Altar Kneelers at Incarnation Holy Sacrament

By Bev Rorer

Many of us come to the communion table and kneel on the beautiful needlepoint kneelers not knowing how they came to be. The idea was brought to us in 1983 by Elizabeth McDonald who is an artist and designer of needlepoint. She offered to do the design as a memorial for her friend and Incarnation Holy Sacrament member, Hope Maruchi.

Hope had died in an auto accident March 30, 1976. She was a member of the choir and an unsung hero of many at our church. Often she drove people to church who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to attend. She was a willing listener to those who needed help or advice, and many were unaware of her work for others. At her memorial service, the church overflowed to the stairways, basement and even out the doors.

The “kneeler” project was chaired by Evelyn Wilson, who lived nearby on Riverview Avenue. She was a teacher in the Upper Darby School District as was I. Members of the church volunteered to do the needle work. They were Evelyn and I, Jane Buddenhagen, Sue Corter, Doris Harper, Anne Bassett, Louise Manion, Elsie Savin and Winnie Spencer. Also helping were my mother, Doris Case and a fellow teacher, Nina Dorothy Burnley. (I calculated that each side kneeler required 70,000 to 80,000 stitches).

If you look at the design, you will notice several interesting features The central kneeler has three stained glass windows which match the three in the back window. Elizabeth did the work on this one. You will also notice the grape vines along with wheat stalks which represent the bread and the wine. The crown is found in the pulpit and the tall crosses in the altar rail. The large golden chalices represent the Holy Sacrament. The side kneelers have round stained glass windows which exactly matches those of the side windows, and crosses which have been used in church history.

The central features of the rear windows, and shield from one of the side windows.

After the kneelers were completed, we decided we should have Elizabeth design cushions for the six seats on the sides of the altar area. For this, we chose the theme of the "six attributes of God". They are: Love, Wisdom, Power, Mercy, Majesty, and Justice.

The six seat cushions reflecting the "six attributes of God".

But Evelyn wasn’t finished yet. She came up with the idea of having wedding kneelers to replace the large central kneeler. This was designed in two pieces so Evelyn and I could each work on one. They are in off-white with flowers appropriate to weddings. During this work, Evelyn began having pain in one arm as she worked. As I was finishing her kneeler, it was discovered she had a cancerous growth. Unhappily, Evelyn died soon after surgery. We dedicated the wedding kneelers to her memory.

The sun coming in the windows beside the altar was a threat to fading the colors in the kneelers. Bob Thompson and Newt Wade put up shades so they could be pulled during the day to protect them.

Please enjoy using the kneelers as you receive the bread and wine of the sacraments and help us keep them from harm. It is our hope that they will last the lifetime of the church, which we anticipate to be at least 100 more years.