A verger is many things to many people, with duties ranging from
majestic to mundane. In grand cathedral processions
(view image)
he or she is the
lead person, and carries the verge. Once as much a defensive weapon as a
ritual staff, the verge (from the Latin virga, meaning
rod) represents the authority of the cathedral and the cathedral
dean. At other times the verger is behind the scenes, preparing for
services or events, managing the sexton (custodial) staff, closing the
cathedral for the night, answering a lost-and-found call, et cetera.
When everyone else is gone for the night, he/she remains in his/her
nearby apartment, with one eye, and ear, on the Cathedral.
Grace Cathedral lacked a true verger until the appointment of Englishman
John Moseley in 1956. His knowledge of ceremonial protocol was
impressive. Sadly, he died of a heart attack during his farewell party
in 1959. Charles Agneau (pronounced "Ag-new"), a young Chicago-born ex-Navy seaman,
bookkeeper, hospital orderly, and hotel clerk, had been assisting as an
acolyte at cathedral services since 1947, having first visited Grace
Cathedral during the war in 1943. Charles had tried his vocation at Holy
Cross Monastery in New York, and had spent time as assistant curate in a
London parish, so his Anglican roots were deep. Charles was appointed
verger, and the job fitted like a glove. He remained in office until
1982, serving under three cathedral deans and four diocesan bishops.
An unabashed Anglophile, clock collector, and cat-lover, Charles lived
in the ground floor apartment of Cathedral House, the old administrative
building that stood in front of the Cathedral. It was always a treat to
visit him there at noon, and have a mid-day cup of tea as his many
clocks chimed the hour. A self-described "moderate Anglo-Catholic"
Charles loved ceremony and ritual, and once introduced incense into the
heating system before a major service. Dean Bartlett was not amused. For
several years Charles worked 10- to 12-hour days without help
(view image), combining
verger and custodial duties, and many was the night when he was left to
take down the temporary stage or restack the chairs alone. Eventually
the work became too much for one person, and Vincent Jang began a long
line of assistant vergers in 1962, leading up to Charles Shipley today.
Charles was verger during the Bishop Pike years (1958-1966), which
included the historic cathedral completion (1961-1964), and were
followed by the turbulent 1970s. Following a stroke in 1980, he had to
cut back on his work. At his retirement in 1982, Charles was made Verger
Emeritus and remained to assist his successors, including the
cathedral's first woman verger, Lori Lamma, and to advise the late head
verger, Albert Lander. Another friend was Bishop Stevens of Fond-du-Lac,
Wisconsin, who had trained at Grace Cathedral under the then senior
acolyte, Charles Agneau. Cathedral House was demolished in 1993 to make
way for the new front stairway. Charles had to find an off-site
apartment, but he always returned to the Cathedral on Sundays, in a
wheelchair but glad to be among his cathedral friends, often serving the tea for visitors after the mid-day service
(view image). He died in 1998 at age 76.
Charles Agneau's legacy is multi-faceted. A twelve-hour oral history
that he taped with the cathedral archivist in 1988 awaits transcription.
A more visible legacy is the cathedral clock, high up on the south
tower, which Charles gave as a memorial to his parents in 1983. He also
donated the 19th century English clock in the cathedral gallery, and a
new ceremonial verge, and left a legacy for maintenance of the cathedral
organ. Another relic, hidden in a secret location in the Cathedral, is
the grave of his beloved Siamese cat, Sebastian. Perhaps his greatest
legacy is the example set by his commitment to, and love of, his work as
cathedral verger, and his wise advice to his successors. In 1989 Charles
was made an honorary fellow of the Vergers Guild of the Episcopal
Church. A final honor, of which he was immensely proud, was being made
an honorary canon of Grace Cathedral by Bishop Swing, a few days before
his death. His evensong memorial service was crowded with a generation
who had served with and under him. Grace Cathedral owes Charles W.
Agneau III an enormous debt. To paraphrase Churchill, never has so much
been owed by so many to one verger.
To hear audio excerpts from Charles Agneau's oral history with the cathedral archivist,
choose from the following Real Audio clips:
On his introduction Grace Cathedral (2:56)
Charles was drawn to Grace Cathedral upon his arrival in San Francisco, and it left a deep
impression that shaped his future.
On the Raising of the Spire (2:33)
Charles was present for the gilding of the cross and the dramatic raising of the fleche or
central spire in 1963. (See also The Grace Cathedral Spire.)
Chiming clocks (1:00)
Charles had a large clock collection, and some of the clocks are heard here chiming at noon.
Ministry of the Office of Verger
What is a verger and what does one do? Read about the office and ministry of a verger,
as related by Grace Cathedral's head verger, the late Albert Lander.
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