Julia Chester Emery (September 24, 1852 – January 9, 1922) was the National Secretary of the Women's Auxiliary of the Board of Missions for forty years, from 1876 to 1916. The
Episcopal Church calendar honors her with a feast on January 9.
Early life
Julia was the daughter of Captain Charles Emery, a sea captain and devout Episcopalian. He and his wife Susan had eleven children, the majority of whom distinguished themselves in religious service. Two sons became priests. His daughter Mary preceded Julia as National Secretary of the Auxiliary and served from 1872 to 1876. Three other daughters (Susan, Margaret and Helen) also supported Episcopal missions at home and abroad, including making their home on 24th Street available to foreign missionaries visiting the United States.
Career
During her four decades as National Secretary, a position she first held at age 24, Julia visited every diocese in the United States, coordinating and encouraging work in support of missions. Invited by the Bishop of New York, Emery traveled to London as a delegate to the
Pan-Anglican Congress The first Pan-Anglican Congress was held in London (United Kingdom) from June 15 to June 24, 1908, immediately prior to the Fifth Lambeth Conference held in July of the same year. Designed as a consultation on mission, the Congress was a meeting of ...
and the Lambeth Conference in 1908. She traveled to Japan, China, Hong Kong and the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
to advance missionary work there, and to be able to report on it to the Episcopal women in the United States. Through her self-effacing work, women received canonical status as deaconesses and the Women's Auxiliary received an important role in the General Convention.
Emery founded the United Thank Offering (UTO). This worked by giving each woman a small box with a slit in the top and encouraging her to drop a small contribution into it whenever she felt thankful for something. Once a year, the women of the parish presented these at a Sunday service. The money was sent to national headquarters to be used for missions.
Death and legacy
"Miss Julia" died in New York City, and was buried at the cemetery of St. James the Less,
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several village ...
.
The United Thank Offering continues to this day, and collects and gives away over $1 million annually.
In 1988, the General Convention of The Episcopal Church authorized the commemoration of Julia Chester Emery on January 9 on a trial basis. Her commemoration was met with final approval and entered into the Book of Common Prayer calendar in 1997.
References
Sources
*Brightest and Best: A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts by Sam Portaro (Cowley, 2001).
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External links
United Thank Offering websiteJulia Chester Emery on The Lectionary Calendar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, Julia Chester
1852 births
1922 deaths
20th-century Christian saints
Anglican saints
Episcopal Church (United States)
Christian female saints of the Late Modern era