All Saints' celebrates centennial birthday
Published on May 16th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - The Rev. Kim Hardy, Rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church, has been busy lately with ongoing plans to celebrate the 100th Anniversary Celebration commemorating this most-important year for the All Saints' Episcopal Church, and last week's service of rededication was just the tip of the iceberg.
"We've got events and services planned for the entire year to celebrate the anniversary, and there's a lot of excitement among the people in the congregation, many of whom have been with the church their entire lives in Stoneham," said Hardy.
The Service of Rededication took place last week and featured The Right Reverend Roy "Bud" Cederholm, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts who presided at the liturgy and preached. Also present was The Very Reverend Thomas Cook, Dean of the Mystic Valley Deanery, a regional assembly of which All Saints' is a part.
The long list of guests included those from the local interfaith community and other neighboring parishes including the Church of the Epiphany in Winchester and the Church of the Good Shepherd in Reading.
"We were celebrating the church and the grounds around the church with the rededication, but when I spoke I also wanted to convey the importance of the people within the church...there are the real individuals that allow the church to thrive and really bring it to life," said Hardy.
The first part of the service was a grand procession around the property of All Saints'. The Mission House (originally the church before the present sanctuary was built) and Parish Hall complex were rededicated as "centers for sound learning" and "for the uplifting of those in our community, especially those in need."
The Grounds, including the Kelly Conlon Memorial Garden were rededicated as "a place of serenity and peace."
According to Hardy, the Conlon Memorial Garden is a place that the Episcopal Church encourage anyone to come and visit, reflect and take in the simple beauty of the spot.
"There's a big elephant sign that welcomes people to the garden and directs them on how to get there, and elephants were Kelly's favorite animal so that entire area has a lot of significance to us," said Hardy. "We would like to encourage people in and out of the congregation to come explore the garden, or to just to sit for a while and take it all in. It's really a very relaxing spot where people can go to think or unwind."
The Sanctuary, including font, lectern and altar were also rededicated as a place where people "come to praise [God's] Name, to ask forgiveness, to know [God's] healing power, hear [God's] Word, and be nourished by the Body and Blood [of Christ]." The culmination of the first half of the service before continuing with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist was the rededication of the People of All Saints' which was witnessed by all in attendance, both those who are members of the parish and those who support its ministry from without.
The Rev. Kim Hardy, Rector of All Saints' said, "This was a wonderful event where the people of All Saints' have pledged to continue to live into the promises made at their baptisms, to come to worship God regularly, to participate in a life of service to those who are poor, outcast, or powerless, to recognize and discern how God's gifts should be used in building up God's reign of peace and justice, and to serve as companions one to another. We are glad to continue in service to Stoneham and areas north of Boston and pray that God will continue to bless us as a presence dedicated to Christ in the years to come."
The 100th Anniversary Celebration continues throughout 2007. There will be a fund-raising Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, June 2 sponsored by All Saints' Men's Group with the choosing of winners of Red Sox and New England Patriots tickets that are being raffled. The Church will also, once again, take a very active role at Town Day and involve the annual celebration of Stoneham in their 100th Anniversary Celebration.
The parish looks forward to a culminating celebration on the weekend of November 3, which is closest to November 1, traditionally celebrated as the Feast of All Saints' throughout the wider Christian church.
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