The Church of Our Lord
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History
ÒOur LordÕs Church in VictoriaÓ, otherwise known as ÒThe Reformed Episcopal Church of Our Lord in VictoriaÓ, was established on October 27, 1874, just 8 years after the Confederation of Canada. Its founder and first Minister, the Rev. Edward Cridge, had arrived from England, 19 years previously, with his wife, Mary, on board ÒThe Marquis of ButteÓ in 1855. Cridge had come under the auspices of the Church Missionary Society, renowned for its evangelical outlook, to be the Chaplain of the HudsonÕs Bay Company settlement of Fort Victoria. He became Rector of Trinity Church, and later Dean of Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, which he left to start this church. In 1875 The Church of Our Lord joined with churches of like faith that had been organized in Eastern Canada in 1874 by Bishop William Cummins of the Reformed Episcopal Church in America. This Church, like the Free Church of England, was attempting to re-establish the Biblical Principles of the Reformation of the Church of England during the reign of Edward VI. Cridge was consecrated as first Bishop of the First Diocese of the Reformed Episcopal Church in Canada, by Bishop Cummins in 1876. Later that year, Cridge went in the ailing Cummins place to England to consecrate Bishops Price and Sugden as first Bishops of the Free Church of England. Thus the denominations in England, Canada, and the U.S. were closely linked. Over the years of his fruitful life, Bishop Cridge and his congregation played a major role in the spiritual and social advances of the communityÑ including founding the hospital, which later became the Royal Jubilee Hospital, and the Protestant Orphans Home, which is now the Cridge Centre for the Family.
Building
The land was donated by Sir James Douglas KCB, Factor of the Hudson Bay Company, one of CridgeÕs congregation, and later Governor of British Columbia. Douglas Street is named after him. The Church building was designed by the famous local architect, John Teague, who later became Mayor of Victoria. The building is in Carpenter Gothic style. The exterior is of board and batten construction. The interior is finished in California redwood. The building was dedicated on Sunday January 16, 1876, with 600 members in attendance. The integrity and uniqueness of the church has been carefully maintained over the years. In 1929, the old adjoining church hall was replaced by the present Cridge Hall. The architect was the noted Samuel McClure, whose classic design complements the church so beautifully. The building actually constructed was smaller than the McClure design, due to the hard economic times. Plans are now being made to restore the Church exterior and renovate the hall to conform to the original McClure design.
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