Whitsunday 1950

Whitsunday 1950 is the title of the large oil painting that hangs outside the church office in a somewhat battered frame (reminding us of a slight mishap at a diocesan youth event during the 1990's). The painting is interesting for several reasons; we can still identify a few of the people in it, and it is a detailed record of what the interior of the church looked like on May 28, 1950, shortly after the arrival of John Burt as rector. One comment that always comes when people look at the painting is, "Look at all the ladies' hats!" We also notice that many people are occupying the front rows — admittedly, church school students and teachers who would leave part way through the service for class! We might also notice that all the people in the procession are male!

The people who can be identified are the organist, Frank Fuller, choir member D. Earl Percival (just turning into his pew), the acolyte immediately in front of the rector (Nicholas Errington, Jr.) and John Burt himself. If anyone can identify others, we'd love to know!

The artist, Charles Ford McCall of Poland, was a realtor who painted in his spare time. He had attended a wedding at St. John's, and the beauty of the building inspired him to produce a painting of a service. His work is very detailed and he took great pains to be accurate — according to The Vindicator (December 15, 1951) even the number of stones in the arch is correct.

John Burt is distinguished as the youngest man ever called to St. John's, and the only one who went on to become a bishop. Before coming to Youngstown he had been campus minister at the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Martha, had four daughters (three of them born here). Although he spent barely seven years at St. John's, he packed a great deal into them. From here he went to All Saints, Pasadena, before returning to Ohio as bishop.

There were many innovations during his time here — an annual Mardi Gras carnival, Baptism as part of the Sunday service, a vacation Bible school and an annual Feast of Lights service with one of the city's Jewish congregations as guests and the rabbi as preacher. He began Wednesday noon services for Youngstown University students, the Canterbury Choir was formed for women and girls of the parish and a parish youth banquet was held each fall. A British theatre company, fresh from a Broadway run, performed Sleep of Prisoners by Christopher Fry in the church. He founded and was first president of the Youngstown Chapter of the ACLU, served on the Community Corporations and worked to improve race relations in the city. Church attendance increased by 62% and pledged giving by 200%.

In addition, statues were commissioned for the reredos and many stained glass windows installed, including those in the nave depicting scenes from the life of Christ, the four windows in the chancel, and the clerestory windows memorializing the steel industry. All these were given as memorials. Weekly chaos in the parking lot (recorded in Vestry minutes) ended after it was enlarged and paved.

In 1954 a great reordering, under the supervision of Leslie Nobbs, an ecclesiastical designer from New York, closed the church for several months and services were held at Youngstown University. Each week the choir and congregation processed across Wick Avenue to Jones Hall. Meanwhile, the floor was removed and replaced, new pews were installed, the marble chancel rail seen in the painting was replaced by an oak one and the undercroft classrooms were improved. New heating, ventilating and electrical systems went in. In the parish house the elevator was installed, the kitchens refurbished, and the parlor redecorated and refurnished.

During Mr. Burt's time several members of the parish were called to the priesthood, and the congregation contributed to their seminary expenses and received regular reports of their progress. Although other vestry members served three-year terms, the wardens, Judge Ford, and William F. Maag, Jr. (publisher of the Vindicator and owner of WFMJ radio and television) remained in place until they decided to resign. Mr. Maag paid for electrical wiring so the Easter Sunday service could be televised, and also underwrote the annual stewardship dinner as well as the largest dinner in parish history, held at the Calvin Center to launch the reordering, a dinner which, according to the history, was attended by 600 parishioners. The building campaign, spread over several years, raised over $280,000 to pay for the improvements. It was a time of prosperity for St. John's and for Youngstown.

Elizabeth Wrona

More about St. John's History