Avoiding the Civil Rights Movement
When the civil rights movement blasted through St. Augustine,
several black churches hosted rallies, meetings, and training for the movement;
St. Cyprian's did not. Many local adults lost their jobs for participating in
demonstrations; St. Cyprian's adults would not risk their good jobs. Many local
teens skipped school to attend demonstrations; St. Cyprian's parents made sure
their kids got on the school bus. The few members who wanted to support the
movement kept it mild, such as donating money. Overall, the congregation stayed
safe, and somewhat isolated.
Ironically, it was Trinity Parish, St. Cyprian's white sister church, that got
caught up in the racial tensions. From its location on the square, it had a
front-row seat to the nightly protest marches. The Episcopal Bishop Edward West had
sent out an order to all churches in the Diocese not to exclude anyone from Episcopal
services. When civil rights activists announced their intentions to attend Trinity's
weekday communion service, the Vestry (church council) defied the Bishop's order. They
told their Rector, Father Charles Seymour, to cancel the service. Father Seymour obeyed
the bishop instead, and the Vestry asked him to leave. He refused to leave at the time,
but later left for another church.
Two years later, St. Cyprian's counterpart in Fernandina also took a new direction.
There, the Negro Episcopal Good Shepherd Church was about to receive diocese funding
for a much-needed new building. The plan was stopped by a nationally-active black group
called the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity. They convinced the diocese
not to support segregation anymore, so Fernandina's black Good Shepherd Church was merged
with the nearby white St. Peter's Church.
Meanwhile, St. Cyprian's members aged gracefully while a new day dawned around them.
Hardly any of their children remained at the church. Some took their college degrees to
larger cities, such as Washington D.C. and L.A. Others were woo'd down the street by the
more modern music at other black churches. Still others chose charismatic over liturgical
services. By 1990, St. Cyprian's had lost its choir and Sunday school. As membership
declined, so did its finances and the structure of the historic building.
Restoration
St. Cyprian's heart-pine interior restored in the 1990s
The charming little building Emma White had sponsored almost a century
ago was nearly falling down on the few remaining heads in the sanctuary. Once again, it
was a woman from Trinity Parish to the rescue. Long-time Trinity member Margie Rahner
applied for grants and rallied support to save St. Cyprian's. Help came from the Diocese
of Florida, Trinity, and the residents of Lincolnville. The building enjoyed a magnificent
restoration. Once again, it is a lovely place to pass by and be inside.
A new congregation is developing in the old church. In an effort to prevail over human
differences, the church celebrates diversity. They honor their African-American heritage
through various activities including a monthly Jazz Vespers service. They
honor the original purpose of the church by offering it as a haven to people who are
uncomfortable elsewhere. The Sunday bulletin handout reads:
WELCOME TO ST. CYPRIAN'S HISTORIC EPISCOPAL CHURCH!
St. Cyprian's is an open church, an inclusive Christian community in the Episcopal
tradition. We welcome everyone wherever they are on their spiritual journey. We welcome
especially all who may have particular reason to think they may not be welcome because of
ethnic, racial or religious background, age, sexual orientation, financial circumstance,
physical appearance, physical or mental ability, past or present sins. We confess that we
are not a community already perfected in love, but we want to become more fully loving
and we welcome into our community all who wish to join us. We are together as children
of God.
All this progressive thinking is grounded by the age-old ceremony of an Episcopal church:
piano and organ, robes and processions, hymns and prayer books. Certainly, new social
challenges have replaced the old racial struggles in this and every church. But for those
who don't want to get caught up in the storms, St. Cyprian's offers a "very comfortable
and churchly" worship experience.
Further Reading
- St. Cyprian's Historic Episcopal Church website.
- George R. Bentley's "African-Americans and the Episcopal Church in Florida."
- Ryan Smith's "Carpenter Gothic: The Voices of Episcopal Churches on the St. Johns River," in El Escribano, 1995.
Last modified 11-4-08. |