A little piece of Cochrane history celebrates its 125th anniversary this Sunday.
All Saints Anglican Church will honour its heritage Nov. 19, following its 10 a.m. service with nosh and goodies and a slideshow travelling down memory lane.
The congregation is between 75 to 100 members and continues to grow, while expanding community programming including its A to Z Preschool, counselling and programs for the Cochrane and Morley communities.
Jim Graham and wife, Lydia, have been congregation members for more than 40 years, moving to Cochrane in 1975 when the town’s population was around 1,200 people.
“It’s growing through programming and participation of a lot of our congregation members,” said Jim. “People need stability and something to rally around … things (in society) have fragmented a lot.”
Jim said he enjoys seeing new faces at the church and watching the church integrate more into the community through various programs.
Rev. Greg Clark is the incumbent priest who has served at the helm of the Anglican church since 2002, relocating from Killarney, Man., to roll up his sleeves in time for a period of transition.
“We really want to keep making a contribution to the community of Cochrane and surrounding area,” said Clark, who holds two master’s degrees in religion and has spent 35 years in the priesthood.
According to the Cochrane “bible,” More Big Hill Country, All Saints was built in the growing community of Mitford and consecrated on Nov. 1, 1892; this followed a successful petition for the church to Bishop Pinkham of Calgary.
The building was built from wood from Tom Cochrane’s sawmill and built for a total cost of $1,500, presumably by the hands of volunteers. The book cites Lady Adela Cochran as “instrumental in raising money for the church’s construction.”
The book states that the decision was made to move the church to “the little village of Cochran” at its annual meeting on April 2, 1899 at the urging of Rev. W. Eugene-Perrin; this followed two fires in 1890 and 1899 that reportedly were disastrous and nearly wiped out Mitford and the church along with it.
But according to Clark, the decision to relocate the church followed a feud between Tom Cochrane and Cornelius Van Horne, president of CP Rail, – where the latter stopped the train from making stops in Mitford, which led to the unraveling of the town and the growth of Cochrane. Clark attributed this story to a university researcher who came to the church several years ago.
The church was relocated to downtown Cochrane on Second Ave West, where it remained for the next 100 years until it was determined the 15x30-foot building was too small to accommodate a growing town and congregation of fewer than 50.
A solution to the space constraints came in 2004 when the growing Roman Catholic congregation deemed its existing building was too small. The parishioners at All Saints chose to move forward with the purchase of their present-day church location from the Catholics, raising the funds from the sale of their downtown parish hall.
While the new St. Mary’s Catholic Church was being built in the River Heights community, the All Saints congregation gathered for worship in the gymnasium at Holy Spirit School for three years from 2004 to 2007, until their new location at 404-4th Ave. North was ready.
In an effort to preserve their legacy, parishioners fulfilled a request for a place of worship for the Bethany Cochrane residents and donated what is now known as the All Saints Chapel to the senior care facility – moving the chapel this time by truck, rather than horses.
“The sale of the parish hall and land formed a part of the money raised to purchase St Mary’s Church,” explained Clark. “But most of the funds came through donations by our very generous parishioners.”
Clark said it was the long-standing parishioners who insisted on the move in order to keep pace with the town’s growth.
The decision paved the way to a congregation now nearly doubled in size, a growing preschool in the parish hall basement, a grief and loss program with nearby Morley, an international development project in Columbia and multiple programs through their Wellness Centre – which is focused on spiritual, physical and mental health.
All Saints welcomes attendees to its weekly Sunday morning service. A Thursday morning service is also held each week at their Bethany chapel location.
