Celebrating a holy alliance
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/10/2020 (952 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Congratulations to the Church of St. Stephen and St. Bede (99 Turner Ave.) as it celebrates its 50-year partnership of worship in the Silver Heights community.
For those who aren’t aware, St. Stephen’s is a Lutheran congregation, while St. Bede’s is Anglican, and they have successfully shared their place of worship for the past half-century.
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church relocated to Ness Avenue in 1960 (currently home to the Silver Heights Seventh Day Adventist Church). St. Bede’s Anglican Church first opened its doors in 1964 at the corner of Turner Avenue and Mount Royal Road. Little did they know at the time that they would become more than just neighbours.
In 1970, the parish of St. Stephen’s made a difficult decision but one necessary to the survival of its congregation. They left the place they had called home for 10 years with heavy hearts and were welcomed by the neighbouring parish of St. Bede’s with open arms. A mere 500 metres down the road was their new home of worship.
But to say they just shared the space would be a massive understatement.
In 1996, the decision was made to hold joint services, and, in 2004, a worship service was developed that included the best of both practices. The amount of research, paperwork and hoop-jumping must have been astronomical. Churches do not make change quickly but change was necessary for both congregations to thrive. This truly was the work of visionaries.
Since then, the youth and Sunday school programs have grown together. Both flocks have grown together to develop a unified prayer body while respecting each other’s traditions.
I was invited to the commemorative service and symbolic walk on Oct. 18 — the same 500 metre walk that was taken in 1970. Even some of the traffic on Ness Avenue got in on the action by honking support as the contingent travelled the short distance from its original Ness Avenue parish site to its current home, once again welcomed by the Anglican celebrants.
The Church of St. Stephen and St. Bede is a true foundation of the community. Congratulations.
Wanda Prychitko is a community correspondent for St. James-Assiniboia. Contact wprychitko@yahoo.ca
Wanda Prychitko
St. James-Assiniboia community correspondent
Wanda Prychitko is a community correspondent for St. James-Assiniboia.