Our History

Our History

The idea for St. Michael's Anglican Church began one October evening in 1893 as a small group of people gathered in the one room log schoolhouse in Canmore. Rev William Henry Barnes, the Anglican priest from St. George-in-the-Pines in Banff spearheaded the project. The group had enthusiasm and confidence but not much cash, so it was an amazing achievement that St. Michael's was built debt free and consecrated in June 1897. 

The church came in to existance to benefit the growing community of Canmore, to give the people of the town a place to mark important life events like baptism and confirmation, joyous celebrations like marriage and times of support at funerals. Faith, hope and community were the cornerstones of St. Michael's in its inception, a sentiment that continues to this very day. 

In the past 124 years the church has not changed very much. "If you stand just outside the door to the sanctuary of St. Michael's Church and shift your gaze to the south (more or less), your eye will rest on two and a half of three beautiful mountains that grace the landscape. 'The Three Sisters.'" 

1 If you would like to know more about the story of our church and its people, stop by and ask for a copy of the book St. Michael's Church written by Gerald Hankins. 

1 St. Michael's Church, the story of our church and its people, Gerald W. Hankins, Essence Pulblishing, Belleville, Ontario, Canada, 2007