497 Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, Church and Cemetery

“On this site stood 1830 to 1913, the House of Worship of the Delaware County Society of the New Jerusalem Church, instituted in 1828. This tablet is set up as a memorial of the Society and its faithful members. To acknowledge a God and not to do evil because it is against God, are the two things by virtue of which religion is religion. Divine Providence No. 326. NEW JERUSALEM TEMPLE.”

These words were written on a stone monument erected in 1915, in memory of the Upper Darby church building that had been demolished a few years previously. The church (see photo, top) had been vacant since the late 1800s when the congregation worshipping there became inactive. The historic cemetery surrounding the church remained intact until the late 1960s and 70s, at which time the effects of years of vandalism could no longer be ignored, and it was decided to remove the bodily remains and try to resolve the issue of headstones. Many of the headstones had been irreparably damaged, so a decision was made to bury the ones that could not be saved, and offer the undamaged ones to their descendants (Communication from Philip Alden to David B. Glenn, 8/31/1978). The bodily remains were transferred to an unmarked grave in Mt. Zion Cemetery in Delaware County (http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/delaware/cemeteries/newjerus.txt).

The Upper Darby cemetery was the original resting place of some of the most notable individuals in the history of the New Church in America: Francis Bailey (d. 1817), Rev. Richard De Charms, Sr. (d. 1864), Rev. David Powell (d. 1855), and Rev. James P. Stuart (d. 1882). The headstone of Francis Bailey still exists and is currently located at the Swedenborgian Church at Temenos in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Continue reading » » » »

488 Bryn Athyn Cathedral Altar Copy of the Word

At worship services in Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, the visual focus of the congregation is a large copy of the Word on the altar in the sanctuary. On sunny mornings the Word is bathed in a soft violet light created by stained glass windows on either side of the altar. Additional light is provided by seven golden lampstands. Although Bryn Athyn Cathedral’s copy of the Word has been the focus of services since the building’s dedication in 1919, many are not familiar with its interesting history, which dates back to the sixteenth century.

The text was printed by Christophe Plantin, a well-known Renaissance printer and publisher, in Antwerp in 1584. It was originally part of the Academy of the New Church library collection, and is now on permanent loan to the Cathedral from the Swedenborg Library, Bryn Athyn, PA. Plantin’s Bible is interlinear, with Hebrew and Latin occurring together in the Old Testament, and Greek together with Latin in the New Testament (see photos). Continue reading » » » »