The first Anglican cleric in the Northwest interior of Canada was the Reverend John West who, in 1820, established the first Anglican school in the Red River Colony. The growth of the Red River Colony led to the creation of the Diocese of Rupert's Land in 1849. The first bishop of the diocese was David Anderson. When he arrived at Red River he established the first school to bear the name "St. John's". For the school and the proposed theological college that would grow from it Anderson chose the motto which remains the college motto, "In Thy light we shall see light". The new school provided both academic and missionary instruction to the people of the settlement and of the North. By 1859, declining enrollment and a lack of qualified teachers forced the bishop to close the school. Robert Machray became the Bishop of Rupert's Land in 1865 and arrived in the Red River Settlement later that same year. He recognized the need for an Anglican college and set about finding the necessary funds to reopen St. John's. The buildings from Bishop Anderson's school were renovated and others acquired to house the boarders and faculty of the new school. The Reverend John Mclean came from London, Ontario, to become the college's first warden. When the school was reopened on 1 November 1866 it had nineteen boys attending as either boarders or day students and three students enrolled in theology courses. St. John's College, established in Manitoba has a strong Anglican religious affiliation. Bishop Robert Machray officially opened the College on 1 November 1866. Consolidation was a way to strengthen this small and financially insecure institution. The University Of Manitoba was established in 1877 by combining three existing church colleges; St. Boniface College, St. John's and Manitoba College. In the early part of the 20th century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields of theology, law and medicine. Graduate training based on the German- inspired American model of specialized course work and the completion of a research thesis was introduced. The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society. The college is the oldest Anglophone institution of higher learning in Western Canada. The college has maintained its strong connection to the Anglican Church of Canada. The Institute for Stained Glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at the college. St. John’s College's arms were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on October 15, 2006.
Residence
It has its own residence for students attending the University of Manitoba, which has a membership of 100 students.
