Sarah Williams
Beaver Staff
At a time when many historical churches of note are being demolished or sold to a private entity, St. Alban’s Church in Adolphustown has found a way to keep their doors open to the public well into the 21st century thanks to the Friend’s of St. Alban’s, a non-profit group looking to pivot the use the church within the community.
When the congregation disbanded over a year ago, the church, along with its contents and property were all diverted to the Anglican Diocese in Kingston, explained Diane Berlet, member of Friend’s of St. Alban’s.
“We all felt that this was far too important a building to be lost to the community,” explained Berlet. “So, we banded together and a group of nine formed the Friend’s of St. Alban’s with the goal of purchasing the church from the Diocese for community use.”
The group has been working tirelessly for over a year now to find a way to repurpose the church, stated Berlet and perhaps save the spiritual aspect of it by having some ecumenical church services several times per year.
“If we can get community involvement, we’re also thinking of other ways we could make the church a hub for the community, for example using it as a theatre, concert venue, for weddings, memorials and perhaps using the garage as a way station for cyclists,” added Berlet.
As Berlet explained, St. Alban’s is a church unlike any other, having been erected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landing of United Empire Loyalists in Canada. The church was built in 1884.
There are 64 commemorative tiles within the church, each representing a Loyalist pioneer.
“In order to get the involvement of Loyalist Descendants, Reverand Forneri-who served the parish at the time St. Alban’s was built-went from Toronto to Montreal and Ottawa seeking out Loyalist Descendants,” said Berlet. “He came up with the idea that commemorative tiles should be offered to remember Loyalist ancestors.”
As it turns out, the tiles were noteworthy in and of themselves. Ten years ago, when members of the church decided to write a book on the people depicted in the tiles, they decided to glean more information on the origin of the tiles from an expert at the Royal Ontario Museum.
“He was absolutely amazed. He said they were encaustic tiles made in Stoke-on-Trent, England. They’re a type of tile only made for a period of about 50 years from the mid to late 1800s,” stated Berlet.
Furthermore, added Berlet, the only other known place to display such tiles in North America are the Senate Chambers in Washington, D.C.
Other historic features of note include the very material from which the church was made. At the time, noted Berlet, the only other churches in the area were clapboard, whereas St. Alban’s is limestone.
As well, the church harbours the oldest known church bell in Canada.
“To top it all off, we have historical bell. It was made in 1691 in Bristol, England. Traditionally, this is considered to be the oldest church bell in Canada. So, we’re going to have that on display in the church once we reopen,” she enthused.
Currently, the Friends of St. Alban’s are in negotiation with the Diocese to purchase the church.
“The stage we’re at now is we’ve been in negotiation with the diocese to purchase the church. They’ve agreed that if we keep it as a historical monument, and keep it for the people, they will negotiate a reasonable price as opposed to what they might get on the open market,” explained Berlet. “But, we have to raise that money.”
Like many other organizations, Friend’s of St. Alban’s have had to put fundraising efforts on hold due to the pandemic. And though they are hopeful for donations in the future, the group is still in the process of receiving a charitable tax status.
In the meantime, the group is leasing St. Alban’s month to month, with socially distanced tours taking place on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
“While we have the lease, we’re trying to stay open for the tours on Saturdays so people will take an interest and realize what a significant historical building this is in our small area of the province,” stated Berlet.
For more information about the transformations underway at St. Alban’s Church, visit the Friend’s of St. Alban’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-St-Albans-Adolphustown-114661103572242