Thursday, October 10, 2013

A Field Trip Last Summer

To a supposedly "haunted" church in Gore, tucked away in the woods near our cottage.

 

St. John's Shrewsbury, now a deconsecrated church, is not haunted. But somehow rumours started, then vandals came and destroyed this once lovely summer place of worship. It is tucked away on a remote dirt road, so it was easy for gangs of teens to break in and party there unnoticed. It's quite sad to see the destruction of a once sacred place. It is both beautiful and mournful there; the sweet chapel is slowly crumbling and dissolving into the gentle gardens of the cemetery surrounding it. Its jagged holes, shattered plaster and profane graffiti are a sad testament to its former glory days.


I have friends whose children were baptized there. Other friends, visiting from Winnipeg, found a relative's gravestone. In fact, Julie's great-great-(not sure how many greats) grandfather William McKnight died exactly 145 years to the day, July 11th, we stood there looking down upon his grave. And as I basked in the warm summer sun and Buddy snuffled around in the grass, I read the stone and realized I was also the exact same age William was when he died.















Not a ghost, just a ghostly reflection of the photographer.

Then again, one can find the divine in an Icelandic train station. Go here.


5 comments:

iBridget said...

Wow, what a beautiful song. It sounds like something the elves would sing in Lord of the Rings.

I was under the impression that Iceland had no trains though. Maybe they're somewhere else or maybe I'm wrong. :)

Sad that the little church is being vandalized like that.

Julie K. said...

Three greats, in fact; you were close. I was so excited to see the grave itself that I didn't focus on the church as much, but your photos are amazing.

It's so sad that the church is in this state...once, it was a gathering place for a vibrant community, and for now, it stands and watches over those who remain. I hope it survives a while longer.

Martha said...

How sad and moving. Thanks for posting.

nightsmusic said...

I guess I just don't understand the destructive mentality shown to that poor church. When I was a teen, I did some crazy things, but that kind of thing never crossed my mind. I hope someone takes the initiative to restore it.

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