St. John's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral

Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

 in Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

, 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...

. The cathedral church is located in the city's downtown on Anderson Avenue near Main Street and the Red River

Red River of the North

The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...

. St. John's Cathedral marks the birthplace of the Anglican Church in Western Canada

Western Canada

Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...

.

Settlement

In 1812, the first group of Selkirk Settlers established a burying ground immediately south of the present cathedral. It is the oldest Canadian Anglican parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 west of the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

, which was established in October 1820 when the Rev. John West, the first Anglican priest in Western Canada, arrived from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 under the auspices of the Church Missionary Society and 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 the Red River Settlement to serve as chaplain to the Hudson's Bay officers and men, missionary to the aboriginal people in the area, and pastor to the Selkirk Settlers. The majority of the Selkirk Settlers were Presbyterians, but they attended Anglican services until the first Presbyterian minister arrived in 1851.

The Four Churches

There have been four churches on the site. The first was a Church Mission House constructed in 1822 by the Rev. John West near the south-east corner of the present cemetery; however, it was washed away in the great flood of 1826. In 1833 it was replaced by a second church, a stone building built on the site of the present Cathedral. This second church became the first Anglican Cathedral in Western Canada soon after the first Bishop of Rupert's Land, the Rt. Rev. David Anderson, was consecrated in 1849. The building was severely weakened by the flood of 1850, and thus a third building, also of stone, was erected on the same site from 1862 to 1863. The fourth and present Cathedral was reconstructed in 1926 using most of the stone from the previous building under the guidance and inspiration of Archbishop Samuel P. Matheson. It was regarded by him as a tribute and memorial of his predecessor, Archbishop Robert Machray. Archbishop Machray, who succeeded Bishop David Anderson in 1865, is regarded by many local Anglicans as having given unsparingly of his time and talents to St. John's and the Diocese of Rupert's Land for almost forty years. In 1893 he became the first Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

The Cemetery

The cemetery, which surrounds the cathedral, is considered by locals as the history of Winnipeg in stone. It was established by the Selkirk Settlers after their arrival in the Red River Settlement in 1812, so it pre-dates the parish by eight years. The oldest marked grave (1832) is that of eight-month-old George Simpson, son of George and Frances Simpson, the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company and his wife. The earliest graves were destroyed in the flood of 1826.

Provincial Heritage Site

In September, 2004, St. John's Cathedral was designated as a Heritage Site by the Hon. Eric Robinson, Manitoba Minister of Culture, Heritage and Tourism. The historical designation covers both the cathedral and the surrounding cemetery.

Architecture

The present cathedral was designed by architects Parfitt and Prain, the cathedral is Norman-Gothic in style. The chancel was extended by eight feet in 2005 to allow for use of a chancel altar. All the furnishings in the chancel, with the exception of the organ console, can be removed, providing space for concerts, dance recitals, plays and other activities. In 2004 a sound and light booth, coat racks and library were installed in the narthex. The lighting in the Cathedral was upgraded in 2007.

The Institute for stained glass in Canada has documented the historical and traditional stained glass at Cathedral of St. John (Winnipeg).

The Organ

The organ, a gift of the women of the parish in 1927, is a Cassavant pipe organ, with three keyboards and two ranks of pipes. In 1927, the organ cost $8,700.00 CDN. Its replacement cost today would be close to $750,000.00 CDN. In addition to the organ, the Cathedral also uses a fine Baldwin grand piano.

Furnishing

Furnishings of interest are the solid brass eagle lectern (known affectionately as Big Bird since it was installed), a gift in 1890 to Archbishop Robert Machray on the 25th anniversary of his consecration as bishop, the intricately carved hexagonal oak pulpit (1907), the Italian marble font (1870), and a Coventry cross, made of nails salvaged from the mediaeval Coventry Cathedral which fell victim to the Blitz in World War II. The Cathedral also has a wealth of stained glass windows by various designers.

Present

Throughout its long history, St. John's Cathedral has always been considered on of Winnipeg's vibrant parishes, and remains so today. Since 2002, St. John's Cathedral has been the only Canadian site to host the annual Trinity Conference by web cast from New York. In addition to innovative education programs, the Cathedral also engages in many ministries. Among these is the Outreach Ministry which provides financial support in the form of grants to organizations and groups in Winnipeg's North End with programs like literacy projects, community kitchens and bursaries that help to improve and enhance the life of the residents of the area. The Cathedral also supports a ministry that provides a home for refugees newly arrived in Manitoba. Every year the Cathedral congregation contributes to Winnipeg Harvest's Shelf-Help program and also supports the Thelma Wynne Project with clothing for newborns and its own Joshua Tree program which provides children from low-income families with hats, scarves and mittens - most of which are handknit by members of the congregation. Every year, the Cathedral's unique Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols draws visitors from all over the Diocese of Rupert's Land with a re-enactment of a period of the Cathedral's rich history. Today, St. John's Cathedral truly lives up to its motto as the parish that cherishes its past, looks to the future and lives in the present.

Tours

Tours of the Cathedral and the cemetery can be arranged by appointment by calling the Cathedral office at 1-204-586-8385 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.