St. Monica’s Anglican Church
Sunday Service
St. Monica’s congregation meets in the church along St. Monica’s Road. Our Family Communion service includes music, prayers, Bible readings, and a sermon.
About one-per-month and on special celebrations, all four congregations come together to celebrate together at one of our three buildings. These Parish Days are announced on our calendar and social media feeds.
How to get there … (Map)
St. Monica’s – History
St. Monica’s in North Village was started as a Sunday School in 1907 by the then Rector of Pembroke, the Rev. James Davidson, with the active co-operation of William Francis Wilson, a resident of the area. In 1909, a site had been found on the glebe land which at that time was vested in the rector for his benefit, and Davidson granted the site for the building of a mission for a nominal rental of one shilling per annum. Wilson gathered together a number of friends from the ~orth Village area, and the mission was built. It carried on its work as a Sunday School, and services were regularly held on Thursday evenings; Mr. Wilson became the first Lay Reader in charge of the services at St. Monica’s.
He was succeeded by Carl P. Wade, and he by Thomas Nisbett who resigned in 1959 to pursue studies for the priesthood. The present Lay Reader is Earl Lee.
The building quickly became the centre for all manner of community church events, and by 1926 extension was clearly necessary. The Chancel and Sanctuary were completed in 1926, and space for the organ was completed in 1928. The organ had been made in 1888 for Wesley Methodist Church by George Jardine & Son of New York, the same firm which had replaced the Wedlake pneumatic action by tracker in the St. John’s organ in 1896. Wesley Church had purchased a new instrument and sold the old one to St. Monica’s. It was installed by the combined efforts of Roy Conyers and Fred Anfossi who had maintained the St. John’s organ. The Jardine instrument was rebuilt by Casavant Freres of Canada in 1989, using the same pipework.
In 193 7, an addition, comprising the entry, bell tower, and choir room, was made at the west end. Work was begun on a church hall in 1939 and it was opened for use in May 1940. A new choir vestry, built in three months by ten parishioners working in their spare time, was dedicated in December 1964.
The church has been beautified by a number of bequests of stained glass windows reflecting the names of persons who had contributed to the life and work of St. Monica’s over the years. Those in the Sanctuary were given by the Hon. R. C. Crawford in memory of Mrs. Julia Crawford, and by Mrs. O’Donnell King in memory of the Hon. R. C. Crawford. In the body of the church are windows given by David I. Nisbett in memory of the 50th Anniversary Choir, Wellington Williams in memory of Mrs. Rebecca Williams, Henry Hayward in memory of his wife, and by the St. Monica’s Guild in memory of Francis Van Lowe. In the entry is a window given by the Guild and the Wilson family in memory of William Francis Wilson who, in a sense, is St. Monica’s founder.
The church has much beautiful cedar furniture, most donated by individuals. The altar and panelling were given by the Nisbett family in memory of Eli Nisbett and Mavis Pond, the chairs by Fred Dill and Mrs. Selina Dill, the flower stands by the Black family in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Black, and the font by the Nisbett family in memory of Mrs. Adina Nisbett. The congregation subscribed to present the eagle lectern, and the choir the pulpit.
There are many other furnishings to which names are attached either as the donor or as the person in whose memory the gift was made. They have all been active as members or as supporters of St. Monica’s, and, in addition to the names listed above, they are: Harold Brangman, Mona Brangman, Mrs. Augusta Corbin, Dr. and Mrs. Louis Corbin, Charles Crawford, Miss Helen Dill, Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Gibbons, the Rev. Meyers (of the U.S.A.), Ervin Nisbett, Mrs. James Richards, Mrs. Letticia Richardson, Henry Rollins, Mrs. Sadie Rollins, Mrs. Bernice Smith, Freeman Smith, Mrs. Mary Smith, Oscar Smith, the Rev. and Mrs. Eustace M. Strong, Miss Nellie Swan, Kenneth Thompson, Charles Turner, the Rev. R.O. Walker, A.C. Stuart Williams, and Quinten Young.