The Genesee Chorale presents its annual Christmas concert at 2 p.m. on Saturday at St. James Episcopal Church, 405 E. Main St., Batavia, featuring baritone Joseph Finetti.
Finetti is featured in the performance of "Fantasia on Christmas Carols," composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The chorale will also perform "Magnificat" by Taylor Scott Davis.
Tickets are $10.
Performing artist Annette Daniels Taylor had planned to review the life that Adeline “Addy” Barbara most likely endured for her 46 years in captivity as a slave in Batavia, but that wasn’t the focus of Monday morning's Juneteenth memorial service, so she turned to a poem titled “Dreaming.”
The piece journeyed back into memories of tall trees, running barefoot, glistening cocoa-brown skin under the hot sun, smiling teeth, beautiful souls, and dancing with one another.
“We danced to drums of waterfalls, drums of hoofbeats, drums of heartbeats, drums of rain storms, drums of drought, drums of baby's breath, drums of aching souls, drums of flying feet, drums of running legs,” Taylor said at the Historic Batavia Cemetery. “Drums without shame, drums without whips, drums without cuffs, drums without ropes, drums without branding irons, I still hear them beating, but only in my dreams, dreams of freedom.”
Addy’s last name was Barbara, though she belonged to the Rev. Lucius Smith, an Episcopal priest who owned her as a member of his family. She was a slave from the tender age of four until she died in 1857 at age 50. The memorial service was to honor and dignify her life for those 46 years in between.
The Rev. Shiela Campbell McCullough performed a memorial service and dramatic reading, proclaiming Addy “free at last.” Way down yonder, in the graveyard walk, I’m gonna meet with my God, and we’re gonna have a talk, she said. “I’m free at last, I’m free at last.”
“Thank God almighty, I’m free at last. And in the words of Harriet Tubman, I’d rather be dead and in the grave than be a slave,” McCullough boldly said in Addy’s spirit. “I’m free at last.”
“Her marker reads Addy for 46 years, the faithful colored servant of the Reverend Lucius Smith and family, died Jan. 28, 1857 … This means that Addy began her burden for the Smith family at the age of four; this is Lucius Smith's marker, very symbolic, as you can see, even in death — even in death — her slave master overlooks her,” McCullough said. “The word servant and this X on her marker, connotes the idea that Addy had a choice. The word servant is an exchange of a kind or pleasant word that is being substituted for an explicit or offensive word. In this context, the use of the word servant camouflages the truth that Addy was indeed a slave. She was the slave of the Episcopal priest, Reverend Lucius Smith. And she was burdened with the lifelong responsibility of sacrificing her own humanity for the benefit of another person.
“The word servant downplays the psychological burden of surrendering one's humanity. So today, as a community, we gather, acknowledging the truth of Addy’s condition. Addy was not a servant, she was a slave,” McCullough said. “We join hands and hearts today to remove the veneer and allow the truth to take its rightful place. Addy was a slave.”
Batavia’s St. James Episcopal and First Presbyterian churches had established plots in the cemetery since 1823, which is why Lucius Smith and his family were buried there. The Rev. Deacon Diana Leiker spoke on behalf of St. James to assure folks that the Episcopal Church is righting those wrongs of the past.
“The church as a whole is working very, very hard with our black brothers and sisters to learn more, to be open to what we did, to help people to heal. We are recognizing all of the despicable, tragic things that were done on behalf of the church or with the church being complicit in letting things happen,” Leiker said. “So we just want you to know that this is wonderful. We had no idea that Lucius Smith owned someone. So we're really thankful that this was being brought to light. And we just want you to know we are doing a lot of hard work nationally.”
Rev. Roula Alkhouri, of Batavia First Presbyterian Church, was one of the organizers of the special Juneteenth event. It came about from McCullough’s pain that bubbled up after learning about Addy. It raised questions of how to move on yet not ignore an important piece of the past.
“What do we do with this pain? What do we do with this history? And so we've been talking and praying and thinking, and so that's kind of like, okay, Juneteenth is coming up, can we celebrate her humanity? Can we look at the story and reclaim it in a different way? And so that's what brought it together for us,” Alkhouri said. “And then we talked, we connected with (Batavia Cemetery Association President) Sharon Burkel, and said, Can we do this? And she said, Absolutely.
“I feel like always, whenever we bring up the hard parts of our lives or our history, it brings healing. You know, it's like, people don't want to talk about the painful stuff. But if you don't, you'd never heal," Alkhouri said. "And if you don't honor the lives of people who suffered, then it gets repeated in different forms. But it does, always, I mean, you see it in families the same way, not just the nation. So we're hoping to be part of that healing for the nation.”
A monetary gift will be used to add another inscription on Addy’s headstone. This will help to tell “a different side of the story and reclaim her humanity and her being created in the image of God,” Alkhouri said.
Press release:
The Blessing box is “blessed” to celebrate two years of serving the community of Batavia. Many thanks to the volunteers who shop and stock the Blessing Box, our food drives, and the generous donations from churches, and the community.
Huge thanks to The Red Osier Restaurant for the Christmas food drive again this year and to Tompkins Bank for their generous donation. And to The Batavian for their e-news support.
Submitted photo.
The Genesee Chorale performs its annual holiday concert -- From Star to Star -- at 4 p.m. on Saturday at St. James Episcopal Church.
Ric Jones is the director. Janine Fagnan is the associate conductor, and Doug Hanson is the accompanist.
Tickets are $10 and are available at the door or at www.geneseechorale.com/box-office.
St. James is located at 405 East Main St., Batavia.
Photos by Howard Owens.
The ladies of St. James Episcopal Church have been busy baking cookies to sell on Friday to benefit Ukraine. The sale at the church runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- or until the cookies are all gone.
Submitted photo and information.
Press release:
Behind St. James Episcopal Church there is a small shop that offers so much for very little. The shop opened in 2000 and was started by Jenett Dadlani. Twenty-two years later it is still going strong because of some dedicated volunteers.
The shop is open on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is divided into 4 rooms. The main room has housewares, home goods, furniture, clothing, jewelry and sports accessories. There is a room dedicated to everything Christmas, a room for books, and a room that will outfit all your needs for babies and children.
The shop accepts donations, however, not electronics (TVs, computers, printers, etc.). Profits are used for many of St. James Church’s missions that provide help for the needy; including the “Blessings Box” located in front of the church on Main Street.
There will be some special sales in September. On Thursday, September 1st all items in the Christmas room are half price, then on Thursday, September 15th everything in the shop will be half price. There is something for everyone and it is well worth a look!
St. James is located at 405 East Main St., Batavia.
Submitted photos
Press release:
St. James Episcopal Church announced that the Annual Basket Raffle will be held this Friday, November 19, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday, November 20, from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the church, 405 East Main Street, Batavia. Admission is free; masks are required.
Basket items include handmade quilts, a “green salad”, sweet and savory treats, seasonal décor, baby items, family movie night, Warhammer figurines, Boyd’s bears, Vera Bradley, Christmas wrappings and more! What a fun way to do some of your holiday shopping! Tickets will be on sale throughout the two days. Social distancing will be maintained and no seating will be provided. Drawings will be done at the conclusion of the event and winners called/texted to pick up their baskets Saturday afternoon.
Dorian Ely, one of the organizers, said, “Like other organizations, we have had to cancel many planned events over the last year, but we are excited to offer this opportunity for the community to show their support of our historic church by purchasing basket raffle tickets.”
The church is holding a pie sale in conjunction with this event. The number of pre-order pies has been wonderful this year, so very few are still available. You may still text 585-356-5359 to check on availability until noon on Friday, but after that, you will need to come to the church during the basket raffle to ask if there are any apple or pumpkin pies still available. At $9 for a 9” homemade pie, there is no better deal in town.
Press release:
Press release:
Saint James Episcopal Church, 405 E. Main Street is selling nine-inch apple and pumpkin pies for $9 each. Available options are apple unbaked frozen, apple ready to eat, pumpkin baked frozen, pumpkin ready to eat. Pick up at the church's Pie Sale and Basket Raffle on Friday, November 19, 4-6 pm, or Saturday, November 20, 10 am-12 pm. You are encouraged to pre-order by calling or texting 585-356-5359. A limited number will be available if you forget to pre-order.
Glenn Adams, of Bethany, produced this video of Sunday's "A Field of Thanks" ceremony at St. James Episcopal Church.
Previously:
Dozens of flags in a "Field of Thanks," honoring those who served our community during the pandemic as well as military veterans, has been installed in front of the St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia.
On Sunday, there was an opening ceremony for the field of flags, which will be on display and open to self-guided tours until June 13 at 5 p.m., when there will be a closing ceremony.
Each flag is accompanied by a plaque depicting the story of an essential worker, law enforcement officer, other first responders, and armed forces members.
Visitors during those hours will also be able to stop by a staffed information table where a map will help them find familiar names of locals from World War I through the present.
Net proceeds will be divided between two nonprofits: WNY Heroes and Meals on Wheels.
St. James Episcopal Church will host a Blessing of the Animals at 10 a.m., Saturday. All pets are welcome.
The event will be held on the church's front lawn. All pets must be leashed or in a cage. If you can't bring your pet, you are encouraged to bring a picture.
Diane Cox wrote this about the event:
A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets. This custom is conducted in remembrance of Saint Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.
Francis, whose feast day is celebrated in October loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey.
For single householders, a pet (aka furbaby) can be a true companion. Many people arrive home from work to find their furbaby overjoyed at their return. Many a senior has a lap filled with a purring fellow creature.
Our furbabies are family: we love them, we talk to them, you can purchase health insurance for them, we now have human choices in veterinarian health care, pet therapy; we grieve for when they cross the rainbow bridge, and we can choose for them to be laid to rest with us.
The bond between person and furbaby is like no other relationship because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love.
The 23rd annual Lenten Fish Fry will be held each Friday beginning March 3 and running through April 7 at St. James Episcopal Church. It is located at 405 E. Main St. in Batavia.
Choose baked or fried fish, French fries or baked potato, coleslaw or apple sauce, and enjoy homemade desserts.
Cost is $9 fish fry; $4 for dessert; $1 per beverage.
Take-outs available starting at 4:30; Eat-in starting at 5 p.m.
St. James congregants are especially pleased to welcome St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Le Roy and St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Stafford as their partners.
All are welcome!
Local musicians Rich Conroy and Don Bouchard, as "No Blarney," performed a show of new and traditional Irish music Friday evening at St. James as a fundraiser for the Holland Land Office Museum.
Copyright © 2008-2022 The Batavian. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
