Vicker's Heights (Ont.)

St. Mary's Anglican Church (Vicker's Heights, Ont.) is part of the Anglican Parish of West Thunder Bay, previously known as the Oliver Mission and the West Thunder Bay Mission. 

In 1942 the residents of Vicker's Heights petitioned Bishop Kingston for Anglican services in the area. The services soon began bi-weekly with Canon Hankinson (then rector of St. Thomas' in Thunder Bay). The Women's Auxiliary was also formed in this year. 

On April 11, 1948 a small building on South Victor Street was dedicated as house of worship in the Anglican Parish of West Thunder Bay.

In 1945 arrangements were made to procure one of the quonset huts used by the Royal Canadian Air Force at a local airfield and the building was moved to property donated by William Doucette.  After much refurbishment and renovation the building was sanctified as St. Mary's Anglican Church in 1948. Rev. J.S. Smedley, Rural Dean, officiated the early services at St. Mary's.

In 1950, a rectory was purchased for Rev. W. Peeling's use. This was largely the work of the Women's Auxiliary. This was later sold in 1957. 

St. Mary's closed its doors in 1982. 

Those who have served St. Mary's include: Canon W.A. Hankinson (1942-1946), Mr. Gilbert (1946-1950), Rev. R.B. Wright (1948-1949?), Mr. Ellard (1949-1950?), Mr. G. Brooke (1949-1950?), Rev. M. Goodman (1949-1950?), Rev. W. Peeling (1951-1954), Rev. W. Banting (1954-1958), Mr. R. Love (1958), Rev. Peter Park (1958-1959), Rev. E. Paterson (1959-1962), Rev. M. Conliffe (1962-1968), Rev. D. A. P. Smith (1968-?).

Source:

• "30 years of service", The Algoma Anglican 22, no. 9 (1978): 1. Algoma University Archives, 2013-086_001_011_020.
• Violet Woods, "A History of the Parish of West Thunder Bay" (1971), Algoma University Archives, part of 2013-078/005(018).
• Howard Reid "100 hundred [sic] years ago priests walked to flock" (1990), Algoma University Archives, part of 2013-078/005(018).

The Anglican Parish of West Thunder Bay fonds comprisesfour congregations: Anglican Church of the Messiah (Kakabeka Falls, Ont.), St. James' Anglican Church (Murillo, Ont.), and St. Mark's Anglican Church (Rosslyn, Ont.), and St. Mary's Anglican Church (Vicker's Heights, Ont.).

The first service of what is now known as the Anglican Parish of West Thunder Bay was held in the home of Issac Ryde of Oliver Township by Rev. J.K. McMorine of St. John the Evangelist (Thunder Bay, Ont.) in 1879. In 1885 St. James' Anglican Church (Murillo, Ont.) was consecrated by Bishop Sullivan.  Outstations were established in the parish in 1898 in Slate River and Stanley, Ontario.  This was followed by the opening of the Church of Advent (Hymers, Ont.), the Church of the Good Shepherd (Slate River, Ont.), and the Mission of Kakabeka Falls in 1912. 

In the 1950s the parish underwent substantial changes: in 1951 the Church of the Advent (Hymers) was closed; in 1952 Oliver Mission was renamed West Thunder Bay Mission, in 1953 the Church of the Messiah (Kakabeka Falls, Ont.) and adjacent parish hall were destroyed by fire and rebuilt.

In 1958 the West Thunder Bay Mission became the self-supporting Parish of West Thunder Bay.  The Church of the Good Shepherd (Kakabeka Falls, Ont.) was closed and demolished in 2008. 

At present two church remain active in the Parish of West Thunder Bay: St. Mark's Anglican Church (Rosslyn, Ont.) and St. James' Anglican Church (Murillo, Ont.).

Sources:

"Parish Profile of the Parish of West Thunder Bay: September, 2014" http://www.dioceseofalgoma.com/UploadedFiles/file/Job%20Postings/WTBProfile%20final-reduced%20%283%29.pdf [Accessed 2015 July 24]