The Reverend, Alexander David Pringle, sponsored by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel as a missionary priest arrived in the colony of New Caledonia in 1859. Appointed to Fort Hope by Bishop Hills he immediately set about establishing a reading room and library, the first in British Columbia. Within a year of his arrival he began soliciting funds for the building of Christ Church. He was successful in raising funds and the Church was built in 1861.
One hundred and fifty five years later we are celebrating that the Christ Church has provided service to the community and a place for Christian worship in Hope. We celebrated this anniversary by holding a Flower Festival weekend celebrating the beauty of the earth. ACW members hosted a Saturday afternoon tea. Local hope artists displayed their work in the garden. A Service was held on Sunday morning followed by a classical concert on Sunday evening.
The Flower Festival ran the weekend of August 13-14. The Church was open to view the themed arrangements, designed by members of the Chilliwack Floral Art Club and Citizens of Hope; the Church was open from 12:00 - 3:30 both days, by our summer student Rachel Petruk.
All the events were well attended by members of the local community and tourists passing through.
Article and images courtesy of the Christ Church National Historic Site.
Images
- Flowers decorated the entrance
- Gladiolas in front of the Altar
- The Chancel Display
- Sunflowers