Reflections on the heritage, life & work of faith communities in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
The March 20, 1885 issue of The Freeholder characterized the newly opened St. Finnan’s Church in Alexandria as “an exceedingly handsome and commodious edifice.” On April 19, 2026, I joined over 120 parishioners at the 10:30 AM High Mass and found that to this day, the nineteenth century newspaperman’s assessment remains accurate. The Gothic Revival basilica,…
Built in 1912, with a Neo-Byzantine sanctuary that can accommodate over 800 faithful in pews and an imposing Romanesque Revival exterior, Dominion-Chalmers United Church at 355 Cooper Street is among Ottawa’s early twentieth-century architectural gems. On Palm Sunday, I joined 40 members of this small, but engaged congregation for their 10:30 AM Sunday service. While…
At the height of the Cold War, on March 2, 1954 — standing before 500 people gathered at the newly dedicated Westminster Presbyterian Church — Progressive Conservative MP and soon-to-be Prime Minister John Diefenbaker declared that Christianity was “freedom’s finest fruit” and called upon “this wonderful church [to be] the embodiment of freedom.” I visited…
Over 300 young adults filled the pews of St. Joseph’s Church at 174 Wilbrod Street in Sandy Hill for Laetare Sunday, March 15, with Archbishop Marcel Damphousse presiding at the 7:00 PM Mass. The Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall had been invited as part of the commemorative year marking the 200th anniversary of the formation of the…
On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 15, I visited a friendly little Anglican congregation at 24 Sandridge Road in Manor Park. The 40 parishioners in attendance for the 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist included a wonderfully “churched” dog who calmly visited parishioners in the pews before the service and attentively sat through the liturgy. St….
On the Third Sunday of Lent, March 8, I joined around 100 parishioners for 10:00 AM Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Manor Park. The establishment of a new parish for English-speaking Catholics in 1953, and the completion of the Mid-century modern A-frame church at 400 St. Laurent Boulevard in 1957 was…
A uniquely amicable priest and a thoroughly multicultural congregation — those are the characteristics that struck me the most when I visited St. Elizabeth Parish at 1303 Leaside Avenue on the Second Sunday of Lent, March 1, for their 10:30 AM Mass. Around 80 parishioners seated in the pews came from a wide range of…
On the First Sunday of Lent, February 22, I visited St. George’s Parish at 415 Piccadilly Avenue North, in Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood. I attended their 10:30 AM Sunday Mass, alongside around 100 parishioners. Opened in 1924, the church is a great example of Collegiate Gothic architecture. That’s the architectural style commonly associated with private schools…
You are the salt of the earth — those words from Jesus, recorded in Matthew 5:13, were at the heart of the 10:00 AM Sunday liturgy I attended on February 15 at Russell United Church, a historic house of worship built in 1887. By the end of it, everyone walked away with savoury surprise gifts…
Built in 1909, MacKay United Church at 39 Dufferin Road is a Romanesque Revival architectural jewel. I visited the church on February 8 for their 10:30 am service, alongside around 50 members of the congregation who gathered in person, with several more following a live-stream remotely. I found a crisp, bright interior and a multi-generational…