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St. Andrew's Church is a Presbyterian Church in
Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...
. The church opened for service in 1822. St. Andrew's was the centre of Presbyterianism in
Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...
, and the church was instrumental in the establishment of Queen's College, later to become Queen's University.


History

Erected in the 1830s by
United Empire Loyalists United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America dur ...
and Scottish immigrants, on its current site -- Princess St. at Clergy St. -- St. Andrew's Presbyterian was the first stone church in Kingston. Later renovations altered the classical Georgian lines of the structure, giving it a distinctly
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
character. The original church was built on a pine ridge considered of little value, and was “irredeemably ugly” To preside over this new church, the Reverend John Barclay of Kettle, Scotland, was selected to serve as Minister. Up until 1831, Presbyterian Churches in Canada had no governing body, but there was pressure to create one. On June 9, 1831, St Andrew’s Church hosted a meeting of ministers and elders from four presbyteries: Quebec, Glengarry, Bathurst, and York. The result of this meeting was the creation of “The Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Canada in connection with the Church of Scotland,” the forerunner to what is today the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. In 1839 it was recognized that there was a need for an educational facility in Kingston to provide training for Presbyterian ministers. Accordingly, a motion was passed at St. Andrew’s that led to the founding of Queen’s University, now one of the top ranked
universities in Canada Universities in Canada are established and operate under provincial and territorial government charters, except in one case directed by First Nations bands and in another by federal legislation. Most public universities in the country are memb ...
. This motion was seconded by a young lawyer and member of the congregation, John Macdonald, who would become Sir John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada. The St. Andrew’s congregation was also instrumental in getting Queen's past the financial problems of its early years, with the second minister of St. Andrew’s, Reverend John Machar, serving as the unpaid president of this institution for seven years. In 1912 the formal connection between the university and church was severed, but many of the traditions at Queen's still have elements of its Scottish Presbyterian heritage. On April 8, 1888, a fire sparked by the church furnace caused the structure to burn to the ground, leaving only the thick stone walls standing. These walls proved so sturdy that they had to be blown up to allow the new church to be built. The current St. Andrews building was rebuilt in 1889, culminating with the impressive and handsome sanctuary, which can be seen today.


Stained glass

St. Andrew's features many stained glass windows, many of them dating back to the building of the second church. These pieces were commissioned from Castle and Sons, a Montreal-based firm. Many were dedicated to the memory of prominent members of the congregation. One of the windows features the Arms of the
Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...
and the line '
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori ' is a line from the ''Odes'' (III.2.13) by the Roman lyric poet Horace. The line translates: "It is sweet and proper to die for one's country." The Latin word ''patria'' (homeland), literally meaning the country of one's fathers (in Latin, ...
'. It was funded by alumni and friends of the college. A companion window, in a similar style, 'to the glory of God and in immortal memory of officers, noncommissioned officers and men of the
Royal Canadian Horse Artillery The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is the name given to the regular field artillery units of the Canadian Army. Organization The Regular Force has three RCHA regiments: ; 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery: this is the descendant of ...
who fell in action the World's War 1914-18' and the text 'quo fas et glorius ducunt'. The large south window, however, was paid for by the women’s home association. This window features one of the very few stories about
St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
in the bible, taken from John 12:20-26. In this story, a group of Greeks ask Andrew and Phillip if they would be able to meet with Jesus.'' The New International Bible. '' pp. 1671 and 1672 In 1967, a smaller chapel was added on to the back of the sanctuary. This chapel contains nine stained glass windows featuring the life and acts of Jesus.


St. Andrew's Church today

St Andrew's church stands today in the heart of downtown Kingston, Ontario. Home today to a church population of around 100–150, St. Andrews plays an active role in the Kingston community. The Special Meals program at St. Andrew's is most likely the best example of this involvement. This initiative commenced in January 1987, and is still running. Special Meals is a volunteer program that runs every Sunday to provide food for those in need. In the summer of 2009, St. Andrew's applied to the federal government for a grant to begin a
tour guide A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religio ...
program at the church. This program has attracted almost 1,000 people in 2009. In 2010, the tours brought in 1,732 visitors. Tours were also run in 2011 and 2012, and brought in 1,371 and 1,908 visitors respectively.


References

*Osborne, Brian S. ''The Rock and the Sword: a History of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church'', Kingston, Ontario. Kingston: Heinrich Heine Press at Grass Creek, 2004. *"Registers 1821 - 1869 : St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Kingston, Ontario" by St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Kingston, Ont., Call Number 365.2.K.16.0 Publisher Ontario Genealogical Society, Kingston Branch


External links


Website
{{Coord, 44.232787, N, 76.489571, W, type:landmark_region:CA-ON, display=title Churches in Kingston, Ontario Presbyterian churches in Ontario 1822 establishments in Canada Designated heritage properties in Ontario 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in Canada