An annual tradition dating back more than 70 years will continue for another year on Sunday.
Since 1945, parishioners have gathered at St. Mary’s Anglican Church west of Prince Albert for at least one church service per year. That streak almost came to an end during the COVID-19 outbreak, but with the province opening back up, church leaders decided to hold their first of two 2021 services there this Sunday.
Church warden Fred Payton said he was worried COVID-19 would prevent them from holding any services at the site in 2020 or 2021. He’s thankful that wasn’t the case.
“I did not go out, but we did have a service last year. We were happy to do that, and we’re happy that we’re able to do services again this year,” Payton said during a phone interview on Friday.
“The last year was a strange year. The year coming up, we’re hoping will not be quite so strange, but who knows,” he added. “I’m a little concerned about COVID coming back, so we have to be considerate of that.”
Restrictions on singing will still be in place when attendees gather for the service Sunday afternoon. Payton said some people were disappointed with that decision, but church leaders wanted to err on the side of caution.
The service is open to the public, with no cap on the number of attendees.
“I’m fairly certain that we’re going to be able to do upwards of three services next year,” Payton said. “We’re certainly looking forward to doing that.”
St. Mary’s Anglican Church was built in 1875 by volunteer labourers who cut sawed and hewed logs by hand to create the building. The first service was held on Christmas Day of that year. It’s believed to be the oldest Anglican church for settlers between the Red River Settlement in Manitoba, and the Rocky Mountains.
The church and nearby cemetery fell into disuse between 1909 and 1944. The Diocesan Synod created a standing committee to maintain the property in 1944, and one year later, the first service was held in the restored building. Church leaders have held at least one memorial service there every year since.
Repair work continues on the property, mostly due to the wind and thunderstorms that have blown through the area. Payton said some headstones and parts of the roof were damaged in the last storm. They’ve added those repairs to a list of regular maintenance duties, like cleaning the fungus off the gravestones.
“We try to keep the property decent, so there’s always some kind of groundwork going on out there,” Payton explained. “We have had a little bit of an issue as a result of the last storm we had in Prince Albert.
“Of course, we’ve had to cut up all the trees that have blown over and so on. That’s all been going on over the last few weeks.”
Typically, attendees gather for a service on the fourth Sunday of June, July and August. There was only one service held on site in 2020, and only two are scheduled for 2021. The second will take place on August 22.
The Sunday, July 25 service is scheduled for 3 p.m.