For over 130 years, St. Andrew’s has been a large part of its parishioners’ lives, and they have kept it going as well. For decades there were morning, evening, and special services, along with hundreds of weddings, baptisms, funerals, and confirmations. According to the Deloraine-Winchester Historical Society (DWHS), many family names were a constant over multiple generations as officers/wardens, organists/pianists, Sunday School teachers, and any and all positions that needed filling. Church life included Bible study, Little Helpers, junior and senior choirs, Sunday School, confirmation classes, a drama club, and the Women’s Auxiliary. Eventually, after becoming a part of the parish including Killarney, Boissevain, and Cartwright, services had diminished to just two Sundays per month.
Just because the building is closing does not mean that Anglican worship services will be leaving the community. According to McCurry, community services like Sunday services at the Personal Care Home and Lodge will continue, as well as congregational visits and special events like Remembrance Day services.
He said the decision to close and sell the building was a long process, and not an easy one. Meetings with the congregation began a few years ago, where they were deciding whether or not the work to maintain the building could be kept up by members. With modern busy lives and an aging congregation, the tough decision was made to close their doors. After the sale of the building, the Anglican Diocese will help with outreach and encourage members from Deloraine to attend services in Boissevain.
Despite all the change, McCurry said that members of his congregation are optimistic.
“It is a tough time for the parish, but I’m hopeful for new opportunities,” he said. “It’s heartening to speak with people and hear that they do not feel defeated. It’s a new chapter, not a defeat. We are figuring out a new normal; a new expression for a new time.”
The church’s final service will be held on Saturday, October 25. It will be a formal closure of the building acknowledging that is no longer regarded as a sacramental space. The Right Reverend Rachel Parker, Bishop from the Anglican Diocese of Brandon, will be in attendance to perform services to honour the space and the memories and ceremonies to give thanks for the altar and the font, formally recognizing all of the services, weddings, baptisms and prayers that have been done there over the years.
“It’s a good way to recognize the memories and give everyone a chance to reflect,” said McCurry.
Although the current building was built in 1961, there has been an Anglican church on the corner of Lovett Street S and Railway Street S since 1892. The Anglican faith may have been one of the last mainstream communities of faith to organize in Deloraine in 1886, but they were the first to build a church in town. On July 13, 1892, the cornerstone ceremony was conducted by Rev. Robert Machray,
Archbishop of Rupertsland and Grand Chaplain Reverend J. May and construction started right away. According to the DWHS, “Two days later the building was nearly complete, and also completely ruined when a violent storm swept it right off its foundation.”
It took them a few weeks to get everything sorted again and the consecration service took place on September 18, 1892.
Seventy years later, however, the Anglican congregation had another setback when in the early morning hours of August 21, 1960, the church was struck by lightning. The resulting fire destroyed the entire building, minus a few altar furnishings, some church records, and the choir gowns. With the insurance money of $32,700 the building we know today was built and consecrated on June 1, 1961.
The building is currently for sale and has the potential for a new life with new owners, but its history will still be preserved in an upcoming storyboard by the DWHS.
by JACQUIE MAYNARD, Recorder staff