History of St. Saviour's Anglican Church

The idea of starting an Anglican Church in the Morse Place area was first conceived in 1914 at the home of Rev. Walter and Mrs. Anderson who resided at 840 Prince Rupert Ave. A Miss Millidge from the Diocesan Women's Auxiliary (now the Anglican Church Women) came and told the ladies about the wonderful work of the Women's Auxiliary. A group was formed with Mrs. Anderson as President and soon fund raising events were being planned as the idea of building a church began to grow stronger

The first St. Saviour's church was a small frame building (without sewer or water) on the south side of Moncton Avenue in the 800 block.

In the 1920's two acres of property were acquired at the site of the present church. A basement was dug and the Moncton Avenue building was moved in the early 1930's. A portion of the original two acres were sold to accommodate Sherwood school and an apartment block. Sewer and water were still not available, but the church boasted a furnace and a chemical toilet in the basement.

September 10, 1929 - a red-letter day in the life of St. Saviour's. On this date, the "Deed of Formation" outlining the parish boundaries was drawn up. During the Depression, funds were scarce, but a stalwart Women's Auxiliary continued to raise money in a variety of ways. Harvest suppers, plays, field days, and a host of many other ventures kept St. Saviour's afloat during hard times. This building would serve until 1955 when it was demolished to make way for a new church and hall.

Until 1936, the church was served by student ministers from St. John's College. In 1936, an ordained minister (Reverend T. D. Conlin) was appointed to serve the parishes of St. George's, Transcona at 11:00am; St. Catharine's, Birds Hill at 3:00pm; and St. Saviour's at 7:00pm. St. Saviour's contribution to the minister's salary was the grand sum of 12.00 per month plus some homegrown vegetables contributed by "green thumb" parishioners.

Hard work and diligence eventually paid off, as did the whist drives and dances held by the parishioners in the Moncton Avenue Labour Hall. On October 5 1942, the mortgage on the church was burned, much to the delight of all who had worked so hard to accomplish this goal.

Three years of World War 2 brought an influx of families to the area as wartime homes were built. Sunday school grew from 36 to 100 children. Parish families doubled from 30 in 1969 to 60 families by 1950. The building of peacetime homes further increased the population and discussions began about enlarging the church facilities.

In 1954, after much discussion and soul-searching by the parishioners and the Diocese, it was decided to go ahead with a Butler type building at a cost of 25,000.00. The church had to have 5,000.00 before any work could start. With only 3,000.00 on hand, every avenue was explored and utilized to scrape up the additional funds. Efforts were successful and work started on the new facility in January of 1955. The new St. Saviour's was dedicated in June of that same year with Archbishop Barfoot in attendence. By 1960, the Sunday school had grown to 300 children, so once again expansion was in the wind.

Plans were formulated for a new building, but first the old church and hall had to be moved off the site to make room for the new construction. This was done and services were held in Morse Place Junior High School as the church building was moved to the present location adjoining the newly built church. These new facilities were dedicated in 1964.

During most of the planning and construction, Reverend David Carter was the officiant, his tenure being from October of 1961 to August of 1965. Reverend Eric Bays took over the parish on September 5, 1965 and remained until Christmas Day, 1967. Reverend Ken Appleton was Priest-in-charge until Reverend Bill MacGregor was appointed Rector in April of 1968. Bill was Rector until July of 1975. During this time, two significant events took place. First, St. Cuthbert's parishioners joined with St. Saviour's as their church had to be demolished. Secondly, the mortgage on the church was retired.

When Reverend MacGregor left to become Rector of Holy Trinity, Reverend Ray McMurray and the late Dennis Farler conducted services until the appointment of Reverend John Mash in October of 1975. Reverend Mash left in August of 1982 and Reverend Jim Brown was appointed Rector and commenced services on October 3, 1982. During his tenure, a new addition with basement facilities was added. This enabled the clergy to have two new offices and the church to have a new Boardroom and an enlarged choir room. This is the present configuration of the church.

Reverend Jim Brown left on August 31, 1992 to take up his new duties as the Rector at St. George's Anglican Church in the Diocese of Brandon. The Reverend John Le Sarge was the Priest-in-charge as we graciously awaited the arrival of our present Rector, the Reverend Richard Condo.

As in the past, St. Saviour's continues to extend an invitation to all to visit whenever you have the opportunity, determine whether you feel comfortable here with us and make St. Saviour's your home church if you feel that we fulfill your needs. We pray that you may find us all spiritually alive, personally friendly and with an eagerness to be part of our Lord's plan for the future of St. Saviour's and her people.