Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SANCTUARY LIGHT

Date Range From

1908

Date Range To

1912

Materials

IRON

No. Pieces

4

Height

82

Diameter

26

Description

CAST IRON SANCTUARY LIGHT WITH CIRCULAR BASE WHICH EXTEND TO FEATURE A IRON CROSS. ATTACHED TO BASE IS THREE CHAINS WITH A CIRCULAR HANGING RING AT TOP. GLASS CANDLE HOLDER SETS INTO THE BASE WITH GLASS LID AND METAL SPIRAL CANDLE BASE. (4 PCE)

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

LIGHTING DEVICE

Historical Association

RELIGION

History

SANCTUARY OR TABERNACLE LIGHT WAS USED AT THE ST. MARY'S CHURCH. ST. MARY THE VIRGIN WAS ON THE HIGH CHURCH END OF THE ANGLICAN SPECTRUM, AND THE RESERVED SACRAMENT (CONSECRATED BREAD AND WINE) WAS STORED IN THE CHURCH IN A CONTAINER KNOWN AS A PYX. TO INDICATE THAT THE RESERVED SACRAMENT WAS PRESENT, A WHITE CANDLE REMAINED LIT IN THE SANCTUARY LAMP. BOTH THE PYX , LAMP AND HARDWARE WERE MADE BY BARRY TALBOTT. IN 1959 THE CHURCH ORGAN WAS GIVEN IN MEMORY OF FLIGHT OFFICER BARRY JOHN TALBOTT, RCAF (1932-1958). BARRY'S MOTHER VIRGINIA TALBOTT, WHOSE MAIDEN NAME WAS DANIELS, GREW UP IN A BIG HOUSE ON THE JAIL ROAD. BARRY TALBOTT'S SISTER, SHEILA NILES, WAS A WELL KNOWN TEXTILES ARTIST IN MILLARVILLE, SOUTH OF CALGARY. ST MARY’S ANGLICAN CHURCH BEGAN EARLY IN THE 1900S. THE EARLIEST ARCHIVAL RECORD IS A STATEMENT MADE IN JANUARY, 1906 THAT A GROUP OF PROMINENT MEMBERS OF ST. AUGUSTIN’S PARISHIONERS AGREED TO COVER A DEFICIT IN THE OPERATION OF ST. MARY’S MISSION UP TO $300. APPARENTLY, ST. MARY’S EXISTED BEFORE THIS DECISION, BUT IT IS UNKNOWN FOR HOW LONG. A FORMAL ORGANIZATION MEETING FOR ST. MARY’S MISSION WAS HELD ON APRIL 20. 1908. THE SEPARATE PARISH OF ST. MARY’S WAS ESTABLISHED ON FEBRUARY 1, 1910. THE “NEW” CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1912, AND USED BY THE PARISH UNTIL IT CLOSED IN 2003. THE NORTH SIDE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP THEN RENTED THE BUILDING UNTIL 2006, WHEN THE PROPERTY WAS SOLD TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL. THERE WERE AT LEAST EIGHT RECTORS (PRIESTS) AT ST MARY’S BETWEEN 1910 AND 1944, INCLUDING SOME PERIODS OF TIME WHEN NO PRIEST WAS AVAILABLE (OR AFFORDABLE). IN 1944, ROBERT COWAN ARRIVED AND SERVED ST. MARY’S FOR THE NEXT 37 YEARS UNTIL 1981, A TERM UNPARALLELED IN THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF CALGARY. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT ST. MARY’S BECAME KNOWN HAS ST. MARY THE VIRGIN. CANON COWAN RETURNED TO ST MARY’S AS A PARISHIONER FOR A FEW YEARS LATER, AND REMAINED UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1999. MICHAEL EBSWORTH SERVED AS RECTOR FROM 1981 UNTIL 1994, WHEN HE RESIGNED DUE TO HEALTH REASONS. FATHER EBSWORTH REMAINED A RESIDENT OF LETHBRIDGE, OFTEN SERVING AS A “VISITING” PRIEST, AND HE TOOK PART IN THE FINAL SERVICE AT ST. MARY’S HELD ON AUGUST 14, 2003. IN THE FINAL DECADE OF ST MARY’S EXISTENCE, FIVE OTHER PRIESTS SERVED THE PARISH, INCLUDING TWO FEMALE PRIESTS WHICH SOME FOUND SURPRISING DUE TO ST. MARY’S TRADITIONAL LITURGICAL PRACTICES. THE CHURCH CLOSED AND AMALGAMATED WITH THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF ST. AUGUSTINE. OTHER OBJECTS AND ARCHIVAL MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH ST. MARY'S OPERATION WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF CALGARY. AT THE TIME OF ITS CLOSURE, ST MARY'S WAS THE LONGEST OPERATING OF ANY LETHBRIDGE CHURCH IN THE CURRENT PREMISES. FOR COMPLETE HISTORY SEE PERMANENT FILE P20060021001. UPDATE: ON 10 SEPTEMBER 2013, MUSEUM CURATOR WENDY AITKENS WAS INTERESTED TO KNOW THE FUNCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE LAMP’S SPRING AND DOUGHNUT-SHAPED DISH COMPONENTS. FORMER ST. MARY’S ANGLICAN CHURCH PASTOR MICHAEL EBSWORTH RESPONDED WITH THE FOLLOWING ANSWER IN AN EMAIL TO COLLECTIONS STAFF: “THE SPRING GOES INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE TALL GLASS VESSEL THAT IS WITHIN THE LAMP STRUCTURE ITSELF. AN 8-DAY CANDLE (A TALL CANDLE CAST IN A GLASS JAR MADE ESPECIALLY FOR LAMPS SUCH AS THIS) IS THEN PLACED INTO THE GLASS OUTER VESSEL, THE SPRING SERVING TO PROTECT THE OUTER VESSEL FROM BREAKING, EITHER THROUGH ROUGH HANDLING OR THROUGH HEAT TRANSFER. THE SMALL DISH-LIKE GLASS ELEMENT IS THEN PLACE ATOP THE LARGE GLASS VESSEL AND PROVIDES A KIND OF CHIMNEY AND DRAFT-GUARD FOR THE BURNING CANDLE WITHIN. IF YOU WANT THE DISPLAY TO BE COMPLETE GET ONE OF THE 8-DAY CANDLES EITHER FROM ST AUGUSTINE'S ANGLICAN CHURCH OR FROM A LOCAL ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISH, OR FROM MOST CHURCH SUPPLY STORES.”

Catalogue Number

P20060021008

Acquisition Date

2006-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail