The Anglican Church in Nanaimo

1854  -  2010 

     St. Paul’s is one of the oldest Anglican churches in the Province of British Columbia, Canada.  There have been three buildings on this site.  The foundation of the first church building was laid in 1861, on land given by the Hudson Bay Co.  At the beginning of the century, a larger building was needed.  In 1906, the first building was torn down and the cornerstone of the second building was laid.  In July 1930, a fire destroyed a large portion of the business section of Nanaimo.  Six blocks were totally destroyed, including St. Paul’s.  In August 1931, the foundation stone for the third church was laid.  St. Paul’s continues to serve Nanaimo as a downtown church and hopes to do so for many years to come.

In 1854, to fill the position left vacant by Rev. R. J. Staines’ death, the Hudson Bay Company appointed the Rev. Edward Cridge, who was the sole representative of the Church of England in the Colony of Vancouver Island.  In May 1857, Rev. E. Cridge was the first ordained minister to conduct services in Nanaimo’s Colonial School House located behind the present site of St. Paul’s.  He continued to do so periodically for the next two years. 

The community was requesting a resident Anglican clergyman and Rev. Richard T. Lowe was dispatched from Victoria in 1859.  He used the school as a place of worship.  At the request of Bishop G. Hills, the Hudson Bay Co. transferred ownership of one of the best town lots over looking the harbour and fronting on a public square (Dallas) for the purpose of building a church and parsonage.  Rev. R. Lowe made a start on the parsonage before moving to Saanich.  He was succeeded in 1861 by Canon John Booth Good.  The church-minded populous of Nanaimo readily agreed on the name St. Paul’s.  Most of the adherents had left their homeland and had travelled many miles to a strange new land, as did St. Paul when he travelled overseas to establish the seven churches in Biblical times.  On Christmas Day 1861, the Foundation Stone of the first St. Paul’s Church was laid.

 

On Whitsunday, June 1862, the church was opened by the Bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Rev. George Hills. The church was described as a beautiful edifice with a tall graceful spire that could be seen by ships as they entered the harbour. It had an ornate beamed ceiling. The altar was flanked on either side by five commandments. The structure was built completely of wood. When Dr. Alfred Robson Benson’s wife Elsie died in 1863, a stained glass window was placed in St. Paul’s as a memorial to her. Rev. James Reynard preached his first sermon on August 27, 1871. He opened the first church-run day-school in Nanaimo and in 1872 he formed the Silver Cornet Band, which became the Nanaimo City Concert Band of today. Rev. George Mason began his ministry in Nanaimo in 1874 and took an active part in all charitable works including the inauguration of the Nanaimo Hospital. In August 1876 a regular monthly service was held in the Harewood (Five Acres) mission. As a result of a community meeting held in St. Paul’s in January 1877, a hospital Board of Management was established. In 1881 a new hospital was built at the edge of town on Machleary Street. In 1884 there were churches established in Wellington, St. Matthew’s; in Cedar, St. Phillip’s; and in Northfield, St. Luke’s which the congregation of St. Paul’s contributed liberally to each of these new undertakings. In the summer of 1891 a new parish , St. Alban the Martyr was established on Victoria Road where the Caprice Theatre now stands. In December 1903, St. Alban’s Church closed and with both congregations united at St. Paul’s a larger church building was needed. On September 6, 1906, the Corner Stone of the second St. Paul’s Church was laid by Bishop W. Perrin, Bishop of British Columbia.
  
 

   The Consecration Festival was held on April 11, 1907.  By 1914, the St. Paul’s Ladies Guild had paid off the rectory mortgage. By 1920, the organ debt and the back taxes accumulated during the war years had all been paid. 

On July 19, 1930, fire wiped out the business section of Nanaimo.  Six blocks were totally destroyed including St. Paul’s Church and Institute.  Although damaged, the Rectory escaped destruction.  The Rectory was soon repaired and church services were held in near by theatres.  On August 24, 1931, the Bishop of London, Rt. Rev. Winnington-Ingram, laid the Corner Stone.  The church and hall were built using concrete.  The cloister and tower were to be added later. 

  

The first service was held in the new church on January 3, 1932.  In 1935 the hall was added to the church on the Chapel St. side.  1937 saw the closing of the Five Acres Mission with sincere thanks to Mr. & Mrs Tom Cannon for their many years of service.

On January 25, 1939 St. Paul’s celebrated its patronal festival in the Parish Hall; eighty-two years after Rev. Edward Cridge had held the first Anglican service in the Colonial School House.  A new Casavant Pipe Organ was purchased in 1942 with all parochial organizations contributing to the expense.  In 1946 the old rectory was in need of major repairs but had to be halted due to inflation after spending $11,600.00.  The Harewood Anglican Mission Sunday School was reopened in 1948.  1949 saw an upsurge in church attendance.  St. Paul’s began broadcasting once a month over local Radio Station CHUB.By 1952 the lumber was replacing coal as the major industry in the area and the last coal mine was closed.  1953 saw the start of renovations and enlarging the Church Hall to its present size as well as interior decorating of the Church and Narthex.  Following the end of the Korean War, St. Paul’s was presented with the White Ensign from the H.M.C.S. Cayuga on the occasion of her decommissioning.  In 1954 the Archdeacon dedicated the centre stained glass window behind the altar as a memorial to Arthur Leighton, who had been a prominent lawyer in Nanaimo. That same year the Hall kitchen was completed.  St. Paul’s established a student bursary in 1955 for those entering theological college.  Over the years parish members entering the ministry included: Rev. Douglas Ohs, Rev. Tony Crosbie, Rev. Andrew Gates, Rev. David Walford and Rev. Deborah van der Goes.  Archdeacon A. Hendy laid away, in the sanctuary, the two flags of the Second Battalion Canadian Scottish Regiment prior to his leaving Nanaimo in 1957.  An acre of land was purchased in 1963 which became the home of St. James Anglican Church on Departure Bay Road.

The stained glass window depicting St. Paul, donated by the Ladies Guild and the one of the Virgin Mary, donated by the W.A. were dedicated by Canon G. H. Greenhalgh in 1965. The seventy year old rectory behind the Church was demolished and the area was blacktopped for a parking lot in 1968.  A new rectory was purchased on Emery Way near Wakesiah Ave and Bowen Rd.

St. James and St. Philips By The Sea became a separate parish by 1970.  In 1974 the Ladies Guild was officially disbanded after seventy years of fund raising service.  In 1979 St. George’s Church and the Harewood property was sold.  In 1981 St. Paul’s provided substantial assistance to the Vietnamese boat people.  The installation of the chimes was approved and the carillon rang for the first time in May of 1982.  In addition to the services in the Church, services were held at Malaspina Lodge, Kiwanis Lodge, Travellers Lodge and the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

On January 26, 1986 St. Paul’s patronal festival was observed with Bishop Ron Shepherd as guest speaker.  An important mile stone was marked, St. Paul’s Anglican Church had been in Nanaimo a hundred and twenty-five years. 

 Note:  The above are excerpts from the book, “St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Nanaimo, BC 1861—1986 by T. D. Sale. 

The words to the following hymn were written by the Reverend Canon David McKay, a former Rector of St. Paul’s, for our patronal festival in 1986. He based them on a similar hymn by the Reverend Canon Hebert O’Driscoll. The hymn is sung to the tune “Kingsfold”.

“Our Journey to St. Paul’s” is the title of a book being prepared for our 150th Anniversary Celebration in 2011.

On May 1, 2009 the parishes of St. James and St. Paul amalgamated into one new and continuing parish in the name of St. Paul Nanaimo.