Special Celebrations
by Robin Harvie
In looking back over the life of a church, there is for its members a continuity and a community in the services and the pattern of its seasons.
Against the pattern, red letter days mark many special occasions—whether it be for individuals in baptisms, weddings, confirmations or funerals, or for the church itself in celebration of anniversaries and dedications.
Here is a record of some of those events.
75th Anniversary in Centennial Year
In 1967, Canada's 100th year, All Saints celebrated the 75th anniversary of the parish church at its patronal festival, 1st November.
The menu included roast turkey with all the trimmings, red wine (if desired), dessert and coffee. The guest speaker was the Venerable Cecil Swanson, always a delightful visitor to have with us.
90th Anniversary
As part of the observance of our 90th Anniversary Year, a Confirmation Reunion was held on May 30th, 1982.
A notice at the, service stated:
We weleome all who have come to share in our worship this morning, especially those who have come from some distance. To all those who were either confirmed or prepared for Confirmation at All Saints, we extend a special welcome for thir Confirmation Reunion. This event is part of our observance of the 90th Anniverry of the building of All Saints.
On November lst, All Saints Day which is the day the Church was consecrated by Bishop Cyprian Pinkham in 1892, a commemoration service followed by a formal banquet was held. Former ministers, Bishops and local dignitaries were invited.
Coincident with the November 1st celebration, A Collection of Favorite Old Recipes was released.
The cookbook has a brief history at the beginning followed by a wealth of varied recipes provided by the ladies of the parish—a treasured keepsake, with stained and worn pages today.
Dedication of Ford Hall, 1984
February of 1984 saw the Dedication of the Parish Hall (later named Ford Hall).
The hall was built with the generous donations of parishioners, and under the watchful eye of our incumbent, Bishop Douglas Ford.
The Order of Proceeding was as follows:
- The Dedication of the Parish Hall by the Right Rev. J. Barry Curtis, Bishop of Calgary.
- The Unveiling of the Plaque of Dedication, and the Declaration by the Bishop that All Saints Parish Hall is now officially open for use.
- The Handing-Over of the Keys of the Building by Mr. Pat Coyle of Tudor Construction, our Builder and Contractor, to Mr. Douglas Gillmor, our Architect, Faculty of Environment and Design, University of Calgary, who in turn, handed the keys to the Rector, the Churchwardens, and to Mr. Gordon Smith, Chairman of the Construction Committee of the Parish.
Greetings were delivered from:
- The Bishop of the Diocese
- The Hon. Greg Stevens, MLA for Banff-Cochrane, for the Province and the Riding.
- Town Council Member, Mr. H. Biesbroek, for the Mayor and Town of Cochrane.
- The Rev. Canon Arthur W Wilcox, Regional Dean, for the Regional Deanery of Calgary.
- The Rev. James Hagel, Parish Priest of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Cochrane.
- The Rev. Douglas H. Powell, Minister of St. Andrew's United Church, Cochrane.
Refreshments were provided through the kindness of the members of the Anglican Church Women of All Saints.
Dedication of Pews, 1985
On April 28, 1985, at the service of Morning Prayer, there was a special Dedication of new pews.
Each pew had an inscription to the Glory of God and in Memory of a special departed person or couple: Russell McRae Graham, Walter and Len Hutchinson, David Lee, Terence Lee, Steven Lorne McClennon, Barbara Jane Thompson, Henry and Frances Viney, and grandparents——Richard and Mary Ann Standring, William Wearmouth and Jane Anne Wearmouth, plus parents Thomas and Annie Wearmouth.
The opening hymn, appropriately, was Christ is made the sure foundation!
Members of the "PEW CREW" were introduced and thanked: Leigh Blackwell, Kristian Gowertz, Jim and Lydia Graham, Ben Greenfield and David McGraw.
All Saints Centennial, 1992
1992 was the Centennial of the building of All Saints Church in Mitford. A special committee planned for months for various activities in Cochrane throughout the year.
At our Annual Pancake supper, commemorative post cards were sold showing an artist's rendition of the church being moved from Mitford to Cochrane pulled by teams of horses.
The restoration of the 'Last Supper' painting over the altar was a priority.
Some small repairs were needed to the canvas, and it was rebacked and reframed by Mr. George Parry of Westland Gallery.
On April 30th, an Evensong service was held. This is the same date that the first service was held when the church moved from Mitford to Cochrane. Many wore period clothes. The old kerosene lamps were hung in brackets on the wall and lit. At a reception following, we served a large cake with a photo of the church reproduced on the icing.
At the local Trade Fair, May 3rd and 4th, the church had a booth manned by volunteers that displayed some of the old service registers and old pictures, plus they sold the post cards.
On those two days, Rev. and Mrs. Dunwoody served high tea in the courtyard of the church.
On June 27th a special celebration and potluck was held for the children.
For the Labor Day Parade, a replica of the church was built by Joe Graham and assistants.
The little church was put on a wagon provided by Merv Giles who drove it in the parade pulled by a team of his miniature horses. Some of the parish children walked ahead with a large sign proudly praising our 100 year old church.
On October 36th a Festive Banquet drew many former members and guests as well as current parishioners to the joyful occasion. The speaker on that occasion was Bishop Douglas Ford.
As a last celebration of our centennial, on Sunday, November 1st, Bishop Curtis, Bishop of Calgary, celebrated Communion. Bishop Ford conducted Evensong that evening.
100th Anniversary of the move to Cochrane
April, 1999 marked one hundred years since our church was moved from Mitford to Cochrane.
On Easter Sunday, April 2, 1899, the parishioners decided to move the church to the growing town of Cochrane.
Within four weeks, the building, on log rollers, was dragged by teams of horses to its present location.
The first service was conducted by the Bishop of Calgary, Cyprian Pinkham, on April 30th, 1899.
The church has undergone changes, such as a black roof instead of the original red, and renovations which lengthened the building and changed the entrance.
A celebration of one hundred years in Cochrane was held on April 17, 1999, with a dinner and a silent auction of donated items. Proceeds went to the New Building Fund as the congregation had outgrown the space.
The Church moving to its new home In the spring of 2004, our parish had an opportunity that would address the portion of our mission statement that says we will be a 'thriving and expanding Christian community'.
St. Mary's Roman Catholic congregation had outgrown its church building, and we negotiated a purchase.
Our parishioners strongly supported a Diocesan fundraising campaign so that we could move ahead.
On Transfiguration Sunday, 29th February 2004, our last service in All Saints historic church was held with Bishop Barry Hollowell in attendance. Following the service, children and others climbed onto a horse drawn wagon, and with the Bishop at the helm, and the congregation walking behind, we processed to Holy Spirit School which would be our home until we could move into St. Mary's.
It has been a time 'in the wilderness' - a time for prayer and growth. Now, in 2006. we anticipate the All Saints congregation settling into our new accommodation in the fall.
Our 116-year-old church building was moved to Bethany Care Centre in Cochrane on 30th June, 2004. It has become a welcome and loved chapel for the residents and their friends and families.
