Visiting St. Theresa’s Parish

St. Theresa’s Parish is one of the best examples of Romanesque Revival architecture in Ottawa. Completed in 1930, the rich red brick and cut granite facade, the sturdy, square bell-tower and the interior’s rounded arches set this church’s architecture apart from the lighter, soaring style incorporated in Neo-Gothic churches. I visited the church at 95 Somerset Street West for their Sunday 9:00 AM Mass on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the end of the Christmas season in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar.

St. Theresa’s Church incorporates some of the red granite that once adorned Seybold House, the house at the corner of Somerset and Cartier that was demolished to make way for St. Theresa’s. In the May 10, 1930 issue of the Ottawa Evening Journal, St. Theresa’s was described it as being “one of the most beautiful churches in Ottawa, its architecture distinctive and unusual, enhanced by the red stone trim and the peculiar rough black brick which has been used throughout.” The article also notes that the church’s main, white marble altar was built in Italy. The church was designed by the architects of Noffke, Sylvester and Morin. When Archbishop of Ottawa, Monsignor Joseph-Guillaume-Laurent Forbes, formed the new parish to serve Catholics living in the eastern neighbourhoods of the downtown, it was to be dedicated to Thérèse of Lisieux, commonly known as the Little Flower, who had been canonized just five years earlier.

Yellow opaline glass gives the light streaming in a particularly warm hue, especially on sunny days. While the morning began mostly overcast when I arrived a few minutes before 9:00 AM, by the end of Mass, the nave and sanctuary lit up in shades of yellow and orange. This is one of two Sunday morning Masses at St. Theresa’s, the second being at 10:30 AM, alongside a Saturday 4:30 PM anticipated Mass. I counted close to 60 people in attendance at 9:00 AM. This was a spoken liturgy, without music. The long-serving pastor, Fr. Vincent Pereira, however, is a very capable singer. We got a small taste of that when he led the congregation in singing a cappella the Gospel Acclamation. In the past few weeks, Fr. Vincent also composed and performed a spiritual song, posted to YouTube, in the Konkani language of his native India. The lyrics, translated to English, remind one of the Psalms — perhaps most especially the line: “To render thanks, to ask favour, I come to your house / Show me the favouring mind, O Lord / Nine lepers forgot you, went away, I will not forget you.”

Fr. Vincent has a jovial and warm disposition. This was evident in his homily, which began with a humorous story from his childhood. His mother had wanted to name him after the Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Valerian Gracias. The Cardinal was considered papabile and he served in Bombay for decades. Fr. Vincent’s grandmother, however, was the one to take her infant grandson to get baptized on a weekday at a local church. Between the time she left home and arrived at the church, she had forgotten the name they were to give the boy. So, she just told the priest that he’s called Vincent. And that’s how Fr. Vincent got his unintended, but easy-to-remember name.

In his homily, Fr. Vincent reflected on Matthew 3, Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan and the beginning of his public ministry:

The heart of the mission relates to the Sacrament of Baptism. Jesus’ mission was to spread the Good News, while John the Baptist’s mission as a prophet was to preach and prepare the way for the Lord. A Prophet typically makes his voice heard in the wilderness, in the streets, in the neighbourhood — anywhere. This is the prophetic role and they will go anywhere. A prophet shows a complete dedication to God’s way, even to the point of suffering and death, and it serves as a model for the rest of us. Some of us who went to preach in Africa or South America were killed. Bishop Romero was shot dead. Persecution happens all the time. Recently, Maduro in Venezuela took away Cardinal Porras’ passport to prevent him from leaving. These things continue to happen and yet the prophets rise again and again, because they hear the voice of God. They preach peace and justice. The prophets give humanity a new vision. And that vision in the New Testament is resurrection.

Fr. Vincent, who has a Canon Law background, spoke of the indelible mark of the Sacrament of Baptism. It can never be undone, no matter where that baptized child’s life later leads. Even if he or she rejects the Catholic faith and turns to another religion, the mark of baptism is never erased.

In the pews of St. Theresa’s Church were prayer cards produced by the Knights of Columbus, depicting Independence Square in Kyiv and the monument to St. Michael the Archangel in Ukraine’s capital. The congregation was invited to recite the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, calling him to be “our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil,” especially calling to mind the plight of the war-torn country at the hands of the Russian aggressor.

After Mass concluded, several parishioners and visitors remained to admire the Sanctuary’s Christmas decor one last time, before this season gives way to Ordinary Time.

Christopher Adam