at St. John's Wilmot in New Rochelle
by Dominique Claire Shuminova
Last Fall I was asked to write an article about the completion of St. John's Wilmot's "garden beautification project" to appear alongside Moon Baby Photo's photographs in the New Rochelle Review.
Here it is.
St. John's Wilmot Celebrates Completion of Garden Beautification Project
St. John's Wilmot Episcopal Church, known as “the little church on the hill”, welcomed the New Rochelle community with "open hearts, open minds, open doors" on the afternoon of Saturday October 1st 2016 in celebration of the completion of their recent Garden Beautification Project. Light refreshments were served while members of the congregation sang hymns in the gardens, conducted by music director Frank Pisani.
Perched atop a hill on six acres in the historic Cooper's Corners hamlet, St. John's Wilmot Episcopal Church is New Rochelle's oldest house of worship in continuous use. The church was designed by architect Alexander Durand, and built in the Carpenter Gothic style on a foundation of Westchester marble. The church's cornerstone was laid on October 12th 1859, and overlooks the busy intersection of North Avenue, Mill Road, and Wilmot Road to this day.
Enter the church's St. Francis of Assisi Garden through the arbor from Lovell Road, and step into a quaint and lovingly tended anachronism. Expect a warm welcome from New Rochelle resident and member of St. John's vestry, Joanne Bartoli, and the new rector, Rev. Jennie Talley. “The church's address is 11 Wilmot Road, but you can't stop there, not since horse and buggy days”, Bartoli laughs. She assures me the gardens were “overgrown and unsightly” before St. John's, through the generosity of The Gwendolen Appleyard Trust, hired landscaper Regina Maffei to makeover their gardens.
St. John's is seeped in history. During his “New Rochelle years”, Norman Rockwell and his family belonged to the church, and all three of his children were baptized there. On display in two glass cases in its entry hall are an assortment of historical memorabilia, including an original 1858 Hymn Book. Nestled in the Columbarium at the far end of the garden is a time capsule, waiting to be opened in 2058.
The forward-looking Reverend Jennie Talley was called as the 20th rector of St. John's Wilmot on June 5th 2016, and will become the first woman rector in the church's 158 year history when she is installed on December 10th 2016. She lives in Long Island City with her wife.
St. John's rents space to Cooper's Corners Montessori school at the location of the first public school in New Rochelle, established under the provisions of the Act of April 9th, 1795, the first public school law passed by the State of New York, and to Light And Life Korean Methodist Church.
St. John's congregation, which numbers about 85 people, cordially invites the New Rochelle community to join them for one of their upcoming events. Their annual Blessing of The Animals was held on Sunday October 2nd 2016.
Rev. Jennie Talley invited Moon Baby Photo to return on December 10th 2016 to cover her institution ceremony and and the celebratory reception proceeding it.
New Rochelle Review agreed to a follow up article.
Here it is.
Celebrating The Institution of Rev. Jennie Talley as Rector of St. John's Wilmot
Reverend Jennie Talley was presented with a ceremonial “Letter of Institution” by the Right Reverend Allen K. Shin, Suffragan Bishop of New York, on Saturday December 10th 2016, thus becoming the 20th Rector of St. John's, Wilmot, Episcopal Church in New Rochelle.
Talley, has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of California, Irvine and graduated cum laude from General Theological Seminary in New York City in 2014 with a Master of Divinity, a Certificate in Spiritual Direction, and an award for Pastoral Care. She had been serving as Priest-in-Charge for a year and a half, and was formally called to her new tenured position by the parish on June 5th 2016.
“I give thanks and gratitude to God every day for the opportunity to do the work that I do at St John's – I love what I do!” Talley tells me.
She is the first woman to shepherd the flock of the 158-year-old church, located in the historic Cooper's Corners hamlet in “Upper New Rochelle” at the intersection of North Avenue, Mill Road and Wilmot Road.
The service began with visiting clergy, the litanist, the preacher, Rev. Talley, Wardens Lanny Miller & Scott Meyer, the deacons – including St. John's Rev. Deacon Bill Cusano, the Bishop's chaplain, and the Bishop processing down the aisle of “The Little Church on the Hill”, as St. John's is affectionately nicknamed, and included an induction ceremony during which members of various ministries of the parish presented Rev. Talley with symbolic gifts as her wife Inga Sarda-Sorensen – avid photographer and Director of Communications for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force – beamed with pride.
A celebratory reception was held afterward in the old board and batten carriage house behind the chapel – also a local landmark – which was converted to a cottage in 1931 and remodeled for congregational use in 1990. Rev. Talley, in high spirits, toasted all those who were gathered, and together they rejoiced.
“We are proud of our history, but we are especially proud to say that in 2017 we are an “open church” that constantly and purposefully seeks to create a warm and loving community, welcoming everyone regardless of where you might be on your spiritual journey,” asserts Talley. “We have a beautiful little church with an amazing garden, and we look forward to celebrating more weddings at St. John's. I might also add that I feel extremely blessed as a priest in the Episcopal Church to be able to perform weddings for same-sex couples as well as straight couples.”
“We seek to be in harmony with and to cherish all of God's creation,” Talley adds. “To this end, we sponsor educational programs in local elementary schools in caring for the environment. We are also extremely pet friendly, and offer memorial services for our dear companion animals.”
“We hope you'll join us on Sunday mornings for worship at 10:30 am, or for one of our tag sales or activities that are listed on our website's events' page,” she concludes. “We also have a talented choir director, Frank Pisani, who offers a variety of worship music, and who encourages anyone to join in and come to choir practice, regardless of age or musical ability. We can promise you one thing at St. John's: Time spent with us won't be dull!"
"St. John’s Wilmot is a diverse and inclusive community of people who welcome everyone to gather together as we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we actively encourage others — skeptics, seekers, and committed believers — to join us as we seek to love and serve the world we live in, celebrating God’s creation around us and the image of God in every individual."
Following her institution, Rev. Talley agreed to answer some of my Qs. She answered me very thoroughly and thoughtfully, with great eloquence. I was really struck by some of what she said. The only problem was, the newspaper only wanted 150 words and Rev. Talley had given me 1500. I had coaxed her story from her only to feel I couldn't use 95% of what she had told me. And so I resolved to share it here.
“I was born in Los Angeles as a 6th-generation Mormon. I learned to pray to a loving God, but ordained ministry never entered my imagination, as the Mormon Church does not believe in ordaining women. As a teenager I still prayed, but it was a very spiritually confusing time for me.”
“I majored in biological sciences in college. I was awed by the diversity of creation, the intricate workings of a cell, the physical laws of the universe and the language of mathematics to describe them. But at the same time, my faith in the existence of God was in question and my relationship with God fell into a vague awareness that would come and go. It was also during this time that I realized my many prayers and attempts at trying to be a “normal” heterosexual were futile and I was reluctantly beginning to accept the reality that I was a lesbian.”
“I thus concluded that if there was a God, God didn’t care much for me. I was beyond a place where I felt I was capable of pleasing God, so I ran away and I just kept running and hiding. There were intermittent interludes where I felt the warm sense of God’s presence, but mostly I remained hidden.”
“It was a few years later, when I was in my early 30s, that I had a life-changing experience. I was working as a realtor in Southern California with a new office manager, Patrick McVey, who was a fatherly presence. During a private meeting, after sharing a little bit about myself and updating him on the status of my real estate transactions, he looked intently at me from across his desk and said, “You know, Jennie, God loves you very much!” He stated these words with such conviction and deep kindness, and at that moment I felt the deep truth in those words. It was as if the most joyous reunion had occurred and I walked out of Patrick’s office with a hungry desire to pursue this wonderful new-found relationship with God. I immediately began a spiritual journey of searching for a deeper experience of God and a greater understanding of God’s ways."
“Patrick introduced me to several books on Christian spirituality as well as Eastern religions. I began praying regularly, but I really wasn’t looking for a church home at that time. Working most Sundays selling real estate, I didn’t have much time to explore church services, and I didn’t think there was a permanent church home for me.”
“Moving to New York City in 2000, I discovered a wide variety of religious experiences, and soon realized that my path to God would be through Jesus. I soon found my home in the Episcopal Church which spoke to me deeply in many different ways. For me, it is the place where the spiritual and religious come together and where the full spectrum of spiritual practices can be experienced — the contemplative, the communal, and the missional: the Book of Common Prayer provides me with a wonderful daily rhythm of contemplative prayer practice; the liturgical style of worship facilitates my connection to the holy within a community; and opportunities abound for taking part in various ministries that serve both the church community as well as the larger human family.”
“Working in pharmaceutical sales at the time, I admired so many of my customers who were in the business of helping and healing people. I wanted to do something to help people, too, beyond the volunteer work I was doing. As I was constantly praying for direction in what that work might be, the notion of ordained ministry struck me like a lightening bolt one day. I thought God must be making a mistake, and tried to ignore the impulse. But a sense of call to ordained ministry became stronger and stronger to the point that I could ignore it no longer. I felt a magnetic pull to the type of work that I perceived could uniquely provide deep feeding and deep healing, as I myself had personally experienced – through the Eucharist and the sacraments, through God's Word, through the liturgy, through prayer, through teaching, and through holy listening.”
“Continuing to pray for clarity and guidance in discerning a call to ordained ministry, I began hearing affirmations of God’s call from a variety of human voices. They came from my family, from religious and non-religious friends, from the occasional stranger who would mistake me for a minister. One of my customers who is Roman Catholic, and whom I had known for several years, but who knew nothing about my church activities other than that I am Episcopalian, astonished me: “So Jennie, when are you going to become a priest? I know your church has women priests and I think you would make a good one.”"
“I finally began a formal discernment process within the New York Diocese in 2008, feeling a great love for parish ministry. Called as a postulant for holy orders in 2011 by the Bishop of New York, I left my 16-year sales career to begin seminary that fall, full-time at General Theological Seminary in Manhattan. I graduated three years later with a Master of Divinity, a Certificate in Spiritual Direction, and an award in pastoral care. Serving as a seminarian intern at Grace Episcopal Church in Hastings-on-Hudson, just a few miles from New Rochelle, I had become familiar with what serving in a suburban parish was like, and really enjoyed it.”
“Clergy in the Episcopal Church apply for positions and go through an interviewing process similar to the secular world, although it can take much longer from start to finish. So before my graduation from seminary and my ordination to the priesthood, I sent out applications to churches in the area whose lay search committees were looking for a priest, and interviewed with a few.”
“Although I lived in The City, I was very familiar with most of Westchester County, and specifically New Rochelle, as that had been part of my sales territory. What appealed to me about St. John's Wilmot was it's diversity in membership – racially, economically, in sexual orientation, and politically – and I found the people to be very warm and welcoming. They expressed a great desire to welcome others to join them, and the way they welcomed me that summer of 2014 on my first interview with them, I could sense that they really meant it. Irene Schindler, the head of the search committee, and a member of St. John's for several decades, picked me up at the Metro North station and drove me to the church for my interview with the entire 8-member search committee.”
“Irene and Joanne Bartoli, a Warden of the Vestry, first gave me a tour of the church-- such a dear space-- with such beautiful gardens. I could feel the sweetness of the sanctuary, made holy by the many prayers over its 150-plus year history.”
“I accepted their offer as Priest-in-Charge on a two-year contract a few weeks later, was ordained a priest a few weeks after that, and celebrated my first mass at St. John's the following day. A year and a half later, which was this past June, the Vestry – the lay leadership of the parish – unanimously voted to call me to a more permanent position as their rector.”
“Although it is generally common knowledge across denominations which ordain women that there is a “glass ceiling” in church leadership – known as the “stained-glass ceiling” – I have had mostly positive reactions to being a woman in a priestly role and as a leader of a parish. For instance, I am often told by men and women, alike, visiting St. John's who have been raised in the Roman Catholic or Orthodox traditions how wonderful and refreshing it is to see a woman at the altar. Often, I have been the first woman they have ever seen celebrating the mass, and most have not just a neutral, but a very positive reaction to it.”
“My wife, Inga, and I were able to marry in the Episcopal Church, which was a tremendous blessing to us. As the laws of the country were changing with respect to marriage equality, so was the prayerful discernment and wisdom of the Church being guided to properly care for all its members, perceiving and treating all people, regardless of sexual orientation, as equally valued and beloved by the magnanimous God who created us all. In our baptismal vows, we promise to “respect the dignity of every human being,” and we take that seriously as Episcopalians. That concept, along with Christ's directive to love God with all your might, and your neighbor as yourself, seems to guide the Episcopal Church as a whole in its demonstration of inclusivity.”
Do you have any words of advice for someone coming of age in today's World?
“You were created as a unique and beloved child of God, and God wants nothing more than to have a relationship with you. Pay attention and listen to where and how that still, small voice may be calling you in order to express the highest and best that God created you to be. And our loving God is an exceptionally forgiving God – there is never anything that we can do to escape the reach of that love."
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Craft Marketplace: An Exhibition & Sale of the Handmade
at Pelham Art Center
A Conversation with local Artist Susan Saas
We thoroughly enjoyed attending & photographing the opening of Craft Marketplace: An Exhibition & Sale of The Handmade at Pelham Art Center on the evening of Friday, November 18th. If you are looking for a creative alternative to commercial holiday shopping, run don't walk to Pelham Art Center to shop the Craft Marketplace exhibition! Thru Dec. 30th 2016.
It was thrilling to interview the incredibly talented artist Susan Saas for today's issue of The Pelham Post. I enjoyed her answers so much I decided to formulate my piece as a Q&A.
Visit thepelhampost.com to sign up for your free subscription today.
The whole interview was too long to print, so we decided to share the original extended Susan Saas interview exclusively below.
Opening of Craft Marketplace: An Exhibition & Sale of The Handmade
at Pelham Art Center
Q&A with Local Artist Susan Saas
by Dominique Claire Shuminova
Looking for a creative alternative to commercial holiday shopping? Craft Marketplace: An Exhibition & Sale of The Handmade kicked off on the evening of Friday November 18th, curated by Kate Amato, the Center's Gallery and Special Events Manager. The reception included a free all-ages hands-on workshop. Shop the dynamic collection of one-of-a-kind works for sale through Saturday, December 30th at Pelham Art Center.
The exhibition features 15 artists and artisans, many of them local, who represent a range of traditional and skilled artisan techniques such as textile printing, silversmithing, and glass blowing. A quirky illustration print, reclaimed wood lighting fixture, or a pair of finely crafted metal earrings make unique and thoughtful gifts.
Pelham Art Center members receive a 15% discount on all Craft Marketplace gallery sales during a special Members’ Holiday Sale, December 1-5.
It was thrilling to discover that local artist Susan Saas' whimsical creations were available for purchase as part of the exhibition – from $3.50 greeting cards to a $600 chair – and unsurprising to see her playful pieces sell like hot cakes on opening night.
Susan hails from Hartford CT, and lived in Providence, Dublin, and Harlem before moving to Pelham six years ago. She received her BFA in Illustration from RISD and her millinery certificate from F.I.T. Her illustration work has appeared in an array of publications from The New Yorker to The Irish Times. While working as head design assistant to Rod Keenan, an award winning member of the CFDA, Susan concentrated on haute couture men’s hats, some of her creations ending up perched atop the heads of celebrities like Michael Jackson and Brad Pitt. Working for the millinery and theatrical costume shop of Arnold S. Levine Inc, she helped create hats and props for the Rockettes and a variety of other Broadway shows.
Susan is far from the self-promoting type but agreed to answer some of my Qs.
What do you do?
I make things. It is something I have always done for as long as I can remember. I think I am coming around to the term “artist”. It is easier to call myself that now. I feel like it is such a special thing to be. I would love to be an artist. I have always wanted to be one. I have always referred to myself as a craftsperson, that seems limitless.
How old were you when you first started making things?
Like most children, I loved my crayons and drawing. My mom was a single mom who worked a lot and my grandmother more or less raised me. She had come over from Germany and made her living as a seamstress so her room had lots of fun things for me to play with: fabric scraps and buttons and a sewing machine.
What are you preferred materials for making things?
I find that I love working with wood and I go back and forth between painting on wood and sewing. I love felt too, it's durable and forgiving & shaping and forming it on hat blocks is so fun. I feel balanced when I can use my jigsaw and sewing machine. Even flat pieces have dimension.
How would you describe your relationship with the Pelham Art Center?
I have been working with the Art Center for about 4 years. I have taught a variety of classes and workshops there over the years and I can’t say nice enough things about everyone that works there: Lynn, Kate, Mira, Becky, Carolyn and everyone I've met there, they are so supportive and encouraging. The Art Center is a great resource here in Pelham.
What jobs have you done other than be an artist, milliner & illustrator?
I have spent a lot of time behind coffeeshop counters so I will say anthropologist.
What themes do you pursue in your work?
I tend to do a lot of self portraits. A lot of my work is personal, even a painting of a clothes peg is sort of a personal inventory of moments/memories.
What inspires you?
I love 1920s fashion, music and style. I love Edward Gorey, jazz music. I need a time machine and a pick up truck to go shopping. I am also inspired by friends and family.
What's your favorite art work?
That is a tough one. I love so many pieces by a variety of artists but I think I come back to Marisol's The Party. On a class trip long ago I think I had a religious moment when I was able to see some of her work.
Which artists would you like to be compared to?
Wow. Good lord. Marisol, Andy Warhol, Florine Stettheimer, Louise Nevelson, Ben Shahn, Frida Kahlo, Alice Neel. I love so many!
What role do you believe the artist has in society?
I think art and artists are vital to society. Artists are freer to express themselves and it is important to have a dialogue, be it visual or dance or music, to use humor and subversiveness to hold up a mirror to society. Working quietly on pieces is doing good, exorcizing demons personal and otherwise.
Should art be publicly funded?
I think artists should be nurtured and encouraged and supported including financially. Art is vital to society – all parts of society – but I wouldn’t want art to be controlled or censored by a government entity either.
What superpower would you have and why?
The ability to right the wrongs and injustices in The World. Maybe to be able to punch the bullies in the nose with a super fist that knocks them out for days and when they come to they're nice.
How has motherhood affected your outlook/output?
I think I get more work done now than before I had Elinore. I am much more focused and much better at managing my time and working at strange hours to get my work done.
What is your dream project?
To create my own empire of things I make and people love.
What does having an artistic outlook on life consist of?
Not having a roadmap, being true to what feels good and right and not comparing myself to other people.
You have incredible style. Do you have any style tips for our readers this holiday season?
Thank you! I wear what I am attracted to. I never pay attention to trends really. I love a vintage shop, I love a second hand store, and I am drawn to old fabric and old sweaters, and I like to alter things. I actually think I have a uniform. I love my aprons because I can keep things in the pockets. If I had any tips for anyone it would be to always be yourself, do not let the clothing wear you, hats and/or shoes especially. You need to wear what makes you feel good.
Susan is accepting commissions for paintings and couture hats. “I sell my hats at the Hat Shop on Thompson Street in the city every now and then but I am always happy to work with people for one-of-a-kind hats and head pieces,” she says. “I have done bridal headpieces and theatrical things,” she adds. “I make things that I would wear.”
Susan is teaching a workshop on crafting little Christmas tree ornaments at Pelham Art Center on Saturday December 17th. Sign up now at Pelham Art Center. Spaces are limited.
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Moon Baby Photo is expanding their talent roster and are currently seeking the following creative contributors in the New York area and elsewhere:
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Photo/Video Assistants
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Portrait Photographers
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Photojournalists
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Videographers
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Video Editors
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Photo Editors
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Graphic Designers
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Wardrobe Stylists
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Make-up Artists
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Hair Stylists
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Models
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Actors
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Makeup Artists
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Hair Stylists
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Musician & Musical Artists
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Illustrator & Visual Artists
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Performance Artists
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Writers
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Designers
Submissions and referrals welcome!
Send us links to your websites, social media accounts & portfolios today, and tell us a little bit about yourself, list any pertinent skills and qualifications, and tell us what kind of work you most enjoy doing to be considered for multiple upcoming paid photo & video assignments and collaborative photo & video projects.
Moon Baby Photo is also seeking:
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Off beat locations: Let us know if you own or manage a cool location. We may be interested in featuring it in one or more of our upcoming photo & video projects.
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Stories: Invite Moon Baby Photo to cover your next event or to feature you, your art, your message, or your product.
Invite Moon Baby Photo to cover your next event!
Get in touch today for Moon Baby Photo to feature you or your product(s), to create custom content, to license Moon Baby Photo copyrighted content for commercial or editorial use at competitive rates, or to pitch us an idea for a creative collaboration.
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Moon Baby Photo is thrilled to announce an exciting new collaboration with Shoreline Publishing, a local newspaper publishing company whose HQ is located near ours in the historic 110-year-old Sanborn Map Building.
We recently kicked off our partnership over Memorial Day Weekend with photo coverage of The Bronxville Family Country Fair and the 2016 Pelham Memorial Day Parade for The Bronxville Bulletin & The Pelham Post respectively.
An Evening at the Country Fair
$1 Cotton candy and Sno Cones heralded the start of Summer at the inaugural Bronxville PTA Family Country Fair on the front lawn of the Bronxville High School. The event featured carnival rides, a petting zoo, a pie tasting competition, an art tent, inflatable obstacle courses, bungee trampolines, and more. Local vendors Walter's Hot Dogs, The Pizza Truck Co and Stillmeadow Gourmet sold refreshments which residents of all ages enjoyed on the lawn. Ticket sales benefited the Bronxville PTA. A DJ spun dance hits and kids of all ages -- from just-walking to Snap-chatting -- mingled on the dance floor.
"The sun always shines on the Pelham Memorial Day Parade!"
Hosted by the Town of Pelham and the American Legion, The Pelham Memorial Day Parade is an institution going back over 100 years. This year, Tropical Depression Bonnie, the second named tropical system of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, threatened to cancel the parade and ensuing ceremonies for the first time in living memory.
Led by the veterans of Pelham Post 50 of the American Legion, the parade contained contingents from the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps in New York City for Fleet Week and proceed down flag-bedecked streets from the Esplanade to Wolfs Lane and then through the Village of Pelham to Veteran's Park on Fifth Avenue for a solemn ceremony honoring those Pelhamites who lost their lives in America's wars and conflicts, which included reading of the names of all of Pelham's war dead from the Spanish American War to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Stay tuned for more of our documentary photography and local event coverage work in The Bronxville Bulletin, The Pelham Post, The New Rochelle Review, Larchmont Ledger & The Harrison Herald and @MoonBabyPhoto on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and of course here at www.moonbabyphoto.com. You may even see yourself or someone you know!
If you see yourself in print you can download the hi res file without our watermark or print copies of your photo directly from the event gallery at www.moonbabyphoto.com.
We are looking forward to seeing you at the Pelican Pop Concert this Saturday at the upcoming PMHS graduation and at other upcoming events as well as on social media! Get in touch today to invite us to your upcoming newsworthy event or to suggest a story.
© #MoonBabyPhoto | @MoonBabyPhoto | June 2016
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Life is a Cabaret, and the Huguenot Cabaret is always one of the year's most anticipated events, with tickets selling out well ahead of time.
The Huguenot Cabaret is always a fundraiser for a good cause, produced by the Presbyterian Women of Huguenot Memorial Church. The proceeds from their efforts this year are going to support those affected by the terrible earthquake in Ecuador.
Eldar photographed Huguenot Memorial Church's annual cabaret on Saturday April 30th for Moon Baby Photo. It was our first year sponsoring the event's photography and what a pleasure it was to experience such a fun-filled event right here in our community! Guests enjoyed hors d'oeurves, cocktails, a buffet supper, a silent auction, and show-stopping performances by a wide range of talented singers and musicians.
Give your guests the VIP experience
Moon Baby Photo now offers custom step & repeat photography backdrops. Get in touch today to discuss setting one up for your upcoming event.
© Moon Baby Photo LLC
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