Spiritualism came into public awareness in Canada in the 1850s. While there is little written information about this time available, we do know that in British Columbia Spiritualists were organised in the 1870s and by 1891 had legally incorporated themselves as First British Columbia Society of Spiritualists. We also know that ordained Spiritualist ministers were conducting services in British Columbia as early as 1915 and that the Province was strongly represented in the Canadian Spiritualist movement. 

The first Spiritualist group in Victoria, First Spiritualists, was established in the late 1800s and was incorporated as a society in 1886.  The movement grew in Victoria in leaps and bounds - against much opposition from the religious groups of the day.  It attracted people from all stations in life and brought prominent international lecturers to town.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, for example, lectured at Victoria’s Royal Theatre to a standing-room-only crowd.

By the early 1930s, there were three active Spiritualist groups in the City, along with other groups of a similar bent.  At this time, a senior minister of the First Spiritualists, Dr. W. L. Holder, believed it was time to bring the different groups together in a place of their own.  Reverend Holder and a few other like-minded and dedicated people united with the aim of creating such a place for the purposes of:

Promoting, teaching and studying the aims of Rational Spiritualist Philosophy,

Teaching, study and worship based on the Seven Principles of Spiritualism,

The advancement and demonstration of phenomena, as well as training and education,

The practice of and instruction in spiritual healing, the promotion of self-healing and the exploration of the wider areas of human consciousness, and

The gathering and meeting of fellow believers and community.

In 1937, Canada’s first teaching centre, led by Reverend Holder, was established.  He hoped its name would continue to be First Spiritualists, but the consensus among the other involved groups determined that Reverend Holder’s choice was not to be.  In its place, the name for the teaching centre was taken from the First Spiritualists’ educational classes, the Open Door, which had been established in 1933.

The first meetings of the Open Door were held under the direction of Reverend Holder in members’ homes. They  emphasised meditation and all forms of mediumship - from healing to physical phenomena. As well, there were discussions involving such varied topics as social welfare, equality, women’s rights, Spiritualist philosophy and the role of Spiritualism in the modern world. 

The meetings soon outgrew the home setting and the Open Door eventually settled at 714 Cormorant Street. 

The members, however, did not lose sight of their goal; they continued to work towards their dream of opening a permanent centre of their own.

The Open Door’s members worked tirelessly to raise funds for their centre. Many dedicated 10 percent of their wages toward the cause, carrying on through the latter part of the Depression and the war years - and their donations weren’t even tax deductible! As a further testament to their determination and perseverance, they maintained their efforts amidst opposition that seems unbelievable when recalled today: threats of job loss, ostracism by the larger community and having their homes and vehicles vandalised.

Throughout this busy period, the Open Door members actively raised funds and awareness for different social causes, such as pension reform and the repeal of the Vagrancy Act; as well, they backed William Lyon McKenzie King’s social reforms. It was also during this time that the Open Door became the Canadian forerunner in performing for Spiritualist marriages. Newspaper reports from February 15^th, 1940 indicate that the first Spiritualist wedding ever performed in a Spiritualist Sanctuary in Canada was solemnised at the Open Door.

The members eventually purchased land on Cook Street in Victoria and, as they worked and tithed towards their goal of having their own building, a Spiritualist camp was opened on Salt Spring Island.  The camp was used as a retreat and for conducting courses in self-development, spiritual healing and mediumship.   

The Open Door on Cook Street officially opened its long sought-after sanctuary on September 7^th, 1947.  People attended the event from all over Vancouver Island and the lower mainland of British Columbia, as well as from Winnipeg, Manitoba and from the states of Washington and California. In addition, the Open Door received many congratulatory cards and telegrams from around the world.

Fund-raising for the second phase of the Sanctuary, the upper hall, began shortly after the opening of the first phase. The fund-raising included a broad selection of activities: theme teas (such as silver teas and harvest teas), bingo and card nights, musical evenings, plays, raffles, rummage sales and bazaars.

The dedication of the completed upper or lecture hall was held on June, 24 th, 1951 , with three opening services. Once again, many people attended, travelling from as far east as Ontario and from as far south as California. There were 18 speakers and demonstrators participating in the various services on opening day.

The Open Door attracted the top speakers and mediums of the day. These included the co-founder of the Open Door from Nanaimo, Winifred Bentham (deep trance medium), Reverend B. Gaulton-Bishop (clairvoyant), Earl H. Williams (medium) and Dr. Hal Styles (speaker, author, spiritual healer), to name but a few.

By 1951 the Open Door was a going concern. It became an active member in the BC Council of the National Spiritualists Association of Canada. At the time, the NSAC had eighteen branches. (Reverend Holder served as president of the BC Council of the NSAC for a time, but in October of 1951 he left, having accepted a position in the United States.) The Open Door hosted conventions that brought NSAC delegates from across Canada and was at the centre of the NSAC’s campaign to have legally recognised Spiritualist weddings performed across Canada.

While maintaining its active involvement in the NSAC, the Open Door continued to operate as a Spiritualist sanctuary and to run its own retreat centre and programmes. In addition, the Open Door helped and advised other Spiritualist centres around the world. Correspondence with the United Kingdom, including letters from the likes of Maurice Barbanell and Ivy Northage, not only kept the membership of the Open Door abreast of the latest developments in all areas connected to Spiritualism, it forged and maintained great friendships throughout the years. Visitors to the Open Door, including mediums such as Coral Polge and Mary Duffy, also aided in supporting the Open Door’s high standards for the work of the spirit. Fostering these kinds of friendships and connections with speakers and mediums from other parts of the world is a tradition that carries on and benefits the Open Door to this day.

After Reverend Holder left in 1951, Reverend Harold Moore and his wife, Reverend Elsie (Ralph), headed the Open Door. Reverend Elsie gave the gift of music to the Sanctuary, hosting many different talents from within the community, for many different causes, until retiring in 1986.

One hundred and thirty years after its original conception as the First Spiritualists, the doors of the Sanctuary remain open, still providing a service for all who enter. As the Open Door Sanctuary continues to change and unfold, embracing new concepts that are reflected in its community, it continues to help and advise other centres all around the world. The concepts and services developed at the Open Door are reproduced and respected from here to Australasia

The legacy continues.... ©

Reverend Holder

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