How The Chapel of St. Anne Began

In the process of delegating space in this huge facility, a 141-square-foot, silo-like room was uncovered that appeared to be totally useless. It was nearly two stories high, but only 11 x 13 feet with a very camel-through-the-eye-of-a needle door opening. It also possessed a steel door that hung six feet above the floor which opened into nothing.

As they worked and remodeled the larger spaces, the tiny room was, intermittently, boarded up, used for storage and, finally, a makeshift office. Working in that small space, an even smaller seed of an idea began to form. Running a charitable thrift operation can be very hectic, and the idea of providing a quiet space seemed impossible. But what is impossible with men is always possible with God.

“Why not build a chapel – A holy place in the midst of this holy endeavor?” Was the question pondered by the founders. But how to do it was still a mystery.

Then one day, a local artist friend dropped by to see what she could offer. The spark was ignited! “Can you make us a reredos for our chapel?”

“A what-y-what?” was her reply. She was intrigued by the concept as much as the name, and began to research “reredos” on the internet. For those unfamiliar with this term, a reredos is simply the wall behind the altar in a cathedral, church or chapel.

In what seemed like only minutes, the local artist, Cheryl Swanson, a Teaching Artist for the Oklahoma Arts Council, returned with her rendition of the chapel reredos. This 13' high x 11' wide work of art takes your breath away as you enter through the newly crafted door. Finished with a mélange of mediums, each square, stone-like tile is burnished with gold and antiqued to a soft patina. Carved into these tiles are a score of symbols of the Christian faith; some on a single tile, some covering a section of tiles. Looking at this unique reredos, it is hard to believe that it is made of styrafoam and stuff from the thrift store. A five-foot tall Celtic cross that sports an old trombone, rope twisted into Celtic knotwork, cans, hearts, and even a tree of life, is superimposed.

To deal with the disproportionate height, Cheryl conceived a cathedral ceiling made of draped material - not even realizing that Anglicans consider themselves a big tent communion, open to anyone who can say the Nicene Creed without crossing the fingers. Not the kind that gathers under a literal tent, but the kind that makes room for all.

The seamstress who crafted the outside awnings also created this tent-affair of a muslin-colored lightweight canvas. Andrew Shearon, one of the founders’ sons, designed and built the wooden altar with dentil work, and egg-and-dart and crown moldings.

The chapel was officially dedicated on Monday, September 8, 2008, by the Episcopal Bishop of Oklahoma, Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny, along with the Rev. Stephen R. Samples, Rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Enid, and chairman of Our Father’s Business, Inc. Elizabeth Allen, St. Matthew’s choir director and Enid Symphony Orchestra member, played the harp.

The artists and artisans who worked on the chapel, founders, community partners and friends, and a host of special guests were on hand for the ceremony.

September is the month that St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church was founded in 1893, on the first Sunday after the Cherokee Strip Land Run. St. Matthew was chosen as the patron saint for the new congregation as it was the feast day closest on the liturgical calendar. St. Matthew’s celebrated 100 years in their current nave in 2009.

 

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