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ALBERT ST. JOHN CHAMBRE 1834-1911

AlbertChambre.jpg

BIOGRAPHY

From Stoughton History web site:

Obituary from The Stoughton News-Sentinel, December 2, 1911

The sad news of the death of Rev. A. St. John Chambre at his home, in Lowell, Mass., was received in this town Thursday afternoon and was received with deep sorrow by his hosts of friends and admirers in this town, where he was loved, honored and respected far beyond that of any former citizen whom can recall today. To the members of St. John Chambre Post, 72, G. A. R., the news came with deepest sorrow for he was indeed the patron saint of this noble organization, who through all the years, since its organization, has maintained a deep and abiding interest and affection for the Post and members, and their welfare. Post 72, G. A. R. was named after Chambre, who was one of its original charter members and its second Commander. He enlisted in the war from New Jersey as a Chaplain and came to this town immediately following his service, to minister to the First Parish Universalist Church in town where he was installed pastor April 1st, 1864 and from which he resigned April 1st 1872, to accept another pastorate. For many years he has been pastor of the church of St. Anne, at Lowell, Mass.

During his pastorate here he was very prominent and active the affairs of the town, taking a deep, abiding interest in all matters concerning the welfare of the town. In educational matters and in behalf of the Schools he was especially active. He served as cha man of the School Committee the town for years and was one of the chief advocate and promoters of the establishment of the Stoughton High School, at a time when the policy of establishment was a hard fought issue in the Community.

He was a member of Rising Star Lodge of Masons, and the oldest living Past High Priest of Mount Zion Royal Arch Chapter of this, town a member of Stoughton Lodge of Odd Fellows and a citizen, who was ever ready and willing to sacrifice his time and efforts for the. good of the Community.

He was born in London, England, 71 years ago, and came to this country when a young man. His father was a clergyman in the Church of England, and his mother was a Presbyterian. On the death of his father his mother brought him up in the Presbyterian faith. It was the revolt from Calvinism which led him to the Universalist Church He belonged to the conservative wing of that church.

Rev. Dr. Chambre was organized a priest in the Episcopal Church in 1881, by Bishop Paddock, and a deep friendship existed between them. Rev. Dr. Chambre was frequently mentioned in connection with an appointment as bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was chosen the first arch deacon of the Lowell archdeaconry at a meeting of Episcopal clergymen in Boston in May, 1894. The archdeaconry composed cities, and towns in Middlesex and Essex Counties and that portion of Suffolk County not included in the city of Boston.

He had been secretary of the Episcopal Church, succeeding Rev. Dr. Converse. He served in that capacity under Bishops Paddock, Brooks and Lawrence. He was also president for years of the Massachusetts Church Union.

He was president of the trustees of Dean Academy and was for, a time lecturer on ecclesiastical history in Tufts College. That college conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. While a Universalist, Rev. Dr. Chambre was president of the State Association. During the Civil War he was chaplain of a New Jersey Regiment and had occasion to call upon President Lincoln on behalf of a soldier boy doing double duty. Through his influence the President pardoned the man.

After his ordination as a priest the Episcopal Church his first was in St. Matthew's Church., South Boston, Later he was stationed in the Church of the Advent in Fall River and from there he went to Lowell. Chambre began the establishment of St. Anne's Episcopal Mission in North Billerica. Twice a month, except August, he preached in the mission. Members of the mission have publicly acknowledged his generosity in the mission work. Rev. Dr. Chambre was a thorough business man and was; one of the officers of the Lowell Institution for Savings. He frequently attended the meetings of the Board of Trade, and was a guest of the Shakespeare Club at the last anniversary. Although not a man of rugged appearance, he seldom complained of ill health.

He was prominent in Free Masonry, having been a member of Scottish Rite bodies, including Massachusetts Consistory, 32d degree, A.A.S. R. N. M .J. Sept. 21, 1908, he was crowned an honorary member of the Supreme Council, 33d degree. He has presided over his lodge and, Royal Arch Chapter and was deputy grand high priest in 1873. He has also been chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and prelate of the Grand Commandery, K. T., of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

His wife survives him. The cause of his death was angina pectoris. He was found dead in his bed Thursday morning.

Rev. Dr. Albert St. John Chambre served as a chaplain with the 1st New Jersey Infantry and the 8th New Jersey Infantry.

MEMORIAL

SUPREME COUNCIL, 1912

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From Proceedings of the Massachusetts Council of Deliberation AASR NMJ, 1912, Page 51:

In Memoriam: Rev. Albert St. John Chambré, 33°.

The sudden death of Rev. Albert St. John Chambré at his home in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the age of eighty years, on the morning of December 7, 1911, produced a profound impression of sadness in the minds of the whole community wherein he lived.

He was a quiet, modest, scholarly, dignified, priestly man.

A tireless, earnest worker as a clergyman, universally respected as a citizen, beloved by his parishioners as a persuasive preacher, a faithful spiritual adviser and a steadfast friend, he won and retained the sincere esteem of the ministers and believers in other denominations of the Christian faith beside his own.

He was by temperament somewhat of an ascetic, and when his features were in repose they showed traces of sadness. The death of his children, four dying within a few days of one another, and the long painful illness of his wife, who survives him, had left signs of care and mental suffering upon his countenance, which, nevertheless, was often brightened incidentally by a winsome smile.

He was a genuine gentleman, and in daily life in his intercourse with others he taught by practice as well as by precept the fundamentals of the creed of a gentleman.

Dr. Chambré was born in London, England, in 1831. In his boyhood days he was an attendant in the Westminster School in London, and a choir boy in his father’s Episcopal church.

By the death of his parents when he was quite young it became advisable for him to come to his relatives in America, who, in religious matters, were connected with the Universalist church, hence the lad was reared in that form of Christian faith.

In the late fifties he was ordained as a Universalist clergyman.

When the Civil War broke out, he left his parish in Newark, New Jersey, to serve as Chaplain of one of the New Jersey regiments, which belonged to the Third Corps, commanded by General Sickles. As Chaplain through the Civil War he commanded the respect and affection of the men who needed at particular times some special spiritual guidance.

It is said that one item of his experience as Chaplain brought him into the presence of President Lincoln as a petitioner for the preservation of the life of one of the soldiers who for some act of disobedience had been sentenced to be shot, and that pardon for the unfortunate man was obtained by means of the faithful Chaplain’s intercession.

At the close of the war he resumed his pastorate in Newark, and subsequently accepted a call to a church in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

In 1881, feeling after mature deliberation that he could accomplish greater results as a minister in his original church, he was ordained as a clergyman in the Episcopal church by Bishop Paddock.

In 1884 he came to Lowell as the successor of the venerable Rev. Dr. Edson, who for sixty consecutive years had served as the first Rector of St. Anne’s Parish in that city. Here Dr. Chambré labored faithfully until the day of his death, a period of twenty-seven years. He was a sincere, scholarly preacher, His ability was recognized beyond the confines of the city where he lived. He served as Archdeacon of the counties of Middlesex, Essex and a part of Suffolk, and he was also Dean of the Eastern Convocation.

In addition to these responsibilities, he was a Trustee of the Lowell General Hospital, a Trustee of the Lowell Institution for Savings, and for nearly twenty years was President of that Institution. He was also a Trustee of the Rogers Hall School in Lowell, in which school he cherished a special interest, and at the time of his decease he was Vice-President of its Board of Management.Dr. Chambré was an enthusiastic Mason. He not only believed in its precepts, but he practised them as they are taught in its Ritual and its symbolism. He was Master of an Army Lodge during the Civil War, and also a Past Master of Newark Lodge in Newark, New Jersey. In the Capitular Rite he was a Past High Priest of Mount Zion Royal Arch Chapter of Stoughton, and also Past High Priest of Miller Royal Arch Chapter of Franklin. In 1873 he was Deputy Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Massachusetts. He was a Knight Templar and had served as Grand Prelate of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templars of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He was an honorary member of the Supreme Council of Sovereign Grand Inspectors-General for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America, having received the Thirty-third degree in 1905.

By his untimely death the church wherein he labored so long and so earnestly has lost a faithful priest and counselor, the city where he lived has lost an honored citizen, and the Masonic Fraternity has lost a beloved and distinguished brother.May the memory of this good man, this noble servant of God, be an incentive to us to lead better lives, to work more zealously for the welfare of our fellow-men, and to build for ourselves spiritual temples, radiant in large measure with that celestial light which shines from the throne beyond.

Fraternally submitted,
Solon W. Stevens, Chairman,
Arthur G. Pollard,
Chas. A. Stoll,
Committee.

ADDRESSES

DEDICATION OF THE HALL OF NEWARK LODGE #7, DECEMBER 1859

From pamphlet published by the lodge, 1860:

ADDRESS BEFORE NEWARK LODGE #7, F & A MASONS,
ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEDICATION OF THEIR NEW HALL.
BY BROTHER A. ST. JOHN CHAMBRE.
DECEMBER 27, 1859.

Brethren of the Masonic Fraternity!

I hesitated to accept your kind invitation to deliver an address to-night, not from want of interest in your labors or cause, but from a consciousness of inability to do justice to this occasion — especially mid the manifold other duties demanding my attention. I am present, however, in the confidence that you will receive my remarks in the same spirit in which, they are offered—the spirit of “goodwill” and “brotherly love.”

From various causes,— the darkness of past ages, the lack of means for preserving records, the convulsions, the disorders, and the changes of the world — the ancient history of Free Masonry is wrapped in obscurity. The inceptional steps of the order are variously traced. Many detect them in the Eleusinian mysteries, the most ancient known to history. These were observed by the Greeks from almost time immemorial, and were doubtless received by them from the Egyptians. They especially flourished in Athens, into which they were introduced nearly fourteen hundred years before the advent of Christ. As the word “mysteries” implies, all the ceremonies in connection therewith were secret, and binding in their secrecy.

They were religious, according to the religious ideas of those ages, and were observed in a Temple specially dedicated to them; and those who would participate in their interests were initiated with strange attendant circumstances and gorgeous rites. Through these mysteries, also, the initiated were bound together by solemnities and obligations — rendered stronger and more binding as they passed from the minor to the higher degrees. We cannot stop to explain the nature of these rites. But tho mysteries spread throughout tho old world; and though at first doubtless attended with peculiarities not all commendable, seem gradually to have attained a higher tone, and to have taught and incited to amorality and culture higher than usually obtained.

Wo neither affirm nor deny that Free Masonry had its root in these ancient mysteries. Masonry itself properly dates from the rise of architectural powers, and as a distinct and separate secret order from the period of Solomon, tho great and wise king of thoOld Testament, whom we recognize as the first Grand Master. It is not impossible that the mystic nature of Masonry was suggested by the Grecian mysteries; but our knowledge and ideas of Masonry, as in connection with Solomon, are in the binding of the Craft in tho building of the Temple of Jerusalem. But without dwelling upon this, necessarily obscure, portion of our history, we tread upon surer ground, and clearer historic views open before us at a later day. For, beyond all doubt, the fraternities of Architects and Builders, in the earliest Christian ages, were spread over the whole Christian world. Up through them, with whatever force tradition carries, though necessarily in a broken and confused manner, the evidences of Masonry as a Fraternity, are traced to Solomon and beyond. Hence, from the latest dates, Free Masonry is of ancient origin. Nor has tho order been altogether unimportant, even in a scientific and aesthetic view. To the Craft, unquestionably, do we owe the magnificent gothic edifices of the middle ages, with their spires shooting up into the heavens as though they would lift up with them the soul and all its powers to God. And these edifices contrast most favorably with the architectural efforts of those ages in other departments, showing that tho Craft had been diligent students of their profession in its various details —a s even now laid down, though now as symbols of higher duties, in the Lodges of our own day.

The spread of Masonry we do not pretend to follow. It is sufficient to know, that the Order is now found throughout the entire world, in forms essentially tho same, though attended with local or other circumstances different from our own.

True, the Order has suffered varied and singular fortunes. It has been supported by the best and most powerful, and then persecuted by the same. It has been looked upon with jealousy and suspicion, and again trusted to the fullest extent. It has been prosperous and jubilant, and then under the shadows of adversity and in the deepest distress. But throughout all, we have yet to learn that the Craft have not borne themselves nobly, with rare exceptions. They have endured where endurance seemed advisable; they have suffered where suffering was demanded; and still they exist, and have existed, through all ordeals, holding fast their obligations, spreading their numbers, and enlarging their boundaries. To-day they stand high in the civilized world, and exert a powerful and beneficent influence,— their glory now being, not in their “operative” triumphs, but in their unobtrusive, yet magnificent deeds of charity—deeds done silently, but gladdening the hearts of unnumbered brethren, and pouring joy into the souls of their widows and their orphans. Yes, Free Masonry exists 1In reality its being and history is traceable through more than forty centuries of architectural remains, and in tho evidences ofits mysteries, in some form, from as far back. More than three thousand years since it shone resplendently in its “operative” triumph in the gorgeous Temple of Solomon. And the temples and other magnificent structures of the ancient world, and even down through tho middle ages, are, or have been, memorials of its skill and taste. It still lives ! though no longer “operative,” but simply “speculative.” It survives the wrecks of empires, the decay of nations, the blighting and perishing of earthly glories. The Temple of Solomon has long since crumbled into dust. Babylon, the proud city of tho old world; Egypt, in its almost boundless wealth; Greece, in its height of culture; and Rome, in its imperial splendors, are only now tho tales of the past and buried. But Free Masonry survives them all, as though with perpetual youth and vigor, adding fresh glories to its being from day to day, and standing ns a vast moral power — second only to Christianity, from which, certainly, it now receives its purest light and noblest exaltation.

Free Masonry now (under Christianity, at least), whatever it may have been in earlier ages, is, and has been for many years, as before intimated, a purely “ speculative ”— using that word Masonically — and benevolent institution. It is bound together throughout the world by secret ties, not for the sake of secrecy, but for the bettor and surer furthering of its principles, and to preserve itself from prying curiosity and the impositions of the evil-disposed. And touching this secrecy of the Order, we certainly see nothing therein at which the uninitiated should find fault. It is for self-protection, and for that alone. Nay, there is something noble in it, rightly viewed; for as a benevolent Fraternity, wishing not that the right hand should know what is done by the left, we do not desire that any, save ourselves, and those who are our proteges, should know or interfere with our affairs. As I view it, also, in some s