St. Martin's Cathedral (Gander)

St. Martin's Cathedral is a pro-cathedral of the Diocese of Central Newfoundland, a diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada, in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador.^[1] St. Martin's was established as a parish church in 1959 and was elevated as a pro-cathedral after Gander became the episcopal see of the diocese after it, the Diocese of Western Newfoundland, and the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador were split from the former Diocese of Newfoundland in 1976.^[2] The current dean of the cathedral is David Hewitt.^[3][4] The cathedral hosts ordinations and the diocesan synods.^[5]

Description and history

A plaque in the cathedral commemorates three crewmen whose bodies were not recovered following a 1943 crash of a Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator into Gander Lake.^[6] In August 1985, Robert Runcie, the then-Archbishop of Canterbury, arrived in Gander unannounced before starting a 18-day tour of Canada. He was greeted by officials from the cathedral.^[7] Runcie's sermon at St. Martin's was his first major event of the tour.^[8]

The interfaith memorial service for the 256 U.S. Army soldiers killed on Arrow Air Flight 1285R was held in St. Martin's Pro-Cathedral on 15 December 1985, drawing between 600 and 900 people.^[9][10] A 25th anniversary memorial service was held at the cathedral in 2010.^[11]

The diocese's first youth synod was held in 2003, including services at the cathedral.^[12] Bruce Stavert, the Bishop of Quebec, was elected as the metropolitan bishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada in 2004 at St. Martin's.^[13] David Torraville, former rector of the parish in Gander and the cathedral, was elected as Bishop of Central Newfoundland in 2005.^[14] When Claude Miller, the Bishop of Central Newfoundland, became the Metropolitan of Canada in 2009, he signed his oath in St. Martin's.^[15] In 2016, the cathedral's rector John Watton was elected bishop of the Diocese of Central Newfoundland.^[16] The diocese credits Watton's rectorate with making St. Martin's among the fastest-growing Anglican parish communities in Canada.^[17]

References

1. "About". Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador: Diocese of Central Newfoundland. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
2. "Our History". Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
3. "St Martin's Pro-Cathedral". Anglican Communion. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
4. Eveleigh, F., ed. (1984). St. Martin's Pro-Cathedral, Gander, Newfoundland: A Twenty-Five Year History, 1959-1984. Parish of St. Martin's.
5. Caines, Terry (1 November 2021). "Diocese of Central Newfoundland Holds 47th Synod–"Welcome To The Future"". Anglican Life. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
6. Thorne, Stephen J. (13 September 2022). "Divers find long-lost WW II bomber in Newfoundland lake". Legion. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
7. "Archbishop of Canterbury poised to start Canadian tour". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. 29 August 1985. p. 23. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
8. "Across Canada: Archbishop's tour begins in Gander". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, ON. 31 August 1985. p. 5 – via Gale in Context.
9. "Memorials Conducted for American soldiers". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Bluefield, WV. 16 December 1985. p. 1. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
10. "GI rites in Canada". Chicago Sun. Chicago. 16 December 1985. ProQuest 256996144. Retrieved 11 November 2022 – via ProQuest.
11. "Arrow Air crash's 25th anniversary observed". cbc.ca. CBC News. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
12. "First youth synod". Anglican Journal. Anglican Church of Canada. 129 (8): 10. September 2003.
13. "Canada elects Stavert as metropolitan". Anglican Journal. Anglican Church of Canada. 130 (9): 17. November 2004.
14. Sison, Marites N. (October 2005). "Nfld. diocese gets new bishop: it took three ballots to elect Torraville". Anglican Journal. Anglican Church of Canada. 131 (8): 13.
15. Watts, Ana (October 2009). "Bishop Miller elected Metropolitan" (PDF). The New Brunswick Anglican. p. 1.
16. Folkins, Tali (5 May 2016). "John Watton elected bishop of Central Newfoundland". Anglican Journal. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
17. "Our Bishop". Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador: Diocese of Central Newfoundland. Retrieved 12 November 2022.

48°34′21″N 54°21′48″W / 48.5725°N 54.3632°W / 48.5725; -54.3632