Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Kimberley, B.C.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Kimberly, B.C. Canada

Church Sign

"The first Catholic Church influence in Kimberley was initiated by Father Coccola, the famous priest, missionary and explorer who visited the new mines on the "hill" during the period of 1900-1910. Periodic visits were made by the missionaries from St. Eugene's and in 1910, when work assumed larger proportions, another great missionary, Father Duplanil visited Kimberley. He would come up from the Mission to say Mass in Joe Irwin's log cabin at 5:30 in the morning, as breakfast was at 6:00, and work began at 7:00 A.M.

"On April 16, 1911 the little mission had its first Easter Mass when Father Beck rode up from the Mission on horseback and said Mass in Tom Summer's Store, on Spokane Street.

"The spiritual needs of the Mission were attended to in like manner until 1922 when the first Sacred Heart Church was built by Father Bessette on the corner of Wallinger and Howard Street.

"It was a gala day when the church was blessed by Father Althoff, V.G. of Nelson, assisted by-Father Bessette and Father Stephen Murphy of Cranbrook. A choir and organist came from Cranbrook, and the little band of pioneer Catholics rejoiced that they had seen their dreams and hopes finally realized.

"History would not be complete without mentioning how our early pioneers worked together, regardless of race or creed. Not having their own choir or organist, Mr. and Mrs. John Dickson, parents of Mrs. J. J. O'Neill, volunteered their services, and the strains of Leonard's Mass in F wafted from the little church, sung by Mr. Dickson, a stalwart Presbyterian, and Mrs. Dickson, a staunch Anglican, who also played the organ. The Midnight Mass found Dick Burke holding a flashlight as Mrs. Dickson played and sang "Oh Holy Night".

"At the beginning of 1925 came the energetic Father Hartman, 0.M.I., under whose leadership the new church and rectory were built on the Church Hill and completed in 1927.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

"... the parish hall was built in 1958. This proved to be a much needed asset for the parishioners, as it became the center of C.W.L., Knights of Colum-bus and catechetical activities, kindergarten, classes, teas and catering.

"In May of 1967 ...Father Doyle arrived in Kimberley ...As well as attending to the spiritual needs of the parish, Father Doyle and Father Martin worked arduously to improve the appearance of both the church and the grounds. The church was also Bavarianized to blend with the City's new look, making a most pleasing and fitting landmark to welcome incoming and departing visitors to Kimberley."  (Link.)

Parish Hall, Built in 1958

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Photos: Taken in 2019 by Amy Wilson while visiting in Kimberley.

Link:   https://kimberleykeePaP pers.ca/others/catholic.shtml

Burnaby Village Church

Burnaby Village Church
Burnaby, B.C. Canada

Plaque on wall of Church Narthex

"In a report to Mayor and Council in January 1972, the Chairman of the Burnaby Centennial '71 Committee (James.A. Barrington) reported on their activities to date. He noted that the committee had been tasked with providing a variety of events, and a permanent commemorative project. He also noted they had sponsored over 20 events and had completed the Heritage Village, “a small town reflecting the early history of British Columbia.” A sub-committee of the Centennial Committee was responsible for a permanent commemorative project. Chair Sandy Stewart worked with Richie Smith and Vic Stusiak to develop the concept of an open-air museum reflective of tram-stop community. The Interurban tram1223 and the Jubilee Station were their starting points. Architect and artist Rudy Kovacs was hired to come up with a design." (Link 1.)

Map of Burnaby Village

(See Church Next to Legend Heading)

(Link 1.)

"The museum opened with a blacksmith shop, buggy and bicycle shop, general store, land office, school house, manor house, ice cream parlour, apothecary shop, barber shop, dentist shop, Chinese general imports shop, print shop, and tram in November." (Link 1.)

Church Interior
(Link 1.)

"Nestled within our beautiful 1920s village and surrounded by gardens, the church is perfect for an intimate wedding, memorial or baptism. Hardwood floors, upright piano, traditional stained glass windows and 14 authentic wooden pews are just a few of the special features awaiting you in this quaint 80 person venue.

"Following your service, beautiful gardens and heritage buildings await, providing the perfect backdrop for your photos. During our open season, your guests are invited to tour the site where costumed townsfolk welcome visitors into their picturesque shops and homes. During our Special Event weekends, the village site may be altered or additional programming may take place within the vicinity of the Church...Capacity 84." (Link 1.)

Church Sanctuary

Window Above Altar

 Pulpit

Narthex Table

Photos: Taken in May 2016 by SW during Brooksbank Elementary School, North Vancouver, B.C, field trip with her granddaughter's 3rd grade class.

Link 1: http://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/EN/main/village/facility-rentals/venues/church.html

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                                                                                                           October 4, 2015

Sutherland Church/St. Timothy's Anglican Church
630 East 19th Street

St. Timothy's Anglican Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

In 2004 one hundred members of St. Martin's Anglican Church (See Blog Post April 6, 2014.) on Windsor Rd. in North Vancouver decided to establish the separate congregation of St. Timothy's Anglican Church. "...originally St. Timothy's was a part of the Anglican Mission (under Rwanda) from June 2004- June 2012 ..." (REF 2.)  In 2005 St. Timothy's became  under the auspices of the Anglican Network in Canada.

St. Timothy's Church 
Outdoor Sign

"The Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) is a Canadian church established in 2005 under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, a province of the Anglican Communion. It was a founding diocese of the Anglican Church in North America in June 2009. It comprises 72 parishes in eight Canadian provinces and two American states.^[2] The Canadian provinces with more parishes are British Columbia, with 26, and Ontario, with 25. Their first Moderator Bishop was Don Harvey, from 2009 to 2014, when he was succeeded by Charlie Masters.

"The stated mission of the Anglican Network in Canada is to "Build Bucolically faithful, Gospel sharing, Anglican Churches". The network desires to be used by God to build new churches and expand existing churches that it believes will be fully Anglican, bucolically faithful, evangelizing and disciplining.^[5]

The Anglican Network in Canada, along with the ACNA and the majority of the Anglican Communion, uphold the historic Christian creeds, traditional moral and theological principles pertaining to the Trinity, Christian sexuality, and the authority of the Christian scriptures." (Link 2.)

Altar

The congregation of St. Timothy's Anglican Church celebrated their 11th anniversary this June 2015.  They have met at Sutherland Church (See Blog Post January 26, 2014.) for the last three years.  Previous to that they held Sunday worship services in two North Vancouver location.   First at the Food Bank on the corner of  Bewicke Ave. and the Low Level Road, then in the Lynn Valley Recreation Centre on Mountain Highway.

Lectern

During Sunday worship services a special altar, lectern, communion table, and carrying cross is placed in the chancel.  These were all made by congregation member Gordon Barrett. The woods he used include: maple, oak, and cherry.     The wood grain on the front of the altar features repeated patterns suggesting the cross, Christ with arms raised in blessing, and a halo of radiance.  

Communion Table

The altar is on rollers so that it can easily be moved into the sanctuary for the service.   The back of the altar is open with shelves to accommodate all the altar and communion pieces.

The cloth adorning the altar made by Gordon Barrett is a donation from congregation member, Hazel Blacoe.  The fabric originated in Ireland and was her mother's treasured Irish linen bed sheet.  Hazel brought it from Ireland, never used it, but carried it with her as she moved to and across Canada before settling in North Vancouver.  The needlework was stitched by another congregation member, Nancy (Vondette) Nelson. (REF 3.)

Since the congregation of St. Timothy's does not have to support the upkeep of a building that portion of their giving goes to outreach in the community and mission. "St. Timothy's Church is dedicated to provide 10% of income from regular offerings to outreach projects at local, national and international levels. We strongly believe in the importance of supporting ministries and organizations in the areas of heath care, evangelism, mercy ministries, education, environment, church planting and church resourcing." (Link 1.)

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Photos: Taken by SW in January of 2014 and May and June of 2015.
Link 1: http://www.st-timothy.com/
Link 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Network_in_Canada
Reference 1: The Bible/New Testament/First Letter of Paul to Timothy and 
                          Second Letter of Paul to Timothy.
Reference 2: e mail from Rev. Ken Bell, Senior Priest at St. Timothy's Anglican
                          Church.
Reference 3: As described by Hazel Blacoe, 2017.

CHURCH HISTORIES/LYNN VALLEY

Present Church

(followed by church congregations that joined it)

Year Built               Name                                   Address                          Blog Post Date

1956   Mount Olivet Lutheran Church       1700 Mountain Hwy                 3/27/11

             North Shore Lutheran Church         167 East 6th St.                          3/25/12

            St. Mark's Lutheran Church              137 West 6th St.                        3/18/12

               

1959   St. Clement's Anglican Church            3400 Institute Rd.           11/27/11

              
                      Mission Church/St. Clement-by-the-brook        
                                                originally on Church Street                                 11/27/11

1963/1965   Westlynn Baptist Church          1341 East 27th St.                 4/1/12 

                      Southern Baptist Church       131 East Kings Road                  5/18/14

1964    St. Stephen's Catholic Church     1360 East 24th Street             1/22/12

1965   The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints    
                                                          941 Lynn Valley Rd.                                        12/7/14

1973   New Life Christian Centre     2800 Mountain Highway                 10/12/14

                      Elim Pentacostal Church         124 West 8th Street                    7/1/12

1975   Hillside Baptist Church      870 Lynn Valley Road                                3/9/14

                     Hillside Baptist Church               139 Lower Keith Road              2/9/14

1975   Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall    2626 Mountain Highway          8/5/12

                        Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall        1550 Philip Ave.           2/27/11

                        Jehovah Witnesses Kingdom Hall       121  East 12th St.            2/13/11
 

1986   Valley Full Gospel Church             1160 East 29th St.                           8/12/12

                                               Church Demolished 2015
                   (new church being built on same site)

1959-2015          Lynn Valley United Church   3201 Mountain Highway     2/19/12                        

                            Lynnmour United Church      700 Mountain Highway         2/20/11

                            Lynnmour United Church  1103 Mountain Highway           2/20/11

                            Lynn Valley Methodist Church     260 Institute Rd.             1/30/11                     

                            Knox Presbyterian Church     1343 Lynn Valley Rd.               2/2/14                                                       

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                      Valhalla Lutheran Church 

(Google Images)

Valhalla Lutheran Church
Valhalla Centre
Hythe, Alberta Canada

"Located approximately 60 km north-west of Grande Prairie, Alberta is the Hamlet of Valhalla Centre at the crossroads of Highway 59 and 723. 14 km west of La Glace. The population is 45 people (2011 stats) living in 19 dwellings." (Link 1.)

"In 1912, Halvar Ronning and the first members of his pioneering party filed on homesteads at this location. Subsequently, group after group of pioneers trekked the arduous Edson Trail to join the fledgling settlement, which would come to be known as “Valhalla”. Establishing a Lutheran parish was an integral part of Revered Ronning’s vision, and even before a single house was constructed, he began holding services in his tent. (Link 2.)

"Valhalla Centre got its name from Reverend Halvar N. Ronning.  Valhalla means "home of the gods" in Norwegian.  In Norse Mythology, Valhalla is the home of Viking Heroes after death." (Link 1.)

"By 1926, the settlers had prospered enough to hire Anton Finden, a pioneer carpenter from Norway, to build this church, a grand testament to the principles upon which their thriving little community was built." (Link 2.) 

"Valhalla Centre was known for the Valhalla Cooperative Creamery.  Homesteaders sold their cream to the creamery which made it into butter.  The butter was then chipped by train to Edmonton.  Because the Creamery did so well it attracted other businesses and the hamlet grow.  In 1945 the creamery was sold to the Grande Prairie creamery.  (Link 1.)

"Valhalla Lutheran Church

Nga Lam Artist

Valhalla Heritage Society" *

Thank you: *To Marilyn Sharples for sending me a card with a drawing of 
                        Valhalla Lutheran Church where she attended as a child.
Link 1: 
http://www.discoverthepeacecountry.com/htmlpages/valhallacentre.html
Link 2: http://www.geotourismcanada.com/documents/693.aspx

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                          1/25/15

420 Seymour River Place

(Kenneth Gordon School)

St. Simon's Anglican Church/Anglican Coalition in Canada
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

"The first group of Anglicans met in 1940 in the back of a grocery store on Gallant Avenue." (Reference.)  This store later became the Bike Shop and most recently Deep Cove Outdoors. The property is now being proposed for development.  "This evening service consisted of 12 people, seven of them belonging to the Rawlings family.  When the community hall was built in 1940, the congregation moved there... Mr. Naughton, a real estate agent in the Cove, donated the property on Deep Cove Rd. (1384) for St. Simon's Anglican Church... The congregation members literally got out and dug the foundations for their building.  This consisted of one floor... But the building was too small, so the congregation once again got busy and dug out a basement so a lower floor could be added." (Reference.) 

"Based on the first kept records of Sunday attendance,  we date the official beginning of St. Simon's from October  1945.  As such we are celebrating  our 70th Anniversary this coming Harvest Thanksgiving 2015." (Rev. Ed Hird) 

The people of Deep Cove worshiped in the Deep Cove Anglican Church named St. Simon's until the year 2004.

1384 Deep Cove Road

"The parish was formerly named St. Simon’s Deep Cove. Its priest and several members of the congregation left the Anglican Church of Canada in 2004 over the issue of same sex blessings. The next year they turned the building over to diocesan officials and have set up shop in a school outside the Deep Cove neighbourhood. However they kept the name “St. Simon’s,” which caused a great deal of confusion in the local community." (REF Blog Post 1.)  The name of the little blue church was changed to St. Clara-in-the-Cove Anglican Church.  

In January of 2014 St. Clara-in-the-Cove Anglican Church was sold to "The Bridge", the Baptist church which originally met in Delbrook in North Vancouver. (REF Blog Post 2.) The little blue church is now serving as their office building.  Their Sunday worship service is held in the theater at Capilano University.

St. Simon's Church sign at 420 Seymour Place

(2014)

For the last 10 years (2004-2014) the congregation of St. Simon's under the leadership of Rev. Ed Hird has met in the gym at Maplewood/Kenneth Gordon School for Sunday worship services.  Bible study, the young adult group, the worship project, women's group, and men's group meet in alternate venues.

Church Greeting Display at
420 Seymour Place 
(2014)

To get ready for each Sunday's worship service the Kenneth Gordon School gym is transformed into the Sanctuary of St. Simon's Anglican Church.  The gym floor is covered in a tarp; the cross from the Deep Cove church is erected;

the altar is centered; electronics are installed for music; a red carpet sets off the chancel; and chairs are set for the congregation.  

Sanctuary in school gym

(2014)

To prepare for Christmas celebrations a Christmas banner stitched by congregation members is hung in front of the alter.  The purchased Biblical scene was enhanced with stitching, wool, beads, and even straw by congregation members by Genevieve Tobin, Donna Hoffman, and Megan Allsopp.

Christmas Banner in Sanctuary

(2014)

The backlit wooden Cross that now hangs in the Sanctuary during Sunday worship originally hung in the Sanctuary in the Deep Cove church.  When The Bridge Church purchased the Deep Cove church on early 2014 they returned it to the St. Simon's congregation.  They also returned the offertory plate, music, and communion items including the chalice, altar cloths.  The music for choir anthems was used for the 2014 Christmas Cantata.

Original Sanctuary Cross

originally at church on Deep Cove Rd. 

now at church meeting at Seymour River Place

Rev. Dr. Ed Hird is an author and recently published the book Restoring Health, Body, Mind and Spirit.

Photos: Taken on Christmas day 2014 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.stsimonschurch.ca/
Reference Blog Post 1: 4/3/11 regarding St. Clara-in-the-Cove/St. Simon's 
                Anglican Church.
Reference Blog Post 2: 11/2/14 regarding The Bridge.
Link 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Mission_in_the_Americas
Link 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Coalition_in_Canada

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)