175th anniversary of the Parish of St. John, Brookbury

Sunday morning, July 30, 2017 worshippers gathered at the Anglican Parish of St. John in Brookbury to celebrate the church’s 175th Anniversary. The Right Reverend Bruce Myers OGS, Bishop of the Diocese of Quebec, officiated and preached at the service of Holy Eucharist. He was assisted by The Venerable Dr. Edward Simonton OGS, Vicar General and Archdeacon of Quebec, The Reverend Canon Giuseppe Gagliano, and Mr. Scott Potter. A fifth Sunday of the month was chosen to allow others from the Deanery of St. Francis to come and celebrate with us.

Everyone enjoyed a delicious luncheon and time of fellowship at the Brookbury Hall following the service.

The church, built in 1842, was consecrated in the same year during the Incumbency of the Rev’d William King who served in the area from 1841 to 1871. Services are now held only in the warmer months of late May to early September on a rotational schedule shared with St. Paul’s, Bury and St. Peter’s, Cookshire.

In 2016 the painting of the church exterior was completed with special thanks to Mike Goddard and son, Caleb, for painting the upper heights. Richard and Lynda Coates and grandsons along with other volunteers prepared the church for the new paint and painted the lower parts of the building.

In June 2016 a big pine tree was snapped off by a storm and landed in the cemetery knocking down and damaging some gravestones. Pete Sylvester, Mike Goddard, Mario Boutin, Robert Coleman and several more volunteers removed the fallen tree and a dead tree that had been noted as needing to come down. Many finished the job by cleaning up the leaves and small branches that littered the cemetery.

This year, Brenda Lowe, Pete Sylvester, and Mike Goddard gave again of their time and labour to straighten and fix tipped-over headstones. They also trimmed the area behind the church known as “Cluster of Cedars” marking the grave sites of some of the earliest Martin family residents.

The Church salutes all the generous donors and supporters and the many wonderful volunteers, past and present, who have kept this House of God in good condition for the faithful today to have a sacred place to meet, hear the Word of God, and worship God.

Submitted by Linda Hoy