GRAND RIVER -- A special Mass at St. Patrick’s
Roman Catholic Church in Grand River this Sunday, May 25, will celebrate the
church’s 175th anniversary. Bishop Richard Grecco will preside over the 2 p.m.
Mass with parish priest Fr. Albin Arsenault.
Journal-Pioneer Staff. May 22, 2014
Often referred to as one of the most beautiful church
properties in Prince Edward Island, St. Patrick’s was built on a hill
overlooking the Grand River.
According to an article by Rev. J.B.
Reilly in the Sacred Heart Messenger in December, 1947, the Grand River church
has the distinction of being the first church in Canada to be dedicated to St.
Patrick.
“This honor belongs to Grand River,
PEI where in 1790, a band of immigrants from the highlands of Scotland, mainly
the Islands of Barra, erected a log church to accommodate 20 families,
dedicated to the Apostle of Aire,” he wrote.
While the parish dates back to the
1790s, construction of the present church was started in 1836 with the actual
dedication of the church to St. Patrick occurring on March 17, 1839. In 1890,
William Critchlow Harris, designed the present church, which is constructed
around the original church.
Doug MacDougall, Chair of the
parish’s heritage committee, noted that while St. Patrick’s is a small parish
with just over 50 families, there is a tremendous outpouring of support as the
church is a focal point of the community. “There is a great sense of community
and parish spirit associated with the church,” he revealed. Since 1993,
there have been ongoing projects to restore and embellish some of the historic
architecture of the church. Recently, the interior was painted and hard wood
floors restored in the sanctuary.
Common surnames in the parish over
the generations have included Gillis, McIntyre, McLellan, Cameron, McDonald,
Brown, MacKinnon. Praught, MacDougall, Trainor and McGuire.
Following the anniversary Mass,
there will be a brief ceremony in the Pioneer Cemetery, followed by fellowship
in the parish hall. Parishioners, former parishioners and all interested people
are welcome.
Greetings from Baja Mexico,
ReplyDeleteI am a descendent of James Murphy, in 1798 census he was on Lot 21 with wife Catherine Adams and 3 yr old daughter Sarah. They had a son Thomas born around 1807 in Sea View and he died in Woodvale in 1865. He is buried at St. Peter's Anglican Cemetery in Alberton. I didn't think St. Peter's was even there in 1865. . Do you have a Heritage photo for this church?