Leading up to St. Paul’s 150th anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the former church members. Looking around the church, there are many plaques that name former members of the congregation memorialized by their gifts to the glory of God and in remembrance of loved ones.
On the left side of the church while facing the altar, there is the stained glass window dedicated to the memory of Helena Babcock. Here’s what the local newspaper, The Marin Journal, had to say about the Memorial Window on Nov. 3, 1887.
“The beautiful stained glass window recently placed in St. Paul’s by William Babcock as a memorial to his deceased wife was made by Mr. James T. Lawder of New York. The subject of the window is Faith looking to the cross of Christ. The inscription reads: To the glory of God, this monument is erected in memory of Helena Babcock who entered into rest Feb. 12, 1887.
Helena Babcock was born in 1858 on the Island of St. Helena as Helena Kimball. Later she was adopted by General Alfred Redington and was brought up in Sacramento. She married William Babcock on Oct. 31, 1877 in London. Helena and William Babcock built their Queen Anne style house in 1887 on a large estate at the corner of Palm and Magnolia avenues in San Rafael. They called their home Edgehill. She and William had one son, William F. Babcock. She died in Monterey in 1887 of lung disease and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in San Francisco.
William and Helena Babcock became members of St. Pauls in 1882 William was a long time vestryman at St. Paul’s. He served as treasurer for some years. William was a wealthy man and was widely known as a philanthropist contributing to many community causes.
Tragically, his son died in 1894. To get away from the many sad memories, William took a trip abroad. On shipboard, he met Julia Mays whose husband had recently died. The two mourners found solace in each others company and were married.
William Babcock died in Coronado in 1918. A long eulogy was printed in the Marin Journal stating his many gifts and projects he supported. His funeral was held at St. Paul’s Church, conducted by Rev. Cutting and Bishop Nichols. He was buried at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery. His estate was estimated at 5 million dollars.
Julia sold the Babcock home to Dominican College in 1920. The home served as a residence and dining hall at first. Later it was class rooms and offices. Then it was used by The Garden School, a preschool for fifty years. In 1985, the home was closed to the public because of structural concerns. In 2007, Dominican University transformed the old mansion into a student and alumni center with a Catholic Chapel, called St. Catherine Benincasa Chapel. A beautiful stained glass window was commissioned by the university and Elizabeth Devereaux fulfilled the commission with her window called “The Light of the Spirit”. The house is beautifully restored and is open to the public
By Joy Moss