Date
January 25, 2022
Credits
Date
January 20, 2016
Credits
Originally posted 01/20/2016
On taking up his ministry in 1920, Paul Bowden wrote in the Parish Register:
“Having accepted the call to succeed the Rev. W. G. Pendleton as rector of St. James’ Church, Warrenton, Va., I took charge of the parish on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 1920 and preached my first sermon on the following Sunday. The parish had been without a rector or resident minister for six months. The report showed about 250 communicants. The equipment consisted of the church building, a small parish house and a rectory. There was a debt of some $9000 [$100,000< in 2015 dollars] on the rectory. May the spirit of God aid me in the work among His people. – Paul D. Bowden”
Born in 1893 at Napoleonville, Louisiana, Paul Bowden was raised as an Episcopalian and followed his father and maternal grandfather into the ministry. He graduated from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, in 1916, and entered Virginia Theological Seminary.
With the declaration of war against Germany on April 6, 1917, Paul Bowden informed the bishop of West Texas of his intention to interrupt his studies and join the Army. The bishop replied within days on April 11, 1917, in part, “…. While the commission to service in the United States Army is one of great dignity and of high opportunity for the discharge of sacred duties, yet the commission to preach the Gospel of peace is higher and it has greater power for the nation’s good.” Paul accepted the bishop’s plea, completed studies at Virginia Theological Seminary in 1919, and was ordained a priest that year.
At age 27, Mr. Bowden came to Saint James’ in 1920 from San Marcos, Texas, where he had been rector of St. Mark’s Church. Thus began the longest continuous service – 43 years in a single pulpit in the history of the Diocese of Virginia (at least up until that time). He was often considered for larger churches and for other responsibilities, but with the bishop’s consent, he chose to remain at Saint James’.
In 1924, Paul married Margaret Primrose Spilman, daughter of General Baldwin Day Spilman and his wife, Annie, of Warrenton. Through the combination of the Rev. Bowden’s visionary leadership and his wife’s considerable resources, Saint James’ Church grew as it never had before. A major achievement was the family’s gift of the Spilman Memorial Parish House in 1929. Where he saw a need, Mr. Bowden filled it, paying for alteration of the Chapel, adding pews in memory of his parents, supplementing the salary of the church organist, adding memorial windows and financing many everyday church expenses. Fundraising campaigns and bazaars became less necessary.
Saint James’ was truly his church. A hard worker who did almost everything himself, he had no regular secretary or assistant, and often only one acolyte. He ran the choir and Sunday school. He hand-addressed all mailings and often decorated the church for special occasions, bringing in cedar trees for Christmas and flowering branches for Easter.
The Bowdens’ lifetime generosity extended beyond the aesthetic into college scholarships for needy youths and providing food and clothing in the Depression. During World War II, Mr. Bowden made the parish house available by opening its doors to hundreds of soldiers, which included USO entertainments. He had showers installed in the basement for soldiers’ use; rooms were used for first aid classes, training air raid wardens and Red Cross activities. He personally hand-knitted mittens and socks for men in uniform.
In 1945, at war’s end, Mr. Bowden was honored for 25 years service at Saint James’ by a speech of tribute and gift of silver and glass. Along with spiritual growth and outreach, the church had been freed of debt, the church plant enlarged and the parish house built.
On taking up his ministry in 1920, Paul Bowden moved into the recently completed next door Rectory, and on his marriage in 1924, he and Mrs. Bowden resided there and made improvements to the house. However, in 1927, Mrs. Bowden purchased “Innes Hill,” a 150 acre farm near her parents and other family properties on Springs Road. The Bowdens proceeded with plans to build a Neoclassical-style mansion and outbuildings, renaming the property “The Oaks.” Paul and Margaret did not discuss relocation plans with the church until October 1931 when construction was well underway. Vestryman Harry C. Groome of “Airlie” believed that the Rector should live in the Rectory, which had been a major project and financial outlay for the church. Mr. Groome felt strongly and resigned from the Vestry over the issue. The Bowdens moved into The Oaks in January 1933, relinquished the Rectory and that portion of his salary back to the church.
Paul and Margaret Bowden lived happily at The Oaks for the rest of their lives, dedicating themselves to Saint James’ Church, their family, and beyond.
Church and Community
Those who knew Paul Bowden remembered him as “a jovial, easy-going man, warm and cheerful. He knew and cared about everyone in his congregation and in the town. He was the first person to respond at a parishioner’s home in time of trouble. He took a lively interest in a variety of community and civic activities. He walked up and down Main Street each day, talking and listening to all those he met. He was chaplain of the Warrenton Volunteer Fire Department for twenty-four years and regularly accompanied them to fires; he was a familiar figure in a large apron, cooking hamburgers for the crowd at the Firemen’s Carnival each summer.” He was a Scoutmaster and served on the library, Red Cross and hospital boards.
Beneath his joviality, Mr. Bowden was a serious man. He was an outstanding Biblical scholar, and an expert on Rubrics. He was a man of principle and conviction. Beneath his easy-going nature, he held himself and his congregation to high standards. He met monthly with members of the Chancel Guild, explaining the colors and symbolism of the altar furnishings. During Confirmation classes he took the children throughout the church, explaining the windows, altar furnishings, etc. For the Virginia diocese, he served on the executive committee and later on its standing committee.
Rotary International
Mr. Bowden, a dedicated and revered Rotarian, was known by fellow Rotarians as “Caleb.” In June 1931, he and Mrs. Bowden represented Rotary at its international convention in Vienna, Austria. In 1934-35, he served as District Governor of Rotary International and instituted the International Round Table of Rotary. On stepping down as District Governor, he was presented with a large silver punch bowl by donation from every Rotarian in the State of Virginia.
An example of Rotarian outreach is found in a letter to Paul Bowden dated Jan. 1, 1945 – before war’s end – in which the Canon of Hereford Cathedral in England, a fellow Rotarian, wrote that for his flourishing branch of 40 strong “it has been a joy to entertain American soldiers stationed nearby and we wish to establish as many contacts with your people as possible. We are impressed by the great friendliness of your people and by their appreciation of even our meager war-time hospitality.”
Fauquier County Ministerial Association
Mr. Bowden was president of the then Fauquier County Ministerial Association and at a dinner on his retirement in 1963, also marking the beginning of “Religion in American Life” month in Warrenton, the ministers of Warrenton and the community paid tribute to Paul Bowden by designating him “Mr. Religion-in-Warrenton-Life.”
Later Years
On Easter morning 1963, Mr. Bowden suffered a heart attack at the altar and was hospitalized. He recovered and returned to Saint James’ part-time and was named Rector Emeritus when the Rev. David J. Greer became Rector in 1964. Although he was careful not to intrude on Mr. Greer’s ministry, he continued many of his pastoral duties and remained an important part of Saint James’ until his death in 1968 at age 74. The young man, who had often been Mr. Bowden’s only acolyte, Joseph Jones, returned from college to act as crucifer at Mr. Bowden’s funeral The Vestry adopted a resolution honoring Paul Bowden as a “never to be forgotten servant of our Lord.”
In his memory, the church dedicated the newly completed Education Wing. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Bowden established the Paul D. Bowden Scholarship at the School of Theology of the University of the South where his career of a lifetime began. At Saint James’, in his memory, she gave the Chapel window “I am the Good Shepherd.”
Compiled: History Committee – Richard Gookin, January 2016
Sources: “Gifts of the Generations” by Jeanne Davis; St. James’ Parish Register; The Fauquier Democrat; obituaries; family records; The Oaks nomination
73 Culpeper St, Warrenton, VA 20186
(540) 347-4342
