Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
All Saints Anglican Church
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1788-
History
It was British policy in the 18th century to support every colony with the establishment of a Church of England. The government agency responsible for this policy was called The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG).
Rev. Dr. Samuel Cooke was sent by the SPG to Saint John, NB in 1785. Rev. Cooke visited St. Andrews and described the Town as, “…a regularly laid out town of 200 houses with a good safe harbour and fine country around it”. With financial support from the SPG, the Church of St. Andrews was constructed on Church Lane in the Town of St. Andrews.
In 1788 the Church opened its doors to all denominations as a place of worship. The first resident clergyman, Rev Samuel Andrews, served the community between 1786 and 1818. By 1821 with the support of Rev. Cooke, the Church of St. Andrews vestry acquired 1,591.5 acres of glebe land of which 57.75 acres were town lots.
Although the Presbyterians withdrew in 1819, the Church continued to serve the broader Christian community until 1826. The SPG replacement for Rev. Andrews was Dr. Jerome Alley, who served the Parish from 1819 until 1858. During his 39 year tenure, the Church of St. Andrews was re-consecrated All Saints Church in 1826. Additionally, Dr. Alley was responsible for the construction of the Chapel of Ease of Saint John the Baptist in Chamcook, N.B. The Chapel was consecrated by Bishop Medley of Fredericton July 16, 1846 and continues to serve the Parish to this day. By the end of Dr. Alley’s ministry in 1858 the SPG had withdrawn grants from foreign parts and the Church began to rely on income from pew rental, contributions from parishioners, and profits from glebe rentals.
In 1867 a new church was constructed on King Street under the supervision of Rev. W. Q. Ketchum, who served as rector until 1901. The church was originally designed to be constructed of stone but Walter Mansfield Buck, Chief Engineer of the New Brunsick & Canada Railway, revised the plans and proposed a wooden framed building after it became apparent that the Parish could not afford a stone building.
The current minister is the venerable Archdeacon Rev. John Matheson.
Places
St. Andrews, NB