FORT QU’APPELLE (Qu’A) — St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church celebrated its 140th anniversary on Sept. 28. Bishop Helen Kennedy used the old liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer that was first published in 1662, and the one that would have been used by Bishop Adelbert Anson when the church was consecrated on Dec. 27, 1885.
The church in Fort Qu’Appelle was built in 1885 by Dan Lewis, who was the missionary in charge of Fort Qu’Appelle at the time. Archibald McDonald, the chief factor of the Hudson Bay Company, was head of the building committee.
Pastoral records show the 59-foot long and 25-foot wide fieldstone church was constructed for $2,428.25. While it was still being built a number of people afraid of an attack during the Metis resistance took refuge behind the uncompleted stone walls in 1885. One of the church wardens, Capt. John French, was killed at the Battle of Batoche later that year.
The Burn memorial bell tower named for Bishop William John Burn, who was the second bishop of the Diocese of Qu’Appelle, was installed in 1902. The bell in the tower was given to the church by Rev. R.C. Crockett, who ministered for less than a year.
The vestry was added in 1904.
The first of the eight stained glass windows in the a church, a memorial to RCAF pilot Kit Bushell who was killed in the Second World War, was installed in 1946. One of the windows is a memorial to Rev. F.R. Badham, who ministered at St. John’s in the 1960s. The windows in the sanctuary are to the memory of artist Marion Hamilton and to the Cuddington family.
What is described as a “wooden contraption” was put on top of the tower, but that was blown from the roof during a storm in 1957. A stained-glass window at the rear of the church was installed to mark the centennial in 1985.
In 1994, His Royal Highness the Prince Edward, now the Duke of Edinburgh, was present for the communion service on Aug. 14.
Although the church itself is 140 years old, the Anglican presence in Fort Qu’Appelle goes back to 1854 when a “praying man,” Charles Pratt, established a mission and built a log church where the provincial courthouse stands today.
The church has a new roof in time for its 140th anniversary celebrations. Contractors spent two weeks stripping the old cedar shingles from the landmark building and replaced them with tin.
“The new roof cost $34,000, 15 times as much as it cost to build the church in 1885,” quipped pastor Rev. Ed Dunfield. “There were no grants from either the provincial or municipal government available. The money for the roof came from the proceeds of the sale of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Balcarres.” The church in Balcarres closed two years ago.
Since the parish was founded in 1883, it has been served by 23 priests: Daniel Lewis (1883-88), W.G. Lejeune (1888-89), R.C. Crockett (1889-90), J.R. Sargent ((1890-92), F. Wells-Johnson (1894-1904 and 1934-37), M.H. Winter (1904-07), A. Lewis (1911-15), E.K. Moffat (1915-17), J.F. Cox (1917-24), C.F. Orman (1924-34), D.L. Dane (1937-35), James Corkhill (1945-64), F.E.R. Badham (1964-73), S. Ellis (1964-67), Charles Sells (1973-82), P. Folliott (1982-87), George Archer (1987-2005), David Nevitt (2005), Duncan and Beverley McLean (2006-07), Mary Gavin (2007-11), Warren Huestis (2001-19), Ed Dunfield (2019 to present).
