Beckwith and Sheehan
The history of St. Francis begins with James Ingall Wedgwood, of the Wedgwood pottery family in England. Consecrated by Bishop Frederick S. Willougby on February 13, 1916, he traveled the world establishing many churches and centers. In 1917 he celebrated the Holy Eucharist in Besant Hall of The Theosophical Society, at 116 South Michigan Avenue. From the seventy-five people attending, two men went on to become the first priests of the church in Chicago: Dr. Edwin B. Beckwith and Edmund W. Sheehan.
At a Theosophical Convention in New York City, Bishop Wedgwood ordained Dr. Beckwith to the priesthood on September 16, 1917. A few weeks after Beckwith’s return to Chicago, he began to build his congregation and his first service was celebrated on November 18, 1917, in Besant Hall, assisted by Sheehan.
Between 1918 and 1925, the church moved from rented rooms at the Kimball Building on
Wabash and Jackson to the Barnheisel Building at 620 N. Michigan Ave and the Athenaeum
Building, at 59 East Van Buren St. in downtown Chicago.
St. Francis 1925 Christmas Announcement Christmas Eve Schedule: 1925 (pdf)
In 1926, Fr. Beckwith was consecrated by Bishop in The Netherlands, on July 18th, as Suffragan Bishop for the USA. Unfortunately, Bishop Beckwith passed away on March 4, 1929.
St. Francis relocated to 218 S. Wabash in 1931, with Edmund Sheehan (1892-1988), now a priest, installed as rector of St. Francis in 1933. He was raised to the Episcopate on July 14, 1935.
Visit the web site of The Liberal Catholic Church, Province of Great Britain and Ireland.
On May 11, 1937, at the age of 40, Dr. Henry A. Smith received all minor orders and the sub deaconate from Bishop Sheehan. Just six months later, on November 24, 1937, he was raised to the deaconate. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Hampton on November 12, 1939.
The Church on Mozart Street
In the 1950’s, the congregation of St. Francis began to discuss the purchase of a church building, rather than renting space. Rev. Dr. Henry Smith found a building in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago that he thought would be suitable. Tucked in a residential area, the building was near the intersection of California and Armitage.
Originally a single family home, the clergy worked weekends to transform it into a church. Raja E. Watson donated his services on the church’s electric system and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Newton Dahl, from Minneapolis, on July 23, 1953. Rev. Dr. Henry Smith generously purchased oak pews, which were fastened to the tile floor of the church.
The last service held in the Chicago Loop was on February 28, 1954 and the first celebration held at 1945 North Mozart was on March 7, 1954, with 39 people attending. The celebrant was Rev. Dr. Henry Smith with Rev. Raja Watson as Sub Deacon. The Deacon was Rev. Alfred Strauss, who first participated in a service in 1949 and the sermon was given by William Fordyce, who had been with the church since it earliest days in 1918. Acting as server, Lawrence J. Smith, son of the celebrant, had been admitted as a server by Bp Edmund Sheehan at the age of 12.
Easter Sunday, April 18, 1954, was the official opening of St. Francis, with 119 people attending. This was the fulfillment of the arduous task of transforming a house that was built to be a single-family residence into a functioning church.
Advent altar set with poinsettias and a large wreath hung around the hymnal board.
In 1959, Lawrence Jay Smith was ordained to the priesthood. Rev. Dr. Henry Smith’s last official service as rector of St. Francis was on June 26, 1960 and he passed on to higher service in 1979.
On October 8, 1960, St. Francis was consecrated. This date is celebrated as the church’s anniversary and annual meeting of the congregation and clergy.
The Next Generation
In the spring of 1962 Mr. and Mrs. Derk Gransbergen were admitted to the church. Rev. Gransbergen was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Newton Dahl in 1965. Rev. Derk was active in bringing more people into the church, especially those who were born after WWII and were coming of age. The Liberal Catholic Miniatures, a small St. Francis newsletter, was edited and published by him.
The Ladies Guild of St. Francis was very important in keeping the church going. The President of the Ladies Guild presided over a volunteer group of women who cared for the altar linens and clergy vestments. They also held a pot luck luncheon every first Sunday of the month with money collected for church purposes.
In the fall of 1989, James Ascareggi and Julie Hamilton were adimitted as members of St. Francis.
Through the years St. Francis was home of three bishops: Raja Watson, consecrated in 1975, Lawrence J. Smith in 1982, and Ruben Cabigting in 1993.
As a centennial celebration of the 1893 World's Parliament of Religionsn, another Parliament was convened at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago in 1993. Over 8,000 people, from all over the world and from many diverse religions, gathered to dialog and explore how religious traditions can work together on the critical issues of our time. St. Francis had a table in the exhibit section with clergy and congregation volunteering to sit at the table and answer questions.
Westward
In the early 1990’s the vestry met many times in an effort to decide whether to remain in Chicago or move to a new location. The long-time Treasurer, Edmund Orszula, had been managing the church’s funds in the hopes of someday building a new church. Unfortunately, the availability of land and construction costs in the Chicago area had outstripped the church’s funds. It was then decided that St. Francis would sell the church on Mozart and move into rented quarters while they looked for a suitable building.
On September 22, 1996, St. Francis held its last service in Chicago and was deconsecrated. After the service, the clergy and volunteers went to work tearing down the altar and moving the pews, which were put in storage.
Temporatily, St. Francis rented the basement of the Park Presbyterian Church at 7600 West Armitage Avenue, in Elmwood Park. The clergy were again setting up the altar every Sunday, taking it down after services and storing the ritual items in a closet. Meetings to consider real estate possibilities were often held at a neighborhood restaurant.
In 1997, Fr. Jeffrey Forth, then a server, was driving to work and noticed a “For Sale” sign on a church in Villa Park. He gave this information to Bishop Smith and the vestry was quickly called to consider buying the building. An offer was made, accepted and St. Francis’ members began to remodel the church to suit its needs. The last service held in Elmwood Park Presbyterian Church was on October 12, 1997.
St. Francis moved into the church located in Villa Park, using old chairs with kneelers for the first few months. Remodeling work was overseen by Rev. James Ascareggi, who donated both his time and skills, in interior design. The pews and communion rails, kept in storage were refinished and resized for the smaller chapel and carpeting was laid down.
After the church was properly furnished, invitations were sent out for the Consecration of St. Francis, which would be held on Sunday, October 4, 1998.
The Church of St. Francis in Villa Park.
