The History of St.
Ignatius, a Chapel of Christ Church
 St.
Ignatius Church was built in 1886 for the former slaves on St. Simons
Island. After a hurricane in 1898 it was rebuilt and rotated 90°. The wood has
never been stained but it looks this way due to the process of aging. It was
made with heart of pine and oak. The Altar rail is hand carved. The Lectern,
the Bishop’s chair, Priest’s chair, and Baptismal font were all donated by
Lovely Lane Chapel. The stained glass windows behind the Altar were made in
Philadelphia by the Willet Company. The Hand depicts God the Father, the Lamb
depicts God the Son, and the Dove depicts the Holy Spirit. The candlesticks on
the Altar were brought from England in 1858. The bell was installed in the
1980's and is from the WWII Liberty Ship Henry Wynkoop. The reed organ
was built circa 1900 and installed at Christ Church Frederica in
1933. The original hand pump is still intact. The pipes are merely
decorative. For years, the windows in the Church were translucent,
jalousie-panel glass. But beginning in the year 2000 ten new stained glass
windows were designed by M.B. Keys, a parishioner of Christ Church Frederica,
and made by the Wippell Company of Exeter, England. The Rt. Rev. Henry I.
Louttit, Bishop of Georgia, blessed the new windows April 29, 2001.
Recently in 2009, a
plaque was displayed in the chapel listing the names of the first baptized
members of St Ignatius from 1870-1970.
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The Dodge
Lumber Mill
From the
labor of the African Americans on St. Simons Island, came the lumber for
Old Ironsides and for the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Words written by
James Weldon Johnson and music written by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson,
was sung by a choir of children in Jacksonville, Florida, to celebrate
Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in 1900. The mother of the author and the
composer was the first African American teacher in the school system of
the State of Florida. The words and music are Copyright © 1921 by Edward
B. Marks Music Company and used by permission.
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Saint Ignatius
Was the second Bishop of Antioch known
for his letters to the early Christians. He was eaten by lions in the
Coliseum on Rome in 115 AD.
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Deaconess Alexander,
Whose parents had been slaves on St Simons
Island, in 1894 became the first African-American deaconess in the
Episcopal Church. Her ministry, primarily in Pennick in Glynn County, was
focused on education and reached out to both African-American and white
children and their families by establishing Good Shepherd Church, an
Episcopal school, and camp programs, which brought the two races
together. Through 53 years of self-sacrifice, Deaconess Alexander bore a
remarkable Christian witness to all people of this area at a time when
state laws and the Episcopal diocesan practice stood in contrast to the
charitable, inclusive nature of her ministry. To learn more, go to
www.georgia.anglican.org,
scroll down to Saints of Georgia (top right corner) and scroll down
to Deaconess Anna E. B. Alexander.
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The Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Georgia The Cherokee
rose is the state flower of Georgia. The boar’s head is a symbol for
General James Oglethorpe, who, out of his concern for the poor, settled
Georgia, and then went further having English law prohibit slavery in the
colony. (This was changed in 1750 after Oglethorpe left.)
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Remaining Windows: The Great Blue Heron, the Live Oak Tree,
the Morning Glories, the Resurrection Ferns, Palm Branches, and Lilies,
and the Man Throwing the Cast Net are scenes that are part of everyday
life here on Saint Simons Island, a place richly blessed by God.
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