Prior to 1957 the future town-site of Page, Arizona was a rocky, windswept, desert mesa overlooking a canyon of the Colorado River. Located above Glen Canyon, it was one of the most isolated areas remaining in the lower forty-eight states at that time, and still is today. The occasional Navajo herdsman traversed the area, and only the most ardent outdoorsman enjoyed the Colorado River through Glen Canyon. That was to change in 1957 when construction on the Glen Canyon Dam was begun, along with the government construction camp that was to become the City of Page.
There were about twenty Episcopal families at that time. The first church services were held in the trailer office of Dr. Ivan Kazan, who later became the first bishop’s warden of St. David's. When the Bureau of Reclamation set up temporary school buildings, services were moved to one of the classrooms. The teacher's desk became the altar and the student's desks became pews. Getting in and out of those desks proved to be quite a challenge for some of the adults of St. David's!
It became obvious an actual church building was needed. By 1958 there were about 4,000 residents of Page. The growth of the community prompted the Bishop's Committee to petition the Diocese of Arizona for seed money for a new building. The funds were approved construction of St. David's Church began on a lot deeded to them for $10.00. All of the budding churches were given this option and today, in Page, you can find the churches lined up side by side on what is affectionately known as “Church Row.”
Initial plans called for the church hall to be built first, with the addition of a sanctuary and rectory to come later. When the bids for construction came in, they were quite a bit more than expected and it took all the money set aside for St. David's just to build the church hall. The sanctuary called for in the original plans was never built. The original hall was used as St. David's church building until 2007.
Easter Sunrise Service 1959.
Easter Sunday 1959 was a big day for St. David's. After the chilly Sunrise Service on the vacant lot, that was the future site of St. David's, the official ground-breaking ceremony took place. Earl Gilmore, the Architect, Reverend Adam Lovekin, and
The First Services Held in Roofless St. David's 1959.
By June 7, 1959 the walls of the church were complete and the first service was held in the new building. It was a good thing it was a sunny day as the roof had not been built yet! For the next month or so the contractor would clean up his mess on Saturday afternoon so services could be held in the unfinished building on Sunday. When the building was finally complete, it was only a basic shell with lights and a restroom. The finishing of the church hall was completed by volunteers working nights and weekends.
In these early days of Page, St. David's was the first church to even have a hall and as such it was rented out for community functions. The money raised in this manner was used to offset the construction costs of the hall. The church hall was in high demand from the Lions Club, Glen Canyon Lodge No. 59, Square Dance Club, and Duplicate Bridge Club. It was also used for Union Meetings and Wedding Receptions. The Masons even brought benches that were used for services until 1962 when the Catholic Church gave St. David's some of their old pews. Those pews were used until the new sanctuary was finally built in 2007!
St. David's Church Hall 1959
The vicarage was built in 1985, to provide housing after a resident vicar was assigned to St. David’s. This building has since been converted to offices, meeting space, and the home of the food bank, although sleeping quarters are still available if the need arises.
St. David’s was transferred from the Diocese of Arizona to the Diocese of Utah in 2001. In 2007, the sanctuary was finally built with the support of the Diocese of Utah and Project Jubilee.
Down through the years St. David's has survived. One of the oldest churches in Page, we are also one of the smallest. New families move in to Page and others move out, but our doors are always open to new members and visitors alike. Though the original founders of St. David's moved on after the Glen Canyon Dam was built, their spirit and vision remain a viable part of what St. David's is today.
St. David's has seen its share of tragedy over the years. Dr. Ivan Kazan, St. David's first bishop’s warden, was killed when his plane crashed while flying over the Grand Canyon in the 1970's. The Reverend Timothy Kazan and his wife, Karen, were killed returning to Page from church business in Phoenix in 1994. Reverend Tim Kazan was the son of Dr. Ivan Kazan and was St. David's resident priest from 1991 until his death.
St. David's is still going strong despite tragedy, fluctuating attendance and periods with no vicars, and little or no money. In fact, the later was a factor in the transferring of St. David's to the Utah Diocese from the Arizona Diocese in 2001. With the transfer St. David's once again had a resident vicar, the Reverend Steve Keplinger, until 2010. A few interim priests and several supply priests followed until the Reverend Kathalin Walker was named priest-in-charge in 2018.
At St. David's we've learned our lessons of faith and persistence well from those first few hardy souls who gathered on a windswept mesa decades ago to worship God and build a church.
