Episcopal Church Women’s Silver Alms Basin

While attending the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee's annual convention in January 2017, I spotted the most curious thing. In the exhibit hall was an enormous silver alms basin on display at the Episcopal Church Women's (ECW) table. I had never seen a basin of such girth and when I picked it up, I was surprised by its weight. I was told it weighs six pounds and made from silver donated by the women of the Diocese in 1955, when the Diocese of Tennessee consisted of the entire state.

The surface of basin is lavishly decorated with raised script and various Christian symbols. When I asked some specific questions, such as, “Who designed it, who fabricated it, and why were these symbols chosen,” no one knew the answers. But the impressive beauty of this piece compelled me to do a little research.

I began by digging into the ECW files located in the University Archives at Sewanee, where I found the chronological record of the basin, from concept to dedication, but no specific answers to my questions. I learned that Mrs. Allen (Julia) Hughes of Memphis managed the project and was named as the custodian of the alms basin, but still, no specific answers could be found.

I then contacted the Diocese of West Tennessee and asked if there were any files in their archives pertaining to Mrs. Hughes and the alms basin. Unfortunately, there were none. However, I did learn that Mrs. Hughes moved to East Tennessee late in life and perhaps the archives at the diocesan house in Knoxville might provide some answers.

When I contacted the Diocese of East Tennessee, I was told there was nothing in their files about Mrs. Hughes or the alms basin, but there was a framed document on the wall of the diocesan house that mentions the alms basin. They scanned the document, emailed it to me and, low and behold, I received a description, written in beautiful calligraphy, which answered all my questions! (Click here to see the calligraphy document.)

Since the State of Tennessee now consists of three dioceses, the ECW alms basin* is shared between each diocese on an annual rotation basis. Any parish in each diocese can borrow the basin by contacting the ECW President in their respective diocese while the basin is in residence there.

*Interesting End Note: In the document, the word, basin, is spelled “bason,” which is the archaic spelling of the word used by the Church of England.

The Rev. John A. Runkle is an Episcopal priest and a historical architect, who lives and practices in Sewanee, TN.