St. Andrew and St. George Church

St. Andrew and St. George Church

Nestled on Carleton Avenue, facing Pioneer Park, St. Andrew and St. George Church was built in 1937. It was the first church of any denomination built in Baie-Comeau.

Of Anglican denomination, it will welcome parishioners of all Protestant denominations, under the order of Anglican Bishop Philip Carrington who came to bless the church on August 7, 1938. He declared “… as long as there is no other church in Baie-Comeau for non-Catholics, Christians baptized in their respective religions, they will be able to receive communion here at the altar, and ministers of other religions will be able, from time to time, to celebrate mass in this church with the permission of the bishop.” This line of thinking was avant-garde for the time.

The Tudor architectural style is unique in the region. Architect W. F. Tomkiewicz used wood to complete the project at a cost of $17,500. This was an important gesture to emphasize the building’s integration with natural resources and to create a warm atmosphere for parishioners and visitors. Its decorations include enormous solid oak woodwork and beautiful stained glass windows. The main stained glass window, created by Mrs. Clara Fargo Thomas, is distinguished by its unique depiction of the nativity of Jesus, along with the flora and fauna of the North Shore and Pierre Ti-Basse St-Onge, the Innu friend who saved the life of Colonel Robert McCormick, the town’s founder, in 1915. The two other side windows represent the patrons of the Anglican church: one is in the image of a log driver representing the economy of Baie-Comeau and the other two salmon fishermen symbolizing the importance of leisure.

From its beginnings, the church has been very present in the religious, social, educational and cultural life of citizens, particularly English-speaking citizens and, in some cases, Protestants. It was the headquarters of the “North Shore Mission” serving Protestant parishes spread across the North Shore and several towns on the South Shore.

It has been a welcoming place for various physical and moral support activities over time, for example, support for disadvantaged families, veterans returning from the Second World War, and home visits. The social involvement, support, and subsequent exchanges have created links with the population of all origins, particularly English-speaking people. Although there has also been a decline in the English-speaking population since the end of the 1960s, community activities at the Anglican Church continue to offer opportunities for contact and maintenance with English-speaking culture.