Rev. Vernon A. Austin Jr., 84, longtime rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norristown

The Rev. Vernon A. Austin Jr., 84, of Collegeville, longtime rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norristown, died Tuesday, March 19, of cancer at the Landing of Collegeville, an assisted living facility.

Born in Trenton, he was the son of Vernon A. Austin Sr. and Elizabeth Clarke Austin. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and earned a Master of Divinity in 1959 from General Theological Seminary in New York City.

Father Austin began his ministerial work as a curate at Trinity Episcopal Church in Ambler. He served as an assistant at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Schenectady, N.Y., before becoming rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Herkimer, N.Y.

In 1967, he was named rector of Trinity Episcopal Church of Gloversville, N.Y. While there, he spoke out on the role he believed the church should play in society.

“These days there have been many questions raised as to the relevance of the church,” he told the Binghamton, N.Y., Press and Sun-Bulletin, in an April 1970 article. “Are we an ingrown, pious club, worshiping God within the four walls of the church? Or is our role to reach out into the community?” He favored the latter, he said.

His longest period of service was spent at St. John’s in Norristown, where he was the rector from 1976 until retiring in 1996, when he became rector emeritus. While there, he supported outreach programs for Norristown’s poor and homeless, including a soup kitchen in the church that served hundreds of meals four days a week.

Father Austin instituted the annual ecumenical service for the courts in which the clergy bless the judiciary in Norristown.

In 1994, he led a restoration project at the church to address structural integrity, water intrusion, safety concerns, and accessibility for the disabled. The church is known for its elegant stained-glass windows, elaborate baptismal font, and the soaring sound of its organ.

“Church buildings are a kind of endowment in brick and mortar,” he told The Inquirer in 1994. “It’s up to us to honor the past and insure the future by carefully preserving what has been entrusted to us.”

Beset by depleting finances and dwindling attendance, the church shut down on June 28, 2015. Father Austin officiated at the closing service. Two years later, the church reopened, although the renamed Grace and Cecil Bean Soup Kitchen Inc. is now a separate nonprofit.

Father Austin was a member of Norristown Ministries, which operates a daytime hospitality center for the homeless with showers and a mail drop. The center is adjacent to the church.

He was active with the Montgomery County Development Corp., an agency created by the county commissioners in 1984 to promote housing and business development.

“He was not just a pastoral leader; he was a community leader and recognized for that,” said Cheryl Werkiser, part-time administrator for the church’s outreach efforts.

In retirement, he enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s baseball games and dance recitals. He and his wife, Judith Haubens Austin, vacationed in Camden, Maine.

He was an avid model railroader, tinkering with his N Gauge train layout. “It was set up in every home he and Judy made together,” his family said.

In addition to his wife of 54 years, he is survived by children Virginia Carol Stellato and Stephen Michael Austin and four grandchildren. A brother died earlier.

A funeral will be at noon Saturday, March 30, at St. James’ Episcopal Church, 3768 Germantown Pike, Collegeville. Burial will be private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Philadelphia Orchestra via https://www.philorch.org/.