Historic All Saints Parish in Brookline recently celebrated its new roof during the nor’easter, with thanks for a grassroots push to steward the 1899 building.
While the major storm postponed the celebratory luncheon, the Sept. 27 service applauded the hard work to raise approximately $3 million that covered replacement of the roof with long-lasting, historically appropriate materials. This roof is actually multiple roofs of metal and layered membranes, where one patch seemed to make another leak spring up. Keeping the building dry required raising parapets by eight inches.
One donor stood out: The town of Brookline gave $800,000 from the Community Preservation Act, funded by a small surcharge on local property taxes.
“We had to do some persuading around why state money should be spent on a religious institution,” the Rev’d Dr. Richard Burden, All Saints Rector, said. “But there is precedent of churches using CPA money, and All Saints is a real community space. We got letters of support from all our facility users, and many made donations.”
The grant recognized that the roof crowns a Neo-Gothic parish where legendary Connick stained glass was first installed. This roof also shelters Korean Evergreen Church of Boston, numerous music ensembles, a nursery school, substance abuse and other recovery groups, and serves as a medical site during the Boston Marathon.
The capital campaign also included support for the organ and long-range planning. More than 100 individuals and groups donated to the project. Burden praised their achieving this “monumental task.”
“Everyone who stretched, who gave a little bit more or a lot more, gave because this community matters to you, because you know in your heart of hearts that what we do here matters in the world,” he said from the pulpit, “and to all of you who gave, thank you, thank you, thank you.”
On an average Sunday, about 110 people attend All Saints, Brookline. Beyond the structural repairs, the project deepened the congregation’s sense of purpose and trust.
“There has been a deeper recognition that we are here not only for ourselves, but for the future and for the community at large,” Burden said.
The Diocese of Massachusetts recognized the congregation’s integrity in this major project.
"We commend All Saints, Brookline for their ambitious, visionary, and faithful stewardship of their historic building in a way that honors the past and the building's architectural heritage while also securing the building for the future,” said Clayton McCleskey, Canon for Communications, Witness, and Engagement. “Such stewardship requires hard but faithful work.”
Raising the roof required balancing fundraising, loans, and endowment funds while asking members who had given generously to consider giving more. The process turned out to be key to the project’s success.
“These are really hard decisions that people are making,” Burden noted. “How we come to a decision is probably more important than whatever decision we come to. As long as we are in conversation with one another, really listening, and really being engaged in the process as fully as we can, then God will lead us to the right decision, and we can trust that. People are really digging into that and living into that.”
The congregation held fast to the timely prayer of thanksgiving on Sept. 27 that uplifted “the work of many hands, which have beautified this place, furnished it for the celebration of your holy mysteries, and protected it from storms.”