History of St. Saviour's,
Nelson, British Columbia
Sacred Space

As if heralding the twenty-first century by the touch of an angel, the sacred spaces of many churches in North America underwent a dramatic change: the moving of the altar closer to the people. Instead of the priest being in front of the altar with his back to the congregation, he or she was behind the altar as if serving at a table. This act took place not only in Anglican churches, but also in Catholic, Lutheran and most other denominational churches; and coincided with a change that had taken place earlier in the role of clergy from being less authoritarian or hierarchical to being that of a pastoral facilitator. Lay people and clergy working together. "We are the Church" was reflected in the idea of "Living Stones." Nevertheless, it was the clergy who initiated these changes more than laity, which caused some unrest in the pews. Moving the altar was not the only change of this era: we were now seeing the ordination of women in Canada.

In St. Saviour's Pro-Cathedral this event was initiated during the time of the Rev. Katherine Hough. She was, in fact, the champion of a complete church restoration program that included the Memorial Hall. The name of the program was the "Centennial Renovation and Restoration Project." The project was a plan to raise funds and put in place a feasibility study of the entire property by Thomas Loh, a Nelson architect.

The first stage of the project was to move the organ into the chancel and bring the altar forward. Then moving the columbarium into the baptistery from the crypt and moving the font into the nave. Other plans included building a handicap washroom and access to a new chapel where the altar had been; completing screens for the chapel and upgrading electrical wiring; also to improve the narthex and extend balcony access. The feasibility study was not completed until December 2000. This project did not go ahead, as Bishop Crawley felt that before undertaking such an ambitious project other internal issues needed to be addressed. The Rev. Katherine Hough eventually left St. Saviour's to complete educational, career and vocational pursuits; and under the Rev. Barbara Stewart's leadership, the pulpit was dismantled and the altar and columbarium moved. The sacristy now became the Redeemer Chapel situated under the two main stained glass windows: the Good Shepherd and the Last Supper. A new altar constructed from the wood and wrought iron from the pulpit was installed under the Last Supper window. This chapel came to be used for small intimate gatherings, such as at Ash Wednesday, healing services, Holy Week services, and contemplative prayer group meetings.

The parishioners responsible for constructing the new altar in the Redeemer Chapel discovered an interesting fact and the following notice was attached to the underside of the altar: This altar contains some of the structure of the former pulpit of St. Saviour's Cathedral.

When the pulpit was being dismantled a concealed structural member was found to have something written on one of its surfaces, as follows:
"Built by Geo. R. T. Freeman born 1865 at Chatham, Kent, England. 17/3/1900"
This same structural member, reduce in size, is now attached to the Altar, and additional writing has been added.

Master Craftsman

Art Waldie was a skilled wood craftsman who carved many ornate pieces for churches including St. Saviour's and Canterbury Cathedral in England. Art was born in the West Kootenay with its direct access to local species, such as white pine, yellow pine, jack pine, red cedar and rocky mountain juniper, all of which are useful to wood carvers and cabinet makers. Art started whittling as a small boy, producing crude birds, animals, canoes, people and trick items. In his teens he acquired traditional carving tools and his work became more sophisticated. After graduation in forestry in 1946, Art found that his work tied in with his hobby. There was a demand for subjects related to the forest industry, the wilderness and wild birds and animals. Many plaques were commissioned by corporations in BC, as well as forest companies and private persons. Towards the end of his career, Art started carving family crests, ornate chests and signage for homes, business and churches.

In 1975 the Incumbent of St. Saviour's The Rev. Alan Jackson invited the Bishop of Canterbury to Nelson. Because of Art's skill in carving crests, he was asked to carve the "coat of arms" of the Archbishop. Art found a block of Honduras mahogany from which he was able to complete the piece, 21 inches in height and 15 inches wide, which he finished with a natural stain. His Lordship took it home and hung it in his living room. A similar piece was executed for the Diocese of Kootenay, which now is installed in the narthex of St. Michael's Cathedral in Kelowna.

Art created several other pieces for St. Saviour's one of which was a beautiful low relief screen that was intended for the Columbarium.