May 22 Concert Will Celebrate Newark 350th and Grace Church History

Historic Grace Church in Newark, N.J. is participating in the city’s 350th anniversary celebration with a special event, Sunday, May 22 at 4 pm. James Hopkins, recently appointed music director of the church, will perform and conduct works chosen to celebrate restoration of the “Te Deum” stained glass window. The window was installed in 1930 in honor of Newark’s Mayor Thomas L. Raymond, Jr., long-time Grace Church parishioner.

Music Director Hopkins and a professional choir will perform festive music from the Anglican and Catholic traditions, including works by James McGregor, Grace Church director of music emeritus; and John Sebastian Bach Hodges, rector of Grace Church from 1861-1870. The concert will also include selections by Anton Bruckner, J.S. Bach, Herbert Howells and others. The event is open to the public and there is no admission charge.

In addition, the May 22 event will feature remarks by the well-known Newark historian/writer Guy Sterling. Sterling will speak about church history, and some of its well-known parishioners, including early 20th century Mayor Thomas Raymond (after whom Newark’s Raymond Blvd. is named); John Jelliff, a leading Victorian era furniture maker; and Samuel Ward, Grace Church’s 19th century organist, and composer of the hymn “Materna,” later adopted for “America the Beautiful.”

The May 22 concert and talk is one of many special events this year celebrating the 350th anniversary of the city’s founding. The program is supported by a grant from the Community Foundation of New Jersey/Newark Celebration 350 Fund. “We are exceedingly grateful for support from Newark 350 Fund for this event,” said Father J. Brent Bates, “and we are equally grateful for the support of many individual donors and parishioners who have made restoration of this historic window possible.”

One of two designated National Historic Landmarks in the City of Newark, Grace Church is famous for its soaring neo-gothic architecture, elaborate altar, wood carvings, stained glass and lighting. The church has been a meeting and worship place for many significant players in Newark’s history. Today’s Grace Church is a diverse and welcoming congregation that is deeply involved in the spiritual, cultural and social justice life of the city.

Grace Church’s Te Deum window exhibits exquisite artistry by Austrian-born Valentine d’Ogries of New Hope, Pennsylvania. D'Ogries' stained glass windows, frescoes, murals, and altar pieces can also be seen at Trenton’s Trinity Cathedral; at Columbia University, Corpus Christi Church and Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City; and many other prestigious locations in the U.S.

The Te Deum window depicts the Holy Trinity, and angels and figures from Anglican/Episcopal church history, including Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, and Edward Bouverie Pusey, a leader of the Oxford movement to restore Catholic practices to the Anglican Church in England and abroad.

For more information about Grace Church in Newark please visit www.gracechurchinnewark.org For more information about Newark 350th anniversary please visit www.nc350.org/

ABOUT GRACE CHURCH:
Grace Church was founded in 1837 and worships in an 1848 building designed by Richard Upjohn, one of the most celebrated architects of the Gothic Revival. Upjohn’s other buildings include the 1846 Trinity Wall Street Church in New York City. At the consecration of the building in 1848, the parish was noted as the “standard bearer of Anglican Catholicism in northern New Jersey” according to the then Bishop Doane of New Jersey. The Rev. Dr. J. Brent Bates was appointed rector in 2010.

Located in Newark’s downtown near City Hall and the Federal courts, Grace Church was assigned to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Its rich history of fine liturgy and music is well known. The church’s first prominent organist was Samuel Augustus Ward, composer of the hymn ”Materna” in 1882, adapted later for the patriotic song “America the Beautiful.” James Hopkins was appointed director of music in 2015.