St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia held a celebration for All Saints' Day with the theme “Grief, Trauma, Remembrance."

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Oct. 29, the church said the celebration was held on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 10:15 a.m.

According to the church, it discussed the different ways people can publicly express their grief and how they respect the deceased as they get closer to All Saints Day. It is a feast day where they remember those who have passed away, give thanks for their time with everyone, and rejoice that they are in God's heavenly kingdom.

This year, the church said it welcomed everyone to create an altar in memory of departed loved ones.

The church discussed the custom and the different ways people can participate in it.

Additional information can be found on St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s Facebook post.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s Roots

According to the website of St. Luke Episcopal Church, St. Stephen's was returned to the parish in 1870.

The church said the vestry granted Dr. John Milton Johnson's request on January 8, 1872, "that the present name of our parish is changed to that earlier established— St. Luke's."

According to the church, Dr. Johnson served as senior warden for the restored parish following his confirmation at the 1864 St. Luke's.

The church asserted that a second church structure was constructed in 1875 near the intersection of Spring and Walton Streets.

It also claimed that despite later financial difficulties, Bishop Beckwith accepted St. Luke's proposal to become his cathedral church in 1880 because he believed it would be advantageous to the parish.

The church said that a brand-new cathedral building had been erected close to the intersection of Pryor and Houston Streets.

It further asserted that it once more obtained official parish status in 1894.

St. Luke's Episcopal Church stated that in this time of persistent financial difficulties, the clergy and vestry's unwavering leadership shone out.

Church’s Stained Glass Windows

The church claimed that a master plan was used to create and install the stained glass windows over a 60-year period.

According to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, the red and deep purple hues were developed by the Willet Stained Glass Co. of Philadelphia, Heaton, Butler and Bayne Co. of England, and Franz Mayer and Co. of Germany.

The windows, according to the church, depict pivotal moments in Christ's life, spanning from his birth to his ascension.

The church claimed that each larger aisle window below it depicts an Old Testament story that is related to the event from Christ's life that is presented above it.

It added that when the current structure was constructed, the ascension window near the pulpit was relocated from the third church location.

The Chorus of Cherubim, a smaller window, was also mentioned as having been relocated and now being visible in the Bell Tower hallway.

According to the church, the mural by noted muralist Edwin Howland Blashfield, "Christ as the Good Shepherd," was painted and placed in 1913.

Helen Turman was the first person to make an effort to fill the empty space above the altar, the church said. She was sent to Blashfield and came to New York to speak with him, it added.