Reprinted from The Packet, October 19, 1983
St. Aidan’s Anglican Church in Queen’s Cove was rededicated on Sunday, Oct. 9, by the Right Rev. Martin Mate, bishop of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 1981 renovations were begun on the church to replace the old clapboard. The Anglican Church Women purchased the necessary materials and work began. When renovations began it was discovered that the outside sills were rotten. When the back of the rear wall was removed it was found that there were no sound posts. A congregational meeting was called to discuss the situation. At first it was proposed that a new church be built but owing to the size of the congregation and the costs involved in building a new church the congregation decided to renovate the building instead. The old clapboard was removed, the church was sheeted and redone and new windows were installed.
The total cost of the renovations was approximately $10,000 which was raised by the ACW through bake sales, teas and fairs. Labor was supplied by the members of the congregation free of charge. For such a small congregation the renovations that led to the dedication of St. Aidan’s represented considerable sacrifice and certainly proves the personal dedication of the people of St. Aidan’s to their God and their church.
The Gosse family was the first Anglican family to move to Queen’s Cove. For their worship services they attended either the United Church in Queen’s Cove or the Anglican Chapel in North West Brook. By 1956 the Smith family had moved to Queen’s Cove and the logs were cut for a church building. In January, 1958, the foundation for the building was laid. The first service at St. Aidan’s Church was held at 11 o’clock on Dec. 24, 1961. The foundation stone was officially laid on Oct. 21, 1962, by the Right Rev. R.L. Seaborn. The following day Bishop Seaborn opened and dedicated the church and confirmed two women and one girl. The church was consecrated by the Right Rev. John A. Meadon on Oct. 25, 1964.
The first burial held in the church was the burial of the late Elizabeth Spurrell. Brian Spurrell, son of Edmund and Fay Spurrell, was the first person to be baptized in the church. The first wedding at the church was the marriage of Evelyn Goobie and Harvey Vey.
The reading desk and lectern in St. Aidan’s Church came from the church which once stood in Island Cove. The altar railing came from England. During renovations of the church, when the vestry was moved to the rear of the building, the oak altar rail was found to be too short for the expanded sanctuary. Mr. Frank Coles was commissioned to make the extension which blended perfectly with the original rail. The altar in the church was originally from the Anglican Church in Clarenville and the font came from the church in the Goulds. The cross over the altar was donated by Uncle Abbie Drover.
Rectors which have served at St. Aidan’s since its early days were the Reverend Fathers G.W. Ethridge, Morley Boutcher, G.E. Peddle, David Hewitt, Robert Eadie and Douglas Barrett. The present rector is the Rev. John Courage.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Transcribed by Wanda Garrett, February 2018
These transcriptions may contain human errors. As always, confirm these as you would any other source material.