By Margaret Osborne

The mystery started when we found a piece of pottery in the Church Archives, with no description attached. Thinking long-time member and artist Phyllis Waggoner might know something about it, I showed it to her and she immediately knew it was part of an altar set (2 candlesticks and a cross) made by local artist Richard Abnet in the 1970s. This was acquired to go with the large dossal tapestry woven by Marjorie Ford Pohlman (now Sethna) which once graced the chancel area at the front of the Sanctuary.

The tapestry now hangs in the Boutell/Dossal Alcove, the other candlestick was found in the Sacristy, but where was the cross? Phyllis and I decided to go looking for it. We spent a morning searching all the most likely places and found nothing. We were just about to give up and go home, when we showed an old photo of the set to Rodrigo Garcia, who helps to clean the building. “I think I know where it is”, he said, and took us to a small closet off the Choir Loft, with many crosses inside. There it was, hiding with its plain back to us! The set is now reunited in the Sacristy, with documentation explaining its history. Thank you, Rodrigo!