Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the second church to have been the diocese's cathedral. A place of worship in Greater Vancouver, the cathedral is located at 690 Burrard Street on the northeast corner of West Georgia Street, directly across from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in Downtown Vancouver.
History
Christ Church is a daughter church of St. James' Anglican Church. The first service was held, without a church building, on December 23, 1888, at 720 Granville Street. On February 14, 1889, a building committee was formed to collect the necessary funds for the erection of the church. It would be located on land bought from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR); Henry John Cambie, chief engineer of CPR's Pacific Division and people's warden of the new church, was a key negotiator in acquiring the property.
By October 1889, Christ Church's basement was built and on October 6, the opening service was held for 52 parishioners. The joy of a new church was short-lived. By 1891 the CPR objected to the unfinished building that had quickly been nicknamed the root house. It was viewed an "eyesore" and the parishioners feared they would lose their location due to lack of funds to complete the building. The architect
Robert Mackay Fripp submitted a proposal for completion of the church in 1892.
Worship
thumb|View of the cathedral altar from the nave of the cathedral
Holy Communion is celebrated using both the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Alternative Services. Both a simple spoken celebration and a choral or sung Eucharist celebrated with congregational hymns featuring an eclectic mix of Mass settings, psalmody, anthems and instrumental music are practised. Music in worship ranges from plainsong to motets from the baroque and classical periods to contemporary and world music. Cathedral musician Rupert Lang is a prolific and respected composer and many of his sacred pieces debut during this liturgy.
The cathedral clergy share preaching duties at services with guest preachers booked throughout the year. Guest preachers in the recent past have included a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, and the noted environmental scientist David Suzuki. It is also the church at which the royal family worships when in Vancouver.
In May 2014, the cathedral formed St. Brigid's, a community rooted in the Emerging Church movement rooted in the Anglican tradition.
Deans of New Westminster
Holy Trinity Cathedral in New Westminster formerly housed the Dean of New Westminster, until that seat was moved to Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver in 1929. The following is a list of deans of New Westminster since 1929: