Before St. James’ Anglican Church (Lockerby, Ont.) was built, Anglican services in the area were held in the McLeod Public School by Mr. A. L. Chabot in the summer of 1946. A Women's Auxiliary group was also formed in the same year.
Between 1946 and 1948 services were conducted by Mr. James Thomson, lay reader. The Diocese of Algoma appointed the Reverend J. G. M. Doolan as incumbent of the missions of Lockerby and Minnow Lake on June 1, 1948.
The first sod for the future St. James' Church was turned on May 28, 1950 with Bishop Wright in attendance. Bishop Wright laid the cornerstone on October 15, 1950 and (as Archbishop Wright) he officiated the first service on December 1, 1955 with the incumbent, Reverend J. G. M. Doolan, assisting.
Between 1950 and 1955 services were held in the church basement of St. James' while construction was completed on the rest of the building.
In 1965, St. James’ became the first church in the diocese to have a free-standing Altar with the communion rail on three sides. The church also underwent renovation; the sanctuary was opened up, the narthex expanded and rebuilt to cover the entrance steps, and six stained glass windows were commissioned.
Sometime between 1961 and 1970 the church switched from oil to natural gas after the underground oil tank split due to a very cold winter. Also during this period, the Canadian Pacific Railway donated a bell to St. James’.
Natural to the baby boom, the church saw an influx in the 60s, and then a decline in the 70s and 80s as families moved away. At this time, the church shared its incumbents with other congregations in the area and became known as “The Lakes Parish.” Specifically, this included: All Saints’ (Coniston, Ont.), St. George’s (Minnow Lake, Ont.), and St. Thomas’ (French River, Ont.).There was an attempt to become self-supporting, but it was unsuccessful.
Incumbents have included: Mr. A.L. Chabot (1946), Mr. James Thomson (1946-1948), Rev. J.G.M. Doolan (1948-1958), Rev. K. Mitchim (1959-1960), Rev. M. Porter (1970-1973), Rec. C. Clay (1961-1970), Rev. Robert Lumley (1973-1989), Rev. P. Playfair (1989-1990), Rev. Jennifer Sisson and Rev. Geoffrey Woodcroft (1990-1991), Rev. Jennifer Sisson (1991-1990), Rev. Marty Keatings (1999-2000).
Sources:
- Grace E. Farrell, "St. James', Lockerby, anniversary observed", The Algoma Anglican 37, no. 10 (1990): 3.
- “Life begins at Forty!”, 40th Anniversary Celebration, 1990, St. James’ Anglican Church (Lockerby, Ont.) sous fonds, Algoma University Archives, 2014-089_002_004.
- “St. James’ Anglican Church 50th Anniversary”, 2000, St. James’ Anglican Church (Lockerby, Ont.) sous fonds, Algoma University Archives, 2014-089_002_005.
