Social Activities

“I went to St. Luke’s Chapel Sunday morning and enjoyed the service very much. It is just back of the girls’ club… and well heated. It is only plain boards, no paint, but has stained glass windows and back of the alter a lovely piece of Tapestry, so soft and beautiful in color” (Anna McNulty Lester, April 3, 1898, RH archives).

Rev. Newell passed away January 23, 1894 and was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse. Newell was replaced by Rev. S.P. Kelly, former Rector of St. John's Church in Philadelphia, who had spent time in Paris (and at St. Luke's) a few years earlier. He remained at St. Luke's until September 1896. During Rev. Kelly's brief tenure, a brass chandelier was donated to the Chapel by a member of the congregation. The American Art Association of Paris (AAAP), an early supporter of Rev. Newell's endeavors, also hosted a reception for the Chapel's congregation at their headquarters, 131 Boulevard du Montparnasse (Allen 456). In describing the activities co-hosted by the Chapel and the AAAP, Alice Merriman writes in volume 4 of Quartier Latin (1898) that they are the "spiritual backbone to this busy community" (666). Kelly's parting words to his congregation defended the Paris community of American artists whose behavior had been criticized in a number of press articles: 

"... American art students at Paris are known for religious consistency and good behavior; they largely attend  religious services; their moral tone is excellent... They are hard workers and find no time for gay and giddy experiences" (Pro-Cathedral, 457).

He was replaced for several months by Rev. Hayward "on loan" from the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

Rev. Isaac Van Winkle took over as minister in charge of St. Luke's on March 29, 1897. Deeply engaged with the students and artists under his pastoral care,  Rev. Van Winkle remained at St. Luke's for nearly 20 years, retiring in early 1914. His engagement seems to have been more toward the men artists than the women for in an article he wrote for the Ladies Home Journal, he did not recommend artistic career for women:

Quote: "To the girls who are attracted by art...

Between 1900 and 1902, the Chapel sponsored a reading room, known as St. Luke's Reading Room,"reserved for men at 14 rue de la Grande Chaumière, open daily from midday till 10:30pm (Harper's Guide to Paris, 1900). In September 1902, Geraldine Rowland published an article in Harper's Bazaar about American students in Paris, in which she documents the Chapel's centrality in the lives of the student community: "... on Sundays, the Episcopal students come from various parts of Paris to make good resolutions. Or, as sometimes happens when Cupid interrupts the progress of art, they come to be married. Here as well are the children of the Quarter baptized" (758). Van Winkle also wrote a article in Ladies' Home Journal defending the lifestyles and social mores of young American women living in Paris (June, 1903). 

John Crombie reports that St. Luke's ministry expanded beyond American students and "assumed a more dynamic role in the neighbourhood's daily life, manifested in a practical concern for the bodily welfare of this regiment of models. In 1904 it held the first of a regular series of Epiphany Festivals for child models in a large studio...graciously lent by Colarossi for the purpose" (111). Allen describes that first Festival in great detail: "About 150 children were assembled in the large studio of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, kindly given for the festival by the management. As many as 150 more gathered to help and see the children made happy. Each child received a large bun, a package of candy, an orange and a gift - toys, dolls, and useful knitted articles prepared by the Sewing Society at Holy Trinity Lodge. The expense was largely contributed by students and artists" (473).

Around 1912, St. Luke's was further enriched with a gift of "choir stalls in rich old dark oak of the Eighteenth Century" from Messrs. Gaudin, esteemed stained glass artists, that were placed on either side of the altar. A Mrs. Villers-Forbes also donated "an excellent Alexandre harmonium" around the same time (Allen 479).

During World War I, when Mrs Reid transformed 4 rue de Chevreuse into a military hospital, St. Luke's chapel was also renovated and was then used as a ward for convalescing officers (Congressional Record - House, September 24, 1918, page).