Descendant of St. John’s first minister to visit Fort Erie congregation

Julie Bishop, the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of the first minister of St. John’s Anglican Church, will attend the Ridgemount Road congregation’s 9 a.m. service on September 13, nearly 200 years after her ancestor began holding services in the area.

Bishop lives in England and is a licensed lay reader in the Church of England, working part time as a prison chaplain.

Paul Collard, a member of St. John’s who is helping arrange the visit, said Bishop first approached the Anglican diocese through its cathedral in Hamilton. He then contacted her and invited her to St. John’s.

“I think it’s unbelievable that we have somebody that goes back to our founding, the church founding, to have a descendant come and visit with us,” Collard told Fort Erie Radio. “It certainly goes back a long ways, almost 200 years.”

Reverend John Anderson rode into the area on horseback and held services in people’s homes before the congregation built the church in 1840, Collard said.

Anderson served as rector of the parish covering Bertie Township and the settlement then called Waterloo, now Fort Erie. He continued in that role until 1849. St. Paul’s Anglican Church says in its parish history that Anderson died that year and was buried in its churchyard.

One trace of him remains in the building on Ridgemount Road.

“The only stained glass window in our church is one that was dedicated to John Anderson,” Collard said.

He photographed that window for the cover of the service bulletin Bishop will receive on September 13.

Collard said several other Anderson descendants entered the ministry in the Church of England or the Church of Ireland.

Bishop’s parents visited St. John’s several years ago, and Collard said their impression of the church prompted her own trip.

“They spoke highly of the church and that’s what kind of triggered her to come and visit again,” he said.

Bishop plans to stay for coffee hour after the service to speak with parishioners. She will then attend the 11 a.m. service at St. Paul’s.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe