His Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks has become the first Indigenous chapel to receive a royal coat of arms.
The Mohawk Chapel receiving a royal coat of arms is one of many milestones for the oldest surviving church in Ontario.
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A historical plaque on the chapel grounds identifies St. Paul’s 1785 HR Chapel Royal of the Mohawks as the first Protestant Church built in Ontario, stating it was built by the crown for the Six Nations people.
The road to developing a coat of arms dates back to 2005, when a letter was sent to Buckingham Palace requesting approval for the coat of arms for His Majesty’s Chapel Royal of the Mohawks.
Officials received a response from the palace that the request had been approved, but the letter ended up in the chapel’s archives in London, Ontario and forgotten.
After many years, Barry Hill, warden of the Mohawk Chapel, eventually found the letter advising the chapel it had been granted the coat of arms.
“So, I followed up to see if it was still valid, and then we went ahead with the process,” said Hill.
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This will be the first Indigenous chapel to receive such an honor.
“It is unique to the Six Nations, and it is unique to us,” Hill said.
After receiving the go-ahead, Hill made some sketches, and an artist was retained once a design was selected.
The coat of arms has many symbols represented, with St. Paul’s swords being crossed over an open bible as a reference to Queen Anne’s Bible. Along with these religious symbols, the coat of arms also has a peace tree that ties in the Indigenous heritage of the chapel, said Hill.
An official coat of arms ceremony is set for September 29 at 2 pm at the chapel. It is open to the public.
Following a procession led by Six Nations veterans, silver bells that were gifted to the chapel from Queen Anne 300 years ago will be brought out to commemorate the chapel’s connection with the crown.
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Many government officials and senior church chaplains are expected to attend on the day, including Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Edith Dumont.
“We are still reaching out to other royals and members of the church to attend,” said Hill.
The primary private secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will also be in attendance as a royal representative.
The story of the chapel and Six Nations are told through the stained-glass windows of the chapel, said Hill.
“They are not just regular Christian windows but are actually story-telling windows.”
The eight windows, put in place from 1959-1962, tell the stories of the Six Nations confederacy and the first meeting with Queen Anne.
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