History of the Parish of the Resurrection

A Task Group, with a vision to establish the Amalgamated Parish of Sydney, was personally appointed by the Right Rev'd Fred Hiltz, Bishop of Nova Scotia and P.E.I. The reason for this Task Force came about because of dwindling numbers of worshippers due to a rate of de-population in a poor economic period and for an emphasis on ministry and not building. The Anglican Community had more buildings than what was required. The job of the Task Force was to bring about a plan that would see a unifed Parish Family Workshiping under one roof with the exception of St. Bartholomew's, Louisbourg. Due to the distance from Sydney, they would keep St. Bartholomew's Church open for worship and outreach. It was a daunting task as the Task Froce had to stay focused on people and ministry and a re-construciton of Parish governance to best insure the essential renewal for a new parish.

After much deliberation it was decided that the Christ Church building would be the place of worship; it was made of brick, only twenty-five years old and could seat 350 people. The new parish council would also see to the up keep of St. George's Church where special services would be held. All other building; St. John's, Mira Rd; St. Aidan's, Westmount; St. Mark's, Coxheath; St. John's, Point Edward and St. Stephen's, Sydney would be closed and sold.

There were sad moments for everyone, but in September 2004 the amalgamation process saw fruition with the newly amalgamated Anglican Parish of Sydney. In this same month we welcomed our new clergy, Rev. Valeria Rhymesand and Rev. Fred rhymes. In December 2006 the Parish name was changed to the Parish of the Resurrection and Christ Church was re-named the Church of Christ the King.

History of the Parish of St. Bartholomew's, Louisbourg

St. Bartholomew's is said to have it's beginning as far back as 1745 when Chaplains of the British Forces brought the liturgy of the Church of England to Louisbourg. After the second siegein 1758 the Church of England was firmly planted beside the Roman Cahtolic popluation. In 1785 Rev. Ranna Cossitt became the rirst rector of Cape Breton.

Poeple moved to Sydney but the Spirit remained in Louisbourgh. They met in Poeple's homes and a perosn named Charles Martell Baptized and buried people. Serval priests came to the island but were overwhelmed by the workload and so they l eft. In 1828, after a visit by Bishop Charles Inglis, he authorized Charles Martell's son to hold services. Rev Gelling suggested in 1858 that a church be built and so it was that St. Bartholomew's came into being.

Rev. H.W. Atwater came to Louisbourg and was responsible for the building of the current church. During this time the railway came to Louisbourg thus increasing the poplulation to the point that the old church had to be torn down and the larger (present) church built. Louisbourg became a Parish unto itself in 1887.

History of the St. George's Parish, Sydney

St. George's Church is a garrison church over 200 years old. It held its first official church meeting on September 27, 1785. The church was built with walls three feet thick using stones from the destroyed Fortress of Louisbourg. These stones came as ballast in ships (bringing the first settlers) from the Fortress of Caen. Rev. Ranna Cossitt's house was built close by and is the oldest house in Sydney. It is now a museum know as the Cossitt House.

In 1854 Sydney lost its permanent garrison. With no soldiers to keep the economy strong Sydney was in trouble. This affected St. Geroge's as well because this garrison church had been supported by the soldiers and government officials who were usually English and Anglican. And so St. Geroge's fell into hard times.

Coal mining brought revitalization to the ilsand and in the late 1800's shipbuilding and lumbering also brough people and money to Sydney. St. George's thrived again. Like so many churches, St. George's was subject to nature playing tricks on it. In 1873 the "August Gale" blew over the woden tower. It was two years before it was rebuilt. Again on August 27, 1888, the new tower, built of stone and metal was struck by lighting and damaged, but not destroyed. Over two hundred years later it still stands.

King George III granted St. George's a Royal Charter and so the royal Family attends when in the area. The Queen Mother attended in 1967.

Some of the Island's importand industries have closed (the Steel Plant, the Coal Mines) thus creating a lack of employment for our young families. As such, man families have left leaving churches with dwindling numbers, St. George's being one of them. After years of task forces and much consideration St. George's joined the amalgamated Parish of the Resurrection in 2004.

St. John's Anglican Church, Mira Road

St. John's Church can be pourd to trace it's beginning to the foudning and hard work of a dedicated Rector with a vision, and a small but no less dedicated group of women in the community. On October 25, 1937 the first organizational meeting was held at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Charles Peters. The purpose of this meeting was to form a committee and a plan to raise the necessary funds to erect a Place of Worship and space for Sunday School for the people in the Mira Road area of Sydney.

The first officers for this ministry team were elected at this meeting: President, Mrs. Charles Peters; First Vice -President, Mrs. R.V. Hall; Second Vice-President, Mrs Hattie Clements; Secretary, Mrs F.C. Shiers; Treasuere, Rev. F.R. Holborrow. This was the St. John's Ladies Guild.

A short 3 years later a building was moved to land on Mira Road that was donated by the Buist Family. Through the efforts of so many volunteers the building was ready and the opening service was held on October 13, 1940. For over thity years St. John's congregation was associated with Mother church, Christ Church. In 1967, it became clear that one rector could not adequately serve all three congreations: those being St. John's, St. Stephen's, and Christ Church. Bishop Davis met with the congregations and during the discussion St. John's management committee put fort a motion that St. John's congregation would join with St. George's Parish. In Septmeber 1967 Rev. G Ebsary cmae to be rector of the St. George's Parish. On February 18, 1968 Bishop William E. Davis was present to consecrate the Church.

By 1943, through the efforts of the St. John's Men's Club, a hall was built and by 1945 was free of debt. The Sunday School classes (with over 50 Children attending) now had a home for the first time. Over the following years, through the fund raising efforts of the Ladies Guild and the volunteer labor of the Men's Club, further improvements were made to the St. John's Hall. In 2004 St. John's, Mira Road became part of the Parish of the Resurrection.

History of St. Mark's Parish

St. Mark's Church

Coxheath derived its name from a Captain Cox, one time commander of the garrison in Sydney. Transportation from Coxheath (which was build up rapidly with Andrew's Lewis and Boutilier families) was mostly by water as there were no roads. Attending St. George's Church was not always easy and so rectors of the church would hold services in the homes and later the schoolhouse. Missionaries like Rev. William Porter were appointed to help with St. George's. Mrs. Porter held Sunday School in her home and this is where the congreation of St. mark's began. Sadly Rev. Port lost his life crossing Sydney Harbour on the ice and two of his girls drowned when they coasted into a hold below the Red Banks at Coxheath.

The first St. Mark's church was built in 1856 when Dr. Uniache was rector. The church was built by the parishioners themselves, consecrated five years later in 1861 by Bishop Hibbert Binney, and named the Chapel of St. Marks the Evangelist. In 1873 the "August Gale" blew the spire off. Then under the leadership of the Rev. David Smith and Captain P.H. Worgan a new St. Mark's was designed by Mr. Perry Lewis. Construction began in July 1892 and opened for Advent Services that same year.

It was said that when the debt for the building was paid off in 1896 a memorable parish meeting was held in the schoolhouse, for money advanced was redeemed, torn in strips, and each signatory given a piece to light his pipe. Thus the paper witnessing to the debt, vanished in the triumphant smoke of a battery of pipes.

In 1910 St. Mark's and St. John's, Point Edward wanted their own rector. A Rev. Harry watson became the first priest- in-charge and the two churches became a separate parish from St. George's parish. In the early 1950's rev. J.W.B. Nowe had the church moved thirty back from the highway and set it on a new foundation. The parishioners built a rectory in 1921 for Rev. Watson and his family. This is the rectory for the Parish of the Resurrection today.

The Church of St. John the Evangelist, Point Edward

St. John's was actually the second Church of England on Cape Breton, second only to St. George's. In 1817 the new h ewed the timbers for the frame and in 1818 erected the first rural church in Cape Breton. The land for the church was given by Joseph Rudderham and his wife, Sarah. In 1824, Rev. Charles Inglis crossed Sydney Harbour from St. George's and held service in the church at North West Arm. About twenty-five deeply religious families attended the church. In 1827 the Rt. Rev. John Inglis visited the North West Arm congregation and confirmed 67 persons. It is from this church that Nelson's Chair (presently in St. George's Church) is purported to have come.

In 1878 the first church was deemed too small. It was torn down and a larger one was erected. In 1883 Bishop Hibbert Binney (son of Rev. Hibbert Binney who built the first church) formally consecrated the new church. This building was severely damaged in a windstorm in 1920 and so it was decided to tear down the structure and build a new one. And so the thirdchurch was built through church tease, monies donated and a grant from the Security of Propagation of the Gospel. Most labour was freely given. The official opening was February 11, 1912 officiated by Archdeacon David Smith. A pump organ was donated by Senator John MacLennan in memory of his wife. The church cemetery is situated across the road.

Again as time marched on changes came to pass. Since 2004, St. John's people attened St. Aiden's and St. mark's and finally in 2004, the Parish of the Resurrection.

St. Aidan's Church Westmount

In the spring of 1939 the Anglican community of Westmount decided to form their own church separate from St. George's in Sydney. In july of 1939 a special open-air service was held in Ingraham's field for the purpose of spiritually and financially supporting the building of a new church. St. Aidan's Mission Church. The sod for the church was turned by Archdeacon A.F. Arnold on the evening of August 15, 1939.

The work for this church construction started with the leadership of Rev. W.K. Morrison. And in 1941 the foundation was laid on a desirable piece ofproperty overlooking Sydney Harbour.

On November 6, 1944 a Service of Dedication and Confirmation , led by the Rt. Rev. George Frederick Kingston, opened the new St. Aidan's. The parish families provided the Altar, Cross, Candlesticks, Prayer Desk (Christ Church), Baptismal Font and Offering Plates. The Lectern and Lectern Bible were gifts. Rev. John Rand made a fit of an organ.

The church was flourishing and growing when on November 23, 1964 the building was destroyed by fire. With the appointment of a new Rector, Rev. Weldon Smith, a meeting was held to decide the future of St. Aidan's. The Parish decided to re-build in a new location on Sunnydale Drive and Sky Waye Drive. A sod turning took place on June 18, 1967. The new church of St. Aidan's opened and was dedicated on St. Andrew's Day in 1967.

This church flourished and net the needs of the parishioners until again aging populations and declining attendance forced it into closure. St. Aidan's became part of the new Parish of the Resurrection.

History of the Parish of Christ Church

Christ Church(now named The Church of Christ the King)

Like so many others centers at the turn of the century, Sydney was very quickly becoming the industrial hub of Cape Breton. The population increased greatly and the Anglican community was facing "growing pain challenges". St. George's Parish, which was founded in 1785, was no longer able to servce the growing number of Anglicans in Sydney. On April 9, 1901 Captain John Lorway's offer of land to build a new church at the "Booklands" was accepted by a mixture of well-known Sydney families.

A temporary church, which would serve as a house of worship, opened with its first service on June 9, 1901. This group made it through the Great Depression and in 1935 decided to re-build the so-called Parish House into a more adequate house of worship. Disaster struck by way of fire and practically destroyed the church. The organ was renovated but the damaged church was replaced by a new building. On December 12, 1935 Bishop John Hackenly consecrated the new Chruch.

The decline of the coal and steel industries affected the churches in the community and congregations struggled to make adjustments as numbers attending declined. Then again on the morning of February 20, 1981 the City of Sydney was saddened by the loss, by fire, of the beautiful Christ Church. The soon to be Bishop Arthur Peters was rector at that time. Discouraged parishioners were determined not to let this loss stand in their way. They met and decided not on a wooden structure, but a modern brick plan reflecting modern architecture designed by architect Bob Ojolick. A dedication was held November 7, 1982 and the new Christ Church sod turning took place.

With a new rector, Rev. Glen Kent, the new church was built; complete with a Casavant Pipe Organ and a beautiful Te Deum stained glass window. A dedicated following had enabled the new Christ Church to be built but, like its sister churches, it too began to suffer from declining numbers as a result of difficult economic times and the again population. Christ Church joined the newly amalgamated parish in 2004 amalgamation.

St. Stephen's Church

St. Stephen's Church had its first service on December 12, 1954, officiated at by Rev. Canon Holborrow who was assited by Rev. Melvin French and Rev. H.B. Wainwright. The building itself had been used as a church hall in New Waterford. The determination of this community had this hall moved, setup and finished on Welton St., Sydney. This site was later purchased by Texaco Canada and the church had to be moved.

On December 12, 1965 the church was re-opened on Prince St., Sydney with Rev. Lennorton as priest and shortly thereafter Rev.Edgar L. Parsons. In 1982 Rev. Glen Kent was appointed rector of the Parish of Christ Chruch and St. Stephen's and was rector of St. Stephen's until amalgamation into the Parish of the Resurrection. One would be remiss if names of Bernie and Tillie Ross, Mrs. Ellis Strang (Lockhart), John Ferguson, Edward Ross, Edward Dicks, Earle Mollons, Charels dicks, John Jarvis, Cecil Dawe, Fred Gillam, Martha Yard, Bill Florian, Obed Rice, Ian Rice and Jim Tanner were not remembered for their strong support and love of this church.