Saint
Luke's parish began humbly enough in 1913 with fifteen people meeting in an
upper room on Station Square
in Forest Hills, above what was then the local post office. From there it moved
on to Sunday morning services in different people's homes, and then in 1916
to a temporary wooden chapel, which was replaced by the present brick building
in 1924.
Exterior, 1947, prior to the additon of the planned tower.
Architecture
Saint Luke's was built in the 13th century English Gothic style.
Gothic architecture is awonderfully flexible form. It works for small churches
like Saint Luke's and great cathedrals like Canterbury and Chartres--a form
designed in the 12th century to create a lightness and a more soaring space,
to lift people's spirits to the infinity beyond the building.
Interior, 1949, prior to addition of the parish house.
It is a marvelous concept, and in simple terms it's rather like building a boat. If you look up to the ceiling of the nave you'll see something like the hull of a ship but with the ribs on the inside. The wood is bowed and joined by hand to bear the weight of the tiles or the stone that will be laid on top--the same way that a boat is built to withstand the onslaughts of the sea. In fact, the word nave comes from the medieval Latin word navis, meaning ship.
If this were an English
church, it would be made of stone cut from a nearby quarry. In that same spirit
of using local material, Saint Luke's is constructed of old bricks from an upstate
demolition site. The fact that they were worn and somewhat mismatched adds to
the building's charm and gives it a mellowness.
Architect
Saint Luke's was blessed in having as its architect Robert
Tappen, a member of the congregation who was associated with the distinguished
architectural firm of Cram and Ferguson--the firm that was then building the
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. By day Robert Tappen was
in charge of construction of that great cathedral. His evenings and weekends
were spent in Forest Hills, with his plans for Saint Luke's spread out on his
dining room table, and vestry members gathered around, striving to find a meeting
place between his broad vision and their slender budget. They were able to do
so because he not only donated his architectural services but also took charge
of construction, at no cost to Saint Luke's.
Robert Tappen died in 1963 and there is a small memorial to him tucked away between the choir stalls and the sacristy door.
Windows
When Saint Luke's was completed in 1924 it was a narrower
building planned for expansion. The spaces between the arches at either side
of the main aisle were filled in with lathe and plaster with simple rectangular
windows. Only one was of stained glass, a gift from the church school. A few
years later when these temporary walls were knocked out and the side aisles
added, that window--depicting the holy family--was moved to its present place
at the right of the world peace altar. This is the only rectangular window in
the building, all the others are arched. You will also see on the wood panel
behind that little altar some lovely gold leaf decoration. That is the work
of Saint Luke's first rector, the Rev. William Lander.
As the craftsmen who built Saint Luke's neared the end of their task, each of them contributed a day's pay to buy a commemorative stained glass window. This window depicts Jesus as a boy working with Joseph in the carpenter's shop and is located in the rear left of the church.
All the other windows were given as memorials, most of them during the 1930's and 1940's. Some were made by the same New York craftsman who designed some of the windows for Saint John the Divine, others by a prestigious glass studio in London, England.
One window that is rather different is located in the little chapel off the narthex.This chapel was designed to be the baptistry and the central window shows two little boys in their pajamas saying their evening prayers--given in memory of a 25-year-old man who died in World War II. This chapel is now the place where a small group gathers every Wednesday morning for a mid-week Eucharist.
Chalice
At a time when this church had no silver vessels and no funds
to buy them, Father Lander put an old iron cooking pot in the narthex and requested
offerings of jewelry, silverware, old rings, cufflinks, anything made of precious
metal or stones. When the pot was full, its contents were used to fashion the
lovely jewel-encrusted gold and silver chalice that we have used every Sunday
ever since.
Baptismal
Font
Our unique font is the contribution of a later rector, the
Rev. Thomas Blomquist, who served as a naval chaplain during World War II. Returning
from his service, he brought back this giant clam shell from the South Pacific.
Aside from the fact that it is rare and beautiful, there's a lot of Christian
symbolism in a shell. Medieval pilgrims traveling on foot to Rome or to Santiago
di Compostella wore scallop shells in their hats so that others on the road
would recognize them as pilgrims and give them safe passage. So at all our baptisms
we have this lovely symbol of the Christian life as a pilgrimage, on which the
newly baptized is setting out with the blessing and protection of the church.
Altar
Changes in worship style called for the construction of the freestanding
altar that we now use. Like all older churches, Saint Luke's was designed for
the priest to have his back to the congregation while celebrating the Eucharist,
and our high altar cannot be moved forward. It's an unusual altar made of marble
from Wisconsin and inset with squares of stone from the fabric of Canterbury
Cathedral. And so our freestanding wooden altar was designed in such a way that
it would not obliterate the view of this original, more handsome one.
Over the years many parishioners have left their mark on Saint Luke's with a variety of donations that add to its beauty and comfort. And every congregation makes other contributions that are intangible. Every time any one of us comes to church we not only take something away--a sense of peace or an inspiration--but also leave something of ourselves behind. Over time the walls of a church soak up the prayers of the faithful and all the concerns and joys and grief and hope that we bring in those prayers. All those people who planned and struggled to build Saint Luke's and to make it such a special place knew this and gave of their best so that we, in turn, could cherish it, be strengthened by it, and pass these things on. May we all have the grace and the will to do so.
Photos: Ali Carldon