Ian Macdonald reports on St. John's Chapleau as project draws international attention at 2019 National Trust Conference as Jason Rioux wins award for transformation of church into vibrant, socially useful and profitable facility

JASON RIOUX

Note from MJM: I am delighted that Ian Macdonald, retired head of the department of architecture and professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba agreed to write a column on the award that Jason Rioux won for his efforts in transforming St. John's Church into the "Chapleau Hub" bringing international attention to the project and to Chapleau. Most readers know that Ian is a Chapleau boy having attended Chapleau Public and High Schools as well as working on the Canadian Pacific Railway before becoming a distinguished professor of architecture and architect. He took the time to attend the National Trust Conference where Jason accepted the award.


Ian's continuing interest in Chapleau reminds me of the maxim that you can take the boy (or girl) out of Chapleau, but you can't take Chapleau out of them!!!! Thank you so much Ian.  MJM






BY IAN MACDONALD




Chapleau, Ontario was recently the centre of international attention at the 2019 National Trust Conference held in Winnipeg from October 17 to 19. One of the main conference events was recognition of a selected number of significant heritage projects in Canada including the remarkable efforts of Jason Rioux in transforming St. John’s Church in Chapleau into a vibrant, socially useful and profitable facility.


The National Trust for Canada in association with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals function as major advocates for promoting Canadian heritage including historic architecture, artifacts, landscapes and a multitude of specialized areas including railway heritage. Planning and community development across the country now includes heritage as a major factor in developing healthy and sustainable communities. Major international meetings such as the Winnipeg conference provide an opportunity for a wide range of successful project case studies to be presented, discussed and honoured.


 Conferences of this type remain an important part of keeping abreast of the times for planners and designers. Despite to-day’s ease of access to information, there is still no substitute for sharing experience on a personal basis. Jason Rioux, in addition to the formalities of receiving his award also had the opportunity to present the Chapleau St. John’s project in two working sessions where lessons and problem-solving strategies were shared.


Transformation from St. John’s Anglican Church to “The Hub”


The important historic cultural role of St. John’s Anglican church cannot be understated. Thanks to Michael Morris’ articles and publications, the history of the church is generally well known. The Anglicans established themselves in Chapleau even prior to the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 with services being conducted in such unlikely places as an empty boxcar and a partially completed railway depot. The first permanent church structure which was opened and consecrated on July 1 1886 was located on the south west corner of Pine and Young St. The rapidly growing community, however, would soon generate a demand for a much larger church to be built opposite the original. Plans for the building were thus developed in 1905 and construction was completed on March 29, 1908 at a cost of $18,000.00. St. John’s, in addition to serving the spiritual needs of the community, functioned in a broader role as the pro-cathedral of the Diocese of Moosonee until 1913. It would gradually play a significant and integral part of the cultural life of the community for the next century.

The church is a classic heritage building originally built in the traditional gothic revival style which was consistent with Anglican churches of the day constructed of masonry bearing walls on a rubble stone foundation. The roof structure is a vaulted timber joist roof assembly supported by distinctive specially fabricated timber hammer trusses. Interiors of the church were elegantly finished and carefully restored in the 1950’s. The basement area which was known then as Renison Hall functioned as a church hall and was used for a variety of community social activities. The church itself could accommodate congregations of over 250 parishioners.


Changing economic conditions coupled with unfortunate ideological division within the broader national Anglican community led to a steady decline in church membership beginning in the 1960s. The dwindling congregation thus found it increasingly difficult to generate funds necessary to
to maintain a building of this size properly.


Specialized work would be required to replace mechanical, heating and ventilation equipment and rehabilitate the building to allow it to accommodate new uses and meet more stringent building code requirements. Unfortunately, neither the Anglican Church of Canada nor the Township of Chapleau was prepared to step up and take responsibility and demolition seemed to be the only option. The challenge for Jason Rioux upon acquiring the building was to retain the original spirit of the building while adapting it to new purposes. The financial risk in addition to the business acumen necessary to develop a strategy for creative and innovative rehabilitation were all factors in selecting the project as an award winner.


Heritage can be a complex factor in the planning and development of communities and not always completely understood and appreciated. We are too easily prone to defaulting to demolition as an easy fix rather than face up to the more complicated task of rehabilitation. Architecture, since the earliest human settlements, has provided commodity and shelter but has at the same time been an enduring expression of cultural beliefs and values.


It is an expression of who we are. Buildings like St. John’s, in this sense, are important historical markers in this case expressing a particular set of Christian values and beliefs of the era. St. John’s along with the other Chapleau churches have co-existed beside one another reflecting a community of diverse cultural backgrounds and values. The fact that beliefs and values change over time does not automatically render something obsolete that has to be destroyed. Buildings, like all of us, can be transformed and adapt to modified values and conditions. Jason Rioux was cited nationally for his personal courage in absorbing financial risk and for mustering the imagination and innovation required to make the Hub project a reality.



Video Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY-pbRvLr6k&feature=youtu.be

Chapleau Hub project wins National Trust Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award

The 2019 National Heritage Awards will be presented on October 18, 2019 at the Millennium Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba during a ceremony held as part of the National Trust’s Annual Conference (in association with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals).

Jason Rioux will travel to Winnipeg to accept The National Trust's Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award which celebrates exemplary projects, places and people that contribute to the quality of life and sense of place, and illustrate the viability of heritage buildings and sites for traditional or new uses.

Back in the summer of 2016, Jason and his wife Victoria started the journey of taking on the St. John’s Anglican church building with an unknown destination.  It is Jason’s home town and he wanted to work on something that was good for Chapleau.  So they did a deal with Anglican diocese of Moosonee to buy the church building, which was one of the last historic buildings left standing in Chapleau but in serious disrepair.  The congregation had shrunk to very small numbers such that heating the building and keeping up with the necessary repairs was no longer financially viable.

"It seemed like every year another building was getting knocked down in Chapleau and people weren't trying to repurpose what was there, and some of the character that was in town was getting lost," Jason said.

The building has been transformed into the Chapleau Hub, a community hub to spur and support local entrepreneurs, that now hosts a licensed restaurant in the lower level with a wood fired pizza oven, and shared use on the main floor with yoga lessons, fitness programs, children and youth programming, women’s shelter meetings, weekly movie nights, and most importantly we have kept the church congregation full use on Sundays and special events, so the place of worship has been retained even though now privatized with multiple shared uses. 

The building has also been converted to a modern wood pellet boiler system, getting the building off of diesel and now a proud carbon free building, which sources its wood pellets from northern Ontario supporting the local economy. 

This has been a journey with lots of stories and lessons learned to share, which Jason will share with the rest of Canada at the conference in Winnipeg this month. 

Jason and his wife Victoria are honoured to receive national recognition for the Hub’s successes and would like to thank all the tenants, contractors, volunteers, and people that have touched or had a role to play in the success of the Chapleau Hub coming to be. However, since Jason and Victoria live so far away, they need more help to grow the activities and uses at the Chapleau Hub and manage the building, for the benefit of Chapleau, and encourage anyone interested in getting involved to reach out to Jason.rioux@gmail.com.  They also thank Jason's parents Heather and Robert Rioux.

The 2019 National Heritage Awards will be presented on October 18, 2019 at the Millennium Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba during a ceremony held as part of the National Trust’s Annual Conference (in association with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals).

I extend my most sincere congratulations to Victoria and Jason on winning this national award, as well as their efforts to "save" St. John's Anglican Church which was consecrated in 1907. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Jason Rioux provides update on progress made on restoration and future plans for St. John's Anglican Church in Chapleau

Jason Rioux, the owner of the St John's Anglican Church building, kindly provided me with a copy of a letter he sent to the congregation and Bishop Tom Corston about the present situation at the church. The letter provides details on steps that have already been taken to restore the church, and measures that are planned.

I extend my thanks to Jason for permitting me to share the letter with readers of the Chapleau Express in Chapleau Moments and here, as he moves forward. Jason is also open to hearing from you.  His email is jason.rioux@gmail.com

My email is mj.morris@live.ca

BY JASON RIOUX

Happy 2018! We wanted to share how things are going and provide an update for our vision on things yet to come. This building was built by you and taken care of by you for the last 100+ years.

Regardless of a change in building ownership, this remains YOUR church and we are deeply committed to keeping you in YOUR church. It’s not St. John’s Anglican Church without you.

Preserving the Building In 2016 and 2017, we undertook major renovations to improve the bones of the building. Without this investment, the building would have fallen into further disrepair.

Major basement renovations were completed to allow for fully accessible commercial food and retail use. This turned out to be an enormous job with many costly hurdles that were overcome. Exterior brick repairs and restoration work began.

We completed repairs to the northeast corner of the building near the chimney and started on the west wall’s spaulding brick. The brick chimney was rebuilt to full height and lined so it can be used again.

The rear cement patio and landscaping was added. We are lucky to have found Marc, our local experienced bricklayer to take on this work, and he had to find 100 year old reclaimed brick from southern Ontario and haul it north to Chapleau to do the job right.

And as it turns out, our bricklayer is now the tenant downstairs with homemade pizza making skills second to none!

As for 2018, we will finish the brick repairs on the west wall, point the brickwork around the building, and start brick repairs to the bell tower. We would like to bring back the original “castle top” -- if we can find a way to fund it.

Financial Sustainability

The church building remains a money losing project, big time. Our objective is to bring the building into financial sustainability for the for the long term. To accomplish this, the reality is we have 3 things to focus on:

1. Finding additional rent from the main floor

• We need this new rent to co-exist with the congregation, and will likely come from a new additional tenant or from running special events.

• We are currently looking for ideas, other non-profits focusing on local history and culture, performing arts, entertainment, special events, etc.

• Unfortunately this will require most of the pews to come out. More about pews discussed below.

2. Reducing our heating costs

• Step 1 – Install a new wood stove in the basement, just finished!

• Step 2 – Get completely off heating oil – We plan to install a new boiler heating system in 2018 that will use renewable wood pellets as the fuel. These are considered carbon neutral (good for the environment) and will be sourced from northern Ontario (good for the local economy).

 • Step 3 – Seal up the building – we need to seal up air cracks and gaps on the main floor. We will get a blower door test conducted to identify the air leaks and then try to seal them up to improve the efficiency of the building and reduce our heating costs for next winter.

3. Helping our current tenants be successful long term

• We are working closely with our current basement tenant, Stonewalls restaurant, to help them grow their business to meet the needs and desires of the Chapleau community. We are in the process of installing a new wood fired pizza oven downstairs for everyone’s eating pleasure in the next month or so, I’m super excited about that.

• We want to help the Anglican Church congregation find ways to innovate and connect with the community. We are open to trying new things, we have the large vacant lot next door that can host special events, we have the ability to be creative together for mutual benefit.

Please keep this in mind as you plan 2018.

We are here to help where we can, just pitch us your ideas on what you want to try.

Environmental Sustainability

We believe that we can make investments in the b that can both accomplish financial and environmental sustainability. For example the heating system improvements have the ability to make the building “carbon neutral”. Currently we are burning over 15,000 litres of heating oil per winter, this has significant CO2 emissions that are bad for our climate.

It just happens that converting to modern wood pellet heating is lower cost than oil, and is carbon neutral, a win-win situation. But it takes effort to make this switch.

We are working with technology suppliers from Europe, and we are working with Ontario pellet fuel suppliers for bulk deliveries to Chapleau. It’s not easy going first, but we think it is worth the effort.

What to do with the Pews? We expect that any new uses upstairs will require more flexibility in the space, different seating arrangements, more open space, ability to set up tables and We would like to hear ideas and preferences from the congregation on how we select which pews we should keep. We think we can probably keep 6 to 10 long pews in the space. Some questions and ideas we would like your feedback on:

1. Do we add name plaques to identify the original family pews that will remain in the church? This way we can keep track of the pews as they are shuffled around over time. Can you propose which pews we should keep as a priority?

2. We will be looking to sell 20 or more pews to help offset our building restoration costs. Should we first offer the pews for sale to the original families they may have sat in them? If so, how do we contact those families if no longer in attendance?

 3. Any ideas for local businesses or places that might need pews like this?

4. Do we know a local carpenter that can shorten pews so that they can fit better into people’s homes? This could help more of the pew find their way into homes in Chapleau.

 In terms of replacement seating that can accommodate multiple uses, we are thankful to receive 100 chairs from the United Church to help get us started! Opening up the space and getting more people into the church will help with our collective community outreach. It's a beautiful building and sharing it with the community is a positive thing that increases the long term viability of the church.

As always, I want to hear your thoughts. You can email me anytime at Jason.rioux@gmail.com

Awakening 'enormous sleeping potential' of Chapleau to 'make awesome things happen'

NOTE: When Jason Rioux contacted me about the possibility of an article on Chapleau's "enormous sleeping potential" I immediately agreed to be part of the supporting cast along with Bishop Tom Corston, Tanya Keech, and others. As Jason notes, "This is our Chapleau, let’s make awesome things happen together." I hope you will share your ideas with Jason. His email is jason.rioux@gmail.com. Mine is mj.morris@live.ca

By Jason Rioux
The town of Chapleau has strong roots in entrepreneurship and pioneering….enabled and inspired by a special mix of ingredients: the long standing First Nations communities and the wisdom of their Elders, the Hudson’s Bay Trading Post that opened trade and export potential, the Canadian Pacific Railway with its army of railroaders and nation-building transport, the forestry industry with the strengths of its loggers and biomass exports, and the broad mix of small businesses that started, flourished, and retired over the last 100+ years.

 Chapleau's first entrepreneurs were likely T.A. Austin who opened the first general store in December 1885 and Richard Brownlee who established a barbershop in a tent in February 1886.  This mix was the essence of economic growth that established Chapleau for what it is today.

1886 T. A. Austin store and Richard Brownlee barbershop

We all have memories of special times, places, and experiences that were enabled by our early settlers, current and past business men and women, and community leaders, big and small, that took the initiative to start or do something new, that people wanted or needed, for the betterment of everyone in Chapleau, and for those that were lucky enough to visit.

Young Street Chapleau early 1900s from Birch. 

Chapleau has enormous sleeping potential for new small businesses to start and grow.  Everyone has something they are gifted with…something they love to do…something from which people could enjoy and benefit.  Perhaps even something that we can export.  There has never been a time so needed, so encouraged, and so enabled for  you to give something a shot.  That something is for you to determine.


If you are reading this and thinking, “surely, this is targeted at other people”, then think again.  Whether you make the best sugar pie in town, have a passion to teach arts, or can play the fiddle like a wannabe Ashley MacIsaac, there is now a place for you to share and benefit from this talent, and here’s how!

“The Rustic Bear Den”, in the transformed lower level of St. John’s church, is now set up as a community hub, with a café and artisan marketplace.  This is a flexible rustic space that accommodates dozens of small entrepreneurs to co-exist and show off their talents.  Think of it as Chapleau’s new Trading Post!  The commercial kitchen is available for preparing and baking your special foods (like your sugar pies), for sale both outside and inside the café.

The flexible space can be used to display and sell your homemade artisan products, or even better, use it as your workshop to make your products on site and add to the buzz.  Dream up your special event and host it there too, nothing is too wild, you’d be surprised.  Pitch your ideas to Tanya (Longpre) Keech for anything in this space, she is your go-to person.  tanya.keech@gmail.com


The upstairs of the church is also open to new ideas.  Certainly the priority is ensuring that any new ideas are fully compatible with the Anglican Church proceedings that take place on Sunday mornings.  For those that have not seen the upstairs of St. John’s, it is a very special space that is completely original and full of wonderful character.  It can accommodate over 250 people, kept warm year-round, and most importantly it has “acoustics” that are second to none.

Whether you are budding local musicians looking for jam space or a recording studio, vocalists looking to host acapella competitions, or the organizer of special events of any kind, this special space is available to be experienced and enjoyed by the whole community.  


And last, but not least, the parking lot behind the church and the vacant 2 acres of waterfront land where the old public school once was, are also open to entrepreneurship potential.  Farmers markets, large annual festivals, community gardens, and other tourism and waterfront related services could all be pursued while longer term development plans are being worked on for the land.  If you have a passion for anything that could flourish outdoors, you can lead the charge and make something happen.


Pitch your ideas for the upstairs and outside spaces to Jason Rioux directly at jason.rioux@gmail.com.


New ideas can be pitched at anytime.  This is an open door opportunity for the whole community.  No idea is too silly or crazy.  We are looking for people with “fire in the belly” and the initiative to try something new.


This is our Chapleau, let’s make awesome things happen together.

'Colouring outside the lines ...exploring new paths' as open house for St. John's future to be held in Chapleau

Recently I attended the 50th anniversary celebration for a Shared Ministry between the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada at Invermere, British Columbia. 

It was an experiment that has worked and the celebration brought the Primate of the Anglican Church and Moderator of the United Church to rural British Columbia to be part of it. In fact, while chatting with Archbishop John Privett of the Diocese of Kootenay, he commented that it was not often the leaders of these two churches, would be seen at a service together. Good point by Archbishop John.

My thanks to Joel Vinge for taking me to the service.

Shortly thereafter, I received an email from Jason Rioux telling me about an Open House planned for August 4 starting at six p.m.to brainstorm new uses for St John's church which he recently purchased from the Diocese of Moosonee. It will still be used for church services

.I immediately thought of one of the hymns sung at the Invermere celebration 'My Love Colours Outside the Lines' written by George Light in 1995. In fact I am listening to it now on Youtube being sung by the Northwest Barrie United church choir. Here is the chorus:

“My love colours outside the lines,
Exploring paths that few could ever find;

And takes me into places where I’ve never been before

And opens doors to worlds outside the lines."

As new paths are explored for St, John's new worlds will assuredly be opened "outside the lines".

In fact, in 1885, St. John's may never have become a reality if the committee of adults meeting to discuss plans for the church had their way.

 Let me share a bit of what happened from my 1984 book, "Sons of Thunder...Apostles of Love". The first motion put before the meeting proposed that the matter be dropped as the amount of $500 was too great for the people to raise. 

The motion was defeated but a stalemate arose over who would be on the finance committee. 

Mrs. R.V. Nicholson preserved an account of the meeting which relates the next development: 

 "At this point Miss Annie Nicholson, although only seventeen years old got up and said that if the meeting would allow her, she would volunteer to collect the amount with the assistance of her friend Miss Minnie Richardson."

Several "prominent" members ridiculed this idea, but a motion passed appointing the two girls to the finance committee, and at the next meeting Miss Nicholson commented that a "a really strong box" would be required to hold the money subscribed.Slightly more than one thousand dollars had been collected and paid.

The first St. John's located on the old tennis court was opened and dedicated on July 1, 1886 -- colouring outside the lines by the adults led to the church being established.

On April 23, 1906 at an Easter Congregational meeting a motion was passed to build a new church but at the outset of discussions a majority favoured enlarging the existing building but Rev, W,L. James, the Rector, who Archbishop R.J. Renison referred to as a 'flame of fire' held out and the meeting agreed unanimously.

The first service in the new St. John's was held on March 29 1908, when it was dedicated by Bishop George Holmes.

G B Nicholson

By this time in St. John's history, G. B. Nicholson, had become the the first reeve of Chapleau in 1901 and was greatly involved in the life of St. John's. At Easter 1918, St. John's paid tribute to Mr. Nicholson in a letter that was framed and can still be seen on a wall in the church.

It reads in part: "As a member of the congregation from the day the first service was held in the town, as a member of the committees which have planned and directed the building of both church and rectory, as a member of the choir, and as a warden for twenty-two years, you have had much to do with every stage of the work. Your business ability, supported as it is by your great generosity, has helped more than anyone can say in establishing the parish on a sound financial basis with a splendid rectory, and a beautiful church, both free of debt."

Chapleau, not only St. John's owes so much to Mr. Nicholson, who coloured outside the lines in so many ways for the betterment of the community by obviously colouring outside the lines.

Rev John Sanders

Although, he did not serve as Rector of St. John's, Rev. John Sanders, also spelled Saunders, born to Ojibwe parents at Flying Post in 1845, was one of the first indigenous priests of the Anglican church in Canada, then the Church of England. He was ordained priest in 1979. John Horden, the first bishop of Moosonee, recruited him for the ministry -- certainly colouring outside the lines in 1872 when he took the young man to St. John's College in Winnipeg.

As a missionary he travelled from his base at Mattagami to Flying Post to Missanabie and Michipicoten. He also travelled  by way of Loon (Borden) Lake, the Loon Lake portage and the Chapleau river to the present site of Chapleau. He conducted a service on the banks of the river. After Chapleau was established oldtimers recalled open air services he held at the Indian Reserve and at St. John's church.

Descendants of Rev. Sanders (Saunders) still live in Chapleau and area. 

And now, fast forward to 2016, as St. John's embarks on a new journey. Like so many churches today, many in communities near where I live in rural British Columbia, with dwindling congregations and declining financial resources, other uses are being found for them.St. John's will continue to be used for church  services under an agreement with the Diocese of Moosonee, but the open house is designed to explore other opportunities for the historic building

I was delighted to hear from Heather Campbell who is working with Jason Rioux on plans for St. John's. She wrote in an email about the open house planned for August 4 .

  "As Jason Rioux works toward renovating and revitalizing the church building, we want to invite the community to experience what the Church space could become, and experience some of the ideas for possible new uses.

"We are also inviting everyone to share their memories of the space and other key community gathering spots in Chapleau. We’ll have displays celebrating the Church and community’s heritage, highlighting some other important landmarks in the community, and offer the opportunity to meet some of the local artisans who are interested in using the basement space as a crafts market."

 "Community consultation and engagement are a very important part of the project, as the space has been, and will remain, a very community-centric one. Inviting everyone into the space – and into the process – at this early stage is essential to creating a place that is truly owned by the community 

"There will be plenty of opportunities to give input into the vision of what the space will become. Draw us a picture, drop off a notecard, tell us your thought there are many ways to be involved!  

As I was thinking about this column, I sent an email to my cousin Anne (Zufelt) McGoldrick, with some questions and request for photos she might have of our family's involvement with St. John's. 

As always she replied with information and photos but I am saving them for another day. 

However, as Chapleau folks prepare for the open house, I was reminded of one anecdote about St. John's which occurred before I was born. In 1935, the church celebrated its 50th anniversary which was attended by the Primate Archbiahop Derwyn T. Owen. My grandfather George Hunt was the choirmaster, my mother Muriel was a soloist singing 'Now the Day is Over', my grandmother Edythe and Elsie, (the mother of Anne, Betty, Joan and Leslie) were all in the choir. What a great moment it must have been for my family.

 I am sure you have memories too.

Heather is with Small, a company which works with rural communities to assist in the transition from natural resources-based economies to cultural resource-based ones. These efforts help diversify economies while celebrating the natural heritage, built heritage, and intangible heritage (skills and traditions) within these communities. Beginning in Newfoundland with communities affected by the cod moratorium, we’ve also recently worked in New Brunswick, Ontario and the Yukon. 

She said: "We’re thrilled to be involved in the St. John’s Church project in Chapleau, to experience the rich cultural heritage of the Church and the community."

I wish all the very best as you meet to plan the new journey for St. John's and leave you with the last verse of 'My love Colours Outside the Lines':

My soul longs to colour outside the lines

Tear back the curtains, sun, come in and shine

I want to walk beyond the boundaries where I've never been before

Throw open doors to worlds outside the lines. 

My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Highlights from history of St. John's Anglican Church following announcement of its sale to Jason Rioux

Plaque dedication names below

In 1882, three years before Chapleau was formally established with the official arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Rev. John Sanders,  conducted a church service on the banks of the river, which was re-enacted 100 years later.

Rev. Sanders was one of a family of 20 born to Ojibway parents at Flying Post, on Groundhog Lake, 60 miles north of Biscotasing. He became one of the first aboriginal priests of the Church of England in Canada (later Anglican), and as a missionary conducted services not only on river bank, but at St. John's Church after it was established in 1885. 

Some of his descendants still live in the Chapleau area and other parts of Northern Ontario. Sanders is also spelled Saunders.

But, it was Rev. Gowan Gillmor, who delighted in his nickname "The Tramp" who was instrumental in establishing St. John's Church in Chapleau. He conducted the first service  in a boxcar in October 1884, and in  1885 was present to conduct services and hold meetings with the first settlers about building a church. He was called The Tramp because he actually walked the CPR line between Sudbury and Fort William (now Thunder Bay), and elsewhere as a "railway missionary".

By this time land had already been purchased and a deed granted by the CPR for the purpose of building the church. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts in England would provide a grant of four hundred dollars towards its construction, but Chapleau people would have to raise five hundred dollars, a tremendous sum in those days.

The sum was raised primarily through the efforts of two teenagers, Miss Annie Nicholson and Miss Minnie Richardson. Within two weeks Miss Nicholson advised the committee that a "really strong box" would be needed as they had raised over one thousand dollars.

The first St. John's, on the site of the old tennis court, was opened and consecrated on July 1, 1886 by Bishop Edward Sullivan, assisted by Rev Gillmor. 

In 1982, when Rev. William Ivey was rector he organized a re-enactment of the service on the river bank conducted by Rev. Sanders. Rev. Canon Redfern Louttit, who had attended the St. John's Indian Residential School, and later became an Anglican priest played the role of Rev. Sanders. The service was conducted in Cree, Ojibway and English.

Rev. E. Roy Haddon, a former rector returned to play Rev. Gillmor in another historical re-enactment. 

With the arrival of Rev. Jerry Smith as rector, and as the 100th anniversary approached, Linda Tebbutt and Sharon Henderson played Annie Nicholson and Minnie Richardson, the young ladies who fund raised for the first St. John's.

By 1905, plans were underway to build the new church as St John's had become the Pro-Cathedral of Moosonee when Bishop George Holmes moved to Chapleau. With the completion of the new church, which was dedicated on March 29, 1908, it remained the pro-cathedral until 1913. Final cost of the church was $18,000.

Fast forward to 1985 and the 100th anniversary of St. John's. Rev. Smith was the rector and 100 years of faith was being celebrated, according to The Chapleau Sentinel headline.

An old fashioned hymn sing launched the activities held in June 1985 with John Way-White and Chris Ivey rendering a trumpet duet. Rev. Smith introduced the special guests Archbishop Edward Scott, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada;  Bishop Les Peterson, of Algoma, and Bishop Caleb Lawrence of Moosonee.

MJM at 100th anniversary

Then Bishop Peterson dedicated a plaque in front of the church, followed by Bishop Lawrence who dedicated one on the banks of the river. Former rector Rev. William Ivey led the procession with his bagpipes.

A public reception was held in the Legion Hall, most appropriately, as it was originally St John's Parish House built by Mrs. and Mrs. G.B. Nicholson in memory of their son Lorne and his friends, who died on active service in World War I.

St. John's Peoples Warden Tom O'Shaughnessy was master of ceremonies introducing the guests and reading letters from those who were unable to attend.

Special tribute was paid to Mrs Amy Green on her many years of faithful service as church organist.

Father Jerry with Mrs. Green

The Sentinel reported that the Thanksgiving Eucharist "from the Processional to the Recessional, an hour and a half later, it was a service to remember,"

Bishop Peterson with Velma Morin, treasurer

Some of the participants included Archbishop Scott as guest preacher, with Bishops Lawrence and Peterson celebrating the Eucharist assisted by Rev Smith and Rev Tom Corston, a Chapleau boy, later a bishop of Moosonee.. The junior and senior choirs under the direction of Mary Winter were excellent.

"It was a truly memorable occasion," the Sentinel reported. It was!!

And now, Tom Corston,  the retired bishop of Moosonee, advised in a Chapleau Express article on May 5, 2016. that St. John's has been sold, effective June 1 to Jason Rioux. 

In the article it is noted that with the sale, it does not mean that the Anglican congregation is to vacate.  It quotes Mr. Rioux as saying that "We are most excited to be accommodating the current congregation to use the church as its place of worship and continue with their long standing pride of ownership for years to come."  A lease agreement has been reached with the Diocese of Moosonee, the report notes.

Obviously a new era is beginning for St. John's after about 131 years of serving the Anglican community of Chapleau. It will be most interesting to watch the progress, and I wish all parties well in their endeavours. I am most delighted that the decision was not made to demolish St. John's.  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Plaque unveiling  Unveiling of plaque at waterfront marking spot where early services were held. From left are Bishop Peterson, Primate Ted Scott, former rector Rev William Ivey (with pipes, layreader William Walker, Bishop Caleb Lawrence, Rector Rev Jerry Smith

NOTE: I wrote history of St John's, 'Sons of Thunder... Apostles of Love' at the time of the 100th anniversary