The repair of a historic Anglican church was a nice birthday gift for Jerrold Delahey, whose family helped construct the country church more than a century ago.
It’s purely coincidental that Delahey turned 84 years old on the same day that volunteers reinstalled the bell tower and cross on 122-year-old St. Columba Anglican Church, he said with a chuckle on Aug. 13.
“I was quite pleased to see (the repair) done by a local fellow. He did a very good job on it,” Delahey remarked while watching as two cranes lifted the bell tower and repair bucket to the church’s roof, so volunteers Dan Goud and Dave Delahey could reinstall the structure.
St. Columba Anglican Church is a municipal heritage property located roughly six kilometres east of the Village of Tuxford on Highway 202.
The senior Delahey was one of more than a dozen people — including many relatives of the original parishioners and a few area neighbours — who came to watch. His grandfather and parents are buried in the adjacent cemetery, while he acted as caretaker from 1994 to 2018. His grandfather’s original homestead is three-quarters of a mile east; his son and grandson farm that area.
A wind storm blew down the bell tower in late May, so Sandra Luchia, her brother Dave, and his wife — who became caretakers after their father retired — called area residents Dan and Linda Goud for support, Luchia explained, who was married in the church in 1982. Dan had previously expressed interest in volunteering and putting his carpentry skills to use.
After receiving the call, Goud drove over on May 30 and recovered pieces of the tower. He took them back to his shop, where he spent the next few months rebuilding the structure. Goud saved the original 1898 top portion and incorporated it into the new tower. The Gouds’ two grandchildren also contributed to the project by painting the wooden frame.
“It’s a very important icon in the community,” said Mrs. Goud. “It’s in people’s hearts … . (Dan) enjoyed doing it; he really did.”
The Delahey family has been involved with the church since it was consecrated on Nov. 2, 1898, Luchia said. Her great-grandfather, grandfather and father were volunteer caretakers for decades. Now she, her brother and sister-in-law volunteer their time to cut grass and trim weeds.
Every 10 years, they request a grant from Saskatchewan Heritage to maintain the church’s exterior. So far, the organization has given them $2,000 to paint the outside, while all other funds have come from donations.
It was a surprise when the bell tower fell off, the senior Delahey said. He always thought it was strong enough to remain on the roof, but they found out that was untrue in the face of strong winds. To prevent a repeat, Goud drilled in eight-inch nail screws to solidly anchor the tower.
Delahey, who now lives in Moose Jaw, still drives past the church every week to visit his son’s farm. However, he doesn’t stop to look as much now that he has retired as caretaker.
It was a pleasure to maintain the property after taking over from his father, Delahey said. What made looking after the property easier was having lawn equipment with attachments that could navigate the small area. That wasn’t the case for his father, who had a large tractor and mower and couldn’t navigate between the headstones.
St. Columba Anglican Church is the oldest building in the Rural Municipality of Marquis and even predates the creation of the RM. If you have the patience, you could search through all eight guest books to find the signature of former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, who visited Moose Jaw in 2001 while attending the Festival of Words with her husband.
