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| William V. Rauscher photo: Douglas A. Hill from: http://www.thurstonmastermagician.com |
Having been born in Long Branch, NJ and raised in Highlands, NJ, Canon Rauscher did not arrive in Woodbury until 1960 when he accepted the call to become the 11th Rector of Christ Church. "A student of Ascetical and Mystical Theology, as well as Parapsychology, Psychical Research, and Comparative Religions, Canon Rauscher's studies and experiences span decades, including his special interests in magic, mentalism, mediums and psychics (Mitchell, 2008)." A former president of the Woodbury Clergy Association, Rauscher was instrumental in bringing together two early panel discussions at the Roman Catholic Church. It was considered the first ecumenical effort in Woodbury. During his many years as Rector, Rauscher hosted popular religion and science seminars which brought guests and speakers from across the United States (and even abroad) to Woodbury. Attendance to these lectures was comprised of a mixture of people from all faiths and walks of life. Some of the guest speakers for these lectures include astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell (6th man to walk on the moon); Hugh Lynn Cayce of the Association for Research and Enlightenment (son of psychic Edgar Cayce); Yoga master Amrit Desai; controversial famous psychic Arthur Ford; "heavy organist" Virgil Fox; and a range of other magicians, actors, parapsychologists and writers.
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| Canon Rauscher (r) and J.B. Rhine (l), founder of the Duke University Parapsychology lab photo from: Religion, Magic, and the Supernatural |
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| Christ Church, Woodbury NJ photo: dw Brown |
Aside from his many parochial accomplishments, Canon Rauscher is also a prolific author of many titles, some of which are pictured below. A complete list can be found at his publisher's website: Mystic Light Press and include such titles as the Mind Readers, Magic in Rhyme, and Church in Frenzy. His recent autobiography Religion, Magic, and the Supernatural: The Autobiography, Reflections, and Essays of an Episcopal Priest, an 850+ page tour de force documents the many facets of Canon Rauscher's fascinating life. Charles Reynolds, author, theatrical consultant and magic historian calls the autobiography his, "magnum opus" and goes on to explain, "In addition to his pastoral duties, Rauscher has devoted his life to a study of mystery in the pulpit, the seance room, and on stage. Much of this giant volume of over 850 pages with hundreds of illustrations (many previously unpublished) is devoted to the history of magic and magicians as well as overlapping fields such as spiritualism, the paranormal, spook shows, escapology, and even ventriloquism."
Of course I am merely scratching the surface regarding Canon Rauscher. It is impossible to provide here a complete overview of the many stories that make up his extraordinary life, which is why I highly recommend the above autobiography. For now, let's hear a little from the man himself and his recollections of "old" Woodbury...
1. When you arrived in
Woodbury in 1960 what was your first impression?
Woodbury was much less urban. Broad St. had the usual
compliment of American town stores such as the corner drug store, Wakmans
Hardware, 5 & 10, clothing store, movie theater and the Homestead
restaurant. When I arrived in Woodbury, Underwood Hospital was still a
wooden building. I recall that when they wanted to drop the name
Underwood for what I believe was Memorial Hospital there was an outcry from the
old guard of the town. The second Mrs. Underwood (Althea) was one
of my parishioners and many of our people were volunteers at Underwood.
In a sense, they prevented the drop of the Underwood name and so it went on.
All things come to an end with advancing decisions and now it is no
longer Underwood. People walked the street, had a soda at the 5 & 10
soda counter all in a kind of middle America atmosphere. I arrived in
August of 1960 as the new rector of Christ Church having served 3 years prior
to Woodbury in Florence, NJ at St. Stephens Episcopal Church.
2. You certainly had a
long run as the Rector of Christ Episcopal Church and I’ve read of the extensive
restoration/repair work to the Church and Parish house you had done. What
prompted you to initiate this work?
I followed a rector, The Rev. Canon Robert G.W. Williams who
had been rector 42 years! He was a kind, devoted and wonderful
man. He was born in Wales, a Welshman with wife and family.
His wife Alice wrote a column for the Woodbury Times. Since property was
always a problem, there were many repairs needed to the buildings. The
improvements were eventually accomplished and during the remainder of his life
we were close friends. He lived in Woodbury, loved the parish, had many
friends and it never bothered me if he served or took part in any parish event.
My ministry lasted 36 years. There have been two rectors since I retired in 1996. The current rector, The Rev. Brian Burgess and his wife Denise have made many improvements to the property including beautifying the interior of the rectory. Father Burgess has maintained meticulous attention to the property and grounds along with distinguishing himself as a pastor.
3. Did you enjoy staying in the circa 1850 Victorian “Norris House,” which later became the Christ Church Rectory in 1885? What did you like most about living there?
The rectory has been the residence for rectors since the beginning. Many churches have sold off their rectories which I think is a mistake. New rectors usually like to buy their own house and receive a housing allowance then move on. They sell their house and the churches are left with no rector, no rectory. Christ Church has maintained the large and well-kept rectory all these years. It was expected that the rectors that followed me live in the rectory provided by the church. One advantage is that you are close to the property. As a rector you are a custodian of the past, an heir to history and expected to be in command of the present. I enjoyed the house. I always felt it had a special ambiance, a mood, a link with the past and even a link with the spiritual history of the parish itself.
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| Circa 1896 photo of the Rectory, Christ Church and the old Temperance Hall (from L-R) |
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| Circa 1909 postcard of the Rectory, Christ Church and the old Temperance Hall (from L-R) |
4. Throughout the years of your lecture series
you certainly had a cast of characters staying overnight at the rectory. Do you
have any interesting stories to tell regarding this?
I sponsored many lectures in the parish house and events on the parish house stage. All the lectures had religions implications and many were by researchers. For example...if I had a person speak on dream research I would ask them to make reference to the subject of dreams in the bible. All those lectures were a compliment to faith...a way of ennobling faith. Some dealt with consciousness raising, prayer, meditation, the subject of life after death, healing and other dimensional thinking. Dr. Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon spoke twice in my parish drawing big crowds. It was exciting to have these people on the platform and it was also a kind of extended ministry to the community. It was all about the study of consciousness and awareness. Some of this took place during what we called the Psychic Revolution. Those speakers who took on the subject of ESP, etc., were not evangelists of the subject but merely trying to show that there is within us an extra dimension that transcended the usual senses. There were talks that also warned of the dangers of dabbling with the Occult. It was all sensible material offered by people with good credentials. They were interesting time in the midst of the rise of the cults, the Aquarian Age, the Hippies, the Now generation and all else. Fortunately I had through the years, five assistants known as Curates. We still keep in touch and some are now retired. One of my outstanding curates was The Rev. Dr. John E. Bird who is retired and lives in Woodbury. Years ago we had purchased the half house next to the rectory and that was the Curates residence. With all the demands I was also active in the Diocese of NJ having served on numerous committees.
5. Have you ever encountered any opposition
in the community with you hosting psychics, magicians, illusionists,
astronauts, actors, etc.?
Since my youth I was interested in stage magic and my hobby
eventually resulted in doing magic shows for fun and entertainment. But..I
never brought it into the pulpit...I never did Gospel Magic! I was
interested in the history of the old time great magicians. I saw no value
in trying to teach the story of the Loaves and Fishes by multiplying small
sponges! I have written books on great magicians of the past and
they are listed on my website (http://www.mysticlightpress.com/). I did not have any backlash from
those interests as I kept it all in perspective.
6. What in your opinion caused the gradual decline of downtown Woodbury? Any thoughts on how to revive our city?
6. What in your opinion caused the gradual decline of downtown Woodbury? Any thoughts on how to revive our city?
The Mall changed things. Who was going to buy a shirt
on Broad St. when you could see a thousand shirts at the Mall. Who was
going to a family owned movie house when you could select from seven movies at
the Mall. Broad St. as a business district began to fade. Small business
while paying rent could not gain the income to keep going. Friends now
think of Woodbury as a Lawyer town! Perhaps one answer might be
more boutiques, antique shops, specialty shops, store fronts that exude charm
and have unique products. I don't really know the answer but the town has
struggled with this problem for years. Maybe the new shops included in
the renovation of the Green building will be unique but whatever they are you
still have to draw the crowd to pay the bills. None of this is unique
since it is all part and parcel of the decline of towns with empty stores
across the land.
7. What do you miss most
about the “old” Woodbury?
What I miss about "old" Woodbury is the feeling it
once had. It was a feeling of family, of stores run by people who knew
each other. I guess I would call it a small town feeling even though it
was and is a city.
8. Any new books planned?
8. Any new books planned?
I have enjoyed writing books. All my titles are in the Woodbury
Public Library. My most recent was "Milbourne Christopher: The Man
and His Magic". He was well known in his day as a magic historian,
collector of magic memorabilia with appearance on all the T.V. shows of his day
including T.V. magic specials that paved the way for such performers as
Doug Henning and David Copperfield. I was privileged to have been
published by Doubleday, St. Martins Press and New American Library.
Those books included one on the subject of Suicide, the Psychic Revolution
called "The Spiritual Frontier" and several others. I did
all those in the midst of a busy life of ministry and also after I retired. I
may have another book in me but until a 'light' goes off in my mind I won't
know. I do prefer non-fiction to fiction. I find writing a solitary
effort that centered in a creative aloneness where you sit and tell a story to
yourself!
I found that the ministry is not a life style but a life. I was pleased to serve and like Canon Williams I retired in Woodbury, a place I love and with people I have known for decades. Besides: I knew where the Acme was, the hospital, doctors and all else. Why move away, create obstacles and then try to surmount them!!
I found that the ministry is not a life style but a life. I was pleased to serve and like Canon Williams I retired in Woodbury, a place I love and with people I have known for decades. Besides: I knew where the Acme was, the hospital, doctors and all else. Why move away, create obstacles and then try to surmount them!!
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| Stained glass window in Christ Church, Woodbury dedicated in 1998 to the life and ministry of Canon Rauscher |
Thank you Canon Rauscher for your many contributions to our community and beyond. May this world continue to be a better, more enlightened (and more mysterious) place with you in it.
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Mitchell, J. A. (2008). Christ episcopal church: Woodbury, New Jersey 1857-2007. (1st ed., pp. 173-175). Rockland, ME: Custom Museum Publishing.
Rauscher, W. V. (2006). Religion, magic, and the supernatural. Woodbury, NJ: Mystic Light Press.
