Archief - St. Agnes' Parish (North Vancouver, B.C.) fonds

St. Agnes' Church, North Vancouver came into existence in 1909 from the division of St. John the Evangelist Parish. The Executive Committee of the Diocese of New Westminster appointed the Rev. H.H. Gillies as first Priest-in-Charge to conduct the work along with the Lynn Valley Mission. In 1910 the church committee was elected and collectors appointed to raise the necessary funds to cover the purchase cost of a property for a future church. A Sunday School was established in 1911. Until 1913, the parish did not possess a church on its own, the Parish Hall serving this purpose. During World War One, many men of the congregation left for the front line. Consequently the parish was confronted with financial difficulties and it was decided to associate it with St. Clement's Parish. The two parishes separated in 1926. At that time, the St. Agnes' parish had grown to such an extent that it was considered opportune to become a separate parish with a Rector on its own. In 1927, the building of a Parish Hall became more and more needful. The church was moved to make room for the hall to be built behind the church, so as not to obstruct the view of the Church. On April 1928, the Church was officially opened by Archbishop A.U. de Pencier. Despite the hard times during the depression period, the parish tried to reduce its financial debts. In 1940, thanks to the organizations and individual parishioners contributions, the parish was free of debts. In 1974, together with the reorganization of the parish structure, it was decided to purchase of Rectory. The purchase was completed the same year. During the following years St. Agnes' church focused mainly on community outreach activities via study groups, and Christian education. Lay people became more and more involved in parish life; the attendance figures increased steadily. In 1985, St. Agnes' Parish celebrated the 75th Anniversary. Considered as one of the fastest growing parishes in the Diocese, St. Agnes' Church continuously encouraged people to take part in some aspects of the church's life through various parish groups and organizations such as: Anglican Christian Women, Family Life group, Women's and Altar Guild.