Church of the Ascension (Windsor, Ontario) facts for kids

The Church of the Ascension is a historic church located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Anglican Church of Canada, which is a Christian denomination. This church belongs to the Diocese of Huron.

The church started as the Chapel of Ascension on May 11, 1893. It still holds services at its original location, which was once called London Street and is now University Avenue. In its early days, priests from a sister church, All Saints Anglican Church, helped lead services. People even gathered for services at the site before the first church building was constructed. The Church of the Ascension grew steadily. By 1905, it had enough members to get its very own priest.

Building a Community: Early Church History

The Church of the Ascension has been rebuilt and improved many times over the years. As more people joined, the first wooden church building became too small. So, it was taken down. Construction for a larger brick building began in August 1907. A special stone, called a cornerstone, was placed to mark the start of the new building.

The new brick church was officially opened on May 31, 1908. Sadly, this building was completely destroyed by a fire on December 22, 1926. No one knew what caused the fire. Luckily, some important items were saved, like the altar cloths, communion cups, and the parish hall. While the church was being rebuilt, services were held in the parish hall. A new cornerstone was laid in 1927, and the church was rebuilt quickly. It was officially opened again on December 4, 1927.

Over the years, the church building and its property have seen many changes. Most of the money for these improvements came from donations by the church members. Some of the upgrades included beautiful new stained glass windows and a new organ. They also added a house for the priest, renovated the parish hall, and built a parking lot. Air conditioning was installed, and a new office was built in 1988.

A Challenging Time: The 1990 Fire

Another fire happened at the church on January 14, 1990. This fire was caused by arson, meaning someone intentionally set it. A large part of the church was destroyed. However, restoration work began right away to fix the damage.

While the church was being repaired, services were held at a local school. Later, they moved back to the parish hall, which had only minor damage from the fire. Church members were able to save several important items from the flames. These included the cross, altar cloths, silver items, candlesticks, church records, the church Bible, and many of the pews (church benches).

The beautiful stained glass windows were also rebuilt. They used the original glass, but new lead was needed because the heat from the fire had damaged the old lead. The church was officially opened again in November 1990. Many important people from the local community attended the ceremony.

The Church Today: Continuing to Grow

The Church of the Ascension has continued to add new features to its building and grounds. They created a special Memorial Garden, which even uses some of the charred wooden beams from the 1990 fire. A new church sign was put up, and paintings were added to the parish hall and nursery.

In 1993, a new stained glass window was installed. This window faces the street and celebrates the church's 100th birthday. The Church of the Ascension continues to be an important part of the Windsor community.