[Magdalen] Thanksgivings Past.

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

Alexander Griswold Cummins was rector at Christ Church, Poughkeepsie from
ca. 1900 to 1946. He died very shortly after the powers that be told him he
couldn't be the rector anymore, and he was said to have continued to occupy
the church for decades.

He was a low church person, and one of his most famous appearances was when
new rector, James Pike, first put candles on the altar.  As soon as Jim lit
the candles, a breeze would arise and blow them out. Hellooooo Fr. Cummins.

Fr. Cummins made most of his appearances as a bat.  On one occasion, he
dive bombed Pike, literally driving him from the sanctuary and down a hall
to the rector's study. Seminarian Paul Moore was present at the time and
affirmed that this did happen.

When I was new in town, at a regular service, prayers were offered for the
departed as usual, except on this Sunday, prayers were offered for a lady
whom I understood to be a particularly dear friend of Fr. Cummins.  As the
name was read, we all noticed a bat suddenly appear and flit about the
sanctuary, then vanish.

Bats can get into buildings through tiniest holes, but it does make one
wonder...


James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting your time
on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente

On Sun, Nov 30, 2014 at 10:02 AM, Charles Wohlers <
charles.wohlers at verizon.net> wrote:

> Well, the one time we went to All Saints, Ashmont (an evening service),
> there were bats flying around. A bit of a distraction.
>
> Chad Wohlers
> Woodbury, VT USA
> chadwohl at satucket.com
>
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: James Oppenheimer-Crawford
> Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2014 12:22 AM
> To: Magdalen at herberthouse.org
> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Thanksgivings Past.
>
> It's a bit distressing to think of mice running around in your church, but
> it is -- in a way -- a nice touch.  Those tiny little things were able to
> have their own little thanksgiving celebration. Mice are so tiny, it's a
> wonder that something that tiny can function. Same with the tiny birds!!
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
> for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting your time
> on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente
>
> On Sat, Nov 29, 2014 at 8:02 AM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>  David, your description of the Thanksgivng decorations at church made me
>> smile at a more recent memory. The mountain church where I was vicar for
>> 9years had a similar custom of decorating with gourds, Indian corn, etc.
>> for the Thanksgiving Eve service. Decorations were placed across the stone
>> re redid at the back of the stone altar and along the communion rail.
>> Since
>> the woman who did it worked so hard at it, I let it all remain through
>> Sunday, even though the colors clashed a bit with the Advent hangings!
>> One year I came in on Sunday morning to discover that mice had eaten most
>> of the Indian corn, leaving neat cobs right where they had been and a
>> scattering of kernels on the altar! It only happened that one year, for
>> some reason...
>>
>> > On Nov 27, 2014, at 2:53 PM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
>> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I was remembering this morning so many Thanksgivings from the past.
>> >
>> > For so many years in West Central Wisconsin, I would do the three  piece
>> > suit and go down to the traditional Choral Eucharist at the local Christ
>> > Church
>> > Cathedral at 10 AM.  They had developed a tradition of decorating  the
>> > high altar with colorful gourds, pumpkins, corn, apples, grapes, etc. -
>> the
>> > produce of the autumn harvest.  This could be trite, but it was >
>> actually
>> > really well done.  Even the high altar Tabernacle (front and center
>> where
>> > a Tabernacle should be!) was banked with this decor.
>> >
>> > Then I remember the 8 Thanksgivings I spent with my Aunt Helen in
>> > Chicago, and the fun of taking the Badger Bus to the North Shore RR
>> > Terminal in Milwaukee, and thence down to Howard Street and on foot
>> > over to Ashland just at the city limits.  Thanksgiving dinner was at  my
>> > Aunt Nora's in Monee, just at the Indiana line, and via the "IC", the
>> > Illinois Central Railway - another fun excursion.
>> >
>> > Then the Black Friday in the Loop and riding the packed escalators
>> > in Marshall Field's and taking in the wonderful windows of the main
>> > store on State Street.  Aunt Helen had to work at the Lee  Gilbert
>> > Jewelry store on South Michigan Ave., so I was on my own.
>> >
>> > The Sunday for me was initially at the grand First Methodist Church
>> > in Evanston, and then eventually at the cavernous Saint Luke's
>> > Episcopal in that City.
>> >
>> > Such fond memories.
>> >
>> >
>> > David Strang - who wouldn't be able to dress up in a three piece suit >
>> if
>> >                      I  wanted to at this time.
>>
>>
>