Worship has been offered at Trinity for 175 years, and our hope is that, God willing, it will be here for the people of Dorchester for all the years ahead. Trinity strives to be a community church, a place where all can gather close to home, in our village, to worship our common Lord.
Worship Schedule
We gather every Sunday at 9:30 A.M. Usually this is for Holy Communion. For some parts of the year (when a priest is not available every Sunday), it is for Morning Prayer. But there is a service every Sunday.
You can find our most recent bulletin on this page.
People
Our rector (pastor) is the Rev'd Dr. Ranall Ingalls, who oversees this parish, as well as the parish of Sackville. For more information, click his name here, or under the heading "ministry team".
Our wardens are Gaius Dobson and Thelma Cormier. Our lay reader is Peter Spence. Vestry is the committee which oversees the temporal affairs of the church. Many members of the congregation are on Vestry, and newcomers are welcome. Wardens and Vestry are elected at the Annual Parish Meeting, early in each new year.
Contact
The Rector is the main contact for the church. The parish office can be reached at (506) 536-0897 or parishoffice2004@yahoo.ca. Our address is 5005 Main St., Dorchester NB E0A 1M0.
Dorchester, New Brunswick
Dorchester is a historic village, and a living municipality. It was a booming economic centre in the late-19th century, as is still in evidence from the some of the beautiful homes and other buildings in the area. Some of these buildings have now become museums and are open for tours in season, such as the Keillor House Museum and the St. James Textile Museum. Dorchester is also a favourite spot for birdwatchers. Every July, flocks of thousands of sandpipers stop in Dorchester on their long journey to Suriname, South America, where they will fly from Dorchester without stopping.
But there is also a lot going on in Dorchester on a regular basis. The Village of Dorchester publishes a monthly newsletter with this information.
Parish History
Trinity Anglican was built in 1840 and consecrated August 21, 1843 by John Inglis, Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia. The entry in Bishop Inglis’ diary for the day reads, “A very neat church was consecrated and named Trinity.” In 1846 the church ladies and the wife of Bishop Medley made the red hangings to commemorate the bishop’s visit to Trinity. The hangings are still in use today.
The first organ was brought from England in 1845 and the present organ was installed in 1870. In 1959 the organ was overhauled by an organ builder from England. The choir and organist from Saint George’s Church, Moncton, came to Trinity for the rededication service. The chancel was enlarged in 1868, completely refitted in 1880 with a credence bracket, lectern, a new chancel carpet and a more appropriate Holy Table. Also in 1880 the women’s guild donated funds to erect a stone fence and a new bell, placed for Christmas that year, from Baltimore. The rector’s engineering son drafted the tower alterations and the parish men executed them. The bell performed a dual role; it called people to worship and alerted the town of any fires.
In 1887, twelve gothic windows were installed in the church. The headings depict the Four Gospels with the cathedral glass coming from Montreal. The frames were made in Oxford, Nova Scotia. New pews of ash complimented the seating. A new brass and oak pulpit honoured the memory of Sir Albert Smith and a window in the chancel was also given in memory of the six children of David and Lydia Chapman. David Chapman was warden of the parish church for twenty-one years.
The focal point of the church is the great east window, dedicated in 1888 in memory of Harriett Forsayeth, the mother-in-law of Joshua Chandler. The window is comprised of three lights depicting the Birth, the Baptism and the Ascension of our Lord. The Easter window on the right hand of the nave depicts St. Mary Magdalene meeting our Lord following the resurrection. This window is in memory of George Wentworth Chandler and Kathleen Head, his wife. In 2001 Trinity’s newest stained glass window was dedicated in memory of Frank and Mona Dobson and Celia Baird by Charles and Gaius Dobson. The window depicts the angel Gabriel speaking with Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the Annunciation.
