Tom McConaghy and his family members used to ride horses to church from their farm.
These days, he and his wife, Freda, ride in their priest’s car, their walkers folded up in the trunk of his Ford Taurus.
McConaghy, who marked his 100th birthday on May 15, is the oldest member of the congregation at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Westlock, Alta., 90 kilometres north of Edmonton.
He also serves as the rector’s warden — a position that involves attending monthly meetings, overseeing the church’s finances, planning activities and helping the priest.
Not one to boast, the retired farmer and Second World War veteran downplayed his longstanding connection and contributions to the church in an interview with CBC News.
“It’s something that we’ve always done and it’s nice to keep up,” he said.
McConaghy, who grew up going to a United Church, started attending Anglican services after he got married.
He and his wife, who met at a dance in England during the war, have been married for nearly 80 years. They have attended St. Philip’s for decades.
They only recently moved out of their home on a farm and into Smithfield Lodge, a seniors’ lodge in town.
Tom McConaghy, who turned 100 in May, has attended St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Westlock, Alta., since the mid-1940s. He serves as the rector’s warden as a way of giving back to the congregation. CBC’s Madeleine Cummings met with McConaghy and the church’s pastor and learned about the challenges facing churches in rural communities with aging populations.
Over the past 11 years, McConaghy and Rev. Peter Yeung have become close friends. Yeung, 78, recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination.
Both men are members of the local legion, where 100 family members and friends gathered to celebrate the centenarian’s birthday.
Yeung has been driving the couple to church every Sunday since problems with McConaghy’s eyesight stopped him from driving.
“It’s a privilege to work with somebody who has so much experience and so much life experience that can guide me through a lot of the problems that I have,” Yeung said.
Yeung said McConaghy’s background with the United Church is an asset as the financially struggling St. Philip’s looks to work with a nearby church to share resources and facilities.
A decade ago, between 40 and 50 people attended Sunday service at St. Philip’s, but attendance has since dropped to between 15 and 20.
Yeung said many churches in the region, and across the province, have seen their congregations age.
“Young people nowadays don’t seem to like to go to church,” he said.
Statistics Canada data shows that more than one-third of Canadians reported having no religious affiliation in 2021.
That proportion of the population had more than doubled since 2001.
And in Alberta, the proportion of people reporting no religious affiliation was 40 per cent, higher than the national average.
Though the proportion of Canadians who report religious affiliations other than Christianity has increased, that percentage was just 12 per cent in 2021.
Joseph Wiebe, a professor of religion at the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus and the director of the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life, said the statistics do not mean people have become less spiritual.
“It just means that what counts as religion, what counts as spiritual, what people are looking for when they’re searching for meaning, is very different now than it was 50 years ago,” he said.
He said churches will need to be creative and work with other denominations, like St. Philip’s is doing, to connect with new community members.
Wiebe said McConaghy’s story is impressive and shows how committed people can be to groups that give their lives meaning.
“There is this interest and desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, and once that’s part of you, it doesn’t really go away,” he said.