Celebrating 150 Years

2010 promises to be a memorable year for the church of St John the Divine as it celebrates its sesquetennial — 150th anniversary — concurrently with the Aspire campaign. It will be a year of reflection on the past and anticipation of the future — a year of recognizing the achievements of former staff and parishioners and celebrating a new roof and new endeavours.

To celebrate, your anniversary committee has organized a series of seven special services and a series of seven wonderful concerts.

The concert series features four choirs, two organists and one orchestra. The choirs are quite different in style and repertoire. Hexaphone (February), the Victoria Children’s Choir (March), the Greater Victoria Police Chorus (June) and Chor Leoni (November) will sing lively and diverse programs that will entertain audiences of all ages.

Two fine organists will play summer concerts, with the popular Garth McPhee in July and Christine Edinger of Flensburg, Germany, in August.

The series will conclude in December 2010 with a concert by St John’s “resident orchestra,” the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra. The concert will feature guest artist Sarah MacDonald, director of music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, playing the Poulenc Organ Concerto in G minor. Sarah is a former member of St John’s.

The festival church service series focuses on the history of St John’s and its mission in the city of Victoria. The move from the Iron Church at Douglas and Fisgard to Quadra and Mason in 1912 will be remembered on December 6, 2009. Former clergy and staff will be honoured on February 7, 2010. The women of St John’s are recognized on March 14.

The consecration of the Iron Church (September, 1860) will be re-enacted on September 12, 2010, with a number of special guests in attendance. Archbishop and Primate of Canada Fred Hiltz and the Chief Justice of British Columbia have accepted invitations to attend. Other invitations are pending.

Two services will be joyful celebrations of ourselves, with a community service on June 27, and a Happy Birthday St John’s, Party on November 21. The seventh service occurs on May 9, when we feast our patron saint.

For quiet contemplation next fall, why not attend the Taize services on the third Friday of each month at 6 p.m. Beautiful contemporary chants, prayers and candlelight make for a reflective and spiritual hour.

Be sure to pick up an anniversary brochure in November and mark the dates on your anniversary calendar for easy reference. And don’t miss the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, when we dedicate our new 150th anniversary processional banner.

St John the Divine, Victoria, is alive and well, looking forward to a bright future from the foundations of an active and successful past.