St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea Marks 100 Years on Seven Mile Beach

STONE HARBOR — St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea, 9425 Third Ave., the Protestant Episcopal Church whose roots trace to the borough’s beginnings, is marking its centennial this year.
On Sun., June 27, Rt. Rev. George Councell, Bishop of New Jersey, paid a visit to confirm and receive members as well as to deliver greetings on behalf of the Episcopal Church to the local congregation.
The prior evening, a centennial dinner was held at the Abbey Holmes House in Clermont to help mark the first 100 years of the church. Members of the congregation have participated in the borough’s Memorial Day parade and held a special service on the beachfront to mark the occasion.
Rev. Canon E. Thomas Higgons, the church’s first pastor, who accepted the assignment while a seminarian, attended the dinner celebration.
Janet Taillie Kowalski, longtime member, assumed the task of compiling a comprehensive commemorative book that details St. Mary’s from its humble beginning through to today’s vibrant congregation whose members are found throughout the Seven Mile Beach as well as nearby mainland communities.
The following is a summary of Kowalski’s “A Commemorative History of St. Mary’s Church, Stone Harbor, N.J., 1910-2010.”
The building of a house of worship involves far more than mortar and foundation; rather, it is the strength of faith melded with determination to create a place to honor that faith. St. Mary’s history is rich with individuals who became living examples of such strength and determination; whether their contributions were small or large, each and every one created the space where — 100 years later — we gather to celebrate the communion of faith, family and friends.
In Jeffrey M. Dorwart’s book, “Cape May County, NJ” – The Making of an American Resort on page 174:
” …The Risley brothers created the resort community of Stone Harbor and secured its incorporation as a borough in 1914.”
Both Howard and David Risley were at various times Trustees of St. Mary’s Church, but it was David Risley who, around 1910, donated the piece of property on which our church is situated. Designed by architect H.J. Reinbold, the cedar shingled frame structure was at that time known as St. Mary’s By-the-Sea. The original structure, seen in the following photograph, was dedicated on July 2, 1911 by Suffragan Bishop Garland. The original structure cost $6,000 to build.
Though very little information can be found regarding these early parish members, Nellie May Rennyson is one individual about whom some facts are known. She was a major contributor to St. Mary’s, and upon her death on July 6, 1929, she left a bequest of $1,000 to the church.
Other donations made to the church in its infancy included an organ, donated in 1912 by Grace Church of Philadelphia. In 1918, the Trustee Reports note that Rev. Ven, Archdeacon Shepherd thought he could arrange for a cassock for the church, and Rev. Cox said there was a litany desk at St. John’s Church, as well as a surplice, that could be used by St. Mary’s. An article published in the May 1, 1936 Gazette newspaper noted that “St. Mary’s by-the-Sea, the new [sic] Stone Harbor Episcopal Church, has a very bright future because of the fact that many cottagers are interested in its welfare.”
Trustee Reports tell us that at the annual meeting on July 24, 1927, “there being a consensus of opinion that the church should build a rectory,” a Committee was formed to raise funds for the construction of a rectory and garage. “It was ordered that the lot adjoining the Church on 95th be purchased,” and said purchase price was not to exceed $1,000. Reports from 1928 indicate the funds had been raised, and in July of 1928, construction of the rectory was presumably complete, as a resolution was passed.
In 1947, the topic of turning St. Mary’s into a year-around parish was briefly discussed. Trustee notes from August, 1947 note that nine parish members along with the Rt. Rev. Alfred L. Banyard, Suffragan Bishop of New Jersey, suggested keeping St. Mary’s open all winter. It was eventually decided the church was not yet big enough, and the decision would be deferred until such time as there were “125 adult members.”
In 1951 at the annual meeting, the idea of turning St. Mary’s into a year-around parish was revisited. At that time, it was decided again that “this was impractical at present, so Bishop Banyard suggested the formation of a committee.”
In 1953, a petition containing 30 names was signed, and it was decided that a delegation would go to Trenton to discuss with the Bishop the creation of a year-round church.
Diane (Markle) Hanley recalls her grandmother, Elizabeth LoBue, whose family was one of the first to settle in Stone Harbor, was among those who made the trip to see the Bishop. Diane recalls her grandmother saying that when the Bishop expressed concerns that creating a year-round parish would be too expensive, Mrs. LoBue assured the Bishop she would do everything within her power to keep expenses down, including making choir robes herself and feeding the new rector.
In fact, Diane recalls that Higgons, first as a seminarian and later as St. Mary’s vicar, enjoyed many meals at their dinner table.
The Bishop decided the best solution, given budget restrictions, would be to have a lay- reader or seminarian conduct morning prayer, with a visiting priest once a month to celebrate the eucharist. Accordingly, a motion was passed to winterize the church by taking $2,000 from savings and installing a heater, chimney, and storm windows.
Discussion of the building of a new Parish Hall ensued in 1956, according to Minutes of the Dec. 3 Annual Meeting, conducted by newly-installed Higgons.
Even as physical improvements were being made, St. Mary’s was growing in stature as a church. Now a full-time, year-round mission parish, Fr. Higgons, at the request of various parish members, explained the requirements that St. Mary’s would have to meet in order to move from being a mission-level church to a regular parish.
At this juncture, Fr. Higgons received a call from another church in Bridgeton, and feeling that he had done as much for St. Mary’s as he could, he accepted that offer.
Accordingly, in 1959, The Rev. George Freifeld became rector of St. Mary’s.
The process to become a regular parish, under the guidance of Fr. Freifeld, was not concluded for a number of years. Although in 1964, a vote was passed at the annual meeting to apply to Trenton for a change of status from a mission to a parish, there apparently was some miscommunication between St. Mary’s and Bishop Banyard’s office. The application for regular parish standing was turned down, and the original application was withdrawn on April 12, 1964.
During the tenure of the Rev. Edward Sykes, the process of becoming a regular parish was completed; ultimately, a Certificate of Incorporation designating St. Mary’s as a regular parish was recorded in Cape May County Court House on January 24, 1967.
The advent of the 1970’s saw a whirlwind of activity at St. Mary’s Church. Further improvements to the church were made, in spite of the fact that times were difficult, and money was tight. In the words of Treasurer Robert Somes to Senior Warden Emil Bissig,
Though struggling to pay fuel and light bills, the Music Committee formed in 1968 began a search for a new organist/choir master, and plans were being made to raise funds for a new Moller pipe organ.
Financial struggles continued through the 1970’s, as mention is made of a decision against “soliciting funds from local businesses to defray our $3,000 deficit.” Late in 1975, Treasurer Don Brown reported, “As far as I can determine, no budget exists for the church. I recommend that a Finance Committee be appointed.” And thus began another mainstay committee which continues to support the church. The Finance Committee’s first edict was “We need an increase of 19.4 percent in church pledges and contributions to meet our 1976 budget.”
In November 1978, the Vestry accepted the resignation of Rev. Ronald A. Norton, and December Vestry Minutes note that “Rev. Paul Lengle will cover services until Rev. Perry Cox takes over as interim rector in the middle of January.”
It is interesting to make mention that prior to this point in time, new rectors were located and installed in a fairly quick process, generally based on a list of eligible candidates provided by the Diocese. In October 1979, Vestry Minutes note a report from the Search Committee of a second visit to interview and rate Rev. Wesley Martin of Belmar. “Mr. Martin is 48, his wife 49, and they have a 6-year-old son.” On January 11, 1980, a letter from Bishop Albert W. Van Duzer approved the call of Fr. Wesley Martin to St. Mary’s Church. One of the changes that Fr. Martin instituted was to combine Morning Prayer and Eucharist at the 10 AM worship service, in spite of protest from various parish members. The Vestry agreed that a trial period of one year be given … and so a new worship tradition was begun.
Also in the mid-1980’s, thanks to a donation from the Buckingham and Casper families, the rear narthex was constructed. Marlene Casper explained:
“In the spring of 1985, both our daughter and Audrey Buckingham’s were to be married at St. Mary’s. There was no rear narthex at that time, and we were concerned about rainy wedding days, so we decided to have one built. The sidewalk was very broken so we also decided to replace it, just the Monday before our daughter’s wedding. We removed the walkway Monday, and it rained Monday night, Tuesday, Wednesday and into Thursday. We finally were able to pour the cement Friday morning, and Stan and Warren spent the rest of Friday smoothing it out. Thankfully, the sun shone on both brides!”
As many changes as were made to worship practice, formation of new groups to support the church, and various additions to the physical structure of St. Mary’s, nothing impacted the appearance of the church interior so greatly as the installation of our incomparable stained glass windows.
The windows were dedicated on Aug. 26, 1990 by the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Robert A.K. Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury, during the tenure of Fr. Martin.
By the 1990’s, St. Mary’s had grown and thrived.
Concern over the Seven Mile Island population decrease was evident, with towns suffering losses of full-time residents ranging from 4.6 to 6.6 percent from the 1890’s to the 1990’s. In what would become the established pattern, there was a corresponding growth seen in residency “off-shore” in Cape May Court House and Middle Township.
In 1997, the Rev. John Sosnowski became rector of St. Mary’s Church. In the intervening years, many improvements have been made to the church building and grounds, thanks to the contribution of time, money and effort by many members of the parish. According to Fr. John:
Work began in earnest in 1997. Spearheaded by two dynamic Junior Wardens, Dave Kowalski and Franklin Lee, no job was too big for these skilled and dedicated craftsmen to accomplish or to supervise to completion.
The time and talent they have given over the years can’t be measured, and is certainly a gift beyond compare, and could not have been afforded without Dave and Franklin’s involvement. It began with a total renovation of the parish hall. Dividers that marked out rooms in the back of the hall were removed by “taking out the couple of screws that were holding them up,” according to Dave and Franklin. New classrooms were installed; a beautiful loft was built and is now used for our parish youth. New lighting, new carpeting, and an entirely new heating and air conditioning system were put in place.
Improvements were also made to the church, including new carpeting, painting of the interior, and rebuilding the old narthex because the weight of the bell on the roof was causing support beams of the roof to crack. New heating and air conditioning were also added to the church offices and chapel, along with new carpeting, paint and closet space.
In 2002, a columbarium, long a dream of Dr. Rosabel Koss, was designed and installed by Dave and Franklin.