The following story, written by Terry Byrne, appeared in the newly released paperback anthology 100 Stories from the History of St. Joseph’s Parish. The 438-page book is available for purchase through Amazon. We’re sharing one of the dozens of stories included in a book that explores the colourful history of this historic Ottawa church.
***
I’d like to tell you a fascinating tale that took place in the original St. Joseph’s Church, a wooden structure built in 1857. The story unfolds within its walls on a cold Sunday, April 4, 1880.
Imagine the creak of the door as it opens. It’s 4 a.m., and the sacristan has just arrived. Snowflakes drift down as he gently shuts the door behind him. Brushing off the snow, he enters the church, arriving ahead of schedule. Aware of the brisk cold inside, he wanted to ensure the warmth filled the sanctuary by the time Pastor André Pallier, OMI, came for the 6 a.m. Mass.
As he makes his way towards the altar, a flickering light captures his attention. Venturing closer, he discovers a solitary candle burning gently beside the altar. Curiosity piques his thoughts. Why is there a candle lit at this hour? Who might have left it here?
Reaching out to snuff out the candle, a subtle sound reaches his ears from behind. He whirls around, but the church stands silent and still. Was his imagination running wild? He tunes his ears sharply but hears nothing further. Perhaps it was merely the wood settling in reaction to the cold outside.
He makes his way over to the gas stove but doesn’t ignite it. Suddenly, he catches another sound. Glancing around, he notices the shadowy figure of a man standing in the organ gallery. The man’s eyes, visible in the dimness, fix on him. Paralyzed, he stands still.
The sound of footsteps racing down the stairs from the gallery reaches him. Yet, our sacristan doesn’t move an inch. He then hears the church’s front door being unbolted and swung open. A man darts out through the door. The sacristan calls out for the man to stop. He doesn’t; the sacristan chases after him, running to the front door and spotting the man sprinting down the street.
Puzzled, the sacristan ponders why the man was in the church. How did he gain entry? Had he forgotten to lock a door? And what was his purpose in the choir loft?
Securing the door, he proceeds to the choir loft. He steps, initially quickly, then slowly, as he considers the possibility of another intruder in the loft. Upon entering, he finds candles lit and arranged alongside the organ. Sensing the smell of gas, he hastily extinguishes the candles.
He inspects the rest of the Church, uncovering several more candles placed near flammable materials. The man now understands how the intruder gained access to the church: a window at the rear of the church was broken. Once he was sure all the candles were out, he headed towards Father Anthony Pallier’s residence at the University of Ottawa and called the police.
St. Joseph’s Church was fortunate that morning, with only minor damage. However, Bank Street Presbyterian Church in Ottawa was not as lucky; a fire set by an arsonist caused nearly $12,000 worth of damage.
Authorities suspect the same person vandalized two Anglican churches in Ottawa, St. Albans and Christ Church, a few weeks earlier.
The newspapers were full of speculation. Some theories proposed it was communists, others a gang, as three alarms went off simultaneously, diverting the fire brigade to false locations. In the case of the fire at Bank Street Presbyterian, a lamplighter, while extinguishing streetlamps, spotted the flames inside the church. He triggered the fire alarm immediately, yet it took the fire department 45 minutes to respond.
The residents of Ottawa were shocked by such desecration. Congregations took turns staying overnight in churches to prevent further attacks. The City Council offered a reward of $200 for the arsonist’s arrest.
Was he captured? Did he act alone?
The answers are lost. Later, local newspapers’ editions covering the incident were unavailable. I searched the archives of newspapers across Eastern Canada and a few U.S. cities which reported on this story but found nothing.
Terry Byrne