History of St. John’s Episcopal Church

Flushing, Queens, New York: 1894-2011*

1894: St. John’s Church is founded as a Parochial Mission of St. George’s Episcopal Church, a Royal Chartered Flushing Parish.

July 1899- Construction of the St. John’s chapel is completed in five months.

Dec. 1899: The first service inaugurating the chapel is held.

1905: The Chapel is enlarged to the size seen in the photo above.

1911: All debts acquired with building the church are paid off.

Oct. 1911: The Rt. Rev. Frederick Burgess, the Second Bishop of Long Island acknowledges the incorporation of St. John’s as being established.

The Churchmen, the Outreach ministry of the Brotherhood of St. George Church, and the Main St. Flushing parish play an active and dominant role in the early development of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

1911: St. John’s first church vestry is formed.

Standing: F.G. Drake SW, H.G. Rockwell, John Sherman, Harman Brown, Herbert SmithSeating: Henry Forbes, Rev. G.W. Eccles, E.V. MacLean JW, Wm. Carpenter

 

1911-1928: The Rev. George W. Eccles becomes the first Rector.

Nov. 1924: Church almost totally destroyed by a fire. Damages are steep and a campaign is undertaken to obtain funds to erect the present church building. Services are temporarily held in The Flushing Conservatory, now the Church of Christ.

Some stained glass windows and pews were also donated largely through the connections of the Rev. Eccles. Some of the stained glass windows were made in Europe from his designs.

1926-1936: Rev. Leo L. Twinem serves as St. John’s Church’s second rector. Under Rev. Twinem, the Hook and Hasting Pipe Organ is installed. At that time, it was the latest and the very best available.

Feb. 1936: Rev Herbert C. Benjamin becomes the third rector. He endeavors to clear the Church of debt and accomplishes this through the Building Reconstruction Program. By 1947, the Memorial Stained Glass windows are installed and the original mortgage is paid off.

April 1947: The Rev. James DeWolfe, Bishop of Long Island holds a consecration service for the second church building.

April 1958: On Easter Sunday, Rev. Canon Milton W. Good is installed as the fourth Rector of St. John’s. Father Good, along with the assistance of parishioners, improves the church property. Among the improvements include: a chapel altar, stained glass windows in the balcony and Narthex, a lawn statuary, the arrangement of the sanctuary, the free standing Communion Altar made by Italian craftsmen, the introduction of the New English Bible for the lectern, and new vestments for acolytes and servers.

1980: Father Good retires.

Nov. 1981: On All Saint’s Day, Rev. Bruce Foster Irwin becomes the fifth Rector of St. John’s Church. Father Irwin’s accomplishments include bringing together congregations for the Deanery Lenten Program and initiating the idea to have an annual auction.

Sept. 1993: Father Irwin retires.

Oct. 1993-Aug. 1995: The parish struggles to call a new rector immediately after the retirement of the Rev. Irwin. The Very Rev. Lloyd Lewis, Jr., Archdeacon Roper Shamhart, and the Rev. Frederick Howard serve as supply priests. Out-migration of most members of St. John’s Flushing congregation, the influx of non-Episcopalian immigrants to the Church neighborhood,; and the scarcity of a full time rector greatly impact St. John’s congregation. Due to declining church membership, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Flushing is grouped with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of College Point.

September 1995: Rev. Anthony DiLorenzo becomes rector of the St. John’s and St Paul. Fr. DiLorenzo’s faces the challenge of a fast-changing demographic and cultural landscape as Asian immigrants become the major residents of Flushing. Fr. DiLorenzo works towards incorporating a truly multi-ethnic ministry.

Oct. 1998: Father DiLorenzo resigns and accepts an assignment to become Rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Ronkonkoma, New York.

Nov. 1998: Rev. Dario G. Palasi is sent as a supply priest to St. John’s Episcopal Church by Archdeacon Bernard Young, while the Diocesan authorities wrestle with the future of the Parish. Shortly after Father DiLorenzo leaves, the congregation dwindles to 14 parishioners.

Jun. 2001: Bishop Orris Walker Jr., Bishop of Long Island, appoints Rev. Dario Palasi as Associate Priest to St. John’s.

Jun. 2001-Present: The St. John’s congregation grows from 14 to an average of 70 worshippers. Several improvements/repairs of the church facilities are undertaken, notably of the Church heating facilities, gutters, kitchen, and Parish House.

July 2006: Rev. Dario Palasi is appointed as Dean of the Flushing Deanery, consisting of the 6 parishes: .

Feb. 2011: St. John’s becomes an almost fully self-supporting church, on par with their stated vision to do so by 2011. Rev. Palasi hopes to generate enough finances to help fulfill the outreach ministry of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

*The main source of information for the above write-up is St. John’s First Hundred Years Souvenir Program authored mainly by The Rev. Frederick Howard and interviews with Ed Hambrecht, a member of with St. John’s Episcopal Church since Fr. Benjamin’s tenure.