Prayers and hope: Jasper's historic Anglican church looks ahead to building a new future
The nearly century-old parish burned in a July 2024 wildfire
Bright and early on a Sunday morning in March, Christian hymns ring out from the headquarters of Jasper's Masonic Lodge, where the Anglican church has been holding its weekly service.
St. Mary & St. George Anglican Church hasn't been absorbed by the world's largest fraternity. Instead, the Freemasons lent their lounge to the congregation after the nearly century-old church burned in the July 2024 wildfire that ravaged Jasper National Park and its historic townsite.
There are plans to rebuild. Some in the parish's leadership, including people's warden Nancy Addison, have put forward an idea for a new worship space for people of all faiths.
"I would really dearly love to see a multi-denominational church," said Addison, speaking by phone from Ontario where she is staying with family after losing her Jasper home in the fire.
"A place for Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, Jews, anybody from any background to come and use," she added.
As people's warden, Addison's role includes managing the church's Facebook page and replying to emails from all over the world. She says rebuilding the church as a more inclusive space should be a priority.
"In this time of division and hate and distrust in the world, I think you tend to hate things you don't understand and things that you don't know. If we were all sharing a building, that would facilitate conversations and build bridges. We could be an example for the rest of the world," she said.
"That's my magical dream."
Early community connections
The roots of the Anglican church in Jasper date back to 1909. A small wooden boxcar was donated in 1913 to act as the first building to hold services. Other timber additions were added over the next several years.
Inside Jasper's archive building, retired Rev. David Prowse, flips through photos of the original church from the 1910s.
"The two railways were being built through the Rockies, and the first church was a log church building. One of the leaders of the construction of one of the railways arranged to have B.C. cedar logs brought in," said the 84-year-old.
In 1928, a more permanent parish was built primarily from stone. It was declared a provincial historic resource in 1985, as an example of the 14th-century English Gothic revival architectural style in Canada.
It was a recognizable town landmark, tourist attraction and community gathering space until it was destroyed in last summer's fire.
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That's the building Prowse remembers from his childhood in Jasper. His father helped maintain it, and David sang in the choir and was an altar server. As an adult, he spent decades as a military chaplain around the world, before ending his career as the rector of his childhood parish. Even after retiring, Prowse maintained strong connections to the building and occasionally led services there.
"My vestments, my robes, all went up in flames. The stained glass probably never will be able to be replaced," he said.
Prowse has countless memories from within the church walls, including leading a Sunday morning service attended by Queen Elizabeth II during a 2005 royal visit to Alberta, which included an overnight stop in Jasper.
In recent years, the church played host to the local food bank, numerous plays and concerts and regular community club meetings.
A rebuilt space that can accommodate all of those things once again is on the wish list of church leadership. But there is also something new on the list.
"A place for people to recognize the community, the first responders and the young man that lost his life," said church vestry member Glenda Cornforth, who has lived in Jasper since 1942.
Cornforth was referring to 24-year-old firefighter Morgan Kitchen, who was killed by a falling tree while battling the Jasper wildfire. The idea of a dedicated space to remember Kitchen has wide support in the church community.
Several of the church's stone pillars are still intact, and there are hopes to salvage them for the new building.
Early estimates peg the cost of a rebuild incorporating all of these ideas at close to $6 million. Since the church's insurance payout won't cover that, there are ongoing discussions to possibly pool financial resources with Jasper's United Church, which also burned, to rebuild together.
Officials from both congregations have met with Jasper's municipal planning department to discuss what a joint rebuild might look like, and hope to have more clarity this spring about the possibilities.
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