About us
Over a century ago, a small group of Anglican Christians got together in the living room of a home on Avenue E North in Caswell Hill and made a plan to build a new church for the brand new city of Saskatoon. With no shortage of grit and pluck, folks began hauling boulders from the banks of the South Saskatchewan River to build the church's foundation. As it turned out, these ambitious pioneers' vision somewhat outstripped their means, and so worshippers of Christ Church Anglican spent forty years gathering in the completed basement, earning them the affectionate sobriquet of "the basement church". Christ Church also became the official church of the North Saskatchewan Regiment with Victoria Cross war hero Hugh Cairns attending prior to going overseas to serve and give his life. Finally in 1954, the Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher came from England to lay the cornerstone of the upstairs sanctuary (the year after he crowned Queen Elizabeth ll ). In the ensuing decades, Christ Church has earned a reputation for faithful worship and something of a renegade spirit...and with it the unofficial nickname of "black sheep of the Diocese"
Our Team
Rev. Mark Kleiner
Pastor
The son of the son of a preacher man, Pastor Mark Kleiner spent much of his youth trying to chart a path far removed from the ‘family business’ of ordained ministry. Following a spectacularly disastrous attempt at rock n roll stardom on the West Coast in the 1990s, Mark returned to his prairie roots in Saskatoon and eventually attended theological school. “To my surprise, and initially to my horror, I realized I actually wanted to be a pastor,” he now says. In 2011 Mark received a call to St Paul’s Anglican Parish and Redeemer Lutheran Church in Biggar, SK, where he lived and served until receiving and accepting the call from Christ Church in 2016.
Rev. Peter Coolen
Parish Deacon
Originally a Geologist from Nova Scotia, Peter worked with both the provincial and federal governments and in the private sector before retiring and taking on a variety of volunteer roles in the non-for-profit sector. He and his wife Karyn originally moved to Saskatoon in 1988 and live in the King George neighbourhood of Saskatoon; they have two children and six grandsons. Peter is currently the Diocesan Archivist, the Associate Editor of the Saskatchewan Anglican and has served the diocese in a number of other positions. Approximately six years ago Peter became involved in this diocese’s Locally Raised Clergy Program; in 2017, he was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church by the Rt. Rev. David Irving, Bishop of Saskatoon; after ordination and prior to coming to Christ Church, he served as Parish Deacon at St. George’s, Saskatoon.
Ruth Black
Parish Nurse/People's Warden
Born and raised in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood of Saskatoon, Ruth attended Caswell School and Bedford Road Collegiate. She worked for 25+ years as a nurse at Saskatoon City Hospital, and then 12 more at the Veterinary Medical Center as the nurse manager and educator of veterinary students in the operating room. Motivated by her deep love for Christ, Ruth completed her Parish Nurse Certification, and currently serves as the parish nurse for Christ Church. Her family has attended Christ Church for 80 years and three generations. Presently Ruths live just outside of Saskatoon on a acreage with her husband Bob, daughters Ashley and Brittany, son-in-law, Tyrell, and granddaughter, Sydney. Besides her family, Ruth loves the animals she shares her life with: 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 donkeys , 1 goat and 5 horses.
Ted Engel
Building Manager/Choir Director
Ted C. Engel is an architect at a major firm located in Caswell Hill. Ted grew up in Guatemala where his parents were involved in Bible translation and literacy in Mayan languages. In addition to his interests in the built environment, Ted is a musician and directs the choir at Christ Church Anglican and a city wide Ecumenical Choir. His wife Cathy is a specialist in the “culture” of food and drink. Their son Atlee is studying at the University of Saskatchewan. Before moving to Caswell Hill in 2009 they lived in La Grange, Texas, and Raleigh, North Carolina. They currently live within a couple of blocks of Christ Church Anglican.
Renée de Moissac
Organist
Renée de Moissac lives in St. Benedict with her husband Doug. She studied piano, organ, and harpsichord in Winnipeg and in Montreal. She specializes in the music of J.S. Bach and Olivier Messiaen, as well as in repertoire of the Renaissance, and occasionally, ventures into the Classical and Romantic periods.