WHAT’S IN A NAME - A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. Take my name as an example. Frank can be described as “a nice person.” Frank can also be described as “open, sincere, and straightforward.” Gestalt-like I would think.
In September of 1923 the first organizational meeting took place at the home of an unknown parishioner. Twenty-one potential members attended, with Rev. Jahn officiating. Most of the meeting was taken up discussing the usual things, i.e. service locations, bylaws and the like. As it was getting late, they realized they had not chosen a patron saint as their namesake! Although I have found little evidence about the selection, I have been able to put a few pieces together:
- James of Jerusalem was a strict follower of Jewish Law, members believed his adherence to these laws would not reflect well on protestant theologies.
- St. James the Less could be depicted as shorter and younger than St. James the Great.
- The remaining St. James was known to be Jesus’ brother. His selection could be problematic.
After a rather short discussion, St. James the Great was selected. As a fisherman, he followed Christ and was made a fisher of men, much like the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany’s outreach to the poor, the hungry, and the down-trodden, tasking them to do likewise.
I promised you a few nicknames, so we’ll start with one used by Happy Holler residents. We were known as “St. Jimmy’s Church.” Another nickname was “The friendly little church on the hill.” They were both in use until the late 1940’s.
Next month we’ll take a look at our beautiful stained glass windows.
Frank Laszlo
