Church History Charlottetown

A variety of PEI church histories are available online in various locations. This article attempts to identify the locations of those resources while giving a basic outline of the individual churches of Charlottetown. This started as a reference list which has been added to over several years. The list is not complete, as some groups gather in rented spaces and are more difficult to track. Most of the churches listed are Christian but other faith traditions active in Charlottetown are included as well.

The book of sketches of 300 PEI churches compiled by Sterling Stratton in the year 2000 and published in 2007 under the name The Complete Book of Island Churches At The Turn Of The Century The Year 2000 is now digitized and online.

Presbyterian

• A history of Zion Presbyterian Church, Charlottetown, P.E.I - 1997 by Scott MacDonald tells of churches leading to Zion Presbyterian Church including Queen Square Church and the Free Church of Scotland. "The congregation of Zion Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was formed in 1870 from the union of the Queen Square Presbyterian Church and the "Free" Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown. The Queen Square congregation was formed in 1847, however, a church building was not finished until 1860. The "Free" Presbyterian Church congregation was formed in 1854, and a church constructed in 1856. When the two congregations amalgamated in 1870, the name Zion Presbyterian Church was chosen. Property was purchased in 1906 for a new church building on the corner of Prince and Grafton Streets. The new church was opened and dedicated in 1913. In 1925, the congregation voted to remain within The Presbyterian Church in Canada." In 2022 an updated history was completed by Scott MacDonald which is available through the church office. A Guardian article in 2013 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the new church provides an excellent outline of the history.

• History of St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, Sherwood, P.E.I - 1991

• The Kirk of St. James, Presbyterian Church, in Charlottetown has updated its history booklet several times: the 1962 version, as well as the 1982 revision, and the 1992 version are all available online - as well as a document, The Women of The Kirk. In 2018 a newly compiled history booklet was written and is available for purchase through the church office. There is a brief illustrated history on the congregational website with historical pictures and key dates. A self-guided tour brochure and an illustrated version of the 1992 history is also available on this blog. The Kirk grew from a meeting held in 1825 which led to the first building which opened in 1831. This wooden structure was moved next to the site to allow construction of the stone structure that opened in 1878, and served as for an additional 17 years until the completion of a church hall in 1895. Fire struck the main church in 1898 but did not destroy the building. Repairs were made and a major renovation in 1931 reoriented the church interior 90 degrees. In 1965 a renovation and addition to the hall was completed that added a modern office and meeting rooms.

Free Church of Scotland

• There is now a concise history of the Free Church of Scotland on PEI. The Free Church locally "dates from 1843 but with its roots in the Reformation, the Free Church of Scotland owes its distinctive title to its historical struggle to remain free from state interference in its internal affairs."  Most congregations with Free Church roots became part of church union efforts within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Local congregations that did not became part of those unions maintained connections with Scottish affiliations. Birchwood Church congregation organized after WW II built a church at 1 Birchwood St. in 1954 that continues to operate in the same building.

Anglican

• St. Peter's Cathedral, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, 1869-1944, tells of the Anglican Parish of Charlotte as does the book An act of faith : the first fifty years of St. Peter's Cathedral by H. M. Peter Westin. A brief history is also available on the church website.

• The Parish of Charlotte and the Church of St. Paul's in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, by Dr. Frank Jelks has not yet been digitized but the book tells of the oldest congregation in Charlottetown. As well a bound collection of the results of Dr. Jelks research is locally available through the Public Archives and Records Office. A brief history is available on the congregation's website. Three churches have served the congregation: 

1. Opened in 1796 and completed in 1802, the first church stood in the western part of Queen Square where Memorial Hall of Confederation Centre now stands. It was demolished in 1836.
2. The second church, designed by Isaac Smith was damaged during a storm while under construction but was completed and consecrated on August 21, 1836. 
3. The current stone church, designed by William C. Harris was consecrated July 24, 1896.

Baptist 

• A Legacy of Faith: The History of the Charlottetown Baptist Church since 1836, tells of First Baptist Church which was organized in August 1838 by Rev. George MacDonald and 9 charter members. Growth over the years led to several building programs. The roots of the congregations reach further back to 1836 when, "The small group began to hold weekly worship services at the home of local watchmaker John Jury. It was located at 161 Kent Street, about mid-block, on the north side of the street between Prince Street and what is now University Avenue; roughly at the site of the current parking garage... the second floor of John Jury's house, which they rented for a small fee, would seat about 100; but initially there was only a quarter of that number attending."

•  In 1905, First Baptist hosted the first session of the newly formed Maritime United Baptist Convention. Four buildings have served the congregation over the years:

1. The first structure was located at the corner of Euston and Prince St. it opened Aug. 24, 1845. The building was relocated to lower Great George St. across from the Bishop's Residence opening on May 1, 1853.
2. An octagonal brick church was opened at the corner of Fitzroy and Prince St. (current location of the Salvation Army) opening on Dec. 14, 1879. It was destroyed by fire.
3. The replacement church long known as the Brick Church opened in stages with the Sunday School Hall operational in Oct. 1889 and the church completed and opened on Jan. 11, 1891. The architect was Charles Benjamin Chappell.
4.  The present church facility located across the corner from the prior two at 235 Prince Street was dedicated on May 17, 1959. The architect was Keith Pickard.

• In 1978 Grace Baptist Church occupied their new building at Kirkdale Road in West Royalty.

• "Community Baptist Church emerged from a small group of eight believers who met in a home to formalize a Bible Study and Prayer Fellowship in November of 1992. This group quickly grew and on August 29, 1993 they constituted as a church and affiliated with the Canadian National Baptist Convention. In October of 1995, Community Baptist Church started meeting in their newly constructed facilities at 162 Sherwood Road." Worship services includes Chinese worship. mychurchfamily.ca

•  Cornerstone Baptist Church traces its beginnings to Charlottetown.  The congregations states that, "Cornerstone is one church in multiple locations, with services happening in Cornwall, Stratford, and Montague on Sunday mornings." Locations in the Charlottetown area are located at 9 Cornerstone Dr., Cornwall and at 295 Shakespeare Dr., Stratford. cornerstonebaptist.ca

• Good News Baptist Church meets at Hillsborough Community Centre (199 Patterson Dr.) Their website history indicates that they date to 1977 when Gerald and Norma Baker moved to PEI, with a mission goal of seeing the establishment of an Independent Baptist Church in the Charlottetown area and that the church organized itself on June 4, 1978 meeting at the Glen Stewart School in Stratford, PEI. ​The following September the newly organized church purchased property on the Brackley Pt. Road. In April, 1980 the church accepted the offer from the Central Bedeque Fundamental Baptist Church that their former building be moved to the new property in Charlottetown. The first Sunday service in the newly reconstructed building was held in October 1980. In May of 2000, Good News Baptist Church graduated from mission status to full autonomy. ​In January 2016 the church moved to 199 Patterson Drive in the Hillsborough Park Community Centre to grow the word of God in the Hillsborough Park area.

•  Beacon Baptist Church has a church building at 231 Brackley Point Rd., across from the  Charlottetown Airport. A Facebook post on November 25, 2018 indicated they were, "Looking forward to a great day in Church. We are celebrating our sixth anniversary as a Church today." 

Roman Catholic

• A Century Plus Forty, by Fr. Art O'Shea (2009) is an historical review of the Diocese of Charlottetown, 1829-1969. It looks at diocesan and other events during the terms of the first nine bishops. It is available in local bookstores. Art O'Shea has written a series of books on Catholic history on PEI and a brief historical outline of the diocese. Things That Are Above Vol 1: The History of St. Dunstan's Cathedral Basilica, by Blair Bernard tells with pictures of the various buildings over time (four) that have stood on Great George St.; St. Dunstan’s Basilica structure is the fourth Roman Catholic Church to occupy this site since 1816. This one built of Miramichi freestone, was restored after a fire in 1916. 

• A new parish to serve Parkdale was established in 1956 called Pius X Roman Catholic Parish, and is located at 106 St Peters Rd, . 

• In 1964 Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic parish erected a modern building at 3 Pond St. that replaced a smaller church on Upper Queen St. where the playground and parking lot of St. Jean School now stands.

Eastern Orthodox

• Ss. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church is located at 26 Lower Malpeque Rd. in Charlottetown. Opened in December 1995 there is a brief history available. 

Christian Reformed

• Heartz Hall in East Royalty was the first meeting place, for a congregation that is now known as Charlottetown Christian Reformed Church and now located at 153 Mt. Edward Road. The current property was purchased in the mid 1960's and the church building was dedicated on February 6, 1966. The building was expanded twice, once in the early 1980's and once in 1994.  A brief history is available. 

Christian Brethren, Open Brethren & Non-affiliated

• Charlottetown Gospel Hall is affiliated with 4 other Gospel Halls across PEI and part of an international assembly with roots in the Open Brethren movement. They are located at 143 Upper Prince St. 

• "Faith Bible Church is a multicultural, non-denominational community church located in Charlottetown, . . . having no affiliation with any denominational body." The congregation built their church in 1980 and it is located at 392 St. Peter's Rd.

• The Charlottetown Bible Chapel has roots in the Christian Brethren assembly which first met in the Sons of England Hall in 1954 and established their chapel at the corner of Cumberland and Longworth Ave. in 1955 with their first meeting during January 1956. In 1975 they moved to the current Bible Chapel which is located at 35 Linconwood Dr.

Churches of Christ

• The Church of Christ congregation was established as  Central Christian Church at 217 Kent St. in 1900. The church was incorporated by the PEI Legislature on September 22, 1900. A new addition constructed in 2007 connected the original building along with a second building owned by the church creating a modern auditorium and entrance space which was dedicated on September 23, 2007. There is a brief history of the original building. Their website indicates they are not a denomination but they do recognize their roots in the Restoration Movement and are listed as being among the individual churches that use the terms Christian Churches/ Churches of Christ/Disciples of Christ in Canada.

• In 1970 the Sherwood Church of Christ opened at 9 Lilac St.

Mormon (LDS)

•  Mormon history (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) indicates, "the Summerside Branch was the first branch created on the island although the Charlottetown Branch is the largest of the three with 250 members. About 150 members live in Summerside and 90 in Montague." The Charlottetown church was built in 1984 and is located at 10 Northridge Pkwy.
  
   Salvation Army

• The Salvation Army has had a long history on PEI since Sept. 26, 1894 when the founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth visited the Island and stood at the pulpit of Trinity United Church, which at that time was a Methodist Church, in Charlottetown and preached a message of service to others. In 1966, the Salvation Army established a new Citadel, Barracks and Welfare Bureau on the SE corner of Prince and Fitzroy St. on a site that had previously housed 1st. Baptist. The prior Citadel had been locate on Great George St. in the area of the Atlantic Technology Centre. A newspaper article describes highlights of their history on PEI.

United Church

• Glimpses of Glory and Grace: Trinity United Church, Charlottetown, 1809-1964 tells of the Bible Christian Society and the 2nd Methodist group that formed Grace Methodist which joined with the main Methodist group leading to Trinity Methodist (now Trinity Clifton United Church). Trinity's cornerstone was laid in 1863 by Mrs. Dundas, wife of the Lt. Governor. Its designers were members of the congregation – Thomas Alley and Mark Butcher. It was completed in 1864. It is the third place of worship for the congregation. 
• In 2015 the congregation commissioned research a 78 page document The Stained Glass Windows of Trinity United Church Charlottetown by Reg Porter, which is available online. 

• One hundred and fifty-one years ago Thomas Alley and Mark Butcher built the First Methodist Church on the corner of Prince and Sydney Streets. It was a great preaching hall brightly illuminated with nineteen tall windows. According to the Methodist liturgy of the day there was no question of installing stained glass windows nor providing an instrument such as an organ to accompany the Liturgy of the Word. As the Nineteenth Century drew to a close stained glass windows became acceptable and an organ was installed. Thus came into being the beautiful church interior the congregation enjoys to this day. (Excerpt from the Foreword by Reg Porter.) 

• In 2018, The Architecture of Methodism in Charlottetown a 178 pg document by Reginald Porter was published. It is available online with print copies at the church office. 
• A brief history of the Trinity Clifton congregation is available at the PEI Historic Places website:

• "The Wesleyans, or Methodists, had established a presence on Prince Edward Island in the late 1700s. They met in private homes until 1813, when they built their first chapel on the North side of Richmond Street, between Queen and Pownal Streets. They ceased meeting in this chapel in approximately 1835, when they built a new chapel on the corner of Prince and Richmond Streets. Their first service in the new chapel was held on the 9 July 1835 with the resident minister, J.P. Heatherington, leading the service. The building was approximately 42 by 55 feet long however, because of a rapidly increasing membership, the chapel was enlarged twice in 1840 and 1847. Due to various revivals over the next decades, the congregation continued to grow in size and it soon became apparent that a new church was required. In 1863-1864, the congregation built the current Trinity United Church along the south side of the wooden chapel. It was a much larger, brick building that would seat 1200. Thomas Alley and Mark Butcher, both architects and members of the congregation, were chosen to draw up the plans."

• Spring Park United Church grew out of historic Trinity United Church. Beginning as a church school housed in a bungalow on Queen St. in 1959, shortly afterwards a congregation was formed and housed in a portable church on a lot adjacent to the current property (corner Kirkwood and Trafalgar) while still part of the Trinity pastoral charge.  On June 30, 1964 Spring Park United became a separate pastoral charge with Rev. C. C. Lewis as minister. The congregation undertook construction of the circular building with a sod turning on Sept. 7, 1964. The new sanctuary was dedicated on June 7, 1965.

• Park Royal United Church was established in 1958 as a suburban church to serve the communities of Parkdale, Sherwood (then Central Royalty), East Royalty, and the present Stratford area. The name is derived from the community names Parkdale and Royalty, and is located at 11 Christie Drive, a street that was named after Rev. Howard Christie who was the interim moderator (supervising minister) while it was being established.  Land for the new church facility was donated by G. Stewart MacKay. Construction began on August 20, 1957 and the church opened following the laying of the cornerstone on June 22, 1958.  A new manse was constructed and dedicated on March 5, 1960. A history of the congregation is available on line.

• Benjamin Chappell who arrived in New London, PEI to work at the Quaker colony established there, eventually moved to Charlottetown and continued as an active Methodist lay person. Seen as a father of Methodism on PEI a brief bio gives an introduction to him as well as the longer entry by J. M. Bumstead in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

Unitarian 

• The Unitarian Fellowship of Prince Edward Island, is associated with The Canadian Unitarian Council and meets in the Chaplaincy Centre of the University of Prince Edward Island twice a month on Sunday mornings. They maintain both a website and Facebook page.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

• Quakers (The Religious Society of Friends) also meet in the Chaplaincy Centre of the University of Prince Edward Island on Sunday afternoons.  They maintain both a website and a Facebook page.

 Pentecostal

• The Charlottetown Pentecostal community established Calvary Temple on Prince Street in 1960 and in outgrowing that building established a new larger facility in 1980 at the corner of the Trans-Canada Highway and Malpeque Rd. with the same name - Calvary Temple. Calvary Temple Charlottetown Incorporated is affiliated with Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

Other Christian denominations

• The Sherwood Church of the Nazarene is in "the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, with the denomination tracing its roots to an anniversary date of 1908." Sherwood Church of the Nazarene is located at 40 Woodlawn Dr. An article on July 15, 2017 in The Guardian (PEI) indicates that the fist Nazarene church on PEI was founded on July 23, 1917 and was originally known at the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene.  The first church was in Elmsdale meeting at Elmsdale Hall and in homes. In Nov. 1922, the Salvation Army transferred their hall to the new congregation which continued to use it until 1946, when a new building replaced it. In 1995 the current building was opened in Elmsdale.

• Charlottetown Vineyard which is part of  Vineyard Canada holds Sunday services at the Farm Centre, University Ave. Charlottetown. A history of the Vineyard Movement tells how the denomination began in Hollywood, California in 1975 and now operates 1,500 Vineyard churches worldwide.

• Harvest House Ministries operates at 243 University Ave, Charlottetown, and indicate that, "Harvest House PEI is home to the Island's first residential long term Addictions Recovery Center (A.R.C). The ARC opened it's doors in December 2013 for men ages 18 and up, who have been struggling with addictions and unhealthy lifestyles and are decidedly ready to be free and move forward in live in a positive and healthy way."

• Hope of the Nations, operates also at 243 University Ave, Charlottetown, and indicates that it is a multinational fellowship exploring Christianity with Chinese translation offered. 

• Sunrise is a member of The Wesleyan Church, and describes itself as a protestant evangelical denomination which meets at the Benevolent Irish Society Hall at 582 North River Road on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. While Wesleyan Methodist churches in Canada became part of church union that created the United Church in Canada in 1925, this denomination (with a similar name and roots) is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church which its world headquarters in Fishers, Indiana. 

• Greater Life Church meets at Murphy’s Community Centre (200 Richmond St., Charlottetown): Worship, Sundays at 11 a.m. Pastor Donald Hood, 902-628-8776. greaterlifechurch.ca. 

• Also meeting at Murphy's Centre is The Living Word Assembly which is part of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The website indicates that the denominations is, "a large, international and diversified ministry with millions of members worldwide and with more than 5000 branches in at least 150 countries of the world. RCCG as the ministry is fondly called was established in 1952 and the General Overseer is Pastor Enoch Adeboye." 

Several other denominations are located in Charlottetown including:

• Seventh-day Adventist Church is located at 70 Royalty Junction Rd., Winsloe. www.peisda.org
• Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 55 Pope Ave. Charlottetown.
• Sherwood Apostolic Pentecostal, 195 Kensington Rd. Charlottetown.
• Church of God House of Prayer, 56 Lilac Ave. Charlottetown.
• Deeper Christian Life Ministry was located at 7 St Peters Road, 2nd Floor, in Charlottetown.

Bahá’í

• The Origins of the Bahá’í Community of Canada, 1898-1948, tells briefly of the origins of the  Bahá’í Community on PEI, which began in 1942. Fires in Many Hearts, by Doris McKay and Paul Vreeland, published by Nine Pines Publishing in 1993 tells in more detail of the early years for  the Bahá’í community of Charlottetown. Travelling teachers were the first Bahá’í members to visit until Doris McKay's extended visit to PEI in May and June 1942. She settled on the Island with the formation of a spiritual assembly by 1944. The Bahá’í Faith Charlottetown Centre is located at 20 Lapthorne Ave. 

Muslim

• Two mosques are located in Charlottetown the first one was established in 2004 in an privately owned building at 125 Queen St. and is know as Charlottetown Mosque.

•  The Muslim Society of Prince Edward Island was established in 1990 on PEI and in July 2012, the newly constructed Masjid Dar As-Salam Mosque was opened at 15 MacAleer Drive. 

Buddhist 

• A Buddhist place of worship and learning is located within the restaurant operating as Splendid Essence. "The bright and delightful space on the second floor offers fascinating classes, lectures and exhibitions to enrich your life. The third floor is an elegant Buddhist praying hall."    The  Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society (GEBIS) indicates that it is offering educational opportunities at Splendid Essence - 186 Prince Street,Charlottetown. In November 2016 media reports indicated that a new home had been secured for classes and meditation at 133 Queen Street. The Charlottetown Centre has a Facebook page   

• Shambhala Buddhism is also represented in Charlottetown through the Shambhala Meditation Group of Prince Edward Island. They hold group meditation and training sessions at the Health Within Holistic Centre, 500B Queen Street, Charlottetown.

• The Buddhist Alliance of Prince Edward Island, a Theravada Buddhist community, was founded by a group of Sri Lankan Islanders in 2015. "The main purpose of the BAPEI is to facilitate Buddhist cultural community activities for moral development by accommodating special Buddhist religious activities, festivals, and ceremonies enabling all lay people who wish to attend and participate. The PEI Buddhist Alliance was incorporated on September 10, 2015 in Charlottetown." The Buddhist Alliance has a Facebook page

Jewish

• A small but active Jewish community exists in Charlottetown although no place of public worship exists other than private homes at this time.  The community organized itself formally in 1993, with Dr. Joseph Naylor being elected first president.
• Ahuva Mishpochah (Beloved Family) Messianic Congregation started in September 2008. It is affiliated with CTOMC (Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations). It meets at 231 Brackley Point Rd., Charlottetown (Beacon Baptist Church): Friday at 6:30 p.m. for fellowship followed by service at 7:30 p.m. Jan McLean, 902-213-8746; ahuva.org
• An article in The Guardian on April 1, 2021 called Passover in a Pandemic indicated some quick facts about P.E.I.’s Jewish community:
• • The first Jewish person on record in P.E.I. was Joseph Levi. He was a tailor from England and appears in the 1848 and 1855 colonial censuses.
• • Four Jewish doctors began practising on the Island during the Second World War when many Island doctors enlisted.
• • The celebration of Passover on P.E.I. was documented as early as 1908 in the Patriot newspaper.
• • Today’s Island Jewish community is made up of people from across Canada and around the world. Most were not born on P.E.I., though there have been more births in the last year.

Hindu

• The Indo Canadian Association of PEI while more of a cultural organization than a religious one is the sponsor of an annual Diwali "festival of lights" banquet in celebration of the ancient Hindu festival. The organization maintains a Yahoo Group. 
• In February 2024 the following announcement was made, "With the divine blessings of the Lord, the Hindu Society of PEI joyfully unveils the inaugural opening of the island's first Hindu Temple on March 8th. The Temple will ceremoniously commence with the sacred Pooja of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivaratri. We warmly invite you to join us on this auspicious day."
• The temple location of 569 Capital Drive, Cornwall, PEI was provided in the Facebook posting.

Sikh

• An article published by CBC in April 17, 2022 indicates that "P.E.I.'s first Sikh temple opens doors in Stratford", which was also reported the following day by The Guardian. The CBC article indicated:
• The Sikh community in P.E.I. has grown exponentially in the last decade, with Singh estimating that there could be around 1,500 Sikh living in P.E.I. at the moment, including students and workers.
• Savneet Singh said he expects about 30 to 45 people to come to the gurdwara regularly, with many more attending for special events such as the annual holiday of Vaisakhi.
• "It's not only for the Sikh religion, but for everyone in the community," he said. "Everyone is welcome here. The main motive of Sikh religion is to serve ... humanity."
• The website of the PEI temple.

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This listing has been updated over the years and draws from a listing posted by The Guardian.