Have you taken a tour of the Cathedral? Even if you regularly worship here, you're likely to learn something new!
Guided tours of Christ Church Cathedral are available throughout July and August, Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Tours are free, donations are welcome (fill out a donation envelope to receive a tax receipt).
Drop by to welcome new tour guide Muriel Falkenstein, and Alex LeBlanc, who is returning for a third summer as Lead Tour Guide.
Tours made possible due to receipt of a Community Funding Grant from the City of Fredericton.
Self-guided tour booklets are available in English, French, German, and Spanish (a new offering this year thanks to the translation efforts of John and Rosa Macaulay). Booklets were written by Hank Williams.
From left to right: Susan Watson, Kathleen Snow, Diane Radford, Bonnie Greenwood, Joanne Barfitt, John DosSantos, Michele Leblanc, Lilian Ketch, and Susan Colpitts-Judd.
The Cathedral branch of the Mothers’ Union hosted a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Tea in June of 2022 and although it was not a fundraising event, we did however, receive donations. After covering our expenses, we decided we wanted to use the balance of the funds to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee in a lasting way.
The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative was launched to encourage people to “Plant a tree for the Jubilee” to mark her 70 years on the throne. It was subsequently extended to give the opportunity to plant trees in the Queen’s memory.
When we heard of this project, we all agreed that this would be the perfect memorial to our beloved Queen Elizabeth II.
After consultation with Eric Hadley, a member of the Cathedral Property Committee, and with help from other members of the Guild of Saint Joseph, our Jubilee Sugar Maple was planted on the corner of Brunswick and Church Streets on May 12.
Ashley Swim, Eric Hadley, and Harry Palmer planting the tree.
Prior to our May 17th meeting, many of our Mothers’ Union members gathered around our tree, a blessing was read, and a group photo was taken. A cold wind had picked up and almost blew us all away so a re-shoot took place on a sunny and warm May 23rd.
Much appreciation is extended to Eric Hadley, Gary Barfitt, Harry Palmer, and Ashley Swim for delivering the tree from the nursery and planting it for us. Thanks to Gary Barfitt and Bill Robinson for taking the photos.
Submitted by Bonnie Greenwood
The Prayer:
Almighty God, we come before you this day in humility and gratitude as we seek your blessing on the life of this Sugar Maple tree, which is planted to remember our Sovereign Lady and Patron Queen Elizabeth II. May this tree take root in this soil, drawing from it water and nutrients, so it may grow and prosper, bringing beauty in its leaves offering shelter to birds and insects and enriching this place with its presence and life. And we ask this in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Do you love history and enjoy meeting new people? Apply for a summer job as a Cathedral Tour Guide!
Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton, New Brunswick is pleased to once again open its doors for tours this summer. We are seeking a part-time tour guide to work alongside our Lead Tour Guide, providing a warm welcome and excellent hospitality to visitors and locals.
With hundreds of people choosing to visit the Cathedral each year, it is a wonderful opportunity for our guides to share the key role of our church in Fredericton’s past and present. Previous summer tour guides have enjoyed meeting people from around the world, learning the history of the Cathedral, and gaining experience in bilingual tourism.
A job as a Cathedral tour guide involves welcoming visitors in English and French, providing tours, and assisting with events. Training will be provided. The position is available to an adult or youth 16+ years old. Candidates for this position are not restricted by religious affiliation; however, knowledge of the Anglican Church would be considered an asset.
Application Process Please submit a resume and a cover letter which explains why you have applied for the position and why you feel you are a suitable candidate. Applications may be submitted by postal mail, email, or in person during office hours (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Monday-Friday).
Email: <office at christchurchcathedral.com>
Christ Church Cathedral Office
168 Church Street
Fredericton, NB E3B 4C9
Deadline for Applications Applications must be received by Friday, 09 June, 2023. Interviews will take place with selected candidates during the following two weeks, with orientation training to take place the week of June 25, 2023.
Hugh MacKinnon was an exceptional artist who did extensive restoration work on the Cathedral’s East and West windows. His stained-glass artisanship is present in churches, educational institutions and other sites throughout the Maritimes.
"Many church windows in New Brunswick have sunlight shining through his creations, including the small chapel in the Old Arts Building at UNB, where he transformed Molly Lamb Bobak's paintings into lead and glass works of art. If one wanted to know about any of the saints, you could just ask Hugh, who did extensive research on them to make sure he got the window imagery correct."
In retirement, Hugh freely shared his expertise with the Cathedral Property Committee, particularly in his consultations with Heritage Standing Inc., the engineering company assessing structural work required in the Cathedral.
The woodcut piece in the Lady Chapel at Christ Church Cathedral is by New Brunswick artist John Hooper.
English-born artist best known for his polychromed carved wood sculptures, Hooper spent much of his youth in China and served as a captain in the British Army in India in 1944. He was educated at the Royal College of Art and Bournemouth College of Art and studied with sculptor Jacob Epstein. After working at the University of Natal in South Africa from 1956-1962, Hooper moved to New Brunswick where he was hired to establish the art program for Saine John schools. He worked as a teacher for many years before devoting himself fulltime to his art practice in 1974. Hooper was the sculptor of the celebrated bronze figure of Terry Fox that faces Parliament Hill in Ottawa. (from Ar(T)chives: Visual Treasures from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick - a booklet accompanying the exhibition at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery December 2022-May 2023)
"Archives are more than simply repositories of paper documents, ledgers, and census volumes; they often hold artistic treasures that tell an entirely different story than one containing only the written word. In partnership with the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, we are pleased to present some of the most beautiful and fascinating visual records of New Brunswick (and Canada, for that matter) that you may ever see."
An illustrated booklet, available at the gallery, includes several works featuring Christ Church Cathedral, including architectural designs of the stonework, a pencil sketch showing the Cathedral and the Parish Church, and a watercolour sketch for the Reredos. Visit the exhibit to explore other treasures!
The City of Fredericton is looking for opinions about its heritage program - share your thoughts!
The City is currently reviewing its heritage program and services and is looking for feedback from residents. Share your thoughts by completing a short online survey so decision-makers can better understand how you perceive heritage, its conservation importance, and the value it provides compared to other City services, programs and amenities.
The survey will close on December 23.
Results will be considered along with rightsholders consultations, community stakeholder engagement, best practices, staff expertise, and budget considerations.
Andrew Bruce Nutter has generously donated a commissioned icon for the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral. The icon is a memorial to the Sixth Bishop of Fredericton, Harold Nutter. Below, learn about the symbolism of the icon.
This icon is a memorial to the Sixth Bishop of Fredericton. There has been a tradition in the diocese and cathedral for former bishops to be remembered with a significant gift of some sort, and this continued up to the time of Bishop Moorhead. And so this icon, a memorial, is intended to be placed, appropriately, in the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral, the mother church of the diocese, with an accompanying votive candle rack below.
It commemorates the original designation of Fredericton as St. Anne's Point, thus connecting the establishment of the Cathedral along the river, with what went before, the French regime in New France. It affirms Bishop Medley's sensitivities of renaming the original Christ Church built on the north side of the present cathedral (moved to the upper Fredericton Flat) which he redesignated as St. Anne's Parish Church.
The icon commemorates both the Mother of God, and by the inclusion of St. Anne's Point, the grandmother of the Saviour, as well as the Incarnate Word Himself. It would have been inappropriate to name this icon as Our Lady of Anywhere had there been no previous connection such as that which pre-existed in the designation St. Anne's Point.
I asked the iconographer to paint the image in such a way that the Madonna could, by her skin tone, suggestively incarnate and honour the First Nations people living along the St. John River. A stylized St. Anne's Point, actually a short distance from the cathedral, is where Our Lady is standing, and the hills of the North Side of the river may be seen just beyond. At her feet are fiddleheads, three clumps of blue violets, and a chickadee.
The icon should be firmly attached to the wall. The gold frame is painted acrylic, and is washable, but the halos are gold leaf and should not be touched. A temporary descriptive acrylic plaque is included, but I am hoping for a more permanent one with indented letters to be made in a few months' time. I will be looking for an appropriate date for a blessing.
"Building on the Past to Sustain the Future: Recommendations and observations from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals Workroom series (2021) on building reuse for climate action."
It is a great advocacy and communication tool that provides clear information on why old buildings are necessary for fighting climate change. The paper also contains excellent resources should you wish to delve into this topic further.
it takes between 10 and 80 years
Here is just one of many important notes to take away from the green paper:
"[…] it takes between 10 and 80 years for a new building that is 30% more efficient than an average-performing existing building to overcome, through efficient operations, the negative climate change impacts related to the construction process. (Preservation Leadership Forum, 2016)"
We need positive climate action now, not in 10-80 years. The next question also becomes clear... is the lifespan of a new material or building long enough to overcome the negative climate impacts of production and construction (embodied carbon)?
We hope you find the paper thought-provoking and encouraging. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this topic further, please feel free to get in touch.
August 31, 2022 marks the 169th anniversary of the consecration of Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton.
The Cathedral was consecrated on August 31, 1853. Bishop Medley wrote in his journal on that day,
"The Cathedral, the corner stone of which was laid October 15, 1845, was consecrated this day. All praise be to God, who has enabled me, amidst many difficulties, to finish it. May the Lord pardon all that is amiss, and make it His holy dwelling place for evermore. Amen."
A description of the events was included in a history of the Cathedral published in 1910, during the episcopacy of Bishop John A. Richardson (1907 - 1938).
Photo from 1910 history booklet
The Consecration was of course performed by the Bishop of the Diocese. There were present also the Bishop of Quebec, Right Reverend G. J. Mountain, the Bishop of Toronto, the Right Reverend John Strachan, and Right Reverend Horatio Southgate, a Bishop of the Church in the United States, besides the Reverend Dr. Haight, of New York, Dr. Edson, of Lowell, Mass., Archdeacon Coster, Rector of Fredericton, Reverend Richard Podmore, Curate of St. Anne's Chapel, Reverend F. Coster, Rector of Carleton, and other Clergy of the diocese to the number of sixty. A procession was formed at 10 a.m. in which were several members of the Bench and Bar in their robes, Officers of the 76th Regiment, the Mayor, and other distinguished inhabitants of the city and neighborhood, attended by boys bearing banners.
The sermon was preached by Bishop Southgate from Ps. cxxii., v. 8, 9. It was an able and eloquent address, expressive of the deep joy felt by the members of the American Church in this event as an earnest of the wider extension of catholic unity.
The music at the consecration service was very fine, and included a beautiful anthem by Dr. George Elvey, organist of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and was well rendered by a large and efficient choir. The organist was Mr. S. A. Hayter, who had received his training at Salisbury Cathedral. The organ was built by Mr. Naish, who had served his apprenticeship with Walker, the great London organ builder, and who was brought out by the Bishop to do this work.
Photo from 1910 history booklet
The services connected with the consecration of the Cathedral lasted for a week; during which eloquent and appropriate sermons were preached by the Bishop of Quebec, formerly Rector of the Parish of Fredericton; by Dr. Haight, and by Dr. Edson. The Bishop held his first visitation, and delivered his first charge to his clergy on the Thursday of this week. Addresses were presented to the visiting Bishops and Clergy, and also to the Bishop of the Diocese from his clergy, before the proceedings terminated. The crowded congregations, the reverent demeanor of the worshippers, and the large amount of the offertory collections, showed that the great body of the people took a very hearty interest, and an honest pride, in their new Cathedral.
An updated history booklet was published in 1975, during the episcopacy of Bishop Harold L. Nutter (1971-1989).
Learn more about Cathedral history and explore the building virtually.
