"St George's Church and Community"

200 Years of Worship and Outreach

The church built by the German settlers in 1800 has served the north end of Halifax for 200 years and remains an active center of Anglican worship and outreach for the new millennium.

Canon Henry Ward Cunningham

courtesy St. George's parish archive Under Canon Henry Ward Cunningham (1900-1937), Saint George’s became a spiritual home to Newfoundlanders living in Halifax, and they remain an important element of the congregation today. In 1912, Canon Cunningham assisted in the search for bodies from the Titanic. Read more by clicking here. In appreciation, he was given the only deckchair salvaged from the ship (Now on display in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic)

In 1917 the church was damaged in the Halifax Explosion and subsequently repaired.

Saint George’s and World War II

courtesy St. George's parish archive On the outbreak of World War II, The Reverend C. De Witt White, rector of Saint George’s, resigned to become a chaplain in the Royal Canadian Navy. Under his successor, the Reverend Carmon Stone, the parish hall became an important social center for servicemen in overcrowded wartime Halifax.

Parishioners down the ages

Parishioners include J.F.W. DesBarres,who charted the Atlantic coast (Atlantic Neptune), courtesy St. George's parish archive and was Lieutenant Governor of both Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island. He died in 1824 at the age of 102. He and his wife are the only people buried under Saint George’s.

Sir Samuel Cunard, founder of the Cunard Steamship Company, his wife Susan Duffus and their nine children also worshipped at Saint George’s. Their pew was number 64.

Today

Today, the parish of Saint George’s is a thriving Christian community, joined in worship and in reaching out to its neighbours. Please visit the section entitled Present in the Community for more about the church today.