Bells ring for anniversary

Quebec

Two hundred years after its completion as the first Anglican cathedral built outside the British Isles, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Quebec City was rededicated during a special homecoming weekend.

Special guests included Quebec’s lieutenant-governor, Lise Thibeault, and the primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Andrew Hutchison, who preached to a congregation of more than 300 at the rededication service on Aug. 29.

While the primate preached, a group of bell ringers — some visiting from as far away as Britain — successfully completed a three-hour-long peal of the cathedral’s eight change bells. The cathedral’s next major restoration project is the repair and refurbishing of its aging bells and bell tower.

Also “coming home” to the Quebec cathedral for the weekend was the family of Allen Goodings, the former dean and later bishop of Quebec who died in 1992. A sanctuary lamp was dedicated to his memory by the current bishop, Bruce Stavert.

The weekend also included a sold-out concert featuring an 80-voice choir under the direction of David Rompré, vocal conductor of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra.

The bicentennial celebrations were as much about looking forward as looking back. Holy Trinity Cathedral remains the active spiritual home of more than 200 French- and English-speaking Anglican and Lutheran families in Quebec City. The parish is involved in refugee sponsorship, outreach to sailors at the port of Quebec, and ministry to the thousands of tourists who pass through the cathedral’s doors each year.

Rev. Bruce Myers is assistant curate at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.