An Informal, Anecdotal History of Saint Francis' Parish
as Told by Past and Present Members
There is a long tradition of service at the altar by the men and boys of the parish. However, much like else at St. Francis, the acolytes never have been highly organized. There is no Guild of Acolytes, nor Chapter of the Order of St. Vincent. The acolytes are not a select clique. Our tradition welcomes any man or boy who wishes to be a part of this ministry, no matter what his talents are. This service also affords an opportunity for the men and boys of the parish to have a closer relationship with one another. In April of 1998, there were 24 men and 16 boys actively serving as acolytes.
In June of 1960, Fr. Rogers wrote in a letter inquiring about organizing a chapter of the Order of St. Vincent:
When I took the cure of souls here some three years ago, the parish was pretty much bankrupt in every respect. I have just now succeeded in bringing together a group of acolytes who are thoroughly trained and have the esprit de corps to form some sort of acolyte guild. The boys range in age from nine to in the neighborhood of forty-five.It seems that he gave up on this idea because, at that time, the Order had a minimum age of 14 for membership. Apparently, Fr. Rogers did not want to create a parish organization that the younger acolytes could not be a part of. In the late seventies, and again in the late eighties, when Dottie Rogers became a member of the Order's Board of Directors, some thought was given to instituting a chapter, but nothing came of it.
Much of the information contained in this chapter of the Parish History depends on the recollections of men who served in earlier years, especially Joe Mitchell, Joe Jones, Bob Davis, Gene LaRue, and Ralph Crocker.
When Fr. Rogers first came to St. Francis, there was not a strong Anglo-Catholic liturgical tradition in the parish. In fact, the services were what might be characterized as "low church". Fr. Rogers wisely recognized that any changes that he might want would have to be made gradually, so that the people could get used to them. Even so, some families left the parish because of the changes that he did make.
One of the most memorable characters in the St. Francis acolyte story is Frank Singdahisen, who was made acolyte master by Fr. Rogers in the early sixties, Fr. Rogers wanted all movement in the sanctuary to be as concerted as possible. Frank took the dictate very seriously and, in doing so, he drilled the acolytes into an almost military precision. When present in the Sanctuary, he controlled the movement of the acolytes with audible snaps of his fingers. Rehearsals were held every Saturday afternoon at 1:00, unless a crew had been working together for a period of time.
After Frank left the parish in 1963, there was no acolyte master. Each year a member of the Vestry was assigned the responsibility for scheduling and any training. Under this system, there was no continuum of leadership or direction, but this had little effect on the service at the altar because of the dedication and cohesiveness of the men who served and the authority oover acolytes exercised by Fr. Rogers. Stories are told to this day of occasions when he would stop and correct an acolyte in the middle of Mass.
Another important person in the story of the acolytes is Joe Carlson. Joe and Sandy came to St. Francis in 1967. Because Joe was still on the acolyte schedule at St. Timothy's in Fort Worth, which was very "high church", they went back there temporarily after two Sundays at St. Francis. They said to Fr. Acker, "He's so low church," meaning Fr. Rogers. To which, Fr. Acker replied, "Well, he taught me everything I know." Neverthless, they returned to St. Francis and became active in the parish. After Joe got settled in as an acolyte, certainly with Fr. Rogers's approval, he was successful in urging the adoption of a more elaborate ritual.
Normal Sunday practice during the sixties and early seventies was for low masses to be served by two acolytes. The principle service was a sung mass with incense, utilizing a six-man crew: Master of Ceremonies (MC), Thurifer, Boatboy, Crucifer, and two Acolytes. There are differing recollections whether solemn masses were celebrated and, if so, with what degrees of regularity. [Ed. Note: One of the principle characteristics of a solemn Mass is the presence of three "Sacred Ministers": A Priest, a Deacon, and a Subdeacon instead of a lone Priest. The Subdeacon can be a layman and he takes the place of the MC. Each Sacred Minister wears a distinctive Chasuble, i.e., a vestment in the color of the day with special markings on the back that identify the wearer's role.] It is probable that such celebrations were rare, only occurring on special occasions when there was a visiting priest to assist as Deacon. The preparation was said by the celebrant and acolytes on the Pavement, before the altar, at the start of each Mass. At low Masses, the two acolytes "flitted" the Missal and Chalice Veil. [Ed. Note: To "flit" an object means to move it from one part of the altar to another, genuflecting on the way, if the mover passes in front of the Tabernacle. In this case, the Missal (i.e., the Altar Book) is moved from the priest's left side (as he faces the altar) to the right horn (i.e., front corner) and the Chalice Veil is moved from the right side to the center. In some cases, an experienced acolyte might be permitted to position the Veil over the Chalice, an act normally reserved for deacons and priests.]
In the summer of 1974, St. Francis had a Curate for the first time. Fr. McFeeters came to the parish after serving his first year out of seminary at the Church of the Resurrection. He had served as one of the seminary assistants at St. Paul's K Street in Washington, D.C., while a student at Virginia Theological Seminary at Alexandria. He was, thus, well trained in the traditions of Anglo-Catholic worship. With the availability of a second priest, who could serve as a Deacon, it was possible to institute the solemn mass as the normative celebration at the principle service every Sunday and on major feasts. This was done and, to the extent possible, that tradition has continued. The presence of Fr. Wilson and Fr. Reed allowed us to maintain the solemn Mass for several years after we lost our last Curate. The liturgy at St. Francis is based on the pre-Vatican II Western Rite. Our principle source of authority is a book called, Ritual Notes.
In addition to the Sunday Masses, a dedicated group of acolytes, some of whom also serve on Sunday, serve the Masses on weekday mornings and Tuesday evenings. Since 1992, when he was six years old, Jonathon Rogers, Fr. Rogers's grandson, has served the Wednesday mid-morning Mass.
Under the procedure then in place, Vestryman Stephen Chamblee was responsible for the acolytes during his terms of 1980-1982 and 1985-1987. When his second term expired on the first day of 1988, Fr. McGhee asked him to continue as master of the acolytes. He continued under Fr. Reed's and Fr. Allen's leadership and is the current Acolyte Master.
Another important tradition in the life of St. Francis Church is the daily reading of the morning and evening offices. This ministry generally has been carried out by the layreaders, a group of dedicated men [and women] who formerly were licensed by the bishop. Since Bishop Davies's time, the licensing process has been in obeyance. Some of these men are also acolytes. Generally, Morning Prayer is read immediately before the first Mass of the day by the acolyte scheduled to serve that Mass. Evening Prayer is read by layreaders who come to the church expressly to read the office. Sometimes they are alone: sometimes there is a congregation. It doesn't matter. They are reading the office in concert with the whole Church and on behalf of the entire parish.
In the early eighties, this ministry had fallen into something of a decline and the task of reading the office fell, to a great extent, on the parish priests. Ralph Crocker was instrumental in reviving the regular schedule of layreaders at that time. By 1997, several gaps had reappeared in the evening schedule. Dick Phillips, then Senior Warden, recruited new men to fill out the ranks of the layreaders. Presently, all of the daily offices are generally read by layreaders.
In 1994, Bishop Stanton expressed a desire to have Vergers in the Diocese of Dallas. A group was formed under the leadership of the bishop's Verger. Stephen Chamblee was appointed Verger by Fr. Allen. The Diocese of Dallas Verger's Guild was officially instituted at a Solemn Evensong at St. Michael and All Angels Parish. Bishop Stanton was the officiant. The heads of the American Guild of Vergers and the Vergers' Guild of the Church of England were both present to institute the Dallas guild.
The Verger at St. Francis functions primarily as the leader of processions. In other parishes, the Verger takes a more active role in the liturgy. However, when Fr. Allen agreed to have a Parish Verger, it was on the condition that he would function in a manner similar to what is done in the Church of England. Fr. Allen did not want to create a position that would take over the responsibilities of the Acolyte Master or the Master of Ceremonies.
The Verger is an ancient office in the Church of England. Vergers may be found in both cathedrals and parish churches. The symbol of the Verger's office is a staff, called the verge. Historically, the Verger carried his verge before church processions and used it to clear the way for the acolytes and Sacred Ministers. In medieval church buildings there weren't any pews. The people stood around as we do in the Parish Hall on Palm Sunday. Just like at St. Francis on Palm Sunday, it was necessary for the Verger to clear the way as the procession moved through the people. -- Stephen Chamblee