A Brief History

The Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral was not formed until the office of Dean was occupied in 1895, and was incorporated by the Legislature in 1898. It is the official governing body of the Cathedral under the jurisdiction of Canon Law and the Bishops chairs its meetings. The Bishop, as head of the Chapter, had the authority and the obligation to choose any special speakers, celebrate Holy Communion in the Cathedral at Christmas, Easter, Ascension Day, Whitsunday and the Dedication Festival and be free to preach at the Cathedral. The Chapter originally consisted of the Bishop, the Dean, four laymen and six canons, two of whom would be the Archdeacon of Saint John and the Archdeacon of Fredericton.

The Cathedral Chapter had changed its structure little by 1981, being then made up of the Bishop, the Dean, the four Archdeacons, the Canons, two members of the laity elected by the Cathedral congregation and one lay person elected by the Synod. This arrangement was found to be unsatisfactory since the members came from all over the province and met only once a year. The day-to-day functions of running the Cathedral were delegated to the "Sidesmen", a body of laymen from the Cathedral congregation, chaired by the Dean. The Sidesmen, however, were hampered by certain restrictions. According to provincial legislation the Cathedral Chapter was the only body which could invest funds or make organizational changes. There was a need for a body of local members to be organized who could meet more regularly, who would know the problems and situations which arose at the Cathedral and who could respond accordingly.

For these reasons the Cathedral Chapter was reorganized in 1981 to take its present form. Medley's Cathedral, while still belonging to the Bishop of Fredericton, is now more effectively governed by its Dean and its own congregation.