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"The Critters of Cragsmoor Chapel"
By Lucy
Muller
I was given the great privilege of being taken to Cragsmoor in the summer of 1944. I was six months old and like my mother before me, grew up in that most beautiful mountain community. My eyes probably first focused on the blue Catskills to the north and the white cliffs of Sam's Point to the east. As I grew up I was taken to the stone church or as it is properly called, The Chapel of the Holy Name, every summer Sunday for services. The church is built on the style of English country churches and sits on the edge of the mountain.
The ladies took great care cleaning the floors and pews and arranging flowers from their gardens each week. A priest from Ellenville or in the early days, from Cragsmoor itself, conducted the service which was of the Anglican persuasion.
We all loved animals, but we didn't take them to church. At least we didn't plan to take them.
Everyone I knew had a dog or two and a cat. Some even had horses. My mother, for several summers, rented a horse for us and returned her in September. One summer we had an especially smart mare named Maud. It didn't take long for Maud to figure out her door latch and opened it with her lips. One Sunday morning, before we realized what Maud was doing, we got an angry phone call from Mrs. Lewis, who was the church's most ardent caretaker.
All I heard was my mother say,"Oh I am sorry. We'll go get her right away and clean it up." Maud had moseyed over to the church, ate her fill of grass, left foot prints on the lawn and a large gift on the steps. That was only one animal incident at the stone church.
One very, humid lazy August Sunday as we sat in the chapel listening to the rector, a small snake emerged from the stones behind the minister's head. We all sat up straight and stared. The snake wavered around and the priest kept speaking and then the snake disappeared back into the wall.
After service we told the priest what happened and he laughed and said that he wondered what was so especially compelling about his sermon. Many times a dog would follow his family to church and you would hear barking or tag jingling until the dog found his family. If he or she was good she could stay, if noisy you would hear someone taking the pet out.
There were weddings in the church and garden parties on the lawn and we loved hearing the bell toll when someone pulled the big, thick rope. We all took turns on the rope.
The chapel is still there today thanks to those who work to keep it going and I hope it always will be. I learned the most important things in life, manners, friendship, kindness, laughter and doing one's share, within it's warm and friendly walls.
By Lucy Muller
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