Kelsi Vanada
Dear Friends,
“He was educated, he was refined, he was the consummate Victorian gentleman—except that he was Black.”
That’s how the Rev Dr Gayle Fisher-Stewart described Saint Alexander Crummell (1819-1898), who we remember today, in a 2021 Zoom presentation about Crummell’s life and ministry.
At the time, the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart was Interim Rector of Saint Luke’s African American Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, the first independent Black Episcopal church in the District. Crummell helped found it and served as its Rector until his retirement in 1894.
Crummell was born to free black parents in NYC. Denied admission to the General Theological Seminary because of his race, Crummell studied at Yale. In 1844, he was ordained in Massachusetts. But “he soon found that there was little scope for Black priests.” He preached on abolitionism in England and was a missionary to Liberia. Back in the US, he never stopped laboring to build congregations and institutions that would serve Black Episcopalians.
I couldn’t help but remember the Sunday a few years ago when Fr Robert read from Saint Philip’s original charter. There was an audible gasp in the congregation when he read that our church was founded to serve the white population of Tucson. Our own church is implicated in the racism Alexander Crummell fought against.
This fall, the Junior Youth at Saint Philip’s (7th-9th grade) will embark on an investigation into the Communion of Saints, asking questions like “What is a saint? What can we learn from their lives that applies to ours today?” Yes, we will learn about fabled saints like Francis, Julian, and Nicholas—but also about the faithful who have, in more recent years, done much to proclaim God’s goodness and love for all people, despite great odds.
I encourage you to take 15 minutes to watch the recording linked above and learn about the life of Alexander Crummell. Saint Alexander, pray for us, that we may have the courage to fight racism and to provide for the spiritual growth of all God’s children.
In Christ,
—Kelsi