The Church
Shortly after the opening of the school, a chapel was set up in the basement to take the overflow from the Cathedral on Sundays. The chapel area was small, and the overflow such that people sat on the stairs and even inside the confessional. Mrs. A. Cummings described it:
“The school basement was partitioned in two and small altar with a wall-hanging behind a statue of Our Holy Mother, a communion rail, and a number of benches with wooden kneelers furnished the little chapel. A small cubicle at the back served as a vesting place for the priest and was also used as a confessional.”
The partition between the chapel and the school basement was made removable and on Sundays the congregation overflowed into the school basement where there were no kneelers, just the cold concrete floor. Mrs. Cummings had the privilege of kneeling in the front pew to give the Latin responses and to ring the Sanctus bell.
The basement area improved when volunteers carried out the finishing work.
At Easter in 1948, the Archdiocese of Vancouver announced the establishment of a church at Broughton and Pendrell Streets, where once stood an Italian rose garden. It was to be known as “the Chapel of ease tot he Cathedral”. Plans for the building began as early as mid-1948. Construction took place in 1949.
The structure is of stone and brick, fire-resistant, and has a foundation of concrete wall with footings. The pews were made of fir and the windows are of two-toned stained glass. The late Dr. Vincent Moe and his mother donated the tabernacle. On Sunday, May 21, 1950, this church was blessed by His Grace, Archbishop Duke, assisted by the Reverend Francis A. Clinton together with Father James Fagan. It was dedicated to war services personnel and called Guardian Angels Church.
Chuck O’Fallon recalls that the first altar missal was donated to Fr. Clinton by four young men – Bill Pearson, Chuck O’Fallon, Ed Vermeersch and Gerry Jameson – who went out carolling from house to house around Christmas time to raise funds to buy it.
The original reed organ, after many repairs, was donated to the Oblate priests in Hope. A new one was bought by means of contributions from the Royal Canadian Legion in memory of Armed Forces personnel and bears a plaque reading:
“This organ has been placed in our church as a memorial in memory of the members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives in the service of their country.”
The original Crucifix was donated by Mrs. Ernest Weeks.
“We had a crucifix which had a plaster corpus glued to the main bar of the cross, about two years after I got here,” Father Gordon recalled in the 1989 parish history book. “With the heat of the church andgeneral wear and tear, the glue came apart and the whole Crucifix came tumbling down. The corpus, made of plaster of Paris, crashed to the floor ina thousand pieces. So we had a new corpus made, designed by an artist in Rome… I got advise ont he size of the cross to hold it and that’s what we have now.”
The side altars were donated by Major Martin Griffin and his mother. They were later reduced in size. The statue of the blessed Virgin Mary was a gift from Mr. mcFarlane at his conversion to the faith, and the stations of the cross were donated by Mrs. Alice Ontkean. The altar bells replace bells that had been stolen earlier and were the gift of Beryl and Roland Daoust to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary.
In the spring and fall of 1965, liturgical renovations necessitated by Vatican Council II were overseen by Father Hugh McIsaac and Right Reverend Father Mallon. The altar was turned sot that the priest faced the people and the Tabernacle was installed in a side chapel. They also added a new office ont he northwest corner of the rectory and arranged for access from there, to be closer to the sacristy.
Landscaping and urgently needed renovations began in 1984, under the leadership of Father Leon Kotsko. Helen Bautovich remembers having to place buckets in the front pews to catch the drips where the roof leaked. The original fir pews were replaced, the lectern remodelled, new carpeting installed and the heating improved. Father Leon was also responsible for the arrangement of two short pews in front to allow wheelchair access. By 1986 the sanctuary and reconciliation room were revamped and a washroom added to the vestibule.
The sidewalk was replaced, removing all steps and making the approach to the door accessible to the handicapped and the elderly. The ceiling was painted, with a new three-toned design. In 1989, lettering was set above the entrance to identify the building as Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Church.
New in 1999 were two circular han-painted stained glass windows donated by Gerald Scully in memory of members of his family. One depicts the annunciation and the other a guardian angel comforting a child.