Holy Rosary Cathedral

Origins

In 1886, after Father Patrick Fay arrived to begin a catholic parish in what was once the two settlements of Gastown and Hastings, a more permanent church was required for the growing congregation. A site was chosen for having one of the tallest trees in the area and a wooden church was completed in 1889.


Later, in 1898 Father J.M. McGuckin ordered the construction of a larger church and the ceremonial cornerstone was set in 1889 and completed towards the end of 1900. It was designed by T. E. Julian and H. J. Williams using local granite from Gabriola Island was later declared a cathedral.
The church was a central part of many Vancouverites and important ceremonies were held. Historian Chuck Davis indicates that a celebrated lifeguard named Joe Fortes had his funeral at the Holy Rosary Cathedral and attracted thousands of people outside its doors, making it one of the largest attendances for any funeral or ceremony at the time.


Much of the church as we see it today was built between 1899 and 1900, taking 490 days. The church had its beginnings

 

Today

The building still stands in a similar fashion of how it was before, with only a few renovations to the roof.


In its context to Vancouver, The Holy Rosary still stands as an important religious centre for many Vancouverites and continues to have weekly worship. Moreover, a group called Friends of the Cathedral was created to help support the various musical groups it houses and also to continue the preservation of the building through financial assistance and expertise. It also houses numerous musical concerts open to the public.


The church has had difficulties with some panhandlers, with an incident occurring on at a weekly basis. In 2007, a panhandler assaulted a senior after the senior had taken out his wallet to give money to the panhandler. The panhandler was indicated as regularly harassing people inside the church. Moreover, recently in October, 2011 a splinter group of the occupy movement had a peaceful of tense stand-off with members of the Holy Rosary, wanting answers for residential school atrocities committed by the Catholic church in the past. These indicate some of the challenges facing the church as it enters into the 22nd century.

Work Cited

  • CBC News. "Cathedral under siege by panhandlers, staff says in wake of attack." 2 August 2007. CBC News: Canada. 2011 November 2011 <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/08/02/bc-mugging.html>.
  • Davis, Chuck. Oddities. 25 November 2011 <http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/oddities_1900_1922.htm>.
  • Holy Rosary Cathedral. History of the Cathedral. 24 November 2011 <http://hrc.rcav.org/History/index.htm>.
  • Raptis, Mike. "Breakaway faction of Occupy Vancouver marches on church." 31 October 2011. The Province. 25 November 2011