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St. Thomas' Anglican Church (Moose Factory, Ontario)
Encyclopedia
St. Thomas' Anglican Church is an historic Carpenter Gothic
style Anglican
church edifice built by the Hudson's Bay Company
in Moose Factory
, Ontario
, Canada
.
to send someone to continue the missionary work of the Rev. George Barnley, a Wesleyan
minister who had been in Moose Factory from 1840-1848. The bishop sent an English schoolteacher, John Horden
who arrived on August 26, 1851, with his bride. Horden set about learning the local Cree language
and translating portions of the Bible
, the Book of Common Prayer
and hymns into it. He also started a school and started holding services for what would become St. Thomas' Church.
Horden was ordained to the priesthood while serving in Moose Factory and in 1872 became the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Moosonee
whose see was then in Moose Factory.
. Services are conducted in the Cree language
and in English. Since October 2006, the historic church has not been used for services and needs significant repairs. The congregation uses another building that was formerly a Catholic church. The Rev. John B. Edmonds retired as priest in August 2008.
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
style Anglican
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
church edifice built by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
in Moose Factory
Moose Factory, Ontario
Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English-speaking settlement in Ontario and the second Hudson's Bay Company post to be set up in North...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
Construction began in 1864 but was not completed until 1885. St. Thomas' origins date to the late 1840s when officials of the Hudson's Bay Company requested the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Rupert's LandAnglican Diocese of Rupert's Land
The Diocese of Rupert's Land is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is named for the historical British North American territory of Rupert's Land, which was contained within the original diocesan boundaries.The diocese comprises 72,500...
to send someone to continue the missionary work of the Rev. George Barnley, a Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
minister who had been in Moose Factory from 1840-1848. The bishop sent an English schoolteacher, John Horden
John Horden
John Horden was the first Anglican Bishop of Moosonee. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Episcopal Church and in the Calendar of Saints of the Anglican Church of Canada.-Early life:...
who arrived on August 26, 1851, with his bride. Horden set about learning the local Cree language
Cree language
Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
and translating portions of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
and hymns into it. He also started a school and started holding services for what would become St. Thomas' Church.
Horden was ordained to the priesthood while serving in Moose Factory and in 1872 became the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Moosonee
Anglican Diocese of Moosonee
The Anglican Diocese of Moosonee is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada. Now headquartered in Timmins, Ontario it was originally headquartered in Moose Factory. Its first bishop was the Right Rev. John Horden....
whose see was then in Moose Factory.
Current use
St. Thomas' Anglican Church is still an active parish in the Anglican Diocese of MoosoneeAnglican Diocese of Moosonee
The Anglican Diocese of Moosonee is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada. Now headquartered in Timmins, Ontario it was originally headquartered in Moose Factory. Its first bishop was the Right Rev. John Horden....
. Services are conducted in the Cree language
Cree language
Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
and in English. Since October 2006, the historic church has not been used for services and needs significant repairs. The congregation uses another building that was formerly a Catholic church. The Rev. John B. Edmonds retired as priest in August 2008.