Reflections on the heritage, life & work of faith communities in Ottawa & Eastern Ontario
Farther afield, on Sunday, September 20 at 10:00 AM, I joined 100 parishioners of St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in Montreal for the 185th anniversary of this English-language faith community and to celebrate 75 years since the construction of their current church at 6897 Somerled Avenue. Located in NDG — a historic and predominantly Anglophone neighbourhood…
This publication reserves a small space for churches located farther afield. Glasgow’s St. Aloysius, a parish served by Jesuits, certainly fits the bill. I came to this church perched on a hill in a roundabout way while vacationing in Scotland’s largest city. It’s all thanks to Glasgow’s former Lord Provost, Liz Cameron: a parishioner, a…
In Canada, Anglican churches are at the forefront of choral training. Their embrace of sacred music enhances the liturgical experience. The same can be said of Episcopalian communities south of the border. On May 17, Trinity Episcopal Church in Watertown, NY — 200 kilometres southwest of Ottawa — hosted a concert featuring sacred classics for…
Built in the same year as Expo 67 and mere months after Star Trek first beamed into living rooms across North America, the futuristic St Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Montreal’s west-end is among the most architecturally striking mid-century churches in Canada. I attended the Easter Vigil on April 4 at 8:00 PM, alongside 200…
The posh and picturesque City of Westmount, situated adjacent to downtown Montreal, is an independent and predominantly English enclave of 19,700 residents. Much of the municipality has a Medieval, Victorian and sometimes Neo-Tudor flair. The Ascension of Our Lord Church is a prime example of Gothic Revival architecture. I attended Saturday evening Mass there on…
Located 1,100 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, St. Mary’s Church in Chillicothe, Ohio certainly lives up to this publication’s “Farther Afield” category. I had just spent two days visiting a friend in this town situated an hour south of Columbus when I decided to attend Mass at St. Mary’s, one of three Roman Catholic church sites…
Earlier this month on a hazy Sunday, while visiting an elderly and ailing friend Stateside, smoke from Canadian forest fires drifted across the St. Lawrence. It clung to the humid air over New York’s North Country. After a 45-minute drive down the 416 and having crossed the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, I turned right and drove…