A History of Us -- the Chaplaincy & Canterbury

Since we're at the start of a new academic year here at the University of Virginia, I thought it may be worthwhile to take a moment and just write a little informational piece about our group.  You can find the description of Canterbury Fellowship on the left side-bar of this blog at any time, too.

St. Paul's Mission

Perhaps a good place to begin this discussion is with the website concerning the history of the chaplaincy at St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church.  You can find the full history through St. Paul's at U.Va.  According to this information we can trace our roots to the election of Bishop Robert Gibson in 1897 who set himself a task of creating a mission church to look after the needs of the 280 Episcopal boys at the University.  Although very likely unrelated, it's interesting that Bishop Gibson's initiative follows only two years after the Great Rotunda Fire of 1895.  And then finally in 1907, the General Council for the Diocese of Virginia voted to support the establishment of a mission church just across the street from the University.  This year, 1907, would also be the year that the Diocese -- with the help additional donations -- purchased the lot where the current St. Paul's Memorial Church stands.  St. Paul's remained a mission church until the arrival of the Reverend Noble Powell in 1920.  During Powell's residence the church attained full-parish status.  And then in the 1930s, the tradition of Sunday evening dinners began after the late service with the arrival of William Laird who delegated University ministry to an assistant priest.

The building as we know it today saw its cornerstone laid in 1926.  But from the establishment of Sunday evening dinners during the thirties until the 1980s, that particular program would wax and wane.  It was with the arrival of Paula Kettlewell and Steven Bonsey that the dinners returned.  During this period Canterbury Fellowship continued meeting on Tuesday evenings -- a time to which we have returned in 2011.

Currently we gather on Tuesday evenings for a various programs throughout the semester.  These typically include Bible studies, group worship, a fun activity, or visiting speaker.  But they are always followed by a meal.  And with the growing popularity of the Sunday evening dinners, nearly 100 students participate in the University Ministry through St. Paul's on the Corner.

Canterboard

Thanks to efforts by our Skinner Fellow and Canterbury House "Mum," Gillian Breckenridge, we now have a notice boards placed both in the House and the Church to advertise our gatherings on a weekly basis.  Another great resource to discover us would be through the Canterbury on the Corner webpage; or through our Facebook page.  Through Canterbury on the Corner you can find a full schedule (although somewhat terminally in-progress).  You'll also be able to read up more on life at St. Paul's and hopefully find something that piques your interest.  So go ahead.  LIKE us on Facebook.  We're very friendly!!! And we'd love to meet you :)!