is buried in Stanstead, Quebec, the parish from which he came to Vermont.
In 1964, the Reverend George B. Anderson (twelfth vicar) completed a rather exhaustive study of SJB requested by Bishop Butterfield for the Diocese of Vermont Division of Research and Field Study. Although the report contains much statistical and demographic information for 1963, it also provides many historical references to the church’s beginnings, some of which are quoted below:
“According to the information in the parish records, on June 8, 1904, a completed canvass showed 21 families, 42 baptized, 22 confirmed, and 38 individuals. Work dated from 1903. A monthly evening service was followed by Communion the next morning...Many Scotch and Italian families lived here during 'boom town' days. Our parish record shows Aberdeen, Scotland, as the origin of some.”
“In 1905, the Reverend Dr. Atwell served on second and fourth Sundays for $10 a month. On February 8, 1909, Bishop Hall bought the present Rectory and carriage house; $4600.”
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995 et al.
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church: A Narrative History, 1995
In 1964, the Reverend George B. Anderson (twelfth vicar) completed a rather exhaustive study of SJB requested by Bishop Butterfield for the Diocese of Vermont Division of Research and Field Study. Although the report contains much statistical and demographic information for 1963, it also provides many historical references to the church’s beginnings, some of which are quoted below:
“According to the information in the parish records, on June 8, 1904, a completed canvass showed 21 families, 42 baptized, 22 confirmed, and 38 individuals. Work dated from 1903. A monthly evening service was followed by Communion the next morning...Many Scotch and Italian families lived here during 'boom town' days. Our parish record shows Aberdeen, Scotland, as the origin of some.”
“In 1905, the Reverend Dr. Atwell served on second and fourth Sundays for $10 a month. On February 8, 1909, Bishop Hall bought the present Rectory and carriage house; $4600.”
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995 et al.
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church: A Narrative History, 1995
The Reverend David L. Sanford and his family were the first to live in the parsonage, and it was Father Sanford who is credited with converting the carriage house into a chapel. He was to serve the Hardwick and Lamoille Valley area for the next nine years. The Reverend George B. Anderson’s 1963 history of this period continues:
“In October 1915, the Rev. D. L. Sanford noted a mortgage burning for the chapel (carriage house renovated) and 'guild rooms.' ‘At last,’ he said, ‘the home nest was built, and we are ready to do more and greater things.’ Throughout the early years, Hardwick has enjoyed the advantage of a resident priest, with responsibility for Morrisville, Hyde Park, and Stowe. Residence seems to have secured the persistence of the Mission, but without any noteworthy period of marked growth.”
Indeed, the task of the Episcopal missionary priests in northern Vermont at the turn of the century was arduous, if not Herculean. In the first place, Episcopal parishes were late in establishing themselves there, and they had to struggle for survival amidst the competition of the entrenched churches—Unitarian, Congregational, Presbyterian—that were the descendants of the Puritan New England theological tradition. By 1900, the larger Episcopal churches, except for Burlington, Newport, and St. Johnsbury, were scattered mostly through the southern and western parts of the state.
Father David Sanford, considered one of the first missionaries in Vermont, was known to travel across much of northern Vermont by means of the train service that criss-crossed the state. Getting to and from towns was not easy, and delays were frequent, especially if transfers from one line to another were involved. Nonetheless, most of Father Sanford’s travel was accomplished on 'shank’s mare.' According to long-time resident and member of the parish, he would go on his long parish visits accompanied by one of his sons. A likely trip would be from Hardwick to Craftsbury, the latter of which was not served by train. On these long walks the boys learned to know their father, and the father learned to know the sons.
Father George M. Brush (Vicar from 1920-1925) in his memoir, offers the following information about Father Sanford. “He [Father Sanford] was well known and much beloved during his ministry and general missionary for his Cure [pastoral area of responsibility] was bounded only by the diocese, and in the days before automobiles were in general use, he traveled on foot or by train...While waiting for the train--and in those years the trains service was not too good--he thought of the plan of memorizing the services of the Prayer Book. This plan was successfully carried out, and he found it of great value in his ministrations. He forgot his Prayer Book one day when he went to one of his appointments for a service, and, nothing daunted, he conducted the Holy Communion from memory, including the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for the day.
“Mr. Sanford, on one of his pastoral visits on foot in the mountainside districts, found a man in a serious state of despondency. On listening to his story, he learned that he was a businessman from New York who had contracted tuberculosis. His physician had advised him to go to the mountains, where he might have a chance to recover; otherwise, he had just a few months to live. Mr. Sanford made up his mind to spend the day at this camp and cheer up the man. How much this parson knew of psychiatry, I do not know, but he was found of human beings and had a fund of stories that helped the man forget his troubles and left him at the end of the day quite cheerful. A few weeks later, Mr. Sanford returned to call on him and found that he was much better, and eventually he was cured.
“When I went to Stowe to hold my services, I heard through the hostess, Miss Allen, who was a talented and cultured woman and the hostess of a fashionable boarding house there, many interesting stories about Mr. Sanford, who was always a welcome guest. He was a clergyman of the old school, what people...used to call a Prayer Book Churchman, not insistent upon elaborate ritual, but firm and loyal in his defense of the Apostolic faith. Mr. Sanford’s family consisted of his wife, Anna Briscoe Sanford, and seven children...A rectory was provided for the family by the Diocese, (Ed. note: our present rectory building), but there was no church. There was, however, a barn adjoining the rectory, and as Mr. Sanford was a carpenter as well as a priest, he undertook the task of converting the barn into a chapel. It was a tiny structure, able to accommodate about fifty people, but built in a churchly fashion with a simple altar and chancel and nave of size in proportion to the other parts of the building. The little chapel was quite a contrast to the rich and costly church at Shelburne, but we all of us came to love it, and here we were able to assemble our family group for morning prayers. This little chapel was the only Episcopal church building in Lamoille County at the time. Recently, through the persistent efforts of the Reverend W. Burge who succeeded me, a church building has been started at Morrisville.”
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
“In October 1915, the Rev. D. L. Sanford noted a mortgage burning for the chapel (carriage house renovated) and 'guild rooms.' ‘At last,’ he said, ‘the home nest was built, and we are ready to do more and greater things.’ Throughout the early years, Hardwick has enjoyed the advantage of a resident priest, with responsibility for Morrisville, Hyde Park, and Stowe. Residence seems to have secured the persistence of the Mission, but without any noteworthy period of marked growth.”
Indeed, the task of the Episcopal missionary priests in northern Vermont at the turn of the century was arduous, if not Herculean. In the first place, Episcopal parishes were late in establishing themselves there, and they had to struggle for survival amidst the competition of the entrenched churches—Unitarian, Congregational, Presbyterian—that were the descendants of the Puritan New England theological tradition. By 1900, the larger Episcopal churches, except for Burlington, Newport, and St. Johnsbury, were scattered mostly through the southern and western parts of the state.
Father David Sanford, considered one of the first missionaries in Vermont, was known to travel across much of northern Vermont by means of the train service that criss-crossed the state. Getting to and from towns was not easy, and delays were frequent, especially if transfers from one line to another were involved. Nonetheless, most of Father Sanford’s travel was accomplished on 'shank’s mare.' According to long-time resident and member of the parish, he would go on his long parish visits accompanied by one of his sons. A likely trip would be from Hardwick to Craftsbury, the latter of which was not served by train. On these long walks the boys learned to know their father, and the father learned to know the sons.
Father George M. Brush (Vicar from 1920-1925) in his memoir, offers the following information about Father Sanford. “He [Father Sanford] was well known and much beloved during his ministry and general missionary for his Cure [pastoral area of responsibility] was bounded only by the diocese, and in the days before automobiles were in general use, he traveled on foot or by train...While waiting for the train--and in those years the trains service was not too good--he thought of the plan of memorizing the services of the Prayer Book. This plan was successfully carried out, and he found it of great value in his ministrations. He forgot his Prayer Book one day when he went to one of his appointments for a service, and, nothing daunted, he conducted the Holy Communion from memory, including the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for the day.
“Mr. Sanford, on one of his pastoral visits on foot in the mountainside districts, found a man in a serious state of despondency. On listening to his story, he learned that he was a businessman from New York who had contracted tuberculosis. His physician had advised him to go to the mountains, where he might have a chance to recover; otherwise, he had just a few months to live. Mr. Sanford made up his mind to spend the day at this camp and cheer up the man. How much this parson knew of psychiatry, I do not know, but he was found of human beings and had a fund of stories that helped the man forget his troubles and left him at the end of the day quite cheerful. A few weeks later, Mr. Sanford returned to call on him and found that he was much better, and eventually he was cured.
“When I went to Stowe to hold my services, I heard through the hostess, Miss Allen, who was a talented and cultured woman and the hostess of a fashionable boarding house there, many interesting stories about Mr. Sanford, who was always a welcome guest. He was a clergyman of the old school, what people...used to call a Prayer Book Churchman, not insistent upon elaborate ritual, but firm and loyal in his defense of the Apostolic faith. Mr. Sanford’s family consisted of his wife, Anna Briscoe Sanford, and seven children...A rectory was provided for the family by the Diocese, (Ed. note: our present rectory building), but there was no church. There was, however, a barn adjoining the rectory, and as Mr. Sanford was a carpenter as well as a priest, he undertook the task of converting the barn into a chapel. It was a tiny structure, able to accommodate about fifty people, but built in a churchly fashion with a simple altar and chancel and nave of size in proportion to the other parts of the building. The little chapel was quite a contrast to the rich and costly church at Shelburne, but we all of us came to love it, and here we were able to assemble our family group for morning prayers. This little chapel was the only Episcopal church building in Lamoille County at the time. Recently, through the persistent efforts of the Reverend W. Burge who succeeded me, a church building has been started at Morrisville.”
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
A 1970 letter from a former parishioner, Lydia Edgerly, gives a small glimpse into the life of the mission priest in the early days:
“In 1917-1918 I did my first year of teaching in Hardwick Academy...I taught Sunday school in the Episcopal Church because the minister and his family moved to Texas for some mission work. [Ed. note: this was probably Father William Garner.] They were poor, and they struggled to keep our little church active...One snowy night they invited me to supper. The minister’s family and I were the only attendants at the illustrated lecture evening series.”
Father George R. Brush, mentioned above, came to SJB in 1920. He was a graduate of Hobart College and General Theological Seminary in New York City. He served parishes in Vermont and New York for 43 years. In his own memoir of his days as vicar of SJB, Father George Brush indicates that in one visit he made to the State Asylum in Waterbury he returned to Essex Junction on the Boston and Maine Railroad, and from there switched to the Burlington and St. Johnsbury Railroad, which dropped him off in Hardwick. Presumably, he brought something with him to read in all of this travel time! His memoir is quoted verbatim below:
“The distance between Hardwick and the other missions were: Stowe, 20 miles; Morrisville, 14 miles; Hyde Park, 17 miles. In addition to these mission stations, I undertook in the summer to celebrate the Holy Communion on Sunday mornings to a group of summer people who were Episcopalians at Greensboro on Caspian Lake, seven miles east of Hardwick...As the only clergyman representing the Episcopal Church in the Lamoille Valley, there were occasions when I held ministrations and services in Johnson, the Lodge at Mt. Mansfield, and other places.
“Hardwick, a village of about 2000 inhabitants...was at one time a center of the granite quarries, and many were employed in this industry. It was then a prosperous town, and it still has the marks of stability: a bank, a business block, a memorial library, a Masonic Lodge, a Grange, a Federated Church, a Roman Catholic Church, and St John the Baptist Mission. But several years prior to our going there (1920) a slump occurred in the granite industry. This was because demand by the government for construction granite had fallen off, and the chief orders that came to the plant were for polished stone for monuments...
“One of the things that always impressed me about the Hardwick community was that there was very little evidence of social exclusiveness; it was just like one family. There was hardly a wealthy family in the community, though there were many who were well-to-do; and with five churches in the community, there was a good background of religious life. there were also many people educated and refined in their tastes, ready to promote worthy enterprises. There were several fraternity groups and a women’s literary society.
“Our own little group at the SJB Mission was faithful and loyal, though the representation of men was small. Considering that there were hardly thirty-five communicants in the mission, and that the average attendance recorded for one year was eighteen, the attendance gave evidence of a good degree of faithfulness.
“One of the women conducted a flourishing Bible class which was open to the women of all the churches...The Women’s Auxiliary, a missionary society, was always active in helping to support the services by sales of various kinds; and during the Lenten season, the missionary society conducted a Mission Study Class.
“One of the articles of equipment for my missionary activities provided by the diocesan missionary committee was a traveling altar, similar, I think to those used by army chaplains. It was a valuable accessory to my work, since in the missions outside of Hardwick, at least when I entered upon my work; there was no provision for altar services. It was a chest made of oak that was operated something like a suitcase. When opened, there were all the articles necessary for a celebration of the Holy Communion...The chest was rather heavy for carrying except for a short distance, but it was a valuable part of my ecclesiastical outfit, and I came to have a sort of affection for it.
“The other part of my missionary outfit was a car, and thereby hangs a tale. It was an entirely new experience for me to drive, and I had been dreading it. In fact, it seemed like a mountain to me every time I thought of it. I suppose this did not help any when the time actually came for me to learn to drive. The Missionary Board provided me with a Ford, of the model in use at the time (1920). Of course there was no such thing as heat provided at that time, nor was there any self-starter. Instead of doors there were curtains, and in wintry weather one did not travel in comfort as we do now. Hardwick winters were about as severe as anywhere in the state, and often the radiator would freeze on my travels... As one might suppose...the lessons I had in driving were more difficult than any problems I ever had in mathematics, and that was my hard subject. I found myself bereft entirely of confidence, and even when I had learned how to manage the gears, I had to take a chauffeur with me on my trips for quite a while, which was an expensive arrangement. Finally, when Mabel Hale came to see us and decided that she wanted to learn to drive, my courage seemed to gather strength. Perhaps the thought that she might best me in learning to drive had some effect.
“In 1917-1918 I did my first year of teaching in Hardwick Academy...I taught Sunday school in the Episcopal Church because the minister and his family moved to Texas for some mission work. [Ed. note: this was probably Father William Garner.] They were poor, and they struggled to keep our little church active...One snowy night they invited me to supper. The minister’s family and I were the only attendants at the illustrated lecture evening series.”
Father George R. Brush, mentioned above, came to SJB in 1920. He was a graduate of Hobart College and General Theological Seminary in New York City. He served parishes in Vermont and New York for 43 years. In his own memoir of his days as vicar of SJB, Father George Brush indicates that in one visit he made to the State Asylum in Waterbury he returned to Essex Junction on the Boston and Maine Railroad, and from there switched to the Burlington and St. Johnsbury Railroad, which dropped him off in Hardwick. Presumably, he brought something with him to read in all of this travel time! His memoir is quoted verbatim below:
“The distance between Hardwick and the other missions were: Stowe, 20 miles; Morrisville, 14 miles; Hyde Park, 17 miles. In addition to these mission stations, I undertook in the summer to celebrate the Holy Communion on Sunday mornings to a group of summer people who were Episcopalians at Greensboro on Caspian Lake, seven miles east of Hardwick...As the only clergyman representing the Episcopal Church in the Lamoille Valley, there were occasions when I held ministrations and services in Johnson, the Lodge at Mt. Mansfield, and other places.
“Hardwick, a village of about 2000 inhabitants...was at one time a center of the granite quarries, and many were employed in this industry. It was then a prosperous town, and it still has the marks of stability: a bank, a business block, a memorial library, a Masonic Lodge, a Grange, a Federated Church, a Roman Catholic Church, and St John the Baptist Mission. But several years prior to our going there (1920) a slump occurred in the granite industry. This was because demand by the government for construction granite had fallen off, and the chief orders that came to the plant were for polished stone for monuments...
“One of the things that always impressed me about the Hardwick community was that there was very little evidence of social exclusiveness; it was just like one family. There was hardly a wealthy family in the community, though there were many who were well-to-do; and with five churches in the community, there was a good background of religious life. there were also many people educated and refined in their tastes, ready to promote worthy enterprises. There were several fraternity groups and a women’s literary society.
“Our own little group at the SJB Mission was faithful and loyal, though the representation of men was small. Considering that there were hardly thirty-five communicants in the mission, and that the average attendance recorded for one year was eighteen, the attendance gave evidence of a good degree of faithfulness.
“One of the women conducted a flourishing Bible class which was open to the women of all the churches...The Women’s Auxiliary, a missionary society, was always active in helping to support the services by sales of various kinds; and during the Lenten season, the missionary society conducted a Mission Study Class.
“One of the articles of equipment for my missionary activities provided by the diocesan missionary committee was a traveling altar, similar, I think to those used by army chaplains. It was a valuable accessory to my work, since in the missions outside of Hardwick, at least when I entered upon my work; there was no provision for altar services. It was a chest made of oak that was operated something like a suitcase. When opened, there were all the articles necessary for a celebration of the Holy Communion...The chest was rather heavy for carrying except for a short distance, but it was a valuable part of my ecclesiastical outfit, and I came to have a sort of affection for it.
“The other part of my missionary outfit was a car, and thereby hangs a tale. It was an entirely new experience for me to drive, and I had been dreading it. In fact, it seemed like a mountain to me every time I thought of it. I suppose this did not help any when the time actually came for me to learn to drive. The Missionary Board provided me with a Ford, of the model in use at the time (1920). Of course there was no such thing as heat provided at that time, nor was there any self-starter. Instead of doors there were curtains, and in wintry weather one did not travel in comfort as we do now. Hardwick winters were about as severe as anywhere in the state, and often the radiator would freeze on my travels... As one might suppose...the lessons I had in driving were more difficult than any problems I ever had in mathematics, and that was my hard subject. I found myself bereft entirely of confidence, and even when I had learned how to manage the gears, I had to take a chauffeur with me on my trips for quite a while, which was an expensive arrangement. Finally, when Mabel Hale came to see us and decided that she wanted to learn to drive, my courage seemed to gather strength. Perhaps the thought that she might best me in learning to drive had some effect.
The Reverend Alfred G. Miller, who was born in England, assumed priest's duties just prior to the gathering storm clouds of World War II. The Millers and their children lived in the Rectory. Father Miller’s churchmanship might be considered “high church” today, and parishioners of that time still speak of the smell of incense offered during Sunday services.
The early nineteen forties were busy times for Hardwick and the surrounding communities. A number of parishioners went off to join the armed services while others pitched in to help their communities by filling jobs that needed doing. Local businesses generally flourished, especially the dairy industry. Many Vermont products were either required for the war effort, or were needed locally to keep things running smoothly on the home front. Long-time parishioner Phyllis Zechinelli, a war bride from England, recalls how welcoming Father Miller was when she arrived to settle down in Hardwick with her new husband.
Father James Kenyon followed Father Miller, and he was well beloved by those who remember him. Unfortunately, after little more than a year at SJB, he was called to New Jersey to assist in the counselling and development of young people, and the parishioners were again faced with finding a replacement.
A fire broke out in 1951, severely damaging the old chapel. The source of the fire was not discovered, although mysterious fires had appeared in Hardwick at that time from suspected arson. Before the fire, reports Anita Thompson, who first attended the Church in 1936, the wainscoting around the inside walls of the chapel was made of dark, varnished wood. Paneling was added later.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
The early nineteen forties were busy times for Hardwick and the surrounding communities. A number of parishioners went off to join the armed services while others pitched in to help their communities by filling jobs that needed doing. Local businesses generally flourished, especially the dairy industry. Many Vermont products were either required for the war effort, or were needed locally to keep things running smoothly on the home front. Long-time parishioner Phyllis Zechinelli, a war bride from England, recalls how welcoming Father Miller was when she arrived to settle down in Hardwick with her new husband.
Father James Kenyon followed Father Miller, and he was well beloved by those who remember him. Unfortunately, after little more than a year at SJB, he was called to New Jersey to assist in the counselling and development of young people, and the parishioners were again faced with finding a replacement.
A fire broke out in 1951, severely damaging the old chapel. The source of the fire was not discovered, although mysterious fires had appeared in Hardwick at that time from suspected arson. Before the fire, reports Anita Thompson, who first attended the Church in 1936, the wainscoting around the inside walls of the chapel was made of dark, varnished wood. Paneling was added later.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
Without question, Daniel Goldsmith was one priest in the post-World War II period that left his mark on SJB. Dan, as he was affectionately referred to by nearly everyone, and his wife Nadya, lived in the Parish House at the time of the birth of their daughter, Johanna. His official title was “Vicar,” although he was not ordained when he first arrived. He had been raised in the Jewish faith, and attended Juilliard School of Music in New York. The following is an account by parishioners David and Carol Smith about Father Goldsmith.
“Dan grew up in Scarsdale, New York, and when he finished college, he decided he wanted to be a farmer; he was farming in southern Vermont when he was drafted to serve in the infantry in World War II. He went to Europe and was involved in the Battle of the Bulge. When he returned, he went back to farming and then decided that he wanted to be an Episcopal priest. When we first knew him, he was still studying to be ordained, and he was working for SJB in Hardwick and St. John’s in the Mountains in Stowe.
“Dan was an accomplished musician and played the bass viola and cello in orchestras around the state. He recruited our six children to be the choir. He taught them a lot about singing and music. He loved them, and they loved him, and soon there were more children. He took them on ski trips in the winter and hikes in the summer. Eventually we had a Sunday school, and Dan confirmed our three daughters and later married two of them.
“Dan met Nadya at Shelburne, and Dave was his best man at the wedding in 1958. We refurbished the parish house---a new kitchen, and paint and paper from top to bottom. They were happy there, and later Johanna was born. Dan was a person who loved working the land, and while they lived in the rectory, he had a productive garden behind the church.
“The first service in the rebuilt Hardwick church was held on Christmas Eve, 1954. The paint was barely dry, but it was ready for the midnight service. In 1955 Dan was ordained, and we had a big celebration at church.”
The present chapel, with its new steeple, could be said to be dated from 1953, when it was rebuilt following the 1951 fire. It was Dan who did many of the repairs on the chapel or supervised others. Originally called “St. John the Baptist Mission,” it was consecrated “St. John the Baptist Mission Chapel" on June 24, 1955 by Bishop Vedder Van Dyck, the fifth Bishop of Vermont.
Succeeding priests continued this early missionary work in north central Vermont for some years; then, as a result of population growth, some towns, particularly Stowe and Morrisville, formed separate parishes with priests of their own.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
“Dan grew up in Scarsdale, New York, and when he finished college, he decided he wanted to be a farmer; he was farming in southern Vermont when he was drafted to serve in the infantry in World War II. He went to Europe and was involved in the Battle of the Bulge. When he returned, he went back to farming and then decided that he wanted to be an Episcopal priest. When we first knew him, he was still studying to be ordained, and he was working for SJB in Hardwick and St. John’s in the Mountains in Stowe.
“Dan was an accomplished musician and played the bass viola and cello in orchestras around the state. He recruited our six children to be the choir. He taught them a lot about singing and music. He loved them, and they loved him, and soon there were more children. He took them on ski trips in the winter and hikes in the summer. Eventually we had a Sunday school, and Dan confirmed our three daughters and later married two of them.
“Dan met Nadya at Shelburne, and Dave was his best man at the wedding in 1958. We refurbished the parish house---a new kitchen, and paint and paper from top to bottom. They were happy there, and later Johanna was born. Dan was a person who loved working the land, and while they lived in the rectory, he had a productive garden behind the church.
“The first service in the rebuilt Hardwick church was held on Christmas Eve, 1954. The paint was barely dry, but it was ready for the midnight service. In 1955 Dan was ordained, and we had a big celebration at church.”
The present chapel, with its new steeple, could be said to be dated from 1953, when it was rebuilt following the 1951 fire. It was Dan who did many of the repairs on the chapel or supervised others. Originally called “St. John the Baptist Mission,” it was consecrated “St. John the Baptist Mission Chapel" on June 24, 1955 by Bishop Vedder Van Dyck, the fifth Bishop of Vermont.
Succeeding priests continued this early missionary work in north central Vermont for some years; then, as a result of population growth, some towns, particularly Stowe and Morrisville, formed separate parishes with priests of their own.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
Another of the more prominent priests of SJB was Father Hugh Cuthbertson, a native Vermonter, who came in 1965 as twelfth vicar. He graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1935, and from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma, in 1942. Joining the Navy immediately thereafter, he was the first V-12 Chaplain trainee to be returned from the fleet. He entered Yale Divinity School to prepare for chaplaincy in the Navy. He was recalled into the Navy in 1950 and had to work independently to complete his seminary requirements before being ordained Deacon by Bishop Donegan of New York.
During his ten-year tenure (1965-1975) at SJB, Father Cuthbertson continued the growing tradition of outreach into the community. As with his predecessors, the number of summer visitors grew until there were as many summer visitors, most often from Greensboro and Craftsbury, as local residents. He made a significant effort to recruit students from nearby Sterling School in Craftsbury Common to attend Sunday services.
In March of 1966, the Vermont Diocesan newsletter, The Mountain Echo, reported that 21-25 Sterling School students attended the 8:00 a.m. service each Sunday. Transportation was sometimes provided by parishioners as well as by the school. Because students missed the school breakfast, it was provided for them following the service. A smaller number also attended the 10:30 service. An Episcopal club, the Chi Rho Club, was eventually established at Sterling. Father Cuthbertson also visited the school on Friday evenings to confer with and counsel students, as well as to lead discussion groups.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
During his ten-year tenure (1965-1975) at SJB, Father Cuthbertson continued the growing tradition of outreach into the community. As with his predecessors, the number of summer visitors grew until there were as many summer visitors, most often from Greensboro and Craftsbury, as local residents. He made a significant effort to recruit students from nearby Sterling School in Craftsbury Common to attend Sunday services.
In March of 1966, the Vermont Diocesan newsletter, The Mountain Echo, reported that 21-25 Sterling School students attended the 8:00 a.m. service each Sunday. Transportation was sometimes provided by parishioners as well as by the school. Because students missed the school breakfast, it was provided for them following the service. A smaller number also attended the 10:30 service. An Episcopal club, the Chi Rho Club, was eventually established at Sterling. Father Cuthbertson also visited the school on Friday evenings to confer with and counsel students, as well as to lead discussion groups.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
Following the departure of Father Cuthbertson, an extra-ordinary man named Kenneth Batten became rector. Slight of stature, but bustling with enthusiasm and determination, Kenneth Batten assumed the duties of the 14th vicar of SJB. The following are remarks by Gregg Fisher made at Kenneth Batten’s memorial service in August 1955.
“The only son of a farming couple, he was born in the home that had been his father’s and his father’s before him---a family whose history was and is embedded in the history of this entire town. His Vermont childhood was the life we have come to idealize, with the one-horse open sleigh taking him across the covered bridge into the village of East Hardwick. It was far from ideal, however, because farming then, like farming now, was a grueling, frustrating, and difficult venture in the best of times. He attended the Center School, Hardwick Academy, and Montpelier Seminary. He attended Middlebury College through his junior year, when pressures from the home compelled him to return and help his father with the farm. Although Kenneth was raised in the Congregational Church, it was said that since he was seven years old, he had wanted to be a priest, a vocation that is parents had disapproved of. He became active at SJB, serving on the vestry, and as warden, through extremely lean times. He was a selectman for 18 years and taught chemistry, physics, and music appreciation at Peacham Academy. He started youth programs in the community, tried to raise social awareness through the Hardwick Area Resources Group, and, of course, became ordained as an Episcopal priest. Though he never married, he had a large and loving family in his parishioners. In 1988, he was honored by a special commendation from Middlebury College for his lifetime achievements.”
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
“The only son of a farming couple, he was born in the home that had been his father’s and his father’s before him---a family whose history was and is embedded in the history of this entire town. His Vermont childhood was the life we have come to idealize, with the one-horse open sleigh taking him across the covered bridge into the village of East Hardwick. It was far from ideal, however, because farming then, like farming now, was a grueling, frustrating, and difficult venture in the best of times. He attended the Center School, Hardwick Academy, and Montpelier Seminary. He attended Middlebury College through his junior year, when pressures from the home compelled him to return and help his father with the farm. Although Kenneth was raised in the Congregational Church, it was said that since he was seven years old, he had wanted to be a priest, a vocation that is parents had disapproved of. He became active at SJB, serving on the vestry, and as warden, through extremely lean times. He was a selectman for 18 years and taught chemistry, physics, and music appreciation at Peacham Academy. He started youth programs in the community, tried to raise social awareness through the Hardwick Area Resources Group, and, of course, became ordained as an Episcopal priest. Though he never married, he had a large and loving family in his parishioners. In 1988, he was honored by a special commendation from Middlebury College for his lifetime achievements.”
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
Following Kenneth Batten’s retirement, the vestry then invited a fine candidate for the next vicar, who would turn out to be an innovation for the parish; the new priest would be a
woman, Esther F. Brown.
Born in Plainfield, Connecticut, Esther Brown attended six colleges and graduate schools, including divinity schools at Yale, Duke, and General Theological Seminary in New York City. After considerable work helping
develop a national theological curriculum, she moved to New York City, where she met her future husband, Averell Brown. She continued working in church education at Holy Trinity and the Church of the Heavenly Rest (meeting, incidentally, two Greensboro-ites who would be her future parishioners at SJB, Dodo Jacobs and George Hazen). With their two young children, the Browns decided to give up corporate life and emigrate to Bennington,
Vermont. Of this period she comments:
“At that time, the Episcopal Church had male clergy who took a dim view of having a parishioner with a theological education, so I was quite inactive, except socially, in the church...I became a shepherd for a couple of years, with a small flock of 15 Shropshire ewes, accompanied by many more interesting goats. Then I became a potter and practiced yoga...in spite of all this, God called me to the priesthood at the age of 58, and...I was carried forward to that “awful” day when I was ordained to the priesthood in Wilmington, Vermont. There I began testing my vocation and spent my transitional deaconate. From there, the people of SJB were kind enough to accept me as their Vicar. Averell
retired from the law, and we moved to Hardwick.”
A bright and scholarly woman of independent temperament, she was dynamic in her personal approach and brought considerable vitality to sermons, and a renewed sense of social conscience to the parish. She was kind, thoughtful, and considerate. In the mid-1980s, SJB was rather in the doldrums, and church attendance was dwindling. But soon, pews began filling again with people returning to church services. Parish life was again astir and moving.
At one point, the Reverend Brown questioned the Diocese as to the reason for SJB being still, technically, a mission church, rather than a bona fide parish. Accordingly, the proper petitions were made to the Bishop; to the delight of the congregation, SJB was granted full parish status for the first time in its ninety-year history. High on the priority list was outreach to the under- privileged, which became a renewed goal of the parishioners, and would continue strongly into the future. In 1990, Esther Brown announced her call to a church in California, where she would also be nearer her grown children
who had moved west.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
woman, Esther F. Brown.
Born in Plainfield, Connecticut, Esther Brown attended six colleges and graduate schools, including divinity schools at Yale, Duke, and General Theological Seminary in New York City. After considerable work helping
develop a national theological curriculum, she moved to New York City, where she met her future husband, Averell Brown. She continued working in church education at Holy Trinity and the Church of the Heavenly Rest (meeting, incidentally, two Greensboro-ites who would be her future parishioners at SJB, Dodo Jacobs and George Hazen). With their two young children, the Browns decided to give up corporate life and emigrate to Bennington,
Vermont. Of this period she comments:
“At that time, the Episcopal Church had male clergy who took a dim view of having a parishioner with a theological education, so I was quite inactive, except socially, in the church...I became a shepherd for a couple of years, with a small flock of 15 Shropshire ewes, accompanied by many more interesting goats. Then I became a potter and practiced yoga...in spite of all this, God called me to the priesthood at the age of 58, and...I was carried forward to that “awful” day when I was ordained to the priesthood in Wilmington, Vermont. There I began testing my vocation and spent my transitional deaconate. From there, the people of SJB were kind enough to accept me as their Vicar. Averell
retired from the law, and we moved to Hardwick.”
A bright and scholarly woman of independent temperament, she was dynamic in her personal approach and brought considerable vitality to sermons, and a renewed sense of social conscience to the parish. She was kind, thoughtful, and considerate. In the mid-1980s, SJB was rather in the doldrums, and church attendance was dwindling. But soon, pews began filling again with people returning to church services. Parish life was again astir and moving.
At one point, the Reverend Brown questioned the Diocese as to the reason for SJB being still, technically, a mission church, rather than a bona fide parish. Accordingly, the proper petitions were made to the Bishop; to the delight of the congregation, SJB was granted full parish status for the first time in its ninety-year history. High on the priority list was outreach to the under- privileged, which became a renewed goal of the parishioners, and would continue strongly into the future. In 1990, Esther Brown announced her call to a church in California, where she would also be nearer her grown children
who had moved west.
Thomas W. Woodard, 1995
Karen Sears Sheldon
After the search for the new rector had been in progress for some time, vestry member Ted Lyman recalled an outstanding priest whom he had met through Diocesan meetings, the Reverend Karen Sears Sheldon, who was residing in Hanover, New Hampshire. She came to take services for the month of September, 1991 and agreed to stay on as interim priest while the search for a resident priest continued.
Her duties began with a twice a week hour-and-a-half commute from Hanover to Hardwick, but she undertook each journey with willingness. As the weeks went by, parishioners and the Reverend Karen Sheldon became closer. She brought a new force to Sunday sermons, whose flavor was both intellectual and spiritual. Her friendly and professional manner quickly won over both regulars and those whose attendance had become casual. In a short time, a bond was formed, and in January of 1992, the parish called her to be its half-time Rector. Attendance was again on the rise. Summer visitors from towns like Greensboro meant that pews were completely filled from June through September.
Karen had entered the ministry after the birth of her four children. She read for Holy Orders under the auspices of the Diocese of Vermont, taking courses at Dartmouth College and Oxford University, and graduating from the Vermont Diocesan Study Program, whose faculty she later joined, teaching the Scripture course for 16 years. She was ordained Deacon in Norwich, Vermont, and priest the following year.
During her years as Vicar, church attendance boomed to the point at which most seats were full every Sunday, including the winter months. Children attended church with their parents and heard a children’s sermon each Sunday; growing numbers of church-goers served as acolytes, lay readers, greeters, choir members, and pageant participants. A Bible study group was formed, as well as a mid-week healing service. The Hardwick Food Pantry was given a permanent home at SJB, and thrived under the church’s sponsorship.
The Reverend Sheldon was active as President of the Diocesan Standing Committee and headed the New Frontiers Fellowship, an organization for the study of the faith in a wider perspective. She was committed to maintaining traditional language and format in regular Sunday services, while promoting liturgical experimentation on special occasions.
After the search for the new rector had been in progress for some time, vestry member Ted Lyman recalled an outstanding priest whom he had met through Diocesan meetings, the Reverend Karen Sears Sheldon, who was residing in Hanover, New Hampshire. She came to take services for the month of September, 1991 and agreed to stay on as interim priest while the search for a resident priest continued.
Her duties began with a twice a week hour-and-a-half commute from Hanover to Hardwick, but she undertook each journey with willingness. As the weeks went by, parishioners and the Reverend Karen Sheldon became closer. She brought a new force to Sunday sermons, whose flavor was both intellectual and spiritual. Her friendly and professional manner quickly won over both regulars and those whose attendance had become casual. In a short time, a bond was formed, and in January of 1992, the parish called her to be its half-time Rector. Attendance was again on the rise. Summer visitors from towns like Greensboro meant that pews were completely filled from June through September.
Karen had entered the ministry after the birth of her four children. She read for Holy Orders under the auspices of the Diocese of Vermont, taking courses at Dartmouth College and Oxford University, and graduating from the Vermont Diocesan Study Program, whose faculty she later joined, teaching the Scripture course for 16 years. She was ordained Deacon in Norwich, Vermont, and priest the following year.
During her years as Vicar, church attendance boomed to the point at which most seats were full every Sunday, including the winter months. Children attended church with their parents and heard a children’s sermon each Sunday; growing numbers of church-goers served as acolytes, lay readers, greeters, choir members, and pageant participants. A Bible study group was formed, as well as a mid-week healing service. The Hardwick Food Pantry was given a permanent home at SJB, and thrived under the church’s sponsorship.
The Reverend Sheldon was active as President of the Diocesan Standing Committee and headed the New Frontiers Fellowship, an organization for the study of the faith in a wider perspective. She was committed to maintaining traditional language and format in regular Sunday services, while promoting liturgical experimentation on special occasions.
Susan Tobias, Construction and Food Pantry Initiative
Upon her departure, the Reverend Esther Brown returned as Priest in Charge; meanwhile, a search committee formed to find a new rector. As SJB is a small parish located in a small northern Vermont town, it was searching for a priest who would be part-time and hopefully fulfill parishioners’ desires for a person who could continue traditional Episcopal services, administer the sacraments, preach with strength and effectiveness, restore our sense of community, and improve the balance between younger and older church members.
To the great fortune of SJB, the Reverend Susan Tobias appeared on the scene, having decided to return to New England. She held a masters of Social Work in Community Education from the University of Chicago, and later attended seminar at the Claremont (CA) School of Theology. She was one of the first women in the U.S. to be ordained by the Episcopal Church. Susan’s families were Easterners, and her two grown daughters lived in Vermont and Massachusetts. The decision to move east was a welcome turn in her life, and the church in Hardwick was a perfect fit.
She impressed the search committee with her spirituality, knowledge, people skills, experience, and willingness to undertake a challenging calling. She led her first church service at SJB on Ash Wednesday of 2000.
She soon gained a local reputation, both as a successful speaker, and one whose knowledge and understanding of the Scripture were uncommonly good. In a number of ways she returned SJB to the Anglican tradition, and in the summers, with two services on Sunday, she conducted Rite I at the 8:00 a.m. Sunday service.
She was able to recruit Philip Isaacson, as director of music. He was member of the Craftsbury Chamber Players, and had retired as the long-term organist and music director at Christ Church Cathedral In Hartford, CT. He created a fine choir, included plainsong in the service, and performed short classical music pieces on the historic pipe organ at the conclusion of each service.
Of her many accomplishments, Susan was quick to mention that she considers one of her most important successes to be the return of children to the church and the welcoming of new young parents. A new Deacon, Zarina O’Hagen (see below), provided outreach assistance to the many persons in the area who needed legal or other forms of help.
The project of remodeling the sanctuary had been under consideration by various priests and parishioners over the many years since it had been declared by the Diocese to be a full parish. Although interest rose high a number of times, no priest had succeeded in leading the congregation to the point of hiring an architect and actually doing construction. Since the parish evidenced a strong desire to continue to sponsor and house the Hardwick Food Pantry, a separate building for it was included in the final construction plans. A full member canvass for funds ensued, and many grant requests were written, many of them by Susan herself. In 2005, the new sanctuary was completed and the Food Pantry moved into its new quarters. Bishop Ely dedicated the newly remodeled church in September of 2005.
Susan's retirement in the spring of 2007 was celebrated with much appreciation for all she had accomplished during her tenure at SJB. At this time, the Vestry appointed a search committee to seek a new rector. In the meantime, SJB was fortunate to have the services of Reverend Alfred Stefanik, of nearby Morrisville, who was recommended by the Bishop to serve as interim priest. He began his duties in Advent of 2007. His presence added stability and wise counsel at a time when the parish was generally unsettled. His last service was on October 5, 2009, at which time our new Priest in Partnership arrived.
Thomas W. Woodard, Addendum
Deacon Zarina (O'Hagan) Castro 2000
Soon after SJB welcomed Susan Tobias as Rector in 2000, Zarina arrived from Chicago, where she had been ordained to the diaconate. She proceeded to serve as SJB's Deacon for fifteen years, overlapping the tenure of three different priests.
She saw her role as Deacon to be a bridge between the world and the church, and the church and the world. As an attorney, she used her legal skills to aid those in need in the community. She assisted the church's application for 501c3 status, and expedited the process of constructing the church addition.
However, she had other abilities to share as well. Each year she baked pies for the food baskets the Food Pantry sent out at Thanksgiving and Christmas. By the end of her tenure, she was baking 80 to 90 pies for each holiday. She also served as a member of the Hardwick emergency "FAST" squad. Once a month at least, she would preach at a service, often on the theme of the church and the world.
While serving at SJB, Zarina adopted her son Arec when he was ten years old. He had been in foster care for four years. She was very grateful for the support of the people in the church as she and Arec made the transition to being a loving, caring family. The Bishop allowed Zarina to stay with SJB for much longer than was customary in order to assist in providing stability for them. In 2015, after Arec graduated from high school, Zarina was reassigned to St. John's in the Mountains church in Stowe.
Jane Bartrum, 2023
Upon her departure, the Reverend Esther Brown returned as Priest in Charge; meanwhile, a search committee formed to find a new rector. As SJB is a small parish located in a small northern Vermont town, it was searching for a priest who would be part-time and hopefully fulfill parishioners’ desires for a person who could continue traditional Episcopal services, administer the sacraments, preach with strength and effectiveness, restore our sense of community, and improve the balance between younger and older church members.
To the great fortune of SJB, the Reverend Susan Tobias appeared on the scene, having decided to return to New England. She held a masters of Social Work in Community Education from the University of Chicago, and later attended seminar at the Claremont (CA) School of Theology. She was one of the first women in the U.S. to be ordained by the Episcopal Church. Susan’s families were Easterners, and her two grown daughters lived in Vermont and Massachusetts. The decision to move east was a welcome turn in her life, and the church in Hardwick was a perfect fit.
She impressed the search committee with her spirituality, knowledge, people skills, experience, and willingness to undertake a challenging calling. She led her first church service at SJB on Ash Wednesday of 2000.
She soon gained a local reputation, both as a successful speaker, and one whose knowledge and understanding of the Scripture were uncommonly good. In a number of ways she returned SJB to the Anglican tradition, and in the summers, with two services on Sunday, she conducted Rite I at the 8:00 a.m. Sunday service.
She was able to recruit Philip Isaacson, as director of music. He was member of the Craftsbury Chamber Players, and had retired as the long-term organist and music director at Christ Church Cathedral In Hartford, CT. He created a fine choir, included plainsong in the service, and performed short classical music pieces on the historic pipe organ at the conclusion of each service.
Of her many accomplishments, Susan was quick to mention that she considers one of her most important successes to be the return of children to the church and the welcoming of new young parents. A new Deacon, Zarina O’Hagen (see below), provided outreach assistance to the many persons in the area who needed legal or other forms of help.
The project of remodeling the sanctuary had been under consideration by various priests and parishioners over the many years since it had been declared by the Diocese to be a full parish. Although interest rose high a number of times, no priest had succeeded in leading the congregation to the point of hiring an architect and actually doing construction. Since the parish evidenced a strong desire to continue to sponsor and house the Hardwick Food Pantry, a separate building for it was included in the final construction plans. A full member canvass for funds ensued, and many grant requests were written, many of them by Susan herself. In 2005, the new sanctuary was completed and the Food Pantry moved into its new quarters. Bishop Ely dedicated the newly remodeled church in September of 2005.
Susan's retirement in the spring of 2007 was celebrated with much appreciation for all she had accomplished during her tenure at SJB. At this time, the Vestry appointed a search committee to seek a new rector. In the meantime, SJB was fortunate to have the services of Reverend Alfred Stefanik, of nearby Morrisville, who was recommended by the Bishop to serve as interim priest. He began his duties in Advent of 2007. His presence added stability and wise counsel at a time when the parish was generally unsettled. His last service was on October 5, 2009, at which time our new Priest in Partnership arrived.
Thomas W. Woodard, Addendum
Deacon Zarina (O'Hagan) Castro 2000
Soon after SJB welcomed Susan Tobias as Rector in 2000, Zarina arrived from Chicago, where she had been ordained to the diaconate. She proceeded to serve as SJB's Deacon for fifteen years, overlapping the tenure of three different priests.
She saw her role as Deacon to be a bridge between the world and the church, and the church and the world. As an attorney, she used her legal skills to aid those in need in the community. She assisted the church's application for 501c3 status, and expedited the process of constructing the church addition.
However, she had other abilities to share as well. Each year she baked pies for the food baskets the Food Pantry sent out at Thanksgiving and Christmas. By the end of her tenure, she was baking 80 to 90 pies for each holiday. She also served as a member of the Hardwick emergency "FAST" squad. Once a month at least, she would preach at a service, often on the theme of the church and the world.
While serving at SJB, Zarina adopted her son Arec when he was ten years old. He had been in foster care for four years. She was very grateful for the support of the people in the church as she and Arec made the transition to being a loving, caring family. The Bishop allowed Zarina to stay with SJB for much longer than was customary in order to assist in providing stability for them. In 2015, after Arec graduated from high school, Zarina was reassigned to St. John's in the Mountains church in Stowe.
Jane Bartrum, 2023
