February 6, 2011

 

530 East 12th Street

Happy 101st Birthday
St. Agnes Anglican Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

2011 is the 101st birthday year of St. Agnes Anglican Church at 530 East 12th Street in the City of North Vancouver.  This "country church in the city" was started as the second mission church of St. John's Anglican Church. The name St. Agnes was chosen December 8, 1909. The church was built in 1910 by contractor H. W. Young.  In 1927 the church hall on the lane behind the church was built by the H. W. Young as well. 

The original entrance to the church sanctuary was through a door on the south west face of the building.  The altar was in the alcove on the east wall and the dark wood pews lined a center aisle in a traditional manner.  Beautiful stained glass windows decorated  the north, south and east  walls of the sanctuary.  The church hall was only accessible by going outside and entering through the hall's west facing door.  In the 1970's the alter was moved into the body of the church and the alcove was fitted with pews for the choir.  In the 1990's the entrance door to the church and sanctuary was changed to the south east side of the building.  The altar was moved to the west side of the sanctuary with a middle aisle and traditional pew placement. The new south east door made possible an entrance hall not only to the sanctuary, but also to the church office and church hall.  It was no longer necessary to go outside to go to the church hall for "coffee hour".  Around 2002 the configuration of the sanctuary changed again.  Now the altar was placed on the north wall of the sanctuary, between two of the stained glass windows.  The pews were arranged around the altar in a  horseshoe pattern.  The average Sunday Worship attendance is 54 and the number of households that are members is 72. The priest is the Rev. Keith
Gilbert.

                                                                         Sanctuary
                                Arch with baptismal font was original altar area
                             Left side of sanctuary with cross is present altar area

           

                     Stained glass window in arch of original altar area      

            

 St. Agnes was a 13 year old girl of  Rome who was put to death because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. There is a church built over the spot where she was buried in Rome.  It can still be seen today.  Keats wrote a poem about her life "The Eve of St. Agnes". 

                                                                      St. Agnes
                                                       Memorial Side Window


On Sunday mornings  a rope hanging on the south wall of the  sanctuary is pulled, and the church bell signals to the community that it is time for worship.  The congregation of the "country church in the city" is ready to greet its neighbors.

Thank You: To Shirley Marcino for confirming my memories of the 
              church sanctuary. To church secretary and Priest Rev. Keith         
              Gilbert for aid in photographing the interior of the building in 2011.
Photos: Taken January 2010 by SW.  (Note the peaked roof of the church hall
              can be seen behind the church.)
              Black and White photos taken in 2004 on file at the North Vancouver
             Archives.
             Color photo taken for the Y2K Project on file at the North Vancouver
            Archives.
Resources: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994.
              Sunday January 24th St. Agnes Anglican Church bulletin.