St. John’s in the Village and Father Graeme Napier

By Roger Paradiso

St. John’s in the Village has been a West Village presence since 1853. The church is currently located on 11th Street and Waverly with a lovely façade and a beautiful courtyard welcoming all Villagers to their active and robust programs in the arts. It is well known that churches are supporting independent artists who are left out of the mainstream with new digital and AI technology changing the world of artists everywhere. While churches have been supporting artists for centuries, I asked Father Graeme Napier how St. John’s became so instrumental in the visual and performing arts.

“The previous church burned down in 1971,” he said. “There was a debate of whether to rebuild or not because St. Luke’s and Ascension were both Episcopalian churches in the neighborhood. When the board decided to rebuild, they produced a mission statement saying that the purpose of St. John’s in the Village was to be a patron of the arts.” 

“We have a theater company which kept going because the theater space didn’t burn down,” he continued. “So, theater was the first part to come along. For the last ten years, Rattlestick Theater has been our resident company.”

Father Graeme came to St. John’s in 2018 and started a concert series which features four to five concerts per week ranging from medieval music to contemporary art music to jazz and rap. You won’t find a rock n’ roll band as they try to minimize “noise” and respect the neighbors. 

“We are home to four choirs in residence as well as our own professional choir,” said Father Graeme. “We give a home to these community choirs with professional directors who perform and rehearse here. That’s part of our music world.” 

Visual arts is third strand of the program which includes painting, sculpture and photography. The Revelation Art Gallery opened in 2019 with an exhibit by local photographer, Rose Hartman. There are monthly exhibitions throughout the year.

St. John’s now wants to bring on dance and film—and perhaps an indie film club. Organizations with existing film clubs should contact Father Graeme to discuss whether they can do their series at the church or host the church’s club at their space. 

“Churches are uniquely positioned to support the arts,” said Father Graeme. “In general, being a not-for-profit and having spaces, sized for the community, allows us to do what we do. The church has beautiful acoustics and we have a theater. And we have an art gallery where local or unknown artists can exhibit for a donation that is far less than a gallery in Chelsea. Churches are uniquely positioned to promote the independent artists due to the high fees and commissions that the commercial galleries and theaters charge.”

Father Napier grew up singing in choirs, playing cello, and has a qualification from the Royal College of Music. “My vocation to the priesthood always included my love of music and my sense that music is so important in worship,” he said. “At St. John’s, we try to be as eclectic as possible. We do all sorts of Liturgical music and classical music. We like the Great American Songbook, African spirituals, and American folk music. In terms of theater, we like to do events in our lovely courtyard garden. We did a Baroque opera which worked out nicely. I would like to get Shakespeare in our courtyard. We would not do modern or classical plays.”

During the pandemic and post-pandemic, St. John’s partnered with a national streaming partner called Musae located in Boston. The church invested in the equipment to stream music and performances to other parts of the country. This helped local artists get out to a larger audience.

“We rely on word of mouth to get our programs known,” said Father Graeme. “Please look up St. John’s at stjvny.org and come see a show. It is a beautiful church with nice sized community rooms for screenings, theater, and an art gallery. And it has a beautiful outdoor garden for events.”

I highly recommend you support Father Graeme and the arts programs at St. John’s in the Village. It is an attractive church in an historical area. And you can support local independent artists who have a lot to say. St. John’s needs your support and welcomes everyone to their performances.