St. John's is known for the beauty of the works of religious art and architectural design which adorn its interior. Many of these designs reflect the English Gothic style, a feature which lends to the subtle serenity which prevails. The central feature of the church is the High Altar and Reredos located at the head of the center aisle. Situated in the south transcept is the chapel of All Saints, with its unique altar and brilliant stained glass windows. At the foot of the center aisle lies the baptistry, with a magnificent window, distinguished font, and figure of King Arthur. Adjacent to the baptistry is the Chapel of Innocents, with a small scale altar, two stained glass windows, and a mural of the Children's Crusade. Two rows of stained glass windows flank the Nave of the church. Those on the north side depict major events in the life of Jesus, and those on the south, the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
High Altar and Reredos: Ralph Adams Cram, architect of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, and consulting architect of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., designed both the High Altar and Reredos.
The altar is adorned with three great squares of conventionalized rose trees, symbolic of the mystical body and blood of Christ, and the grapevine and wheat, also symbolic of the Holy Sacrament.
The border of the tabernacle is ornamented with the passion flower, symbolic of our Lord's suffering on earth. The door is constructed of gilded chased bronze, and displays a vessica form, an early symbol of the Christian religion. This form in itself contains the cross. On the upper side of the horizontal arms of the cross appear two lamps indicative of life and light. Suspended from the arm on the left hangs the “A” Alpha, or beginning, and on the right the “O” Omega, the ending. These symbols signify the presence of beauty and riches, light and life in the cross; additionally the cross represents the beginning and end of salvation. This design bears a resemblance to a cross found in the catacomb of St. Pontiatus in Rome where a decoration known as the Rose of Sharon is displayed on either side. This symbolic foliage and flower is used also in the four corners of the door. The vessica around the cross is ornamented with a band of lettering of which the quotation is “I am the Bread of Life. He that cometh to Me shall never hunger.”
The Reredos, which is the background for the Altar is decorated with the grapevine and is relieved by five vertical divisions containing niches and canopies. Within these structures are placed sculptured representations of the Prophets and Saints. The great central motif is the cross, the four ends of which are decorated with the symbols of the Evangelists. The symbol on the left hand of the horizontal of the cross is that of St. Matthew, represented by an angel. At the top of the cross, St. Mark, by the winged lion, at the right side, St. Luke, by the winged ox, and the base of the cross, St. John, by an eagle. On the front of the cross is a regnant figure of our Lord, vested in the alb, stole, cope, and with a crown indicating our Lord's royal dignity as “Christus Rex” - Christ the King and Great High Priest of the church. Over the figure of our Lord is a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Under the molding of the base upon which the figure stands is a representation of a serpent and skull symbolic of our Lord's triumph over evil and death.
The four figures located in the base of the Reredos all prophesied the coming Messiah. Beginning on the left are the two Prophets, Issiah and Micah, both holding the Sacred Writings; on the right of the central niche which contains the altar cross is David, King of Israel, known lover of music and author of the Psalms. On the far right is John the Baptist, featured with the Lamb of God in his left hand and in his right the sea shell represents the water of baptism. In the central and second tier, the figure on the far left is St. Peter with the Books and Keys to the Gate of Heaven; on the extreme right, St. Paul with the Book and Sword, the symbol of martydom. On the left of the great central cross is the figure of Our Lady standing on a pedestal decorated with the symbol of the Annunciation, the lily. On the right of the central figure is St. John the Divine, whose symbol, the chalice and serpent is depicted. In the topmost niches are the figures of the two Archangels; on the left is St. Michael in armor and with sword, as he is the guardian of the Holy Sacrament. On the right is the figure of St. Gabriel with the lilies and a trumpet.
The paneling around the sanctuary is conceived in the spirit of the transition period of church woodwork as found in England at the time of the early Renaissance. On the gospel side of the sanctuary is the Bishop's stall of carved oak. The paneled back of the seat portrays the shield of the Bishops of Erie. A matching prie-dieu is provided for the seat, balancing the traditional clergy sedilia and prie-dieu on the epistle side. Additional to the needlepoint cushion on the Bishop's seat, others made by several parishioners of the church were recently added. In the frieze of the paneling is a series of shields which display carved and colored symbols of Christ's passion and are as follows: beginning on the left, the seamless garment, the dice, and over the Bishop's chair in the cresting, a Bishop's mitre. At the right of the choir, the first shield contains the lantern, then respectively, the chalice, the scourges, the three nails, the hammer and the pincers. At the right of the Reredos, the first shield bears the chicken that crowed at dawn, next the crown of thorns, the pillar and rope, the spear and the sponge. Over the clergy sedilia, in the foliage appears the thistle, the fleur-de-lis and rose, the first and latter being symbolic of the branches of the Anglican church in England and Scotland, while the fleur-de-lis symbolizes the unbroken succession of orders through the church in Gaul from Apostolic times. Lastly, to the right of the sedilia on the first shield is the Cross.
The Sanctuary is separated by the communion rail of quartered oak, which harmonizes with the paneling of the walls. The floor is covered with gray Tennessee marble borders and steps. The intervening spaces are decorated with the placing of squares of violet Brescia marble in which are placed diagonally, squares of red Levants marble. This marble is bordered by green and sienna marble. The altar is elevated over the level of the sanctuary by three steps to the predella.
Chapel of All Saints: This beautiful chapel, located in the south transept of the church, is noted for its vivid triptych painting above the altar depicting the saints worshipping the Lord in Glory. The carved altar is adorned by a polychromed Celtic cross and candle holders. Four large stained glass windows depict from left to right, Ruth, the Annunciation, St. John and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Esther. A carved oak screen divides the chapel from the Nave of the church yet permits the chapel to be used for overflow seating. Polychromed coats of arms, applied to the cornice of the chapel, tell the story of the descent of the parish from its sources, the Anglican churches of England and Scotland and the Diocese of Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh. The chapel was installed during the major revision of the building in 1930, and was decorated by the Rambusch Studios of New York City. This chapel provides an intimate setting for those who attend Thursday morning Eucharist or Holy Day Services. The chapel is also an ideal setting for smaller weddings.
Baptistry and Chapel of the Holy Innocents: The most striking feature of the Baptistry is the 20' x 10' stained glass window depicting the baptism of Christ. The baptismal font is of honed Botticino marble with a cover of wrought bronze. A polychromed figure of King Arthur, in full regalia as a knight of the Holy Grail is mounted on the wall adjacent to the font. Exemplifying the “faithful soldier and servant of Christ” referred to in the baptismal service, the wooden figure was carved by the renown woodcutters of Oberammergau.
The chapel of the Holy Innocents is designed on a child's scale. The carved oak altar is surmounted by candle holders and crucifix of burnished Allegheny metal. Two stained glass windows, depicting St. Christopher and Ste. Jeanne d'Arc, are set in the wall to the left of the altar. Opposite these windows, on the wall between the chapel and Nave of the church, is a mural by Theodore Mueller depicting the Children's Crusade from its origin in Europe to its end in shipwreck and the slave market. The child-size pews are ornamented with allegorical carvings. The Baptistry and Chapel were also installed during the alteration of the building in 1930 and were as well decorated by the Rambusch Studios.
Windows: The Ascension window is found in the north transcept of the church. This large, three-lancet window depicts the Ascension of Christ, witnessed by a throng of awe-stricken disciples. C. J. Connick, “dean of stained and leaded glass in the United States,” designed this window. Also, creator of the rose window of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, he designed noted windows in other major churches throughout the United States and Europe.
Additionally, two other three-lancet windows in the north wall of the Nave depict the Resurrection and the Transfiguration of Christ, with associated Old and New Testament figures. These windows were installed in 1951 and 1962, respectively.
Opposite them, in the south wall of the Nave, are two, two-element windows depicting the four evangelists. The eastward window shows St. Matthew on the left, and St. Mark, on the right, with appropriate scenes from the New Testament above, and from the Old Testament, below, the central figures. It was installed in 1947.
The westward window follows a similar pattern, depicting St. Luke in the old left lancet, and St. John in the right. Again, prefigurations from the New and Old Testaments are displayed above and below the central figures. In several respects this window is of special importance. The installation of this window in 1964 marked the completion of the window program which had begun with the Ascension window. Rather than a memorial for a specific person, this particular window was given “to commemorate the common heritage, close interest and lasting friendship between the peoples of the United States and Great Britain.” The dedication by the Reverend Patrick Ashton, Domestic Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, took place in the presence of the British Consol-General, Sir Alastair Maitland, and other visitors from England, New York City and Pittsburgh.
Taken together, the stained glass windows greatly enhance the beauty of St. John's Church. Each contains medallions symbolic of the life of the donor and the associated history of the area. These identifications are mounted in delicate stone tracery to insure their permanence. Recently, the windows have been covered on the outside by fitted sheets of rigid clear plastic to protect them from weathering and vandalism, as well as to conserve a substantial amount of energy. This covering, however, does not detract in any way from the beauty of the windows, as viewed from either the inside or the outside of the church. With the exception of the Ascension window by Connick, all were designed by the Rambusch Studios. The Reed Window behind the organ, was installed in 1894, making it the oldest of our stained glass windows. It was dedicated in memory of Belinda and Susie Reed.
The Maslin Window is the triangular window on the north side of the roof of the Nave and was given in memory of Robert Ledwith Maslin by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Maslin. The triangular window on the south side of the roof of the Nave is the Snyder Window, given by Gertrude Snyder in memory of her husband, Dr. Wilson Snyder.
Flags: The four flags mounted in the north transcept above the Ascension window bear an interesting significance to St. John's. These colorfully mounted flags are representative of the four countries of the British Isles. Left to right accordingly the exhibit: St. David - Patron Saint of Wales, St. Patrick - Patron Saint of Ireland, St. George - Patron Saint of England, and St. Andrew - Patron Saint of Scotland. Below the flags and to the right hangs a tapestry and needlepoint banner depicting the significance of St. John's Church in relationship to the surrounding community.
Carillon: In 1969, a 35-bell carillon was installed in a tower located above the clavier room, adjacent to the organ. The carillon was designed and fabricated by the Eisjabouts Co., of Asten, Holland, and installed by Schulmerich, of Sellersville, Pa. The total weight of the bells is approximately 8,000 pounds, ranging from 1,411 pounds for the boudon bell to 33 pounds for the smallest. The bells are cast from “bell-bronze”, with decorative friezes and inscriptions. In addition to the clavier, the bells can be sounded by a programmable console. Normally, they are programmed to sound the “Westminster Chimes” at the quarter-hours, and to strike the hours. Donors of the carillon were former Sharon resident and Pittsburgh financier George Henderson, and his wife, the former Cassandra Mellon.
The mission statement of St. John’s is to worship God, to seek to put Him first in our lives, to learn His Holy Word and to trust in His son Jesus Christ. We serve God by sharing this love and faith with others through prayer, ministry, teaching, fellowship and outreach according to His will.
We believe in and embrace all of the classical statements of faith as contained in and maintained by the historical creeds of the Church. An excellent outline of our faith may be found in the Catechism in our Prayer Book, pp. 845-862.
We believe that the full Christian experience is one that is both biblical and sacramental, and is both personal and corporate.
The use of the Bible is a prominent part of each service. About 80 percent of the Prayer Book is taken directly from the Scriptures and most of the rest contains biblical references or actual phrases. Bible study classes are a regular part of our Christian Education, and members are encouraged to devote at least a small portion of each day to the reading and study of God’s Word.
Sacraments are outward and visible signs and assurances of the inward spiritual grace given to us by Christ, and are essential to the Christian life. Our two principal sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist; both of which have a tradition which goes back to our Lord Himself.
We believe that the Christian faith requires a personal response to our God by the acknowledgment of belief in His Son as our Lord, and by trusting Him alone for our salvation.
At the same time, this personal experience of Christ as Lord must be nurtured if it is to grow, so we therefore come together weekly to worship as corporate members of His Body. We hear His Word proclaimed, we pray for our needs and the needs of others, and we receive His Grace through participation in His sacraments. In corporate worship then, we find the power for individual daily living.
Whether you are a lifelong Christian or just beginning to walk with God, there is a place for you at St. John’s. We welcome you and invite you to join with us as we grow in His Grace.
Any person wishing to become a member of the fellowship of St. John’s should contact the rector.
Those persons who are already Episcopalians are requested to contact the office if they wish to transfer membership to St. John’s.
226 West State Street • Sharon, Pennsylvania 16146 • 724-347-4501