Anglican church to close

DIDSBURY - A true Didsbury institution will soon be closing its doors for good after 100 years in operation.

St. Cyprian's Anglican Church will have its final service on Sept. 9 when the building will be deconsecrated.

The reason given for the closure is financial, with the church steadily losing money over the years as the number of churchgoers declined, say officials.

After having more than 100 members during the 1950s and 1960s, the church congregation had gradually trickled down to less than 10. There used to be 50 or more children in Sunday school and now there are none.

Presiding over services at the church is Rev. David Asher, who comes up twice a month from Calgary.

Longtime church members Myrna Watt and Bruce and Jean Freeman told the Gazette they were heartbroken with the decision.

"It was up to the council," said Bishop's Warden Bev Hazzard. "We had to decide back in January that we had to close. We cannot keep it open financially."

Hazzard said there wasn't a dry eye among the church council members when the decision had to be made.

"That whole council was in tears telling stories about the first time they came to St. Cyprian's,"  she said. "The first I came here was five years ago. My husband had been killed at work. I came through those doors and all I was thinking was please no one talk to me. But I felt at home. The people here have been so kind. As Jean said, we're like family. It's heartbreaking to lose this church."

Hazzard said it's not just the religious aspect but the companionship and the camaraderie.

"Of course we're sad," said Jean. "It's a real loss to the community and to our little congregation. I'm treating it as a death. You mourn for a while. Then you find another place to go."

"I was devastated," said Ward, who says she is a "cradle" Anglican as in she was born into the Anglican Church.

"It's my family," she said. "I've never had to go find my faith anywhere but my Anglican church so I haven't been looking for that anywhere outside of my church. I still love it. I'm going to miss my family when we close. I've sort of got over the sadness because it's inevitable. I treat it as a death as well. We will grieve."

THE EARLY YEARS

St. Cyprian's Anglican Church in Didsbury began in 1908 as the Church of England under Bishop Cyprian Pinkham, who came from Calgary to consecrate (bless) the church.

An article in the Didsbury Pioneer newspaper from Nov. 1, 1907 stated that preparations were "being made by the English church adherents in Didsbury to build a church in the north end of town in the near future."

The original building was constructed in 1908. The current building was built in 1996 and the original one was taken out to Ken Stouffer's farm where it stands today.

Bruce Freeman has been with the church for 73 years. He came to Didsbury in 1945 as a 13-year-old boy with his family and has been a member of the congregation ever since.

"The stove was down in the corner," Freeman said. "It was a wood and coal fire. We lived down the street about four houses. My mother was very English. She had come from England in 1911 and her parents were staunch Anglicans from the Lake District in England. I can remember the first year we were here we got up on the roof and scraped the moss off."

Jean Freeman explained that the movers had to modify the roof of the church because it was so steep it wouldn't fit under the power lines.

A hall was built in 1965 as an addition to the old church. It stayed on when the current church building was built in 1996.

"They hauled the old church out and everything was ready to build," said Jean. "Because there were some people in wheelchairs, they added the ramp to join the hall so people could go from church up to the hall without having to go outside. It has a basement under it and they used to do catering out of it."

Watt, the president of the ladies' auxiliary, said that church originally didn't have an indoor bathroom or running water.

"Cleaning the linen for the altar was done at home, as usual," she said. "We didn't have running water to clean the vessels so we had to come to the church in the winter with our coats on, get some water and wash the chalice, etc., and take it back to the church."

Myrna Watt said the original church had a steeple with a box.

"It was full of pigeons," said Watt. "We had to modify it because the pigeons created a health hazard."

Numbers for the church started declining in the 2000s as interest waned and other congregations became more popular.

"The kids moved away," said Jean. "All of our kids moved to the city."

Hazzard said the new folks that come to town don't go to the traditional churches anymore.

"It's just the way society is going," she said. "It's just a very sad statement. This church that used to be bulging at the seams and so involved with the community. I guess, younger people want to go to be more entertained with bands and music. It's an outing."

Watt said the Anglicans are much more traditional.

"It's a religious experience," she said of the Anglican Church. "The Anglicans are pretty staid and traditional."

"Churches where my grandparents went, where my parents took me too, and now I take my kids too -- that's all gone," said Hazard.

Watt said that the group at their church is like a family.

"It's a close-knit group," Watt said.

"It's just sad to see the older traditional churches close," added Hazard. "Especially in this town. This church was here when Didsbury became a town."

Jean said that Didsbury was once known for having a church on every corner.

"This area was known as the 'Bible Belt of Alberta' when we moved here," said Jean. "There was 26 churches in the vicinity. Whichever way you went, there was a church."

For years, St. Cyprian's Anglican Church put on a number of events and was very active in the community.

"We did a lot of catering, teas, roast beef dinners," said Jean. "It was all just fundraising for the church. The ACW (Anglican Church Women) used to cater for the local Kinsmen Club for their meeting dinners."

The church also helped out with people in the community in need. Hazard recalls a story about how in the 1930s the church helped out a family which was down on its luck.

"Back when it was just the church and the pews, the family stayed here," Hazard said. "Just for a short time, until they could get their feed back on the ground. They later donated a number of antique chairs to the church."

Hazzard said they expect a good turnout for the final service on Sept. 9 when the bishop will deconsecrate the church. There is also a dinner planned.

"We want the community to know it's coming and hopefully we'll have a good attendance," she said.

Ward said the building itself is owned by the Calgary diocese.

"It'll be up to them to get rid of it or whatever they want to do," she said.

Jean said that many of the furnishings with religious overtones such as the stained glass windows will go to the Airdrie Anglican church.

"The stained glass windows were hand-made by an artist from Cremona named Allan Reid," said Jean.

Council member Al Hansen has contacted everyone he could who has donated anything in memoriam about whether they want it back.

"So many things here have been donated," said Hazard. "He's taken it upon himself (to contact everyone). We're not selling anything for cash. We're trying to give back. Things from here are being donated. Any monies we have will be donated to charity."