Grace Episcopal Church
Where Everyone is Welcome.
150 Chapel St, Norwood, MA 02062
781-762-0959
From the Rector’s Desk
Compassion is not a relationship between healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
Pema Chodron, The Places that Scare You
As a Yankee, born in New York State, growing up in New Jersey, and now living in Massachusetts, I always regarded the stain of slavery to have been a Southern problem. They brought the slaves in for their cotton; and they fought a Civil War to protect their slavery property.
I knew that Abigail Adams strongly opposed the institution of slavery, yet when she grew up in Weymouth, her father had owned at least four slaves: Phoebe, Tom, Cato, and Tower. In 1754, Governor William Shirley ordered that an enumeration of all slaves, both male and female, over the age of sixteen be completed by each town. Dedham, of which we were a part at that time, had 17 slaves; Medfield 4; Milton 19; Walpole 1; Scituate 43; and Boston 989. Moreover, if you look at the northern states role in the Triangle Trade*, you will find that Bristol Rhode Island was the home of the largest slave trader in the colonies…and a number of Episcopal churches were built using the profits from this trade.
Our 2019 Lenten program will explore how one family, the DeWolf’s, came to terms with this northern slavery legacy by using the Emmy Nominated PBS program, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, and by reading its accompanying book, Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Save-Trading Dynasty in US History (written by Thomas Norman DeWolf).
You will have two opportunities to participate. The PBS movie will be shown on Wednesday March 13 and Wednesday April 10 during the Young at Hearts luncheon (12-2). The movie and book will be discussed on five consecutive Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30 PM (March 12, 19, 26, April 2, and April 9).
No matter which way you participate, we will complete our exploration of this northern role in slavery by traveling to the DeWolf’s colonial mansion in Bristol, Rhode Island on Saturday April 13 th for a special tour of Linden Place, a special lecture or guided walk, lunch at the DeWolf colonial tavern, and a visit to St. Michael’s Church with its Tiffany stain glass windows. (Cost of lecture/tour is $12; and the cost of the used books that I have ordered is $10. There is also an audio-version of the book available from Audible and a Kindle version (from Amazon.com which can deploy large print. )
The Diocese of Delaware found this material so important that all parishes were required to offer viewings of the movie and to have discussions related to the movie.
An Amazon.com reviewer wrote: “This is a one of the great books in the history of America. The family was extremely brave to produce this book. They like so many others have seen the dark side even when they were able to have the inherited profits of the horror of their parents and grandparents. I recommend anyone with a conscience to read this book.”
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(* The Triangular Slave Trade began in West Africa, where slave ships acquired slaves to transport and sell in the New World. The second stage was sometimes the West Indies, where the slaves were sold and either sugar or molasses taken on board. At other times, it was the American South, where the product taken aboard was cotton. The third step was a manufacturing area, either New England or Britain, where the raw materials were unloaded and sold, and manufactured goods received. Ships then voyaged to West Africa to exchange the manufactured goods for slaves and the cycle continued.)
Join us for our 2019 Lenten Program~
Our 2019 Lenten program will explore one northern slavery legacy.
We will view Emmy Nominated PBS program,Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, and read its accompanying book, Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Save-Trading Dynasty in US History.​
(written by Thomas Norman DeWolf)
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View a trailer of Traces of the Trade
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There are two ways to participate.
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The PBS movie will be shown on Wednesday March 13 and Wednesday April 10 during the Young at Hearts luncheon (12-2) AND/OR the movie and book will be discussed on five consecutive Sunday mornings between the services from 9:20-9:50 beginning on March 10.
Lenten Study Logistics, Costs, Dates, Times
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Young at Hearts Luncheon
The PBS movie Traces of the Trade, will be shown on Wednesday March 13 and Wednesday April 10 during the Young at Hearts luncheon (12-2). Discussion will follow.
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Sunday Program Starting March 10
The movie (broken down into five parts) and book (broken down into five parts) will be discussed on five consecutive Sundays, between services from 9:20am-9:50am.
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March 10 Preface, Chapter 1-4
March 17 Chapter 5-8
March 24 Chapter 9-12
March 31 Chapter 13-15
April 7 Chapter 16-18 and Katrina Browne’s sermon from Martin Luther King’s Day, preached at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church that we will visit.
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You can find a copy of the book new or used at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
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No matter which way you participate, we will complete our exploration of this northern role in slavery by traveling to the DeWolf’s colonial mansion in Bristol, Rhode Island on Saturday April 13 th for a special tour of Linden Place, a special lecture or guided walk, lunch at the DeWolf colonial tavern, and a visit to St. Michael’s Church with its Tiffany stain glass windows.
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The Grand Finale will include a tour in Bristol RI, Linden Place Saturday April 13—$12 each; lunch menu will be handed-out ahead of time, but it is an all-day breakfast menu so it is reasonable; tour/lecture begins at 11 so we will carpool down leaving from Grace Church at 9am — returning around 4 PM.