Reflections...

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Reflections... St. Francis Xavier Parish

Our stories. Our people. Our history. Presidents From 1921 to 1960

Rev. J.J. Lynch Born at Mount St. Patrick August 24, 1909, Father Lynch was ordained in his home village on May 26, 1934. Two years later, he became Assistant Pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church and served in that capacity until 1944. He also spent many years as Chaplain for the SFX Youth Camp on Lake Clear. Father Lynch passed away October 7, 1956 at the age of 47. He rests in the Mount St. Patrick Cemetery.

1921-22 Mrs. Matt Devine 1922-23 Besie McCann 1923-25 Annie Scott 1925-27 Margery Martin 1927-29 Mrs. E.F. Kelly 1929-31 Evelyn Goulet 1931-33 Elizabeth Whitton 1933-35 Alice Campbell 1935 Stella Murray 1935-38 Jennie McNeil 1938-40 Annie Preen 1940-42 Mary Drummond 1942-44 Mary Leclaire 1944-46 Eulalia Brown 1946-48 Anna Blimkie 1948-50 Anna Vice 1950-52 Margaret O’Donaghue 1952-54 Anna Blimkie 1954-56 Victoria Donegan 1956 Catherine Roberts 1956-57 Eulalia Brown 1957-59 Maisie Bolger 1959-60 Nora Crozier

Parents’ Foundation host 12th annual fund raising dinner

Pope Pius IX estabishes the new Diocese of Bytown,laterOttawa, which includes all of Renfrew County. The first Bishop, J.E. Guiges, is originallyfromFrance. Bishop Giuges, in an effort to find pastors for any parishes that may emerge as the Ottawa Valley is opened up, returns to his ancestral village in France to recruit seminarians. Among those to answer the Bishop’s call was Father Joseph Bouvier, the first Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church.

Pope Pius IX

Renfrew April 26, 1989 The Parents’ Foundation of St. Joseph’s High School held their 12th annual fund raising dinner at St. Francis Xavier Hall on Monday evening, April 17. Among the organizers and executive members in attendance were Tom Prince, Joanne O’Gorman, Maureen Prince, Marcia Timm, and Bill Winters.

Presidents 1961-Present

Rt. Rev. Msgr. Michael J. Hass P Born in Admaston Twp. P Ordained in Pembroke, June 10, 1933. P Assistant Pastor of St. Francis Xavier 1940-1947 P Former Pastor of St. James Church, Eganville. P Msgr. Hass continues to serve the Diocese.

1961-63 Margaret Ritza 1963-65 Esther Dobec 1965-67 Mary Kemp 1967-68 Gertrude LeGris 1968-69 Victoria Donegan 1969-71 Ruth Elliott 1971-73 Agnes Ruddy 1973-75 Edna McMahon 1975-77 Vivian Bolger 1977-79 Mary Hass 1979-81 Vivian Bolger 1981-83 Mary Hass 1983-86 Carmen Bissonette 1986-88 Mary Burns 1986-91 Sylvia Smith 1991-93 Agnes Mask 1993-95 Carol Sulpher 1995-97 Margaret Mary Maloney 1997-99 Suzanne Guest 1999-01 Susan Ringrose 2002- Angela McAdam

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Reflections... St. Francis Xavier Parish

Our stories. Our people. Our history.

The Most Reverend WilliamJ.Smith,D.D. Bishop of Pembroke 1945 to 1971

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The Presbytery of St. Francis Xavier Church as seen in a 1923 Renfrew Mercury photograph. It was built in 1919-20 during the administration of Rev C.J. Jones. Note the church behind the trees to the left.

Altar boys Bert and Alfred Legris in a 1914 photograph. The Legris brothers lived on Hall Street and were regular participants in Sunday Masses.

The Holy Cross Convent, located on Argyle Street, as it appeared in a 1978 photo. It was sold shortly after.

Sisters withnostalgiaandregret The Sisters of the Holy Cross, a religious order that traces its origins to France, first came to Renfrew in 1886. Their first convent, located at the corner of Hall and Barr Streets, was once the home of Stella Murray. By 1911, the order moved to St. Anne’s Convent on Bonnechere Street. This was conveniently situated near the former St. Francis Xavier School, where many of the sisters taught. Then, in 1925, the twenty Sisters of the Holy Cross moved to the location pictured above, once belonging to Dr. James Mann, Renfrew’s first physician. An addition was added in 1934 to accomodate the thirty-two nuns that lived there at the time. It was estimated by Sister Unis Letang that around thirty-five girls from the Renfrew area entered the convent over the years but that, over time, the numbers of sisters dwindled to the point where it was no longer practical to run such a large building. At the time of its closing, the Holy Cross Convent had only six sisters in residence.

P Dr. Mann was the son of Rev. Alexander Mann, the first minister of the Canaan Church, a pioneer log church situated between Renfrew and Burnstown in McNab Township. P Dr. Mann practiced medicine in Renfrew from 1869 until the time leading up to his death in 1925. P Today, this building is home to a number of medical and dental operations.

Rev. Leo P. Devine O.M.I.

Rev. Francis J. Devine S.J.

P Ordained 1930. P Served as Assistant Pastor of SFX in 1940.

P Ordained 1940. P Served as Assistant Pastor of SFX in 1942.

Both are sons of Mr. and Mrs. Felix Devine of Renfrew

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Reflections... St. Francis Xavier Parish

Our stories. Our people. Our history.

Rev. Francis M. Kennedy P Assistant Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church from 1944 to 1951. P Born in Chapeau, Quebec on June 24, 1914. P Ordained in St. Alphonsus Church, Chapeau on June 8, 1939. P Died in Pembroke Civic Hospital on April 24, 1986 at the age of 71.

Colleen Cobus, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Cobus and a student at St. Joseph’s Academy, was awarded an Ontario Scholarship of $400.

MostRev.CharlesLeoNelligan Bishop of Pembroke 1937 to 1945

The interior of the old St. Francis Xavier Church before renovations were made by Rev. C.J. Jones in 1919-1920.

In the early 1960's, Vatican II ushered in a number of sweeping changes to many aspects of Catholic life. Among these changes was a move to erect buildings that reflected the new thinking of churches as houses of the People of God. The construction of the new St. Francis Xavier took place just as these changes were being instituted. Vatican II can be seen in the more open and circular aspect of the new church.

The modern interior of today’s St. Francis Xavier Church.

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Reflections... St. Francis Xavier Parish

Our stories. Our people. Our history.

Rev. R.J.Roney P Served as Assistant Pastor of St. Francis Xavier in 1946 and again in 1949. P In 1949, Father Roney became the first Parish Priest of the new Our Lady of Fatima Church.

The Renfrew Holy Name Society held their Annual Communion Breakfast. An estimated 2,000 members paraded to the 8 o’clock Mass.

Msgr. Isaiah A French The brother of Father Francis L. French and son of Mr. and Mrs. Francis French, Isaiah French was born in Renfrew July 17, 1870. He was ordained in December of 1896 and served as Assistant Pastor of St. Francis Xavier from 1897 to 1902 and again in 1918. He died December 5, 1943 and is buried at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Renfrew.

The altar boys serving St. Francis Xavier Parish in 1930 appear in this photograph with Father John Quinn. Bottom row from left: Peter Rouselle, Gerald Barry, Clarence Vice, Jimmy Farrough, Austin Kobus, Ernie Hisko, Jerome Sheehan, Art McMahon, Tom Wark, Ambrose Adamchick, and Jack Duggan. Second row: Pat Costello, Homar McGee, John Kedrosky, Gordon St. Louis, Mike Murray, Father Quinn, Basil McDougall, Jack Pulcine, Rene Leclaire, Len Rodgers, and Joe Zavitski. Third row: Tom Kenopic, Ernie Laporte, Tom Lumchick, Len Lemenchick, Peter Adamchick, Lawrence Cybulski, Tom Gillis, Pat Barry, Bill Rodgers, and Tom Prince. Top row: Ernie Trottier, Stan O’Link, Norman Kasaboski, Andy Morris, G. Kasluski, Jerome Hisko, Martin French, Ray Letang, unidentified, and George Gorman. It is believed that as many as four of these boys would eventually sacrifice their lives in World War II. We pay special tribute to the memory of Art McMahon, John Kedrosky, Gordon St. Louis, and Stan O’Link.

Rev. Bernard Hunt P Son of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Hunt. P Born June 26, 1918 at Mount St. Patrick P Ortdained in Renfrew, June 5, 1947.

A Catholic high school for girls under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph was organized in 1928. Mr. M.J. O’Brien donated two residences, the Stewart and MacKay homes on Raglan St. North, to serve as the school and convent The blessing of this new school and convent was on October 22, 1928. The erection of the Stations of the Cross took place July 16, 1929.

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Reflections... St. Francis Xavier Parish

Our stories. Our people. Our history.

St. Francis Xavier Assistant

Owens bids farewell

Mrs. Nancy Thompson and her young son Michael were among the many friends and parishioners who attended a retirement reception for Msgr. Steven P. Owens. Msgr. Owens was Pastor of St. Francis Xavier from 1965 to 1981.

Photograph from the September 23, 1981 edition of the Renfrew Mercury

Rev. Louis Almeras 1859-62 Rev. Pierre Mancip 1862 Rev. Thomas Fremont 1862 Rev. Paul Agnel 1870 Rev. James Burns 1883-84 Rev. Bart Casey 1888 Rev. S.A. Saurel 1890-92 Rev. Vincent Sawatanen 1892 Rev. Ronald J. McEachen 1892-93 Rev. John P. Donovan 1893-94 Rev. Louis de Guyade 1894-95 Rev. Francis L. French 1894-95 * Msgr. Isaiah A French Rev. George Lize 1896-97 Rev. Isaiah A. French 1897-1902 Rev. J. Cam Dagenais 1897-1900 Rev. John Ryan 1901-02,1904, 1907, 1909, 1911, and 1914 Rev. W.H. Dooner 1908-11 * Rev. A.J. Reynolds 1911-14 Rev. Matthew Doyle 1912-13 * Denotes future Parish Priest

This police photograph from December 1964 shows a fire hose dousing the still smouldering embers of what was once the interior of St. Francis Xavier Church. The fire, which broke out shortly after midnight in at least two separate corners of the church basement, raged for 5 hours before being brought under control. Thirtyfive regular and volunteer firefighters battled the blaze, the fourth major fire to hit Renfrew in November-December of 1964. Firefighters reported seeing a broken front basement window upon their arrival at 12:45 a.m. Renfrew Police Constable Joe Hayes was the first to notice smoke while on regular patrol. Searing heat from the quickly spreading fire prevented the removal of sacred objects and sacraments.

Rev. Garrett Morris OMI P Son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Morris of St. Francis Xavier Parish. P Ordained in 1938

Parish

Property opposite the church was purchased in 1919 from Mr. D.H. McAndrew for the price of $4,250.00. On this property were two buildings. A barn stood on the top of the hill on the corner of Prince and Plaunt Streets while a shop stood in the cement alcove behind where Chown’s Law Office is today. This shop was rented for $10/month by Mr. T. Fishenden, who operated a tin smith business there. The building was later torn down in the late 1950's.