In Boundary Parish, within the Anglican Diocese of Kootenay, St. Mary's Church is a small wood framed church whose size is befitting the community of Rock Creek. Built in 1911, it stands on the north side of The Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3), about 4 kilometres east of "downtown Rock Creek". We assume its location, well away from the town, results from its being built on donated land.
Still active, the church shares a minister with the parish church, Holy Trinity, in Grand Forks and St. Jude's, in Greenwood. As a result, services are held only twice a month, on the second and fourth Sundays. The church was built without the addition of a bell tower or steeple, likely an indication of a general dearth of finances in the community for such extravagances.
In 1935 an addition was made to the church, using a part of the Anglican church which once stood in Phoenix. Phoenix was once a quite large mining town up the hill to the east of Greenwood, built on the site of a very large deposit of ore which contained predominantly copper. Greenwood was given life with the construction of a copper smelter at the bottom of the hill. Rock Creek, on the other hand, came into being in, or shortly after, 1858, with the discovery of gold in Rock Creek, the creek, in, or near, Rock Creek, the town.
St. Mary’s church was built on donated land in 1911 and expanded
with part of the old church from Phoenix in 1935. From traditional
Anglican values, our mission has evolved to a focus on music and
healing. The Singing Kettles, a community choir, has been hosted
by St. Mary’s since 2002. Over the years, St. Mary’s has welcomed
sessions on energy kinesiology, music therapy, labyrinth, and
sacred dance for the benefit of all.
From the Boundary Parish