‘Bittersweet’: Churchgoers attend final service at Holy Trinity site

Another chapter in one of the city’s longest-running religious institutions has come to an end.

Attendees of Holy Trinity Church gathered in the pews to rejoice in song and prayer one last time on Sunday as the 63-year-old place of worship will soon be demolished.

The Northern Avenue East church will be replaced by a nine-storey, 108-unit apartment complex.

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” said minister Susan Koyle. “I will miss the large fellowship space that we had.”

Originally from Timmins, Koyle was brought in by Archbishop Anne Germond last April to help lead the church’s transition into its temporary space next door at the Trinity Centre, which includes a seating area, coffee station, and a giant Algoma Public Health approved kitchen.

That centre, along with the church, are owned by the Cara Community Corporation — a non-profit housing corporation founded by Holy Trinity’s congregation in 1979.

Cara will be expanding its affordable housing in the area with the $35-million apartment building, which will mark the corporation’s fourth major development.

More than half of the tower’s main level will feature a brand-new church space under the Holy Trinity name.

Excited to see that vision materialize, Koyle told SooToday she’s grateful that Cara has kept their members in mind throughout every emotional and sometimes difficult phase of the transition process.

“They’ve set aside a nice space for us every Sunday,” she said. “It might not feel like the usual idea of a ‘church,’ but it’s exciting because we’re moving closer to what the very early church experience was: coming together, sitting around in a circle, praising God, and being a community.”

An Anglican Church of Canada, Holy Trinity has served the Sault since 1918 when its first service was held in a little white church at Huckson’s Corners, Tarentorus that was used for the next 43 years.

In 1959, sod was turned for the existing church building before a new wing was added on the west side of the structure in 1986, which includes Holy Trinity's distinctive white cross.

Frances Glover has seen that evolution firsthand as she’s been a devoted member of the church for the past 70 years.

“This is going to be a tremendous change for the congregation because all the memories are here,” she said. “This is my church family. If you look out at that congregation, there are three, and even four generations in some cases. The faith is there, the strength is there.”

At 90 years of age, Glover has served on both the Cara board and the Trinity board.

Among the things she’ll miss most about the building are all of the events that have taken place inside the historic structure, and of course the many members and friends who have passed on over the years.

But she’s filled with an immense sense of pride knowing the Holy Trinity name will forge ahead.

“The focus through 40 years has remained the same: safe, stable, sustainable and affordable housing,” she said. “That’s the main theme through the whole thing. We did it once, we can sure do it again.”

During a historic service on Sunday, churchgoers concluded the main portion of their proceedings with a special prayer inside the Holy Trinity site before they walked over to their temporary new home in the Trinity Centre for a final prayer and blessing.

“It’s symbolic,” Koyle explained. “The building is gone; the church is not. The church is the people, it’s us — not the building. This is a very strong community, and I’ve felt right at home since day one.”

As SooToday reported last year, the remains of the deceased, whether it be coffins buried or ashes scattered in or around the church property, were transferred to the columbarium and the scattering garden at St. Luke’s Cathedral.

The timeline for the apartment complex is currently undetermined.

— with files from David Helwig and Darren Taylor