Sunday, August 17, 2008, marked the 50th anniversary of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church.
"It is an honor to be with you today to mark 50 years of ministry,"
said the Right Reverend Robert Fitzpatrick, bishop of the Episcopal
Church's Hawaii diocese.
Fitzpatrick was the guest preacher at Sunday's anniversary mass, which
was attended by the congregation of St. John's, as well as the
congregations of Guam's other Episcopal churches -- St. Andrew's of the
Philippine Sea and St. Michael and All Angels.
Fitzpatrick likened the church's history over the last 50 years to being in a large, open family.
"Our tradition is 'Come on in.' It doesn't matter how much money you
have or don't have," said Fitzpatrick. "We're not going to leave you
outside because of the color of your skin, or if you're gay or you're
straight-- this is a place where you can belong."
In addition to celebrating the legacy of St. John's, Fitzpatrick extended a challenge to the congregation to look to the future.
"You and I have a challenge," said Fitzpatrick. "A challenge not to
come to church Sunday morning to be comfortable and refreshed, but to
come to church to be renewed and excited. You and I belong to a god of
love and that's what we need to share."
Fitzpatrick asked members of the congregation to look down at their
hands and ask themselves: "Have your hands been the hands of God? Have
your lips invited anyone to church in the last month? Have your lips
cried out for love and justice in the past year?"
Glenn Chapin, acting headmaster of St. John's Episcopal School, attended the anniversary Mass.
"I'm really excited to see the success of the church and the challenges
it's faced over the years," Chapin said. "Resiliency is part of island
culture -- it is really powerful."
Chapin, who arrived in Guam last month from Austin, Texas, to serve as
headmaster, said he will be officially "installed" Tuesday.
Vicar Ben Helmer said the church has come a long way from its humble beginnings.
"Originally, when the church was founded in 1958, there were no real
buildings to occupy, because everything was destroyed during the
liberation," said Helmer. "The church bought three Quonset huts, which
it bought from the Navy for one dollar."
Helmer said that it only cost the church $10 to have the structures moved to the present sight.
Vicar Helmer said in the early 1960s, the church built a parish hall
and began holding Mass there, at which point the church decided to use
the old Quonset huts to establish the school, which was officially
founded in 1963.
(Originally from the Guam PDN - August 18, 2008 - Report by Beau Hodai, photo of Rev. Fitzpatrick holding the chalice - by Arthur Abuda for Pacific Daily News. Photos of church - outside and inside - property of St. John's School and Church.)
The PTA sponsored a "Merienda" gathering to meet the new headmaster, Glenn Chapin, and his family. Parents, students, faculty and staff attended the event at the parish hall on Tuesday, August 19, 2008. Rev. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of the Episocpal Church in Hawaii, was also at the celebration. Click here to visit the online album with all the photos from the event.
Pictured below: (L-R) Mrs. Alice Chapin, Mr. Glenn Chapin, Mrs. Edna Jasa and her children: Angelo, Ysabel, and Paolo.
Pictured below: (L-R) Ms. Karen Gayle (Trustee), Mrs. Alice Chapin, Mr. Glenn Chapin, and Mr. Jake Woo (Trustee)
Pictured below: Happy, smiling faces of some of the PTA parent volunteers who helped make the Merienda event possible: (L-R) Kathy Alegria, Denise Mathews, Terry Freeman, and Sunny Suhr.
Pictured below: (L-R) Mr. James Moore and Rev. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Hawaii.
Rita Pangelinan, PTA Vice-President (3rd from Left), with her two daughters (Mia - class of 2008 and Gabriella - class of 2014) and mother...
The youngest guests enjoying the refreshments...
Mr. James Moore with Mrs. Rita Pangelinan, Mrs. Ludy Ko (PTA President) and Mia Pangelinan (SJS Class of 2008)
Bishop Fitzpatrick from the Episcopal Church of Hawaii visited St. John's School last week for the formal installation of Mr. Glenn Chapin as Head of School (pictured below)
and the 50th Year Anniversary Celebration of the Church of St. John the
Divine. The installation of Mr. Chapin was attended by all students,
faculty and staff in an "all-school chapel" gathering (August 19, 2008).
Congratulations to students, parents, faculty, and staff for a successful first week of school!
I’ve enjoyed meeting so many in the SJS community this week and wish to express my thanks for the warmth and hospitality my family and I have received since arriving on the Island.
By all measures we are off to a great start. Enrollment is strong at 550 students, the same as we ended the 2007-2008 school year.
We are expanding our music and choral programs and increasing our Library hours to better serve student needs. We continue to be open to all suggestions as to how we can make St. John’s School the superlative educational experience on Guam.
With great excitement we look forward to the opening of "Coffees & Cream", our new Snack Shack, on Monday, August 11, offering a range of delicious snacks and beverages to suit your tastes.
It’s not too early to remind you about the following:
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT for grades K-12th on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 6:00 P.M.
After-School Care Program
Pre-K – 2ND grade will be supervised by Mrs. Johnson in the LRC.
3rd – 5th grade will be supervised by Ms. Cepeda on Mon., Tues., Wed., in LRC and Mr. Maiquez on Thur., and Friday in room 36 (Linux Lab).
All After-School Care Program participants should meet in front of the LRC no earlier than 3:45 P.M.
All children attending the After School Care Program will be assessed a fee of $5.00 per hour. After-School Program hours are 4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
Sunday, August 17, 2008, marked the 50th anniversary of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church.
Glenn Chapin, acting headmaster of St. John's Episcopal School, attended the anniversary Mass.
"Originally, when the church was founded in 1958, there were no real
buildings to occupy, because everything was destroyed during the
liberation," said Helmer. "The church bought three Quonset huts, which
it bought from the Navy for one dollar."
