Back in Manhattan, I visited St Mark’s in the Bowery with Mike Relyea, raised as a neighbor on SW 3rd St in Faribault MN who attended the Cathedral in our small Minnesota town. Mike has served as an Episcopal minister here over the years. Peter Stuyvesant, Founder of New Amsterdam is buried here and here is a bust of the guy. Mike thinks his nose and face are reminiscent of his speech teacher at Faribault High School, Ed Silvis. Ed was a good friend of my parents.
Here is Mike, seated on the west side of the church where he says the placement of ashes after services is still happening to honor the earth.
Mike’s wife, Marlena, says "The Native American Madonna was designed and drawn on the wall by a church member
Duane Stapp. I motivated his research and filled in the colours." Marlena is originally from Germany.
Here is Mike again on the east side with a colleague at St Marks.
Here is the farmers market in front of the church that we passed through on our way to the subway and Forrest Hills in Queens
Thomas, I'm not sure if you are still checking this account, but if you are, I'd like to get a message to Michael Relyea. My name is Heidi Nelson and I purchased the little stone house that Michael lived in in Faribault in 1941. When I purchased the house, it came with a packet of photos. One of the photos has a little boy in it. Well, today I had the great fortune of talking with Jane Estabrook and she told me the name of the people who would have owned the house in 1941. There is a Facebook page called, "you know you grew up in Faribault when..." and that is how we connected.
ReplyDeleteAnd since I also believe that "We are all related", I thought you might help me to be able to share these photos with Michael.
Thank you!
Heidi