The History of Grace Episcopal Church in Westwood

The story of Grace Church makes us who we are today. Our past is part of a continuing story of growth and change, important both for those who shaped that past, those who were shaped by it and remain in our family, and for the people who found a home as a result of their efforts and vision. It says much about our current witness, the character of both our diversity and unity, and likely offers some insight to our future.

On December 1, 1904, a group of ten dedicated young men and women met to request the establishment of an Episcopal Church mission in Westwood and to pledge themselves and their support in this spiritual venture.

In 1905, the Rt. Rev. Edwin S. Lines, Third Bishop of Newark, formally established Grace Church as a mission of the Diocese of Newark. At the first annual meeting in December 1906, the mission agreed to purchase a plot of land which led to the acquisition of the present site. In 1909, construction began on a small brick chapel which remains the core of the building we know today and was completed in 1910.

On May 19, 1925, Grace Church was accepted as a self-supporting parish of the diocese, and the Rev. Laurence A. C. Pitcaithly, who insisted on being addressed as “Mr.” (contrary to the church’s subsequent Catholic tendencies), became its first rector. Mr. Pitcaithly is credited with providing important financial assistance to Grace Church during the Great Depression by traveling no small distance each Sunday to lead services in another church. He remained a faithful and abiding pastor until he was forced to retire due to illness in June of 1949. In August of 1949, the Rev. George H. Palmer became the second rector of the parish. Against the background of the post-war baby boom and burgeoning suburban populations, Father Palmer led Grace Church to a deeper service not only to the parish and the diocese but to the community as well.

Youthful himself, he involved youth in the services of the Church, and he in turn served the community in the affairs of youth. In 1956, the nave of the church was enlarged to accommodate the increasing size of the congregation, which had overflowed into the narthex, the sacristy, and even, on occasion, the kitchen and parish hall. The parish was saddened by the sudden and untimely death of Father Palmer in 1963. In recognition of his remarkable work in the field of interfaith understanding and cooperation, in the year of his death he was posthumously named Man of the Year by the Pascack Valley B’nai Brith.

The Rev. Thomas M. Foster accepted the call to be third Rector of Grace Church in November 1963. Grace Church flourished under the leadership of Father Foster, as he skillfully guided the parish through the shoals of liturgical change that marked the later 1960’s and early 1970’s in the Episcopal Church. He maintained that the celebration of the Holy Eucharist was the principal act of worship in the Church, and that it should be celebrated at all Sunday services.

The trial liturgy and more modern church music were other features of Grace Church’s liturgical life while he was Rector. Father Foster is noted particularly for his commitment to youth privately, in the church, and in the community at large. He and his wife were the parents of many adopted children.

Father Foster, who was known for his pastoral warmth, left Grace Church in 1972 to become Rector of St. Paul’s Church in Modesto, California.

On May 6, 1973, the Rt. Rev. George E. Rath, Bishop Coadjutor, instituted the Rev. Edward W. Schmidt as the fourth Rector of Grace Church. Father Schmidt led his flock with gusto, and during his five-year tenure made a number of important contributions to liturgical practices and, in concert with these liturgical changes, to the church building. “The Lord deserves the very best we can offer him,” Father Schmidt often said, and the refinements he made as Rector served to underscore his commitment in that regard.

Much of the parish’s current liturgical style can be credited to Father Schmidt. He restored a number of services and practices, among them the procession to and watch before the Altar of Repose from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, full Good Friday and Easter Vigil liturgies, the great celebration of Corpus Christi, and the use of incense and bells at the Eucharist.

He undertook a complete rearrangement of the chancel and sanctuary areas to their current configuration, with the beautiful choir screen and altar with its splendid tabernacle. As a result, the altar is closer to the people, and the choir is in a better position to be heard as it leads the musical portions of the services. Other enhancements Father Schmidt made included the addition of a Lady Chapel and the fourteen carved Stations of the Cross. He also led a fund drive for the purchase of a new pipe organ.

In 1978, Father Schmidt was called to serve as a Benedictine monk, and the following year he became the Chaplain at the Convent in Catonsville, Maryland, a position he held until his retirement in 2004.

Father Schmidt was succeeded by the Rev. H. Gaylord Hitchcock, Jr. who brought to Grace Church a happy combination of a sharp intellect, a gentle sense of humor, a devotion to pastoral work and a commitment to the church’s traditional liturgical and theological heritage. Acting upon his conviction that the health of the parish is aided by frequent reception of Holy Communion by the faithful, he restored the weekday Eucharist. He also continued the process of developing the liturgical practices of the parish, and maintained the commitment that the worship of God in Grace Church should reflect the greatest dignity and beauty possible.

By the end of Father Hitchcock’s term, his and the parish’s attitude on women in the priesthood and positions of leadership had changed and Grace elected its first woman as warden, and women served on the altar in all capacities as subdeacons, lay readers, chalice bearers, acolytes, crucifers, and thurifers. In the fall of 1996, Father Hitchcock became Rector of the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch in New York City, and in the subsequent search process, the vestry formally rescinded a 1976 resolution opposing women in the priesthood. Father Hitchcock remained a good friend of the parish and, in 2014, returned to celebrate the Holy Week liturgy. Later that year, Grace gladly celebrated the solemnization of his civil marriage to John Whitlock, Esq.

During Father Hitchcock’s years as rector, Grace Church benefited greatly from the ministries of two vocational deacons, the Rev. William A. Butz until his passing in 1994 and the Rev. James W. Delaney. Mr. Delaney was recently given emeritus status.

In June of 1999, the Rev. John Elton Smith, Jr. came to Grace Church as its sixth Rector. Father Smith was appreciated for the quality of his pastoral care and was particularly helpful to families and individuals in times of crisis. He was also devoted to local ecumenical affairs, and served as president of the Westwood Clergy Council. Father Smith led efforts as well to expand Grace’s outreach efforts, especially in the area of prison ministry.

It became apparent, however, during Father Smith’s tenure that many in the parish did not share his vision for the future of Grace Church, and, as a result, the final years of his service represented a difficult time for both Father Smith and the parish. In May of 2005, Father Smith resigned to accept a call to become Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Butte, Montana, a church with an evangelical and charismatic emphasis.