On August 16, 12 years after it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, St. Augustine’s Church in Gary, Indiana—a historically Black congregation—installed a state historical marker, giving the public a concise and accurate summary of the parish’s life, parish historian Paula DeBois told The Living Church.
“In an era where things are being rewritten and omitted, this is a perfect way to make sure that St. Augustine’s story is told … and people can read that right from the street,” DeBois said. “They don’t need to get on a device to look it up.”
The marker, measuring 47.5 inches by 42.25 inches, recounts the parish’s beginnings: “In need of their own place to worship in the segregated city of Gary, a group of Black professionals helped establish St. Augustine’s Episcopal Mission in 1927.” It also highlights the leadership of the Rev. Wallace Wells, who guided the parish into a period of flourishing in the 1950s.
In a January 1960 issue of The Living Church, Wells reflected on the newly built parish building designed by Chicago architect Edward Dart. Dart envisioned the church as “the tabernacle, house of Jehovah, or tent meeting, for which Moses received instructions at Sinai.”
The vicar described its interior as a place where there is an “inescapable feeling of enveloping protection and sanctuary and welcomes the worshipper to rest here awhile in the presence of Almighty God, to Whose glory and honor all is dedicated.”
Dart’s building, which still stands today, was dedicated in May 1959 by the Rt. Rev. Reginald Mallett, the third Bishop of Northern Indiana. Each line and detail of the interior leads those who enter the parish to a life-size crucifix over the Indiana limestone altar.
DeBois said St. Augustine’s was initially chartered as a “colored Episcopal mission,” an outdated Anglican term that at the time meant only Black priests could preach from what was considered a Black pulpit.
Wells also acknowledged in 1960 that the mission “struggled rather feebly” in its early years, organized by just 30 communicants. The congregation gained strength in 1938 when Benedictine monks of St. Gregory’s Priory were assigned to the church.
As DeBois put it, “the Benedictine monks from England came over and they were deposited right here in Northwest Indiana.”
The marker recognizes this turning point: “In the late 1930s and 1940s, Benedictine monks, assigned by the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, aided the Mission.” St. Augustine’s became a parish in 1961.
“This marker is a sign of continued life and renewal for St. Augustine’s,” said Brother Andrew Marr, abbot of St. Gregory’s Abbey.
According to the Indiana Historical Bureau, a division of the Indiana State Library, markers commemorate significant people, places, and events in state history. They are intended to promote, preserve, and present history for education and enjoyment.
DeBois received vestry approval to apply for the marker in October 2020. The first application was rejected, but the second was accepted during the 2023 application cycle. Installed in the public right of way in front of the parish, the marker will still be standing for the church’s centennial in 2027.
Parishioners, DeBois said, are proud to see the marker finally in place. In a parish that’s “graying and aging out,” congregants had confronted a number of deaths in the last few years, the historian said. The physical testament to St. Augustine’s story honors the memory of those who supported the effort but did not live to see it realized.
1960-01-17 St Augustine Gary Ind
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
