Immanuel's stone font had a long and much-travelled history before it was moved to Immanuel in 2021.
The font was carved from English granite by an unknown craftsman, and has been authoritatively dated to about 1250 AD. It is believed the font was in a church on the south coast of England, overlooking the cliffs facing the English Channel. Over the centuries, the sea eroded the cliffs. Eventually, the church and the ground it stood on fell into the sea. Hundreds of years later, the sea returned the font to the land. In about 1910, an Englishman discovered the stone when walking on the beach following a heavy storm. He carried the stone bowl home and used it in his garden as a flower planter. One day, a visiting archaeologist recognized the ancient stone as a font. He received permission to take the stone to Oxford, where its age was established. The owner, when he learned it was a 13th-century church font, asked the archaeologist to find a church wishing to give the font a home.
Following the First World War, the Rev. Frederick Pike was busy building rural churches in the Diocese of Qu'Appelle. He was given the font to place in a beautiful new church in Heward, Saskatchewan. Once again, the font was being used for the purpose it had been designed for, and many children in that parish received Holy Baptism in it. Eventually, the population in the area declined, and the church was closed. In the late 1950's, the bishop presented the stone font to St. Luke's to be a link with the past. The brass cradle for the stone was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Winter of St. Luke's in memory of a loved one. The base cradle was designed by Michael Argan and Ken Woodhouse, both of St. Luke's Parish, and was custom-built by Valley City Church Furniture in Dundas, Ontario.
When St.Luke's closed and joined with the four other Regina parishes to create Immanuel Parish, the font was moved to Imanuel's building.
Immanuel welcomes you for your wedding day!
We invite you to begin your life together as a dedicated couple with a meaningful and memorable wedding. As you prepare to join your lives together and celebrate this special occasion with family and friends, our professional and experienced staff will help bring your special day to you.
We will work with you to honour the joining in Christ's love. Your ceremony will be a service of thanksgiving to God which will reflect your commitment to an enduring lifelong future together.
Please use our CONTACT page to connect with us and start planning with you.
Life is meant to be celebrated and we are happy to provide a range of services at end of life. If you want an informal gathering or a traditional Anglican funeral service we are happy to discuss your vision and celebrate the life of your loved one.
Please use our CONTACT page to start the discussion.