BEFORE: View of the front of Saint Ann’s Church in Old Lyme prior to the fall of the large oak tree on the left.

AFTER: During Tropical Storm isaias, the large tree pictured above, standing to the left of the church, came down at Saint Ann’s, but fortunately missed the church. Photo by Rita Bonita.

OLD LYME: While Tropical Storm Isaias was wreaking havoc throughout Connecticut during the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Rev. Anita L. Schell, who serves as the Provisional Priest-in-Charge at Saint Ann’s Episcopal Church in Old Lyme, was sitting in her office at the church, focused on finishing her Sunday sermon.

Coincidentally, the central theme of the sermon was fear and how to deal with it.

Suddenly (to misquote from a famous Carol King song), Rev. Schell, “felt the earth move under her feet.”

The roots of the huge tree were exposed after its fall.

She picks up the story from there, “I was the only person on campus and tried not to be afraid, not knowing what I would see. I was not hurt. I ran into the church to see if there was any damage in the church – no, none inside.

Schell continues, “But then I looked to my right and saw a curious sight outside the windows. It looked like the long-standing oak tree had fallen on the left side of the church. I was shaking and yet my curiosity got the better of me. I opened our beautiful red front doors and looked out … and saw the tree – roots and all – lying
there.”

Noting, “I felt like I had just missed being in a serious car accident,” she then asks, “Ever had that feeling?” adding pointedly, “I could have been outside …” and then contemplatively, “So could you …”

At that moment, a police officer drove up and ordered her back inside. “This storm is not over yet,” he wisely cautioned her and so she followed his advice, re-entered the church and, in her words, “Prayed for the safety of all of my parishioners …  and my own too. “

This photo shows just how close the tree fell to the church.

It was little over a year ago, Sunday, June 23, 2019, that Saint Ann’s Parish in Old Lyme reopened the red doors of the sanctuary with a jubilee celebration marking the completion of Phase One of the building restoration project, enabled by its successful capital campaign that had exceeded its primary goal by raising nearly $1.5 million.

Phase One is the first of a series of updates for the church and the reinvigorated parish, which welcomed the Rev. Schell as its new provisional-priest-in-charge Aug. 1, 2019.

Sadly, the downed oak tree compromised the recently completed building project that focused on providing full accessibility from the parking area into the church, and an enhanced and expanded entrance-way to welcome parishioners and visitors to Saint Ann’s Parish.

Repairs and restoration will begin immediately and socially-distanced church services will continue on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in person or on Zoom.

The planned building restorations at Saint Ann’s fulfill a long-standing objective on the part of the church to welcome all by providing access to those who wish to attend services and events at the church, and to serve the community for future generations.

The Phase Two portion of the building projects was scheduled to begin in Spring 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A view along the length of the trunk.

Rev. Schell remarks, “This past week when hundreds of folk were without power and many stopped by to take photos of the fallen oak tree, often posing with it, they frequently commented along these lines: “It’s a miracle the way it fell away from the church,” and/or, “God was surely watching over you and your flock, Mother Anita.””

She says, “I readily agreed as both are true. What I did not say then, but say now – God is always watching over us, no matter what the outcome, no matter where the tree falls.”

Schell concludes, “Coincidentally, that was to be the message of my sermon, which at that point still lay unfinished on my desk, but was later completed and delivered to the congregation the following Sunday.”

Editor’s Notes: i) Rev. Schell’s sermon can be viewed at this link. 

ii) Saint Ann’s is an Episcopal parish in Old Lyme, Conn., that invites and welcomes all visitors to this program. Its mission is to enrich the community and introduce visitors to the parish. Saint Ann’s is located at 82 Shore Rd. (Rte. 156), two miles off I-95, Exit 70. Parking is adjacent to the church. For information about the parish, contact Kathy Rowe at 860-434-1621 or office@saintannsoldlyme.org or visit the church website.