In 1958, during the heart of the civil rights movement, the Rev. Francis Wakefield of All Saints Episcopal Church hand-delivered a petition to desegregate the city's bus line to the Mobile City Council.

The petition was signed by a number of clergy members.

Retaliation soon followed. In one case, a cross was burned in the yard of one of the petitioners.

Wakefield was rector of the church on the corner of Ann and Government streets from 1945 to 1965.

His actions are typical of All Saints' legacy of striving for social change, said the Rev. Jim Flowers, the church's current rector.

All Saints, incorporated as a parish a century ago on the outskirts of what was then the city of Mobile, is celebrating its 100th anniversary today during its 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, followed by a homecoming picnic at Stirling Hall. The Right Rev. Philip Duncan II, bishop of the Episcopal Church's Central Gulf Coast diocese, will preside over the service.

In addition to its legacy of seeking social justice, All Saints is known as "a parish that values intellectual inquiry," Flowers said.

And when it comes to discussion of scripture, Flowers said, it's important to have intellectual conversations about Jesus instead of sticking to superstition.

He feels the parish members value the tough questions rather than the easy answers, and he's glad of it and encourages it.

Flowers' career as a priest started at the church as deacon in 2004. Then he became interim rector in 2005 and, a year later, rector.

CONTINUED 1 | 2 Next