History of St. Saviour's,
Nelson, British Columbia
Part II - The New Millennium

Venerable Frederick Helier Graham (1902-1936)

The Ven. Graham replaced the Rev. H. S. Akehurst in 1902. He was born at Everton, Liverpool, England and came to Canada in 1887. He farmed and taught school before entering McGill University residing at the Montreal Diocesan Theological College receiving his BA in 1894 and his L. Th. in 1895. He was ordained to the deaconate in St. Stephen’s Church Montreal, and ordained as priest in St. James Church, South London, Ontario, on Dec. 8th. He was rector of Trinity Church, Montreal from 1896 to 1902, and then he came to Nelson.

In 1901 he became Rural Dean of Nelson, and in 1921, the first Lord Bishop of Kootenay, The Right Reverend A. J. Doull, who was consecrated as Bishop in 1915, appointed him Archdeacon of Kootenay.

Archdeacon Graham was rector of St. Saviour’s for thirty-five years. He was an impressive orator, kindly, and had a keen sense of humour, qualities which endeared him to all he came in contact.

He helped to found scouting in Nelson, and took an active part in the Board of Trade. Additionally, he was chaplain of the 54th (Kootenay) Battalion, and was active in Masonic work. He was also Master of Lodge No. 23 A. F. & A. M. for the year 1919.

A new church hall

St. Saviour’s Pro-Cathedral enjoyed a period of rapid expansion. The church school, under the direction of Fred Irvine, had grown to having an enrolment of over two hundred students. In the memoirs of Fred Leno, he reports a time when there were six hundred in the congregation. Four services were needed every Sunday.

The Mother’s Club undertook a campaign to raise a new parish hall and church school. The old mission church was still being used but was in sad need of repair. World War I delayed construction of the new school, but eventually the new hall was built.

The cornerstone was laid in 1922 and the hall given the name “Memorial Hall” in honour of those who had lost their lives while serving their country. In addition, a time capsule was buried beneath the cornerstone, which included the Battalion flag, photograph of the day, and other artefacts of early Nelson.

The fire

In January of 1928 city workers who were repairing a broken water main outside the Cathedral noticed flames pouring through the roof of the church. They put in a call to the fire department but it was too late. The building was destroyed. The fire apparently started in the furnace room and spread through the interior of the church to the rafters. Actually, the only item of furnishings that was still usable was the pulpit and it was badly scorched. The worst loss of all seems to have been the 54 Battalion and King’s colours, which were burned beyond recognition and missed by the WWI veterans. The organ, which had been given to the church by Le Baron De Veber was also destroyed in the fire.

The pulpit, badly damaged by smoke, was scraped and put back into service. And the scorched battle flag of the 54th Battalion was framed and hung in the back of the church for years as reminder of the gallant service rendered by our troops, a number of whom came from this community. The organ was replaced with a plaque: In Memoriam, Le Baron De Veber.

Thanks to a building fund that was already in place for a proposed extension, and the money received from the insurance, reconstruction began immediately. Many special donations came in at this time including the organ and many stained glass windows.

Church of the Redeemer

The Church of the Redeemer was built in 1923-24. It was first known as St. Saviour’s Mission, then as a parish, with the Reverend (Dr.) N. D. B. Larmonth the first Vicar. The Reverend Larmonth was the former Rector of St. Andrew’s in Trail. A special meeting was called to choose a suitable name for the church, and after a lengthy meeting the voting decided on the name “Church of the Redeemer.”

The depression years 1929-1939

Through the depression years, sports, which had always been a part of St. Saviour’s life, took the forefront. Almost reminiscent of Fr. Pat’s involvement in rugby, the Venerable Archdeacon Graham, got a bit carried away at one game in Trail. His exuberance caused him to throw his hat into the air where it was caught by an air current never to be seen again. There was a popular badminton program held in Memorial Hall. This was also a time of very active youth movements at St. Saviour’s.

From the Nelson Daily News, Friday, July 1 to Saturday July 8, 1939.

Soccer Supremacy

Saturday in Vancouver, Nelson’s St. Saviour’s won the Province Cup, emblematic of British Columbia soccer supremacy, defeating Radials 4-1 before a small Dominion Day crowd. The same teams will play again here Wednesday night in a semi-final match of the Dominion Columbia section, the winners to meet St. Andrew’s in the final.

Doukhabor Protest (reported on the same day by NDN)

On the same day, after an early flare in which four Doukhabors (two men and two women) stripped and threw their clothes at Sheriff M.E. Harper with the cry: “Take these too,” and in which an aged woman made a show of resistance by waving her crutch about, two Doukhabor families at Winlaw stood peaceably by while they were evicted from land formerly owned by the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood Limited, and now the property of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada under foreclosure proceedings.

The Reverend J. G. Holmes was Rector from 1936 to 1945

Very little is known about the ministry of the Rev. J. G. Holmes except that Fred Irvine was his Rector’s warden. He was the incumbent during a troubling time when many family members were separated and serving their country overseas in WWII.

Fred Irvine

Fred Irvine might be called the father of St. Saviour’s. He was there at the placing of the cornerstone. He made the resolution at the synod in New Westminster that a new diocese be created in Kootenay in 1898. He was there when Nelson became the See City at the first synod of the newly formed Diocese of Kootenay in 1899. He was responsible for directecting the successful church school. The Rev. T. L. Leadbeater said Fred Irvine welcomed him when he first arrived in Nelson in 1948 and saw him off when he departed in 1956. The Reverend Leadbeater said, "We used to call him Uncle Fred."

After the church fire and the destruction of the organ Fred Irvine took up a subscription list that included 47 names of the donors. Three of the subscribers were S. G. Baylock, the Rev. F. H. Graham, and Sir F. K Williams.

The Nelson Daily news recorded Fred Irvine’s appointment for the 49th consecutive term at a meeting of St. Saviour’s Anglican Church on Wednesday Jan 26, 1944. “The Rector Rev. J. G. Holmes spoke of Mr. Irvine’s long association with the Church of England in Nelson, before St. Saviour’s was built.”

The HighWay Special Jubilee Issue of 1960 reports the following:
The words “faithful service” take on a special meaning when applied to Fred Irvine. Time and the character of the man have heightened their meaning beyond ordinary proportions. Yet this devout, humble man would be the last to admit to being one of the most faithful laymen of our church today. He has always shied from publicity, mildly chiding anyone who tries to draw him into the limelight.

His memory for names, dates and parochial events is crystal clear. He has served every Incumbent of St. Saviour’s--Reverend A. J. Reid, Reverend H. S. Akehurst (later Archdeacon) his great friend Venerable Archdeacon Graham, Reverend J. G. Holmes, Reverend F. P. Clark before he became Dean and later Bishop, Dean Leadbeater, and now G. W. Lang. Seven names on the roll call, and as each of these clergymen has answered, Fred Irvine has answered them. This wardenship, which is, in itself, practically a lifetime, was acknowledged on his 60th anniversary by the primate, The Most Reverend W. F. Barfoot, as his “unique record of service”.

He was in fact, the first Rector’s warden at St. Saviour’s and continued in that position until 1957, when he received a dedication for his 62 years of service by the Right Reverend Phillip Rogers Beattie, DD.

Frederick Irvine was born in New Brunswick in 1895 and died in Victoria B.C. at the age of 92. Uncle Fred’s ashes were interred in the walls at St. Saviour’s with the following inscription:

Fred Irvine's plaque may be found on the west wall of the church under the Faith, Hope and Charity stained glass window.

Bishop F. Patrick Clark (1945 – 1948)

Fr. Patrick Clark, the third Bishop of Kootenay and a former Rector was the first Bishop to make his offices in Nelson. In order to accommodate the extra Diocesan staff it was felt an extension to the Memorial Hall was needed. The lines of this extension can be seen by a sloping lower level floor and careful examination of the granite blocks on the exterior. Bishop Clark was a well-loved figure in Nelson but he died suddenly while visiting Cranbrook. A memorial window depicting the Last Supper was installed in his memory above the south end of the altar rail. The memorial reads:

According to the Reverend T. L. Leadbeater, Bishop Clark was a good preacher and teacher and many in the diocese were drawn closer to the church by his gifts. One of his favourite comments to his students at college and his clergy was that “Good preaching may not win many to the church, but it certainly does not drive any of them away.” He was also a good New Testament scholar and during his latter years was working on a book dealing with the “Faithful Sayings” in the gospels and epistles. He always attributed his scholarship to his exposure to a renowned church historian and theologian, Archbishop Philip Carrington of Quebec.