Show Missionary to Navajos Marks Anniversary to Priesthood This is s an exciting time timeto to be alive declared 74 year old oM Father Harold Baxter Liebler during the course of 01 his sermon on the annIversary anniversary anniversary an an- of his ordination to the priesthood The occasion was marked at St. St Christopher's ChrIstopher's Christopher's Christo ChrIsto- pher's Mission Bluff Utah on Oct 5 It Is exciting to know that the forces that formerly for lor- formerly merly were spending themselves them them- selves elves in battling Christian against Christian can now concentrate themselves on the real enemies of the church the World the Flesh and the Devil The founder lounder 21 years ago of St. St Christopher's Episcopal Episco pal jal Mission to the Navajo Indians Father LIebler was the celebrant at a Solemn High Votive Mass of Jesus Christ the Eternal Priest which was held outdoors on Oct 5 under a type Navajo-type shade a group of upright logs supporting a n roof of leafy leafy lea lea- fy branches of trees To his left as he stood facing the congregation behind a portable portable port port- able altar stood a broken stone flone altar and anda a statue of a Navajo Madona and Child These were all that remained standing of the fabric and 1 I contents of a 15 year old log church which burned to the I ground on June 21 21 I Two It Items ms only were salvaged salvaged salvaged sal sal- Intact from the toe fire which ch experts to have an intensity of 2000 F F. F the silver chalice chalice chal chal- ic ice and paten presented to Father Ll Liebler bler on his ordination ordina ordina- tion Blackened by fire but oth otherwise undamaged these symbols of 01 his his' priestly function function function tion were restored to their original beauty In time for use at the anniversary celebration cele cele- bration Assisting Father Lie Lie- bier as Deacon and con can were the present Vicar ot or St. St Christopher's the Rev llev Wayne L. L Pontius and a new ne resident priest the llev nev Ian Douglas Mitchell Born nom in Brooklyn N N. N Y Y in 1889 as a boy Father LIe Lle bIer bler early began reading about about ab ab- out Indians playing Indian in the streets with neighbor gamins and dreaming about life Ufe in the woodlands or on the plains He Ue became an ardent ardent ardent ar ar- dent disciple of Ernest T. T Seton and later in Connect he became one of Seton's So So- tons ton's and heard firsthand stories of frontier life and of Indian lore songs dances ceremonies and und mI ma gic The son of theatrical producer pro ducer Theodore August Lie Lie- bier II and Mildred Walther he attended my and Horace Mann high school chool he received his BA degree at Columbia University city sity in 1911 and his lit UI from Irom Nashotah House Theological Theological Theo logical Seminary in 1915 After After Atter Af At- ter his ordination to the priesthood on Oct 4 1914 DH ho III became Rector of St. St Matt bias hlas' church in Waukesha Wise where he served until 1917 returning to New York as curate of St St. Lukes Luke's chapet chapel cha chao pet pel of Trinity Parish In 1918 1913 he was called as Rector Hector of ot St. St Pauls Paul's church in Riverside River River- side ide de Conn and was founder end and priest in charge of St. St Saviours Saviour's church Old Greenwich Green Conn from 1918 Until 1943 But nut throughout those year yearA the lure of the West still sua proved strong and his love lovo t for lor the Indian people never waned v At length in th the course of a long vacation he herode herode herode rode his pony Into the tin tan chartered wastes of 01 Southeastern Southeastern Southeastern South South- eastern Utah where he hp found a people untouched bythe by bythe bythe the Gospel uneducated and illiterate neglected and afflicted afflicted af at- flitted with many He lie offered himself to the Ili Bi Bishop shop hop of Utah was accepted and in 1943 with five lay helpers pitched the tents which were the first housing of St. St Christopher's Mission to the Navajo In the 21 years since its Us inception the Mission has hu grown to include Mission house church vicarage and ether ther work buildings and dormitories dor dor- also an eight-bed eight clinic and schoolhouse |