St. Mary's Ecumenical Church - Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
The A-Team
N 48° 33.476 W 124° 24.106
10U E 396568 N 5379263
This ecumenical church is used by four Christian denominations: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and the United Church of Canada. It's located at 6315 Klannanith Street in Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada.
Waymark Code: WMQ4JK
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/18/2015
Views: 1
St. Mary's Church began as an 1874-built Anglican church in Somenos, 55 kilometres to the northeast on Somenos Road near Duncan. In 1909, the church suffered a near-fatal fire and was rebuilt from the surviving materials.
In 1970, the church was deconsecrated and presented as a gift to Port Renfrew for an ecumenical church. The 27-ton church was dismantled into sections to prepare for the big move, which occurred on the last week of June, 1970. Starting on the Tuesday, the sections were trucked west along the new Highway 18, through the town of Lake Cowichan to Mesachie Lake, and then over the logging roads to Port Renfrew. The sections then had to be loaded onto a barge to travel the last quarter-mile across the mouth of the San Juan River to the final destination at the Beach Camp area of Port Renfrew, on land donated by B.C. Forest Products.
Somehow, the original bell was misplaced during the move. Reverend Ian H. MacDonald, a former naval officer, remembered that the frigate he had served on for part of the Second World War - HMCS Swansea - had been scrapped in 1967. Since "Canada's champion U-boat killer" had been built in nearby Victoria in 1943, he was able to arrange for the bell to be loaned from the Canadian War Museum for use in the church. However, the original bell later turned up and the HMCS Swansea bell was returned to Ottawa, where it's now on display.
The roof was damaged in transit, but repairs and reconstruction were completed just in time for the church's first wedding in Port Renfrew on August 15, 1970. St. Mary's Ecumenical Church is believed to be the first church on Vancouver Island to be supported by four denominations.
Active Church: Yes
School on property: No
Date Built: 01/01/1909
Service Times: Not listed
Website: Not listed
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