Wednesday, November 20, 2019

St Bartholomew's

After the boisterous ambience of Virlie's Grill and some local lunch fare (a pork loin sandwich with red potato home fries and sweet ice tea), a sunny late-autumn day invites a stroll about town. I stop at St Bart's Church. Whispers of history enliven my brief respite in the churchyard. Soundless autumn serenity behind sagging churchyard walls and weathered gateposts encourages a mind's eye excursion into local history.

I give thought to motives of the Colonial Assembly in New Bern, North Carolina as they establish Chatham County and St Bartholomew's Parisch in 1770. Amid chaos of the Revolutionary War from 1775-1783 colonists break with the Church of England and lay foundations for the Protestant Episcopal Church of America. In 1832 the Pittsboro congregation sets the cornerstone of St Bartholomew's Church. Over the years many notables of American history not only worship within the hallowed church nave, but also find eternal rest in the serenity of the churchyard.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Autumn Serenity
(St Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

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