A Brief History of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary, Albuquerque, New Mexico
St. Mary’s is unique in that it is a relatively new parish, with a congregation comprised of members of two former parishes that no longer exist. Both of these congregations were traditional, conservative, and Anglo-Catholic, and one in particular was quite high church. St. Mary’s has maintained the same conservative stance since it was formed in 1989, and in fact, it has become a refuge for Episcopalians from other parishes in town that have taken a more liberal attitude regarding sexual behavior and church leadership. St. Mary’s is one of only two parishes in Albuquerque and one of only a few churches in the diocese that utilize vergers in an official capacity.
St. Matthew’s, the older of the two parishes, maintained a much more stable membership than St. Aidan’s. Its members were generally older and remained in the parish, and its liturgical style was High Church. Because of its proximity to Kirtland Air Force Base, St. Aidan’s served a number of military families, and for this reason its membership was more transitory. The liturgical style of St. Aidan’s was more moderate than that of St. Matthew’s, and the membership grew tremendously during the 1960s and early 1970s.
When the two parishes were combined by Bishop Kelshaw in 1989, there was some dissension, as the two congregations found it difficult to shed their individual identities and come together as a separate and distinct congregation. St. Matthew’s was forced to relinquish its building, as it found itself in the position of not being able to expand in the location it occupied at that time. St. Aidan’s was without a Rector at that time, and the Rector of St. Matthew’s, the Rev. Thomas Wand, became the first Rector of St. Mary’s, remaining there for about a year during the consolidation period. During the next two years, while under the direction of an Interim Rector, St. Mary’s developed a parish profile, and a new Rector was called.
St. Mary’s struggled as its own parish for several years, having five rectors or interim rectors during the 15 years since its formation. It was during the tenure of the Rev. Robert Nagiel (from 1998 through 2006) that it began to flourish and develop its own identity. More than one-half of the current members of St. Mary’s were not members of either St. Aidan’s or St. Matthew’s.
Below is a brief history of the physical building (originally St. Aidan’s) and the clergy that have served St. Mary’s.
The main church itself was constructed in 1965, with the Rev. Albert Tarbell (formerly of St. John’s Cathedral) negotiating the purchase of the land and the construction of the building.
The education wing was added in 1968.
The parish hall, library, music room, and the offices were added in 1987.
On August 14, 1989, under the direction of Bishop Kelshaw, St. Aidan’s merged with St. Matthew’s to become St. Mary’s, and the new parish took root in the building that had been St. Aidan’s.
The clergy that have served St. Mary’s from 1989 are included in the list of clergy (below).
Church membership and lay participation have fluctuated during the past 15 years, and it has been during the past few years that both have increased steadily. St. Mary’s has established its identity within the diocese, and with that will come not only increased membership but also increased lay leadership across all ministries.
St. Aidan’s originated September, 1961.
First service in church on Chelwood Avenue: December, 1965.
Parish hall and offices addition: September, 1987.
Merger of St. Aidan’s and St. Matthew’s: August, 1989.
Written by the Rev. Patricia Soukup
On June 2, 2010 St. Mary's was officially enrolled as a Stephen Ministry parish. This followed four months of discernment by Fr. Jim and the Vestry as to where the Lord was leading the parish in responding to our pastoral needs. Information about Stephen Ministries, based in Saint Louis, Missouri can be found on the Ministries Page of this website, and on the Related Links page. In July Mary Stearns attended the Leadership Training Course in Dallas, Texas to join Fr. Jim as a Stephen Leader for the parish. Dale Buchanan, Connie Burgner, Jonny Cronican, Norman Dowdy, Nancy House, Jeannine Hunter, Rosalie Rice, and Joyce Tripp were the first eight Stephen Ministers in the history of St. Mary's and they were commissioned on Sunday, December 12, 2010 after fifty hours of training by Mary and Fr. Jim.
Clergy of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary
The Rev. John L. Whitsell: 9/61 – 12/63 (1st Vicar of St. Aiden's)
The Rev. Albert W. Tarbell: 2/64 – 7/78 (2nd Vicar and, on August 7, 1967, 1st Rector of St. Aiden's)
Supply Clergy: 8/78 – 11/78
The Rev. Layton P. Zimmer: 12/78 – 7/88 (2nd Rector of St. Aidan's)
Supply Clergy: 8/88 – 7/89
The Rev. Thomas C. Wand: 8/89 – 12/90 (Last Rector of St. Matthew's and 1st Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary)
The Rev. Carl Gockley (Interim): 12/90 – 8/92
The Rev. David Clark: 9/92 – 12/95 (2nd Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary)
The Rev. Richard J. Anderson (Interim): 1/96 – 3/98
The Rev. Robert J. Nagiel: 4/98 – 12/06 (3rd Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary)
The Rev. Gary Meade (Interim): 1/07 – 11/07
The Rev. James W. Hunter: 1/08 - Present (4th Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Mary)