Parish Profile - Calvary Episcopal Church

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Our HistoryLet your light so shine before others so that they may see your good worksand give glory to your Father who is in heaven.–Matthew 5:16 (NRSV)Calvary Episcopal Church has a history rooted in our nation’s industrial development of the late nineteenth andearly twentieth centuries. Organized in 1855 and straddling the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of East Liberty andShadyside, the parish is positioned both geographically and historically to be a leader in urban ministry and socialjustice. We are committed to being a welcoming Episcopal congregation and to meeting the spiritual and socialchallenges facing large, urban parishes in the 21st century.During the industrial boom of the late nineteenth century, Calvary’s membershipand reputation grew. As Pittsburgh prospered so did Calvary Church. After acquiringland in 1904, the vestry commissioned the noted architect Ralph Adams Cram todesign a new structure on the site, an extraordinary Gothic Revival church. Thisnational historic landmark, completed in 1906, today has a seating capacity ofapproximately 1,000 people and remains the congregation’s home.Calvary became one of the largest and most influential churches in Pittsburgh andin the nation—the Sunday home of industrialists and middle-class professionals,leaders in manufacturing, finance, education, law and medicine. Together they werethe backbone of Pittsburgh’s civic and cultural institutions.Calvary also became known for the impressive quality of its music and preaching.The parish attracted the renowned organist and choral musician Harvey Gaul in1910, who would direct Calvary’s choirs for the next 35 years. Indeed, the first radiobroadcast of a church service was from Calvary’s pulpit in 1921. This tradition ofhomiletical and musical excellence continues at Calvary.Calvary’s growth was not limited to the bounds of its parish. Calvary was themother church of a number of missions, which became flourishing parishes intheir own right. They include such churches as St. Stephen’s in Wilkinsburg,St. Michael’s of-the-Valley in Ligonier, Fox Chapel Episcopal Church in Fox Chapel,Church of the Ascension in Oakland, and St. Paul’s in Mount Lebanon, among others.Calvary Church has always been conscious of the needs of the poor and immigrant workers who labored in the millsand factories that generated much of the wealth of Pittsburgh. Calvary parishioners supported the establishment ofKingsley House to help meet the human service needs of this community. The Kingsley Association today is a crucialprovider of social services to families and youth in the East End of Pittsburgh.Calvary’s rectors worked to bring about positive change in society. The Rev. Dr. James Hall McIlvaine, 7th rector ofCalvary Church, helped found the Church Pension Fund. The Rev. Dr. Samuel Moor Shoemaker, 12th rector ofCalvary Church, was one of the early proponents of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Calvary continues to offer ourphysical space in ministry to AA and approximately 35 other civic groups and organizations.Calvary was at the forefront of the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church. In 1974, the Rev. Beryl Choi,one of the first ordained women in the Church’s history, became the first woman to hold a continuing parishappointment as a priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Since then, women have always been represented among theclergy at Calvary.-4-
During the 1980s and 1990s, Calvary was affected by the collapse of the American steel industry that so acutelyburdened the Pittsburgh region. Nevertheless, Calvary emerged with an indomitable congregation and soundfinances, committed to community outreach. Calvary parishioners helped establish the Neighborhood Academy,which began as an intensive summer school program for at-risk urban youth. Today the academy is a full-serviceindependent school whose mission is to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty among the urban poor.Calvary responded to local public school budget cuts in the arts by starting the Calvary-Lincoln After SchoolProgram, or CLASP, benefitting a nearby elementary school by providing enrichment and mentorship in music,dance, sculpture and painting.Calvary was among the first Episcopal congregations in Pittsburgh to minister to people living with HIV and AIDS.We offered support and refuge for many dying of the disease at a time when few other places embraced them. Calvaryparishioners and leadership have given their time and talent to organizations such as Persad, the Shepherd WellnessCenter, the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute since the early days of their existence.More recently, the Rev. Dr. Harold T. Lewis, 15th rector of Calvary Church and the first AfricanAmerican in that role, led the congregation in the face of a breakaway movement in the diocese.Calvary was the leading force in preserving the assets, governance and heritage of the EpiscopalChurch in southwestern Pennsylvania during an unprecedented schism. Even still, we had thewherewithal to build upon earlier restorations of our sanctuary and conducted a successfulcapital campaign, resulting in an award-winning restoration of the parish house.Our parish, along with the rest of the diocese, rejoiced in the consecration at Calvary Church of the Rt. Rev. DorseyMcConnell, our new diocesan bishop, in October 2012. Calvary’s vestry honored Dr. Lewis’s sixteen years of serviceby conferring upon him the title “rector emeritus” at his retirement later that same year. Calvary held steadfast to ourbonds with the greater church during Dr. Lewis’s tenure, hosting visits from the Presiding Bishop of the EpiscopalChurch, the Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts-Shori; the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend GeorgeCarey; and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town, South Africa.This strength and dedication continues at Calvary, a thriving parish with a deep history interwoven with this city, thenation and the greater church. Calvary’s rich heritage from the Industrial Age has enabled it today to be a beacon ofinclusivity and Christian witness in Pittsburgh and in the nation. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Calvarywill continue working towards God’s kingdom for generations to come.-0-
Page 1 and 2: Calvary Episcopal Church2013 Parish
Page 3: Table of ContentsHistory . . . . .
Page 7 and 8: Life events such as a baptism, a we
Page 9 and 10: In recent years, Calvary has held a
Page 11 and 12: Our OutreachLife’s most persisten
Page 13 and 14: Calvary’s sanctuary. In recent ye
Page 15 and 16: Our StaffHow beautiful on the mount
Page 17 and 18: Our City and Our DioceseI have a vi
Page 19 and 20: Weekly Worship ScheduleSundays8 a.m

Parish Profile - Calvary Episcopal Church

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