Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44After celebrating the 175th an- niversary last year, the congrega- tion has amalgamated with the congregation at the Church of the Ascension in Port Perry and is now attending services there. Over the past decade, the size of the congregation in Cartwright has been in decline. Few building permits have been issued in Cartwright since the 1970s when several houses were built on the north end of Blackstock. That was the last residential develop- ment in Cartwright Township and there are no plans for any devel- opments in the forseeable future. Cartwright High School closed its doors two years ago. During the past few months, meetings have been held to deter- mine the future of the Blackstock Anglican congregation and the building itself. A decision was made to combine the parish of St. John’s with that of the Church of the Ascension in Port Perry. The Church of the Ascension is no stranger to amalgamation. In 1868 the Church of Saint Agnes was built in Greenbank to accommodate the local Anglican adherents. As a result of declining attendance, by the end of the nineteenth century, it had to close the doors. The last ser- vice was held in 1899 and the con- gregation amalgamated with Port Perry’s Church of the Ascension. To commemorate that union, the belfry (bell tower) was removed from the Greenbank church and installed on the roof of the Port Perry church. TheGreenbankfacilitywassoldin 1920 and eventually assumed a new role as the Greenbank Community Hall. Today, as a community hall it has become a popular venue for a variety of music concerts. In Blackstock, the original St. John’s church was located halfway between Blackstock and Cadmus and opened in 1851. The church cemetery was located directly be- side the church. Unfortunately the original building, a wooden struc- ture, burned down in 1875. A new building was erected, but this time, in red brick, and right in the village of Blackstock. The original pioneers who found- ed the church were Protestants that had left Ireland in the 1830s and 1840s to settle in Cavan Township. After a year or two they moved again to resettle in Cartwright Township. Among these pioneers was WilliamMcLaughlin.Hisgreatgreat grandson, Lawrence McLaughlin, maintained the ancestral traditions in his attendance at St. John’s. His wife Linda had been the organist St John’s Anglican Church in Blackstock has closed the doors In 1930 the church steeple was hit by lightning and had to be removed. St. John’s Anglican Church, 1876. St. Agnes Church, Greenbank. Keeping theFaith 14 FOCUS - MARCH 2017