St. John’s Anglican Cathedral marks 100 years
Congregation to recreate every aspect of historic service Thanksgiving weekend
We see ourselves as the cathedral for the city, and we’re always open for everyone … we invite the city of Saskatoon to join us in celebrating.
St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in Saskatoon has a long history and many milestones to celebrate.
The congregation dates back to 1887 when Church of England services were held in the Little Stone School. In 1904, the first St. John’s Parish Church was opened on Third Avenue. In 1911, just before the advent of the First World War, land was purchased on Spadina Crescent and the following year construction began on the present church. The Duke of Connaught, Canada’s governor general of the day, laid the cornerstone on Sept. 3, 1912.
“Then, Saskatoon fell into economic difficulties,” said longtime congregation member Derwyn Crozier-Smith. “A roof was put on the unfinished building and construction stopped. It wasn’t until Oct. 7, 1917, that the first service was held in the finished church.”
This year, on Thanksgiving weekend, Oct. 7-8, the congregation of St. John’s will recreate every aspect of that very first service.
“We’re calling it Honouring Our Heritage,” said Kate Gibbings, chair of the committee organizing the celebratory event. “We will recreate the historic service complete with the original music and we’ll read from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which would have been used in 1917.”
Interestingly, an entire page of the Saturday, Oct. 6, 1917, edition of the Saskatoon Daily Star newspaper was devoted to the ‘Opening of St. John’s Church — An Important Event’. The full-page spread carried photographs of the interior and exterior of the new church, as well as photos of the rector, Rev. Canon E. B. Smith, and the bishop of Saskatchewan, The Rt. Rev. J. A. Newnham. Coverage included a history of the congregation and a detailed description of the new building. Even the order of service and the list of music to be presented was printed in detail in the paper.
The article turned out to be a huge gift to organizers of the present-day celebration “because,” said Daniel Hughes, who is rector of All Saints Anglican Church and archdeacon of the Saskatoon Diocese, “the services of the Church of England haven’t changed significantly in the years since 1912. The rite from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer is still around.”
Hughes said a revised Book of Common Prayer was issued by the church in 1918, “but study and research is revealing a deep spiritual essence in the 1662 version that is resonating with contemporary Anglicans, especially young people. In England, evensong services where the old Book is used are seeing attendance going up. My prayer is that it will happen here, too.”
Hughes’ All Saints Anglican Church continues to use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
The Very Reverend Scott Pittendrigh, current dean of St. John’s Cathedral, said the 1917 Order of Service included Holy Communion along with addresses and sermons from various Anglican dignitaries and Holy Baptism, plus an evening service. The modern day re-enactment will be spread over two days.
On Oct. 7, guided tours of the cathedral and the recently renovated and expanded columbarium will commence at 2 p.m. In the cathedral interior, visitors will view the stained glass windows which are considered to be among the finest in Western Canada; the white terracotta features from the Royal Doulton plant in Staffordshire, England; and the Carrara marble fixtures. They will hear about artifacts like the Canterbury Cross, and a relic from Glastonbury Abbey, said to be the site of the first Christian service in Great Britain.
The church’s beautiful Cassavant organ, which was custom-constructed for the cathedral, recently underwent a professional restoration.
At 4 p.m. on Saturday, a choral Evensong based on 1662 Book of Common Prayer will be held under the direction of choral director Michael Harris and cathedral organist Greg Schulte. The service will replicate the 1912 Evensong as it was outlined in the Saskatoon Daily Star: “Te Deum (Dykes); Communion Service (Bryans); Anthem “Let Every Soul Be Subject to the Higher Power” (Stainer); Magnificat (Simper); Nunc Dimittis (Simper); Anthem: “The Heavens Are Telling” (Hayden); “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord” (Maunder).”
At the conclusion of the choral evensong, a reception will be held in the cathedral.
On Sunday, beginning at 10:30 a.m., Bishop David Irving will preside at morning prayer and service of holy communion. Retired Bishop Tom Morgan, the 10th bishop of St. John’s, will be the preacher. A social time of cake and coffee follows at noon.
“This 100th anniversary service is open to everyone,” Pittendrigh said. “We see ourselves as the cathedral for the city, and we’re always open for everyone. This is a significant historical event, and we invite the city of Saskatoon to join us in celebrating it.”