Reflections on the heritage, life & work of faith communities in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
On July 19, I joined 100 parishioners of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, at 320 Olmstead Street in Vanier, for 9:30 AM Mass. The parish’s history originates in the 1920s, when the area’s English-speaking Catholics gathered as a house church in a parishioner’s home. The current church was completed in 1940, in…
Every church’s architecture tells a story and it’s safe to say that the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish has sufficient stories to fill a book. This isn’t a purpose-built church. The building at 1153 Wellington Street West had several lives — as a private residence called Fitzgibbon House dating back to the 1870s,…
Downtown Brockville is known for its rich collection of historic churches. Among the most architecturally noteworthy is the High Gothic Revival St. Francis Xavier Church, completed in 1860 and located at 66 Church Street. On May 24, Pentecost Sunday, I joined over 120 parishioners at the 10:30 AM Mass. The Presider and Pastor, Fr. Andrew…
On May 17, Ontario’s black flies had well and truly awakened from their slumber in Spencerville — a village 80 kilometres southwest of Ottawa and home to the historic St. Laurence O’Toole Church. They encircled me as I exited my car and made my way into this small, but vibrant country church built in 1884….
On May 3, I joined 100 parishioners of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish at 1758 Alta Vista Drive for 11:00 AM Mass. Opened in 1955 during Ottawa’s postwar suburban boom, I found a friendly and multi-generational faith community with a robust choir. Upon arrival, I was welcomed warmly by a greeter. The most striking…
On April 26 — a Sunday that was as bright and warm as can be — I visited the Holy Name of Mary Parish in Almonte, joining over 80 parishioners for the 10:30 AM Mass. The Gothic Revival church at 134 Mill Street was consecrated in 1875, but the local Roman Catholic community’s presence stretches…
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 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…
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 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…