Good Shepherd in the Anglican Messenger
(Newest ones are at the bottom of the page)
Rev. Canon Maureen's Induction at Good shepherd was reported in the February 2009 issue of the Anglican Messenger. (See more of Rev. Canon's Induction here)
Read it here.
More Good Shepherd in the March 2009 Issue of the Anglican Messenger
Read them here
Rev. Canon Maureen is also in the April 2009 Issue. Read it here
Our new organ and the installers were in the November 2009 Issue
This article appeared in the June/July 2010 Anglican Messenger - Page 5
Good Shepherd 1910 tent service carries on despite snow
by Kathy Lake,
The Good Shepherd Church began worshipping in the Calder area of Edmonton in 1910. Until the congregation was able to build a
church they worshipped in a tent. In celebration of our 100th anniversary, we thought it would be unique to have one of our services
in a tent and have our parishioners come dressed in 1910 attire. We rented a tent to be set up in our parking lot.
As they started setting up the tent on Saturday, May 29th it started to rain. The rain turned to snow as they finished setting up.
We hoped it would be better on Sunday, but it was still snowing with water running through the center of the tent, and it was cold.
There are quite a number of seniors in our congregation so we decided to go with “plan B” - we moved into the church.
We had a beautiful celebration with Bishop Jane leading us in Worship and the Baptism of Samantha Fortier. Bishop Jane presented our
wardens with a beautiful plaque for our 100th anniversary. A number of our parishioners dressed in 1910 style, and we all enjoyed strawberry
shortcake served by the ACW after the service. A great time was had by all, even though the weather did not co-operate.
Kathy Lake is the Chair of the Good
Shepherd 100th Anniversary Committee
This article appeared in the June/July 2010 Anglican Messenger - Page 1
The Edmonton parishes of Good Shepherd, St. Michael and All Angels, St. Faith and St. Luke
held a joint 100th anniversary service on May 23rd at All Saints’ Cathedral.
by Kelly Fowler
Wrapping up a year’s worth of prayer, praise, music and remembrance, four parishes in the Edmonton Diocese celebrated their Centennial with a commemorative service on the Feast of Pentecost at All Saints’ Cathedral. With Bishop Jane Alexander presiding and Primate Fred Hiltz preaching, people from across the diocese gathered to mark 100 years of service for the Edmonton parishes: St. Luke’s Anglican Church, St. Michael & All Angels Anglican Church, The Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd and St. Faith’s Anglican Church. “The buildings and the people have grown as the community has grown,” said the Rev. Wendy Ainsworth of St. Faith’s. “Our ministries have changed as the community has changed; and the people today give thanks for the people of yesterday, to prepare for the people of tomorrow. It’s about developing a continuity of faith.” The four parishes lived through the ebb and flow of historical moments, technological advances and social fluctuations, and ultimately maintained a cultural preservation while bolstering community growth in the areas surrounding their buildings. From humble beginnings to present day, the churches continue to reflect the needs of the people. In his sermon, the Primate extolled the diocese of Edmonton for its vital and healthy parish living. The checklist of a healthy parish, he said, includes evangelism, a focus on children and youth, growing disciples, hospitality and stewardship. This balance of time, talent and measure has stood with these four parishes through the years. Archbishop Hiltz encouraged all churches to “pay attention to our context. You were put in this place to bloom...that we will become ourselves a fresh expression of the community we are called to be.”
A presentation of the parish symbols demonstrated the different road the four churches have each walked over the past 100 years. Good Shepherd’s signature sheep and crook represents the Lord Jesus who leads, restores, guides, comforts, protects and loves his flock, while St. Luke’s butterfly signifies transformation, the remembrance of past accomplishments and the reality of present challenges. St. Michael and All Angels displayed two models of the building, reflecting on the physical presence of the church in the community, and a drawing by a Sunday School student showing the importance of the church as a family. Lastly, St. Faith’s offered of a simple bowl containing a Bible, bread, a baptismal candle, and pasta - symbols of the Word, sacramental ministry and the meals shared among many over the years. “Every time I come here I’m encouraged by what I’ve experienced,” said Archbishop Hiltz. He extended his thanks to Bishop Jane and the people of the Diocese of Edmonton for their recent hospitality, pausing to mark the liturgical anniversary of Bishop Jane’s consecration as bishop of Edmonton. “There is a sense of holiness about this woman we all embrace,” said Archbishop Hiltz. “Jane brings to the church a sense of confidence in the future.” And with that, we look ahead with fresh expressions to the next 100 years.
October, 2010 - Anglican Messenger
Grave Plots For Sale At Church Church Poplar Lake Cemetery
by John Matthews
The sale of the first new grave plot at Christ Church Cemetery Poplar Lake (commonly known as Poplar Lake Cemetery) in August, was a major milestone in the restoration project started in the summer of 2006. This historic pioneer cemetery, located at 195th Avenue and 82nd Street, is under the care and operation of the Anglican Parish of the Good Shepherd in Castle Downs.
Provincial authorities gave their sanction to the sale of new grave plots last autumn. After developing operating procedures and regulations, and surveying the new plots, we started selling cremation plots in August. Plans are in place to sell regular burial plots in the near future. Cremation plots, half the size of a normal plot, sell for $400. Full-size coffin plots will sell for $800. The cremation plots can accommodate several buried urns, and are highly suitable for a "family" multi-generation, burial and memorial area.
Two years ago, The Messenger published an article describing efforts to restore this historic pioneer cemetery. Messenger readers responded generously, and we received much information from descendents of those buried there, and the Poplar Lake pioneer community. Even more information was forthcoming following news coverage on the restoration project by the St. Albert Gazette, Global TV, and The Edmonton Journal in August 2009.
Tips from the public have led us to identify two addition burials in the cemetery. One was an infant, William Latimer, who died of a severe
scalding in the kitchen in 1909. His nephew, 'Willy' Latimer, phoned us after the St. Albert Gazette article. He also identified his gravestone, a base only with "Latimer" on it (the top part has not survived). That branch of the Latimer family eventually farmed on north 127th Street until their property was sold as the site for the Youth Detention Centre.The other find, Norman Fielders, was discovered in the All Saints' Cathedral parish register of deaths. The online database of World War One soldiers, found on the National Archives of Canada website, is an invaluable research tool. From the database we learned that he had served in World War One. We applied for complete files for each soldier associated with the parish. Norman's file told us that he was sent home to Canada and discharged from the army in Calgary, May 19, 1918. His mother died on the 15th of May, 1918, and he may have not have had the chance to see her before she died. He was unfit for further military service because of kidney failure, but the file gave no indication of where he was buried. Research in the All Saints' parish register produced an "eureka" moment. He died on October 29th and was buried by the Bishop of Edmonton on the 30th at the Christ Church Cemetery! His name will be added to the Fielders family memorial stone.
As a logical follow up to our research in late summer 2009, all surviving headstones have been placed beside the large pink granite Fielders family memorial. Eventually, replacement markers for those graves which have none will be placed in the same area.
Recently, due to the Anthony Henday ring road project, 195th Avenue has been widened and 82nd Street has been rerouted to east, rather than west of the cemetery. Sturgeon County has also purchased a portion of the north end of the cemetery for the Henday project. Part of the revenue from that sale was reinvested into the cemetery by the diocese, arid used to purchase of a heavy duty tractor mower to assist with grounds improvements and maintenance. We intend to retain some of the "country" look of the grounds, while upgrading the appearance of the turf groundcover.Extensive information on the cemetery, including the purchase of plots, is posted on the Good Shepherd website, www.goodshepanglican.org/PoplarLake.htm.
Good Shepherd church caps year-long Centennial celebrations
by Kathy Lake
The Church of the Good Shepherd
Centennial Committee
Capping a year of celebration, The Church of the Good Shepherd, Edmonton, held its last two 100th Anniversary events on the weekend of October 23rd and 24th, 2010. An Anniversary Dinner, attended by approximately 160 parishioners, past parishioners and guests, was held at Hunter’s Green Golf Club, just north of Edmonton. The Guest Speakers, who were invited to speak about past and present parish life, included: the Very Rev. Ted Clarke (rector from 1980 to 1996), current Honorary Assistant the Rev. Canon Anne Wightman (rector from 1996 to 2005), The Rev. Lee Bezanson (rector from 2005 to 2008) and current rector, the Rev. Canon Maureen.
Many old acquaintances were renewed during the dinner and program, hosted by the 100th Anniversary Committee. Each attendee received a special anniversary place mat, pen, and other mementos. On Sunday morning, the
Rev. Canon Anne Wightman gave the homily address at the 100th Anniversary Service, officiated by the Rev. Canon Maureen Crerar. The congregation gathered around the altar for a group picture at the end of the service, providing another opportunity for parishioners past and present to renew acquaintances. Following the service, sandwiches, refreshments and two large cakes decorated with pictures of the four church buildings, were served. On display for all to enjoy were a collection of interesting items and 20 photo albums, spanning 100 years of memories. Congratulatory letters were received from, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of York John Sentamu, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Ed Stelmach, MP Laurie Hawn, MLA Thomas Lukaszuk, and Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel.As a legacy of the 100th Anniversary, the committee installed the church’s name, in large steel letters, on the west side of the church, A new small bell and the lych gates from the original church were installed just inside the entrance of the sanctuary. A commemorative 100th Anniversary history booklet was also produced.
For more 100th anniversary news, including pictures, visit the Good Shepherd website: www. goodshepanglican.org/gs100th.htm.
As
a legacy of the 100th anniversary, the church’s name
was installed in large steel letters on the side of the building,
along with a new small bell, and the lych gates from the
original church, inside the entrance of the sanctuary.
Good Shepherd ACW Ice Cream Social
September 2011 Edition
Photo: Kathy Lake
On July 16th the ladies of the Good Shepherd ACW in Edmonton held their annual Ice Cream Social. Attendees chose their dessert from a huge selection of cookies, cakes and fruit pies, accompanied by many flavours of ice cream. Delectable personal creations were topped off with rainbow sprinkles, M&Ms, fl avoured syrups and other ice cream toppings. Tables were set up inside for socializing far away from the pesky mosquitoes. The ACW is already looking forward to its next ice cream social. Enjoying their ice cream cones are Chloe and Natasha Campbell.
Submitted by: Debbie Harpin, President, Good Shepherd, Edmonton, ACW
WWI soldier’s name inscribed on Poplar Lake memorial
October 2011 Edition
T
erry Hornbostel of Remco Memorials inscribes the name“Norman A. Fielders, 466296 Pte. 10th Battalion” on the
Fielders family memorial in Christ Church Cemetery,
Poplar Lake.
Submitted by John Matthews
Cemetery Committee
,Anglican Church of the Good ShepherdMid-afternoon on Monday, August 1, Terry Hornbostel – the “Mobile Inscription Service” for Remco Memorials – rolled into the parking lot of Christ Church Cemetery, Poplar Lake in his pickup truck with trailer workshop in tow. Remco had been contracted by the Last Post Fund, a private foundation created in 1909 to look after burial expenses of indigent veterans. With his truck-mounted sandblaster he inscribed the name of “Norman A. Fielders, 466296 Pte. 10th Battalion” on the Fielders family memorial: a large, pink, granite column and the most prominent memorial in the cemetery. From volunteer work at The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum
I learned of a great research resource, an online database of service records of those who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in the First World War. You can access online the two-sided attestation papers which have a great deal of personal information. From there a researcher can write away to the Library and Archives of Canada for a copy of the complete military fi le. We had searched all family names that were associated with the Christ Church Cemetery and requested the files of three soldiers. The files are a treasure trove of personal and family data.In 1915, Norman Fielders enrolled in the 63rd Battalion, one of about 10 that were raised in Edmonton. He arrived in England with the 63rd in early 1916 and in the summer he was posted to the 10th Battalion CEF, one of 12 Battalions in the 1st Canadian Division. (A CEF battalion comprised over 1,000 men). In September, the 10th Battalion was committed to the battle of the Somme. In December Norman was invalided out of action with kidney problems. Three months of constant wet and cold in the trenches of Picardie, France had damaged his kidneys and he developed a condition called “trench nephritis”. His medical records indicate that he had suffered a severe case of scarlet and rheumatic fever in 1913 and was probably especially vulnerable. He went from one hospital to another, never to return to the 10th Battalion. Inearly March 1918 he was sent back to Canada, no longer fit for military service. He was released from the army in late May 1918 and probably was home on leave when his mother Elizabeth Fielders died on May 15th. Norman’s military file indicated his death, but did not give a date of
death or place of burial. His name does not appear in the database of the Alberta Genealogical Society; he was a phantom. Then in May 2010, while accessing the Anglican archives at the Provincial Archives of Alberta, a “Registry of Burials” of the parish of All Saints’ provided a real eureka moment: a record of his burial by the Bishop of Edmonton on October 30th at the Poplar Lake Cemetery. Norman Fielders had died on October 29, 1918 of pneumonia. He was 34 years old.Inscribed on the Fielders memorial are the names of Norman’s parents, John and Elizabeth Fielders, as well as a younger brother, John McDonald, who died January 15, 1911, kicked in the head by a horse. Once we knew that Norman was buried in the cemetery it seemed obvious that his name should be added to the Fielders memorial on the fourth, blank
panel. Family members were delighted with the information about his burial and agreed that his name should be added. The Last Post Fund agreed to fund the inscription expenses. They normally provide a standard veteran’s headstone, a common site in local cemeteries. They were agreeable to funding the inscription on the family memorial stone on the condition that his rank, service number, and unit be included with the citation “Lest We Forget”. The death of Norman Fielders was almost certainly a result of the rigours of his wartime service. His name has been submitted for inclusion on the “Canadian Virtual War Memorial”.Terry Hornbostel, Remco’s itinerant inscriber, with over 50 years experience working with monuments, travels across the prairie provinces. His work schedule, like the schedules of so many others who work outdoors, has been severely impacted by the wet weather this year. He was able to point out that the cap on the top of the Fielders memorial seems to be upside down. He also observed that another memorial stone, that of the wife and infant son of Howard Latimer, another First World War veteran, was sand-blasted rather than engraved by hand and therefore probably dates from the 1940’s or later. Mother and son died of the Spanish flu in November 1918. Christ Church Cemetery, Poplar Lake is operated by the Church of the Good Shepherd in Castle Downs (www.goodshepanglican.org) on behalf of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton. New grave plots are now being sold. Full-size plots for casket burials (4’ x 12’) are $800 and cremation plots (4’ x 6’) are $400. The cremation plots are a particularly good value as they are ideal for multi-generation interments. Please direct cemetery inquiries to the Good Shepherd church: 780-456-4643.