The Chapel of St. Anne at
Park Avenue Thrift
A holy place in the midst of this holy endeavor.

A little chapel was built in Enid, Oklahoma. The chapel itself is only 13 x 14, but there is also a 12 x 14 interior courtyard that welcomes, indeed beckons, you in.

For all its diminutive size, awe descends upon you the minute you enter. The reredos that covers the east wall is made of antique, gold-look “tiles” containing a number of significant Christian symbols: a burning lamp, the Agnus Dei, Greek letters, the ichthys, bread and wine, etc. The center is overlaid with a 5-foot Celtic cross, and above that the descending dove. The two story ceiling and side walls are draped with a muslin-colored light-weight canvas “tent”, giving the small space a cathedral feel. A hand crafted altar rests beneath it all.

The chapel was built to be a place of prayer and thoughtfulness, of reflection and thankfulness. To remind us that we are not our own: we belong to God, with assignments in the community and in the world.

As impressive as the chapel is, it might not even be worth mentioning in the great scheme of things. Chapels are found all over our great state and even our nation and the world. Some are contained within larger places of worship, some in hospitals, some in church camps, some just setting by the side of the road. But this chapel setting makes it particularly unique.

This chapel is situated in a charitable thrift store that was established to help the community. It is 350 square feet of quiet in the midst of 20,000 square feet of shopping fun. Park Avenue Thrift, Enid’s Own Community Thrift Store, is turning donations of new and gently used “stuff” into revenue for the Quality of Life non-profits in Enid. The founders of Park Avenue Thrift, an outreach of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Enid, believe that any time you help the community you do a sacred thing.

The Chapel of St. Anne was officially dedicated by the Episcopal Bishop of Oklahoma, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny and the Rev. Stephen R. Samples, rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, on Monday, September 8, 2008. Elizabeth Allen, St. Matthew’s choir director and Enid Symphony Orchestra member, played the harp.

Watch images from the dedication...

 

Anne is Mary’s mother, the grandmother of Jesus. For the most part, grandmothers hold special places in our hearts. And grandmothers hold us in their hearts, being usually our first introduction to a wider community. Grandmothers hope the best for us, and often provide for our spiritual and social growth in ways that no one else can.

The Chapel of St. Anne at Park Avenue Thrift is a place of prayer for all people. A place where shoppers or browsers, donors or workers can glean together a few minutes of peace, and remember that we are part of something larger, something far-reaching, something eternal.

Park Avenue Thrift is the dba of Our Father’s Business, Inc. a non-profit 501 (c)(3) Oklahoma corporation. The Chapel of St. Anne in Park Avenue Thrift is a tangible reminder to all of us to be about Our Father’s Business, in whatever way that God would lead.

Learn about how this little chapel began.

 

Artists and Artisans

Cheryl Swanson: Crafted the overall Chapel design, built the Reredos, designed the stained glass windows and finished the courtyard walls. Cheryl is a Teaching Artist for the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Andrew Shearon: Designed and built the altar and the red chapel door, laid the ceramic tile, set the Reredos in place, built the courtyard walls, reworked the ramp through the door opening, set the stained glass windows, and installed the wrought iron. Andrew is a free-lance craftsman dba Shearon’s Renovations.

Shirley Bergdall: Made the chapel tent. Shirley has her own business, Shirley’s Canvas and does custom canvas work throughout the area. She did all the awnings and canvas work at Park Avenue Thrift.

Lisa Magyar: Crafted the faux stained glass windows. Lisa is an artist with Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse / Adventure Quest.

Sergio Mendoza: Enlarged the door opening into the chapel. Sergio is a local brick mason and concrete man.

Allen Shearon and Matt Halley: Insulated and sheet rocked the two-story high ceiling. Allen owns Al’s Remodeling. Allen and Matt did much of the remodel at Park Avenue Thrift.

Gus & Steve Jacobi: Completed all the necessary electrical work for the chapel and the courtyard, as well as all the other electrical work throughout Park Avenue Thrift. Gus owns Craftsman Electric.

 

580-233-PARK

Park Avenue Thrift
507 South Grand (at Park Avenue) • Enid, OK 73701

© 2007-2008 Park Avenue Thrift and Our Father's Business

Web site design by Best Day Studio in Enid, OK