1622 - 1922
N. P HE LAN
ST. PAUL S CHURCH, TORONTO , 1022
THE STORY OF
ST. PAUL S PARISH
COMPILED AND EDITED
REV. E. KELLY
CENTENARY OF THE FIRST PARISH CHURCH
ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO
Table of Contents
Chapter I. The French Period 17
Chapter II. York, a Churchless Mission 23
Chapter III. The First Church 40
Chapter IV. Bishop Macdonell at York 60
Chapter V. Toronto a City 67
Chapter VI. Early Catholic Schools 77
Chapter VII. Toronto a Diocese 84
Chapter VIII. The Typhus 96
Chapter IX. St. Paul s 1850-1858 Fathers Fitzhenry and
Chapter X. St. Paul s 1858-1870 Father Rooney 110
Chapter XI. St Paul s 1870-1879 Fathers McCann and
Chapter XII. St. Paul s 1879-1892 Bishop O Mahony and
the New Church 127
Chapter XIII. St. Paul s 1892-1922 Very Rev. Dean Hand 137
Chapter XIV. Public Functions in Parish 154
Chapter XV. Altars and Decorations 176
Chapter XVI. Parish Buildings 184
Chapter XVII. Religious Activities 193
Chapter XVIII. Vocations from the Parish 206
Chapter XIX. The Religious Communities 223
Chapter XX. Parish Societies 248
Chapter XXI. The Centenary Celebration 278
List of References 317
Appendix List of Subscribers to New Church Fund
List of Subscribers at Laying of Foundation
Financial Statement ] 892-1910- - - 321
Archbishop of Toronto
JANUARY 2, 1923
On being asked by the Very Reverend Dean Hand to take
up the compilation of the history of St. Paul s Parish, the
undersigned made use of material gathered for years simply
as a hobby. As some of this was the outcome of personal
interviews with men of prominence who have since passed
away, the information thus gained might otherwise have been
He also made use of other sources of information, a detailed
list of which will be found at the end of this volume. When
the end of Chapter XII. had been reached, sickness delayed
the work for some time. On resuming his task, the writer
found that part of Chapter XIII., all of Chapters XIV., XV.,
XVI., XVII., XIX., XX had been prepared, so that he can claim
but editorship for this part of the work.
A deep debt of gratitude is due the Very Rev. Dean Harris
and Rev. M. J. Oliver, C.S.B., who read the proofs of the work;
also of the clergy of the Cathedral of Kingston ; of the parishes
of St. Raphael and St. Andrews, in the diocese of Alexandria,
and especially to the Very Rev. Geo. Corbett, V.G.
That the work was not delayed indefinitely by reason of the
illness of the writer is due to the indefatiguable labors of Mr.
James O Hagan, who, in addition to work of publication, had
charge of the whole matter for more than two months.
Richmond Hill, December 28, 1922.
Very Rev. J. L,. Hand, S.T.L.,
Dean of Toronto, and Pastor of St,
Paul s since 1892.
Two thousand five hundred years ago, after the promulga
tion of the law by Moses, the first Jubilee was proclaimed
among the chosen people of God. From that time until now
all Hebrew and Christian peoples have observed the centenary
of some memorable event in their histories or the introduction
of their religion into foreign countries.
Following these historical and laudable precedents, the pas
tor and people of St. Paul s Parish, with commendable devo
tion and enterprise, celebrated last November the hundredth
anniversary of the foundation of their parish.
It was then determined that the occasion deserved a me
morial which would go down to future times and preserve
the speeches, sermons and addresses delivered at the cen
tenary celebration. It was also deemed fitting to perpetuate
the memory of many of the priests and parishioners who in
the past, took an active part in the foundation, growth and
expansion of the parish.
This "Memorial Volume" was, then, planned and written to
record the ceremonies, addresses and events associated with
the centenary celebration, and to preserve from extinction the
memory of the dead who so nobly and generously contributed
to the erection of the buildings and to the support of the
The Book will be hospitably received into the homes of the
sons and daughters of the splendid men and women who so
generously contributed to the erection of the fine and substan
tial buildings which give distinction to the historic parish. It
will also keep alive the memory of those self-sacrificing and
12 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
generous souls who, in the "unity of the faith and in the bond
of peace," died in the friendship of God. We may here repeat
the words of St. John spoken of the saints of his day, who kept
the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ,
"write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. Now they
may rest from their labours for their works will follow them."
No people in Ontario have contributed more liberally even
lavishly, than the parishioners of St. Paul s.
Under the careful and prudent administration of zealous
priests, aided by the generosity and encouragement of their
people, the parish, spiritually and materially, has, in the past
sixty years established for itself an enviable reputation. The
architecturaly imposing church ; the wonderful House of Prov
idence, a monument to Catholic Charity; the commodious and
attractive presbytery with its well-cared-for grounds; the St.
Paul s Lyceum and Hall of Entertainment, and the large and
modernly equipped and ventilated schools manifest the en
couraging progress which, in the material order, the parish
has made and the admirable work priests and people have
accomplished. They have made the parish what it is to-day
the brightest portion of the Kingdom of God in Ontario.
As devoted loyal children, whether they suffered privation
when the means of home were slender, or shared the abundance
of good things in more prosperous days, alike in scarcity and
in plenty, the people of St. Paul s have always been devoted and
affectionate to their priests and their church..
The author of this volume has given us an exhaustive and
admirable production which is a monument to his ability, his
industry and powers of research. Independently of its intrin
sic worth, its fine type, paper and binding, the illustrations are
fine specimens of photographic art.
W. R. HARRIS
January 2, 1923
Jst of [lustrations
Sketch of Fort Rouille 20
Toronto Harbor in 1793 29
York in 1805 29
Old St. Paul s Church 45
The Town of York in 1828 55
Russell Abbey 61
Bishop Macdonell s Residence 64
East End of Toronto in 1837 71
Interior of Old St. Paul s 75
One of the Early Catholic Schools 81
Old St. Paul s Presbytery Ill
Two Heirlooms from the Old Church 114
Holy Water Font from the Old Church 116
The Church Bell 121
Old St. Paul s Church in 1880 123
Interior of St. Paul s, looking towards sanctuary 135
Interior of St. Paul s, looking towards choir 141
Main Altar and Communion Railing 155
Unveiling of Soldiers Memorial 1921 167
Soldiers Memorial 172
The Side Altars 177
The Dome Paintings Life of St. Paul 179-180
Two of the Stations of the Cross 181
Memorial Tablets in the Church
The New Presbytery 185
The New Parish Hall 188
The Old and the New Pulpits 196
One of the Hospital Wards in House of Providence .
Old General Hospital, Gerrard Street
Old Jail, Gerrard Street - 203
"White House," Toronto s First St. Joseph s Convent
Old St. Paul s School - 229
House of Providence, 1922
St. Paul s School 243
14 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Holy Name Procession, 1322 - 267
Two Memorial Windows in St. Paul s Church - 280
St. Paul s Centennial Celebration 285
PORTRAITS AND GROUPS
Abbe Desjardins 24
Right Rev. Edmund Burke, D.D 27
Right Rev. Remigius Gaulin, D.D 27
Right Rev. Bishop Alex. Macdonell, D.D. . 33
Right Rev. Bishop Plessis of Quebec 41
Hon. James Baby 41
Rev. Father Angus Macdonell 51
Hon. Alex. Macdonell 51
Rev. Edward Gordon 58
Rev. Murt. Lalor 58
Right Rev. Michael Power, D.D 87
Former Pastors of Old St. Paul s 91
Assistants at St. Paul s before Bishop O Mahony s time 95
Three Hero Priests of Typhus Epidemic Very Rev. John B. Proulx,
Very Rev. John O Reilly, Rev. Peter Schneider .... 97
James McCurry, Sexton 99
Sir Richard Scott and Hon. John Elmsley 101
Rev. John Carroll 103
Bishops of Toronto since Bishop Power s time 107
Right Rev. Timothy O Mahony, D.D. . 125
His Eminence Cardinal Tachereau 128
Most Rev. Archbishop Cleary 128
Curates of Bishop O Mahony 131
Father Hand and Second Book Class of Boys, St. Paul s School, 1895 145
Curates at St. Paul s during Father Hand s Pastorate 147, 149, 151
First Communion Classes, 1922 159
Members of B.V.M. Sodality 163
Picnic Group of Parishioners at Queenston, 1922 163
St. Paul s School Teachers, 1922 169
Domestic Science Class, St. Paul s School, 1922 191
Two Missionary Priests Fathers Gillis, C.S.P., and Sholly, C.SS.R. 194
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Native Priests of St. Paul s Parish . - 207, 211, 215
Daughters of St. Paul s Members of St. Joseph s Community .
Father Peter McCabe
Daughters of St. Paul s Members of Community of Sisters Adorers
of the Precious Blood
St. De La Salle
Principals and Teachers of St. Paul s School .
Rev. Brother Tobias
Superiors and Special Teachers at St. Paul s School .
Presidents of St. Paul s Conference St. Vincent de Paul Society...
Mrs. Rosalia Rosar, Mrs. Elizabeth O Hagan, Miss Stella Bruxer... 251
Rev. Sisters M. Immaculate Heart and M. Bernadette of Sisters
Adorers of the Precious Blood .
Presidents of B.V.M. Sodality . -255, 259
Sodality Officers for 1922
Presidents of St. Paul s Confraternity of the Holy Family . . 261
Mrs. Ellen Curry, Miss McAuley, Miss J. M. Fitzhenry . . 263
Presidents of St. Paul s Holy Name Society . . 269
James L. Dillon, F. R. Boylan, Frank McKernan . 271
Collectors at St. Paul s Church - 273
Messrs. Chas. Burns, Patrick Hynes, Daniel Kelly -275
Dr. M. Wallace and Mr. W. J. O Connor .. 277
Messrs. John Mallon, A. W. Holmes, John Mogan . . 278
Mr. John O Neill, M.P.P - 279
His Excellency, Most Rev. Pietro di Maria, Apostolic Delegate... . 283
Most Rev. Neil McNeil, D.D., Archbishop of Toronto .. 287
St. Paul s Choir - 290
St. Paul s Sanctuary Society, 1922 . 293
Mrs. J. Nicholson, Mrs. J. Larkin, Mrs. Shortt . . 296
Pupils of St. Paul s School .
Mr. John Mulqueen 307
The Parish Centenary Committee .
Rev. Edward Kelly -- 312
THE FRENCH PERIOD
We are told that one of the conceptions which may be
traced far back in the history of Egyptian philosophy is that
of the magical virtue of names. On this continent, the abori
gine, by the sonorous and mellifluent appellations he has be
stowed on our lakes, rivers and mountains, has cast a spell
over his conqueror, compelling him by their very beauty to
retain these names in their ancient sweetness the last, but
lasting, legacy of a doomed race.
The name "Toronto," a Huron word signifying "a meet
ing place," or, more literally, "place where many dwell," was
formerly applied to that stretch of country between Lake Sim-
coe and Georgian Bay, the ancient home of the Ouendats or
Hurons, and in course of time the waters adjacent to that
region and the streams used as highways were called by
the same name. Thus on some of the early French maps
we find the name "Toronto" applied to Lake Simcoe, Matche-
dash Bay, and to both the Humber and Trent rivers. By a
happy chance when the ancient Toronto became a desert the
name lived on, being applied by the French to what we call
Humber Bay, and it gradually came to denote the land in that
part also. As we shall later see, this noble Indian word, so
well adapted both in sound and in meaning as a name for a
great city, has rendered futile the efforts of both French and
English officials who would fain have extinguished it.
* -:: * ,
The first priest in Upper Canada, an humble son of St.
Francis, had toiled for weeks to reach the land of the Hurons
18 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
by the long and arduous route of the Ottawa and Lake Nipis-
sing, because the shorter and much less tedious way by either
the Trent or the Humber was barred by the terrible Iroquois,
whose war parties held the pass in the upper St. Lawrence,
and no canoe but theirs dare enter the paradise of the Lake of
the Thousand Islands. During the whole period of the mis
sions of Huronia, and for some time after, this state of affairs
continued, so none of the Recollects or the Jesuits of that
period can with certainty be connected in any way with the
site of the present city of Toronto.
In October, 1626, Father De La Roche Daillon left the
Huron country for the land of the Neutrals, which lay to the
south and west of the upper end of Lake Ontario. In this
journey he most likely passed down the Humber; and fourteen
years later the two Jesuits, Brebeuf and Chaumonot, most
probably used the same route on a similar journey. The
"Jesuits stone" found in Vaughan Township, close to Toronto,
with the date "1641" cut upon it, would seem to indicate the
location of a village at which the two missionaries were snow
bound for twenty-five days on their return journey to Huronia.
In October, 1668, the Sulpician Mission of Rente was
founded, and in the following year other Indian villages along
the north shore of Lake Ontario were visited, as well as a
place called Tinawatawa, between Burlington Bay and the
Grand River. For nearly ten years the Sulpicians had charge
of these missions, finally handing them over to the Recollects.
Among the priests of the former community who labored in
these parts were Fathers Fenelon, D Urfe, Trouve, Mariet,
Barthelemy and DeCice. An old tradition has it that the name
"Frenchman s Bay," near Pickering, is an inheritance of these
mission days, Father Fenelon being in some way or another
connected with the story. As to whether there was a village
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 19
at that time on the site of Toronto, and, if so, what missionary
work was done there, we have no means of ascertaining.
In 1678 Father Hennepin, a Recollect, and a party of seven
teen others sailing up Lake Ontario from Fort Frontenac to
Fort Niagara in a small brigantine entered for shelter from
the storm the mouth of a river which may have been the
Humber. Here they remained from the 26th of November
until the 5th of December, when, having been frozen in, they
had to cut a channel through the ice for their little craft to
regain the open lake. Hennepin calls the place the Indian town
of Taiaiagon, but this word is simply the Mohawk term for
"landing place," not a proper name, as the good Friar
In 1749 a trading fort was established by the French on
the site of the present Exhibition Grounds, Toronto, to inter
cept the Indians on their way to the new English fort at
Oswego. Although the official name of the place on the north
shore was Fort Rouille, in compliment to the French Colonial
Minister of the period, it was popularly known as Fort
Toronto, and is so designated even on the maps of the time.
It was but a wooden stockade, built for trade purposes alone,
and had but five soldiers, two non-commissioned officers, one
officer and a storekeeper. There was at this time a Recollect
chaplain at Fort Niagara, and, doubtlessly, he came from time
to time to attend the spiritual wants of the little trading post.
In 1752 the Abbe Picquet visited Fort Rouille, but we have
no record of his having performed any religious functions
here. The Mississagas of the region asked him to have a
priest sent amongst them. They said that instead of a church
they had been given only a canteen. He answered them rather
brusquely, and left the place immediately. Many censure the
Abbe for thus losing a grand opportunity of spreading the
W B O
" c o
" "5 C
ij r K C
^J ^ CD i
?- e n-
* bjj K
t. ? J
r- C .-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 21
Gospel. Living as we do, nearly two centuries after his time,
we are not able to judge the affair as well as he who had spent
a score of years amongst the Indians and knew their nature
most intimately. In point of fact, from what we know of this
tribe in their relations with the French at Fort Rouille, we
must confess that the Abbe understood them very well. A
soldier with dispatches for Montreal was slain by them
between Toronto and Niagara, and word was brought in by
friendly Indians that the Missisaugas were gathering at the
head of the lake, apparently meaning harm to Toronto. On
the outbreak of war between England and France a party of
this tribe, on its way to Montreal to aid the French, under
took to loot the Fort, despite the fact that it belonged to those
for whom they were going to fight. A canoe hastily dispatched
to Niagara brought two batteaux loaded with soldiers to the
relief of the imperilled garrison.
The critics of Abbe Picquet, however, urge that the ances
tors of these Mississagas had come under the influence of the
Jesuits in the seventeenth century in the north country, and
that, consequently, this tribe had at least equal right to a
missionary with the descendants of the murderers of Brebeuf,
Lalemant, Jogues and the other martyrs. Even if the Mis
sissagas were not sincere in their desire for a priest, his very
presence amongst them would do untold good dying children
could be baptized, and some at least amongst the adults would
be converted. It is further pointed out that it took years of
residence amongst the Hurons to make any impression upon
them as a whole, and it was only during the last few years of
the mission that great results were obtained. As a matter of
after history, the Mississagas were converted to Methodism
by Feter Jones.
Governor Vaudreuil had given orders after the fall of Fort
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Frontenac that, on the appearance of the English at Toronto,
the stockade should be burned and the garrison fall back on
Niagara. It so happened, however, that Niagara itself was
beseiged, so the commandant at Toronto, M. Douville, on hear
ing the cannonading across the lake, burned Fort Rouille and
made his way as best he could toward Montreal.
YORK A CHURCHLESS MISSION
After the conquest the place reverted to its primeval wild
state, and thus remained for a third of a century. In 1793
Lieut.-Governor Simcoe, knowing that inevitably the land east
of the Niagara River would be ceded to the Americans, in
which case his capital, Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake), would
then be in the position of a frontier town, sent Capt. Bouchette,
a young French-Canadian officer, to survey the harbor at
Toronto as a possible site for a new capital. The Lieut.-Gov
ernor went himself to that place in May of that year for a
brief visit of inspection, and so impressed was he with its
appearance that after the prorogation of Parliament, early in
July, an immediate preparation was made for the removal,
Colonel Simcoe going across on July 24.
A month later the Lieut.-Governor entertained in the infant
settlement two very distinguished guests, the Abbe Desjar-
dins and M. St. Luc De La Corne, delegates sent by the Eng
lish Government in regard to making a settlement of French
Royalists who had fled to England from their native land. The
visitors were well received by Colonel Simcoe and were pressed
by him to locate on land at the head of Lake Ontario, where
a township had been set apart for them. It would be inter
esting to know if the Abbe Desjardins said Mass here on that
occasion. The date of his visit was a Sunday, but he may
have celebrated the Holy Sacrifice before leaving Niagara,
where he had spent three weeks before coming across the
lake. This Abbe Desjardins was assuredly a man gifted with
prescience. Standing in the little clearing in the forest by
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the side of the Lake, where but a few cabins were as yet built,
he proposed to Colonel Simcoe that a hospital be built here, and
one each in Kingston and Detroit, all under the care of the
Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. This, he urged, would incur
but little expense, as a small portion of the immense waste
land available would give ample support to these institutions.
The Lieut.-Governor averred that it was a matter which
would have to be arranged with the British Government.
The Reverend Philip John Louis Desjardins was born June 6, 1753,
and after his ordination, which took place October 19, 1777, he occupied
a high position, from which he was driven on the outbreak of the Revolu
tion. Having taken refuge in England, he and two other priests and the
Chevalier De La Corne, a naval officer (who was
born in Canada), were sent to this country to make
arrangements about sending a colony of the Royal
ists to Upper Canada. Arriving in Quebec, March
3, 1793, the Abbe Desjardins and M. De La Corne
set out shortly afterward for the Upper Province.
At Kingston they secured four lots for church pur
poses, and continued on to Newark, where they were
well received by the Executive Council, and a town
ship at the west end of the Lake was set apart for
their intended settlement. They remained three
weeks in Newark, and then came to Toronto, as we
have seen. Two days after their visit the name of
the place was officially changed to York, in honor
,. ,, _. , ,, , 7 , . TTT , ^
of the Duke of York, son of George III., and Com-
mander-in-chief of the British army. Returning to
Quebec, the good priest was taken ill, and for a
long time was incapacitated for any kind of labor.
On his recovery he taught Sacred Scripture and Theology in Quebec
Seminary, all the while waiting for the emigrants who were to make up
his settlement. But things looked brighter for the Bourbon cause, and
those who had been most enthusiastic in the project now lost interest in
it, preferring to take possession of their own chateaux, as now seemed
not only possible but probable, to burying themselves in the backwoods
Seeing that his colonization plan was doomed to failure the Abbe
offered his services to the Bishop of Quebec, who had made him one of
his Vicars-General shortly after his arrival. He was appointed chaplain
to Hotel Dieu and the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, and
in the Ursuiine Con-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 25
afterwards of the Ursulines. He preached often at the Cathedral, and a
Protestant lady, the wife of Col. Simcoe, tells us in her diary of the
admirable sermon which she heard him deliver in "the French church,"
as she calls it, on Christmas day, 1794. By special permission he acted
as one of the Assistant Bishops in the consecration of Bishop O Donell
of Newfoundland, as a third Bishop was not available for the ceremony.
Owing to his efforts many of the paintings that adorn the Basilica and
the chapel of the Ursulines at Quebec were brought to this country.
Beyond the period of three months spent in the Chaleur Bay district his
whole ecclesiastical career while in Canada was confined to the city of
Quebec, excepting, of course, whatever offices of a religious nature he
may have performed during his very brief stay in Upper Canada. In
1802 he returned to France and took up the regular work of the ministry
again. Some correspondence of his with the Duke of Kent, with whom
he had become acquainted in Canada, was intercepted by the government
of Napoleon, and, as a consequence, he was imprisoned, and was for four
years away from his mission. He was later made Vicar-General of
Paris, where he died in 1833.
A Dominican priest named LeDru came to Niagara in 1794,
but was soon expelled from the country by order of the Lieut.-
Governor because of his political leanings toward the Ameri
cans. Whether he visited during his short stay at Niagara
the new- settlement at York we know not ; there were troops
at both places and they had an equal right to his ministrations
as chaplain. As to the civilian population at York it was
almost nil, as from the account of the Due de la Rochefou-
cauld-Liancourt, a year later, there were only twelve houses
In September, 1794, Lieut..-Governor Simcoe expressed the
wish to the Bishop of Quebec for a priest of unquestioned
loyalty to British interests for the Indian missions in the
Raisin River district, then a part of Upper Canada. The man
selected for this position was the Rev. Edmund Burke, an
Irish priest who had come to Canada some eight years before.
The Rev. Edmund Burke was born in the parish of Marysborough,
Queen s County, Ireland, in 1753. After a distinguished course at Paris,
where he showed remarkable aptitude, especially in mathematics and
philosophy, he was ordained, and, returning to his native land, was en-
26 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
gaged on the mission in his home diocese, being finally appointed as
pastor of the town of Kildare. Having incurred the ill-will of many of
his colleagues because of his advocacy of Mgr. Delaney as coadjutor, he,
on the advice of Archbishop Carpenter of Dublin, left Ireland, and
through the Abbe Hussey, the London agent of the Bishop of Quebec,
came to Canada in the summer of 1786. On the opening of the seminary
in September of that year, he was appointed professor of mathematics
and philosophy, a post which he filled for some four years. He then
evinced a desire for the western missions, but was appointed pastor of
the parish of St. Pierre, on the Island of Orleans, where he remained
until his appointment to Upper Canada. Being made Vicar-General of
the missions of the Upper Province, he set out for his new charge im
mediately. At St. Regis he visited Rev. Roderick Macdonell, who had
lately built a fine church for the Indians at that place, and the Vicar-
General made arrangements with Father Macdonell to visit Kingston
twice a year to give the Catholics of that place an opportunity of ful
filling their religious duties. He found that the Reverend Alexander
Macdonell of Glengarry was living in Montreal, and attending his charge
from that distant point. This priest he ordered to live on his mission
and to build a church at once.
Having arrived in the west, he established on the Raisin River the
mission of St. Anthony, from which he withdrew to Detroit after
Wayne s victory over the Indians. He left that place in the summer of
1796 on Jay s treaty coming in force, taking, temporally, the charge of
what is now Sandwich, until the appointment of a successor to the
pastor, Father Dufaux, who had just died. His stay in the west was
much embittered by opponents, both political and religious, and his life
was often endangered. The main cause of the opposition to him, accord
ing to Bishop Carroll of Baltimore, was "an apostate Dominican named
LeDru," the same who had been driven out of Niagara by Col. Simcoe.
During the next four years we get glimpses of the Vicar-
General in his wanderings throughout the vast district under
his charge. In October, 1796, he writes the Bishop of Quebec
that he has obtained land both at Niagara and York for the
benefit of the missions. The property at York consisted of
200 acres, being lot 4 on the third concession east of Yonge
Street (now Leslie Street). This he assigned to Bishop Denaut
of Quebec in trust for the Catholic congregation of the town
of York, and, on the death of that prelate, many years later,
the relatives of the latter becoming acquainted with the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
nature of the trust, had it transferred to a board of trustees
consisting of the Very Reverend Henry Augustine Roux, su
perior of the Seminary of Montreal, and Vicar-General of the
Diocese of Quebec; the Very Reverend Alexander Macdonell
of Glengarry, also Vicar-General of the same diocese and the
Reverend Angus Macdonell, clergyman, of the city of Mont
real. In 1831 the pastor of York, the Very Reverend W. J.
O Grady, advised Bishop Macdonell to sell the property, as it
RT. REV. E. BURKE,
Bishop of Sion and Vicar-
General of Nova Scotia,
who as Father Burke from
1794 to 1801 frequently
visited as missionary priest
York and the Catholic set
tlements of Ontario.
MGR. REMIGIUS GAULIX,
Bishop of Kingston, who as
Father Gaulin in 1811 and
for three years thereafter
was missionary priest vis
iting Catholic settlements
in Ontario. As Bishop he re
sided in Toronto for a time.
was wild land and far from the town." If held to-day by the
Church this gift of Vicar-General Burke would be worth mil
lions of dollars.
In July, 1798, the register of the hotel of Abner Miles at
York has an entry of a few words which brings home to us
the great difference between the mode of travel in those days
and ours. A priest had come on horseback from the River La
Tranche (The Thames). The items are: "Three quarts of
28 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
corn for the horse, a half pint of wine and breakfast for the
rider," all for two shillings and sixpence. This traveller must
have been Vicar-General Burke, as there was no priest then
stationed in the vicinity of the Thames, and the Vicar-General
travelled about from place to place wherever he could be of
service to his people.
During that same summer of 1798 we find him at Niagara,
on his way to Detroit. At the former place he found that
although three-fourths of the troops, both officers and men,
were Catholics, and that a chaplain was paid by the King to
look after their spiritual welfare, they were entirely neglected.
In consequence the Catholics were compelled to attend the
Protestant service. On a visit to Kingston during that year
he found that practically the same state of affairs existed at
that post. The chaplain, Father Duval, was absent, and the
Vicar-General wrote the Bishop to send that priest or a sub
stitute to Kingston immediately. In a newspaper of the day
we read of the celebration by Vicar-General Burke at Niagara
in 1798 of the wedding of Capt. Miles Macdonell of the Royal
Canadian Volunteers and Miss Katy Macdonell. The bride
groom afterwards became famous as the Governor of Lord
Selkirk s settlement at Red River, and the bride was the
daughter of Capt. Allan Macdonell, a veteran of the Revolu
The winter of 1799 was spent in York and the Vicar-General
had high hopes for that mission. Desiring to have a church
built, which on account of the paucity of Catholics in the place
at the time could not be thought of as a local venture, he
wrote the Bishop of Quebec on the matter. The answer was
that the people of York must themselves be the instruments
of Providence to bring about the much desired effect. "Be
sides," the Bishop avers, "York is not far distant from the
. Vi 1!
n . ;; , " i
3 > i) \..-. j
i i III
i : i ;! . L*
30 Centennial Souvenir, St. Paul s Church, Toronto
French settlement at Windham," and the Count de Puisaye
had informed his Lordship "that the church and presbytery
at that place are now ready."
This settlement referred to by the Bishop was an abortive
affair arising out of the mission of Abbe Desjardins and his
companions some years before. The emigration scheme which
had then come to naught was revived by the Count de Puisaye
and several of his fellow-nobles, and a party of forty-four, all
told, arrived at York on November 18, 1798, when the town
ships of Uxbridge, Gwillimbury, part of Whitchurch and a
township not yet named situated north of Whitby, were
assigned to them. In addition four thousand, four hundred
acres in lots of two hundred acres each were set apart on
Yonge Street about twenty miles from York as the nucleus of
a town. In a short time seventeen houses were erected as well
as a church and presbytery, as we have seen. The new town
was called Windham in honor of the British Secretary of War,
through whose influence the affair had been achieved. Less
than a year sufficed to demonstrate to the colonists (who being
for the most part members of the nobility) that they were
entirely unsuited to the labor of clearing their lands. Some
sold their claims and went back to France, others engaged in
other avocations, and Windham was deserted. There was at
least one death at the place during its brief existence, Padiou,
known also as La Drama, having died there. Early in 1800
Vicar- General Burke, who had come to York to minister to
a poor fellow who was to be executed, wrote the Bishop that
he is about to visit Windham. This was probably the only
visit of an ecclesiastical nature that the settlement ever had.
Whilst at York on that occasion, the Vicar-General met the
celebrated Joseph Brant, who claimed to be a Catholic and to
be anxious to have a priest on the Grand River reserve. He
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 31
also requested that his son be taken into some of the Catholic
institutions to be brought up in the doctrines of the faith. All
this is referred by Vicar-General Burke to the consideration
of the Bishop.
Campbell in his work, "John Graves Simcoe," mentions an
incident which reminds one of the days of Frontenac, and the
petty bickering and interference in things ecclesiastical of
that great man. Lieut.-Governor Simcoe had censured the
Reverend J. Burke for refusing a pew and the honors due his
station to the lieutenant of the county. The clergyman thus
grieviously offending must have been the Vicar-General, as
there was no other of any denomination of the same name in
the country at that time. At any rate, in the spring of 1801
he went to Quebec, having been involved in a dispute with the
Commandant at Kingston ; shortly afterwards going to Rome,
where he wrote a "Memoir on the Canadian Missions." In
1801 he was sent to Halifax as Vicar-General of the Bishop of
Quebec, and in 1818 was consecrated Bishop of Sion and ap
pointed Vicar-Apostolic of Nova Scotia. He died in 1821.
His account of the neglect of the Upper Canada missions
has caused much heartburnings which extend even to the
present day. The idea to which he tenaciously clung during
his residence in this Province was that all the Catholics of
the vast region should have priests to visit them at intervals
to bring them the consolations of religion. The country was
fast filling up, and the Catholics who settled beyond the con
fines of the few parishes that then existed would in time be
lost to the Church if left to their own resources.
After the departure of Father Burke from the Province we
have no record of any priest being at York until the autumn
of 1804, when there arrived upon the scene a man who has
left his impress deep and broad on affairs both ecclesiastical
32 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
and political in the Province, of which he was one of the most
outstanding figures for the period of thirty-five years the
Reverend Alexander Macdonell, "the Father of Catholicism in
This great prelate was born in Glen Urquhart on the banks of Loch
Ness, Invernesshire, Scotland, July 17, 1760. His early education was
received at Scallan, whence he proceeded to the Scots College, Paris,
about the year 1775. In his sixteenth year, however, he was sent, pre
sumedly at the wish of Bishop Hugh MacDonald of the Highland district,
to the Royal Scots College at Valladolid, where he was ordained priest
on Holy Saturday, April 7, 1787, by Monsignor Emmanuel Joachim
Moron, and returned to Scotland on August 20 of the same year. He
was placed in charge of the mission of Badenoch, where he remained
until May, 1792.
He might Vave spent his whole life in this laborious mission had not
social and economic changes brought about a state of affairs that
caused his removal to a new sphere of action. In 1784 began the system
of converting the small farms into sheepwalks, which were rented to
Lowland shepherds who could pay higher rentals than the tenants al
ready in possession. Seeing his people evicted from their holdings.
Father Macdonell, finding that laborers were needed in the mills at Glas
gow, went to that city to secure employment for them. The commercial
magnates received the good priest very cordially, but they reminded him
of the two great difficulties to his proposition these Highlanders did not
understand English and they were for the most part Catholics. Father
Macdonell assured them that he would accompany his people and be their
interpreter as well as their spiritual guide. He was then reminded that
he would be not only subject to the insults of the rabble (only a few
years previously the Catholic chapel had been burned in the Gordon
riots), but, as the law stood, he as a priest could be haled before a court
of law. He expressed his willingness to take his chance with the law,
and soon he had 800 Highlanders at work in Glasgow, and they gave
Up to this time, when Mass was celebrated in Glasgow, the Holy Sacri
fice was performed in some obscure attic or other out-of-the-way place for
fear of molestation. Father Macdonell, however, rented a place opening
to the street and there he performed the offices of religion publicly and
without any interference. In the year 1794 the cotton trade of Glasgow
became disorganized owing to the war with France, and the Highlanders
were thrown out of employment. There was one field alone in which
these men could earn a livlihood the army but to enlist they must de
clare themselves Protestants. To prevent apostacy, and to be of some
material help to his people, Father Macdonell proposed to raise a Catho-
For a quarter of a century, first as missionary and later
as Bishop Macdonell, did this great prelate labor for
souls in this section of the Lord s vineyard.
34 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
lie regiment; and at a meeting held at Fort Augustus in February, 1794,
the Glengarry Fencible Regiment was begun. This was the first Catho
lic corps since the days of James II., and, despite the fact that the law
forbade the appointment, the Reverend Alexander Macdonell was gazet
ted as chaplain.
Fencible regiments were for Home defence, but on the advice of the
chaplain the "Glengarries" volunteered for service in any part of Great
Britain, Ireland, or the Channel Islands. They were in Guernsey until
1798, when they were ordered to Ireland, then in a state of rebellion.
They encountered the Insurgents at Laggan, and had skirmishes with
them at Hackett s Town, Kilkenny, and New Ross; but the spirit of the
peasantry by this time had been broken, and the "Glengarries" saw little
of the real fighting such as had taken place before their arrival. Their
Chaplain accompanied them throughout the campaign, and those chapels
which he found had been defiled by the Hessian troops he took pains
to have cleaned and restored to their former sacred uses. He said Mass
in them and invited the people to come forth from hiding and resume
their wonted occupations. This was something new to the peasantry,
who had been hounded by Yeoman, Hessian and Briton alike.
Whilst in Ireland they came under the command of General Hunter,
then in charge at Wexford, of whom, let it be told to his honor, that he
was the very antithises of his predecessors at that post. The Orange
Yeomanry found to their cost that the new troops were by General
Hunter s orders to protect the lives and property of the inhabitants from
pillage and plunder by these cowardly ruffians. When a loyalist with
the prefix of Reverend to his name brought to the General the story of a
plot on the part of the unarmed Papists to massacre the well-armed Pro
testants, Hunter threatened to have him whipped publicly through the
streets at the tail of a cart as a spreader of false reports liable to make
trouble in the city.
The "Glengarries" returned to Scotland, where they were disbanded in
1802. The mills being still closed, Father Macdonell, seeing no prospect
for his people at home, turned his thoughts to Upper Canada, where many
of his clan had taken up their residence over a quarter of a century be
fore. With a view of interesting the Government in a scheme of emigra
tion to that Province he set out for London, where he was met with
another proposition that of bringing his people to Trinidad instead.
Knowing the unsuitability of that place, owing to its torrid climate, for
his people, he clung tenaciously to his own goal, the new Glengarry
where his kinsmen dwelt.
A change in Government delayed somewhat his proposition, but at last
in March, 1803, he received, "under the sign manual of the king," a
grant of land in Upper Canada for every officer and soldier of the late
Glengarry regiment whom he would bring to that Province. The lairds
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
now opposed the scheme, fearing the utter depopulation of their estates,
and a deputation of prominent gentlemen approached Father Macdonell
attempting to prove to him the folly of his undertaking. Lord Hobart
proposed an alternative scheme by which the settlers might enter Can
ada by way of the United States, and thus receive their land grants as
United Empire Loyalists from that country. This he also refused to
entertain, on account of the extra expense on his poor people, and the
danger of their being indoctrinated with republican ideas, which might
make them citizens of that country through which it was intended that
they should pass. In fact, his people had become by this time very much
embittered against the Government and the lairds on account of the
treatment they had received, and had this plan been carried out many of
them would have remained in the United States, and the story of the
capture of Ogdensburg and the other episodes of the War of 1812, in
which the "Glengarries" figured, might never have been written.
Owing to the stringent requirements of the Emigration Act, which by
the influence of the jealous lairds were strictly enforced, Father Mac
donell had literally to smuggle his people out of the country in small de
tachments at various times during the years 1803 and 1804, arriving in
Quebec himself in September of the latter year. After a brief visit to
his kinsman, Reverend Roderick Macdonell at St. Regis, he repaired to
York armed with a letter of introduction from the Bishop of Quebec to
General Hunter. This document was not at all necessary in this case,
for reasons which we have already seen. General Hunter had been ap
prised of the intended settlement and of the obstacles thrown in the way
of its accomplishment, and he wrote Lord Hobart of the pleasure it
would give him to be of any service to the Reverend Mr. Macdonell on
his arrival in the colony, and expressing his regret that the scheme of
bringing the members of the Glengarry Regiment to the colony had been
impeded. "That Regiment," he states, "served under my command some
short time in Ireland in 1798, when I found them to be a remarkably
well-behaved and well disposed set of people."
No doubt the people of York had on this visit the consola
tion of having the Holy Sacrifice offered in their midst, and
any other of the offices of religion that the circumstances war
The land matter having been arranged, he was shortly after
wards appointed pastor of St. Raphael, in Glengarry, from
which place he visited the Catholics, scattered as they were
throughout the whole of Upper Canada, from the Province
line at Coteau du Lac to Lake Superior, through a country
36 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
without roads or bridges; sometimes on foot, carrying on his
back the essentials for Mass ; sometimes on horseback, or in
the rough wagons of the time ; sometimes in the canoes of the
aborigines this true apostle sought out his people to break for
them the Bread of Life, and to bring the message of forgive
ness to souls remote from civilization.
On his advent to the Province he found two priests, Father
Fitzsimmons, a Franciscan, in Glengarry, who on the arrival
of Father Macdonell went to St. Andrew s, where he remained
about a year, then leaving Upper Canada; the other, Father
Marchand, at Sandwich, a good and holy man, but who had
no knowledge of English, and, therefore, confined himself to
the precincts of his own mission. The mentality of Father
Macdonell was identical with that of Father Burke on the
issue of the necessity of the people being looked after wher
ever they might be.
Shortly after arriving in Glengarry, Father Macdonell
found that many of the early settlers, through ignorance of
legal proceedings or inability to pay the necessary fees, had
not secured deeds for the land allotted to them by the Gov
ernment. He again proceed to York, where, after a protracted
stay and much trouble, he secured patent deeds for 160,000
acres of land, which might have otherwise passed from the
hands of its occupants.
This stay in York was no doubt pleasing to the Catholics of
the place, as it gave them a boon of which they would be ordi
narily denied the privilege of hearing Mass frequently.
There were at that time but three churches in the Province,
two of wood and one of stone. It was his highest ambition
that wherever possible the people should have a temple of the
Most High in their midst. With this end in view, from his
very coming into the Province he at various times used his
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 37
influence with the Government to secure land for ecclesiasti
cal and educational purposes in the places where it seemed
such institutions were most needed. In March, 1806, a lot
of nine square chains was secured by free grant from the
Government in the village of York, being situated on the
north-east corner of George and Duke Streets, in the name of
a board of trustees, consisting of the Honorable James Baby,
John Small, and the Reverend Alexander Macdonell, in trust
for the Roman Catholic congregation of York, for the purpose
of building a chapel. The first of these gentlemen was a very
prominent Catholic, of whom we shall tee much in the narra
tive of the establishment of the parish at York; the second
was not a Catholic, why he should have been appointed to such
a position is a mystery; the third was, of course, the priest
of whom we have been treating.
This plan, however, never developed into action, so far as
the lot then secured was concerned, and for many years the
Catholics of York had to be content with the services held in
the residence of some of the faithful on the occasion of the all
too seldom visits of Father Macdonell, or of one of those
assistants who came to his aid in later years.
Appointed Vicar-General in 1807 by the Bishop of Quebec,
and being for a long time the only priest in Upper Canada, his
visits to the various places where there were Catholics were
necessarily few and far between, but gradually in the course
of time co-operators came, and the people received more
attention. Father Gaulin, afterwards Bishop of Kingston,
came to the Province in 1811, remaining three years; Father
Perinault in 1815, who retired to Lower Canada after a simi
lar stay in the Upper Province; and Father John Macdonald,
also in 1815, who remained in these parts until 1879, but we
have no record of any of these priests ever visiting York for
38 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the purpose of rendering spiritual aid to the Catholics of that
In the Journal of Bishop Plessis we read that that prelate,
accompanied by the Reverend Peter Joseph Perinault, above
referred to; the Reverend John Baptist Kelly, pastor of St.
Denis; and the Reverend Mr. Gauvreau, the Bishop s Secre
tary, were in the harbor of York on June 12, 1816, on the way
from Kingston to Sandwich. The three priests went into the
town, where they spent four or five hours, but the Bishop,
hearing that the Governor was absent, did not leave the vessel.
Bishop Plessis tells of the land secured by Vicar-General Mac-
donell, about an acre in extent, some ten years previous, but
no church had as yet been built. This evidence of the Bishop,
only six years before the building of St. Paul s, should set at
rest the story of there being in York a Catholic church before
1822, though the Bishop mentions that there were in the town
some Catholic families.
On January 12, 1819, Pius VII. appointed the Very Rever
end Alexander Macdonell Bishop of Resina in partibus in-
fiddium, and the consecration by Bishop Plessis took place in
the chapel of the Ursulines at Quebec on December 31, 1820.
It has been stated time and again, even in works of some
moment, that the Pope on this occasion created a Vicariate
Apostolic of Upper Canada, and that Vicar-General Macdonell
became the first occupant of it. The Bulls of appointment,
however, show how far from the truth are these assertions.
In this document are distinctly defined the relations of
the new Bishop to the Ordinary of Quebec. That you," it
reads, "having been given the episcopal character may more
usefully discharge your present Vicarial office as subject and
auxiliary of the Bishop of Quebec, and have charge of the
Catholics subject to him." Bishop Macdonell was not then by
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 39
this appointment made a Bishop-in-ordinary, nor a Vicar-
Apostolic, nor a coadjutor with the right of succession, but
simply what he had been for several years before Vicar-
General of the Bishop of Quebec, and his consecration was for
the purpose of enabling him to perform the duties of the epis
copal office. This promotion in no way diminished in the least
the missionary labors of the recipient ; the long and weary
journeys by trail and stream still continued unhampered by
the episcopal dignity.
In a letter of Mrs. Boulton, wife of the Solicitor-General,
to Bishop Macdonell, dated April 13, 1821, she says that Rev
erend Mr. Fraser has written that he intends coming to York
by the first opening of navigation, if he can manage it. She
also refers to a former visit by that priest to York in the pre
The Reverend William Fraser, son of David Fraser and Mary
Chisholm, was born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1788. Coming to Canada
in 1817, he was ordained at Quebec, December 5, 1819. His first appoint
ment was to St. Raphael as assistant, where he remained until April 1,
1821, when he was made pastor of Kingston, visiting the Catholics along
the shore of Lake Ontario as far west as Dundas. At Kingston he built
a stone presbytery, which Bishop Macdonell afterwards occupied, and
still later was used as an academy by the Nuns of the Congregation.
In 1829 he was transferred to St. Andrew s and Cornwall, where he
remained until his death, which occurred April 4, 1836.
THE FIRST CHURCH
About this time the Catholics of York determined to have a
church erected, and finding that the lot procured from the
Government was not well situated for the purpose, permission
was obtained by a bill, passed in April, 1821, by the Legisla
ture, to dispose of it, the proceeds of the sale to be applied to
the purchase of a new site.
"After a good deal of searching about on the part of Hon.
James Baby and the Hon. Alexander Macdonell, who had
charge of the affair for Bishop Macdonell, a site was finally
decided on, and application made for it to the Government, to
whom it belonged. In a letter, which was written about May
15, 1822, to the Bishop by the former of these gentlemen, he
"His Excellency has been pleased to sanction, indeed con
firm, the recommendation of the council on the petition pre-
ser.tsd in your name and those of the trustees in beha f of the
Roman Catholics of this place and its vicinity. The ground,
two blocks, each of five acres, as per the plan you saw, are
granted. They were estimated at 20 per acre, 200 in the
whole, on the annual payment of interest or rent. This sum
would be redeemed at the option or pleasure of the trustees. I
hope I have not erred in comprising ten instead of five acres.
We may relinquish the other five, if it is thought advisable.
For my part I have no hesitation to say that I would prefer
taking the whole ten, than the one-half, for I have no doubt
that at no distant period, the other five would be found not only
very valuable, but also most useful, particularly as you should
be enabled to mature your plan of erecting a public school for
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
young girls. The ground or spot where the church or chapel
is intended to be erected, is getting cleared. There will be to
morrow a bee or collection of people to forward the work. In
a few days I shall take steps to contract for the material as
well as for the undertaking of the building, the dimensions of
which I will take care not to be too contracted or exceed much
our expected means."
The writer of this letter was a descendant of one of the
>f Quebec, the fi rst Bishop
to visit Toronto (1816).
From portrait in possession
of L. P. Sylvain, Assistant
Librarian of Parliament,
HON. JAMES BABY
The outstanding character
in the building of Old St.
Paul s Church. From a
drawing- in the John Ross
Robertson collection in To
ronto Public Library.
earliest settlers at Detroit, his father, who was both fur trader
and farmer, being a great friend of the famous Pontiac, who,
hearing that the English had offered Baby a bushel of silver
for the scalp of his friend, went into the house of the settler
and slept there to show his confidence in him. Mr. Baby often
brought food to the garrison by night during the siege, when
it was utterly unattainable from any other source.
Born at Detroit in 1765, James Baby was sent at an early age to the
Seminary of Quebec, where he remained until shortly after the peace of
42 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
1783. After returning home his father sent him for a tour of Europe be
fore having him settle down to a business career. Returning in 1785,
he engaged in the fur trade. On the formation of Upper Canada as a
separate province, he was appointed a member of the Executive and
Legislative Councils, and also Lieutenant for the county of Kent and
judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He was a resident of York from
its very infancy, his home being on the north side of Wellington Street,
then known as Market Street, east of Scott Street. In a directory of
1815, he was living at that place, for which he had received the patent in
1799. During the war of 1812 he commanded the Kent militia, and in
1815 was appointed Inspector-General of Accounts for Upper Canada.
As we have seen, he was identified with all things pertaining to Catholi
city, and spared neither his time or his means in fostering its growth in
the village of York. Writing to Bishop Macdonell on one occasion he
says : "You may command my services, feeble as they are, in any man
ner you please." He died in 1832.
The . work of clearing went on, and subscriptions were
sought amongst the Catholics of the district. Mr. Baby wrote
the Bishop of Quebec and the pastor of Montreal in regard to
a collection in the latter city. On receiving a reply which
seemed the death knell of his appeal he wrote Bishop Mac
I have received this instant a letter from Mr. LesAulnier,
cure of Montreal, in answer to me on the subject of a subscrip
tion in behalf of our church. He informs me that Monseigneur
Plessis has not given him any direction to propose such a
thing to his parishioners, although I had requested and en
treated him to give his sanction to the measure. We will
be compelled to begin our work on such a small scale as our
means can permit, and I feel no further help can be expected
from that quarter, as Mr. LesAulnier writes that there are
three subscriptions for similar objects preceding our applica
tion. Five acres out of ten are ready, I mean have been
cleared. I hope I am right in taking ten acres and not confin
ing ourselves to five acres. Mr. McDonell is now at this place
and we shall set to work immediately. I shall be happy to re
ceive such instructions as you may deem necessary to give,
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 43
as well as to hear that you continue in good health.
"I have written sometime since to Mr. Fraser to request if
he would let me know the dimensions of the church at King
ston. I regret to say I have had no answer from him."
The writer was mistaken in his surmise, as both the Sulpi-
cians and the Catholics of Montreal came generously to the
aid of the struggling mission later. Bishop Lartigue, then
auxiliary Bishop, residing in Montreal, headed the list with 8.
The Sulpicians, who gave 25 to the fund, were ever dear to
the heart of Bishop Macdonell, who in a letter to his Vicar-
General wrote as follows :
"To the Seminary of Montreal, to the gentlemen of that
Seminary, and particularly to my dear bosom friend Mr. Les
Aulnier, and to the worthy superior, Mr. Roux, the Catholic
religion owes under God, I may say, its existence and princi
pal support in this Province."
Bishop Macdonell came to York to help in the work which
was begun immediately, and so rapid was the progress that on
December 23, 1822, the Honorable Mr. Baby was able to report
to the Bishop, who had returned home, "Our church is under
cover and the walls are secure from the frost."
During the summer of 1823, York was visited by the Rev
erend John O Meara who remained about two weeks, and to
wards the autumn of that year, the Honorable Mr. Baby wrote
him to come again if possible. The good priest answered that
he had secured the consent of Bishop Plessis and promised
be in York early in January (1824). That month came and
went, but Father O Meara did not arrive. The visit then
looked forward to was no ordinary occasion for the Catholics
of York, as it meant for them the first Mass in their new
church, and the good people of St. Paul s had to be content
with the first Mass in their new church at a much later date.
44 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Reverend John O Meara was born in Ireland, April 21, 1793, and
was ordained September 15, 1822. He was in charge of St. Andrew s and
Cornwall from ordination to October, 1825, whence, as we have seen, he
visited York. He left for Ireland, where he died some years afterwards.
The Honorable Mr. Baby writing Bishop Macdonell on Feb
ruary 5, 1824, gives a most interesting summary of the finan
cial side of the project. Many of those who had subscribed
when the Bishop was at York had failed to pay the amounts
then agreed upon, and, as the work progressed and the pay
ments became due, it devolved on the Honorable Mr. Baby to
finance the project. In this he was nobly backed up by Mr.
Peter Macdougall, a merchant of York and a neighbor of the
Honorable Mr. Baby. When all other sources seemed unable
to provide the funds to meet the indebtedness, Mr. Baby, no
doubt with great reluctance, pathetically appealed to his Lord
ship Bishop Macdonell, who was then in Europe, about mat
ters connected with the proposed seminary, in the following
"I beg and entreat you to use your best endeavor in solicit
ing assistance by donations from amongst the opulent Catho
lics at home, through some of their clergy, in order to relieve
us from the expense we have been at, beyond our means, in
finishing the church. When I say we, I should say myself and
Peter McDougall, as we are much in arrear with the workman
who has built the church. Our resources have fallen much
shorter than we expected, from causes which it is unnecessary
to state in a letter. None, hardly, of the people who were so
zealously inclined when you were at this place have paid their
subscription money, thus having fallen short of means, and
the building having at your Lordship s suggestion and desire
been extended to 90 feet, in lieu of 60 feet, the expense has na
turally been increased, and especially by the addition of the
elegant spire or steeple which had not been contemplated when
OLD ST. PAUL S CHURCH, POWER STREET,
the oldest Catholic Chuch in Ontario between Kingston and the Detroit River, and
which for seventy years was the parish church of most of the Catholic pioneers of
the city of Toronto.
46 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the first estimate was made. The whole now completed is
To amount of building 1,398.2.9 By amount of lot sold.. 265.10
Amount paid for rent Subscription in York.. 227.5.4
due Government .... 12. Subscription in Mont-
Amount paid for real 147.13.4%
fencing cemetery .. 20. From the Seminary of
Amount paid for clear- Montreal .... 25.
ing, digging, and so
forth 12.2.11 1 /4 Balance due . 778.17.5 1 / 4
"From this your Lordshp will easily perceive in what pre
dicament Mr. McDougall and myself are placed, particularly
myself, as I am the only person responsible to the contractor.
My reliance is, therefore, founded on your Lordship s exer
tions to relieve me from so serious an embarrassment, hav
ing had to borrow money, which is loaned for but a short
period to the first of July next. I have, however, to observe
that if the cost is great, the building is well worth it, for on in
spection it is, and will be found, I can truly say, the neatest
building of the kind in Upper Canada. To this may be added
also, the cheapest; with roof, steeple, neat gallery, beautiful
arched ceiling with cornices all in plaster of paris, completed
and painted, the whole ready for public worship."
The building thus brought to completion, the "old St.
Paul s" so familiar a generation ago, indeed invited the en
comiums heaped upon it by the worthy gentleman through
whose efforts it was brought into existence.
It was of red brick, substantially built, 90 feet by 46 feet ;
;he north and south walls being worked into a tesselated pat
tern, by means of brick of a lighter color, which design was
considered most beautiful in those days. The spire above re
ferred to was surmounted by the figure of a cock, a familiar
sight still on the spires of the older Catholic churches in
Upper and Lower Canada.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 47
The contractors were Messrs. Parke and Ewart, the name
of the architect who designed the church, unfortunately, can
not be found.
Mr. Peter Macdougall, above referred to, despite his Scottish cogno
men, was a typical French-Canadian, being, no doubt, a descendant of
some of the Highlanders who settled in the Lower Province and 1 inter
married with the French settlers. He was a merchant at York, and was
also interested in the shipping industries on the lakes in the early days,
having lived in Niagara before coming to York. In the latter town his
residence was on the north side of Wellington Street, west of Scott
Street. Unfortunately, after doing so much to help along the Church in
its infancy at York, Mr. Macdougall felt himself aggrieved by the Church
wardens in the matter of a pew, and this leading to other causes of
misunderstanding, he insisted on the payment of what was due him.
This went on for some time and he threatened to bring action in court
against the Bishop and Mr. Baby. Finding that this was impossible, he
endeavored to have five acres of the Church lands made over to him, and
Mr. Small, the non-Catholic trustee, was willing that this should be done,
but the affair was finally settled by Bishop Macdonell paying the amount
of the claim, 325, out of his own funds, Mr. Macdougall shortly after
wards established a place on Dundas street, some twenty miles from
York, which he called Dougallville, where he wished to have a church
built, offering a donation for that purpose of 25 and a site of two acres,
but this also came to naught.
In September, 1824, there came to York the Reverend
James Crowley of the diocese of Cork, who, being interested
in a project of immigration of Irish Catholics to Upper Can
ada, had obtained leave from his Bishop to remain in this
country for some time. In a letter to Bishop Macdonell, who
was still in Europe, Honorable Mr. Baby says:
"Since the beginning of September we have had the good
fortune of having a truly worthy and zealous clergyman of
the name of Crowley, who has come to this country with the
view to form some establishment for some of his friends and
countrymen from Ireland. I fear much, he will not continue
long with us, as his leave from his Bishop will expire in the
course of next summer. Not wishing to relinquish his living,
43 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
for he has a parish in Ireland, he feels himself compelled to
return to Europe. I am confident you would find him a great
acquisition in your diocese. He is much respected and beloved
by all who know him. He has visited the country between
this and the head of Lake Ontario with great success. Mr.
Manseau, V.G. and cure of the parish cf Cedars, is actually on
a visit in these parts. He is actually at Niagara. We expect
him here soon on his return home. That gentleman is de
lighted with Mr. Crowley s zeal and meritorious conduct,
which is not sufficiently rewarded, owing to the indigence of
most of our congregation, which is very numerous."
The Very Reverend Antony Manseau, above referred to, was, during
the absence of Bishop Macdonell in Europe, the Superintendent of the
Missions of Upper Canada. He was born at Baie-du Febvre, July 12,
1788, and was ordained January 2, .1814, being for a short time assistant
at Ste. Anne de la Pocatiere, then going to the Nova Scotia missions for
two years. In 1817 he was appointed pastor of The Cedars, where he
remained ten years. It was while in this charge that he received the
office of Vicar-General, and was given the temporary jurisdiction over
the missions of the Upper Province. In 1827 he was made pastor of
Contrecouer, and in 1834 was transferred to Longueuil. In 1840 he was
created canon of the chapter of Montreal, and in 1842 was sent as pastor
to Jolliette, where he remained until 1866, when he retired to the hospice
of St. Joseph, where he died two years later, aged 78 years.
Father Crowley remained in York until March 28, 1826,
when he went to Peterborough, where, in the previous year,
the Honorable Peter Robinson had located a colony of four
hundred and fifteen Irish Catholic families, numbering over
two thousand souls.
The Reverend James Crowley was born in the diocese of Cork, Ireland,
and had charge of a parish in that jurisdiction for some years. He came
to York in September, 1824, remaining until March 28, 1826, being the
first resident pastor of that town. On leaving York he went to Peter
borough, where he remained in charge for some years. In October, 1833,
being in poor health, Father Crowley relinquished the Peterborough mis
sion to Father Bennett, and confined himself to Otonobee and the sur
rounding townships. In 1836 he was in Toronto for a short time with
Father McDonough, and then left the Province.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 49
After the departure of Father Crowley from York the
Catholics, wishing to have another priest appointed, and
thinking that the Bishop might be under the impression that
they were unable to support a pastor, held a meeting with the
Honorable Mr. Baby in the chair and pledged themselves to
ra se annually the sum of 150 for that purpose.
Bishop Macdonell returned from his long sojourn in Europe
early in 1826, and that which he had striven to obtain, both
from the court of Rome and that of St. James, the separation
of Upper Canada from the ecclesiastical control of Quebec, was
soon afterwards accomplished. On February 14, the See of
Kingston was created and he was nominated its first Bishop.
No pastor was appointed to York for the time being, but the
Bishop himself came up during the year and remained until
early in 1827, when he began in the depth of winter, one of
those journeys with which the years of his long stay in Upper
Canada were largely made up. On January 10 of that year,
he wrote his Vicar-General, the Very Rev. Wm. P. MacDonald,
then in Glengarry, that he was going out to the new settle
ments around Lake Simcoe where there were a great many
Catholic families, and after his return would remain in York
but a short time. "I will then," he writes, "proceed to Rice
Lake, Kingston, and the military settlements along the Rideau,
so that I can hardly expect to reach Glengarry before the end
of February or the beginning of March. When I get horn j I
will see what can be done in regard to the missions and
In May, 1827, the Bishop sent to York as its pastor his
nephew, the Reverend Angus Macdonell, the first native priest
of the Province. The young levite began his work in earnest
in this strenuous mission; nor were the outlying districts
neglected. The settlements around Lake Simcoe, Thorah, etc.,
50 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
were particularly dear to him, as he had been the chief pro
moter of them. He visited those places whenever possible and
encouraged the people in a temporal as well as a spiritual way.
The Bishop visited his nephew at York in June of that year,
and, after a brief sojourn, set out by way of Niagara anf
Sandwich for Drummond Island and Sault Ste. Marie. A
month later he was back in Sandwich and wrote that he would
not be able to return to York for about a month, as he had six
or seven stations in which he was to confirm about 500 or 600
persons. In the north country a great many Indians and half-
breeds approached the sacraments with fervor and devotion.
The harvest is great, but the laborers are few," regretfully
remarks this truly apostolic prelate in closing the narrative
of his mission journey.
The young pastor became a universal favorite at York ; the
congregation flourished and improved under his guidance.
The Honorable Mr. Baby writes the Bishop in April, 1828,
"Our church goes on well, our members are increasing sur
prisingly. The church was nearly full on Easter day, although
the road giving access to it was very bad. We have now truly
good chanting in it with some music."
In August, 1828, there came to York, apparently on a visit,
an Irish priest named O Grady, who helped Father Macdonell
for a time hi the work of the mission. He wrote Bishop Mac
donell offering his services for a year at least, and at the end
of that period he was certain that if all went satisfactorily, he
would have no difficulty in obtaining permission from his own
Bishop to remain permanently in the Province.
The outcome of th s correspondence was a visit to the Bishop
with whom it was arranged that he should take charge of the
mission at York. On his return to the capital he apprised the
Reverend Angus Macdonell with the subject of the interview,
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
and the young priest was qu te satisfied to be relieved of the
responsibilities of the large mission, but his thoughts reverted
to his Lake Simcoe settlement which might perish if he were
not in a position to guide it. He, therefore, proposed to go to
that place, then far removed from civilization, and dwell in
the midst of the wilderness. As there was no hope of receiv
ing anything from the setters because of their poverty, he
desired that a salary of 120 per annum be paid him from the
REV. ANGUS MACDONELL
Second pastor of St. Paul s
(1827) and first native
pries: of the Province of
HON. ALEX. MACDONELL
Speaker of the House in
Upper Canada and Sheriff
of the Home District, inter
ested in building St. Paul s.
Government grant which the Bishop had received for his
clergy. He hoped that within a few years the mission would
increase to such an extent that it would become seif-support-
ing. He was sent, however, to Bytown, now Ottawa, where,
within a year of his arrival, he had a church erected on the
site of the present Basilica.
The Reverend Angus Macdonell was born in Glengarry, Upper Canada,
April 27, 1799, the son of John Macdonell and Margaret Macdonell, sister
of Bishop Macdonell, and was ordained by that prelate on All Saints
52 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Day, 1822. He was at St. Raphael until his appointment at York. Whilst
at Bytown he was made Vicar-General, and accompanied the Bishop in
1831 on a visitation of his diocese. He was then appointed pastor of
Sandwich, of which he held charge until that place was made the head
quarters of the Jesuit Missions in 1843; but was absent from his parish
for long periods owing to his accompanying the Bishop on his various
journeys. It was on one of these occasions that Bishop Macdonell died
in Scotland, whither his nephew and he had gone to collect funds for the
building of Reglopolis College. After leaving Sandwich he was for a
short time pastor of Chatham, but at his own request was transferred
from the newly-organized diocese of Toronto to that of Kingston, that
he might further the plans of his revered uncle in regard to the college.
When RegiopoKs was incorporated he was one of its original trustees,
and when its doors were opened he became its first Principal, a position
he held for many years. During the fever epidemic of 1847 he was day
and night in the fever sheds, soolhlrg the last moments of those unfortu
nate immigrants who had found in the land of promise only sickness and
a grave. He was a member of the Council of Public Instruction for many
years and for a time a member of the Senate of the University of
Toronto. During his long life he had come very much in contact with
men of affairs in Canada, and, when the Separate School Act of 1863 was
to the fore, he was the representative of the Bishops of Upper Canada
in seeing that the rights of the Catholics of the Province were safe
guarded in the provisions of that measure. He died at Hotel Dieu, King
ston, in 1875.
The new incumbent at York lost no time in getting to work
in earnest. Within a month of his arrival he was fitting up a
building as a parochial school, capable of accomodating sixty
pupils, for which the Bishop was to supply 20 per annum
from the Government grant to help to pay the salary of the
teacher. By the spring of 1829 he had made two visits to the
township of Toronto and the adjoining districts, where the
people had already collected 45 for the building of a church.
Taking advantage of the fact that parliament was in ses
sion, when so many prominent men of the province were in
York, and the threatened suit of Peter Macdougall was caus
ing intense excitement in the town, he advertised a charity
sermon in the church, at which people of all denominations
attended and generously contributed toward the liquidation
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
of the debt. The collection on the occasion amounted to 62.
He also organized a catechetical class, which about seventy
children attended. He was a frequent visitor to Sir John Col-
borne, who promised him that the purchase price of the church
land would be remitted, and through his influence with the
Lieutenant-Governor a site was secured for a parochial school.
This was in extent about three-quarters of an acre, and was
situated on the northwest corner of Nelson Street (now Jarvis
Street), and New Street (the present Richmond Street).
Owing to circumstances in no way favorable to the Very
Reverend W. J. O Grady, as we shall see later, this school was
not built until many years later.
The state of the mission at this time may be judged from
the contents of a letter from the pastor to the Bishop, dated
October 29, 1829 :
"With regard to the state of religion in York and the town
ships within my jurisdiction, I have the pleasure to acquaint
your Lordship that it is in as prosperous a condition as could
be reasonably expected from the exertions of one humble
individual in so extensive and harrassing a mission, and if I
have not succeeded to the entire extent of my wishes, it was
not because I did not feel the paramount obligation of extend
ing to the utmost of my ability and judgment, the Kingdom of
our Lord Jesus Christ. In my visits to the country districts
my arrangements were so made as not to deprive York of my
ministry even for one Sunday, and my circuit embraced not
only all the townships within my jurisdiction, with the excep
tion of Whitby, but also East and West Gwillimbury, Tecum-
seth, Ad jala and Mono. In these latter places I have baptized
over thirty children, and received back into the Church five
persons who had formerly fallen away from the Church, to
gether with two Protestants from the Church of England
54 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Through the entire country I have found our poor people well
disposed and most anxious to receive frequently the consola
tions of our Holy Religion, and I have no doubt that a resi
dent clergyman would be able to effect much good amongst
"Adjala appears to me to contain the largest Catholic popu
lation in this district, and with praiseworthy zeal they have
entered into a subscription for the annual support of a clergy
man, and as the most effectual and equitable mode of getting
up a church they have appointed a committee of assessment,
namely, Messrs. McFarlin, McLaughlin and Keenan, by whose
decision they have expressed themselves satisfied to abide.
I assured them their spiritual interest was the greatest object
of your Lordship s anxiety and that you certainly would
appoint a res dent clergyman for the townships, if they mani
fested a correspond ng feeling and came forward with some
donation of liberality. After the Holy Sacrifice, the families
present, without the slightest hesitation, set down their
names for the clergyman s annual stipend. The amount ex
ceeded 30, and I am led to believe that those who were absent
on business at York on that day have since augmented the
subscription list to 42. The other townships will not, I have
reason to hope, be less liberal in their contribution, and the
aggregate may enable a young clergyman to live decently.
The building of the contemplated church in the Gore of
Toronto has received a temporary check, in consequence of
Mr. Peter McDougall s anxiety to have it transferred to his
new town at Dougallville, twenty miles from York, on Dundas
Street, for which he has offered a donation of 25, together
with the convenience a church in that neighborhood would
afford the Trafalgar people and some others and induce them
to withdraw their names from the original list. I th^ nk it
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
more than probable that there shall be a small frame church
in the Gore before many months.
"I have attempted a Sunday school on a small scale at old
Mr. McGuire s, to be conducted by his daughter, and I hope
it may succeed. Under the auspices of a resident clergyman I
think it could not fail.
"In Albion, too, our poor people are making an exertion to
erect a church in conjunction with the people of the northern
THE TOWX OP YORK IN 1828
This is the earliest drawing extant of Toronto in which St. Paul s Church, is shown.
St. Paul s is seen to the right of the forks of the tree. Reduced from a painting in
Toronto City Hall ; original in the John Ross Robertson collection.
part of the Gore of Toronto, Caledon and Chinguacoucy, and
I hope in the Lord they will be able to succeed. They are cer
tainly well disposed. I have assured them in the different
townships with a view to excite their emulation in this mat
ter, that the first frame church got up by them, of twenty-
eight feet by forty-six feet, should be the parish church for
the townships and the principal residence of the clergyman to
be appointed by your Lordship. This appears to have a happy
56 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
effect. They have had already several meetings on the
The anxious request of the people in the outside missions
of York for a pastor of their own was readily acceeded to by
the Bishop, who sent them the Reverend Edward Gordon, who
arrived in York toward the end of January, 1830. Writing
the Bishop on March 11, he gives a most interesting account
of his work, and how things are progressing at York:
"I arrived in York over five weeks ago, yet this is my first
day in York. I was kindly received by Mr. O Grady and could
scarcely prevail on him to allow me to attend a sick call that
had come the morning I arrived. He thought it hard that I
should go over forty miles before I had time to rest, but I saw
that he could not very well leave York, therefore, I volun
teered to go. He sent vestments with me. I remained a week
in the townships of Tecumseth and Adjala. On my return he
proposed going with me himself to the different townships
within his jurisdiction. This was impossible, so he gave me
a paper to be read to the people when assembled. This stated
that I was regularly appointed to attend to the spiritual wants
of the Catholics of the different townships, and they were
called upon to make subscriptions for my support, otherwise
my services should be withdrawn. I left York on the 16th of
February on a mission through the townships of Toronto,
Albion, Mono, Adjala, Tecumseth, West Gwillimbury. In the
latter township, which was never before visited by a Catholic
clergyman, I found nineteen Catholic families, comprising a
population of seventy-five souls, w th whom I remained two
days, and then proceeded towards Thorah, by Lake Simcoe,
where I lost my way on the ice, and, after straying a part of
the night along the shore, fortunately, came to a path which
brought me to a house within ten m les of Thorah. I remained
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
four days in Thorah and then returned to York. The difficul
ties, hardships and expense of my mission were forgotten when
I witnessed the fervor of our poor people in complying with
their spiritual duties; their willingness to contribute to the
support of a clergyman ; and the fervent prayers they offered
to heaven for your eternal salvation in thus giving them the
means of complying with their duty. In my next letter I will
let your Lordship know the amount of the subscription en
tered into for the support of a clergyman. I left lists in the
different townships, which were not quite filled up when I
came away. I intend to visit them again as soon as I can pur
chase a horse, for I find that I cannot do without one, as the
people have no horses to convey me back and forward.
"Mr. O Grady is doing a great deal of good in York. He
appears to be actuated by no other motive but that of advanc
ing the interest of our Holy Religion. It is truly edifying to
see the number of all classes receiving frequently Holy Com
munion. Mr. O Grady has commenced a series of sermons on
the marks of the true church. The most part of the Protes
tants of York go to hear him."
In the latter part of this journey, although he knew it not,
Father Gordon was following in the footsteps of illustrious
predecessors ; for Fathers Brebeuf and Chaumonot had gone
that way on their journey from the Neutrals, before referred
to ; and on the lake where Father Gordon lost his way the two
Jesuits pursued their course over the ice when the very trees
were cracking with the frost, and Father Brebeuf, slipping
on the glassy surface, broke his collar-bone.
The church in the lower end of the Gore of Toronto was
completed on the arrival of Father Gordon. This was situated
on the east side of the township line between Toronto town
ship and the Gore of Toronto, a little south of the village of
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Malton. For some reason it was afterwards abandoned and
another church erected on the fifth line of Toronto township,
hardly more than a mile distant "as the crow flies" from the
site of the former edifice.
A parcel of land having been obtained by Bishop Macdonell
in Ad jala township, Father Gordon soon had the people of
that section building a church, for which the Catholics of
Adjala and those of the adjoining township of Tecumseth
REV. EDWARD GORDON
First assistant at St. Paul s
(1830), in charge of the
REV. MURT. LALOR
Assistant at St. Paul s
Church. Toronto, in the ear
ly thirties of last century.
had already subscribed the sum of 136. He also began col
lecting for a church in Traf ajgar, which was opened before he
left these missior.s. That we may have some conception of
the amount of territory he had to cover, we have but to enu
merate the piaces mentioned in his book of baptisms, mar
riages and interments York town and township, Toronto
township, the Gore of Toronto, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Mark-
ham, Scarboro, Whitchurch, East Gwillimbury, West Gwillim-
bury, North Gwillimbury, King, Tecumseth, Adjala, Trafal-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto ,S9
gar, Streetsville, Holland Landing, Thorah, Brock, Georgiria,
Newmarket, Esquesing, Chinguacoucy, Caledon, Mono, Al
bion, Niagara, St. Catharines, Lake Simcoe, Deep Cut, Mara,
The Narrows (Orillia), Mulmer, Dundas Street, Yonge Street.
Even the wandering savage came under his pastoral care, as
we find the entry of the baptism of a child belonging to a
family from the Lake of the Two Mountains, who were en
countered in one of his trips to the north. No wonder that
after nearly three years of th : s mode of life the Bishop, writ
ing to the Vicar-General at Kingston, says: "The Reverend
Mr. Gordon has been pronounced by his physician as unfit for
any duty during the winter." After a month s vacation, how
ever, he was back on the mission, remaining until the summer
of 1833, when he was sent to Kingston as Assistant to Vicar-
General MacDonald, having, as at York, the charge of the out
When Father Gordon left for Kingston his place on the
outer missions was taken for a short time by Father Foley.
The Reverend Patrick Foley was born in Ireland and came to Upper
Canada in 1829. He was in charge of Prescott from October, 1831, to
about the same month in the following year. In the summer of 1833 he
was attending Adjala, the Gore of Toronto, Toronto township, etc. His
next charge was the River Thames Mission, afterwards going to the town
ship of Ops, whence he visited Emly township. He then left for the
United States, and died at Waddington, N.Y.
Hearing of the great work of Father O Grady at York, the
B shop had made him, in January, 1830, one of his Vicars-
General, and entrusted him with a share of government of
the diocese, particularly in regard to a dispute in the parish
BISHOP MACDONELL AT YORK
On October 12, 1831, Bishop Macdonell was appointed a
member of the Legislative Council of the Province, being
now known as the Honorable and Right Rev. Alexander Mac
donell. He took up his quarters in Russell Abbey, the former
residence of the Honorable Peter Russell, who adminis
tered the affairs of the Province during the intervals be
tween the Simcoe and Hunter regimes. Russell Abbey was situ
ated on the south-west corner of Front and Princess Streets.
The Bishop lived at that place until the completion of his resi
dence, begun in May, 1832, on the south-east corner of
Duchess and Nelson (Jarvis) Streets, and the Bishop s chapel,
a large frame building on the west side of the latter street,
was built at the same time.
Writing from York at the end of December, 1831, the
Bishop says that after he gets over the pressure of business at
York he will go with Reverend Mr. Crevier to Lake Simcoe
and Lake Huron. The latter priest, who had been pastor of
Sandwich, had been transferred to the new mission, the head
quarters of which was Penetanguishene.
The Reverend Joseph Crevier was born March 18, 1786, at Cap de la
Madeleine, and was ordained September 21, 1816; immediately after
ordination he was sent as Assistant to Sandwich, of which, on the death
of Father Marchand, in 1825, he became pastor. As we have seen, he
left that place in 1831, being replaced by the Very Reverend Angus Mac
donell, and lived in York with Bishop Macdonell until early in 1832. He
did not remain long in the new mission, but retired to Lower Canada,
where he was appointed in the same year (1832) pastor of Daillebout and
Ramsay, and in 1833 of Blairfindie. In 1840 he was sent to St. Pie, where
he remained until 1867, when he retired to live with his brother, Vicar-
General Crevier, at Ste. Marie, Lower Canada, where he died.
In September, 1832, the Bishop wrote Father Bennett, As-
VA c ;-
E- A -
X i -
VI ^ - C
a ~ --^ ^-
a K ^
", ~ f -
^ 5 Sc
K I 1
62 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
sistant at Kingston, to come to York immediately, and, on ar
rival, that clergyman was sent on a missionary tour as far as
Penetanguishene, including a mission for the Indians at Cold-
water, then the headquarters of the Indian Department.
Nearly two months later Bishop Macdonell wrote Vicar-Gen
eral MacDonald that he had heard that Father Bennett had
been overcome by the fatigues of his mission and was ill. The
Bishop, therefore, did not expect him back for a few weeks.
After his return to York, Father Bennett went back to King
ston, this strenuous journey to the outposts being his only
connection with the Mission of York.
The Reverend James Bennett was born in Queen s County, Ireland,
about 1801, and was ordained for the Diocese of Kingston. In 1831 he
was appointed assistant at Kingston, and in the following year made
the tour north of York already referred to. He then returned to his
former mission, when he was sent for a brief period to the London dis
trict. His next charge was Peterborough, where he remained until
November, 1834, when he became first resident pastor of Cornwall. Early
in 1842 he assumed charge of Adjala and Tecumseth, which he relin
quished in the early part of 1843. His next appointment was Oshawa,
Whitby, etc., which began in June, 1843, but he died on August 31 of the
same year at Kingston, whither he had gone a week previous.
A Catholic teacher at York, named John Butler, a scholar
of some repute, who for some time had a school at the corner
of Jordan and Melinda Streets, studied theology under Father
Downey and was finally ordained by the Bishop.
The Reverend John Butler was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in
1782. After ordination he was for a time Assistant at Kingston. In
January, 1835, he was appointed to Peterborough, where he labored with
great success, travelling as far as Oshawa on the west. At Peterborough
he built an elegant stone church on land acquired by Bishop Macdonell
from the Government in 1834. This is the present Cathedral of the
Diocese of Peterborough. After nineteen years of faithful service in
that mission he died on June 25, 1853, aged seventy-one years, and
was buried beneath the church, in which is a slab which attests that the
edifice which he built is a lasting monument to his zeal and piety.
But affairs at York were now in anything but a satisfactory
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 63
state. Factions were rife in the congregation, one party con
tending that the pastor was haughty and supereil ous towards
his people. The "Freeman," edited by Francis Collins, week
after week attacked Father O Grady, and the "Correspond
ent" (of which Father O Grady was later the editor), es
poused his cause and replied in kind.
After many warnings, the faculties of Father O Grady,
which were revokable at the will of the Bishop, were with
drawn, on the ground of neglect of his pastoral duties and
insubordination. Many of the people sympathized with their
pastor thinking that he was a very much abused man and that
the appeal he had made to Rome would bring him a vindication
from the Supreme Pontiff. The Holy See upheld the action of
the Bishop, and then the unfortunate pastor adopted a course
which assuredly alienated him from anyone with the least
spark of Catholicity in his soul he appealed to the Lieut. -
Governor, Sir John Colborne, to assume the supremacy of
the Catholic Church in the Province. This request, of course,
The Bishop held possession of the key of the church, which
he gave to a carpenter who was building the gallery. One of
Che mal-contents procured it from the workman, and the schis
matics held forth in the church for some months, until finally
ejected by process of law. During this time the edifice was
interdicted and Mass was said at the Bishop s chapel, whicJi
the O Gradyites styled the "Soup Kitchen."
After a voyage to Rome and London, Mr. O Grady returned
to York, where he became one of the leaders of the most ad
vanced wing of the Reform party. He attacked Bishop Mac-
donell through the "Correspondent" and at public meetings T.:-
the streets of Toronto. He made charges of peculation, etc.,
against the Bishop which were made the subject of investiga-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
tion on the floor of the House. On this occasion the Bishop
proved before a hostile assembly that he had spent of his per
sonal and family means for ecclesiastical and educational pur
poses more than he had ever received from any source, public
or private. Even the Orangemen of Toronto congratulated the
Bishop on his acquittal on this occasion.
The Very Reverend William John O Grady was born in Ireland and
was ordained for the Diocese of Cork and was for a time secretary of
Bishop Murray at that See. He went to Brazil with a party of Irish
immigrants, and came later to Upper Canada. He died at Whitby in
As early as the year of his appointment as Bishop of King
ston, Bishop Macdonell had received a coadjutor in the person
BISHOP MACPONELL S RESIDENCE
at Duchess and Nelson (.Tarvis) streets, still standing, though
with changed front.
of the Rev. Thomas Weld, who, after his consecration, re
mained in England for some years and finally, in 1830, was
nominated Cardinal. This, of course, rendered his former
The Stonj of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 65
position vacant, and on April 9, 1831, the Reverend John
Larkin of the Sulpicians, Montreal, was nominated titular
Bishop of Gera and coadjutor of the diocese of Kingston.
This he declined. The next choice was the Reverend John
Murdoch of Glasgow, Scotland, and the bulls for his appoint
ment were actually drawn up, but, at the urgent request of
the Scottish Vicar-Apostolic, it was withdrawn, and he was
shortly afterwards appointed coadjutor for the Western Dis
trict of Scotland. On May 10, 1833, the Reverend Remigius
Gaulin was made Bishop of Tabraca and coadjutor with right
of succession to Bishop Macdonell, and was consecrated on
October 10 of the same year.
On September 18, 1833, the Reverend William Patrick Mc-
Donough arrived in York, where he took up his duties as as
sistant to Bishop Macdonell, and during the absence of the
Bishop on his various trips, Father McDonough was left alone
in the distracted parish, York, as Father Downey had gone to
the London and St. Thomas mission toward the end of 1833.
The Reverend Daniel Downey was born in Ireland and educated at
Maynooth. He came to York in 1832, being assistant to the Bishop, and
a year later was transferred to London and St. Thomas. In 1834 he
dedicated the first church in London, and about the same time erected a
Presbytery at St. Thomas, from which place he attended London. He
left that mission in September, 1835, and after some months at Kingston
as assistant, left the Province. In 1843 he was in the Diocese of Rich
mond, where he built several churches.
During the year 1833 there came to York for a few weeks,
as assistant to the Bishop, the Reverend Timothy O Meara,
brother of the Rev. John O Meara, who had said the first Mass
in the church nine years before.
The Reverend Timothy O Meara was born in Ireland. He
was in charge of Prescott from September, 1829, to Septem
ber, 1831, being then at St. Andrew s for a short period. He
was in Toronto in 1833, and was in charge of Peterborough
66 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
during the same year. In 1834 he was appointed to Bytown>
which place he left the following year. On December 12, 1833,
the Bishop writes Vicar-General MacDonald that he had just
returned to York a short time ago; had been very busy and
was in very poor health. They had at last obtained posses
sion of the church and had Mass in it for the past two Sun
days. Affairs having been finally arranged, the Bishop was
anxious to get to Kingston, but before doing so he hoped to ap
point an experienced priest in charge of York. He, therefore,
applied to have Father McMahon of Quebec available for that
purpose, but this was impossible, so he left York in charge of
Father McDonough as his vicar or curate.
TORONTO A CITY
Father Gordon arrived back in the capital, now the city of
Toronto, in March, 1834, and when the Vicar-General at Kings
ton protested against the return of the Bishop to York, his
Lordship wrote that the "spiritual wants of the surrounding
townships and the mortal and infectious disease (the cholera)
raging in the city render his presence necessary. When Mr.
Gordon went to Kingston it was not with the view that he
should remain there, but merely for the recovery of his health.
Mr. Gordon is too efficient a missionary to leave him as a Vicar,
when he is capable of being a principal." After a few months
as assistant, in which Father McDonough and he alternated
between the townships of Toronto, Trafalgar, etc., and the
mission of Niagara, which was temporarily vacant, the Bishop
promoted Father Gordon to the charge of the latter place.
The Reverend Edward Gordon was born in the city of Dublin, Ireland,
November 1, 1791, and he was baptized in a Protestant church. His
parents dying whilst he was a child, he was taken charge of by an uncle
in the County Wicklow, where, as a child, he beheld the stirring events
of the Rebellion of 1798 in that part of the country- A strange coinci
dence was that his future Bishop was then on active service in that local
ity as chaplain to the Glengarry Fencible Regiment. In 1811 he became a
Catholic, his conversion being due to the efforts of an older brother, Augier
Francis Gordon. Being conditionally baptized, he remained with the
parish priest of Black Ditches, County Wicklow, for three years, learn
ing the classics. His studies were then taken up in England for a
period of three years, and later at the Seminary of Quebec. On the
opening of the Seminary of lona, at St. Raphael, he was amongst the
first students to enter, and after a three years course of theology was
ordained by Bishop Macdonell, on January 29, 1829. The first year of
his ministry was spent at St. Raphael as teacher and bursar of the
college, helping out in the adjoining missions; he was appointed to York,
as we have seen, early in 1830.
Made pastor of Niagara, he completed the church at that place and
built a presbytery there and a church at Niagara Falls. In 1844, he wa?
68 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
nearly killed by a fall from his horse, which became unmanageable de
scending Queenston Heights on his way homeward from "the Falls,"
and from the effects of the injuries then received he never fully recov
ered. In 1846 he was transferred to Hamilton, and five years later was
made Vicar-General of the diocese of Toronto. On the formation of
Hamilton as a separate jurisdiction he became its first Vicar-General,
and remained as rector of the Cathedral until his death, which occurred
October 15, 1870. He was buried in a vault under St. Mary s Cathedral,
Father McDonough was not left alone very long on the Mis
sion after the departure of the Bishop, as the Vicar-General,
the Very Reverend William Peter MacDonald, arrived in
August, 1834, and Mass was celebrated at both St. Paul s and
the Bishop s chapel on Sundays.
The debt of the parish remained unpaid and the pastors
were not being supported by the congregation. At the sug
gestion of Hon. John Elmsley, one of the wardens, Bishop
Macdonell withdrew both priests from Toronto and for a few
weeks the congregation had no service.
With the re-opening of the church a new system was inau
gurated by which each adult was expected to contribute a
certain amount weekly to the church funds. The Vicar-Gen
eral did not return to Toronto after the re-opening of the
church, but was placed in charge of Bytown, our present
national capital Ottawa.
The Very Reverend Wm. Peter MacDonald was born in the Parish of
Eberlow, Banffshire, Scotland, March 25, 1771, and at an early age was
sent by Bishop Hay to the College at Douay. When that institution was
seized by the French Revolutionists, he repaired to the Royal Scots Col
lege at Vallidolid, Spain, where he completed his studies, and was ordained
priest in that city on September 24, 1796. He was a professor at Aqui-
horties and was also in charge for a time of the mission of Auchendonen,
in the Eastern district (Scotland). Bishop Kyle, one of his former
pupils, speaks of him as "a Superior from whose lessons and instructions
I have derived benefit, and which I hope I still feel."
In 1810 the British Government formed the project of liberating
Ferdinand VII. from Bayonne, and Father MacDonald was the chaplain
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 69
of the expedition which was not successful in freeing the royal prisoner.
After being attached to the British Embassy at Madrid, Father Mac-
Donald was appointed chaplain to the regiment of the Baron de Roll.
At the peace of 1814 this corps was disbanded and he returned to the
Scottish missions. In 1826 Bishop Macdonell invited him to come to
Upper Canada to take charge of the Seminary about to be established
at St. Raphael, and he arrived in Montreal in November of that year,
and remained with the Sulpicians until the quarters at St. Raphael were
ready. At this time he placed at the disposal of the Bishop 200 sov
ereigns "for the glory of God and the good of religion." Shortly after
his arrival he was made Vicar-General, an office he retained under
Bishop Gaulin, and also on the erection of the diocese of Toronto under
Bishop Power. In 1829 he took charge of the parish of Kingston, where
he remained until 1834. While at Kingston he began the publication of
"The Catholic," the first English Catholic paper in Canada. When on
this mission he also had a famous controversy with the Protestant Arch
deacon at York, who, because of the loss of one of his most prominent
parishioners, who had become a Catholic, attacked the Church in a
pamphlet, "The Errors of Romanism." The Vicar-General s "Remarks
on The Eucharist," published in reply, ended the controversy. In
August, 1834, Vicar-General MacDonald took charge at Toronto, remain
ing until his appointment to Bytown, a little more than a year later.
In 1836 he was placed in charge of Prescott, remaining until the end
of 1838, becoming then the first resident pastor of Hamilton, where he
finished the church, the corner-stone of which had been laid by Bishop
Macdonell. On the completion of St. Michael s Palace, Toronto, the
Vicar-General came to reside with Bishop Power, receiving the addi
tional honor of being named Dean. When Bishop Power went to Europe,
early in 1847, he appointed as Administrators, Archdeacon Hay and
Vicar-General MacDonald, but the latter died on Good Friday, April 2,
of that year, and was buried under the then unfinished Cathedral.
Shortly before his death he made his will leaving all that he possessed
to the building fund of that edifice.
Father McDonough was an active missionary ; on the east
he visited the townships of Darlington, Pickering, Whitby,
and also the village of Oshawa, in the latter township ; on the
north we find him visiting Mara and Markham townships,
Thornhill and Newmarket. On the occasion of a sick call to
the latter place he was injured by a fall from his horse.
The outside missions were not now as extensive as in Father
Gordon s time, so the Reverend Murtagh Lalor took charge
70 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
of the Gore of Toronto, Adjala, Tecumseth, Albion, etc., as a
separate parish, after Father Foley s short sojourn on that
Father McDonough received a very zealous assistant in the
summer of 1836, in the person of the Reverend Thomas Gib-
ney, who was engaged mostly with the outside missions, now
somewhat reduced, but still affording a large field for mission
ary endeavor. Writing to Bishop Gaulin in February, 1837,
he tells how he had just visited the townships of Thorah,
Mara, Brock and Georgina, in all of which he found about
75 families, for the most part very poor, but most anxious to
have a resident priest among them. This was the second visit
he had made to these parts, and if it were not for the inhabi
tants of Brock, he would have been compelled to pay the ex
penses of the journey out of his own pocket. At this time we
find a Baptism registered by him at Hogg s Hollow (York
Father McDonough also wrote Bishop Gaulin on the sub
ject of the northern missions. The people there are very poor;
they could, however, support a priest well in produce, and
after a while the mission would give a sufficient pecuniary
return. He believes that there is not a part of. Upper Can
ada that stands more in need of instruction than the place
in question. He suggests a new mission consisting of New
market, Holland Landing, West Gwillimbury, Brock, Mara and
Thorah. In another letter to the same prelate he asserted that
the people of the townships on the north side of Lake Simcoe
were emigrating to the United States because they had no
In September, 1837, Bishop Gaulin took up his residence at
Toronto, bringing with him the Reverend Alexander Kernan,
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Father Gibney being promoted a month later to the charge of
the Guelph Mission.
The Reverend Thomas Gibney was born in the diocese of Meath, Ire
land, in September, 1804. He made his studies partly in County Cavan
and partly in County Tipperary, and came to Canada in October, 1832,
entering Chambly College to study theology. He was ordained priest by
Bishop Provencher in Montreal on June 19, 1836. Coming to Toronto
immediately after his ordination he remained until Oj^-ber 23, 1837, when
he took charge of Guelph mission, travelling as far as Goderich and
Owen Sov.nd. He built churches in Stratford, Goderich and McKillop
township. The frame church at Guelph having been destroyed by fire,
he began a stone edifice there, which was not finished at the time of his
death, which occurred at Guelph, October 17, 1846.
Father Kernan did not remain long in Toronto, as in Novem-
ber-of-ihat vear (1837) he was sent to Cobourg to organize a
DRAWING OF THE EAST END OP TORONTO IN 1887
Showing (a) Russell Abbey, once the residence of Bishop Macdonell, and (b) St.
Paul s Church. From the John Ross Robertson collection.
parish in that district. Two Protestant gentlemen agreed to
give each a half acre for the erection of a church, which was
built immediately. He also built a church at Oshawa a few
years later. He was killed in a runaway accident at the Rouge
Hill, July 14, 1842, his body being brought to Toronto and
buried, but at the earnest request of the people of Cobourg it
was exhumed and deposited under the church in that town.
72 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
In January, 1837, the Honorable John Elmsley wrote Bishop
Macdonell that the piece of ground applied for in the new part
of Toronto, on the military reserve, for a church and burial
ground had been granted by the Government. The deed, which
was made out some three months later to Honorable and Right
Reverend Alexander Macdonell, the Right Reverend Remigius
Gaulin, and the Very Reverend Angus Macdonell, in trust,
gave the Catholics of Toronto the site of St. Mary s church
and presbytery, and the name Macdonell square (somewhat
altered as to spelling on the present signs) was so called in
honor of Bishop Macdonell. The ground was used as a ceme
tery, as was shown by the number of skeletons uncovered at
the time of the building of the present church, but whether
it was shortly after the grant was obtained cannot now be
ascertained. The first church was not built on this site until
On January 28, 1838, the Reverend Peter Lefaivre was or
dained by Bishop Gaulin in St. Paul s church, and the young
priest remained as assistant until near the end of that year,
when he was made pastor of L Original, Prescott county.
The Reverend Peter Lefaivre was born in Vaudreuil, near Montreal,
and was ordained by Bishop Gaulin in Toronto, January 28, 1838, being
assistant for some months at Toronto when he was sent to L Original,
where he remained until 1844, attending for a period to the mission of
Ordinations also were administered at St. Paul s Church,
November 25 of that year, two candidates being raised to the
holy priesthood, the Rev. Augustine Vervais and the Rev.
Philip O Reilly, and a week later still another priest, the Rev.
Chas. Bourke was ordained. These priests were not con
nected in any way with the mission of Toronto after their
The Reverend Michael R. Mills, who had been sent to To-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 73
ronto by Bishop Macdonell to make a tour of the missions
north of the city, reported as follows:
Those old enough
Catholic to go to
Population Holy Communion
Thornhill 103 55
Newmarket 56 34
Mara and Thorah 83 43
Brock 130 60
Georgina 42 16
West Gwillimbury 94 51
Markham 68 38
Scarboro 31 22
The report closes with these words: "I am happy to say
that all except ten have been at the Easter Communion."
Bishop Gaulin went to Kingston in May, 1839, Bishop Mac
donell having gone across the Atlantic for the purpose of rais
ing funds for Regiopolis College, the corner-stone of which
had been laid on June 11, of the previous year. Kingston
never saw her aged prelate again, as he died at Dumfries,
Scotland, on January 14, 1840, and was buried in the crypt of
St. Mary s convent chapel, Edinburgh. His remains were
twenty-one years later brought to Kingston and deposited
under the present St. Mary s Cathedral.
The Right Reverend Remigius Gaulin was born in Quebec, June 30,
1787, and was ordained October 13, 1811, and went immediately to St.
Andi ew s, Upper Canada, where he remained until 1815, being trans
ferred to the Nova Scotia missions, where he was in charge of Anti-
gonish and Arichat. His next charge was St. Jean, from 1828 to 1831;
when he was made pastor of Ste. Scholastique, leaving that place in 1832
for the parish of Sault-a-Recollet, where hs remained until he was ap
pointed as coadjutor of the Bishop of Kingston; being appointed on
May 10, 1833, Bishop of Tabraca, with the right of succession to the
See of Kingston. He was consecrated on October 20 of that year, and
remained at St. Raphael, in charge of the Seminary for some time. He
resided at Toronto from September, 1837 to May, 1839, when he went to
74 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Kingston, of which place he became Bishop on the death of Bishop Mac-
donell, taking possession of his See on April 12, 1840. Two years later
his diocese was divided by the erection of Toronto as a separate episco
pate. On February 20, 1843, he received, as coadjutor, Bishop Phelan,
who was consecrated August 20 of that year. In 1852, owing to the
physical and mental condition of Bishop Gaulin, the coadjutor was made
Administrator-Apostolic of the diocese. Bishop Gaulin lived at Ste.
Philomene for many years, and died at that place on May 8, 1857, and
his body, en being brought to Kingston, was buried under the Cathedral.
A new bell was installed during the year 1839, which was
upward of 700 Ibs. weight. In the spring of that year, the
Reverend John Cassidy was given charge of the northern mis
sions, which he resigned at the beginning of 1840, finding
that a younger man was required for the arduous labors con
nected with that work. He remained with Father McDonough
in Toronto until February, 1840, when he was appointed to St.
His successor on the northern missions was Dr. Constantine
Lee, who, in the following October, was sent to London, and
we find no record of his being connected in any way with the
parish of St. Paul s, except that he preached on the second
Sunday of September, 1841, a sermon in aid of the com
pletion of Father Gordon s church at Niagara Falls, and
the collection amounted to 38. The pastor of St. Paul s went
to Newmarket on that occasion to replace Dr. Lee.
The successor of Dr. Lee in the Lake Simcoe missions, the
Reverend James Quinlan, after a tour of the northern parts of
his mission, including Medonte, Flos, Vespre and Oro, came
to Toronto, where he remained for some weeks with Father
McDonough helping out in the parish. The pastor was very
much pleased with his work and would have retained him per
manently, if it had been possible.
Father McDonough continued alone, but when the Easter
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
time approached he was instructed by Bishop Gaulin to call on
one of his rural neighbors to help out with the confessions,
which were very numerous. Father O Dwyer of Adjala had
intended to go to Cleveland on business, and he arrived just
at the time when he was very much needed in Toronto. He
remained some time, and, beside his other work, he began a
^KiTfcl . tottHiVa***,^ iV^JS^^iiKrr-^V* S:/.
iT I ^*
INTERIOR OF OLD ST. PAUL S
From a drawing made in 1887, and among the Robertson collection of pictures in
Toronto Public Library.
temperance campaign, during which four hundred people took
In May, 1841, Father McDonough received an assistant, the
Reverend R. Waters, who, after some months, was sent to
London and then left the Province. Beyond the baptism, etc.,
76 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
recorded by him in the register, there is no other connection
of this priest with the mission of Toronto.
In February, 1842, Father McDonough writes Bishop
Gaulin that the Honorable Alexander Macdonell had become
so weak that he could scarcely walk across his room. He re
quested to have Mass celebrated in his house occasionally if
the Bishop would grant the permission. This venerable gen
tleman died a month later, being one of the last of the very
earliest settlers of the Province.
The Honorable Alexander Macdonell was born in Scotland in 1762,
and emigrated with his parents to the Province of New York in 1773.
In 1775, he came to Upper Canada, and at the age of thirteen was granted
a commission in the army and fought through the American Revolution.
He then returned to Upper Canada and represented Glengarry in the
first Parliament of the New Province, and was elected Speaker of the
House. He was also the Sheriff of the Home District. Lord Selkirk
appointed him superintendent of the Baldoon Settlement. During the
war of 1812, he was Paymaster-General of the forces in Canada with
the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Being taken captive by the Americans at
Niagara in May, 1813, he was sent as a prisoner to Pennsylvania. For
several years he was one of the secretaries of the Indian Department.
His correspondence with Bishop Macdonell was very extensive and
showed his interest in things Catholic. In the year 1820 he wrote the
Bishop for a copy of Lingard s "Answer to the Bishop of Durham,"
wishing no doubt to be well fortified for any controversy that might arise.
He interested himself very much in the btiilding of the church at York,
being of great assistance to Honorable Mr. Baby in that project. When
Father Crowley had left York, and some of the congregation had found
fault with that clergyman, he deemed it his duty to inform the Bishop
that both Mr. Baby and himself had n thing but praise for that priest.
In 1331 he was chosen a member of the Executive Council, and when the
church lands were given by the Government he was one of the trustees.
He died March 18, 1841, and was buried in the cemetery at St. Paul s,
and many years later his body was removed to St. Michael s cemetery.
EARLY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Although the first settlers of Upper Canada were of various
denominations, the Church of England, encouraged by the
attitude of Lieut.-Colonel Simcoe, assumed the position of a
state church. Hence, when matters of education began to be
mooted, that institution aspired to have complete control of
the instruction of the youth of the Province. When District
Schools were established in 1807, the teachers were for the
most part Anglican parsons, and the Authorized Version of
the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer were amongst the
text books used in the schools. The Common School Act of
1816 had the (Protestant) Bible on the curriculum, and this
was sometimes supplemented by the study of the Anglican or
Presbyterian catechism. Being in England at the time, Bishop
Macdonell, then a priest and Vicar-General of the Bishop of
Quebec, brought the matter of the injustice of this state of
affairs to the attention of the Home Government. The out
come of this protest was that three Catholic schoolmasters
were appointed at an annual salary of one hundred pounds to
be paid by the Provincial Government. But the Anglicans
would not give up their supposed monopoly to education with
out a struggle. Through their leader, Archdeacon Strachan,
they had influence sufficient to block the payment of these
salaries under one pretext or another for a period of seven
years, and another trip across the Atlantic was necessary on
the part of Bishop Macdonell before the matter was finally
adjusted. Writing to Vicar-General MacDonald on January
10, 1827, the Bishop tells of further help in this regard. He
had succeeded in obtaining a yearly grant of 750 in support
78 Centennial Souvenir, St. Paul s Church, Toronto
of Catholic schools and the most necessitous of his clergy.
Five years later this was still further increased to 1,000.
Although successful in this affair, there were two other
matters in the petition above referred to in which Bishop
Macdonell failed to obtain Government support. He asked for
help to found a school for boys similar to the District Schools,
in which the children of well-to-do Catholic families would
have the opportunity of receiving a liberal education under
Catholic auspices without having to go to the United States
or to Lower Canada. A similar institution for young girls
under the direction of English nuns, if possible, was also
brought to the notice of the Government.
In regard to the former of these, Bishop Macdonell saw at
least the beginning of the project in his college of lona at St.
Raphael, and his zeal in this matter may be said to have has
tened his death, for it was while on a trip to Great Britain,
undertaken largely for the purpose of raising funds for his pro
jected college of Regiopolis at Kingston, that he contracted
a cold which developed into pneumonia, from which he died.
The seminary for the education of young women did not
materialize during the life time of Bishop Macdonell, although
the Honorable Mr. Baby had made provision for a site for it
when acquiring the church lands at York.
Father McDonough received in February, 1835, a letter
from a nun at Kingstown, near Dublin, asking if Bishop Mac
donell would give her community any encouragement to come
to this diocese. Upon this letter being sent to the Bishop,
the latter was forced to reply that because of the outlay he
had made in Toronto on the church, burial ground and law
expenses in recovering ^the church and church lands, it would
be impossible to accept the offer. He expected that the con
gregation of Toronto would have made some attempt to pay
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 79
back at least a part of this money which amounted to 760,
which he needed not for his own personal use, but for the
establishment of a convent in Toronto, and the resuscitation
of the Vicar-General s "Catholic," which had ceased for lack
of funds. It was not until the year 1855 that the Community
of St. Joseph opened a school on the very ground procured by
the Honorable Mr. Baby nearly a quarter of a century before.
When Bishop MacDonell began his campaign for Regiopolis
College in 1837, the congregation of Toronto took the matter
up, and the city was divided into wards, with collectors in
In regard to the schools of the mission of York we have
seen that toward the end of 1828 Father O Grady was fitting
up a private building as a Parochial School capable of accom
modating sixty pupils, and that the Bishop was to give 20
per annum towards the salary of the teacher. The parents of
the children were expected to make up the balance by way of
fees, as there was no further grant from the Government for
the purpose. As to what was the outcome of this school, or
who was its teacher, we find no information.
In Chapter VIII. of the Jubilee Volume of Toronto Diocese,
we have an interesting sketch of the early Catholic school of
York by the late Dr. J. F. White, at that time Government
Inspector of Separate Schools. According to Dr. White the
first Catholic teacher in York was Mr. John Harvey who
taught in a frame building at the head of Nelson St. (now
Jarvis Street) near the farm of Mr. S. P. Jarvis, about the
At a public meeting of the Catholics of York, held May 20,
1832, with Bishop Macdonell in the chair, it was declared ex
pedient for the instruction of the Catholic children of the con
gregation of York that a schoolhouse be built to train them
80 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
in the principles of religion and morality, on the lot lately ob
tained from the Government, according to a plan hereafter to
be decided upon. A committee was appointed consisting of
the Honorable James Baby, the Honorable Alexander Mac-
donell, and Messrs. Francis Collins, William Bergin, Michael
Macnamara, and Edward Barnett; the Honorable Alexander
Macdonell being treasurer of the fund. A subscription list
being opened it was headed by three prominent non-Catholics :
The Attorney-General (Mr. Boulton) 10
Mr. Peter Robinson 4
The Chief Justice (Mr. W. D. Powell) 5
But, unfortunately, one of the trustees of the land in
question, the Very Reverend W. J. O Grady, became estranged
shortly afterwards from the community for whose benefit it
was given, so nothing could be done in the matter during the
life of that individual, although the ablest lawyers of the
period sought a way out of the difficulty. Some of the prop
erty was rented, however, and the proceeds used for school
Following Dr. White s account, the next Catholic teacher at
York was Mr. Joseph Seyers, who had a school on York street
between King and Richmond streets. From a letter of Father
McDonough to Bishop Macdonell we find that Mr. Seyers left
for Lower Canada in June, 1834. Mr. John Butler, described
as a ripe scholar, had a school for a period at the corner of
Jordan and Melinda streets, but as we have seen he soon
embraced the ecclesiastical state.
The successor of Mr. Seyers was Mr. James Murnane who
taught as many as ninety pupils in the Bishop s chapel on
Jarvis Street. Father McDonough found him to be a most
efficient teacher, and as the major portion of his pupils could
pay nothing, the good priest recommends him to the Bishop s
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
generosity when he is distributing the Government allowance.
In April, 1836, the Honorable John Elmsley wrote Bishop
Macdonell that a Mr. McManus who had been teaching here
for some time had left Toronto owing to his inability to meet
his expenses. Truly, in those days, teaching was a badly re
From a letter of Father McDonough to the Bishop, written
in August, 1838, we learn that a Miss Robertson had been
ONE OF THE EARLY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN TORONTO
It was in use in the forties of last century, being conducted by Mr. Denis Heffernan,
and was situated on Richmond Street, east of Church Street. From a
drawing in the John Ross Robertson collection.
teaching for some time and that she had given satisfaction in
every way. He hoped that the Bishop would give her a share
of the Government allowance, as she had little or nothing for
her sustenance, and the poor female Catholic children had no
other means of instruction except in the Protestant schools,
82 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
where every attempt was made to turn them from the true
On the death of Mr. O Grady a new trustee was appointed
for the school land, and work was begun immediately on a
frame structure which was completed in the following year.
The building stood on the corner of Jarvis and Richmond
streets facing the former thoroughfare. The first teacher in
this school was Mr. P. B. McLoughlin, who afterwards had
charge of the District School on the corner of Berkeley and
His successor in the Catholic school was Mr. Denis Heffer-
nan, who had for a few years previously a private school in
his residence which both Catholics and Protestants attended.
Mr. Heffernan entered the postal service in 1843, and was
succeeded by Mr. Timothy McCarthy, who had charge until
1847. Next came Mr. Taafe who went to England, and the
last lay teacher was Mr. O Halloran, who, on the advent of the
Christian Brothers, sailed for California, but died on ship
On Sundays the building was used as a Sunday School and
the Honorable John Elmsley and Mrs. Dr. John King taught
the boys and girls respectively. The former of these was
indeed father as well as mentor to his young charges. Sunday
after Sunday could he be seen leading his class to Mass at St.
Paul s from the school house. The late Bishop O Connor of
Peterborough, one of his pupils, has recounted the unique
means adopted by the former naval officer to teach the boys
to march. A long rope was procured, at every yard of which
a knot was tied, and on either side of each knot a boy was
placed who held on firmly, and so the march began. The
largest and strongest boy of the class with a stout stick
thrust through the rope held on at the rear to prevent any
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
undue hurrying on the part of the company. The Honorable
Mr. Elmsley often gave prizes to spur on his young charges,
and the prayerbooks and rosaries thus obtained were highly
cherished and often displayed with pardonable pride by the
winners to their children and grandchildren in after years.
Dr. White tells us also that one of the first classical acada-
mies in Toronto was established by Mr. Patrick Lee (the
father of the Reverend J. R. Lee) and that both this, and a
commercial school taught by Mr. Higgins, were due to the
untiring energy and zeal of the Honorable Mr. Elmsley, who
was ever to the fore in matters of Catholic education.
TORONTO A DIOCESE
The Missions of Upper Canada were increasing very rapidly
owing to the steady flow of immigration to that Province,
and shortly after the death of Bishop Macdonell a new diocese
was contemplated for the Western portion.
By a Brief of Gregory XVI., dated December 17, 1841, the
Diocese of Kingston was divided and the Very Reverend
Michael Power, Vicar-General of the Diocese of Montreal, was
appointed Bishop of that portion west of the Newcastle Dis
trict, with authority to choose his episcopal city and the title
of his See.
He was consecrated at Laprairie on May 8, 1842, by Bishop
Gaulin, assisted by Bishops Bourget of Montreal and Turgeon,
coadjutor to the Archbishop of Quebec, and on the same day
in a Pastoral Letter to the Faithful confided to his care, made
known his choice in regard to the name of the diocese and the
location of his See. After referring to the division of the
Diocese of Kingston and of his own appointment with powers
as above, he continues: "We have in consequence determined
with the advice and approbation of Our Episcopal Brethren to
take our title from the city of Toronto and there to establish
our Episcopal See."
On June 25, 1842, Bishop Power, accompanied by Bishop
Gaulin arrived in Toronto and on landing was escorted by a
large body of Catholic citizens to the residence of Father Mc-
Donough, the pastor of St. Paul s. The next day, being Sun
day, the ceremony of installation took place. A procession of
1,500 men and boys marched from St. Paul s to the pastor s
residence, where the Bulls of appointment were read and duly
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 8S
acknowledged by Bishop Gaulin. The procession then re
formed and accompanied the two Bishops to the church, where
the ceremony of enthronment was carried out. Bishop Gaulin
escorted the new Bishop to his throne, where he received
the homage and fealty of the assembled clergy and faithful.
Bishop Power spoke most feelingly of the great responsibili
ties of his new office and begged the co-operation of his people
in the fulfillment of them. The day s solemnities closed with
Vespers and a sermon by the Rev. G. A. T. Wilson, O.P., of
Zanesville, Ohio, the second Provincial of the Dominican Order
in the United States.
The Right Reverend Michael Power, D.D., was born in Halifax, N.S.,
October 17, 1804, both his parents having emigrated from County Water-
ford, Ireland. He was baptized by the Very Reverend Edmund Burke,
V.G., who, by a strange coincidence, had been a missionary in the very
place which Bishop Power afterward chose as his episcopal city. Having
received his early training in the City Grammar School at Halifax,
Michael Power in his twelfth year was sent to the Sulpician College at
Montreal, where he completed the classical course. His theological
studies were made partially at Quebec and partially at Montreal, and he
was ordained priest on August 19, 1827, by Bishop Dubois of New York.
Immediately after ordination he was sent to the Eastern Townships of
Lower Canada, where he labored for four years. He was then put in
charge of the missions on both sides of the Ottawa River as far as
Bytown, our present National Capital; and after two years of
strenuous work there he was made pastor of Ste. Martine, in Beauhar-
nois county, where he remained six years. During the Rebellion of 1837
he became an object of suspicion to the insurrectionists, who kept him in
confinement for a few days. In 1839 he was appointed to Laprairie and
made Vicar-General of the diocese of Montreal, in which capacity he
remained until his appointment as Bishop.
On his arrival in Toronto, Bishop Power took up his resi
dence at the south-east corner of Duchess and Berkeley Sts.,
where he dwelt until the completion of St. Michael s palace.
The Catholics of Toronto numbered about three thousand, in a
total population of about thirteen thousand. St. Paul s, the
only Catholic church in the city, became his Cathedral.
86 The Stonj of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Bishop brought with him to Toronto as chancellor and
secretary the Reverend John James Hay, whom he had or
dained at Montreal shortly after his consecration.
The Reverend John James Hay was born in Glengarry, Upper Canada,
June 24, 1818, and made his studies at the Sulpician Seminary, Montreal,
and at the Propaganda, Rome. After his return from the Eternal
City, he remained with the Bishop of Montreal for three years. On May
21, 1842, he was ordained priest in Notre Dame, Montreal, by Bishop
Power, whose secretary he had been since May 9. He came to Toronto
with the Bishop and acted as Assistant at St. Paul s.
In October, 1842, the Bishop convoked the First Diocesan
Synod in St. Paul s for the purpose of thoroughly organizing
the various missions of the diocese and of having uniformity
and thoroughness in all temporal and ecclesiastical affairs.
The Synod was preceded by a retreat of five days, presided
over by the Reverend Peter Chazelle, afterwards Superior of
the Jesuits in this diocese, assisted by the Reverend Louis
Boue, an honorary canon of the Cathedral of Lyons, who was
afterwards incorporated into this diocese.
The Synod was presided over by the Bishop in person, and
was attended by sixteen priests, three others in the extreme
western portion of the diocese being excused from attendance
for valid reasons. The growth of Catholicity in the last eighty
years may be gauged when we compare this number of nine
teen priests serving what are now the dioceses of Toronto,
Hamilton, London and the greater part of Sault Ste. Marie,
with the present figures, which for Toronto diocese alone,
according to the last report, are 168. The Synod was
opened by a Pontifical High Mass sung by the Bishop, with
the preacher of the retreat, Father Chazelle, as deacon, the
Reverend J. B. Proulx of Manitoulin as sub-deacon, and the
Reverend A. Charest of Penetanguishene as assistant priest.
Many salutary statutes were enacted providing for the thor
ough organization of the diocese, which was solemnly dedi-
RT. REV. MICHAEL POWER, D.D.
First Bishop of Toronto (1841-1847),
whose first Cathedral was old
St. Paul s Church.
From a painting in St.
Michael s Palace.
88 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
cated to the Sacred Heart of Our Divine Lord. A college at
Sandwich was also projected under the direction of the Jesuits,
but this was only achieved years after the Bishop s death. The
Synod closed on the third day of its session with a Mass of
Thanksgiving, at which the Bishop pontificated and the Rev
erend M. R. Mills preached.
Father McDonough was, after nearly ten years service at
Toronto, appointed Pastor of St. Catharines on October 9, 1842.
The Reverend William Patrick McDonough was born in the Archdio
cese of Tuam, Ireland, May 1, 1808, and, after making his classical and
theological studies at St. Jarlath s Seminary in that diocese, was ordained
by Archbishop O Kelly on April 14, 1833, and came to Canada the same
year. He was appointed to York as Assistant to Bishop Macdonell on
September 18, 1833, and although after the Bishop left Toronto, Vicar-
General MacDonald and Bishop Gaulin both resided in the city for brief
periods, Father McDonough was in charge of the mission for the greater
part of his residence here, sometimes with an assistant, sometimes alone,
and the period of his labors was indeed a fruitful one in the history of
At St. Catharines he built the present stone church, of which he laid
the cornerstone on Ascension Day, 1843. He had great influence with
the laborers on the Canal, stopping the pernicious faction fights amongst
them. He visited the various parts of his mission Smithville, Port
Colborne, Welland saying Mass in private houses, hotels, mills and
schools, and built the first church at Thorold.
In 1851 he left St. Catharines for the diocese of Kingston and was
placed in charge of the parish at Douro, where he remained for many
years. He died at Peterborough in 1863.
On November 22, 1842, the Way of the Cross was erected
in St. Paul s, being the first church of the diocese to be en
riched with this beautiful means of devotion.
About this time the church was enlarged to a length of one
hundred feet and repaired at a cost of $6,150.
Bishop Power, foreseeing the great increase in store for his
diocese in general, and for his episcopal city in particular,
began shortly after his arrival in Toronto a weekly collection
for the purpose of procuring a site for a new Cathedral, and
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 89
building thereon an edifice commensurate with the needs of
the not far distant future.
In the meantime the Reverend Stephen Fergus had come to
St. Paul s as Assistant, in September, 1842, and remained
until the following March. He was a native of the Archdio
cese of Tuam, and had come directly from his native land to
the diocese of Toronto. He was appointed to Brantf ord, which
place he left in June, 1844.
He was succeeded at Toronto by the Reverend Michael Rob
ert Mills, who some years previously had done missionary work
in the out-missions around Toronto.
The Reverend Michael Robert Mills was born at Malahide, near Dub
lin, in February, 1798, and was brought up as an Episcopalian. On
December 6, 1818, he became a Catholic and began immediately the
studies which lead to the priesthood. After some time of preparation
in Ireland he repaired to St. Sulpice, Paris, and was ordained priest on
May 24, 1823. His parents, who had been estranged from him because
of his conversion, were reconciled to him on this occasion. His first
appointment was as Curate at St. Michan s, Dublin, where he established
a reputation as a preacher, and he was in great demand in this capacity
throughout the diocese. He left Ireland in 1836, and after a tour of
Europe, which lasted fourteen months, he came to America and exercised
the ministry for a short period in Boston, Providence and Detroit. In
February, 1838, he came to Upper Canada, being sent as assistant at
Toronto, but shortly afterwards was given charge of London. In
1840 he was transferred to Dundas, and two years later was appointed
to Brantford, where he built a church, and another at Indiana on the
Grand River. In March, 1843, he returned to Toronto, but after a few
months was given charge of St. Thomas, and in March, 1845, was asked
to take charge, temporarily, of the London mission, in addition to his own.
In January, 1847, he was appointed pastor of Adjala, where he re
mained until May, 1849, when he retired to the Trappist Monastery at
Gethsemane, Ky. He became a member of that Order, being duly pro
fessed on April 20, 1851, after the usual time as postulant and novice,
being now known as Father Mary Patrick. He was appointed director
of novices and given charge of the Abbey Church. The Protestants who
came to hear his sermons showed the greatest veneration for him. He
died June 7, 1851, scarcely two months after his final profession, leaving
a holy memory to his brethren in religion.
90 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Father Mills successor at St. Paul s was a priest who had
seen much service in other parts of the Lord s Vineyard, and
was destined by force of circumstances to play an important
part in affairs ecclesiastical in these parts for several years
the Reverend John Carroll, nephew of Bishop Burke of Nova
The Reverend Jchn Carroll was born in Maryborough, Queen s County,
Ireland, on June 30, 1798. He came to Nova Scotia with his uncle, the
Bishop-elect of Sion and Vicar-Apostolic of Nova Scotia, in 1817, and was
ordained on June 29, 1820. In December of the same year he became
Administrator of the Vicariate on the death of Bishop Burke. He left
Halifax in December, 1827, for St. John, New Brunswick, where he re
mained until August, 1832. He then came to Upper Canada, living
retired on a farm at Niagara, to the church of which he was a generous
In May, 1843, after a retreat at Montreal, he placed himself at the
disposal of the Bishop of Toronto, and was appointed to St. Paul s. Here
he remained but five months, when he returned to his farm, but occasion
ally came over to Toronto and attended to the duties of his ministry for
a few weeks at a time until November, 1845, excusing himself on the
ground of sickness and infirmity for not devoting himself to the duties
of the ministry.
Another priest who was in Toronto at this time was the
Rev. Timothy T. McGuire, who had come to the Province in
poor health and, so far as his physical condition allowed, helped
out in the work of the parish.
The Reverend Timothy T. McGuire was born at Bellewstown Hill,
County Meath, Ireland, and entered the Jesuits. After eighteen years
service in his native land he came to America, serving at New York and
Buffalo, and then came to Upper Canada. He died in Toronto on No
vember 13, 1844, and was buried beneath St. Paul s Church.
Bishop Power ordained a young man named Charles Killeen
for the Diocese of Cincinnati in May, 1843, who remained at
St. Paul s for nearly two weeks and performed several bap
Bishop Power at last succeeded in purchasing a block of
land on Church Street as a site for a Cathedral for the sum
The excavation for the new building was begun on April 7,
FORMER PASTORS OF OLD ST. PAUL S PARISH
(1) Father Philip Henry Harkin, 1848-1851; (2) Father Thomas Fitzhenry, 1852-1858-
(3) Father John Walsh (afterwards Archbishop Walsh), 1858; (4) Father Francis Pat
rick Rooney, 1858-1870; (5) Father Joseph John McCann, 1870-1872; (6) Father Patrick
Conway, assistant in 1864, 1866, 1869-70, and pastor 1872-1880.
92 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
1845, and the good people of St. Paul s, by means of "bees,"
under the direction of the Honorable Mr. Elmsley, finished the
work in an incredibly short time. The late Bishop O Con
nor of Peterborough, who, as a boy, witnessed these events, has
told of a "barbecue" in which a whole ox was roasted to sup
ply food for the voluntary workers. The corner-stone was laid
by Bishop Power on May 8, 1845, but neither the Bishop nor
his Vicar-General, who assisted him in the ceremony, lived to
see the cathedral completed.
St. Michael s Palace was erected at the same time, being
completed towards the end of 1846, when it was occupied by
the Bishop and his priests, who still composed the staff at St.
Bishop Power had procured the Jesuits to take up the
Indian missions in the northern portion of his diocese, and
Father Proulx, a diocesan priest who laboured amongst these
tribes, came to Toronto as Assistant, in August, 1845, where
he remained until the following year, being then given the
The Reverend John Baptist Proulx was born in the parish of Montreal,
May 8, 1808, and was baptized at Lachine. He made his studies at St.
Hyacinthe, Montreal and Quebec, and was ordained by Bishop Lartigue
on July 26, 1835. For three months he was assistant at Laprairie, after
which he was placed in charge of Penetanguishene, attending the Indians
of the region as well as the settlers in the surrounding townships as
far south as Vespra and Medonte. The Indian Department, having
changed its headquarters to Manitoulin Island, Father Proulx established
there the mission of Wikwimikong in 1836. A year later he received as
assistant the Reverend Amable Charest, to whom in October, 1838, he
relinquished the missions of the mainland and literally turning his back
on civilization, devoted himself entirely to the conversion of the savages
of Manitoulin Island and the North Shore as far as Sault Ste. Marie,
where, nearly two centuries previous, Raymbault and Jogues had
preached to the natives. Of the trials and dangers of the seven years he
spent alone with the savages only the All Wise God knows.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 93
On going to the Newmarket mission Father Proulx had charge of all
the townships along Yonge Street and those around the southern end of
Lake Simcoe. There were in this district the church at Newmarket and
another, as yet uncompleted, at Thornhill, which was finished during
Father Proulx s regime. This is the present church of St. Luke at that
place. During the typhus epidemic of 1847 Father Proulx was called to
Toronto to help in the fever sheds. Here he did heroic work, and by
reason of his almost preternatural strength and vigor passed un
scathed through that terrible period when so many of his confreres
throughout Canada fell victims to the disease. Some of the poor immi
grants came into his own mission with the dire infection and he set up
a hospital of his own, and, having some knowledge of medicine, with the
aid of a French-Canadian layman, who volunteered for the dangerous
work, was very successful with the patients.
In 1848 he was appointed pastor of Oshawa, which comprised the
whole county of Ontario as far as Orillia. He built in 1849 a church at
Pickering; three years later enlarged the church at Oshawa, and In 1854
built a church at Highland Creek. In 1855 the northern portion of his
mission was made into a separate parish. He established a Separate
School at Oshawa, and purchased ground for a presbytery in that town,
and also a site for a church in Whitby. In 1860 he was removed to To
ronto, where, after a brief stay at the Cathedral, he was appointed
assistant at St. Mary s and chaplain to the troops at the garrison. After
seven years service in this capacity he was made pastor of St. Mary s,
and two years later was transferred to the Cathedral and made Dean of
Toronto. He was afterwards made Domestic Prelate, the first amongst
the clergy of Toronto diocese to be thus honored.
Although he was supposed to be retired at this time, whenever a priest
was needed the old Monsignor was as ready for the road as the youthful
missionary of Manitoulin. Few are the parishes of the diocese in which
he did not labor after his official retirement He returned to the Province
of Quebec, and died at Terrebonne, March 25, 1881, in his seventy-third
On June 6, 1846, Father Kirwin was ordained by the Bishop
of Montreal for the diocese of Toronto, and he came immedi
ately to the city and took up his duties at St. Paul s. During
the next three tragic years he did heroic work in the stricken
city, and a month later the Reverend John O Reilly was or
dained by Bishop Power, and after a month s service at St.
Paul s was sent as Assistant to Hamilton.
Bishop Power went to Europe in January, 1847, for the pur-
94 Centennial Souvenir, St. Paul s Church, Toronto
pose of securing more priests and financial aid for his diocese.
During his absence the administrators were the Very Rev.
Vicar-General MacDonald and Father Hay, who had been
appointed Archdeacon on Nov. 16, 1846. After spending some
time in Rome, the Bishop went to Ireland, where famine was
still rampant. His soul was saddened by the scenes of dis
tress he everywhere witnessed. On this visit he made
arrangements for the Institute of the Blessed Virgin, com
monly known as the Ladies of Loretto, to send a colony of the
Order to Toronto.
In the meantime the venerable Vicar-General, Very Rev.
William P. MacDonald, one of the administrators of the Dio
cese, died on Good Friday, April 2, and after the Mass at St.
Paul s was buried under the Cathedral, then in course of erec
tion. A week later Sir Charles Chicester, the commander of
the troops in the city, was also buried in the same place, and
the streets from St. Paul s, where the Mass was sung, to the
Cathedral were lined with troops. The late Bishop O Connor
of Peterborough, who was a small boy at the time, witnessed
this funeral, which from its nature was different to any he or
his small companions had ever seen. The coffin was borne on
a gun carriage and covered with a flag, and the charger of the
deceased was led by a trooper, the boots of the dead officer
being placed in the stirrups reversed, according to military
custom. The future Bishop and his boy companions had man
aged to get into the Cathedral, and witnessed the ceremony of
burial, but they were somewhat dismayed at the close to hear
several shots ring out, which was, of course, nothing but the
firing squad paying their last salute to their dead commander.
ASSISTANTS AT ST. PAUL S BEFORE THE ADVENT OF
BISHOP O MAHONY
(1) Rev. James Hobin, 1855, 1860, 1871: (2) Rev. Lewis Griffa, 1860; (3)
Rev. Philibert Rey, 1864; (4) Rev. Thomas Morris, 1867; (5) Rev. Robert
Wnlsh, 1864-65; (6) Rev. John Joseph McEntee, 1870-71; (7) Rev. Michael
McOartan O Reilly, 1871; (8) Rev. John Joseph Kelly, 1872, 1874-76; (9)
Rev. Francis Frederick Rohleder, 1873; (10) Rev. Peter Francis Gavin.
On the 14th of May, 1847, the first of the "fever fleet"
arrived at Grosse Isle in the St. Lawrence. This was the
beginning of one of the saddest events in the history
of Canada. The famine in Ireland had brought on an epidemic
of typhus which devastated the country. The landlords of the
country thought the time opportune to get rid of the peasantry,
by promises of financial assistance on their arrival in Canada,
which of course were never kept, or by force, when persuasion
failed, their estates were cleared and the unfortunate peo
ple were huddled into floating coffins and sent to Canada and
the United States. As a natural consequence they were hardly
afloat before the dread scourge made its presence evident, and
men, women and children by the hundred died without a word
of spiritual consolation, and were buried in the deep without
as much as a prayer uttered over them.
By May 23 thirty vessels had arrived at Grosse Isle. These
had left port with 12,519 passengers, of whom 777 had died
at sea and 459 on the ships anchored at the island. Before
the season of 1847 closed this number was increased to 4,579.
The hospital on the island was already full, so those who after
a cursory inspection were considered well were huddled on
board steamboats and sent to Montreal. Many of these car
ried the dread pestilence, and thus in a few weeks all the
settlements in Upper Canada had their victims of the scourge.
In Toronto, where the disease made itself evident early in
the summer, the hospitals consisted of sheds hastily erected
on the block between Peter and John streets, on the north side
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
of King street, about half way back between King and Adelaide
streets. Eight hundred and sixty-three people died in Toronto
of typhus during that year, and as by far the greater number
of the victims were Catholics, they were buried in the ceme
tery at St. Paul s. Long trenches were dug for the purpose,
and as fast as the bodies arrived from the pest house they were
laid in side by side and hastily covered up. The priests of the
city were overtaxed with the extra labor and summoned aid
from their confreres in the country.
As Archdeacon Hay was already far advanced in that dread
consumption which finally carried him off, Father Kirwin was
practically alone, until he sank under the disease and
remained between life and death for some time. Father
John O Reilly w r as summoned from Dundas, and he worked
incessantly for fourteen weeks in the sheds administering to
as many as forty-five patients in a day. He also contracted
the disease, but worked on until he was unable to move. Father
Very Rev. John B. Proulx Father Peter Schneider Very Rev. John O Reilly
Three hero priests who came to Toronto to help during the typhus epidemic.
Carroll, who no matter what might be thought of his usual
reluctance to take up parochial work, proved himself a real
hero during this terrible period by his attendance on the
98 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
stricken people. Father Proulx came in from the north; also
Fathers Saenderl from Waterloo, Schneider from Goderich,
and Quinlan from Brantford. These escaped from the dire in
fection, but not the Chief Pastor, Bishop Power, who was called
upon to make the supreme sacrifice for the strangers within
his gates. He had worked in the sheds with his priests, and
late in September, at midnight, a call came to the Palace that
a poor woman was dying at the fever sheds and was calling for
a priest. The holy prelate responded immediately by going
forth with the Holy Oils and the Holy Viaticum to strengthen
the poor soul for its long journey. The next day he developed
symptoms of the disease, and in a few days he had the fever
in its most virulent form. He died October 1, and as the Cath
edral was still unfinished, the funeral, which was held on the
5th, proceeded to St. Paul s Church, where the solemn service
for the dead was performed.
The return journey to the Cathedral was most impressive.
The cortege proceeded by way of Power, King and Church
streets and, as a tribute of respect, the stores along the line of
march were closed. The procession headed by a crossbearer
and acolytes wended its way through streets where silent
thousands of non-Catholics bared their heads as a tribute to
the memory of the man whom they revered as a scholar, a
citizen and a friend.
Amongst those who walked in the procession was a young
law student named Richard W. Scott, who afterwards took a
prominent part in the political life of the country, and is best
remembered as the author of the present Separate School
Act of Ontario and the Canada Temperance Act, commonly
known as the Scott Act. He was Secretary of State in the
Laurier Government, and was knighted for his services to his
country. During his student days in Toronto Sir Richard
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Scott was a fervent and consistent attendant at St. Paul s
On the death of Bishop Power, the Administrators were
Archdeacon Hay and Vicar-General Carroll, but, as the for
mer was in almost a dying condition, the greater part of the
work devolved upon Father Carroll, and
so well did he perform his duties for
three years, that Bishop de Charbonnel
offered to make him Vicar-General.
Father Kirwan was convalescing at
Niagara when the Bishop died. He re
turned to Toronto the following week,
and continued his labors at St. Paul s
as before. Father O Reilly, on his
recovery, returned to his mission at
Dundas, thus severing his brief but
strenuous period of connection with the mission of Toronto.
The Reverend John O Reilly was born in County Cavan, Ireland, in
1818, and came to Canada in 1843, completing his studies at Chambly and
the Sulpician Seminary, Montreal. Ordained by Bishop Power on July
5, 1846, after a month at St. Paul s, Toronto he was appointed assistant
at Hamilton, and in November, 1846, was made pastor of Dundas, from
which place he was called, temporarily, to assist at Toronto in the sum
mer of 1847. On his recovery in Toronto he returned to Dundas, where
he remained in charge until 1852, when he was made pastor of Brant-
ford, attending Gait, Paris, and other mission stations. In 1859 he re
turned to Dundas, where he remained till his death, which occurred on
November 14, 1887. At Dundas he built the present church and separate
By the end of 1847 the typhus abated, and Toronto resumed
its usual serenity. Father Kirwan, now fully recovered, kept
the flag flying with what help Father Hay could give and the
occasional assistance rendered by Father Carroll, who was in
charge at Niagara.
For a great many years sex
ton of St. Paul s in the early
days of the parish.
100 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
In the following year we find on the records the name of the
Reverend Joseph Octavius Pare, who, in addition to helping
out with the parish work, was the chaplain to Loretto Abbey.
He was here about seven months, and was of no little aid to
the clergy of the city.
The Reverend Joseph Octavius Pare was born at St. Denis de Chambly,
May 16, 1814, and was ordained at Montreal on September 22, 1838. At
ordination he was stationed at the Cathedral of Montreal, and a year
later was appointed Assistant Secretary, and in 1841 a Canon of the
chapter. In 1846 he became Secretary to the Bishop of Montreal, a
post he resumed on returning from Toronto, and which he held for many
years. He did much to promote the Third Order of St. Francis through
out the diocese of Montreal.
The name of the Reverend John O Beirne appears on the
register of Baptism at St. Paul s from May, 1848, to July of
the same year. This priest was in charge of Newmarket,
Thornhill, etc., in 1849, and from November of that year to
June, 1850, was pastor of Brantford.
St. Paul s was now to lose a part of its glory. Up to this
time it had been the only church in the city and had been used
by Bishop Power as his Cathedral, but the noble Gothic struc
ture to the westward was now ready for occupation, and on
St. Michael s day, September, 1848, it was consecrated by
Bishop Bourget of Montreal. To make this ceremony possible,
for no church can be consecrated upon which there is a debt,
two pious laymen, both converts, the Honorable John Elmsley
and Mr. S. G. Lynn, made themselves personally liable for the
debt which amounted to seventy-seven thousand dollars.
These two gentlemen had been prominent members of St.
Paul s congregation since their conversion.
The Honorable John Elmsley was born in Toronto, his father
being Chief Justice of Upper Canada. At an early age he
joined the navy, which he left with the rank of Lieutenant.
In 1830 he became a member of the Legislative Council, which
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
office he resigned in 1833. In 1834, through reading the Abbe
Travern s (later Bishop of Strasburg) Commentary on the
sixth chapter of St. John s Gospel, he became a convert to
Catholicism. In the fervor of his conversion he wished others
also to know the truth, so he published a pamphlet giving the
reasons for his change of belief. The Anglican rector at To
ronto, Archdeacon Strachan, launched forth in a pamphlet on
the Errors of Romanism, which was ably answered by the
Very Reverend William P. MacDonald, at that time in charge
of Kingston, in his "Remarks on Doctor Strachan s pamphlet
against the Catholic Doctrine of Christ s Body and Blood in
the Eucharist." From the time of his conversion to his death,
SIR RICHARD SCOTT
Secretary of State for Can
ada in Laurier Government,
in his younger days a par
ishioner of old St. Paul s.
HON. JOHN ELMSLEY
An active church warden
and Sunday school teacher in
old St. Paul s. A prominent
convert in the early days.
Mr. Elmsley was foremost amongst the Catholics of Upper
In his correspondence with Bishop Macdonell we read the
inmost secrets of a man whose thoughts were ever for the
good of the Church. Being a church warden, shortly
after becoming a Catholic, the financial conditions of the
parish troubled him as much as they did the Bishop to whom
102 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the congregation was indebted, and when the people seemed
apathetic in their duty in paying the debt, Mr. Elmsley sug
gested that the church be closed for a period. The Bishop
accepted this advice and for a few weeks in 1835 the clergy
were withdrawn from St. Paul s, with the result that measures
were soon taken to pay the indebtedness.
In 1837 Mr. Elmsley was on active duty again, having com
mand of a gunboat in the lower St. Lawrence, and the follow
ing year was one of the party that destroyed the "Caroline" in
the Niagara River. About the same time he was reappointed
as Member of the Legislative Council.
Mr. Elmsley s connection with the new Cathedral has already
been recorded. He donated ground for St. Michael s College
and St. Basil s Church, and afterwards two acres to the Com
munity of St. Joseph for the erection of a convent. Some time
after the building of St. Basil s Church the Honorable Mr.
Elmsley built a home near it, and never a day passed that he
could not be found in it for hours at a time praying before the
Blessed Sacrament. The schools of the parish were often
visited by him, and prizes were given to stimulate the efforts
of the pupils. He was a member of the Society of St. Vin
cent de Paul at the Cathedral, and, on the erection of a con
ference at St. Basil s, became its president, which office he
held until the infirmities of age compelled him to resign. He
died in 1865 in the sixty-fourth year of his age. Having ex
pressed the wish that his heart should rest in St. Basil s
Church his request was complied with. After his death it was
enclosed in a hermetically-sealed vessel and placed in a niche
near the Blessed Virgin s altar. A mural tablet was attached
bearing this inscription : "The Society of St. Basil in gratitude
to the Honorable John Elmsley, whose heart is here depos
ited." His body rests in the crypt of St. Michael s Cathedral,
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
REV. JOHN CARROLL
who at various times in 1843,
and 1847 to 1850 assisted
at St. Paul s.
The name of Father John Cullen appears on the record of
St. Paul s from December, 1848, to July, 1850. He had been
one of the pioneer priests in Upper Canada who, after many
years on the missions, returned to his
native country and had now come back
to the scene of his early labours. He
remained at St. Paul s only a few
month, being then appointed to another
The Rev. John Cullen was born in Dunclock,
County Cavan, Ireland, in 1804. On coming to
Canada he studied at Montreal and at the Col
lege of lona at St. Raphael s. In 1830 he
replaced the Rev. James Campion on the Niag
ara, Guelph and Dundas mission, travelling as
far as London, in which town he received a
half -acre of ground from Col. Talbot as a site
for a church, and at St. Thomas a gentleman named McNeil gave three
acres for a church and cemetery. At Guelph he began the church which
was completed by his successor, and at Niagara he began the building
of the church of St. Vincent de Paul, which is still in use. This was
also completed after his leaving the mission. In 1831 he made a mission
ary visit to Penetanguishene.
In 1833 Father Cullen was transferred to Bytown, where he remained
until the fall of 1834, when he returned to Ireland. Bishop Macdonell
greatly regretted his leaving, as the work of the parish was not so well
carried out for some time after his departure.
He returned to Toronto and in 1850 was made pastor of Guelph, where
he remained two years, then retiring to a farm in Peel township, and
finally went to the House of Providence, Dundas, where he died Febru
ary 10, 1882, and was buried on the lawn of that institution.
Another priest who came to the diocese at this time was
Father Harkin of Quebec diocese, who was loaned to Toronto
for a short period. He came to St. Paul s in December, 1848,
and was the chaplain and confessor to the Loretto nuns. Not
only did he provide for their spiritual welfare, but, by his
wise councils, helped them greatly with their temporal affairs,
especially the work of the school. It was at his suggestion
104 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
that, to bring the work of their school more prominently be
fore the public, the nuns adopted the method of public exami
nations at the end of the school year followed by concerts
and dramatic performances.
Archdeacon Hay died on February 19, 1849, and was buried
under the Cathedral.
In April, 1849, Father Kirwan was sent to London thus
severing his connection forever with the mission of Toronto,
where during three tragic years he had done heroic work for
The Reverend Thadeus Timothy Kirwan was born in Garagh, County
Clare, Ireland, March 25, 1816, and was educated at St. Mary s, Youghal,
and The Sulpician Seminary, Montreal. On June 6, 1846, he was ordained
priest for the diocese of Toronto, by the Bishop of Montreal, and came
to Toronto immediately after ordination. The incidents of his connection
with the mission have already been told. Appointed to London in April,
1849, he was shortly after the arrival of Bishop de Charbonnel made Dean
of the Western district. He introduced the Loretto nuns to London,
giving them the parochial residence as a convent, but, on the advent of
Bishop Pinsonneault, they withdrew. Father Kirwan was then appointed
as the first resident pastor of Sarnia, where he remained until 1864,
when he went to Menominee, Wisconsin.
ST. PAUL S 1850 TO 1858
The widowed Church of Toronto was at last to have a
Bishop. The first choice of Rome was the Reverend John
Larkin, who, in 1831, had been named coadjutor to Bishop
Macdonell and who, as we have seen, declined the honor.
He had severed his connection with the Sulpicians and in
1840 had joined the Jesuits. He again refused the mitre, and
the priest who was then appointed as the successor to Bishop
Power was one who was favorably known to the clergy of the
diocese, as he had preached the annual retreat to them in
1845 the Reverend Armand Francis Mary Count de Char-
This great churchman was born near Monistrol-sur-Loire, December
1, 1802, of parents who were both of the French nobility. At the age
of nine years he was sent to the College of Montbrison, and the follow
ing year to the Basilian College of Annonay. Having finished classics
at the latter institution, he entered the seminary of St. Sulpice, Paris,
and after completing the philosophical and theological courses was or
dained in 1825. He refused the office of almoner to the Duchess of
Berry, and entered the Sulpicians, and in 1826 was sent to Lyons, where
he was professor of Dogma and Holy Scripture and afterwards treas
urer of the Seminary. In 1833, by his energy and presence of mind,
he prevented a riot at Lyons, for which service he was offered the Cross
of the Legion of Honor, which he refused.
In 1834 he went to the Grand Seminary of Versailles, and later to
that of Bordeaux. Cardinal Donnet of that city wished to make him
Vicar-General, or at least Superior of his Seminary, but Father de
Charbonnel had decided to go to America. He arrived at Montreal in
1839. Two years later he went to Baltimore to learn English, remain
ing one year. On his return to Montreal he devoted himself to the work
of the ministry and teaching. During the typhus epidemic of 1847 he
was stricken with the disease and was at death s door for some time.
On his recovery he returned to France, where he was offered a seat in
the National Assembly formerly held by his brother, who had been
killed in the Revolution of 1848.
106 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
He was named Bishop of Toronto, March 15, 1850, and was consecrated
by Pius IX. in the Sistine Chapel, Trinity Sunday, May 26, 1850.
Arriving in Toronto, September 21, 1850, he set himself in
earnest to liquidate the debt of the diocese, travelling to Bal
timore and Montreal for that purpose. In 1851 the official
figures for the census showed a Catholic population for the
city of Toronto of 7,940 out of a total population of 30,775.
Father Harkin left Toronto shortly after the arrival of
Bishop de Charbonnel, being recalled to Quebec.
The Reverend Philip Henry Harkin was born at Maghrafest, County
Derry, Ireland, and was ordained at Quebec, September 2, 1838. On
ordination he was sent as Assistant to St. Roch, Quebec, and the follow
ing year was at Grosse Isle. In 1840 he was made pastor of Sherbrooke,
where he remained until 1846. In 1847 he was chaplain of the military
hospital at Quebec, attending also Point a Puiseaux. In the next year
he came to Toronto and on his return to Quebec diocese, in 1851, he was
made pastor of Sillery, where, while the church was being built, he said
Mass in a shed. He died at Sillery on November 30, 1873, and was
buried under the church which he built.
With the advent of Bishop de Charbonnel, Vicar-General
Carroll disappears from the city of Toronto. So highly pleased
with the work of the Administrator was the new Bishop that
he wished to make him Vicar-General. But Father Carroll
again retired to his farm, where he lived for many years, and
went finally to Chicago, where he died in June, 1889.
There was a Reverend Thomas Fitzgerald in Toronto when
Bishop de Charbonnel arrived. His name appears on the reg
ister from July to October, 1850. The Reverend Bernard
O Hara s name appears during the month of October, 1850, as
well as those of the Reverend Adolphe Pinsonneault and the
Reverend J. D. Ryan, but none of these priests were stationed
at St. Paul s.
For the next two years the records of St. Paul s seem to have
been identified with those of the Cathedral, and as there i^ a
tradition amongst the older people in St. Paul s that the
BISHOPS ()K TORONTO SINCE BISHOP POWER S TIME
Bishop de Charbonnel (1850-1860), Archbishop Lynch (1859-1888). Archbishop AValsh
(1889-1898). Archbishop O Connor (1S99-1! 08). Archbiphop .\K-Evoy ( 1! ns-i:ll )
108 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
church was practically closed for nearly two years, this must
have been the period.
In the spring of 1852 the Reverend Thomas Fitzhenry came
to St. Paul s, and was in charge for over six years. During his
term of office much was done for the betterment of the parish.
This priest was an ardent apostle of temperance and was
known as the Father Mathew of Canada. In December, 1854
a new organ was installed, and about the same time the first
parish school was built on the corner of Power and Queen
The Reverend James Hobin, a newly ordained priest, was at
St. Paul s for a few weeks in July, 1855, being appointed as
assistant at Barrie in the following month.
A charge of a serious nature having been made against a
brother priest, and the Bishop being absent in Europe at tin
time, Father Fitzhenry wrote to an older priest in another
diocese for counsel. The charge having been laid before the
Bishop of Hamilton and the Administrator of Toronto diocese,
the Very Reverend J. M. Soulerin, it was found, after a minute
examination of all the evidence, to be a most cruel and ground
less libel. Bishop de Charbonnel on his return wished Father
Fitzhenry to take all the responsibility for the unfortunate
affair, which he strenuously refused to do. He acted in good
faith, he said, and no one was more pleased than he that there
were no grounds for the charges. The outcome was that h *
was deprived of his parish.
From Kingston, to which place he went on leaving St. Paul s,
Father Fitzhenry wrote to Bishop de Charbonnel that his de
parture from Toronto might cause temporary opposition to the
Bishop on the part of the congregation of St. Paul s, but he
hoped that they will have that spirit of obedience which they
are bound to render to their First Pastor, and nothing would
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 109
give him more pleasure than to hear that they would yield to
his successor the same submission that they had given to him
during his incumbency. Father Fitzhenry considered that
he had been unjustly treated, and in a short time returned
to Toronto, where for some years he dwelt, leading a most
exemplary life. He afterwards went to the diocese of Mil
waukee, where he took up the work of the ministry again.
The Reverend Thomas Fitzhenry was formerly a member of the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and was ordained August 29, 1847, and
was for a time assistant at St. Hyacinthe. He came to St. Paul s in
the spring of 1852, remaining in charge until June, 1858.
On the departure of Father Fitzhenry, the people of St.
Paul s received as their pastor the Reverend John Walsh, who
remained but a few months. There was much disorder on the
part of some who resented the dismissal of Father Fitzhenry.
The Reverend John Walsh, afterwards Archbishop of Toronto, was
born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, May 23, 1830, and was educated partly
at St. John s College, Waterford, and partly at the Sulpician Seminary,
Montreal. He was ordained priest by Bishop de Charbonnel in St.
Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, on November 1, 1854, and a month later
was appointed the first resident pastor of Brock. While in this mission
he built a church at Georgina. In April, 1857, he was made pastor of
St. Mary s, Toronto, where he remained until June, 1858, when, for about
a month, he had charge of St. Paul s. He then assumed the rectorship
of the Cathedral. On April 20, 1861, he was made Vicar-General, and in
September of that year returned to St. Mary s as pastor, where he re
mained until his appointment as Bishop of Sandwich. In May, 1863, he
accompanied Bishop Lynch as theologian to the third Provincial Council
Chosen as Bishop of Sandwich he was consecrated in St. Michael s
Cathedral, Toronto, by Archbishop Baillargeon of Quebec on November
10, 1867. Shortly after arriving in his diocese, he removed the See back
to London, which had been the place fixed on by Rome when the diocese
was created in 1856. At London he built a new episcopal residence and
Cathedral. On August 13, 1889, he was appointed Archbishop of To
ronto, where he died, July 31, 1898, and was buried under the sanctuary
of St. Michael s Cathedral.
ST. PAUL S, 1858-1870
The successor 01 Father Walsh at St. Paul s was the Rev
erend Francis Patrick Rooney, who soon reached the hearts
of the people and had things running smoothly again. He
renovated and repaired the church at a cost of about $2,000,
and two years after his coming to the parish began building
a presbytery. This was commenced in June, 1860, and was
finished in October of the same year. The cost of the building
was $2,410. Up to this time the priests at St. Paul s had lived
in rented quarters.
The house built by Father Rooney was a substantial solid
brick building of eight rooms, which, with additions and im
provements made in Bishop O Mahoney s time, served as a
parochial residence until the building of the present com
modious structure in 1904.
As early as 1852 B.shop de Charbonnel had been desirous to
have a coadjutor, and in December of that year the Reverend
Patrick Dowd, S.S., was nominated as coadjutor to the Bishop
of Toronto, but he refused the dignity.
In 1856 the diocese of Toronto was much reduced in area
by the erection of the Sees of London and Hamilton. Three
years later the Very Reverend John Joseph Lynch, C.M., was
appointed coadjutor to Bishop de Charbonnel with the right
of succession, and was consecrated in St. Michael s Cathedral
on November 20, 1859. Bishop de Charbonnel left for Rome
shortly afterwards, and resigned his See on April 26, 1860,
being named Bishop of Sozopolis. He then entered the Capu
chins, and after his novititate was sent to Lyons. Here he
was entrusted with the work of promoting the Society for the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Propagation of the Faith, and was afterwards appointed
Auxiliary to the Cardinal Archbishop of Lyons, whom he rep
resented at the Vatican Council. In 1880 he was made Arch
bishop of Sozopolis. He died March 29, 1891, at the monastery
of Crest, where he was buried.
On the resignation of Bishop de Charbonnel, Dr. Lynch be-
Old St. Paul s Presbytery, built by Father Rooney in 1860.
came Bishop of Toronto, and for nearly thirty years he guided
its destiny with no little measure of success for the spiritual
and temporal interests of the diocese.
The Most Reverend John Joseph Lynch, C.M., was born at Clones,
County Monaghan, Ireland, Feb. 6, 1816, and made his early studies at
Lucan and at St. Joseph s Academy at Clondalkin. In 1835 he entered
the newly established Lazarist College at Castleknock, where he remained
two years. Having decided to become a member of the Lazarists (the
Congregation of the Mission), he went to the Seminary of St. Lazare,
in Paris, being the first postulant from Castleknock. Returning to
Ireland, he was ordained by Archbishop Murray of Dublin, in June, 1843.
The first three years of his prietthood were spent in giving missions
throughout his native country. In 1846 he went to Texas as mission-
112 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
ary, .remaining about eighteen months, when, prostrated by fever, he
went for a short period to New Orleans, where he acted as chaplain
for a few months in a military hospital, the Mexican war being then
on. In the spring of 1848 he went to the College of St Mary s of the
Barrens, Mo., as President. In the following year he represented the
American Lazarists at their general assembly at Paris, visiting also
Rome and Ireland. In 1856 he established the Seminary of Our Lady
of the Angels, at Suspension Bridge, N.Y., of which he was the guiding-
figure until his appointment to Toronto.
He took part in the Vatican Council, during which (on March 15th,
1870) his See was raised to the Metropolitan rank. He presided over
the first Council of the new ecclesiastical province in 1873. In 1884 he
celebrated the silver jubilee of his consecration as "Bishop. He died
May 12, 1888, and was buried beside St. Michael s Cathedral.
Father Rooney remained at St. Paul s for twelve years, and
accomplished much good in the parish during that period.
From his annual statement of 1866 we find that the Catholic
population of the parish was 2,600; there were 1,300 Easter
Communions; 150 Confirmations; 112 Baptisms; 16 Marriages;
and 3 converts received into the church. There were at this
time 9 teachers in the schools of the parish, including a
country school. This last was a school on Curzon street, open
ed about three years before the date of the present report,
and Mass was celebrated in it every Sunday by the zealous
pastor of St. Paul s or his assistant. This was the beginning
of the parish of St. Joseph, in what was then known as Leslie-
ville, but now long a part of the city of Toronto, and now com
prising six large and flourishing parishes.
In February, 1860, Father Hobin s name appears for a few
weeks on St. Paul s register, and the next month he was ap
pointed pastor of St. Mary s, Toronto. From October until
December of the same year the Reverend Lewis Griffa was
assistant to Father Rooney.
The Reverend Lewis Griffa was born in Sardinia, and was for many
years a missionary in India. He came to Canada in 1858, and was ap
pointed the first resident pastor of Thornhill, where he arrived on June
13, 1858, remaining until March 21, 1860. In this mission he established
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 113
a separate school, which did not survive long. He then went to the
Cathedral as assistant, from which he was changed in October, 1860, to
St. Paul s, and three months later took charge of Niagara-on-the-
Lake. Here he remained until August, 1861, when he went to the diocese
of Sandwich, being appointed in the following month to the parish of
Ingersoll, from which he attended Woodstock. In June, 1864, he was
transferred to Irishtown, which place he left in April, 1865, for the dio
cese of Albany. He was pastor of Osv/ego for some time and also of
Chatham, N.Y., where he died in 1890.
On October 16, 1859, Bishop de Charbonnel ordained in St.
Paul s church, the Reverend John J. Shea, who for thirty years
was one of the most beloved of the clergy of the diocese.
In September, 1862, Father Rooney received as curate the
Reverend Patrick Joseph Keane, who remained until the fol
lowing February. This priest although he was not ordained
till rather late in life performed many years of useful service
in the diocese.
The Reverend Patrick Joseph Keane was born in Westport, County
Mayo, Ireland, in 1820, and after a course of studies in San Francisco,
St. Michael s College, Toronto, and the Seminary of Our Lady of the
Angels, Niagara Falls, was ordained priest by Bishop Lynch on April
6, 1862. On ordination he was sent to Thorold as assistant, being re
moved to St. Paul s in September, 1862. Five months later he was sent
as assistant to the Gore of Toronto. In January, 1865, be was transferred
to Brock as assistant, and in August, 1865, was made pastor of Port
After two years in this charge he was chosen pastor of Newmarket,
where he built the present church. In 1876 he was sent to the Gore of
Toronto as pastor, remaining until October, 1886, when he was given
charge of the parish at Uxbridge. He remained there until September,
1894, when, through failing sight and the infirmities of age, he was
forced to resign. He then retired to the House of Providence, Toronto,
where he died December 4, 1908, aged 86 years. He was buried in St.
Michael s Cemetery, Toronto.
The successor of Father Keane at St. Paul s was a native son
of the parish, the Reverend John R. Lee, the first of a long line
of priests born in the parish who have carried on the work of
the Lord in the diocese of Toronto.
Ever in frail health, Father Lee had several times to relin-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
quish his labors temporarily, but as soon as strength returned
he worked on till nature was finally exhausted.
Another priest who came to St. Paul s in 1864 as assistant
was the Reverend Philibert Rey, one of that valiant band of
French ecclesiastics who responded to the call of Bishop de
Charbonnel for recruits for his diocese, to whom, under God,
this diocese owes much for the progress the faith has made
in these parts.
The Reverend Philibert Rey was born in the province of Burgundy,
France, on October 19, 1834. His classical and philosophical studies were
made in the Seminary of Autun. He began his theology at the Seminary
of Privas, but came to America and continued at St. Michael s College,
Two heirlooms from the old church The Missal, printed in Paris, France, in 1683, and
from which the first Mass was read in 1824 ; and the baptismal register used from 1834.
Both these books are in an excellent state of preservation.
Toronto, finishing at the Sulpician Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained
at Barrie on January 8, 1860, by Bishop Lynch, being the first priest or
dained by that prelate. On ordination he was made assistant in Barrie,
being changed to Adjala, in January, 1862, where he served in the same
capacity for about six weeks. He was curate at St. Paul s for some
months in 1864, and was made pastor of St. Patrick s, Toronto, in March,
1865. The church in that parish being burned in June of that year. Father
Rey resigned in the following month, being then appointed to Thornhill,
where he remained until July, 1866. He then went to North Adjala,
where he enlarged the church, erected a belfry and installed a bell. In
July, 1874, he went to Caledon, where he remained a year. In 1875 he
was sent to Mara, where he was stationed until 1886, when, owing to ill-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 115
health he resigned his charge and took the chaplaincy of the Reformatory
at Penetanguishene, where he died on October 26, 1887.
The successor of Father Rey at St. Paul s was the Reverend
Patrick Conway, who, after a few months in this parish, was
made pastor of North Adjala. As this priest comes under our
notice later, in a more important role in St. Paul s, we reserve
his name for further notice.
The next in order was the Reverend Robert Walsh, who re
mained in the parish about a year. Those who have read "The
Irish in America," by John Francis Maguire, will remember
the story of the Irish boy of seven whose parents died oi
typhus at Grosse Isle and who was adopted by a French Can
adian family who educated him as their own son, and had the
happiness of seeing him ordained a priest.
The Reverend Robert Walsh was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, in
1840, and came to Canada with his parents and two sisters in 1847. At
Grosse Isle the father died and the mother was stricken. With her dying
breath she confided her children to the protection of God and His Blessed
Mother. The boy was adopted into one family and the two girls into
another in the same locality. In a short time all three had learned to
speak French, and gradually forgot the language they had spoken before.
The boy was sent to Nicolet College, where he showed remarkable talent.
He was ordained on October 2, 1864, and cams immediately to Toronto,
where he remained nearly a year. The author of "The Irish in America"
gives the reason for his coming to this diocese as his desire to acquire
again a knowledge of the English language, which he had almost entirely
forgotten. On his return to Lower Canada after his stay in these parts
he became a professor on the staff of his Alma Mater.
Father Rooney seems to have been without any regular
assistant from the departure of Father Walsh until about a
year later, the assistants from the Cathedral and other priests
helping him out during this time. In October, 1866, Father
Conway returned to St. Paul s and remained to the following
April. His successor was the Reverend Thomas J. Morris,
who remained until his appointment as Pastor of Thornhill
late in the year 1867.
The Reverend Thomas J. Morris was born in Ireland, and was edu-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
cated there and at the Sulpician Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained
by Bishop Lynch and was appointed to St. Catharines as assistant,
where he remained until April, 1867, when he was sent as assistant at
St. Paul s, remaining until he was made pastor at Thornhill. He remained
in that mission until July, 1868, when he became the assistant at St.
Mary s, Toronto. In September, 1869, he was appointed to the charge
of the parish of Dixie, where he built the present church and purchased
land for a church at Port Credit. He left Dixie in April, 1872, and re-
Holy water 1 ont which did service for many years in the old
church and which was used until 1910 in the new church.
turned to St. Mary s as assistant. During the next two years we find his
name on the register at Brock as assistant, he was also pastor of Upter-
grove; assistant at St. Mary s again, and assistant at Dixie. He went
to Chicago, where he died.
Father Lee succeeded Father Morris, remaining from Aug
ust, 1867, to the end of March, 1869. During this period the
pastor of St. Paul s had been honored by the Bishop who, on the
departure of Dr. Walsh for Sandwich, made Father Rooney
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 117
his Vicar-General, an office he held also under Archbishop
Walsh up to the time of his death.
Father Conway returned to St. Paul s in April, 1869, and
remained until June, 1870. In the latter year also Father
Rooney left St. Paul s for St. Mary s, with which parish
the rest of his life was identified, and, as in the east his work
at St. Paul s had been fruitful, so the many parishes in the
western portion of the city bear witness to the hard work of
this venerable priest.
The Reverend Francis Patrick Rooney was born in the parish of Creg-
gan, County Armagh, Ireland, on September 12, 1822. His classical
studies were made at the academy of Newtonhamilton and his philosophi
cal and theological at St. Michael s College, Toronto. He was ordained
priest in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, by Bishop Farrell of Hamilton
on August 30, 1857. He remained at St. Michael s College for some time
as a professor, and helped with the work of St. Basil s parish attending
from there the mission of Weston for a time. In July, 1858, he came to
St. Paul s, in which parish we have noted his work, and twelve years
later was sent to St. Mary s. Here he built the present presbytery,
erected a frame church in the northern part of the parish which has
developed into the parish of St. Peter. St. Helen s church was also
built, which was attended for some time from St. Mary s. His last
great work was the building of the present St. Mary s Church. He was,
from his very ordination, much interested in Catholic education, and was
for many years Chairman of the Separate School Board of Toronto.
He was, with Vicar-General Laurent, Administrator of Toronto Arch
diocese from the death of Archbishop Lynch until the arrival of Arch
bishop Walsh in Toronto. On July 29, 1892, he was created a Domestic
Prelate. He died December 27, 1894, and is buried in St. Michael s
ST. PAUL S 1870 TO 1879
The successor of Father Rooney at St. Paul s was one who
was destined to succeed him at St. Mary s; and like him
to be the Administrator and the Vicar-General of the
diocese, and also in his old age to be invested in the Roman
purple the Reverend Joseph J. McCann. Father McCann
came to St. Paul s at the close of 1870, and remained until
The Reverend Joseph John McCann was born in Port Hope, Upper
Canada, May 6, 1844, and made his studies at St. Michael s College,
Toronto, and the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained priest at
St. Mary s church, Toronto, on July 21, 1867. On ordination he was sent
to St. Catharines as assistant, where he remained until the following
November, when he was transferred to St. Mary s, Toronto, as assistant,
and before the close of the year was appointed pastor of the Gore of
In this mission he built a church at Clairville, in the southern part of
the parish. After two years at the Gore he was transferred to the
Cathedral, and in November, 1870, was appointed to St. Paul s. Two
years later he was given charge of the parish of Oshawa, where he
built a presbytery and purchased land for a cemetery.
In 1877 he was recalled to the Cathedral, of which he was made rec
tor, and also appointed chancellor of the diocese. Five years later he
was made pastor of Brockton (St. Helen s, Toronto), where he enlarged
the church. On January 8, 1890, he was made Dean of Toronto.
In January, 1891, he returned to the Cathedral as rector, being also
appointed Vicar-General. This office he continued to hold under Arch
bishops Walsh, O Connor, McEvay and McNeil. In 1895 he went to St.
Mary s, Toronto, where he renovated the church, paid off the debt, built
the spire and erected a parish hall. He was the Administrator of the
diocese on the death of Archbishop Walsh and in 1909 was made a
Domestic Prelate. He took part in the First National Plenary Council
at Quebec in 1909. He died August 13, 1915, and is buried in Mount
Hope Cemetery, Toronto.
Father McCann s first assistant at St. Paul s was the newly
ordained Father John Joseph McEntee, the first priest ordained
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 1 19
by Archbishop Lynch since his promotion to the archiepis-
copal dignity. Father McEntee remained only a few months
being sent as assistant to Thorold in February, 1871, but re
turned to St. Paul s before the end of that year.
In the meantime the Reverend James Hobin came to St.
Paul s as assistant, remaining about two months, when he
gave place to the Reverend Michael McCartin O Reilly, who
remained about the same length of time, being then appointed
The Reverend Michael McC. O Reilly was born at Granard, County
Longford, Ireland, May 16, 1842. He made his classical studies at St.
Mel s Seminary, Long-ford; philosophical at St. Michael s, Toronto, the
ological at Niagara Falls and Montreal; and was ordained by Bishop
Lynch on August 20, 1866. On ordination he was sent to St. Mary s,
Toronto as assistant and was transferred to Brock in October, 1866,
where he served in the same capacity until July, 1868, when he was ap
pointed assistant at St. Catharines. Here he remained until 1869, when
he was given charge of Thorold, where he remained until the spring of
1871, when he came to St. Paul s and, after a brief period, was made
Pastor of Stayner, where he built the present church and another at
Brentwood, a mission of that parish. In November, 1877, he was given
charge of Uxbridge, where he remained until June, 1878, when he took
charge of the new parish of St. Joseph, in the village of Leslieville,
which is now comprised within the city of Toronto. Here hs built the
present St. Joseph s church and later that of St. John in the eastern
portion of the parish, which, in turn, has so developed that after becoming
a separate parish, it also has been divided and several independent
parishes formed. He died on January 17, 1893, and is buried under St.
Joseph s church.
Father Hobin returned to St. Paul s, remaining but a few
weeks, thus closing his association with the parish.
The Reverend James Hobin was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, in
1833 and, after a classical course at Waterford College, came to Canada
and entered the Sulpician Seminary at Montreal for his theological edu
cation. He was ordained on July 15, 1855, by Bishop de Charbonnel at St.
Catharines. After a few weeks at St. Paul s he was sent to Barrie as
assistant, where he remained until early in 1860, when he returned
to St. Paul s as assistant and was shortly afterward given charge
of St. Mary s, Toronto. In September, 1861, he was made pastor of
120 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Niagara, where he remained until 1868. He then went to Adjala as
assistant, coming to St. Paul s again, as we have seen, in the same
capacity, going then to St. Catharines as assistant, where he remained
until December, 1882. He died at the House of Providence, Toronto,
August 7, 1889, aged fifty-six years, and was buried in St. Michael s
Father McEntee returned to St. Paul s in October, 1872, and
remained there until the following April, when he was ap
pointed pastor of Dixie, Streetsville, etc.
The Reverend John Joseph McEntee was born in Rochester, N.Y.,
August 7, 1847, and after a course of classical and philosophical studies
at St. Michael s College, Toronto, entered the Grand Seminary, Mont
real, where he studied theology for one year, completing his course
at St. Michael s College. He was ordained by Archbishop Lynch in St.
Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, on October 18, 1870. His first work after
ordination was at St. Paul s, which place he left for Thorold as assistant
in February, 1871, returning to St. Paul s in October, 1871, remaining
until the following April, when he was sent to Dixie as pastor, where he
completed the church and procured land at Port Credit for a church.
In November, 1876, he was given charge of Uxbridge, where he remained
until the following October, when he was appointed pastor of Oshawa.
Here he remained until January, 1890, when he was transferred to Port
Colborne as pastor. In 1897 he became pastor of St. Joseph s, Toronto,
which charge he resigned by reason of ill-health on December 30, 1902,
and retired to the House of Providence. He died in 1911 and was buried
in Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto.
The last of Father McCann s curates at St. Paul s was
Father John Joseph Kelly who went to St. Mary s as assistant
about the same time that Father McCann was transferred to
Oshawa. Father Kelly returned to St. Paul s, as we shall see
Father Conway took charge of St. Paul s as Administrator
in November, 1872, and remained in charge until 1879. Dur
ing his term of office many improvements were made in the
state of the parish. In 1873 he installed the bell used in the
present church. This was the third bell since the beginning
of the parish. The triple Latin inscription upon it is trans-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
lated as follows: "Holy Mary, defend us." "St. Gabriel, pray
for us." "St. Patrick, protect thy people."
Father Gibney took the place of Father Kelly as assistant,
remaining until July, 1873, when he was given charge of the
parish of North Adjala, where he remained over forty-six
The successor of Father Gibney at St. Paul s was one whose
name was a household word in the diocese for forty years,
Father Rohledar, better known amongst the clergy and laity
alike as "Father Fred." He came to St. Paul s shortly after
The bell which was hung in the old church in 1873, and trans
ferred to the new, is still doing duty, calling the
people to devotion and to prayer.
his ordination and remained until the following February,
when he was transferred to the Cathedral.
The Reverend Francis Frederick Rohleder was born in Braunshausen,
Westphalia, diocese of Paderborn, on October 24, 1846. He made the
usual courses of classics and philosophy at St. Michael s College and,
after completing his theological course at the Grand Seminary, Mont
real, was ordained priest by Archbishop Lynch on June 29, 1873. After
his short period of service at St. Paul s, as assistant, he went to the
122 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Cathedral in the same capacity, where he remained until May, 1880,
being during that time (1876) temporally in charge of St. Patrick s
for four months. He was then transferred to St. Mary s as assistant.
where he remained a year, being then promoted to the pastorate of
Brock. After ten years in that mission he returned to the Cathedral,
being appointed Chancellor by Archbishop Walsh. In January, 1909, he
was made pastor of St. Joseph s, Toronto, which office he held at the time
of his death, which occurred September 10, 1914. He was buried in
Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto.
On the departure of Father Rohleder, Father Kelly returned
to St. Paul s, and remained until November, 1876.
The Reverend John Joseph Kelly was born in the parish of Ballyhaise,
County Cavan, Ireland, June 30, 1847, and was educated at Cavan Semin
ary, All Hallows College and the Grand Seminary, Montreal. In the
chapel of the last named institution he was ordained by Bishop Bourget on
June 6, 1868. The first six months of his priesthood were spent at St.
Mary s, Toronto, as assistant, when he was appointed assistant at Barrie.
After nine months in this latter mission he was made pastor of Niagara.
In October, 1871, he was appointed assistant at Brock, where he re
mained until April, 1872, when he came to St. Paul s for the first time.
In the following November he was again stationed at St. Mary s, and in
February, 1874, returned to St. Paul s, where he remained until the end
of 1876. After leaving this parish he was assistant in various parts
of the diocese, and was for a time chaplain of De la Salle Institute, but
for many years, towards the close of his life, he was assistant to Vicar-
General McCann at St. Mary s. He died at the House of Providence,
Toronto, on May 23, 1907.
From the parish report for 1876 we find that the number of
souls in the parish was estimated at about 3,500 and the
Easter Communions at about 2,000. There were during that
year 139 baptisms, 15 marriages, 130 confirmed, 115 first Com
municants and 10 converts.
From May, 1876, to the following February the name N.
Byrne appears at intervals on the parochial registers, but be
yond this we have no information regarding this priest.
On the departure of Father Kelly, he was succeeded by
Father F. J. M. Haydon, who remained about a year.
From May, 1877, to the middle of August of the same year
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
there appears on the register the name of Father T. F. Powet ,
The Reverend Thomas F. Power was born in the parish of Ballyhote,
County Kilkenny, Ireland, and after the usual course of studies, which
were made at Kilkenny and Maynooth, he was ordained priest by Bishop
Whelan in 1855. His name appears on the register of St. Michael s
Cathedral, Toronto, in 1876, and in the following year he came to St.
Paul s, where he remained from about May to August. He was assistant
Old St. Paul s in the spring of 1880, when Bishop O Mahony
first came to the parish.
at St. Catharines for some years, from November, 1878. His last charge
was the chaplaincy of the House of Providence, Toronto, in which- insti
tution he died, July 4, 1885.
The next priest to come to St. Paul s was Father Gavin. He
remained at St. Paul s from November, 1877, until August,
The Reverend Peter Francis Gavin was born at Atty Cahil, County
Mayo, Ireland, on October 16, 1853. His classical and philosophical
studies were made at Tuam and theological at the Grand Seminary,
Montreal; and he was ordained by Archbishop Lynch on November 1,
124 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
1877. Coming to St. Paul s after his ordination, he remained until the
following August, when he was transferred to St. Mary s In January,
1888, he was sent to St. Catharines as assistant, remaining until August,
1882, when he returned to St. Mary s. Here he remained until 1888, when,
owing to ill-health, he left the diocese. He died at Los Angeles, Gal.,
July 10, 1890.
In November, 1878, St. Paul s parish was greatly reduced
in area, when all its territory east of Broadview avenue was
taken to form the new parish of St. Joseph s, Leslieville.
On the departure of Father Gavin from the parish, Father
Haydon returned to replace him, remaining from August to
The Reverend Francis M. J. Haydon was born in the parish of Borna
Coole, County Leitrim, Ireland. He studied the classics at St. Mel s
Seminary, Longford, philosophy at St. Michael s College, Toronto, and
theology at the Grand Seminary, Montreal, and was ordained priest on
October 24, 1866. His first priestly labor was as assistant at Barrie
where he remained until December, 1868, when he was given charge of
the parish of Duffin s Creek (Pickering) where he built the present
church. In July, 1875, he was appointed assistant at St. Mary s, Toronto,
where he remained until October, 1876, being then transferred to St.
Paul s, where he remained a year. In the following year he returned
to St. Paul s and remained from August to December. He was sub
sequently assistant at Dixie, Flos and St. Catharines. For a short time,
in 1890 ; he was in charge of Bedford in the diocese of Detroit. He then
went to Ireland, but returned to Canada and lived for many years at
the House of Providence, Toronto, where he died October 14, 1912.
The next assistant at St. Paul s was Father A. P. Mullin,
who officiated for about a month.
The Reverend Arthur Patrick Mullin was born in the parish of Clogher,
County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1830. His classical studies were made at
Monaghan, philosophical at Our Lady of the Angels College, Niagara
Falls, N.Y., and theological at the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was
ordained to the holy priesthood in St. Paul s church by Bishop Lynch on
February 2, 1862, and was sent to the Gore of Toronto as assistant,
where he remained until February, 1863, when he went to Adjala as
assistant. In September, 1865, he was appointed pastor of Flos, and
whilst in this mission he built Vigo church. In 1876 he left for Ireland,
where he remained some years. On his return to Canada we find him at
St. Paul s as assistant early in 1879, and later in the same year he was
appointed pastor of Schomberg, from which charge he retired in 1881 to
the House of Providence, Toronto, where he died in December, 1881.
Rt. Rev. Timothy O Mahony, D.D.,
Bishop of Eudocia and Pastor of St.
Paul s Church from 1880 to 1892.
126 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Father Sheehan followed Father Mullin as assistant at St.
Paul s, remaining five years and seven months.
During the year 1879, from August to December, the name
of Father E. B. Lawlor appears on the register of St. Paul s.
Although not a priest of Toronto diocese, Father Lawlor, who
was a nephew of Bishop Burke of Nova Scotia, was for many
years a resident of Toronto. He had been pastor of Hunger-
ford, in the diocese of Kingston, for many years, and on leav
ing there he came to Toronto, where he lived retired. He
helped in the various city churches when needed, especially
in the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, in which he dwelt.
At the close of 1879 Father Conway left St. Paul s after a
successful administration of seven years. This was more
than the mere change of pastors ; it was the severing forever
of the last link that bound the pioneer parish of the city to
the older clergy of the days of Bishop de Charbonnel.
The Reverend Patrick Conway was born in Dromod, County Leitrim,
Ireland, on September 4, 1829, and made his studies in Ireland and
France, completing them at the Sulpician Seminary, Baltimore. He was
ordained to the holy priesthood on July 25, 1855, at St. Catharines, of
which parish his uncle, Dean Grattan, was the pastor. He remained as
assistant at St. Catharines until March, 1859, when he was given charge
of Streetsville, where he remained almost a year, when he returned as
assistant to his revered uncle, with whom he remained until 1864, when
he came to St. Paul s as assistant. A few months later, however, he was
given charge of North Adjala, where he built a presbytery. In October,
1866, he was back at St. Paul s, where he remained until the following
April. After a year s pastorate of Pickering we find his name again on
the records at St. Paul s from April, 1869, to June of the next year.
Later on, in 1870, we find him at St. Mary s, where he labored until
late in 1872, when he was made Administrator of St. Paul s. His work
here has already been noticed. At the beginning of 1880 he was made
pastor of Brockton and two years later named Dean of Toronto. The
same year, however, he went to Peterborough, which had just been raised
to the episcopal status, and became the rector of the Cathedral. In 1888
he was made the first resident pastor of Norwood, where he erected a
presbytery and enlarged the church and also built a church at Havelock.
In 1910 he retired to Peterborough, where he lived until his death, which
occurred June 23, 1912.
ST. PAUL S 1879 TO 1892
An honor was now bestowed on the parish of St. Paul in that
it was to have as its pastor a bishop. Archbishop Lynch feel
ing the evergrowing labors of his office more than his declining
strength could endure, had received as Auxiliary the Right
Reverend Timothy O Mahony, titular Bishop of Eudocia, for
merly Bishop of Armidale, Australia.
The Right Reverend Timothy O Mahony was born in the city of Cork,
Ireland, November 1, 1825. He began his studies in Cork and completed
them in Rome, where he was ordained in 1849. After spending some
time as assistant in various rural parishes of his native diocese, he was
attached to the Cathedral of St. Finbar, in the city of Cork. In 1869 he
was appointed first Bishop of Armidale, Australia, where he built a
Cathedral. In 1878 he resigned and returned to Europe, being appointed
titular Bishop of Eudocia. Meeting Archbishop Lynch in Rome in the
following year, he came to Canada with that prelate and at the beginning
of 1880 was given charge of St. Paul s.
From the beginning of his incumbency in the parish Bishop
O Mahony realized the utter inadequacy of the church to ac
commodate the congregation which now numbered about one
thousand families. He began then, soon after his arrival, a
weekly collection for a new church. This continued for many
years until 1887 when ground was broken for the new edifice,
the corner-stone of which was laid on October 9 of that year
by His Eminence Cardinal Tachereau, assisted by Archbishop
Lynch and Bishops Walsh and O Mahony and the Papal Able-
gate Mgr. O Bryen.
The work progressed, and on December 22, 1889, the new
church was solemnly dedicated to the service of God by the
Most Reverend James Vincent Cleary, Archbishop of Kings
ton. This edifice is not only a monument to the zeal and
executive ability of Bishop O Mahony, but it is one of the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
most perfect examples of church architecture in Toronto,
which is known as the City of Churches. It is built on the
symbolic cruciform plan and consists of nave and spreading
aisle and transepts, apsidal chancel and large sacristies. The
basement contains a large chapel and sacristy and the heating
The external dimensions are: length 174 feet, width across
aisle and nave 70 feet, across transepts 100 feet, height of
campanile (completed by Dean Hand in 1905) 129 feet. The
church proper has a seating capacity of 1,250, while the base-
His Eminence Cardinal Tach-
ereau, Archbishop of Quebec,
who in 1887 laid the corner
stone of new St. Paul s.
Most Rev. J. V. Cleary,
Archbishop of Kingston, who
officiated at the opening of
new St. Paul s in 1889.
ment will accommodate 1,000. The architect was Mr. Joseph
Connelly, R.C.A., who designed some of the finest churches in
Father Sheehan, who was assistant on the arrival of Bishop
O Mahony, remained in that capacity, and at about the same
time as the Bishop took charge there appears on the records
the name of Father J. F. McBride, the Secretary of Archbishop
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 129
Lynch who, on July 27, 1881, was appointed to the chaplaincy
of the Reformatory of Penetanguishene.
The Reverend Joseph F. McBride was born of Irish parents in Glas
gow, Scotland, on October 20, 1853. He came to Canada in 1861, and
made his classical studies at Streetsville High School; philosophical at
St. Anne de la Pocatiere; theological at the Seminary of Our Lady of
the Angels, Niagara Falls, N.Y., the Grand Seminary, Montreal, and
Laval University, Quebec. On April 23, 1878, he was ordained by Arch
bishop Lynch in St. Paul s Church, Toronto. On ordination he was sent
as assistant to the Cathedral, acting also as secretary to the Archbishop.
After a short period in 1881 as assistant at St. Paul s, he was ap
pointed chaplain of the Reformatory at Penetanguishene, on July 27 of
that year. After some time at that post he returned to the Cathedral as
assistant, resuming his secretarial duties. In October, 1886, he was
appointed the first pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Toronto He
was transferred to Dixie as pastor in January, 1890; but thirteen months
later, resigned because of ill-health and, at his own request, was appointed
assistant at St. Helen s, Toronto. For a time, in addition to his clerical
duties, he was the editor of the "Catholic Weekly Review" of Toronto.
He died August 20, 1893.
Another assistant then appeared in the person of the Rev
erend J. J. Egan, who remained until the following spring.
The Reverend John Joseph Egan was born in County Clare, Ireland,
on February 27, 1846. He made his classical studies at the Diocesan
College at Ennis, philosophical at St. Michael s College, Toronto, and
theological at the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained priest
by Archbishop Lynch in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, on June 29,
1873. From his ordination to September, 1874, he was assistant at Thor-
old, when he was appointed pastor of Caledon. When in charge of this
mission he built the church at Orangeville and purchased a church build
ing at Brampton. In May, 1880, he came to St. Paul s and remained until
March, 1881, when he was sent to Uxbridge as pastor. In the following
October he was transferred to Thornhill, where he was in charge until
1893, when he was appointed pastor of Barrie and made Dean. Here he
enlarged the church. He died on August 29, 1909, and was buried beside
the church in Barrie.
The next Assistant at St. Paul s was Father Fell, who re
mained from February, 1881, to about August of the same
The Reverend Michael J. Fell was born in County Galway, Ireland, on
December 29, 1855, and made his studies at St. Jarlath s, Tuam; May-
130 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
nooth, and Niagara Falls, N.Y. He was ordained priest by Archbishop
Lynch on December 15, 1878, and was sent to Flos as assistant, where
he remained until coming to St. Paul s. In 1882 and 1883 he was at
St. Catharines as assistant. He afterwards went to the United States,
where he died.
The next name on the records is that of Father Lynett, who
came to St. Paul s immediately after his ordination in Decem
ber, 1881. He was connected with this parish for more than
two years being transferred to the Cathedral as assistant in
The Reverend John Francis Lynett was born in Markham township,
near Richmond Hill, on February 10, 1857. He was educated at Rich
mond Hill High School, St. Michael s College, and the Grand Semin
ary, Montreal, and was ordained by Archbishop Fabre on December
17, 1881. After his stay at St. Paul s he remained at the Cathedral until
November, 1883, when he was appointed first pastor of Midland, which
charge he held until 1891. His next charge was Merritton, where he
remained about a year. He was pastor of Uxbridge from the beginning
of 1895 to the early part of 1896. He was assistant at Dixie and at St.
Joseph s, Toronto. He died in New York City in 1897, and was buried
in the family plct in Thornhill cemetery.
From June, 1883, until the following December the name of
Father M. E. Kelly appears on the parochial records, and
from September, 1883, to March of the following year that of
the Reverend John C. Kenny. Beyond these evidences noth
ing is known of these priests or of the Rev. J. F. M. Mullan,
whose name appears during February and March, 1884.
Another priest who, although not on the staff of St. Paul s,
helped with the work of the parish at this time was the Rev.
M. J. Jeffcott who, owing to ill-health, had been appointed
chaplain of the House of Providence. On his recovery in the
following year he resumed parochial work, which, until his
death, he exercised in many places throughout the diocese.
Rev. Michael Joseph Jeffcott was born August 25, 1857, in Tralee,
County Kerry, Ireland. He studied in St. Brendan s College, Killarney,
and made his philosophy and theology in the Grand Seminary, Namur,
Belgium; being ordained July 9, 1882, for the Archdiocese of Toronto
in the Cathedral at Killarney. On coming to Canada he was appointed
assistant at Penetanguishene, where he remained until July, 1883. H_ J
CURATES AT ST. PAUL S DURING BISHOP O MAHONY S PASTORATE.
) Rev. D. J. Sheehan: 2. Rev. J. F. McBride; 3. Rev. ,T. J. Egan ; 4. Rev. J.
k\ Lynett; 5. Rev. M. J. Jeffcott; 6. Rev. M. Moyna; 7. Rev. D. Morris; 8.
Rev. ,T. A. Trayling; 9. Rev. J. J. Lyneh; 10. Rev. L. Minehan.
132 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
was then chaplain of the House of Providence, Toronto, until November,
1884, helping during this period at St. Paul s. For a short time he
was secretary to Archbishop Lynch and chaplain of the Central Prison,
Toronto. In 1885 he was made pastor of Orangeville, where he pur
chased a presbytery. In January, 1890, he was appointed pastor of
Pickering, being promoted in October, 1892, to the pastorate of Oshawa,
where he built the Church of St. Gregory the Great. After nine years
in this mission he was transferred to Stayner, and in 1904 became
pastor of Adjala, remaining twelve years. In 1916 he was made pastor
of Merritton, where he died April 26, 1918.
Father Sheehan left St. Paul s at the end of September,
1884, after more than five-and-a-half years service, having
been promoted to the pastorate of Pickering.
The successor of Father Sheehan as assistant at St. Paul s
was Father Moyna, who remained a little more than two
The Reverend Michael Moyna was born in County Monaghan, Ireland,
on September 24, 1853, and was educated at St. Macartan s Seminary,
Monaghan; St. Michael s College, Toronto, and Brignole Sale College,
Genoa, Italy. He was ordained to the holy priesthood on July 27, 1884,
by Archbishop Magnasco at Genoa. On arrival in Toronto in the follow
ing September he was sent to St. Paul s, where he acted as assistant until
November 14, 1886, when he was sent to Stayner as pastor where he
built the presbytery. In 1895 he was transferred to Orillia, and in 1909
was given charge of Barrie and appointed Dean. In 1914 he was made
pastor of St. Mary s, Toronto, which charge he held until his death which
occurred September 8, 1920. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.
A week later than the advent of Father Moyna at St. Paul s
brought another newly ordained priest from Ireland, Father
Morris, whose name is still in fond remembrance by the older
generation of the people, although more than three decades
of years have flown since he left them. He remained in the
parish until 1890, being then appointed pastor of Orangeville.
The Reverend Denis Morris was born at Gallow, Newtonstewart,
County Derry, Ireland, on August 16, 1860, and received his education at
Gorten Academy and All Hallows. He was ordained to the holy priest
hood on June 24, 1884, at All Hallows by Bishop Woodlock. On his
arrival in Toronto he was assigned to St. Paul s, where, as we have seen,
he remained until 1890 when he was given the pastorate of Orangeville.
After one year at that place he was promoted to Newmarket, where he
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 133
remained until June 2, 1901, when he was appointed pastor of St. Cath
arines and made Dean.
In October, 1886, the new parish of Our Lady of Lourdes
was formed, taking all the territory of St. Paul s parish north
of Carlton street. Two years later a parish for the French
Canadians was erected in the immediate vicinity of St. Paul s.
When Father Moyna left for Stayner he was succeeded at
St. Paul s as assistant by the Rev. Jas. A. Trayling, who re
mained in the parish about ten months, being then made pas
tor of Fort Erie.
The Rev. James A. Trayling was born at Lansing, York County,
Ontario, July 5, 1859. He studied at St. Michael s College, Toronto, and
the Grand Seminary, Montreal, and was ordained priest in St. Mary s
Church, Toronto, December 8, 1885. He was assistant at St. Mary s from
ordination until the following August, when he went as assistant to
Brockton (St. Helen s, Toronto), where he remained three months. He
was then assistant at St. Paul s until September, 1887, when he was
given charge of Fort Erie. Here he remained until February, 1891,
when he was made pastor of Dixie, remaining until 1895, when he was
promoted to Port Colborne. In October, 1909, he assumed the pastorate
of Orillia, where he built the present stone church. In August, 1915, he
was made rector of St. Michael s Cathedral, and in September, 1920,
was appointed pastor of St. Mary s Church, Toronto.
The Rev. John J. Lynch succeeded Father Trayling at St.
Paul s, and during the five years of his stay amongst them he
endeared himself to the people of St. Paul s, despite the fact
that he had to relinquish his post on several occasions and
for long periods at a time.
The Rev. John Joseph Lynch was born in County Meath, Ireland, in
1863. He made his preparatory course at Navan and his ecclesiastical
studies at All Hollows, at which latter institution he was ordained in
1887. Coming to St. Paul s in October of that year, he remained until
July, 1892, when he went south for his health, remaining more than
a year. In 1894 he was given charge of Niagara-on-the-Lake, where he
died September 9, 1897, and was buried in the cemetery of St. Vincent
de Paul at that place.
Father Sheehan returned to St. Paul s early in 1890 and
remained to the following autumn.
134 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Reverend David Joseph Sheehan was born at Leap, County Cork,
Ireland, on February 27, 1848, and made his studies at Castleknock and
All Hallows. He was ordained priest on September 8, 1875, by Arch
bishop Lynch. For a year after ordination he was assistant at Adjala,
after which he was appointed first resident pastor of Schomberg, where
he remained until February, 1879, when he came to St. Paul s, remaining
until September, 1884. He was pastor of Pickering until January, 1890.
He was then at St. Mary s for some years, after which he went to
Chicago, where he died.
The next name on the records is that of the Rev. Daniel
O Brien, a priest of Buffalo diocese, who was loaned to Toronto
and was assistant at St. Paul s for about a month.
Father Fell returned for a brief period in the summer of
In September of that year there arrived in the parish
a young Irish priest who from that day to the present has
been one of the most energetic and hard working of our
clergy the Rev. Launcelot Minehan. He remained at St.
Paul s as assistant for a period of thirteen months.
A month later than the advent of Father Minehan there
came to St. Paul s Father Michael Joseph Reddin, who, despite
his weakly constitution, worked conscientiously in the parish
for three years.
Bishop O Mahony after a long and painful illness, during
which he visited California in the hope of restoring his shat
tered constitution, died on the eighth day of September, 1892.
His funeral took place in St. Paul s Church, September 10th.
The funeral Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Cleary of
Kingston, a life-long friend of the deceased prelate, and at
tended by Archbishop Walsh and Bishops Bowling of Hamil
ton, O Connor of Peterborough and O Connor of London. The
remains of Bishop O Mahoney were interred in a brick vault
at the south-east corner of St. Paul s Church, where a stone
slab was placed to mark his tomb, that all who enter may be
INTERIOR OF ST. PAUL S, 1922, LOOKING TOWARDS SANCTUARY.
136 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
reminded of him who erected the fane, and breathe a prayer
for the repose of his soul.
In October, 1892, Father Minehan was appointed pastor of
Schomberg, thus severing his connection with St. Paul s.
The Rev. Launcelot Minehan was born at Killaloe, County Clare, Ire
land, and made his classical studies at All Hallows College, Ireland, and
his ecclesiastical studies at the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was
ordained priest by Archbishop Fabre, December 20, 1884, at Montreal.
He was assistant at Thornhill from ordination until April, 1885, when
he went to Brockton in the same capacity. In November, 1887, he was
appointed chaplain of Penetanguishene Reformatory. He was assistant
at the Cathedral from February, 1890, to January, 1891, and from the
latter date until September, 1891, was assistant at St. Mary s. From
September, 1891, to October, 1892, he was at St. Paul s as assistant. For
the next four years he had charge of Schomberg. He became the
first pastor of St. Peter s, Toronto, in February, 1896, where he erected
the present church and presbytery. In 1914 he resigned his parish and
began anew in the newly organized parish of St. Vincent de Paul. Here
he has built a church. Father M nehan, since his coming to the diocese
has. ever been a staunch advocate of total abstinence, and despite his
many parochial duties, finds time to spread abroad the true doctrine by
means of the press.
THE PRESENT PASTOR
Rev. J. L. Hand, parish priest of Oshawa, was appointed to
take charge of the parish of St. Paul s on the 12th of October,
1892. In the meantime an audit had been made of the
accounts of St. Paul s building fund and an inventory taken
of the church and house. The statement of James J. Mallon,
J. C. Murray and J. F. Hughes, who audited the accounts the
previous year, was found to be substantially correct, with,
however, a floating debt in the neighborhood of $5,000, which
made the total amount due on the church in round numbers
The Very Reverend John Laurence Hand was born February 5, 1859,
in the diocese of Meath, Ireland. His classical studies were made par
tially in Cavan and partially in Meath. He received his ecclesiastica
training in the Grand Seminary, Montreal, and was ordained by Arch
bishop Lynch in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, Niagara Falls
N.Y., November 1, 1882, and went to St. Michael s Cathedral as assist
ant. In January, 1890, he was placed in charge of Oshawa, where h<
remained until October, 1892, when he took charge of St. Paul s.
ST. PAUL S CHURCH
Amount received from (Building of Church)
weekly collections and Excavation, Messrs. Up-
subscriptions in par- ton & Co $ 1,581.50
ish, from 1st March, Stone and Brick work,
1886, to 1st March, Jno. Herbert 60,200.00
1891 $ 31,513.45 Plastering, &c., W. J.
Pew rents, to March 1st, Hynes 3,700.00
1891 2,901.95 Woodwork, Altars and
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS (continued)
Forward - $34,415.40
Amoupnt received from
special donations and
other sources 9,709.88
Benches, J. Hanley .... 15,809.00
Ironwork, B. Treloar &
Slating, Williams & Co.
Stone, Carving, Exterior
and Interior, Young &
Carpenters work. Base
ment and Ceiling, R.
Lumber for Basement,
&c., E. E. Hargraves
Plastering for Base
ment, Crowley & Co.
Marble of Facade, J. G.
H e a ti n g Apparatus,
Piping and Gas
Purdy & Co 3,884.33
Iron Roof, O Hearn &
Paintin and Varnishing,
M. O Connor
Window Wire Screens,
Rice & Co
Carpets and Laying on,
Kay & Co
Galvanized Iron work,
Iron Safe, Taylor Bros.
Brass Rods, dividing sit
tings, Keith & Fitz-
Fixing Bench Rods
Two Water Hydrants,
F. C Hagan
Organ Rental, ona and
Preparation and Laying
of Corner Stone
Opening of Church .
Architect s Plans and
Commission 2,475 00
Insurance Premiums ....
Legal Expenses, Loans
Total amount of Inter
est paid Bank of
Commerce on Loan,
from the 7th July,
1888, till 13th Febru
ary, 1890 3,431.18
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 139
Forward. $101,125.28 Forv/aH . .$97,31385
Three half years Inter
est paid on Mortgages
of $45,000, from Jan.
1st, 1890, to July, 1st,
Two half years Inter
est paid on Mortgage
$12,000, from April
1st, 1890, to April 1st,
Total amount now due on church:
By Mortgages $ 57,000.00
By Balance on Building 2,200.00
We hereby certify that we have examined the accounts in connec
tion with the building of St. Paul s Church, and that the above statement
is correct in every particular. j j MALLON>
JAS. C. MURRAY,
J. F. HUGHES, Auditors.
At that time there was a general depression of busi
ness and a stringency of money in Toronto and throughout
the Province of Ontario. The outlook for the paying off of
the church debt was none too bright; in fact some of the
prominent members of the congregation were of the rooted
opinion that nothing more than the interest, which amounted
to $3,650 per annum, could be paid for many a year to
come. It was the policy of the new rector, hoy/ever, to con
centrate his efforts en diminishing the principal with the least
possible delay. He took up a census of the parish, visited
every family and spoke to them words of cheer and comfort.
He organized societies and made use of those already in exis
tence to help in collecting money in small amounts and in get
ting up concerts and fairs for the avowed purpose of reducing
the burden upon the people of the parish, and in a very short
time he imbued his congregation with a spirit of optimism. He
gave out yearly reports, which were couched in encouraging
140 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
language, and showed a substantial reduction of the debt from
year to year. The assistant priests, school children and
teachers, Brothers and Sisters, joined in the movement in a
whole-hearted way, and with a laudable spirit of co-operation
spared no pains to second every effort of the parish priest for
the successful accomplishment of the object in view.
As the principal was gradually reduced, works necessary
for the completion of the church and the accommodation of the
clergy were attended to. Among the important works under
1893 Decoration of sanctuary.
1898 New organ put in place and gallery enlarged.
1899 Stained glass windows.
1901 Stations of the Cross.
1904 New presbytery.
1905 Construction of the church tower.
1908 Three marble altars put in place, tiling of sanc
tuary ; altar railing and pulpit installed.
1910 Elimination of the church debt and burning of the
1911 Decoration of the church.
1912 Purchase of property for the parish hall.
1914 Erection of parish hall.
1907 Celebration of Silver Jubilee of priesthood of the
1917 Celebration of his Jubilee as pastor of St. Paul s
During the thirty years that Father Hand has been pastor
of St. Paul s he has had many assistants, for St. Paul s has
been the starting point in the priestly life for many a young
levite, who, after remaining some time under the guidance of
INTERIOR OF ST. PAUL S, 1922, LOOKING TOWARDS CHOTR.
142 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Father Hand, has graduated into the ranks of the pastors of
In August, 1913, the Rev. J. P. Treacy, D.D., came to St.
Paul s and remained until the following January.
The Reverend James Power Treacy, D.D., was born in Cappaghwhite,
County Tipperary, Ireland, May 16, 1869. He studied at St. Michael s
College, Toronto, Castleknock College, Ireland, and the Royal Univer
sity, Dublin; and went to Rome, where he pursued the philosophical
and theological courses at the Canodiar College and the Propaganda,
from which latter institution he graduated with the degree of D.D. On
June 16, 1892, he was ordained by Cardinal Parocchi in St. John s
Lateran, Rome. On coming to Canada he was stationed at St. John s
Grove, Toronto, until August 1893, when he was appointed assistant
at St. Paul s, where he remained until the following January. His next
field of labor was St. Mary s, Toronto, where he remained thirteen
months, being then sent to the Cathedral as assistant, and in February,
19C4, was made pastor of Dixie, where he made many improvements in
the churches of that mission. On January 7, 1913, he was appointed
pastor of St. Cecilia s, Toronto, in which parish he has built a new
presbytery and has extensively improved the interior of the church.
Dr. Treacy was succeeded at St. Paul s by the Rev. Andrew
O Malley, who, after seven months, was transferred to St.
The Very Reverend Andrew O Malley was born in Rochester, N.Y.,
November 8, 1863. His classical and philosophical studies were made
at St Michael s College, Toronto, theological at the Grand Seminary,
Montreal. On July 9th, 1893, he was ordained priest at St. John s Grove,
Toronto, by Archbishop Walsh. He was successively assistant at St.
Mary s, Toronto, for seven months; at St. Paul s, Toronto, for a like
period; and at St. Catharines for four months. In January, 1895, he
was made pastor of Uxbridge, and in 1901 was promoted to the charge
of Oshav/a. This latter he resigned in 1907 by reason of ill-health and
remained inactive for some time.
On January 9, 1909, he was appointed assistant at the Cathedral,
Toronto, and six months later went to St. Mary s, Toronto, in the same
capacity. In September, 1915, he was made pastor of Barrie and Dean.
He died November 8, 1921.
In the summer of 1894 there came to St. Paul s the Reverend
Michael Spillane, who, after about three months, left the
parish for Uxbridge, but before the close of the year he died
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto H3
at that place. His body having been brought to Toronto, the
funeral services were held from St. Paul s.
The Reverend Michael Spillane was born in County Kerry, Ireland,
and after making his classical studies at the Redemptorist College,
North East, Pa., entered the Grand Seminary, Montreal, where he com
pleted the courses of philosophy and theology. He was ordained by
Archbishop Lynch in the summer of 1894, and came to St. Paul s as
assistant immediately afterwards. In October, 1894, he was appointed
temporarily to the charge of Uxbridge, where he died December 17, 1894.
He was buried in St. Michael s Cemetery, Toronto.
In October, 1894, the Rev. Maurice J. Wilson, a newly or
dained priest from Ireland, was sent to St. Paul s as assistant,
and acted in that capacity for more than a year.
The Reverend Maurice J. Wilson was born at Tralee, County Kerry,
Ireland, November 22, 1868. He studied the classics at St. Brendan s
College, Killarney; philosophy at Carlow College; theology at the latter
institution and at the Catholic University of America, Washington, B.C.
He was ordained priest in Carlow College on June 10, 1894, and came to
St. Paul s as assistant in the following October, remaining about thir
teen months, when, through ill-health, he left the diocese temporarily.
Returning in 1905, he was placed in Adjala as assistant, where he
labored zealously for ten years. In 1915 he was given charge of the
Gore of Toronto and Albion. The latter mission being erected in 1918
into a separate parish, Father Wilson continued as pastor of the Gore,
where he has built a fine presbytery.
In the meantime Father Reddin, who had been assistant
since Bishop O Mahony s time, was promoted to the pastorate
of the Gore of Toronto. Four years later this zealous young
priest died at that mission, and his remains were brought to
St. Paul s, where the last sad, but consoling, rites were per
formed over them before their interment in his native parish
The Reverend Michael Joseph Reddin was born in Pickering, Ont.,
July 16, 1864. He made his classical studies at St. Michael s College,
Toronto, and after a course in higher mathematics at the University
of Toronto, entered the Basilian Novitiate at Plymouth, England. Re
turning to Canada, he went to the Grand Seminary, Montreal, where he
completed his theological studies, and was ordained priest by Arch
bishop Walsh in St. Basil s Church, Toronto, in September, 1891. Being
144 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
appointed to St. Paul s immediately after ordination, he remained in
that parish until 1895, when he was given charge of the Mission of the
Gore of Toronto. He died November 27, 1897, and was buried in the
cemetery of St. Francis de Sales, Pickering.
The next priest in order at St. Paul s was the Reverend
M. D. Whelan, a former parishioner, and at present Vicar-Gen
eral of the Archdiocese. He was assistant at St. Paul s about
Father Whelan was succeeded by Father Cline, who re
mained as assistant for more than four years and a half. Dur
ing this period the names of several priests appear on the
registers, the first of these being that of the Reverend A. P.
Small, the chaplain of De La Salle Institute.
The Reverend Ambrose Patrick Small was born in the township of
Adjala, Simcoe County, in 1871, and after a course of classical studies
at St Michael s College, Toronto, entered the Grand Seminary, Mont
real, where he completed the courses of philosophy and theology. He
was raised to the holy priesthood on July 14, 1895, by the Right Rev.
R. A. O Connor, D.D., of Peterborough, in St. Mary s, Church, Toronto.
Appointed assistant at the Cathedral, he had soon to relinquish this post
because of poor health, and he assumed the chaplaincy of De La Salle
Institute. During this period, when able, he assisted the priests at
St. Paul s in the work of the parish. He died January 13, 1897.
Father H. J. Canning came September 1, 1893, and spent
seven months in this parish, and after a like period as tempor
ary pastor of Uptergrove, resumed his duties at St. Paul s,
remaining until Dec 16, 1897.
The Reverend Hugh J. Canning was born July 2, 1865, in the town
ship of Scarboro, York County, and made his classical studies at
Ottawa University, and theological at the Grand Seminary, Montreal.
On August 30, 1896, he was ordained priest, and was sent to St. Paul s
as assistant, remaining until March, 1897, when he tock temporary
charge of Uptergrove. Returning to St. Paul s, he was assistant until
December, 18S7, v/hen he was cent to St. Catharines in the same capa
city. In February, 1900, he was appointed Inspector of Christian Doc
trine in the separate schaols of the diocese, which position he held until
March, 1903, when he was made pastor of St. Joseph s Church, Toronto.
While there he purchased a church building in the north-western sec-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
tion of the district, which afterwards developed into the parish of St.
Ann. In January, 1909, he was given charge of the parish of Our
Lady of Lourdes, Toronto, where he enlarged the church, making it
practically a new edifice. He also built a new presbytery. He died
May 20, 1915, and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto.
Another priest well remembered in the parish, especially for
his work amongst the boys, was the Rev. T. E. Finegan, who
\**P W .
FATHER HAND AND THE SECOND BOOK CLASS OP BOYS OF
ST. PAUL S
came to St. Paul s in March, 1898, remaining until October 29,
The Reverend Thomas Edward Finegan was born in Syracuse, N.Y.,
November 18, 1870, and was educated at Manhattan College, New York
City, St. Michael s College, Toronto, and the Grand Seminary, Mont
real. He was ordained priest by Archbishop Walsh in the Church oi
Our Lady of Lourdes, Toronto, on December 21, 1897, and was sent to
St. Paul s as assistant, where he remained two years and a half, lie
was then appointed pastor of Grimsby, where he labored for four years
and a half. He then went to Barrie as assistant, having charge of the
two missions of that parish, Brentwood and Belle Ewart. In May, 1908.
he was transferred to Dixie as assistant, and a year and a half latei
went to St. Joseph s, Toronto, in the same capacity. In November, 1915,
he was given charge of the parish of Orangeville, where he died Sep
tember 12, 1919.
Four days previous to the departure of Father Finegan from
St. Paul s, Father Cline received his appointment as pastor of
146 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Reverend Michael Cline was born in County Longford, Ireland,
June 20, 1870. He made his classical studies at St. Mary s College,
Longford, and theological at All Hallows College, where he was ordained
June 23, 1895. On coming to Toronto diocese, he was appointed to St.
Paul s as assistant, remaining until 1900, when he was given charge of
the parish of Brock, where he built a church. In 1907 he was trans
ferred to Oshawa, where he built a separate school and parish hall. He
was appointed the first pastor of Holy Name parish, Toronto, in October,
1913, being for some months after this appointment superintendent of
Catholic charities. In his present charge he has built a presbytery and
parish hall, and has begun the church, the basement of which has been
used for religious services for some time.
On October 29, 1900, the Reverend T. O Donnell was trans
ferred from St. Cecilia s, Toronto Junction, to St. Paul s as as
sistant, remaining over four years and a half. The Reverend
C. C. Cantillon came to the parish at the same time, but two
and a half months later was sent as assistant to Penetangui-
shene. He was replaced at St. Paul s by the Reverend G. A.
Williams, who remained until the following October.
The Reverend George A. Williams was born in New York City, No
vember 9, 1870. He made the classical and philosophical courses at St.
Viateur s College, Kankakee, Illinois, and the theological at St. Jerome s
College, Berlin (Kitchener), Ont., and the Grand Seminary, Montreal.
On December 23, 1899, he was ordained priest by Archbishop O Connor
in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, and after a period of one year and
five months as assistant at Thorold came to St. Paul s, where he was
assistant for about five months. He was then successively assistant at
St. Joseph s, Toronto, and St. Mary s, Toronto, and in January, 1906,
was made pastor of the Gore of Toronto. In January, 1909, he was
transferred to the charge of the parish of St. John, East Toronto.
The Reverend John R. Grant was sent to St. Paul s on
January 9, 1902, temporarily, and two weeks later was ap
pointed as assistant at Penetanguishene. He was replaced at
St. Paul s by Father Cantillon, who remained until the autumn
Father O Donnell was transferred to St. Mary s, Toronto, as
assistant in June, 1904.
Rev. Thomas O Donnell was born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland,
August 16, 1874, and after a course of classical studies made at St
Michael s College, Toronto, entered the Grand Seminary, Montreal, and
after the usual courses of philosophy and theology was ordained in
CURATES AT ST. PAUL S UNDER FATHER HAND S PASTORATE
1 Rev. M. J. Reddin; 2 Rev. .T. P. Treacy; 3 Rev. A. O Malley;
4 Rev. M. Spillance; 5 Rev. M. .). Wilson; 6 Rev. M. Cline; 7 Rev.
A. P. Small; 8 Rev. Rev. H. J. Canning; 9 Rev. T. E. Finegan ;
10 Rev. T. O Donnell.
148 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Montreal by Archbishop Bruchesi, on December 23, 1899. He was sent
on ordination to St. Cecilia s, Toronto Junction (now part of the city
of Toronto) as assistant; being removed to St. Paul s in December,
1900, where he remained until June, 1904, when he was transferred to
St. Mary s as assistant. In January, 1909, he was appointed pastor of
St. Anne s, Toronto, where he has built a church and presbytery. Since
1916 he has, in addition to his parish work, the presidency of the Catho
lic Church Extension Society of Canada.
In October, 1905, Father Cantillon s field of labor was
changed to Midland as assistant, after being at St. Paul s for
more than three years.
The Reverend Charles C. Cantillon was born at Sillery Cove, P.Q.,
January 15, 1857. He studied for a time at the College of St. Anne cle
la Pocatiere, and afterwards with the Jesuits in the United States. His
theological training was received at the Brignole Sale College, Genoa,
Italy, and at the Grand Seminary, Montreal. On January 25, 1892, he
was ordained to the holy priesthood by Archbishop Walsh in St. John s
Chapel, Church street, Toronto. After a period of a little over two
years as assistant in Flos, he was changed to Adjala, where he was
assistant until September, 1894, when he was appointed pastor of Brock.
In this mission he remained until 1900, when he was made assistant at
In April, 1902, he came to St. Paul s as assistant, and for three years
and a half was idenitfied with the work of that parish. After a period
as assistant at Midland and at the Cathedral, Toronto, he was given
charge of Pickering in January, 1913, being transferred to the pastorate
of Uxbridge in April, 1914. Owing to the scarcity of priests in the dio
cese of Peterborough, Father Cantillon has been loaned to that diocese,
and has been conne;ted with the Cathedral of that city for some years.
The next assistant was the Reverend Edward McCabe, who
labored in the parish for more than five years.
The Reverend Edward McCabe was born at Uxbridge, Ont., August
27, 1864. He studied the classics at Uxbridge High School ; philosophy
at Assumption College, Sandwich, and theology at the Grand Seminary,
Montreal. On December 21, 1904, he was raised to the holy priesthood
by Archbishop O Connor in St. Basil s Church, Toronto, and was sent
to St. Paul s as assistant, where he remained more than five years. In
the parish of Pickering, to which he was promoted in 1910, he practic
ally rebuilt the church at Highland Creek. In January, 1913, he was
given charge of the newly established parish of St. Clare, Toronto, where
he has built the present church and presbytery.
CURATES AT ST. PAUL S DURING FATHER HAND S PASTORATE
1 R ev . c C. CantUlon; 2 Rev. Geo. A. Williams; 3 Rev. E. MeCabe; 4 Rev.
G. E. M. Doherty; 5 Rev. S. A. Corrigan; 6 Rev. -f. P. Murphy : 7 Rev. M.
W. Cullinane; 8 Rev. J. M. A. Castex; 9 Rev. T. K. Boylan ; 10 Rev. .Ino. M.
150 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Reverend G. E. M. Doherty was transferred to St.
Paul s in January, 1906, and was identified with the parish
for three years.
The Reverend George Edward Mary Doherty was born in Toronto,
May 31, 1875. His classical and philosophical studies were made at St.
Michael s College, Toronto; theological at the Grand Seminary, Mont
real. On December 21, 1901, he was ordained priest by Archbishop
O Connor in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto. After four years as
assistant at Toronto Junction (St. Cecilia s, Toronto) he came to St.
Paul s, where he acted as assistant until his appointment as first pastor
of St. Leo s, Mimico, in January, 1909.
In January, 1909, Father Corrigan of Kingston came to St.
Paul s, but was recalled to his own diocese six months later.
The Reverend Sherman A. Corrigan was born in Kingston, Ont., and
was educated at Ottawa University and the Grand Seminary, Montreal.
He was ordained priest in December, 1908, and cams to St. Paul s
as assistant, where he remained six months, returning to Kingston
diocese, from where he had been loaned to Toronto. At present he is
pastor of South Mountain, Ont.
The successor of Father Corrigan was a young Irish priest,
the Reverend J. H. Murphy, whose health broke down after
the close of the following winter, and he was compelled to
abandon his post.
The Reverend James Harvey Murphy of the diocese of Kildare and
Leighlin came to this diocese in September, 1909, with permission to re
main two or three years. Appointed to St. Paul s as assistant, he became
ill after six months service and retired. He died February 1, 1911.
In April, 1910, the Reverend M. W. Cullinane was trans
ferred from Barrie to St. Paul s as assistant, remaining until
his appointment as a pastor in January, 1913.
The Reverend Michael William Cullinane was born at Leap, County
Cork, Ireland, July 12, 1885. After completing the course in arts at the
University School, Skibbereen, he entered All Hallows, where he took
the courses of philosophy and theology, and was ordained for the Arch
diocese of Toronto, June 24, 1909. After a month in Orillia as assist
ant, he was transferred to Barrie, where he was assistant for six months.
He then came to St. Paul s as assistant, remaining until January, 1913,
when he was made pastor of Uxbridge. In November, 1913, he was
appointed to the charge of Fort Erie.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Reverend J. M. A. Castex became incardinated into the
Archdiocese of Toronto during the summer of 1910, being
sent as assistant to St. Paul s, where he labored until Septem
ber, 1913, when he assumed a position on the staff of St. Aug
ustine s Seminary.
The Reverend John Mary Alphonsus Castex was born July 22, 1871, at
Sacoue, diocese of Tarbes, France. His studies were made with the
Company of Mary and in the Seminary of Cyrville. He was ordained at
Ottawa by Archbishop Duhamel on May 30, 1896. Coming to Toronto
REV. E. T. KEANE REV. R. S. MILLER REV. M. O FARRELL
Three of the most recent curates at St. Paul s.
in August, 1910, he was appointed assistant at St. Paul s, where he re
mained until September, 1913, when, on the opening of St. Augustine s
Seminary, he was made professor of ecclesiastical history, French liter
ature and Gregorian chant.
In June, 1921, he was given charge of the parish of Midland, where
he has installed a beautiful set of chimes as a memorial to the parish
ioners who died in the great war.
In January, 1913, the Reverend T. K. Boylan began his
priestly life as assistant at St. Paul s, remaining until June,
1918, when he was promoted to the pastorate of Uxbridge.
152 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Reverend Thomas Kilty Boylan was born at Caledon, Peel County,
February 26, 1888. After taking the classical and philosophical courses
at St. Michael s College, Toronto, he entered the Grand Seminary, Mont
real for theology/and was ordained by Archbishop Bruchesi in Mont
real December 21, 1912. Appointed assistant at St. Paul s on ordina
tion, he served in that capacity until June, 1918, when he was made
pastor of Uxbridge. He died of influenza October 28, 1918, and was
buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto.
The Reverend John M. O Connor came to St. Paul s in Janu
ary, 1914, and remained until July, 1916.
The Reverend John M. O Connor was born in Pickering, Ont., Aug.
1888, and made his classical course at Whitby Collegiate Institute and St.
Michael s College, Toronto; philosophical at the latter institution, and
theological at the Grand Seminary, Montreal and St. Augustine s Semi
nary, Toronto. He was elevated to the priesthood by Archbishop McNeil
in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, Dec. 14, 1913, and was appointed
assistant at St. Paul s, where he remained until July, 1916, when he was
transferred to Holy Name parish, Toronto. After a year and two months
in this latter station, he was sent as assistant to St. Joseph s, Toronto.
In July, 1918, he was made pastor of Albion.
In August, 1916, the Reverend E. T. Keane was transferred
from Barrie to St. Paul s, where he labored zealously for more
than two years.
The Reverend Edward T. Keane was born at Ennis, County Clare,
Ireland, February 9, 1887. He made his classical studies at St Hannon s
College, Ennis, and Mount St. Joseph College, Roscrea; philosophical
at All Hallows, Dublin, and theological at the Grand Seminary, Montreal.
On December 21, 1912, he was ordained at Montreal by Archbishop
Bruchesi, and two weeks later was sent to St. Ann s, Toronto, as assist
ant. Sixteen months later he was transferred to Barrie as assi
coming to St. Paul s in the same capacity in August, 1916.
appointed pastor of Uxbridge in October, 1918.
The Reverend R. S. Miller was appointed assistant in May,
1918, and is still acting in that capacity.
The Reverend Robert S. Miller was born in Toronto, December 26,
1890, and was educated at St. Michael s College, Toronto, the Grs
Seminary, Montreal, and St. Augustine s Seminary, Toronto,
ordained in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, by Archbishop McNeil,
June 17, 1917. He was successively assistant at Thorold for sevent
months and at St Joseph s, Toronto, for five months, when m May, 1
he came to St. Paul s as assistant.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 153
During the influenza epidemic of 1918 the staff of St. Paul s
were particularly hard pressed. In addition to the immense
labor of attending the stricken members of a vast congrega
tion, they had the House of Providence and the old General
Hospital, which had been refitted as a Military Hospital, to
attend. In this last institution the days of "the black 47"
seemed repeated, in the number of cases to be attended, and
the heroism of the priests who performed their duties amid
the dire infection.
In March, 1919, the Reverend M. O Farrel came to the Arch
diocese and was stationed at St. Paul s, as assistant, continuing
there until the present time.
The Reverend Michael O Farrell was born at Lismore, County Water-
ford, Ireland, November 1, 1892. After taking the classical course at
Mount Melleray, Ireland, he entered Maynooth College, where, after the
usual courses of philosophy and theology, he was ordained, March 3,
1918. He came to St. Paul s as assistant in March, 1919.
In the summer of 1922, during the absence of Father O Far
rell in Ireland, the Reverend 0. Cuddady was at St. Paul s for
some time, and the Reverend E. J. Ryan for a brief period also.
The Reverend Edward J. Ryan was born in the parish of Dorn, County
Limerick, Ireland, and attended Rockwood College, Castel, Ireland, from
which he matriculated in 1915. He then went to All Hallows, whence
he attended the lectures at the National University, Dublin, from which
institution he graduated in arts. His theological training was received
at All Hallows and at St. Augustine s Seminary, Toronto. He was
ordained June 10, 1922, by Archbishop McNeil in St. Michael s Cathedral,
Toronto. From shortly after ordination to September, 1922, he was
assistant at St. Paul s, being then transferred to St. Ann s, Toronto, as
PUBLIC FUNCTIONS IN PARISH
Silver Jubilee, 1907
The Silver Jubilee of Rev. J. L. Hand, pastor of St. Paul s
parish, was observed by a series of ceremonies and festivities
extending over several days and shared in by the entire
parish, young and old. Many outsiders, former and present
friends of St. Paul s pastor, assisted.
The solemn opening of the Jubilee took place on Thursday
morning, October 31st, 1937, when at 10 o clock a grand High
Mass was celebrated, the celebrant being the Jubilarian, Rev.
Father Hand, who was assisted by Rev. Father Whelan of
St. Michael s Cathedral, as deacon, and Rev. Father Cline of
Oshawa, as sub-deacon. Rev. Father McCabe acted as master
of ceremonies. Others present were Rev. Father Doherty, St.
Paul s ; Rev. Father Canning, St. Joseph s ; Rev. Father Cruise,
Secretary to the Archbishop; Rev. Brother Odo, and other
representatives of the Christian Brothers. The Royal Mass,
under the leadership of Mr. Bissonette, was finely rendered by
alternate choirs of men and sanctuary boys, "O Salutaris"
being sung by Mr. McGuire at the Offertory.
The sermon was preached by Very Rev. Vicar-General Mc-
Cann, and was an eloquent and eulogistic representation of
the works of the priesthood, with special reference to that of
Rev. Father Hand, whose thanksgiving Mass of Jubilee was
At the close of the Mass a deputation of the gentlemen of
the parish approached the altar railing and presented Father
MAIN ALTAR AND COMMUNION RAILING, ST. PAUL S CHURCH. 1922.
156 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Hand with an address and a purse of $2,300 in gold on behalf
of the parishioners. The address, read by Mr. Jas. O Hagan,
was as follows:
Rev. and Dear Father:
The people of St. Paul s Parish, and your many friends throughout the
city of Toronto, unite in tendering to you an expression of their sincere
and heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the Twenty-fifth Anni
versary of your ordination to the Holy Priesthood of the Catholic Church.
For fifteen full years you have labored as pastor amongst us, with zeal
and devotedness. Your charge was not an easy one. A large congrega
tion in poor circumstances, with a huge debt upon the church building,
confronted you on taking possession of the old historic parish of St.
Paul s. The gloom of depression and the despondency that hard times
beget amongst a struggling people, surrounded the early days of your
In presence of such difficulties, your confidence in Divine Providence
never wavered. Your determination in battling against obstacles became
contagious; your optimistic spirit put new life into the work of the
Year by year you succeeded, with the help of a devoted people, in
reducing the encumbrance upon our beautiful edifice. In addition to your
woi k of diminishing the debt, you have beautified the interior of the
church, completed the facade and had the tower erected at an outlay of
a large amount of money.
A new presbytery, a model of ecclesiastical taste and arrangement,
sprang up as if by magic at your invitation. To-day, on Queen and
Power streets, stand a group of ecclesiastical buildings which for beauty
of design, solidity of construction and usefulness of purpose, are unsur
passed by any in the Archdiocese of Toronto. Practically clear of debt,
they shall remain behind as a stately monument to the singular ability
with which you have administered the temporalities of the parish, and a
just pride to the generosity of the people of St. Paul s.
But it is not, Reverend Father, for your material works that we lov
ingly gather around you to-day to do you honor.
Monuments much more enduring have been by you erected in the hearts
of your people, by your blameless life, unshaken attachment to every
priestly duty, and all those qualities that dignify the Sacerdotal career
and adorn social life.
Your labors for the spiritual advancement of your people have ever
been marked by that zealous, patient and self-sacrificing spirit in which
the Catholic Church glories as the noble inheritance of her ministers.
We are assembled to-day, Reverend Father, to bear testimony to the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 157
devotedness by which you, as one of her loyal sons, have maintained this
The love, fervor and piety which characterize the performance of your
sacred duties, the enthusiastic eloquence with which you have moved us
to the practice of virtue and religion, and the deep interest you have
always manifested in the spiritual and temporal welfare of your flock,
excite our admiration and command our warmest love and esteem; whilst
your works of mercy among the poor, the suffering and the wayfarer, in
the House of Providence, the Hospital, the Jail and the Parish generally,
tell us how mindful you have been at all times of the sacredness of
human life and the sanctity of human suffering.
Nor can we refrain from mentioning the energy displayed by you
among the various religious societies established in this parish. Under
your fostering care and wise direction, they have brought joy and conso
lation to the afflicted, sanctified their individual members and promoted
God s honor and glory.
In the midst of so many and such burdensome activities, your indefa
tigable zeal for the promotion of education has been untiring. Under
standing that education without religion is not complete, you have
directed your energies to the organizing and perfecting of the Sunday
School, and, recognizing the necessity of education to the national prog
ress, you have, as a member of the Separate School Board during the
past fifteen years, aided, by your wise administration and executive
ability, to bring our school system to a standard of excellence of which
we all feel proud.
And now, Reverend Father, the distinguished service you have ren
dered to the Church in past years, gives us as assurance that under your
wise and skilful direction this, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese,
shall continue to grow and flourish, and in all your undertakings for her
prosperity, we pledge our generous and hearty co-operation.
May you be long spared with us, and may you always inherit the love,
the esteem, and the admiration that have been formed for you by a grate
ful and appreciative people.
We ask you to accept this gift as a slight acknowledgement of the
esteem and veneration we, each and all, entertain towards you.
Signed on behalf of the congregation,
JAS. O HAGAN, Chairman.
JNO. MALLON, Secretary.
JNO. McGLUE, Treasurer.
Father Hand replied as follows:
My Dear People:
I thank you from my heart for the demonstration of love and loyalty
which you have made to your pastor to-day. It did not need your splen
did address or your big purse to tell me how much you loved your pastor
158 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
and priests; I learned that many times from your generous support dur
ing my stay amongst you.
I thank the Very Rev. Vicar-General for his presence here to-day to
share with the people of St. Paul s the joy of their pastor s jubilee. I
thank him most sincerely for his words of eulogy and encouragement.
We all need the kind support and the fatherly help and sympathy of a
superior in our trying work. The human heart, enriched as it may be
by Christian virtue and Divine grace, will ever yearn for the "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant." For these words of sympathy and en
couragement on your behalf and for myself personally, I fervently thank
the Venerable Vicar-General of the Archdiocese.
The occasion for me, at the conclusion of twenty-five years in the ser
vice of the Divine Master, is one of jubilee and rejoicing. It is for that
reason that we, pastor and people of this parish, are assembled to-day
at the foot of the altar to give thanks to God in the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass for the blessings He has been pleased to bestow upon the ministry
of His unworthy servant.
Your beautiful address in its conception and wording is lavish in the
praise of my labors amongst you. It is the picture of what you would
have me do and be rather than what I really did and am. I am not pre
pared to make a public confession just now, but I may be permitted to
say that I am far from being the incarnation of the virtues and per
fections which you would have the world believe me to possess. Yet I
am glad to think that my ministry for the past fifteen years amongst
you deserves and receives your praise. I would regret exceedingly that
it should be the reverse, so that now that my work is under review, it
rejoices me to think that it meets your full and hearty approbation.
For the success, please, do not give me the glory. "Not to us, C Lord,"
say we with the Psalmist, "but to Thy Name b3 the glory." St. Paul,
the patron of our parish, expresses the idea in my mind forcibly when
he says, "Neither he that planteth is anything nor he that watereth, but
God that giveth the increase." Every man shall receive his reward
according to his own labor; for we are God s coadjutors; you are God s
husbandry. . . . Let no man therefore glory in men; for all things
are yours whether it be Paul or Apollo or Cephas . . . for all a ^
yours; and you are Christ s, and Christ is God s. Let a man so account
of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the Mysteries
of God. Here, now, it is required among the dispensers that a man be
These are the sentiments which pulsate through my heart to-day. They
are sentiments of gratitude for God s preserving grace; sentiments of
thankfulness that I have been chosen by the Master to be of some little
use in His vineyard. I am thoroughly conscious that without Him I could
do nothing. What therefore has been accomplished amongst you is tfrv
THE FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CLASSES OF ST. PAUL S
GIRLS AND BOYS, 1922.
160 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
work of the Lord. In this we rejoice that I am His coadjutor and th~
you are His husbandry, and that working in correspondence with His
grace we have been made worthy to bear the fruit of Christian lives.
Your judgment is indulgent; you pronounce me a faithful dispenser;
but I am reminded by our beloved Apostle, that He that judges is the
Lord and to Him I shall have to pray for mercy, not to ask for judgment.
Coming to the substance of your address I am pleased to say that the
debt which was such an incubus to the Church at the time of my appoint
ment will be entirely wiped out in a very short time. The debt could
not be paid, houses could not be built, towers could not be erected with
out many sacrifices on your part. I am glad to say that you made sacri
fices generously and willingly, without reluctance or murmuring. I had
only to ask for the means to do the work and it was forthcoming. To
the party that pays the cash should belong the credit, and so to you,
and not to me, belongs the honor and the buildings themselves. I need
not tell you that the congregation is not a rich one, so that real sacri
fices have been made by the members on behalf of God s House. There
is not one amongst you who has not felt better, because of the share of
his substance he has given to God. This giving has blessed your homes
and families, and has made them models of Christian piety, peace and
You are good enough to credit me with a deep interest in Catholic
education. I would be a ve^y poor specimen of a Catholic clergyman,
indeed, if I did not take an abiding interest in the Catholic training of
the young of the flock. In this country Catholics are justly dealt with
in the matter of primary education, and for this I am sure they are
grateful to Divine Providence. Our schools for all practical purposes
are under the control of the Catholic people. It rests with them to a
great extent to make our system such a success that it will claim the
admiration of the people of this country, irrespective of denominational
lines. There are many improvements yet to be made before our school
system shall give unlimited satisfaction. The field of higher education
has yet to be explored in connectipon with our Separate Schools.
As for the success of St. Paul s School, I am glad to say, that it takes
rank with the best and most successful schools in the city. The credit
belongs to the teachers, to the Christian Brothers and to the Sisters of
St. Joseph. The parish of St. Paul and the Catholic people of Toronto
owe these religious communities a debt of gratitude they can never suffi
ciently repay. Their unselfish devotedness to the cause of charity and
education deserves our loudest praise. I congratulate the teachers on the
success of their pupils at the entrance examinations last June, and I con
gratulate them still more on their own excellent showing at the qualify
ing examination conducted by the Education Department of Ontario last
You mention in your address my work in connection with the House of
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 161
Providence, the General Hospital, and the Jail, which are located in this
parish. I appreciate the reference. Hospitals for the sick and homes
for the poor and aged are the offspring of the Catholic Church. Pagan
civilization knew them not. The words of the Master, "The poor you
have always with you," "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
Kingdom of Heaven," have found verification in every age of the Catholic
Church. It is therefore a priestly work of benediction to aid the poor,
to console the sick and visit the prisoner. There is no parish in the
Diocese of Toronto, or, for that matter, in the province, which affords a
greater field for the exercise of priestly zeal and genuine charity than
St. Paul s. I can t claim for myself the praise in connection with this
work which you are so very willing to bestow; that to a very large extent
belongs to my very admirable assistants, whom it has been my good for
tune to have joined with me in the exercise to the ministry in this parish.
I feel thankful to one and all of them, who made the labor light and my
home a place of Christian joy and happiness.
In conclusion I thank the priests who are present here to-day to do
honor to the occasion. I am grateful to His Grace the Archbishop and
to the clergy of the diocese who have befriended and helped me in the
discharge of my duty in this important field of labor. I appreciate their
good-will and friendship. It is unity that gives strength to the Church.
When the people work in harmony with their priests and the priests
with the bishops and the bishops with the Holy Father, then is the king
dom of God on earth invincible. This unity and subordination I have
often preached to you, I hope I shall never fail to give you a practical
example of it.
I thank you again for your kind congratulations and generous offer
ing and from the depths of my heart I beseech our Heavenly Father to
bless you with happiness in this world and crown you with glory in the
The singing of the Te Deum closed the opening ceremonies.
Amongst the laymen present were Mr. Justice Anglin, Mr.
Claude Macdonell, M.P., Mr. E. J. Hearn, Mr. Richard Dis-
sette, Mr. J. Stauffer, Mr. W. J. Johnston, Mr. Matthew Hut-
chinson, Mr. W. Evans, Mr. Peter Dwan, Dr. McDonagh, Dr.
Sweeney and Mr. M. Martin.
The committee who had charge of the arrangements were
Jno. Hall, A. J. Reid, P. Boylan, F. R. Boylan, Jas. Delaney,
M. J. Mogan, E, Rosar, A. Pennylegion, P. Farley, L. Bear,
Robt. Scollard, Jno. Mogan, P. McCabe, J. H. Barber, M.
162 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Devane, Jno. Dodd, A. J. Walsh, R. G. Cassidy, E. Foley, F.
Paquette, P. Kennedy, Robt. King, W. F. Winnett, 0. J. Giroux,
Wm. Fogarty, E. J. Collins, T. K. Haffey, F. Ejbach, Jas. Mor
gan, Jos. Morgan, Jas. Wright, Jos. Parker, J. Greig, Jno.
Address from the Priests of the Diocese.
Rev. John Laurence Hand, S.T.L., Pastor of St. Paul s Church, Toronto:
Dear Rev. Father, When your twenty-five years have elapsed in the
faithful work of the Sacred Ministry it is no wonder that we, your bro
ther priests in this diocese, would gather around you to join with your
flock in thanksgiving to our Divine Master on this happy occasion.
The best part of your life has been spent, and well spent, in the noblest
work of God. You have been signally blest with Heaven s choicest gifts,
and your consolation to-day should be that you have not buried your
talents; you have negotiated with them, and have doubled and trebled
The good and faithful servant has been mirrored in season and out of
season in your continual and successful work as a priest of God. Hence
we rejoice with you, and we are proud of your record. Your success in
this dear old parish is an inspiring example to us all. While it is pleas
ing to dwell on the material success which has crowned your efforts in
finishing this church and in building a beautiful presbytery, to both of
which the Catholics of Toronto may point pardonable pride, still more
do we. your confreres, admire the intelligent zeal which has ever dis^
tinguished your work as a good pastor of the flock which loves and
Your well-known generous and hospitable traits of character make us
all feel at home with you, and we are glad to be able to embrace this
opportunity to give public testimony to the gratitude we have in our
hearts for these innumerable acts of kindness which you ever cheerfully
lavished on us.
Only in a feeble way can we extend to you to-day this slight testimony
of our good-will and thanks for the past, and a hope for the future that
you will continue to be the faithful friend of your brother priests and the
prudent and zealous father of your people.
Let us also trust that many years of useful work still remain for you
before your course is run and when it will be finished we pray that the
well merited crown from the Just Judge will bt your eternal reward.
On behalf of the priests of the Archdiocese oi Toronto,
J. J. McCANN, V.G.
J. J. EGAN, Dean of Barrie.
D. MORRIS, Dean of St. Catharines.
F. F. ROHLEDER.
164 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Father Hand s Reply.
Dear Rev. Fathers, I deeply appreciate your greetings on the twenty-
fifth anniversary of my ordination to the Holy Priesthood. I am sensible
of the honor that the presence here to-day of the whole body of the
clergy of the Archdiocese of Toronto does me.
Your address and gifts were not necessary to make me understand
your friendship and love for me. I have many times experienced your
brotherly kindness and esteem during the past twenty-five years.
I appreciate your estimate of my career in the ministry. My manner
of life has been better known to my fellow-priests than to my flock. It
is, therefore, because of your means of judging, that I value your words
of encouragement and congratulation.
I have striven to discharge my duty to the best of my very ability in
the various places where my lines have been cast. The first eight years
of my priesthood were spent at St. Michael s Cathedral. My stay at
headquarters during the last years of the regime of the late Archbishop
Lynch brought me in to contact with many of the older priests of the
diocese for whom I shall ever cherish the highest respect. Many of them
have been called to their reward. Their memory will live in the hearts
of the people, because of their blameless lives and noble deeds. The older
generation of the priesthood did a great work in the organizing of the
field of labor, in the erection of churches and schools, in the formation
of confraternities and societies in the preaching of the word of God and
the administration of the holy sacraments. It is owing much to their
labors that religion and charitable institutions flourish in the diocese
Since my appointment to St. Paul s parish I have been necessarily
brought close to many of the young priests, who have shared my roof
and labored with me in the vineyard. I can testify that there is splendid
material in them and that the fruits of our work will be well harvested
by them. Many of them are models of piety and storehouses of knowl
edge. They will give a good account of themselves as occasion may
arise. The only regrettable feature is that while the quality is excellent
the quantity is far too small for the growing needs of the diocese. The
recruiting of the priesthood should be a chief concern if our work is to
go on and prosper. I am sure it is the wish of the priests of the diocese
as it is mine to see St. Michael s College accomplish great work in sup
plying young men for the Diocese of Toronto. It has done excellently in
the past; we hope for still greater things in the future.
I have always felt proud of Toronto and considered it a high honor to
belong to its clergy. They are a zealous body of men, devoted to the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 165
work of their holy vocation, the glory of God and the sactification of
souls. Toronto has been blessed by a noble line of prelates from the days
of the saintly Bishop Power, who veritably and literally gave his life for
his flock, to the present illustrious Archbishop, whom we all hold in the
highest love and esteem, and whose devoted life of incessant labor is
praised and admired by all.
Gratitude and loyalty are by no means the least noble of the many
traditional characteristics of the Catholic Priesthood. It is refreshing to
see these noble qualities flourish and abound in the clergy of Toronto.
They are profoundly loyal to the work of the Divine Master, intensely
loyal to His representative on earth, devotedly attached to their immedi
ate spiritual chief, the Archbishop of the diocese.
With these conditions, Rev. Fathers, the continuation of our work is
assured, when we pass from the scene of our labors.
I thank you again for your address and gift, as well as for the many
acts of kindness done me during my priestly life.
On Sunday the members of the Holy Name Society, St. Vin
cent de Paul Society and the Sodality of the Children of Mary
attended the eight o clock Mass and received Holy Commun
ion, offering It as a "spiritual bouquet" for the Rev. Pastor.
Rev. Father Hand was the celebrant and the choir of the
Sodality rendered the music. After Mass Mr. P. Kennedy,
president of the Holy Name Society, read a congratulatory
address and presented a bouquet of twenty-five white roses,
emblematic of the twenty-five years of the Jubilarian in the
Father Hand, replying, thanked everyone for making such a
success of the Jubilee, which greatly exceeded his expecta
tions. He thanked the members of his congregation, the
societies, and all who helped in the undertaking. He also
thanked the press for the kind references to himself and to
St. Paul s parish, which he had no doubt would do much good.
In the afternoon the Young Ladies Sodality presented a
golden chalice to Father Hand, who in a brief speech thanked
the Sodality for their gift.
166 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
On Monday morning a Jubilee Mass was said at eight
o clock, at which the children of the schools assisted. In the
afternoon the girls gave a delightful entertainment and pre
sented Father Hand with an address and a "sick call" outfit.
The boys of the school gave one of the most charming of the
series of entertainments, and presented an address and um
brella handsomely mounted in ivory and silver.
On Monday evening the choir gave an excellent musical
entertainment, the Sacred Heart League and the Altar Society
presenting an address and cabinet of silver. On Tuesday
the priests of the Archdiocese were entertained at St. Paul s
presbytery, the host being the pastor, Rev. L. J. Hand. Dinner
was served in the basement hall, beautifully decorated with
mottoes and flowers.
The secular press of the city was very complimentary in its
accounts of the Jubilee and the following editorial notice and
sketch are taken from The Globe of October 31st, 1907 :
"The people of St. Paul s parish will on Friday and the next few days
celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ordination of their parish priest,
Kev. Father Hand. Such incidents are perhaps not so rare as to call for
special comment, but Father Hand fills so distinctive a place in the life
of the people in the eastern section of Toronto that the celebration which
begins to-morrow is an event of no common interest. The address of
last night began, Reverend and Dear Father, and it is as the spiritual
father of his flock that Father Hand has earned their love a father
whose kindness and patient interest faileth never.
"The parish priest of St. Paul s combines qualities which are sometimes
thought to be inconsistent. The brain of a born financier does not usually
accompany mildness and benignity of character. But they are certainly
mingled in Father Hand s case. When he came to St. Paul s fifteen
years ago there was a debt of $60,000 on the parish. Times were bad,
and the very mention of the word "subscription" was calculated to chil.
any gathering of men. But Father Hand has managed to pay off all but
$10 000 of that $60,000, besides expending $50,000 in the improvement
of the church and other property on Power street. When it is considered
that St. Paul s is by no means a well-to-do parish, it may be truly termed
a proud record.
"It has been accomplished without much noise or arguing. The pri
rr. ^ ^
" 1 *
? -S S
& P- rt
M OJ C -~
(-. h C3 O
168 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
went on attending to his parish duties, winning the love of his people
by the eternal fount of sympathy that welled in his nature for them in
their joys and sorrows, their temptations and their triumphs. For such
a churchman the purses of the people were always open; indeed, as a
friend said, it pained the pastor at times to see them give so much of
their little store. The return that his gift for finance enabled him to
give them was superb management of the funds that came into his hands.
The parish is rejoicing these next few days, and it may be said, without
reference to denominations, that we will all rejoice with the parishioners
in spirit if not in deed."
The 1917 Jubilee
In 1917 the Rev. Dean Hand completed twenty-five years in
the pastorate of the parish of St. Paul. It was an unusual
event in the annals of the church in Toronto. Not before or
since by any other priest has a like record of continuous
service in the same parish in the city of Toronto been made.
The parishioners were loth to allow the occasion to pass with
out some tangible expression of their gratitude to God and
their appreciation of their much esteemed pastor. They de
termined to make a presentation of a sum of money that
mght be used in the purchasing of a suitable car for parish
work. At the conclusion of the parish Mass on Sunday, No
vember 4, a deputation of the parishioners, headed by Con
troller O Neill, moved forward to the altar railing and pre
sented to the Dean the following beautifully worded address
with a purse of $1,000.00:
To VERY REVEREND DEAN HAND,
Pastor of Saint Paul s,
Very Reverend Dean,
On this the occasion of the celebration of your silver jubilee as pastor
of our grand old parish, we, the grateful people amongst whom you
have labored during these long years, gather round you, and, with words
of heartiest greeting and congratulations to you on the attainment of
the anniversary, wish you yet many years more of your blessed and
fi uitful ministrations amongst us. "Ad multos annos" is our preseiit
From left to right, 1st row Sister Fidelis, Sister St. Paul, Sister Aure .ia. 2nd row-
Miss M. Wallace, Sister Seraphia, Miss Matthews, Miss Pamphilon, Miss Lowe.
1st row Miss Dunn, Brother Manfred, Miss W. Brady. 2nd row Miss Neville,
Mr. Thomsoi), Miss Feeney, Miss Donovan.
ST. PAUL S SCHOOL TEACHERS. 1922.
170 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
prayer, and the most earnest wish of our hearts on this jubilee day.
This is, indeed, a day of rejoicing for us all, for very Eeverend Dean,
is not this celebration in a very special manner ours as well as yours?
It is in every sense a family festival with us, for you have been so
long identified v/ith the life and activities of the parish, and such
has been your devotedness to its interests, that we have one and all,
learned to look upon you as a true father in the midst of his many
This day, too, works the happy completion of a period of singular
prosperity and wonderful development of St. Paul s Parish. You
have been, indeed, Very Reverend Dean, God s chosen instrument for
great works both spiritual and material for the benefit of our people.
Coming into our midst as you did when our Chui-ch was burdened
with great financial obligations, you set to work with noble endeavor to
wipe out the indebtedness. This your skill as a financier soon enabled
you to do more than that, your zeal and energy quickly saw to the
completion of building operations by the erection of the beautiful Cam-
parrile. The installation of magnificent marble altars soon followed,
interior embellishments were added and to-day St. Paul s Church
stands as an enduring monument to your zeal for God s worship, as
well as an eloquent testimony to your executive and administration
These works once carried to a successful issue, you were not idle.
Knowing that the interests of our young men are the interests of the
Church and Catholic Society in general, you undertook the erection
of a Parish club house where, under your immediate direction,
the morals of our youth would be safe guarded and where they would
learn, by Catholic association, to think and reason correctly on the
social and religious questions of the day.
But it is above all as spiritual head of this parish, Very Reverend
Dean, that you endeared yourself to your people. Whether as Priest
of God offering daily for us the unbloody sacrifice of the altar, as con
fessor and director in the sacred tribunal of penance, as the minister
of baptism and other sacraments of God s Church, you have been the
true friend and guide of our souls.
Your activity, Very Reverend Dean, has reached out into every avenue
of Catholic work. Under your fostering care our parish societies have
felt a new impulse, and they have become in our midst powerful instru
ments for the moral and social betterment of our people as well as
fruitful nurseries for the development of priestly and religious voca
But it is particularly in sickness and distress you have appeared most
like the Great Priest, the true father and consoler of your people, watch
ing in the home of our sick and by the bedsides of our dying, with the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 171
word of consolation and encouragement ever on your lips, and your
consecrated hand ever raised to bless or absolve.
Nor Very Reverend Dean, must we forget your deep and abiding
interest in our children in their religious and secular instruction as
well as the great work of Catholic education in general. In fact this
work seems to be particularly dear to your heart, is evidenced by your
interest in our Parish School, and by your long years of faithful and
devoted service as member or as Chairman of the Separate School
Board. As a member of the Board you have been the uncompromising
champion of Catholic rights and the soul inspiration of every movement
for the improvement of our system of Primary and Secondary Schools.
For all this interest and unsefish devotedness during the long years
of your pastorate, let us assure you once more, Very Reverend Dean, we
are most grateful and as we, the old settlers in St. Paul s who have
known your spiritual care of ourselves and our children throughout
all these years, take it as our privilege to represent the parish on this
occasion. We therefore ask you to accept this offering as a token of
our heartfelt appreciation, our fidelity, and our love.
J. Mogan, J. O Neil, J. Burns, P. Kennedy, M. Devane, M. Kelly,
M. Martin, E. Rosar, F. McKernan, J. McGlue, A. McNeil, F. Cassidy,
J. Miller, W. Kearns, J. Wright.
The Very Rev. Jubilarian thanked, in touching terms, the
members of the congregation for their generosity and affec
tion, and assured them that the twenty-five years spent as
their pastor were for him years of unspeakable peace and
The Soldiers Memorial
On Saturday afternoon, June 18, 1921, his Grace Archbishop
McNeil unveiled and solemnly blessed a monument and tablet
"In memory of the men of St. Paul s Church who
gave up their lives in the war in Europe, 1914-1918."
It was a tribute to the gallant 81 who had, in their first
manhood, sprung loyally to arms in defence of their ideals and
their King. The monument typifies the spirit of the resurrec
tion, ethereally chiselled in white marble. The figure holds
aloft the cross the heroes so readily assumed, and with the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
other hand holds forth the wreath of laurels which they won.
This memorial stands close beside the steps which the
heroes had so often and so recently climbed as boys and lads.
The Soldiers Memorial in front of
St. Paul s Church.
They greet the eyes of all who enter the church, to perpetuate
the memory of the young soldiers, to plead the cause of their
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 173
patriotic zeal, and to ask the prayers of the loyal congregation
of this historic parish.
The names which appear on the tablet are as follows:
Joseph Anderson, Joseph Aspinwall, Claude Barker, Albert
Brennan, Thomas Byrnes, James Carr, Norman Chadwick,
John Collins, Michael Conlon, David Dillon, Joseph P. Dillon,
James Doyle, James Falvey, Edwin Fitzgerald, John Flanagan,
William Foley, Thomas Fox, Bart Freeman, John Gilroy, Hugh
Goodman, Frank Gorman, Harry Green, John Grogan, John
Hand, Arthur Hare, Charles Hewlett, Arthur Hinde, Patrick
Hurley, J. P. Irwin, F. G. Jordan, Dennis Kalihar, Peter Kane,
Sam Kavanah, James Keating, James Kelly, John Keough,
Michael Keough, Thomas Lacey, F. Lanchetti, A. L. Lawrence,
John Leary, Thomas Lennon, Maurice Lindsay, Owen Lynch,
Fred Lyner, Fred Mansfield, Harvey Mansfield, James Mara,
James McCauley, Joseph McClure, John McCormick, Hugh
McGrath, John Mcllhenny, Fred Mitchell, William Mitchell,
Thomas Morton, Frank Mulhearn, Frank Murphy, Henry
(Harry- Joseph) Murphy, John Murphy, W. J. O Brien, W.
O Donohue, Henry Offenburger, Joseph O Hara, Vincent
O Leary, William O Leary, William Pennylegion, J. Perry,
Thomas Phillips, Harold Raines, Michael Riordan, Edmund
Roach, Eugene St. Denis, Charles Speyer, George Stephens,
James Stephens, Maurice Wallace, Arthur Westover, Ambrose
Flannagan, George Gloynes, and Patrick Sweeney.
Following the ceremony of blessing the memo.rial, Arch
bishop McNeil spoke from an improvised platform at the top
of the broad steps to the large gathering in the open space
below. It was, he said, an occasion of sympathy and of
rejoicing; sympathy with many of the families of the parish
who had to mourn for the death of loved ones who had gone to
the front, but also of rejoicing and gladness that when the
supreme test came St. Paul s parish was to the front.
174 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
"I don t know," he said, "what congregation in the city pro
vided the largest number of recruits. Until we know better,
St. Paul s parish can claim to have sent the largest number of
volunteer soldiers to the war, for the total is 762, of whom
less than one hundred were conscripted. When the number of
dead is counted it is found to be the largest number of any
congregation in the city of any denomination whatever. The
number is eighty-one."
When war broke out, in his communication to his people, he
had not felt it necessary to remind them of their duty of
"If," he added, "you hear anyone say that because of Sepa
rate schools there is separation in patriotism or civic virtue,
just point to that tablet."
John O Neill, M.P.P., who took the chair, said that his
father and mother had been married in the parish, he had
been born in the parish, he had attended no other school than
St. Paul s, and he had been married in the parish.
"At no time," he added, "have I been so proud as now in
paying tribute to the boys of the parish who lost their lives in
the great war."
He closed with a tribute to Dean Hand, whose idea the
memorial was, and who felt that he could not do too much to
recognize the valor of the brave boys who left the parish to
defend the country.
Sergt. -Major MacNamara followed in a spirited address.
He emphasized the necessity of not only remembering those
who had fallen, but of caring for those who had returned from
the fray broken in health, as well as the dependants of those
who had made the supreme sacrifice for their country.
Mayor Church congratulated the Catholic people of Toronto
on the good work they had done. The city of Toronto could
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 175
not, he said, have made the contribution it did to war had not
all classes and creeds joined in. This parish had especially
done well, their eighty-one dead being a veritable company in
themselves. He closed with a tribute to the good work which
Dean Hand had done among the poor, not only of his own
people, but of all denominations.
"They had the love of God in their hearts," was Dean
Hand s explanation of the response from the men of his con
gregation when war broke out. He had never been an inspirer
of militarism, but when the call came it would have been im
possible to hold them back. For the mothers on the platform
he expressed sympathy.
"Words," he said, "cannot take the place of the good, brave
boys who have gone. They are assured of our sympathy for
them and of our prayers for their boys. They will always
have sympathetic friends in the congregation of St. Paul s."
The ceremony closed with three cheers for the Archbishop
and three cheers for the King. During the ceremony the boys
of St. Paul s School sang appropriately, opening with the
hymn, "Form your ranks," followed by "O Canada," "The
Minstrel Boy," and "Men of the North."
ALTARS AND DECORATIONS
The altar is the heart of the Church. It is the tomb in which
repose the relics of the saints. On its table is offered up the
holy sacrifice of the Mass, in which the unbloody Victim for
the redemption and salvation of the world is immolated. It
is the Ark of the Covenant in which rests the manna of the
divine Eucharist; it is the centre around which the prayers
of the faithful cluster. It is the focus of Catholic worship,
the place where dwelleth the glory of the Lord.
That the altar may be precious and ornate is the ambition
of every devout Catholic. For such reasons the parishioners
of St. Paul s at the very earliest opportunity had three marble
altars erected in the church to take the place of those of wood
which had served from the opening of the church in 1889.
In 1908 the main and side marble altars were put in place
by a firm of Angers, France, who sent their own men to
Toronto to superintend the erection of the altars. The main
altar was paid for by the congregation at large; the Sacred
Heart altar by the League of the Sacred Heart of St. Paul s
parish; the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Sodality
of the Children of Mary. Mrs. Frank Rosar donated the
marble altar railing and Mr. John O Neill the very handsome
pulpit, which was the work of the Daprato Company of Pietra-
The altars were consecrated by Archbishop McEvay, Novem
ber 9, 1908. His Grace was assisted by Rev. M. D. Whelan
as deacon, and Rev. G. E. Doherty as sub-deacon. Rev. E.
McCabe was master of ceremonies on the occasion. Mr. A. W.
Holmes, architect, designed the altars and pulpit, and superin
tended their construction and erection.
THE SIDE ALTARS, ST. PAUL S CHURCH. 1922.
178 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Roman and classic churches with large interior areas of
plain surface require decoration to remove the appearance of
bareness which plain walls give to the mind. Such style of
edifice is intended for elaborate mural decoration, and without
it a very chilly atmosphere is presented to the worshipper.
The style of church common to Toronto is mostly Gothic, with
its points and tracery which need little in the line of color
or decoration on the interior. It is otherwise with the Roman.
St. Paul s church being of that class of architecture presented
a decidedly unpleasant impression to the beholder previous to
its treatment by the ecclesiastical artist. The first attempt
at relieving the monotony of the vast plaster surface of the
edifice was made in 1893, when a Belgian artist was engaged
to paint Raphael s "Conversion of St. Paul" in the top panel
over the sanctuary and to reproduce the "Last Supper" of Da
Vinci in the space immediately over the altar. On the side pan
els of the sanctuary Hoffman s "Gethsemane" and Perugini s
"Annunciation" were painted by the same artist in fairly taste
ful colors and realistic detail. Owing to lack of funds and other
urgent church and charitable work the balance of the interior
was allowed to remain in its unfinished state until 1911. In
that year Signer Caroselli, who had decorated a church in
Buenos Ayres which was modelled on the same Italian style as
St. Paul s, accepted an engagement to come to Toronto and
undertake to paint scenes from the life of St. Paul on the
ceiling of the centre aisle of the church. He succeeded beyond
all anticipations and produced here in our city a veritable work
of art. He touched up the paintings on the walls of the sanc-
turary and proceeded to depict ten outstanding episodes in
the life of the great Apostle, after the manner of the great
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Masters Michael Angelo, Raphael and Dore. The subjects
chosen were St. Paul at Ephesus, Acts XIX-18-19 ; Paul and
Barnabas at Lystra, Acts XIV-12 ; Paul preaching at Athens
in the Areopagus, Acts XVII-22; the Shipwreck at Melita,
Acts XXVII-17 ; Paul before Felix and Drusilla, Acts XXIV;
Paul and the Viper, Act XXVIII-3; Paul in Chains, Acts
St. Paul at Ephesus St. Paul Shipwrecked
TWO OF THE PAINTINGS ON DOME DEPICTING THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL
XXVIII-16; Paul before the Roman Magistrate; The Decapi
tation of St. Paul.
The contrast in color and moresco of the scenes make a
very pleasing picture. The tableaus stand out in strong re
lief, notwithstanding the altitude of the church, and reveal to
the naked eye the most minute detail of the scenes portrayed
by the brush of the artist. In preparation for the centenary
celebration the entire church was thoroughly cleaned and
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
renovated. The paintings look quite new and present their
The Stations of the Cross
The Way of the Cross, or Stations, is a devotional exercise
whose object is to meditate on the sufferings, Cross and death
of Our Divine Lord. In its literal acceptation, the Way of the
St. Paul Preaching at Athens St. Paul Before Felix and Drusilla
PAINTINGS ON DOME OF CHURCH PICTURING THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL
Cross is the distance traversed by Christ, loaded with the
weight of the Cross, from the Court of Pilate, where he had
been condemned, to the summit of Calvary whereon he was cru
cified. After the Ascension of her Divine Son, the Blessed Vir
gin Mary, either alone or accompanied by other holy women,
frequently travelled over the dreary way of sorrow. Imitat
ing her example, the Christians of Palestine at first and in
after ages crowds of pilgrims, even from the most remote
countries in the world, used to visit these sacred places, which
were made holy by the presence and sacred suffering of Christ.
To encourage the piety of the people the Church attached to
the making of such pilgrimages to the Holy Land certain
rewards and indulgences, and since for want of means and for
other reasons all the faithful could not avail thmselves of
these privileges by a visit to Jerusalem, the Church attached to
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the making of the Way of the Cross in or before crosses can-
onically erected on the wayside, the same spiritual favors as
obtainable by those who made a visit to the holy places in
Jerusalem. Hence the erection of vivid representations and
paintings of the way of the Cross divided into fourteen sta
tions. To-day these stations on canvas or in statue are part of
the sacred furnishings of every Catholic church. They afford
a subject of deep meditation on the suffering and death of
Christ to the faithful who attend the Church services. They
are frequently very ornate and artistic compositions which pro
duce a very realistic impression of the terrible punishment
to which Christ was subjected in that terrible journey to
There are only two essential conditions necessary for the
gaining of the spiritual favors and indulgences attached to the
TWO OF THE BEAUTIFUL STATIONS OF THE CROSS IN ST. PAUL S CHURCH
making of the Way of the Cross. The first is to go actually
through the stations without omitting any of them, and the
second is to think on the Passion of Christ while going the
round of the fourteen stations.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Stations of the Cross were canonically erected by
Archbishop O Connor, December 22nd, 1901, in St. Paul s
Church. Up to that time the stations used in the church
were small framed pictures which had been transferred from
Memorial tablet erected in
St. Paul s Church in mem
ory of those who contributed
the Stations of the Cross
Memorial tablet erected in
vestibule of St. Paul s
Church to the memory of
Rt. Rev. Bishop O Mahony
the old church to the new. They did not suit the new building
in size or architectural design. They were only intended for
temporary provisional use, until such times as properly
designed stations should be inserted in the building.
The stations are composed of a stone composition known
in Europe as carton Romain. They were made in Europe and
imported by the Stolzenberg Co., of New York. The
stone composition is the strongest and most durable material
that can be used for this purpose. The design and execution
of the stations are quite artistic, and harmonize beautifully
with the architecture of the church.
The stations cost $2,000. They were donated in the follow
ing order: 1. Henry O Connor; 2. The Children of John and
Ellen Collins; 3. Isabell Reynolds; 4. Margaret O Connor;
5. Morgan J. Kelly ; 6. Mary McAuliffe ; 7. Bridget Murphy ;
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
8. Ellen Quinn; 9. Thomas Lee; 10. The family of Mrs.
Leah Roster; 11. The family of Michael Kennedy; 12.
Matilda McAuley; 13. Catherine Farrell; 14. Ann Power.
The stations are highly decorated and enhance the beauty
of the interior of the church. Their appearance was a call
for the decoration of the whole church. They gave a fore
sight of what the church would look like when properly decor
ated. They have served to elicit the devotion of the par
ishioners to the passion and suffering of the Saviour and make
them realize fully the ever touching story of the Cross.
The New House
It may not be out of place to explain here the reasons
for demolishing the old church and house, as the thought may
occur to some that they should have been preserved as monu
ments of the early days of Catholicity in York. The house,
which was erected under the administration of Rev. Father
Rooney in 1862, was very much wanting in accommodation
for the clergy in 1900, though enlarged by the addition of a
dining room and kitchen by Right Rev. Bishop O Mahoney, it
was considered unsanitary at the time of which I speak. Some
of the young men, notably Father Reddin and Father Wilson,
attributed their break-down in health to its poor ventilation
and unhealthy surroundings. Dr. Wallace urged again and
again that something should be done to improve conditions
from a sanitary point of view. It was therefore decided at
a meeting of the parishioners in St. Ann s Hall, on Sunday,
February 22nd, 1903, that a new house should be erected for
the welfare and accommodation of the clergy of the parish.
Mr. A. W. Holmes, architect, was instructed to draw up plans
to be submitted to a committee of the parish with a view to
the erection of a building with the least possible delay.
The old house was situated close to Power street, within
ten feet of the sidewalk and within four feet of the driveway
from Power along the south side of the present church. The
matter of a suitable site for the new building was the subject
of considerable discussion and it was eventually decided that
the old church and St. Ann s chapel adjoining it should be
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
pulled down and the new house erected in their stead, on a
line with the present church and the House of Providence, giv
ing a large front area to all the church buildings on the street.
The plan met with the approval of Archbishop O Connor, who
was adverse to the using of the old church as a parish hall
THE NEW PRESBYTERY AS IT LOOKS IN 1922
in which, by the younger elements of the parish athletic
bouts, fairs and dances were sometimes conducted. The old
building was torn down in the autumn of 1903. There
was no corner-stone with papers or souvenirs in it,
nor were there any bodies found beneath it. The bell was
186 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
removed from the tower and remained in the custody of
the House of Providence until the erection of the Campanile of
St. Paul s Church in 1905.
The corner-stone of the house was blessed May 24,
1904, and the building was ready for occupation by January,
1905. During the construction of the house the priests took
up their abode in the House of Providence. The new building
completed and furnished cost $30,269.50. The principal con
tractors on the work were Wickett Brothers, Dinnis and Son,
arid W. J. McGuire & Co. The building committee consisted
of James B. Wright, J. W. Mogan, Joseph Cadaret, P. M.
Kennedy, J. P. Mallon, and Rev. Father Hand.
The Parish Hall
For some years after the erection of the present St.
Paul s Church, the old church building, erected in 1822, was
used for the purposes of a parish hall. The small chapel erec
ted in the incumbency of Rev. Father Conway in 1874, under
the title of St. Ann, and intended as a winter chapel, was dur
ing this period used as a meeting place for the St. Vincent de
Paul Society; as a work room for the Sewing and Relief
Society, and for many other purposes of church work. This
chapel was situated on the north-east side of the old church
and was in area about 22 x 40 feet. It was built of red brick
and roofed with cedar shingles. It was connected with the
old church by a vaulted entrance through a short corridor,
terminating in three steps which landed in a small sacristy of
the old building. It was dear to Father Conway, who named
it after the patron saint of his mother, and it gave him con
siderable pain w r hen he heard that it had been torn down. The
smoke-room, chapel and servants sitting-room in the present
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 187
St. Paul s presbytery, erected in 1904, occupy the exact site
of the old St. Ann s Chapel.
With the removal of these old buildings, to make way for
the new presbytery, the parish was without any suitable place
in which to hold secular and social functions. The basement
of the church was, indeed, large, and accommodated throngs
at Christmas trees and other semi-religious entertainments,
but certain classes of legitimate amusements could not very
well be carried on under the church where the Blessed Sacra
ment was kept. It, therefore, became necessary for the wel
fare of the parish to provide a hall for the social and educa
tional requirements of the young people. The first property
acquired with that end in view was a piece of land opposite
the church, part of the old Lysaght estate, and occupied as
a pickle factory. There were two objects in view in the pur
chase of this property: to get rid of the unpleasant odor
of the onions and garlic used in the making of pickles,
which the west wind carried directly into the church, and in
the next place to afford a site for a hall in front of the church.
The advisability of removing the pickle factory was never
questioned, but the suitability of the place for a parish hall
was not so unanimously concurred in. When the time came
to draw up plans it was found that without the acquisition of
the Queen street frontage there would not be sufficient ground
to erect a hall. The idea of constructing a hall on the property
was allowed to rest for a while, and in the meantime an oppor
tunity of acquiring a first-class location for the hall presented
itself when the Bowden property on the corner of Queen and
Tracey streets, was put on the market. This property was pur
chased in 1911 for $19,000. It had a frontage of 93 feet with
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
a depth of 250 feet, and had been used as a lumber yard by the
Bowden Lumber Co. The next step was to erect the hall, and
to this end Father Castex and Father Cullinane, then assist
ants at St. Paul s, canvassed the parishioners by personal
THE NEW PARISH HALL FROM PHOTO TAKEN IN 1922
interview from house to house. They were received every
where with encouraging promises of financial assistance in
the prosecution of the project.
The corner-stone was put in place Sunday, May 24,
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 189
1914, by Hon. J. J. Foy, Attorney-General of the Province of
Ontario, attested by the following memorial placed in a steel
box in the corner stone:
"In the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and
fourteen, in the pontificate of Pius X, Pope of Rome, suc
cessor of St. Peter and Vicar of Christ on earth; in the
reign of George V, King of Great Britain and Ireland and
the Dominions beyond the seas, the Duke of Connaught
being Governor-General of Canada, Neil McNeil being
Archbishop of Toronto and John Lawrence Hand being
parish priest of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto, on the twenty-
fourth day of May, James J. Foy, the Attorney-General of
the Province of Ontario, laid this foundation stone well
and truly in presence of a large concourse of citizens and
The hymn herewith subjoined was composed for the occa
sion and sung by the school children of St. Paul s School under
the direction of the principal, Brother Jarlath:
Jesus, Lord! we Thee invoke
To bless, as we begin the work,
The stone on which we hope to rear
A building meet for play and prayer.
Without Thy aid they build in vain
Who strive to raise, in sight of gain,
A tower high as Babel stood
On matted brick and cedar wood.
Upon thy Love, Oh! Jesus, dear,
We build in faith unwavering here
That youth and age may virtue learn
And sin and vice forever spurn.
The sermon on the occasion was preached by Rev. G. E.
Doherty, who said in part:
"All boys admire manliness, and the highest compliment you
190 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
can pay a boy is to call him a manly fellow. Manliness is an
other word for fortitude, and fortitude, as you know, is one
of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost.
"In the condition in which we find the world to-day it is not
brute force but courage young people need. It is not so much
the heroism of the soldier, or the strength of the athlete, as
the fortitude of the Saint that is required. A young man
may be in body a Samson, and yet in mind and heart a mere
infant. To the physical strength of Samson should be joined
the moral courage of St. Paul.
"It has been said that the Church fosters the passive or
feminine virtues, as humility, unworldliness and such, at the
expense of what, I suppose, we may call the muscular or manly
virtues of justice, courage and aggressiveness. This, however,
is not true. The Church teaches that all virtues are essentially
"The tender virgin martyr facing sword and rack rises to
the highest pitch of heroism. What the Church needs to-day
is young men, strong in body and soul. They must have the
character and grit of St. Paul. The day of the ethical jellyfish
"It is no rare thing to find a whole school cowed into a state
of slavery by a domineering bully, but he usually meets his
downfall at the hands of what appeared to be a timid and
gentle newcomer. The same thing is going on in the world
outside. The world is full of moral bullies. All that we need
to do, is to have the moral courage and the physical strength
to send them to the ropes for the count.
"To be truly manly we must be always ready to say no to
what we know is morally wrong. We are proud of our faith,
but we must always remember that it is exposed on all sides
to attack, and, therefore, needs our manly defense.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
"Before I conclude I wish to say a few words in praise of
the good priest through whose zeal and ability this magnifi
cent parish hall has been erected.
"Dean Hand is no stranger to the City of Toronto. For
over thirty years he has identified himself with every move
ment for the social and spiritual welfare of his people. This
DOMESTIC SCIENCE CLASS ST. PAUL S SCHOOL (GIRLS), 1922
beautiful church though not begun by him, has been greatly
embellished and paid for by his untiring energy. The impos
ing rectory is also the work of his hands. And now, as a
crowning effort to a life spent in the service of his Church,
comes this splendid Parish Hall. This Parish Hall will be
greatly instrumental in equipping the young people of your
parish in the great battle of life. They will, I have no doubt,
as they take their place in the arena of life, bring glory to
192 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
their church and honor to their parents. May the good God
spare you for many years to come, to enjoy the fruits of your
labor. This is the prayer that comes this day from the soul
of every father and every mother, yea, from the soul of every
child of St. Paul s Parish."
The new hall was formally opened on Monday evening, Jan.
18, 1915, with an "At-Home," which was enjoyed by a party
of one thousand people.
The cost of building, including architect s fees, amounted
to $73,676.47 ; and the Committee in charge were : Dean
Hand, J. W. Mogan, Joseph Cadaret, James B. Wright, P.
M. Kennedy, Frank McKernan. Mr. C. J. Reid was the archi
tect who designed the plan of the hall and superintended its
ST. PAUL S PARISH HALL, TORONTO, ONT.
Summary of Accounts:
Jas. A. Wickett, Ltd $24,841.13
D. & M. J. Madden 11 : 356.24
General Fire Extinguisher Co 11,388.35
McGregor & Mclntyre 9,968.00
P. J. Hayes 3,250.81
E. B. Milloy 825.00
Geo. J. Beattie 865.05
Geo. J. Beattie (deducted from Hayes) 85.00
E. J. Curry 3,238.47
W. E. Dillon Co., Ltd 1,009.50
J. W. Mogan 1,457.84
Venetian Marble & Tile Co 322.75
Luxfer Prism Co 159.30
The Hardware Co. of Toronto 255.79
The H. W. Johns-Manville Co 338.00
Bennet & Wright 212.40
Speight & Van Nostrand 20.00
Canada Hardware Co 40.84
Herbert Williams 19.00
Dominion Ornamental Iron Co 12.00
Geo. B. Meadows - H-00
Architect s fees 4,000.00
Missions and Retreats
During the past forty years numerous missions and re
treats were preached in St. Paul s Church. The Fathers of
the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer gave missions
to St. Paul s people in 1884, 1894, 1905-6, 1914-15, 1918-19 ; the
Fathers of the Society of Jesus 1890, 1898 and 1901.
The Fathers of the Congregation of St. Paul the Apostle,
preached to St. Paul s people in 1910 and 1911. The Passion-
ist Fathers from Pittsburgh preached a mission in St. Paul s
Church in 1922.
The parochial mission has for its object the awakening of
new spiritual life in the parish, the bringing of sinners back
to God, and, in general, a clean-up of the spiritual life of the
parishioners. This end is effected by a concentration of the
mind upon the destiny of man and his relations with God. A
good mission will include a clear, forcible and consecutive ex
position of the most important truths of Salvation, together
with a course of instructions to prepare the people for the
worthy reception of the Sacraments, and enlighten them on
the duties of their daily lives. It will draw people to the
tribunal of penance through the assurance of the mercy of
God from the persuasive words of the kind-hearted mission
aries. The mission is to the laity what the retreat is to the
clergy and religious; its conclusion is a renewal of good
resolutions and a solid determination to persevere in the
friendship of God, and the avoiding of the avenues which
lead to sin. A good mission is a great grace for a parish and
helps the work of the pastor in shepherding his flock in the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
fold of the Master, and keeping the wolves of greed and lust
Among the many missions given in St. Paul s Parish, two
stand out conspicuously in the memory of the congregation.
One given in 1905 by Rev. Father Zilles of the Congregation
of the Holy Redeemer, assisted by Fathers Sholly and Mulli
gan ; it covered a period of two weeks, the first week for the
women and the second for the men. During the two weeks,
at the morning and evening exercises, the capacity of the
church was exceeded by the large congregation, and seats
Rev. Father Gillis, C.S.P. Rev. Father Sholly, C.SS.R.
TWO EMINENT PRIESTS WHO CONDUCTED MISSIONS IN ST. PAUL S CHURCH
had to be provided in the sanctuary and the vestibules; and
an overflow during the men s week had to be accommodated
in the basement of the church. From the intoning of the
"Miserere" at the porch of the church at the opening of the
Mission a religious spell permeated the congregation, which
was lifted only at the departure of the missionaries. Three
thousand two hundred and seventy approached the sacra
ments ; fifty -four adults were confirmed on the closing day of
the mission. The parishioners supplied themselves with an
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 195
outfit of religious articles to the amount of $2,500 worth, and
contributed over $2,000 in the mission collection. The effect
of the mission was visible to the pastor in the conduct of
young and old for many moons after the event. The Holy
Name Society was put on a permanent footing; the member
ship of the Children of Mary increased ; the spirit of the Con
fraternity of the Holy Family renewed; and in fact all the
agencies of the Parish animated with an abiding spirit of
The other mission which claims special attention was given
by the Paulist Fathers in 1910. It lasted for three weeks.
It was conducted by Fathers Devine, Gillis and Cartwright.
Father Conway came on for the third week, which was de
voted to a mission for non-Catholics. The attempt to give a
mission to non-Catholics was looked upon with considerable
apprehension by some of the more timid and conservative
members of the fold, particularly as the atmosphere had
been charged with resentment on the part of some of the
anti-Catholic orators of Toronto, on account of certain ex
pressions of Father Vaughan, the English Jesuit, at the
Eucharistic Congress in Montreal a few months previously.
In fact some of the more amiable, if not pious, Catholics
approached Father Hand to have the non-Catholic part of
the mission cancelled. The result showed how much these
good people were mistaken. There was no attempt made to
proselytise. Announcements were made in all the daily
papers that the doctrines and teachings of the Catholic Church,
with first-hand knowledge, would be explained to those who
were interested enough in the Catholic religion to hear a
correct version of its tenets. "The Question Box" was freely
used to have difficulties answered. The result was most
gratifying; the questions were for the most part serious and
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the answers gratefully received ; not a single untoward in
cident occurred during the entire mission; the Church was
packed every night with 75 per cent. non-Catholic audiences,
who followed with the greatest attention the lectures and
explanations of the good Fathers. An hour each evening was
given for the convenience of those who wished for personal
explanation or the solution of some spiritual trouble. One
of the Fathers conducted a Christian Doctrine Class for those
The old and the new pulpits, the former used in the old church, and for some time in
the new ; the latter a gift from Mr. John O Neill, M.P.P., in memory of his parents.
who wished to become better instructed in the teachings of
the Catholic Church. About two hundred, made up equally of
men and women, attended this class. After the Fathers left
for other fields this Christian Doctrine Class was continued in
the rectory, and in the course of the subsequent two years
one hundred and nineteen of the Catechumens who started
instruction during the non-Catholic Mission were received
into the Church.
Apart from the effect upon the congregation of the parish,
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 197
the Mission was productive trf irrach good among the citizens
at large. Some prominent city officials attended the lectures
and the daily press gave comprehensive and fair reports of
the sermons, the number in attendance, and the little details of
interest to the public. This was the first close-up view that
Toronto had of the Paulist Fathers, and, needless to say,
Catholic and Protestant alike were pleased with them and re
joiced to know that arrangements were under way to have
them permanently stationed in Toronto.
* * *
House of Providence
Any history of the century s work of St. Paul s Parish,
Toronto, would be incomplete without a sketch of the institu
tions, religious and secular, to which it ministered for many
years and in the majority of cases continues to do.
The first of these is the House of -Providence, the splendid
institution adjoining the church and presbytery grounds
which ministers to the destitute of every age and sex and
creed with a kindliness and efficiency which have endeared
it to all classes of our citizens. Whenever a visitor or delega
tion interested in the work of helping distress pays Toronto
a visit the House of Providence is sure to receive an early
call. And it is safe to assert that in all cases the result of
the investigation will be admiration of the neatness of e^ery
inch of space, of the content of the inmates, of the zeal and
sweetness of the Sisters of St. Joseph who behold in their
charges Him who said: "Amen I say to you as long as you
did it to one of these My least brethren you did it to Me."
For many years every age, from a day to close on to a century,
could be found within the precincts of the House of Provi
dence grounds. On the southeast corner was located an In
fants Home, which at the time of its completion had no peer
198 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
in Toronto. But after a considerable time it was found neces
sary to carry on the work of caring for infants in another
The building vacated was very soon occupied, for the steadi
ly-growing population of Toronto has made the problem of
accommodation a serious one for the House of Providence.
Large additions have been made from time to time, but, not
withstanding all this, it is only by the most skilful manage
ment that the Sisters in charge have been able to house their
many hundreds of inmates, who do not always belong to the
indigent class, not a few who are in good financial circum
stances preferring its religious atmosphere to comfortable
A journey through the various wards will give some idea
of the immensity and variety of the work carried on. Almost
every variety of human affliction (excepting contagious
diseases and dangerous insanity, which, of course, must be
dealt with elsewhere) can be found there. Paralysis, blind
ness, senile decay, dropsy, malignant growths and many other
forms of dread diseases are familiar to the gentle forms
that move daily through these wards. In some cases the
afflicted ones have been sent there from their own homes,
their children not being able to give them the attention they
receive from the expert hands of the Sisters.
The gratitude of many of the patients for the services re
ceived is touching and must be sweet to its recipients. They
need this encouragement very much, for in some cases their
experiences are anything but pleasant. Natures soured by
failure are not improved by old age; and when illness and
partial decay of mental faculties supervene a very trouble
some type of character develops. The present writer knew
an instance in which a bed-ridden patient stowed away in a
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
box (her sole possession) beside her bed the food given her,
and then complained to visitors that she was being starved.
In another case a blind old mischief-maker whose tongue
made up for her loss of eyesight, carried gossip from one to
another of a group almost as old and dim-visioned as her
self, and excited the bitterest enmity between them. The
ONE OF THE HOSPITAL WARDS IN THE HOUSE OF PROVIDENCE
casual visitor has no opportunity of knowing what the Sis
ters have to face at times, how they have to forgive and for
get, make allowances for those who were queer in their best
days and are hard to bear with in their second childhood.
Only one who has spent a considerable time, day and night,
as resident chaplain there knows something of the heroic
patience exhibited in dealing with the sorts and conditions of
200 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
broken-down humanity of which the House of Providence is
In this work that great institution has found a constant
and powerful helper, we might say partner, in St. Paul s
Parish. Beside St. Paul s first church the House of Provi
dence began under very straitened conditions the career
which has expanded so marvellously. For more than a
generation St. Paul s was its mainstay. Its spiritual needs
were attended to solely by St. Paul s for many years after
its foundation. Even when it had a chaplain there were fre
quent intervals when the lack of priests threw the burden of
its spiritual care on St. Paul s. And in recent years sole
charge has been resumed by the staff of this historic church.
* * *
The Toronto General Hospital
Very different was the character of the work contributed
by the former Toronto General Hospital, now no more, which
occupied a whole block between Sackville and Sumach streets,
facing Gerrard street. It consisted of an aggregation of
buildings stretching from west to east the entire length of
the block. Considering that there was no unity of design,
additions being put up as necessity demanded, the old hospital
served its purpose excellently, the result being in no small
measure due to the energy and executive ability of Dr. Breff-
ney O Reilly, its superintendent. It was a pleasure to work
with Dr. O Reilly. He appreciated work of the right kind
and afforded every facility for it. And as the old General
Hospital was, up to the opening of St. Michael s in 1892, the
only large hospital in Toronto, work was abundant; so abun
dant that attendance there was the heaviest part of sick
visitation duty in St. Paul s Parish. Practically every Catho
lic hospital patient in Toronto was brought to its wards. On
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings several hours
were spent in visiting every ward and administering the
Last Sacraments wherever the slightest symptom of serious
danger appeared. This regular and thorough visitation cut
off a great number of sick calls. But as accident cases were
likely to come in at any time, it not infrequently happened
that the priest who had spent between two and three hours
in the wards during the morning had two or more hurried
THE OLD GENERAL HOSPITAL ON GERRARD STREET
trips to make during the day. Away up in the attic were
the cliptheria and scarlet fever cases. To these visits were
made at times, always after all other visits were completed
and under special permit.
Work in the General Hospital whilst heavy at all times,
and very much so during epidemics of typhoid fever, dip-
theria, scarlatina, and the like, which were by no means in
frequent when Toronto s water supply came through a wooden
pipe under the Bay and filtration was unknown, was a splen
did training. It prepared the priest for all kinds of situations
202 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
and made him familiar with almost all the ills that flesh is
heir to. The present writer never met a case of Asiatic
cholera there, but was brought face to face with almost every
thing else. Perhaps one instance not altogether devoid of
humor, though tragic enough, will serve to illustrate what
the visiting priest was likely to meet: As the writer had
completed his rounds on a Saturday morning the ambulance
hurried to the main entrance a man who had been picked up
in an unconscious condition at a street crossing. As the
patient might be a Catholic, inquiries were at once made re
garding his religion, but no information could be gleaned. As
the man had evidently not many hours to live the house sur
geon on the spot, said to the writer, "You had better take
charge." Everything that could be done for a Catholic in
such a condition was performed. The patient died that even
ing, and when relatives came to claim his body it was learn
ed that he was a Lutheran. However, the efforts made to
arouse consciousness and the ministrations and prayers deep
ly affected those around whatever may have been the effects
on the patient. As a result the house surgeon and the
writer became fast friends and when the former was danger
ously ill with erysipelas the latter was a frequent and wel
come visitor to his bedside.
This incident will show that whilst the work at the old
General Hospital was more than trying at times it was al
ways consoling. An excellent spirit prevailed, and whilst
religious ministrations were confined to Catholics, words of
inquiry and cheer were extended to all, and almost invariably
received with pleasure. Well may St. Paul s be proud of its
service rendered at the old General Hospital for many decades
a service for which the Catholics of Toronto owe a debt of
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Toronto Jail
No greater contrast could be well found than that between
the House of Providence and Toronto Jail which, until the
establishment of St. Anne s Parish some years ago, was with,
in the limits of St. Paul s Parish. The Toronto Jail did not
afford a very encouraging field for missionary work. It way
the clearing house for the police crop of Toronto. Prisoners
on remand were detained there until their trial came off. In
case the charge was very serious and the next assize a long
:! ! | i
li ii i is art
ifl 1 F fti ^ ^-^
B i i i e i i
[118 i l mi
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TORONTO JAIL ON GERRARD STREET
way off such cases had a stay of several months at times.
Outside of these cases, however, the period of detention was
not very long. The toper who was sent down (or up, for
topographically Toronto Jail rivals Rosedale in altitude) for
thirty days in default of a payment of one dollar and costs,
supplied the principal portion of the priest s Sunday after
noon congregation. As his thirty days served to put him in
good shape for another spree, he was usually more solicitous
for a contribution of a quarter dollar to help towards that
result than for spiritual help. Indeed, the latter was usually
204 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Jooked upon as a means, to the former. Because of the pre
dominance of this element, and the transient type of its
general population, there was little opportunity for work of
permanent good in Toronto Jail.
One opportunity, however, of an unequalled character it
afforded, namely, that of becoming acquainted with the
shortsightedness and callousness of our methods of a genera
tion ago in dealing with crime. Prisoners on remand from
the first offender to the most hardened repeater were huddled
together without any effort whatever at segregation. The
habitual drunkard reappeared with unfailing regularity to
renew his acquaintance with Governor Green s Hotel the
name by which a paper noted for its spicy dishing-up of police
court news affectionately designated the Toronto Jail.
As the name of Governor Green has been mentioned, let
the writer pay a tribute to the strictness, fairness, and effi
ciency of the administration of Governor Green. If glaring
faults were to be found with the system in vogue, the fault
was not his. He did his best with an obsolete and vicious
system. And the priests of St. Paul s who entered every
Sunday afternoon its gloomy precincts entertained high
esteem for Governor Green.
What was true of moral applied also to physical promis
cuity. There was no opportunity for the segregation of
youthful from hardened offenders, there was equally no pro
vision for the separation of the diseased from the healthy.
And the saddest feature of all was that the jail was the only
place to which the homeless, the mentally deranged, the vic
tims of senile decay could be sent, when through trouble-
someness or lack of accommodation they were barred from
hospitals or houses of refuge.
The most hopeless of all the denizens of the Toronto Jail
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 205
were, however, the female inmates who for the most part
gravitated between the Mercer Reformatory and the streets
and spent the interval between transmission from one to the
other in the Toronto Jail. Some of these unfortunates showed
good dispositions, but not a few were utterly corrupt in
body and mind. Such formed the most trying of the many
trying elements with which the priests of St. Paul s had to
deal in their visits to Toronto Jail.
VOCATIONS FROM THE PARISH
The stately Roman matron, on being asked to show her
jewels, pointed with pride to her children, exclaiming: "These
are my jewels." So also the Church of God regards as her
most precious possession her children, especially those who
consecrate themselves to the service of God in the priesthood
or in her many religious communities. St. Paul s parish has
been blessed in the number of those who, being called by God
"as Aaron was," have served at the altar of God, or have de
voted themselves to the service of their fellow men either in
educational or charitable institutions.
The first vocation from the parish has already been referred
to the Reverend John Butler who, although his connection
with St. Paul s was not of long duration, can rightly be styled
Toronto s first priest. He came to Toronto as a teacher, as
we have seen, and feeling himself called to the ecclesiastical
state, studied theology under Father Downey in York, and
was ordained by Bishop Macdonell. His priestly career,
which was most fruitful, was spent entirely in the eastern
portion of the diocese.
A few years after this important event we come upon the
first religious vocation from the parish. Miss Ellen Feehan
expressed to Bishop Macdonell, on one of his visits to the capi
tal, her anxiety to enter the religious state. The Bishop asked
her to make known her intention in writing, which she did,
stating that her determination both in Ireland and in Canada,
since she came to this country, had been to embrace the reli
gious state, and from the dictates of her conscience she ex
pected peace of mind in no other. She asked the Bishop to
NATIVE PRIESTS OF ST. PAUL S PARISH
Rev. John R. Lee; 2 Rev. John J. She; : 3 Rt. Rev. Richard A. O Connor; 4
very Rev. Edward Cassidy ; 5 Rev. Edmund F. Murray; 6 Rev. Henry J Gibney
7 Rev. Thus. M. Shanahan; 8 Rev. James C. Carberry; 9 Rt. Rev. Martin D
Whelan; 10 Rev. Arthur J. O Leary.
208 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
use his influence to get her into one of the convents of Lower
Canada, or elsewhere, and she hoped that she would not prove
ungrateful. The outcome was that she entered the Commun
ity of the Sisters of Charity at Emmitsburg, Md., on December
Ellen Feehan was born in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ire
land, on May 10, 1806, and was baptized the same day. She
emigrated to Toronto with her parents, where the latter died.
On entering the Community at Emmitsburg she was known
as Sister Mary Rose, the habit then being the "black cap and
dress" of Mother Seton s time. She was sent, after the usual
time of probation, first to New Orleans, and later to St. Vin
cent s School, St. Louis. She died in the latter city, December
29, 1852, after fifteen years of active and useful service in
the work of her spouse. She thus wore for two years the
white cornette of the Order of St. Vincent de Paul, with which
community that of Mother Seton was amalgamated in 1850.
She was closely followed into the religious state by her sis
ter Margaret, who entered the same community and the same
convent, on Christmas Day, 1838. Writing of these two young
ladies to the Bishop, Father McDonough, their pastor, says:
"Your Lordship knows the Misses Feehan of this city, who
are the admiration of the congregation for their strict atten
tion to their religious duties."
Margaret Feehan was also born in Clonmel, but the date of
her birth has not been recorded. Entering at Emmitsburg,
December 25, 1838, she took the name of Sister Mary Barna
bas. Her missions were more numerous than those of her
sister. She went first to the Baltimore Infirmary, where she
remained until 1843, when she was transferred to the Phila
delphia Asylum. Three years later she was sent to St. Peter s
School, Wilmington, Delaware. In 1850 she was placed on the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 209
staff of the New Orleans Asylum, where, with the exception
of one year spent at the Infant Asylum at New Orleans, she
labored until her death, which occurred December 17, 1885.
She thus wore the habit of Mother Seton for twelve years and
that of St. Vincent de Paul for thirty-five.
As those who have joined the Brothers and Sisters of the
various Communities from the parish are treated in a separ
ate chapter, we will from henceforth confine ourselves in this
chapter to those sons of the parish who have entered the
One-third of a century went by from the building of the
church until the first native of the parish was raised to the
The Reverend John R. Lee was born in York, now Toronto,
November 6, 1831, and after the usual course of studies was
ordained to the priesthood on June 15, 1856. He was in Ham
ilton for a short time after ordination, and was appointed pas
tor of Brock in the fall of that year. In that parish he built
a presbytery at Vroomanton and erected a church in Thorah.
His next station was as assistant at Barrie in 1861, coming to
St. Paul s as assistant in March, 1863, where he remained until
June, 1865. He then went to the Cathedral as assistant and
was there until August, 1866. The following year he was sta
tioned at St. Catharines as assistant, returning to St. Paul s
in November, 1867. He remained until March, 1869, when he
again went to the Cathedral. He died April 10, 1873, and was
buried in the family plot in St. Michael s cemetery.
Three years later another native son of St. Paul s was or
dained the Rev. John J. Shea.
The Reverend John Joseph Shea was born in Toronto on
March 4, 1837. His studies were made at St. Hyacinth, St.
Michael s College, Toronto, and Sandwich. Ordained October
210 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
16, 1859, he was sent as assistant to Adjala, where he re
mained until March, 1860, when he was appointed to Streets-
ville as pastor. That town had been made the place of
residence of the priest two years before, but Father Shea
moved back to the old residence built by Father McNulty at
the church on the Fifth Line of Toronto township. In May,
1861, he was placed at the Cathedral in Toronto, and during
his residence there his name appears frequently on the regis
ter of St. Paul s. In the following year he was appointed
pastor of Oshawa, and during his incumbency built a church
at Whitby. Recalled to Toronto in 1873, he was made rector
of the Cathedral. At the first council of Toronto he was one
of the theologians. In 1875 he was made the first resident
pastor of Brockton, now St. Helen s, Toronto, where he built
a presbytery. He remained in that parish until 1880. Ap
pointed to the parish of Dixie, on October 13, 1888, he died
there very suddenly on October 30, 1888, and was buried in
the family plot in St. Michael s cemetery, Toronto.
The Right Reverend Richard Alphonsus O Connor was born
in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, April 15, 1838, coming
with his parents to Toronto in 1841. He attended the old
Richmond Street Catholic School when it was taught by lay
teachers, and was also a pupil of the Christian Brothers in
that institution on their taking charge in 1851. In September,
1852, St. Michael s College opened on Queen street east, and
our subject was one of the first students to enroll. He finished
the classical and philosophical courses at St. Michael s and
took one year in theology at that institution. This last
course he completed in the Sulpician Seminary, Montreal, and
was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Lynch, August
12, 1861, in St. Michael s Cathedral.
He began his priestly labors as assistant at the Gore of
NATIVE PRIESTS OV ST. PAUL S PARISH
J Rev. J. J. McGrand; 2 Rev. .1 R. Grant; 3 Rev. \Vm. Dunn, S.J. ;
4. Rev. J. ,T. Coleman; 5 Rev. F. H. Pennylegion ; 6 Rev. A. T. Clancy;
7 --Rev. G. T. Culliton; 8 Rev. J. A. Mogan ; P Rev. .1. O. Cuddahy;
10 Rev. D. J. O NeiH.
212 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Toronto, and five months later was given charge of that mis
sion. Father O Connor was transferred to Niagara Falls as
pastor in December, 1865, remaining until September, 1868.
He was then placed in charge of Adjala, where he was Pastor
two years. In October, 1870, he was made Pastor and Dean
of Barrie. Here he built the present church. After more than
eighteen years in this charge he was made Bishop of Peter
borough, January 11, 1889; and was consecrated May 1, 1889,
in the Cathedral of Peterborough by Archbishop Cleary of
Kingston, assisted by Archbishops Fabre of Montreal and
Duhamel of Ottawa. In 1911 he celebrated the golden jubilee
of his ordination. He died January 23, 1913, and was buried
beneath the Cathedral of Peterborough.
The Most Reverend Denis O Connor was born at Pickering,
Ont., March 28, 1841, and was brought as an infant to St.
Paul s, Toronto, for baptism, as there was no priest nearer his
birth place at that time. In September, 1852, he came to St.
Michael s College, which had just opened on Queen street
east, and there began his life-long connection with the Com
munity of St. Basil. The next eleven years were spent as a
student with the Basilians at St. Michael s College and in
France. On December 8, 1863, he was ordained priest in St.
Mary s Church, Toronto, by Bishop Lynch, and for seven
years was at St. Michael s College. He then took charge of
Sandwich College, which had been closed for some time, and
in a few years had it in a most flourishing condition. He re
mained in this position for twenty years, having in addition to
his college duties the supervision of the parishes of Sandwich
and Amherstburg. He was twice Administrator of the dio
cese of London, and in 1888 received the degree of D.D. from
On October 19, 1890, he was consecrated Bishop of London
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 213
in the Cathedral of that city, by Archbishop Walsh of Toronto,
assisted by Bishops Bowling of Hamilton and Foley of .De
troit. He was appointed Archbishop of Toronto, January 27,
1899, and was installed in St. Michael s Cathedral on May 3,
in the presence of the Archbishop of Kingston, the Bishops of
Hamilton, Peterborough, Alexandria, Sherbrooke, St. Hya
cinth, Detroit and Buffalo, and one hundred and fifty priests.
After nine years of unrelenting labor, he felt that the duties
and responsibilities of his office were more than his failing
strength could endure, so he resigned the See of Toronto, and
on May 22, 1908, received official notice from the Holy See
that he had been relieved of the burden. He was made titular
Archbishop of Laodicea and retired to the Basllian novitiate,
Toronto, where he died June 30, 1911, and was buried in the
plot of his beloved Community in Mount Hope Cemetery,
The Very Reverend Edward Cassidy was born October 4,
1845, in that portion of St. Paul s parish which afterwards
became the Cathedral parish. He studied the classics, philos
ophy and one year of theology at St. Michael s College, com
pleting the last named at the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He
was ordained priest in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, by
Bishop Lynch, October 4, 1868. His first appointment was
to Brock as assistant, being transferred to St. Catharines as
assistant in the following June. In May, 1871, he was given
charge of Thornhill, and of Pickering four years later.
After a year at this latter mission he came to St. Michael s
Cathedral, Toronto, for a year, being then appointed pastor of
Dixie. Ten years later he was made pastor of Adjala, where
he built the present church. In January, 1890, he was given
214 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
charge of the parish of Barrie, and made Dean. A year later
he was transferred to St. Helen s, Toronto, being appointed
Dean of Toronto. He died March 3, 1895, and was buried in
St. Michael s cemetery, Toronto.
The Reverend Edmund Francis Murray was born on King
street, near Berkeley street, Toronto, May 30, 1844, and was
baptized in St. Paul s Church on June 4 following by the Rev
erend J. J. Hay. In 1855 he entered St. Michael s College,
then in St. Michael s Palace, Church street. For many years
he was an altar boy at the Cathedral. Having finished his
collegiate course at St. Michael s, he joined the Community
of St. Basil September 8, 1865, and was ordained priest by
Bishop Walsh at London, May 1, 1872. Since that time, with
the exception of four years (1910-14), which he spent at
Assumption College, Sandwich, he has been identified with the
work of St. Michael s College, Toronto, of which institution
he was professor of music for thirty-five years. He was or
ganist of St. Basil s Church from 1867 to 1890.
The Reverend John Shea lived in that part of St. Paul s
parish east of the Don, and entered St. Michael s College about
the year 1861. Having completed the collegiate course, he
entered the Congregation of the Holy Cross, in which he was
ordained. Some years later he left that community and be
came connected with the diocese of Sioux Falls. On the com
ing of Archbishop Walsh to Toronto he invited Father Shea
to take up his work in this diocese, but Bishop Marty felt that
he could not spare him, so the transfer did not take place.
The Reverend Henry J. Gibney was born in Toronto on
August 10, 1846, and was baptized at St. Paul s, as yet the
only church in the city. His classical studies were made at St.
Michael s College, Toronto, and at the College of Our Lady of
the Angels, Niagara Falls, N.Y. After an interruption of four
years he reentered St. Michael s College, where he completed
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the classical course and also the philosophical. He then took
the position of English professor at the College of Ste. Anne
de la Pocatiere, where at the same time he took up the study
of theology. After one year he entered the Grand Seminary,
Montreal, where he completed the course, and was ordained
by Archbishop Lynch in St. Michael s Cathedral, on August
24, 1872. After a year at St. Paul s he was appointed to North
He built a church at Alliston, to which place he later re
moved and built a presbytery. He resigned in 1919 and lived
Rev. P. ,T. Cfiulfield Rev. T. E. McCabe
in Alliston until his death, which occurred on March 29, 1922.
He is buried in Alliston.
The Reverend Thomas Martin Shanahan was born in the
Gore of Toronto, November 12, 1858. His family having
moved to St. Paul s parish, he attended De La Salle Institute
and St. Michael s College, Toronto. In 1880 he entered the
Brignole Sale College, Genoa, Italy, and was ordained priest
in the House of Providence chapel, Toronto, by Bishop
O Mahony, December 8, 1883. His first appointment was to
216 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Thorold as assistant, being transferred to St. Catharines as
assistant in November, 1885. He was appointed pastor of
Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1889, and during the following year
was transferred to Merritton as pastor, where he died, Aug
ust 1, 1890.
The Reverend James C. Carberry was born in St. Paul s
parish, Toronto, January 4, 1865. After attending the sepa
rate school he entered St. Michael s College, Toronto, for
classics, making his philosophical and theological studies at
the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained priest, July
9, 1893, by Archbishop Walsh at St. John s Grove, Toronto.
Being sent as assistant to St. Helen s, Toronto, on ordination,
he remained there until he was transferred to St. Mary s,
Toronto, as assistant, in April, 1895. Appointed pastor of
Schomberg in January, 1896, he had charge of that laborious
mission for thirteen years. In January, 1909, he was made
pastor of Merritton, and in February, 1915, was transferred
to the charge of the parish of Orillia.
The Right Reverend Martin Darius Whelan was born in
Caledonia, Ont., October 15, 1867. His family moving to
Toronto, he attended St. Paul s School and De La Salle Insti
tute. He studied the classics at Assumption College, Sand
wich; philosophy at St. Michael s College, Toronto; and the
ology at the Grand Seminary, Montreal. Being ordained
priest by Bishop O Connor of Peterborough on July 14, 1895,
in St. Mary s Church, Toronto, he was sent as assistant to St.
Paul s, Toronto, being transferred six months later to St.
Mary s, Toronto, as assistant. After three months in that
parish, he was appointed assistant at St. Catharines, where
he remained one year and eight months. He was then made
pastor of the parish of Caledon, where he was in charge for
six years and three months. Whilst in this mission he built
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 217
a new church in Albion. Forced to resign through sickness,
he came to the Cathedral as assistant, being made rector of
the same in January, 1909. Appointed second Vicar-General
and Chancellor, October 15, 1914, he became first Vicar-Gen
eral, August 13, 1915. During the same month he assumed
the charge of the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes. He was
nominated an honorary chaplain to His Holiness, and in
November, 1920, was appointed a Domestic Prelate. In April,
1921, he was made pastor of St. Helen s parish, Toronto.
The Reverend Arthur Joseph O Leary was born in Picker
ing, Ont., August 9, 1874, and on removing to Toronto attended
St. Paul s School. He made the classical course at St. Mich
ael s College, Toronto, and the philosophical and theological
at the Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained priest in
St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, by Archbishop O Connor,
December 23, 1899. On ordination he was sent as assistant
to St. Mary s, Toronto, where he remained until his appoint
ment as pastor of Collingwood, in May, 1903. While in this
charge he established a separate school. He went to Europe
in October, 1912, studying in Rome until March of the follow
ing year. Before returning to Toronto he received the degree
of Doctor of Divinity at Genoa, Italy, In April, 1915, he was
transferred to St. Joseph s, Toronto, as pastor. During the
scholastic year 1917-18, in addition to his parish work, he was
professor of first and second year dogmatic theology at St.
Augustine s Seminary.
The Reverend John Joseph McGrand was born in St. Paul s
parish, July 1, 1875; studied the classics at St. Michael s Col
lege, Toronto, and philosophy and theology at the Grand
Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained priest in St. Paul s
Church, December 22, 1900, by Archbishop O Connor. On
ordination he was sent as assistant to St. Helen s, Toronto,
218 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
remaining in that position until January, 1909, when he was
made the first pastor of St. Anthony s parish, Toronto. Here
he began a church, the basement of which alone was finished ;
this was used for divine service until 1922, when this property
was sold and a church built on another site. For years Father
McGrand has been a member of the Toronto Separate School
Board, being treasurer of that body for twelve years.
The Reverend John Ronald Grant, Ph.D., was born in Nap-
anee, Ont., September 24, 1873, and began his classical train
ing in the High School of his native town, but his family
moving to St. Paul s parish, Toronto, he entered St. Michael s
College, where he completed these studies. He then repaired
to the Grand Seminary, Montreal, where he made the courses
of philosophy and theology. On December 1, 1901, he was
ordained priest in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, by Arch
bishop O Connor. He was appointed temporarily as assistant
at St. Paul s on ordination, but within a few weeks was
transferred to Penetanguishene. He was then successively
administrator of Lafontaine and assistant at Midland. In
1907 he was made pastor of Thornhill, where he remained
until October, 1912, when he went to Rome and took a post
graduate course in philosophy, acquiring the degree of Ph.D.
In September, 1913, he began his duties at St. Augustine s
Seminary, Toronto, as professor of Moral Theology, Ecclesias
tical History and English Literature. He died suddenly at
Martinstown, Ont., August 19, 1917, and was buried in Mount
Hope Cemetery, Toronto.
The Reverend William Fraser was born in Inverness, Scot
land, April 2, 1867, coming to Toronto with his family at an
early age. He attended St. Paul s School for some years. He
made his classical studies at St. Michael s College, Toronto,
philosophical and theological at the Brignole Sale College,
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 219
Genoa, Italy. On June 17, 1905, he was ordained for the Pro
paganda by Archbishop Fulciano at Genoa and was sent as a
missionary to the Vicaratte Apostolic of Tchi Kiang, China,
where he labored for four years.
Returning to Toronto in 1909, he was appointed assistant at
St. Ann s, Toronto, in which place he remained until January,
1913, when he was created pastor of Grimsby. He resigned
this post in 1915 and became assistant at St. Francis Church,
Toronto. In the spring of 1922 he received the chaplaincy of
the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Toronto.
Reverend Wm. Dunn, S.J., was born and baptized in St.
Paul s parish. He pursued his studies at St. Mary s Jesuit
College, Montreal, and entered the Jesuit Novitiate in 1897.
In 1910 he was ordained to the priesthood. After some years
of teaching at Loyola College, Montreal, and St. Boniface Col
lege, Manitoba, his superiors assigned him to St. Ignatius par
ish, Winnipeg. He is at present parish priest of St. Ignatius
Loyola s Church, Montreal, and director of the Laymen s Re
The Reverend Joseph James Coleman was born in Orillia,
Ont., March 20, 1885. His family having moved to Toronto,
he attended St. Paul s School and served on the sanctuary of
that parish for eight years. After passing the entrance ex
amination he attended De La Salle Institute for one year. He
then passed to St. Michael s College, where he completed the
classical and philosophical courses, and entered the Grand
Seminary, Montreal, for theology. On December 17, 1910, he
was ordained priest by Archbishop Bruchesi in St. James
Cathedral, Montreal, and sung his first High Mass in St. Paul s
Church on the Christmas day following. After two years as
assistant at Orillia, he was transferred to St. Cecilia s, Toronto,
220 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
-as assistant, where he remained until his appointment as pas
tor of Schomberg, which was made in August, 1916.
The Reverend Francis Henry Pennylegion was born in St.
Paul s parish, and after attending the local separate school
entered St. Michael s College, where he pursued the classical
and philosophical courses. He then attended the Grand Semi
nary, Montreal, but on the opening of St. Augustine s Semi
nary, Toronto, completed his theological course in that insti
tution. He was ordained to the holy priesthood, December 14,
1913, by Archbishop McNeil in St. Michael s Cathedral, To
ronto. On ordination he was sent to St. Helen s, Toronto, as
assistant, being transferred to the Cathedral, Toronto, in Sep
tember of the same year to act in a similar capacity. In May,
1916, he was appointed assistant at St. Ann s, Toronto.
The Reverend Aloysius T. Clancy was born in St. Paul s
parish and received his early education at Bond Street Con
vent, St. Paul s School and De La Salle Institute. He made
his classical studies at St. Michael s College, Toronto, and the
University of Toronto. Having entered the Grand Seminary,
Montreal, for theology, he remained three years in that insti
tution, and on the opening of St. Augustine s Seminary,
Toronto, completed his course there. He was ordained priest
March 8, 1914. Since ordination he has been successively
assistant at St. Mary s, Toronto, Midland, St. Catharines, St.
John s, Toronto, and St. Francis , Toronto. In February, 1922,
he was made pastor of Mount St. Louis, Simcoe County.
The Reverend Gerald Joseph Culliton was born in St. Paul s
parish and received his early education at St. Paul s
School. He then attended St. Michael s College, on graduation
from which institution he made his theological studies in St.
Augustine s Seminary, Toronto. Ordained in Toronto by the
Right Reverend A. Macdonald of Victoria, April 9, 1917, he
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 221
was appointed as assistant at St. Francis , Toronto, and was
transferred to St. Cecilia s, Toronto, in January, 1919, to act
in the same capacity.
The Reverend Francis J. Riordan was born in St. Paul s
parish, July 6, 1891. His family having moved to the western
part of the city, he attended St. Helen s School and De La Salle
Institute. He then entered St. Michael s College, and on the
completion of his course there went to St. Augustine s Semin
ary. He was ordained by Archbishop McNeil in St. Michael s
Cathedral, Toronto, June 2, 1917. After a period as assistant
at Penetanguishene, St. Francis , Toronto, St. Joseph s, To
ronto, and the Cathedral, Toronto, he was appointed to the
staff of St. Augustine s Seminary as professor of philosophy.
The Reverend James Augustine Mogan was born in St.
Paul s parish, Toronto, June 6, 1891, and received his early
education in St. Paul s School. He then took the collegiate
course at St. Michael s College, Toronto, and entered St.
Augustine s Seminary, Toronto. On graduation from that
institution he was ordained priest June 2, 1917, in St. Mich
ael s Cathedral by Archbishop McNeil. His first appointment
was to St. John s, East Toronto, as assistant, and after fifteen
months at that place was transferred to St. Catherine s
Church, St. Catharines, where he remained until 1920, when
he came to the Cathedral as assistant. In the spring of 1922
he was made assistant at St. Francis Church, Toronto.
The Reverend J. Ormande Cuddahy was born in St. Paul s
parish and attended the parish school. After a period with
the Redemtorists at North East, Pa., he attended St.
Michael s College, Toronto. He then went to Texas, where he
studied with the Oblates, returning to Toronto, completing his
theological training at St. Augustine s Seminary. He was or-
222 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
dained in 1919 for the diocese of Calgary. During the sum
mer of 1922 he was at St. Paul s as assistant, temporarily.
The Reverend Daniel Joseph O Neill was born in St. Paul s
parish and received his early education at St. Paul s School.
His classical and philosophical studies were made at North
East, Pa., and at St. Michael s College, Toronto; theological
at St. Augustine s Seminary, Toronto. He was ordained to
the holy priesthood in St. Michael s Cathedral, Toronto, June
15, 1919, by Archbishop McNeil. His first appointment was
to Thorold as assistant, and he was transferred to St. Helen s,
Toronto, as assistant, in September, 1922.
The Reverend Francis J. Caulfield was born in Oshawa,
Ont., July 29, 1891. Having moved to Toronto, he attended
St. Paul s School and De La Salle Institute. He then entered
St. Michael s College, and having completed his course in that
institution, proceeded to St. Augustine s Seminary. On the
completion of theology in the latter seat of learning he was
ordained priest by Archbishop McNeil in St. Michael s Cathe
dral, Toronto, May 21, 1921. After a period of five months as
assistant at St. Paul s, he was transferred to St. Mary s, To
ronto, as assistant.
The Reverend Thomas E. McCabe, was born in Orangeville,
Ont., and on the family moving to Toronto he attended St.
Paul s School and De La Salle Institute. He then entered St.
Michael s College, and on the completion of his course there
went to St. Augustine s Seminary for theology. On January
10, 1922, he was ordained priest by Archbishop McNeil in St.
Michael s Cathedral, Toronto. On ordination he was sent to
St. Joseph s, Toronto, as assistant, and in September, 1922,
was transferred to Mimico to act in a similar capacity.
Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph
A record of the hundred years existence of St. Paul s
Parish would be singularly incomplete were no mention made
of the close connection established between it and the Com
munity of St. Joseph, dating back to 1853, the second year
after the arrival of the first Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto.
Although it was not until June, 1854, that the Sisters built
a Convent in St. Paul s Parish, they had already been in
charge of the girls classes of the parish school during the
A rapid survey of the history of the Community up to the
time of its coming to Toronto may not be without interest
to our readers. The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
was founded at Le Puy, France, Oct. 15, 1650, by Henri de
Maupas, Bishop of that city, a man no less eminent for his
noble birth than for his exalted virtue, and who in making the
foundation was acting at the earnest request of the Rev.
Father Peter John Medaille, a zealous and holy priest of the
Society of Jesus. During the French Revolution, which broke
out in 1790, the Community was suppressed and several of
the Sisters were imprisoned and condemned to the guillotine.
Among the latter, was Mother St. John Fontbonne, who,
after spending eleven months in prison at St. Didier, escaped
execution by the downfall of Robespierre on the day preceding
that appointed for her death. A few years later when reli
gious persecution had subsided this remarkable and saintly
woman was chosen by the Cardinal Archbishop of Lyons to
restore her Congregation, and it was owing to her zeal and
224 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
great apostolic spirit that the first foundation of the Order
in America was made at Carondelet, near St. Louis, Mo., in
1836. The missionary band numbered six, among them
Mother St. John s two nieces, Sisters Febronia and Delphine
Fontbonne, the latter of whom afterwards was appointed
Superior of the first Canadian foundation.
It was at the request of His Lordship the Rt. Rev. Armand
de Charbonnel, Bishop of Toronto, that the Sisters of St.
Joseph first came to Canada, arriving in Toronto on October
7, 1851. The little pioneer band numbered only four, three
of whom, Mother Delphine Fontbonne, Superior, Sister Al-
phonsus Margery and Sister Bernard Dinan were sent from
the Philadelphia Mission (a branch house of Carondelet) and
one, Sister Martha Bunning, from Carondelet itself.
As is the case with most great enterprises the establish
ment of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto had lowly be
ginnings. Their first residence, in which they conducted an
orphanage, was situated on the west side of Nelson, after
wards Jarvis, street, between Richmond and Stanley, after
wards Lombard street. The house was very small and in a
short time the accommodation proved altogether inadequate
for the growing Community and ever-increasing number of
orphans. It, therefore, became necessary to select a suit
able location for a Mother House and Novitiate. The result
was the erection of the first actual Convent of St. Joseph in
Toronto, affectionately known in the Community, even to
the present day, as the "White House/ which stood on
Power street on the southwest portion of what is now the
House of Providence grounds.
Early in the summer of 1854 the Sisters took up residence
on Power street. On July 2, the Feast of the Visitation of
Our Lady, the Convent was blessed and the Holy Sacrifice of
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the Mass offered in it for the first time by the Rev. E. Gordon,
afterward Vicar-General of the diocese of Hamilton. The
first ceremony of Profession was held in the Convent Chapel,
July 4, when Sister Mary Magdalen Ahearne took her Final
Vows. Later on in the same year, on October 17, His Lord
ship Bishop de Charbonnel received the Perpetual Vows of
Sisters M. St. John Mallon, M. Teresa Brennan and M. Philo-
THE "WHITE HOUSE," TORONTO S FIRST ST. JOSEPH S CONVENT ON
mena Sheridan, the ceremony taking place in St. Paul s
Church. It was in 1854 also that a Boarding and Day School
were opened in the Convent, although the connection of the
Sisters of St. Joseph with St. Paul s Parish had begun a
year earlier, when they took charge of St. Paul s Separate
School in 1853. In 1855, the erection of the House of Pro
vidence was begun.
During the four years that elapsed since the arrival of the
226 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, 1 oronto
Sisters in Toronto, God had blessed abundantly their labors;
the Community had experienced a steady growth and was
now in a flourishing condition. Excellent subjects had been
received, not only from Toronto and various other parts of
Canada, but from the United States as well. It is noteworthy
that the majority of those received were natives of Ireland,
that dear "Isle of Saints" to which all America is indebted for
zealous Missionaries. There were now forty-eight members
in the Community, including Professed Sisters and Novices,
so that it became possible to meet the demands for Sisters in
other dioceses, and to open Mission Houses in Hamilton,
Amherstburg and Chatham.
The work and the lives of the Sisters in these pioneer
days lay by no means along rose-strewn paths, but were
stamped, as might be expected, with the Cross of their Cruci
fied Master. In 1855, a bitter trial awaited the Community.
A virulent type of typhus fever was raging in the Province,
and the Sisters in their ministrations to the sick and dying
contracted it. Mother Mary Alphonsus Margery, Superior of
the Orphan Asylum, Hamilton, and one of the four
Foundresses in Toronto, was the first victim of the malady.
Her remains are interred in St. Mary s Cathedral, Hamilton.
A few weeks later a young Novice, Sister Ignatia Fleming suc
cumbed to the scourge, and predeceased by a few months
only her sister, Sister Angela Fleming. Both had the happi
ness of being professed on their death-bed. The Venerable
Superior, Rev. Mother Delphine, a true mother in every sense
of the word to her spiritual daughters, also contracted the
fever while attending the stricken Sisters and died February
7, 1856. Mother Delphine was only forty-two years old at the
time of her death a significant fact when we consider what
she had accomplished in that comparatively short life-time.
DAUGHTERS OF ST. PAUL S PARISH. MEMBERS OF ST. JOSEPH S
1 Sister Anna Maria; 2 .Sister M. Camilla; 3 Sister Frances Borgia;
4 Sister Patricia; 5 Sister Ignatia ; 6 Sister Norberta: 7 Sister Ser-
aphia ; 8 Sister Macaria ; 9 Sister Hieronyme ; 10 Sister Constance.
228 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The grief of the bereaved Community at the loss of so devoted
a Superior cannot be described. On the day following her
death, after a Solemn High Mass celebrated in St. Paul s
Church, her remains were laid to rest in the Community vault
in St. Paul s Cemetery. Her Month s Mind was solemnly cele
brated in St. Michael s Cathedral, and the many citizens of
every rank who assisted at this Mass of Requiem bore evidence
to the deep esteem in which the late Reverend Mother was
held, and how much her labors in Toronto were appreciated.
On the Feast of St. Joseph, 1856, the Rt. Rev. Bishop
appointed Mother Teresa Struckhoff to succeed the late Mother
Delphine as Superior. On the return of the former to St.
Louis in 1858, Mother Teresa Brennan became Superior and
governed the Community until 1863.
And now for a second time in less than ten years the
Community outgrew its accommodation, and this in spite of
the fact that four foundations had been made, St. Catharines,
1856 ; Niagara, 1857 ; Barrie and Oshawa, 1858. The need of
a larger building, became imperative. In 1862, two acres of
the Elmsley Clover Hill Estate were donated by the late
Honorable Captain John Elmsley to the Community in the
interests of education. On May 26 of that year the building
of the present St. Joseph s Convent was begun, and on August
13, 1863, the Mother House, Novitiate and Academy were
removed from Power street to their new home. It is of
interest to learn that four of the Sisters who were in the
Community when it was on Power street, are still living
Sisters M. Angela Caplise, M. Rose O Malley, M. Stanislaus
Bain, and Anna Maria Coolahan; also three pupils who at
tended the Academy in those early days Sisters M. Borromeo
McNally, M. Attracta Hynes, and M. Ignatia Creagh. Can
we wonder that the pleasure the Sisters experienced in the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
thought of their new home was mingled with feelings of deep
regret and loneliness at leaving the old Convent on Power
street, the cradle as it were of the Community in Toronto, a
house rich in tender memories, a sacred place "of smiles and
tears." In that Novitiate there had been trained the noble
souls who laid secure and firm the foundations of the great
work afterwards accomplished by the Community throughout
the Province, prominent among whom were the future General
Superiors the Revs. M. de Chantal McKay, M. Antoinette
McDonnell, and M. de Pazzi Kennedy of Toronto; Revs. M.
r , .*v^3^*?i^ - *.. ^jfi* "i?*v * ,_-... - *- ; *p ^^*
x** 1 " * ^l&^ t ^ ~ f -^rffi f ^^c C- ^^* ^ O~* "\ *
^^ ^S^-^^^^fJ^^ "" - N
>^eSiSefl&4fe .i-_ .?.*?
OLD ST. PAUL S SCHOOL AT POWER AND QUEEN STREETS.
Philip Leniton and M. Vincent O Hagan of Hamilton ; Rev. M.
Ignatia Campbell of London; and Rev. M. Austin Doran of
As has been already stated, the Sisters of St. Joseph
first took charge of the girls classes in St. Paul s School in
September, 1853. Sister M. Teresa Brennan was one of the
230 The btory of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
first teachers. The school building stood on the east side of
Power street, immediately south of Queen street, on part
of the grounds now occupied by the Church. It was a very
modest structure indeed, one story and rough-cast, consisting
of four rooms two for boys and two for girls. The Christian
Brothers were already in charge of the boys classes.
With an increase in attendance during the succeeding
years extra classes were opened, at one time in the House of
Providence and later in the old Convent. Eventually the
accommodation became so inadequate and unsuitable that the
erection of a proper building was an absolute necessity. It
was not, however, until September, 1881, that the Parish was
afforded the "luxury" of a commodious up-to-date school
the present one on Queen street, to which, some ten years
later, a large addition had to be made to provide yet more
room for the continuous increase of population.
Among the Separate Schools of Toronto, St. Paul s always
has ranked high for its up-to-date methods and standard of
excellence. The pupils of the school distinguished themselves
in the early days at the yearly public examinations and in
the annual tests of the Government Inspector; also time and
again in later years at the High School Entrance Examina
tions. To-day St. Paul s, with an enrolment of seven hundred
pupils, is one of the largest Separate Schools in Ontario. The
high standard of efficiency to which it has attained is due in
no small measure to the characteristic zeal and energy of
Very Reverend Dean Hand, the devoted Pastor, who during
the thirty years of his incumbency has been an enthusiastic
supporter of every movement tending towards the uplift and
educational advancement of the children of his Parish. To
him must be attributed the privilege which the school enjoys
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 231
of being the first of the Toronto Separate Schools to have a
department devoted to Household Science.
* * *
The House of Providence
The House of Providence was founded by the late Right
Reverend Mgr. de Charbonnel, in 1857, to meet the need that
had long been felt by the good Bishop of an institution for
the relief of the poor and destitute of all classes and creeds.
It was eminently characteristic of this great and saintly Bis
hop that he measured his love of God by his love for his
The building was begun in 1855. The central portion of
the House as it now stands was not yet completed when the
Sisters of St. Joseph, to whom the charge had been entrusted,
took possession in 1857 and received the first inmates, mostly
the sick poor. Under the circumstances, hardship could
scarcely be wanting; but to know how to sacrifice self and to
live for others was the secret of the Sisters happiness in these
trying times. Mother Agnes Geary, Superior, Sister Mary
Joseph King and Sister Elizabeth Blaney were the first Sisters
in charge. In 1858 Mother de Chantal McKay succeeded
Mother Agnes, and during the ten years in which she was
Superior we find associated with her in this great work of
mercy, the names of Sisters M. Patrick Kennedy, M. Michael
Home, Mary Clare Mallon, M. Cecilia Gartland, M. Alphonsus
Gamier, M. Helena Fahey, M. Febronia Fahey, M. Catherine
Kelly, M. Elzear Clarke, M. Chrysostom McArdle, M. Camilla
Hennigan, M. Veronica Walsh, M. Assumption Keenan, and
M. Teresa Augustine McKay, all of whom have passed to their
reward. The charge of the House of Providence pressed
heavily on the Community. Resources were limited and un
certain, and often the Sisters had to solicit alms from door to
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
door. But their courage never failed, and trust in Divine
Providence and in the unfailing intercession of St. Joseph was
In 1859, when the Orphanage on Nelson street was closed,
the House of Providence assumed the new responsibility of
caring for the dependent children. These were provided for
in the Institution until the Sacred Heart Orphanage at Sunny-
side was opened in 1885. Only the older children, however,
THE HOUSE OF PROVIDENCE IN 1922.
were sent to Sunnyside, those under four years remaining
until St. Vincent s Home, Sackville street, was opened in 1906.
In 1869, when Mother de Chantal was appointed Superior
of the London Community, the burden of Superiorship of the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 233
House of Providence fell to the late Reverend Mother
Antoinette McDonnell, who labored strenuously in the in
terests of the Institution for nine years. Meanwhile the num
ber of inmates was increasing, and within ten years after its
erection, the House became so crowded that many deserving
people had to be refused admittance. It can readily be under
stood that with heavy expenses and very small income there
could be nothing laid by for building operations, and yet the
Sisters hesitated to ask for further help from the clergy and
laity, who had already been most generous in almsgiving.
However, in 1872, when by accident it came to the notice of
the public that it was only because of absolute necessity that
those seeking relief were being turned away, a public meeting
was held and a subscription list opened to supply building
funds. And such was the generosity of all classes that in
January, 1875, a large new wing was completed. At the same
time the Government and the City authorities showed their
approval of the work being done at the House of Providence
by considerably increasing the annual grants.
To meet the cost of the up-keep of the Institution, which
even so far back as 1875 was sheltering close on to four hun
dred people, the Sisters had to devise every means of adding
to the regular income. Collections were taken up in the city
and throughout the diocese, not indeed by representatives, but
by the Sisters themselves, who, in winter and summer, en
dured fatigue and hardship and sometimes even contempt in
their noble zeal to provide the best they could for God s poor
and neglected ones. This practice, however, was discontinued
later, and instead a collection was taken up in the churches
once a year. Musical festivals were arranged for the winter
and picnics for the summer, for which latter Government and
private grounds were always generously thrown open. Public
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
halls were given free of charge for concerts, at which the best
artists of the day gladly gave their services gratis. But the
great event of the year in aid of the House of Providence was
FATHER PETER P. MeCABE
For ten years a resident of the House of
Providence. He died there, Dec. 7, 1922.
the Annual Picnic on May 24th, which was first held in 1870
on the House of Providence grounds, and from that time until
its discontinuance in 1919 in favor of the Civic Federation
Charities, it was the great rendezvous for all the Catholics of
Toronto. With the hearty co-operation of the Archbishop and
the clergy, parish vied with parish in doing its utmost to make
the picnic a success, so that such generous efforts on the part
of the people could not but fully repay the Sisters for their
almost incredible labor on these occasions.
In 1878, Mother de Chantal again took charge of the
House of Providence, when Mother Antoinette was elected
Superior-General. During Mother de Chantal s Superiorship
the present beautiful spacious chapel was erected. In 1885,
Mother de Chantal was appointed to the Sacred Heart Orphan
age and was replaced by Mother M. Louise Clancy, whose
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 235
memory is still fresh among the older parishioners of St.
Paul s. Also are remembered the band of self-sacrificing souls
who aided in her devotion to God s poor and who, with her, are
now enjoying their eternal reward Sisters M. Gabriel Mac-
kassy, M. Paul McDonald, M. Basil Baker, M. Euphrasia Mc-
Kendry, M. Gonzaga Brophy, M. Lawrence Keaney, M. Thecla
Lehane, M. Philomena Lehane, M. Immaculate Conception
Brennan, M. de Chantal Hennessey, M. Ligouri Murphy, M.
Celestine O Hagan, M. Barbara Wrightson, M. Praxedes Mc-
Grath, M. Leocadia O Driscoll.
During the twenty-three years in which Mother Louise
was in charge of the Institute much was done to add to the
comfort of the inmates. In 1894 an additional wing provided
more comfortable quarters for the old men. In 1897, by the
will of the late Thos. O Connor of Toronto, the Sisters of St.
Joseph in charge of the House of Providence were bequeathed
in trust for the House of Providence the "O Connor Farm" on
Queen street east. This farm supplied the House for several
years with splendid produce and was later sold at considerable
advantage to the Scarboro Beach Park Co., and is now the
well-known Scarboro Beach Amusement Park. The proceeds of
the sale enabled the Sisters in charge, besides providing better
maintenance for the inmates, to purchase the present farm
known as the House of Providence Farm on St. Clair avenue,
east, to erect a Home for Infants on Sackville street and to
build suitable quarters for the Sisters the first provided for
them during the half -century and more of the existence of the
In 1916 the Sisters of the Misericordia took over the care
of the infants, and St. Vincent s Residence is now affording a
temporary home for the girls of the Sacred Heart Orphanage
pending the erection of a new orphanage for both girls and
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
boys. It is the intention, however, that the building on Sack-
ville street will be used later on as a Home for Incurables. The
latest improvement at the House of Providence, made during
the past year, is that of a proper boiler house and the con
sequent renovation of the heating system of the whole institu
And so it may be seen that every few years, from the time
that the House of Providence was built in 1857 until the
present, some new attempt has been made on the part of the
Rev. Sisters M. Juliana, Annunciate, Romanus and Enducia.
DAUGHTERS OP ST. PAUL S PARISH, MEMBERS OF
ST. JOSEPH S COMMUNITY
Superiors and the Sisters to add to the comfort and better
maintenance of the inmates, and to-day the House of Pro
vidence stands unique among the institutions of its kind as a
home where the poor and destitute of all classes and creeds
are sure to find Christ-like charity and kind attention. And
the watchword that is written in the hearts of each one con
nected with the Institution is: "Lo, here is Christ."
# * +
This then in general is the association of the Sisters of
St. Joseph with St. Paul s Parish during the past seventy
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
years, an association which embodies much that is tender and
sacred in the traditions of the Community, and one, which it
is to be hoped, will grow, if possible, stronger and deeper with
the coming years. It only remains to append the names of
those Sisters in the Community, who were former members
of St. Paul s Parish:
Sister M. Francis McCarthy Ig51
" St. John Mallon 1852
" Clare Mallon 1855
Anna Maria Coolahan 1359
M. de Sales Coolahan 1 865
" Francis Melia iggg
" Camilla O Brien 1867
Borgia Murphy iggg
" Patricia Mallon (London) Ig71
" Ignatia Creagh jg 72
Benedicta Shanahan 1873
Xaveria Murphy 189 g
Hieronyme Kennedy iggg
Constance Dunn (London) 1906
" Juliana Mitchell 1908
Immaculate Conception Williamson .... 1909
" Annunziata Williamson 1910
Rosario Hare 1911
Romanus Hushin 1912
" Eudocia Christie 1915
" St. Luke Buckley 1916
" Blandina McKenna 1917
" St. Mark Devaney 191 7
" St. Albert Mattimoe 1920
Mildred Mulvogue 1921
" Majella Conway (London) 1921
" Aloysia Dearling (Hamilton) 1921
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
1 he Brothers of the Christian Schools in St. Paul s Parish,
By Brother Alfred
The congregation of the "Christian Brothers," more prop
erly called the Brothers of the Christian Schools, was founded
in France in the year 1681 by St. John Baptist De La Salle.
The Saint, quite aside from the high place he holds in the
hearts of Catholics by reason of his eminent sanctity, is
regarded as an educational genius of bold and striking origi
nality. As a pioneer in modern educational methods, he stands
unrivalled. His principles of psychology
were sound and practical, and he had a thor
ough knowledge of the educational needs of
his day. Becoming early interested in educa
tional work, he resigned the canonry he held
in the Cathedral of Rheims, and devoted
himself entirely to improving the scholastic
methods then in use and to the organization
of a community of teachers who would apply
^ principles for the benefit Q f t he P eO P le.
With fearless intrepidity he broke away
from tradition-bound custom and inaugurated in his schools
the system, now universally adopted, of making the mother
tongue the foundation of all instruction. Before his time
Latin was the basis of all studies, and through it children
acquired the rudiments of knowledge. He replaced, in prim
ary education, the individual by the simultaneous method. He
introduced everywhere Socratic and catechetical methods of
teaching. His results were extraordinary, and his schools at
ST. DE LA SALLE
Pounder of the Broth
ers of the Christian
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 239
the time were regarded as curiosities. His methods are, how
ever, to-day universally adopted, and he has been styled the
"Father of modern pedagogy." He founded in 1684, at Rheims,
the first normal school ever established. Then followed Sun
day schools for workmen, technical schools, art schools, marine
schools, and reform schools for erring boys. The educational
reforms of St. De La Salle anticipated in almost every point
the work of Pestalozzi and Froebel by 100 years, and to-day
his mehtods have almost entirely replaced those of Lancaster
in the elementary schools of England.
The scheme of St. De La Salle included not only elementary
schools, but high schools and colleges. His college at St. Yon,
near Rouen, was a famous school of higher studies before the
French Revolution. The exiled sons of the Irish nobility were,
on the advice of the Archbishop of Paris, confided to his care
by the fugitive James II., after the disastrous battle of the
Boyne in 1690. De La Salle lived to see his work assume a
wonderful development, and when he died in 1719, his schools
had spread throughout France, and even to Rome. In 1725
his congregation was officially approved, in a solemn bull, by
Pope Benedict XIII.
He gave to his Order a perfect organization. It is governed
by a Superior-General, who is elected for life. He has twelve
assistants, who with him form the Administrative Council of
the Institute. The Mother House is at present located in Bel
gium. Each province of the Order is governed by a Provincial
or Visitor, and each House by a Brother Director. The con
gregation to-day numbers nearly 20,000 members and con
ducts schools in every part of the world.
In 1737 an effort was made with the then Superior-General,
Brother Timothy, to bring the Brothers to Montreal. This
effort however, came to naught, and it was not until one hun-
240 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
dred years later, October 10th, 1837, that four Brothers, with
Brother Aidant as Superior, arrived in Canada.
In the spring of 1851 the Right Reverend Bishop de Char-
bonnel, who, previous to his appointment as Bishop of Toronto
was a member of the Sulpician Community and chaplain to
the Novitiate of the Brothers in Montreal, obtained from
Brother Facile, then Provincial for North America, three
Brothers for Toronto. These pioneers opened on May 1 three
classes in St. Michael s School, with an attendance of some two
hundred boys. The building, which served both as school and
residence for the Brothers, was situated on the north side
of Richmond street, a few doors east of York.
The success of the work at St. Michael s induced Father
Fitzhenry, then pastor of St. Paul s, to petition for two
Brothers to open a school in his parish. His request was
granted, and in September, 1851, two classes separated by a
screen, were started in St. Paul s Church. Brother Rodol-
phus taught the first class, and Brother Frank the second,
while Brother Joachim of Mary was Director of the Brothers.
During building changes in St. Michael s in 1852 and 1853 the
Brothers of both St. Michael s and St. Paul s resided in the
palace with Bishop Charbonnel, sharing both his table and his
roof. In 1853 Father Fitzhenry built a wooden rough-cast
school of three classes in St. Paul s parish. This building stood
on the site of the present St. Paul s Church and faced on Power
street. A fourth classroom for junior boys was later opened
in the girl s school building, to accommodate the ever-increas
ing number of pupils.
Shortly after the call of Brother Joachim of Mary to the
United States in 1854, Brother Hugh, so well remembered by
the early pupils of the Christian Brothers in Toronto, and who
had been teaching in St. Paul s, was appointed Director of the
PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS OF ST. PAUL S SCHOOL SINCE 1858.
1 Rev. Bro. Christian; 2 Rev. Bro. William; 3 Rev. Bro. Francis; 4 Rev. Bro.
Theobald; 5 Rev. Bro. Lawrence-; 6 Rev. Bro. Patrick; 7 Rev. Bro. Denis; 8 Rev.
Bro. John ; Rev. Bro. Jarlath ; 10 Rev. Bro. Alfred.
242 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Brothers, a position which he held with distinction until 1866.
The Order of the Brothers in America in these early days
comprised but one vast province. Changes in the personnel
of the teachers were frequent, being necessitated by the de
mands of new foundations in various places. Then, too, volun
teers were frequently required for mission work in foreign
fields, hence we are not surprised to see Brothers who once
taught in old St. Paul s later holding important positions in
the Order in the United States or even in distant parts of
the world. Brother Rodolphus after leaving St. Paul s School
was named Director of the Brothers School in Kingston in
1853. He was successively Superior in Rochestor in 1857,
Baltimore and Yonkers in 1865. He died at Pass Christian,
Mississippi, on the 18th of June, 18.68. Brother Hugh was in
1867 Director of the Brothers School in Albany. N.Y. ; Su
perior in Dublin, Ireland, in 1880 ; and later head of an impor
tant school in Liverpool, where he died on the 26th of Febru
ary, 1881. Brother Rogatian, who taught the second class in
St. Paul s in 1867, afterwards offered himself for the missions
of the Brothers in South America, and died of the fever in
Quito in 1880. He was a brother of Brother Michael, at pres
ent inspector of St. John s Industrial School. Brother
Christian, who was principal of St. Paul s from 1858 to 1866,
was from 1870 to 1876 principal of St. Mary s Cathedral
School, Halifax, and in 1878 first Superior of the Christian
Brothers at St. Catharines, Ont. He was subsequently trans
ferred to the American Province of the Order, and finally ap
pointed Director of the Brothers Industrial School in Man
chester, England, where he died. Brother Tobias, who taught
St. Paul s second class in 1876, became later Director of the
De La Salle Institute, and Provincial of the Order in Ontario.
We afterwards find him Superior of the Brother s College in
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
London, Eng. Pie died in Marseilles, France, in December,
In January, 1878, Brother Arnold, for ten years Superior of
the Brothers in Toronto, was called to Montreal, and on the
8th of August of the same year, Brother William arrived in
Toronto, as principal of St. Paul s. Brother William saw, in
the early eighties, the opening of the new school, and during
his seven years term as principal he enjoyed the intimate
friendship and support of the late Bishop O Mahony, whose
frequent visits to the school w r ere a source of great encourage
ment. Brother William had associated with him in those days,
ST. PAUL S SCHOOL ON QUEEN STREET, 1922
Brothers Sigismund, Rhodian Patrick, Odwin, Felix and
Francis. On August 14, 1884, Brother William was moved by
his Superiors to Quebec City, where he became director of St.
Patrick s School. He is at present at the De La Salle College,
Three Rivers, P.Q.
Following Brother William as principal of St. Paul s we
find Brother Severus, who was transferred to Waterford,
244 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Ireland, in the vacation of 1885, and died in Quebec City in
1891 ; Brother Rhodian Patrick, in 1886 ; Brother Theobold in
1888 ; Brother Servilian, who died at the De La Salle, Toronto,
on November 23, 1893 ; Brother Walter, who died in Baltimore,
whither he had been sent for his health, on May 8, 1896;
Brother Lawrence, who died in Toronto on July 5, 1918 ; Bro
ther Mundolf of Mary, Brother Patrick, Brother Jarlath, Bro
ther John, Brother Denis, Brother Alfred and Brother Silvin.
The long and successful principalship of Brother Jarlath
from 1901 to 1914 deserves special note. The work of the boys
was of a very high order, and won high commendation from
successive departmental inspectors. On many occasions, in the
Government tests at the annual examinations, the boy of St.
Paul s carried off the gold medal from all competitors. Brother
Jarlath s work was ably seconded by Brothers John, Pius,
Manfred and Ansbert.
During long years the art work of St. Paul s was under the
direction of Brother Maxentius, the success of whose pupils at
the Chicago Exhibition in 1893 was rewarded with so many
prizes. For twenty years St. Paul s had as Inspector Brother
Odo Baldwin, who gave his splendid talents and long experi
ence to the good of the school. He died on March 21, 1909.
His work has been ably continued by the present Inspector
The results of the religious training of the boys of St. Paul s
bore fruit in a goodly number of recruits for the ranks of the
Holy Priesthood and the Congregation of the Brothers. One
of the latter deserves more than passing mention. We refer
to Brother Osmind Gregory, who spent practically his whole
religious career in the Mission Schools of the Brothers in
Brother Osmind Gregory (Thomas McGrath), was born in
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Toronto on June 15, 1857, in St. Paul s parish. His parents at
that time lived on Parliament street, near Sydenham. He
attended St. Paul s School, and later, the De La Salle Institute,
where he took a commercial course and entered the business
world. Feeling a call to a higher life, he was admitted to the
Novitiate of the Brothers in Montreal in 1878. He was, at the
time, twenty-one years of age. After some years of study and
religious training in the old College on Cote street, Montreal,
REV. BROTHER TOBIAS
of which Bishop Charbonnel was chaplain in 1847, we find
Brother Gregory successively in Ottawa, Montreal, Sorel and
Fraserville. In 1888 he offered himself to the superiors of the
Order for mission work in Asia. His offer was accepted, and
in the spring of 1889 he was appointed Director of the College
at Colombo, Ceylon. We next meet him at the college in
Singapore, of which institution he was appointed Director in
246 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
1896. In December, 1899, he became Provincial of the Order
in Southern Asia. In January, 1900, he assumed charge of
St. Paul s College, Rangoon, Burmah, where the greatest work
of his life was done, and where to-day his name is held in
veneration. At the close of Brother Gregory s career, the
students of St. Paul s College, Rangoon, numbered 1,100. The
climate of India finally brought on him a persistent malaria
which medical skill failed to relieve, so in May, 1908, he bade
good-bye to Rangoon to seek in France and in the sunny cli
mate of Guernsey a recovery from his ailments. He failed to
improve, however, and in February, 1909, suffered a paralytic
stroke and died at Fleury, near Paris, on May 15, 1913, in his
56th year, 25 of which he had given to the Asiatic missions.
He was widely known and respected in the East and his influ
ence for good with the native population was very far-reach
ing. He enjoyed, too, the confidence of the British Governors
of the Indian provinces, and entertained at St. Paul s College,
Rangoon, Sir Herbert White in 1900, Lord Curzon in 1901, and
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales in 1906. Brother Gregory was a
brother of Mr. Hugh McGrath, of 64 Fulton avenue, Toronto.
St. Paul s School to-day is one of the largest and best ap
pointed Catholic schools of Toronto. Much of its success is
due to the impetus given to education work by the Very Rev
erend Dean Hand, who for over 30 years has been the guiding
spirit of Separate School activities in Toronto. To the work of
the Brothers, and to the progressive programme of the present
Provincial, Brother Bernard, who, it may be remarked, began
his teaching career in St. Paul s School, the Dean has been a
constant and generous friend, while to the boys of St. Paul s
for the last generation he has been a father and a guide.
SUPERIORS AND SPECIAL TEACHERS AT ST. PAUL S SCHOOL.
i . Bro. Odo Baldwin; 2 Rev. Bro. Arnold; 3 Rev. Bro. Osmind Gregory
4 Rev. Bro. Maxentius; 5 Rev. Bro. Pius: (i Rev. Bro. Sixtus.
THE PARISH SOCIETIES
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society was organized in St.
Paul s Parish in December, 1853. D. K. Feehan was the first
president, but he occupied the office for only a short time. He
was succeeded by William Patterson, who, in turn, after a
long and fruitful term in the office of president, was succeed
ed by J. G. Moylan. After Mr. Moylan came James J. Mallon,
who managed the affairs of St. Paul s Conference for over
twenty years. On the retirement of Mr. Mallon in 1894,
Maurice Devane filled the position for a couple of years. He
was followed by James B. Wright, James Delaney and Edwin
Stubbs, successively. These gentlemen gave most efficient
and painstaking service to the work of the Society. It was
a conscientious duty with them that the needs of the poor
should be the first consideration in the social and charitable
work of the Parish. They co-operated very effectively with
the other agencies, such as the House of Industry, which were
engaged in dispensing fuel and provisions for the relief of the
The St. Vincent de Paul Society, both for the quality ol
its membership and its work, holds an enviable place in the
esteem of the pastor and people of St. Paul s Parish. Its
record is a bright page in the story of that section of the city.
It lived up to the high standard of its saintly founder, Fred
erick Ozanam. It cared for the spiritual and educational wel
fare of its dependents as well as the physical and temporal.
For many years, during the existence of the General Hospital
on Gerrard street, the members of the St. Vincent de Paul
Society visited the Catholic patients every Sunday, and fre-
PRESIDENTS OF ST. .VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY SINCE ORGANIZATION
IX ST. PAUL S PARISH IN 1853.
250 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
quently through the week. They brought them beads, scapu
lars, prayer books and magazines, through which means the
weary, trying hours of confinement and suffering might be
relieved. The St. Vincent de Paul Society provided a sum
mer camp for boys at Pickering, which the children of St.
Paul s School, for the past twelve years, have enjoyed to the
full. This camp has been a real blessing to many a child
who otherwise could not have an opportunity of enjoying,
during the hot season in the city, a few weeks of fresh air and
sunshine in the country, where health of body and soul was
well attended to.
One of the members of St. Paul s Conference, the late P.
Hynes, filled the office of agent of the St. Vincent de Paul
Children s Aid Society for some twenty years, and only the
recording angel will be able to relate the innumerable deeds
of charity .and mercy exercised through his agency. His
venerable figure was for years familiar to the officials of the
Children s Court, where he was a faithful and welcome atten
There is no lane or alley of St. Paul s Parish which has
not known the presence of the St. Vincent de Paul workers.
The members of St. Vincent de Paul are not arm-chair
critics of the means and methods of dispensing charity and
accomplishing the work of God among the poor; they are
real laborers in the battle-field of life. During the winter
of 1921-22 St. Paul s Conference made 375 visits to the sick
and the needy and expended in rents, fuel, and provisions,
in the neighborhood of $1,700. This amount does not, it is
true, appear upon their returns, for the reason that they
acted as agents for the pastor as well as members of St.
Paul s Conference.
The Ladies Sewing and Relief Society is an organization
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
which has been in existence from time immemorial in St.
Paul s. Their purpose is to supply poor children during the
winter months with shoes and clothing to enable the little
ones to attend school and church in comparative comfort.
MRS. ROSALIA ROSAR
For many years previous
MISS STELLA BRUXER MRS. ELIZABETH O HAGAN
For several years President of Ladies Aid Society
to her death in 1921, Presi- of the Sunday School Teach- whose family hats been
dent of the Ladies Sew- ers Association and assist- resident in St. Paul s par
ing and Relief Society. ant organist at St. Paul s. ish since 1828.
The Sewing Society keeps in close touch with the St. Vincent
de Paul organization and attends to a quality of social and
charitable work that men could not very well handle. The
parish owes a debt of gratitude to the society for its splendid
efforts on behalf of the weaker and more helpless members
of the flock.
THE SODALITY OF THE CHILDREN OF MARY
"The Securest Shield for the Innocence of
Youth is a tender, heartfelt devotion to
the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, the Imma
culate Mother of God."
The Sodality of the Children of Mary, in honor of the Imma
culate Conception of the ever-blessed Virgin, was established
252 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
in St. Paul s Parish, in August, 1860, under the kind super
vision and fostering care of the esteemed Pastor, Rev. F. P.
Rooney. Father Rooney realized that the Sodality in band
ing together young girls and women in a holy crusade against
sin forms a strong motive for mutual aid and good example
under the gentle guidance and controling influence of the
good Nuns, consecrated to God, who foresaw that it would be
a powerful and lasting means of good to the Parish.
Seventy young ladies became members of the Sodality at
the inaugural reception, all reciting the Act of Consecration to
Mary as found in the Manual of the Society. Miss Rahilly
was elected first President.
In the sixty-one years which followed, sixty-five receptions
brought to the feet of our Blessed Lady about eleven-hundred
young ladies, who pledged themselves to labor for the acqui
sition of the virtues of a true child of Mary Purity, Humil
ity, Obedience, and Charity.
The spiritual welfare of the Sodality has been as dear to
the heart of each succeeding Director as it was to Rev. F. P.
Rooney, who was privileged to be the founder of the Children
of Mary in Toronto ; and thus we find Rev. J. J. McCann, Rev.
P. Conway, Rt. Rev. T. O Mahony, Rev. M. Moyna, Rev. L.
Minehan and Very Rev. J. L. Hand, our present beloved
Pastor and Director, each in his turn laboring to enroll under
the Banner of Mary Immaculate all the young ladies entrusted
to his fatherly care.
These devout pastors of souls provided a secondary means of
assistance to the Sodalists spiritual advancement by appoint
ing Religious of the Order of St. Joseph as Directresses of the
Sodality. The following have served as ,such in the sixty-one
years, Rev. Sisters M. Seraphine, M. Camilla, M. Thecla, M.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Dympna, M. Demetria, M. Mechtilde, M. Maria Theresa, M.
Victoria, M. Monica, M. Arsenia, M. Ermelinda, M. Christina,
M. Fidelis, M. Magdalena, and M. St. Paul. Rev. Sisters M.
Cecelia and M. Justina also gave of their musical talents
to the Sodality in the years that they labored in St. Paul s
It was the privilege of the Sodalists of 1910 to celebrate
the Golden Jubilee of the society. They were joined in their
jubilation by those who had been members at some time
Rev. Sisters M. Immaculate Heart (McGuire) and
M. Bernadette (Pennylegion)
DAUGHTERS OF ST. PAUL S PARISH, MEMBERS OF THE
COMMUNITY OF SISTERS ADORERS OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
during the fifty years and had changed the ribbon of the
Child of Mary for the sombre garb of a religious, or had
embraced the married state and rejoiced that daughters filled
their places amongst Mary s Children. The celebration com
menced on Wednesday, May 25, and consisted of a Triduum
conducted by the Rev. Father McDonald of the Carmelite
254 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Order and a social re-union of present and former members.
The exercises of the retreat were well attended and it was an
impressive and most edifying sight on the Sunday morning
to see the Children of Mary, former as well as present mem
bers to the number of 500, approaching the Holy Table to
receive Holy Communion in honor of the Immaculate Mother
of God, and in order that the seeds of grace, planted in their
souls during those days of prayer, might blossom and bear
fruit. At vespers that evening there was a grand procession
and a reception of thirty candidates into the Sodality. On
Monday morning a Requiem Mass was offered for the eternal
repose of those who had been called to their reward. In
the evening all assembled to renew old friendships and to
rejoice socially with one another. Among those who accom
panied the Very Rev. Dean Hand to the banquet were Rt.
Rev. Monsignor McCann and Rev. Fathers Minehan, McCabe,
Doherty and Cullinane. The evening was spent in music,
song and speeches, which called forth hearty applause from
all present. Thus was the celebration of the Golden Jubilee
brought to a festive closing.
The Sodality while tending primarily to the spiritual ad
vancement of each individual member has, as a society, lent
its aid to every good work pertaining either to the religious
or material welfare of the Parish, or to alleviating the suf
ferings of God s poor. Thus, whether the need was temporary
altars for the Church, a carpet for the presbytery parlor, a
donation to help the St. Vincent de Paul or Sewing Societies
in times of stress, or a yet more important and larger under
taking, the Sodality was ever ready to give financial assis
tance and by hearty co-operation at bazaar or garden party
to encourage and gladden the Pastor in his labors. In the
KRS. CON5SDYA 882 83
93.- 97.-99,-9O0. 3 04)
PRESIDENTS OP B.V.M. SODALITY 1862-1909.
256 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
year 1881 the following is an appended account to the financial
Amount realized by Sodality Table at Picnic, 24th May,
in aid of House of Providence $200
Dominion Day Picnic in aid of Rev. P. Conway s Pres
bytery - 100
Civic Holiday Festival in aid of St. Paul s Parochial
Sale of tickets 89
Oct. 25th, Concert given to aid in the decoration of the
New Chapel in the House of Providence towards
providing an Altar of the Blessed Virgin 150
We who live in these "times of money-making and spending"
can realize the labor and sacrifice of those who helped in the
early clays to make such a report possible.
A library having become a necessity in connection with the
Sodality, $158 was raised in 1886 by means of a concert and
subscriptions from the members. The good work then begun
has been continued up to the present time, the funds being
augmented by concerts and other entertainments when the
expenditure called for same.
A stained glass window of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary was installed in the new church in 1894. In 1903
the Altar of the Blessed Virgin was encircled with electric
lights, and in 1908 Our Blessed Lady was presented with a
new marble altar.
But the exertions of the Sodality have not been limited to
parochial matters alone. One of our treasures is a letter
penned by the Most Rev. J. J. Lynch, Archbishop of Toronto,
on May 3, 1881, thanking the members of the Sodality of the
Children of Mary of St. Paul s Parish for their noble exertions
to establish in our city the Convent of the Precious Blood.
Again, in the financial statements even in the early years, a
frequent entry is "Donation to Charitable Bazaar," "Dona-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
tion to a Charitable Picnic," or the name of the charity is
mentioned, as in 1873, "Gift to De La Salle Bazaar," and
"Proceeds of Table at House of Providence Picnic."
Two later works of Diocesan interest are familiar to
many : The Children of Mary Burse to St. Augustine s Semi
nary, raised by the Sodalities of Toronto in 1916 by the sale
Misses Hattie Ford, Secretary ; Catherine Eagan, President, and Hilda Woodhouse
(Mrs. G. Mason), First Vice-President.
B.V.M. SODALITY OFFICERS FOR 1922.
of certificates at one dollar each and by a joint bazaar held in
St. Michael s jHall, $375 being contributed by our Sodality;
and the Carnival of Nations in aid of St. Augustine s Semin
ary held in the Arena Gardens in 1921 in which some of
our members helped in canvassing the Parish for donations
and also in the Arena.
In conclusion let us follow some of the Sodalists in the
paths they chose on leaving the ranks of the Children of
Mary. In the quiet and seclusion of the cloister we find
thirty-two consecrating their lives to the service of Christ
and His weak and little ones. Let us tread softly and watch
them in their labors. One is leading her little charge to God
along the paths of virtue and knowledge ; another mothers the
258 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
orphan or consoles the aged in a life destitute of other care.
A third bends in loving solicitude over a hospital patient,
seeking to sooth and heal by her gentle ministrations, or
kneels at the side of a dying sinner pleading that he be con
verted and return to God before it is too late. Another
rescues wayward young girls and women from the pit-falls
of sin, and by kind and gentle admonitions leads them back to
the Good Shepherd and a useful life ; while yet another kneels
before the Sacramental Throne in adoration and reparation,
in order to obtain her own sanctification, the conversion of
sinners, and the graces of which Holy Church has need.
We shall now turn our eyes to those who entered the
married state, which called by far a greater number. The
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered for the welfare of
every Sodality bride in good standing. Having taken the
Immaculate Mother of God as their model in girlhood it is
surely natural that they would be devoted to the Mother of
Good Counsel and the Comforter of the Afflicted, and con
tinue to follow the lessons learned at Mary s knee, thereby
leading a life pleasing to God with the Holy Family as their
May the Sodality of the Children of Mary long continue
its salutary influence in St. Paul s Parish, and may the Im
maculate Mother of God attract young girls to place them
selves under her powerful protection in this life by becoming
faithful children of Mary.
"Yes, tis her pleasure to assist each child,
Who calls upon her aid in humble prayer;
Past ages, speak! O, was there ever one
Whose vows our Mother dear refused to hear!"
* * *
CLARA HORNBERGEHBll EUZABETH KOSTER
MARY O GRAOY
IANUARY TO JUNE-1917
OLIVE XANEf MARY COLUNS^f
TO DFC6MBeR, 19!7i
PRESIDENTS OP B.V.M. SODALITY 1910-1921.
260 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Arch-Confraternity of the Holy Family
Origin and Approbation of Pious Association of Holy Family.
The first idea of this work is due to an officer of talent
and some good laborers of the city of Liege, Belgium. For
mutual edification they agreed to meet every Monday for
prayers, pious reading, and to sing hymns. The first meeting
took place on Whit Monday, 1844, in the humble home of a
laborer of the same trade as St. Joseph. God blessed this
pious Association, which in a short time increased to such
an extent that the place of meeting became too small.
The Redemptorist Fathers, who desired to give their zeal
ous concurrence to this work, threw open their church for
the weekly meetings on the 8th of December of the same
With the foresight which penetrates the future and
measures the promises of a good work, Mgr. Van Brommel,
Bishop of Liege, seeing in this Association the realization of
projects which he had long meditated for the good of his
people, joyfully acceded to it, and took it under his special
The pious Bishop, not content with giving his approval
of the Statutes of the new Association in a pastoral, 7th of
April, 1845, desired to obtain for it the pontifical approbation.
At his prayer, and in consideration of the happy fruits
procured by it for the episcopal city (the number of members
amounted to nearly one thousand), His Holiness Pius IX. ap
proved of the pious Association and created it an Archcon-
fraternity, 20th of April, 1847.
The Archconfraternity of the Holy Family was established
in St. Paul s Church, Toronto, in January, 1891. The first
Overseers were: Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. E. Currie, Mrs. C.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Burns, Mrs. Rigney, Mrs. Falconbridge, Mrs. Dolan, Mrs.
Melady, Mrs. M. O Connor.
On September 17, 1899, the Archconfraternity and Altar
Society united under the name of "The Archconfraternity of
the Holy Family and Altar Society," and the following officers
were elected: President, Mrs. Melady; Vice-President, Mrs.
Murphy; Secretary, Edith Walsh; Assistant Secretary, Lillie
Rosar; Treasurer, Miss McAuley; and Overseers Mrs. Law-
Mrs. N. Melady, Mrs. Christie, Mrs. Graham.
PRESIDENTS OF ST. PAUL S CONFRATERNITY OF HOLY FAMILY SINCE
ler, Miss V. Prudhomme, Mrs. O Brien, Mrs. Barber, Mrs.
Murphy, Mrs. Jennings, Mrs. Graham, Miss Kearney, Miss
Dixon, Miss Kennedy, Miss McGovern, and Miss McAuley.
These officers, with the exception of Miss Walsh, remained
at their posts until 1905, when Miss Rosar resigned, and in
November, 1906, Miss McAuley was removed by death. Mary
Kennedy held the office of Secretary and Treasurer until
In June, 1915, Mrs. Christie was elected President; Miss
Kennedy, Secretary; and Miss Dixon, Treasurer. In April,
1919, Miss Kennedy resigned.
In October, 1919, Mrs. Graham was elected President; Mrs.
Miller, Secretary, and Miss Dixon, Treasurer.
262 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The League of the Sacred Heart
The Apostleship of Prayer is a pious association, otherwise
known as a league of prayer, in union with the Heart of
Jesus. It was founded in Vals, France, in 1844, by Francis
X. Gautielet. It owes its popularity to the Society of Jesus.
Rev. Father Ramiere, S. J., in 1861 adapted its organization
for parishes and various Catholic institutions and made it
known through the book entitled, "The Apostleship of Prayer,"
which has been translated into many languages. In
1879 the association received its first statutes approved by
Pope Pius IX., and in 1896 these were revised and approved
by Leo XIII. These statutes set forth the nature, constitu
tion and organization of the apostleship as follows: Its ob
ject is to promote the practice of prayer for the mutual inten
tion of the members in union with the intercession of Christ in
heaven. There are three practices which constitute three
degrees of membership. The first consists in one s daily
offering of prayers, good works and sufferings ; the second of
daily recitation of a decade of beads for special intentions of
the Holy Father recommended to the members every month ;
and the third of the reception of Holy Communion with the
motive of reparation monthly or weekly on the days assigned.
The members are also urged to observe the practice of the
Holy Hour spent in meditation on the Passion.
The Apostleship of Prayer is more popularly known as the
League of the Sacred Heart. The machinery of propaganda
in the League is very thorough and efficient. The Editor-in-
Chief of the authorized organ, "The Messenger of the Sacred
Heart," is the General Director of the League, and the local
or national editors are the directors of the League for the
territory for which their Messenger is published. The Mes
senger supplies the matter for the promoters, who are
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
appointed in local centres for the direction and control of the
members of the branch. There is not much required from
the pastor in the working of the Society. When once well
organized with a capable president and a band of zealous pro
moters the work goes on with the greatest smoothness and
efficiency. The supreme thing for the functioning of the
League is a full comprehension of the nature and purposes
and the very intimate manner in which it permeates the life
Miss McAttley Mrs. Ellen Curry Miss J. M. Fitzhenry.
THREE OF THE EARLY PROMOTERS OF THE LEAGUE OF THE SACRED HEART
IN ST. PAUL S PARISH.
of the practical members. The Promoters Guide is a very
explicit manual of the spirit and rule of the League.
The League of the Sacred Heart was organized in 1880 by
Rev. Father Nolin, S. J., in St. Paul s Parish. The first
director of the League was Rev. Father Lynch, assistant to
Bishop O Mahony.
There were forty-two promoters appointed to attend to a
membership of eight hundred. The League has continued
to fulfil its mission in the parish during the thirty odd years
264 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
of its existence. The promoters make monthly visits to the
members of their districts.
The promoters and members have taken an active part in
the charitable work of the parish. They have interested
themselves in the House of Providence and have shown care
for the orphans. In the many fairs and bazaars in connection
with the parish they have taken prominent and creditable
part. They have paid for the altar of the Sacred Heart in
the church, and erected a stained glass window to the memory
of the first director, Rev. Father John J. Lynch.
The officers for the year 1922 are: President, Miss B.
Eagan; Secretary, Miss Irma Boulogne; and Treasurer, Miss
The number of promoters is forty-five in the senior divi
sion, and fifteen in the junior. The total number of members
at the present time is in the neighborhood of 1,250.
Among the promoters of the League of the Sacred Heart
who have gone to their reward and deserve mention are Miss
McAuley, Mrs. Ellen Curry, Emma Walsh, Mary Fitzhenry,
Mary Delaney, James Mallon and Michael Dwan.
* * *
The League of the Cross
The League of the Cross is a Catholic total abstinence
confraternity, founded in London, England, in 1873 by Cardi
nal Manning, to unite Catholics, both clergy and laity, in the
warfare against intemperance and thus improve religious,
social and domestic conditions, especially among working
classes. The League spread rapidly throughout the British
Isles, where it effected very much good in the large industrial
towns. The fundamental rules of the League were: (1)
That the pledge shall be of total abstinence and taken with
out limit as to time. (2) That no one who is not a practical
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 265
Catholic shall hold any office in the League. Pope Leo XIII.
was a very ardent advocate of the League of the Cross and
enriched it with many ecclesiastical favors. It was introduced
into Canada by Bishop Carberry of Hamilton in 1885, and was
organized in St. Paul s Parish, in 1891 by Rev. Father Mine-
han, who has been a consistent advocate of temperance all
his life. His example has been a source of edification to
the clergy and laity of the Archdiocese of Toronto. St. Paul s
branch of the League had, at one time, a membership of 500
men and boys enrolled upon its register. Discourses on the
subject of temperance were delivered, usually on Sunday
afternoon, in St. Ann s Hall.
Among the leaders of the Crusade when it was at the
height of its popularity were the Rev. Dr. Treacy, W. H.
Cahill and George Duffy. Archbishop Walsh took a deep
interest in the movement, and delivered a lecture in St. Paul s
Church, Jan. 15, 1893, at the Sunday evening service. It was
an intensely cold day, with a temperature below zero, and one
of the main steam pipes in the church burst, necessitating the
shutting down of the plant. The Archbishop, nothing daunted,
faced the large audience and got through his discourse
as best he could. When the service was over he casually rer
marked that there was very cold comfort in temperance
The League continued in existence until 1905, when it
gave way to the more popular Holy Name Society. During
the existence of the League in the parish much good was
accomplished amongst the boys and young men, but the older
generation was certainly hard to hold within the limits of
the League. The temptation to have an occasional drink
seemed to be too strong for the powers of resistance of many
who, in a moment of enthusiasm, were carried away by the
266 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
hopeful promises of membership. Lapses and little bicker
ings among the members unfortunately brought about the
vlownfall of this most excellent society. In the days of Father
Fitzhenry, in the early fifties, there was a strong temperance
organization in St. Paul s Parish, and among the clergymen
who lectured to the members on the subject was the unfortun
ate Father Chiniquy, then a priest of Montreal diocese, who
went about preaching temperance.
* * *
The Holy Name Society
One of the societies that has added much honor to St. Paul s
parish is the Holy Name Society. Of its history as a Church
organization we need say little. It is old, as present-day
Church societies go, having been established in the thirteenth
century by St. Dominic to offset the Albigensian heresy. Since
the time of its formation the Holy Name Society has been
under the care of the Dominican Fathers.
The Society in its early clays obtained great following in
France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy. In America it is com
paratively new (about fifty years), and in Canada dates back
to the beginning of the present century.
One of the first, if not the very first, Holy Name Societies
established in Canada is that erected in St. Paul s parish by
the present pastor, Very Rev. Dean Hand. It was formed
among the boys of the school and, as the charter granted by
the Master General of the Dominican Order at Rome shows,
was given all the spiritual privileges of the Society on August
The senior Holy Name Society was established on Sunday,
December 17, 1905, following the mission given by the Re-
demptorist Fathers, when practically all the men who attended
the closing exercises of the mission were enrolled in this
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The inaugural meeting of the Society was held on Sunday
afternoon, January 17, 1906, when, with 132 members pres
ent, the Reverend Director Father Hand explained the aims
and objects of the Society belief in the Divinity of Our Lord;
promoting the due observance of Sunday ; respect for the Holy
HEAD OP HOLY NAME SOCIETY PROCESSION, SUNDAY, .TUNE 18, 1922.
Name of Jesus; respect for oaths, and the doing away with
unnecessary swearing. Elections followed, with this result:
President, Patrick M. Kennedy; Treasurer, James O Hagan;
Secretary, Geo. C. Cassidy, who acted for half a year, his suc
cessor being James Dillon.
The following Sunday, January 14, the newly established
Holy Name Society celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name by
assisting in a body at Holy Communion at the 8 o clock Mass,
and attending a general meeting in the afternoon. Thus be
gan those series of monthly meetings that eventually led to
the formation of the Society in other parishes and also to the
268 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
establishment of the Holy Name Union to foster the growth
of the Society throughout the Archdiocese.
In those early days much enthusiasm was shown; a choir
was formed among the members for the singing of hymns at
the meetings and at the Holy Communion Masses of the
Society. This choir also assisted the regular church choir and
eventually merged into it.
So heavy became the activities of the Society that other
officers were appointed to assist those elected in carrying out
the works undertaken. These additional officers were: Vice-
Vice-President, M. J. Martin ; Financial Secretary, Geo. Owen,
who later retired in favor of 0. J. Giroux ; Marshal, P. Farley ;
and Novice-Master, Rev. Bro. Jarlath. To this latter religious
too much credit cannot be given for the help he rendered the
pastor and the Society in its early days.
The Society, now firmly established, took part in the work
of helping to build up the parish. Besides supplying musical
talent for the choir, it offered its members services as col
lectors, ushers and in every other way that would be helpful
to the pastor. The parish was divided into districts and pre
fects appointed to look after the welfare of the members.
The sick were visited, and in conjunction with the St. Vincent
de Paul Society, committees visited the jail and the hospital,
speaking the word of sympathy and cheer so helpful to the
sick and needy.
One of the first deaths in the Society was that of Dr. Mat
thew Wallace, and from that time began the beautiful cus
tom of the visitation of the homes of mourning by Holy Name
men, leaving Mass cards instead of flowers, and offering up
the Rosary and Litany of the Holy Name for the departed
soul whose earthly tenement was present. This custom be-
PRESIDENTS OF ST. PAUL S HOLY NAME SOCIETY SINCE FOUNDATION.
270 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
came so pronounced that families not visited had word of
complaint sent to parish priest of this neglect.
At one of the meetings the reverend director mentioned the
matter of the growth of the Holy Name Society in other par
ishes and suggested the formation of a Union with the
existing societies in the city, thus making the Holy Name
Society one of our greatest Catholic organizations. Out of
this suggestion grew a correspondence which eventually cul
minated in the formation of the Archdiocesan Holy Name
During the Christmas season of the first year of the
Society s existence a Christmas tree entertainment was given
the Sunday School children by all the church societies, at
which the Holy Name Society contributed prizes and presents.
Committees of the Society, also visited the jail and the hos
pital, singing carols and hymns and distributing fruit, prayer
books and articles of devotion. These functions became fea
tures of the Society until the erection of St. Ann s parish,
which took up the jail work, and the removal of the General
Hospital to another part of the city.
Throughout the year the members of the Holy Name Society
had assisted at various religious exercises such as the Corpus
Christi and May Day open air processions, and at the Forty
Hours Devotion, Musical Vespers and other services.
The second year s activities were ushered in by the re
election of the first year s officers, and in addition Mr. James
Delaney was appointed Vice-President, with Messrs. Wm.
Fogarty, John Lee, F. Ebach and A. Reid as Councillors.
The collection and distribution of Catholic newspapers
and periodicals among the patients at the hospital and the
inmates at the jail was new work inaugurated this year.
During the early part of the year a presentation was made
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 271
of an address and a framed copy of Hoffman s "Christ in the
Temple" to Rev. Brother Jarlath as a recognition of his work
in building up the Holy Name organization, and in the follow
ing year the reverend brother was given a trip to Ireland to
see his relatives and his old home.
Among other activities of the Society were the series of
sermons and lectures given several times every year by noted
clerical orators at the Vesper services. The members of the
Society also lent their service in erecting the tables and tents
James L. Dillon F. R. Boylan Frank McKernan
President of St. Paul s President of Holy Name President of St. Paul s
Club. Union. Club.
THREE ST. PAUL S HOLY NAME OFFICERS INTERESTED IN BOYS WELFARE.
at the annual House of Providence picnics, and they also
assisted with the arrangements at the annual Sunday School
During this year (1907) occurred the Silver Jubilee of the
priesthood of Father Hand, and the Holy Name Society helped
the success of the affair through the work of its committee.
One of the pleasing features of the Jubilee exercises was the
reception of Holy Communion by all the members for the in
tentions of the pastor on the morning of Sunday, November 3.
So the work went on year in and year out. James O Hagar*
272 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
was president in 1908 and 1909; James Delaney in 1910 and
1911; 0. J. Giroux, 1912 and 1913; H. McGrath, 1914 and
1915; F. Donley, 1916 and 1917; E. J. Collins, 1918, 1919 and
1920; Jos. Starr, from January, 1921, to May, 1922; and H.
McDonald since that time to the present.
It was in 1910, during the presidency of Mr. Delaney, that
the Holy Name Union was formed. Acting on a suggestion
of Father Hand the officers of St. Paul s Holy Name Society
invited delegates from the other city branches to meet and
discuss the matter of a united organization, with branches in
the various parishes of the city and diocese. As a result a
conference was held in St. Paul s Church of representatives
from St. Basil s, St. Mary s, St. Helen s and St. Paul s Holy
Name Societies, with Mr. Delaney as chairman, and it was
decided to organize along the lines of the New York Holy
Name Union. Of this Union Mr. Delaney was elected presi
dent for the year 1911; Father Williams (pastor of St. John s
and former curate of St. Paul s) for 1912; James O Hagan for
1913, 1914 and 1915; and Francis R. Boylan for 1916, 1917
and 1918. All these were parishioners of St. Paul s, so besides
forming the foundation of the Holy Name Society in Toronto,
and in fact in Canada, St. Paul s was also the foundation stone
of the Holy Name Union, now grown to 54 senior and 20
junior societies, with a membership of 21,000 in Toronto
diocese alone .
The Holy Name Union was the first to interest itself directly
and in a big way in the athletic activities of the Catholic boys
of the city. During the second year of Mr. O Hagan s presi
dency (1914) a boy s summer camp was opened at Clarkson s,
Ont., and was continued the following year. The outbreak of
war in 1914 was the prime cause of the discontinuance of the
Holy Name Camp in 1916.
In 1914, Mr. F. R. Boylan, secretary of the Holy Name
THOS. O GRADY
JOHN HE PEERING
SOME OF THE PROMINENT COLLECTORS AT ST. 1 ATL S CHURCH DURTN(r
THE PAST QUARTER OT A CENTURY.
274 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Union, with the assistance and advice of Mr. O Hagan, formed
the first Holy Name Junior Baseball League. In the fall ol
that year these two zealous officers succeeded in organizing a
hockey league among the junior Holy Name boys of Toronto.
In the fall of 1917, under the presidency of Mr. F. R. Boy-
Ian, the first annual Holy Name field day was held in Dufferin
Park, Toronto, and was a success from the start.
In 1918 from within the Holy Name Union grew that splen
did and valuable organization, "the Catholic Big Brothers,"
which received the approval of the Union delegates at Rich
mond Hill, July 8, 1918. Much could be written of the inspir
ing results of the efforts of the members of this body in
salvaging wayward boys to better spiritual life and good
citizenship. To Mr. F. R. Boylan, president in 1918, is due to
a great extent the honor of fostering and organizing the
Catholic Big Brothers. He acted as directing head during the
first six months of its existence and was afterwards president
of it during the years 1920 and 1921.
Mr. Boylan represented the Toronto Catholic Big Brothers
at the International Convention of Big Sisters and Brothers
held in Toronto, May, 1920, and at Philadelphia in May, 1921.
All of these activities have continued to function and spread
under the able leadership of the succeeding presidents of the
Holy Name Union.
One of the features of the Union is the annual rally in
June of each year. Beginning in 1911 with a turnout of 2,500
men, the Holy Name Society at its annual rally this year
(1922) had nearly 20,000 men in line.
The Holy Name Union of Toronto was strongly represented
at the Eucharistic Congress held at Montreal in 1911. The
Union officers from St. Paul s part : c : pating in the historic
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
procession to Fletcher s Field were Very Rev. Dean Hand and
Messrs. Delaney and O Hagan.
The first and only international convention of Holy Name
Societies was held in Baltimore, Md., in 1912. Jas. Delaney,
president, and James O Hagan, corresponding secretary, rep
resented the Toronto Union on that occasion.
At the Holy Name Rally within the diocese of Hamilton,
which took place at Kitchener, Ont., in June, 1914, the To-
MESSRS. CHARLES BURNS, PATRICK HYNES AND DANIEL KELLY
Three of the older generation of parishioners who assisted in the local good works,
Messrs. Burns and Keilly as Catholic school trustees, and Mr. Hynes as agent for the
St. Vincent de Paul Children s Aid Society.
ronto Societies were represented by the Union President,
James O Hagan, and Francis R. Boylan, corresponding sec
Over five hundred Holy Name men from Toronto sailed
early the third Sunday morning in June, 1914, by the S.S.
"Lakeside" to St. Catharines to join with their brethren there
in the first demonstration held in the Niagara district. Mass
was offered on board the boat by the Spiritual Director, Dean
Hand, Frank Caulfield, now Father Caulfield of St. Mary s,
acting as server. This is the first and only time of which there
276 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
is any authentic record that Holy Mass was celebrated on the
bosom of Lake Ontario. Members of St. Paul s Parish Holy
Name branch were present in large numbers.
Oustanding Parish Personalities
Doctor Wallace was identified with St. Paul s Parish for over
twenty-five years. He devoted himself unsparingly to the
care of the sick poor. He was a man of profound religious
feeling, and had strong rugged Catholic faith. He was of a
cheerful, encouraging disposition, and met his patients with a
broad smile and a glad hand-clasp. He more frequently pre
scribed food than drugs for his patients, and when the butcher
boy was out, he would not infrequently bring the meat to the
poor in his own buggy. If there was no fire to cook the food he
would hasten to have the coal dealer supply the necessary
He was on the most friendly terms with the pastor of the
parish. The esteem of Dr. Wallace for Father Hand, and of
Father Hand for Dr. Wallace was mutual. They worked in the
same field there was no room for rivalry. The one looked
after the body and the other after the soul. The combination
was a good one, and counted for much consolation and happi
ness amongst the families of the poor.
It w r as a matter of universal regret, that Dr. Wallace was
taken away in the very prime of his manhood. A wail of
sorrow went up, not only from the members of St. Paul s
Parish, to which he belonged, but from the people of the east
end in general. In fact his death was mourned by the medical
fraternity of Toronto and the public at large, as the extracts
from the papers of the time bear witness.
The doctor made very little provision for his own family, but
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
St. Paul s Parish, in co-operation with the medical body of
the city, provided a fund of $10,000 for the education of his
children ; a fact that reflected credit upon the public spirit of
the people and their grateful appreciation of the services which
Dr. Wallace, during his life time, rendered them.
* * *
William O Connor, Champion Oarsman of America
Sports and athletics were ever much favored by the young
people of St. Paul s. The various summer and winter games
were indulged in to the full by the rising generation. These
WM. J. O CONNOR DR. M. WALLACE
sports were encouraged by the teachers and clergy as a means
of physical and moral development.
One of the most outstanding athletes of the old parish was
William O Connor, who won the sculling championship of
America from Teenier, on the Potomac in 1889. He retained
the title until his death, which resulted from typhoid fever in
William O Connor was born at the corner of Vine and Front
Streets, and was one of a large family of brawny, powerful
men. In his day he was the admiration of the young people of
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Toronto, and his untimely death, cut off as he was in the
flower of his young manhood, was universally regretted by
Auditor and secretary
for many years at St.
A. W. HOLMES JOHN MOGAN
Architect of the new One of the active sup-
parochial residence on porters of St. Paul s and
Power Street. its pastor.
his fellow-citizens. A handsome stained glass window was
erected in St. Paul s Church to his memory, by his brother,
Henry O Connor.
* * *
Mr, John Mogan
One of the active supporters of St. Paul s Church in recent
years was the late John Mogan, whose death occasioned
much regret among the Catholic people of Toronto. Mr.
Mogan was a self-made man. He was left an orphan at a
tender age, but even as a young lad he showed marked charac
teristics of indomitable perseverance, lively energy and laud
able ambition; all of which served him in good stead in his
later life. Admirable as such qualities are in any man, they
are poor if not crowned by a life of Christian virtue. It is
in this particular that the key-note of Mr. Mogan s life was
struck; and this note dominated every action of his life. St.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Paul s Parish and the House of Providence were two institu
tions that claimed much of his attention. He was always
ready for any call that his Pastor or the Sisters of St. Joseph
might make for his advice and assistance. His death occur
red on April 4, 1920.
* * *
John O Neill, City Controller and M.P.P.
John O Neill was one of the outstanding members of St.
Paul s Parish. He was born in 1859, and was baptized in
the old church. He received his education in St. Paul s
School, and started out early in life to make his own living.
How admirably he succeded, and with what credit to himself,
may be gleaned from the press of the city on the occasion of
JOHN O NEILL, M.P.P.
his lamented funeral from St. Paul s Church, January 9, 1922.
Mr. O Neill was for ten years a member of Toronto s City
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Council, six years as Alderman for Ward No. 2, and four
years as a member of the Board of Control. While in the
Council, Mr. O Neill was interested in welfare work on be
half of his less fortunate fellow-citizens. He established a
public playground; helped to found the Industrial Farm at
II III ! f * III I
CHAMPION- OARSM*M-6f AM(li!CA
TttMIMVtV I6 tlC1t8Vt:,B8tfHe*W 1
TWO OF THE MEMORIAL WINDOWS IN ST. PAUL S CHURCH.
St. Timothy, in memory of Bishop O Mahony; and St. Paul, in memory of Win. J.
Thornhill, to overcome the evils of the jail system; and helped
open a home for indigent aged couples, where such couples
could end their days in each others company instead of being
compelled to live in separate institutions.
Mr. O Neill, in 1919, was elected as member of the Legisla
tive Assembly of Ontario, and it was while holding this posi
tion that death came upon him.
THE CENTENARY CELEBRATION.
On Sunday, November 12, 1922, the centenary celebration
of St. Paul s began, and during three days the festivities con
tinued to mark this important event.
As the bell which for nearly fifty years has called the people
of the parish to devotion sounded out on the clear autumn
air, the procession of clergy and dignitaries, headed by
acolytes and erossbearer, wended its way from the parochial
residence to the church, where Mass was sung by His Excel
lency, Mgr. Pietro di Maria, the Apostolic Delegate, with the
Rev. A. J. O Leary, D.D., as Deacon, and the Rev. J. J. Mc-
Grand as Subdeacon.
The Right Rev. M. D. Whelan, V.G., acted as Archpriest,
and the Very Rev. D. Morris and the Rev. P. J. Coyle assisted
at the throne. The Rev. F. J. Morrissey, D.D., was Master of
Ceremonies, and was assisted by the Rev. F. H. Pennylegion.
Archbishop McNeil was assisted by Very Rev. Dean Hand
and Dr. Treacy, of St. Cecilia s. His Grace Archbishop Spratt
of Kingston, was assisted by Mgr. Corbett, V.G., Cornwall,
and Father T. O Donnell of St. Anne s. Other priests in the
sanctuary were: Mgr. Kidd, of St. Augustine s Seminary;
Rev. E. Kelly, Richmond Hill; Rev. R. S. Millar, St. Paul s;
Rev. M. O Farrell, St. Paul s; Rev. Peter E. Hand, Lostant,
111.; Very Rev. H. Carr, C.S.B., St. Michael s College; Rev. P.
K. Malouf and Rev. S. Auad, of the Syrian Church, Toronto ;
and Brothers Michael, Luke, John, Jarlath, Pius and Alfred,
of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
282 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The sermon preached by Archbishop McNeil was as follows :
"I am ivith you all days even to
the consummation of the world."
We are gathered here to-day to rejoice with the Rev. Dean Hand and
his parishioners in the celebration of the centenary of the Parish of St.
Paul. It is not that one hundred years is an extraordinary event in the
history of the Church, but it is because it marks the first centenary of
the history of the Church in Toronto. This is the mother church for all
other parishes and all are interested in it in and around Toronto. At that
time, one hundred years ago, the territory of St. Paul s Parish included
what is now the territory of thirty parishes and many strong institutions.
When St. Paul s was founded it was the first Catholic parish in
Ontario, which also included Western Canada. The Catholics of Mont
real sent $7CO towards the erection of St. Paul s Church, a sum which
is now equal to $25,000 on account of the changed conditions and differ
ence of money value.
A few weeks ago the Cathedral of Cologne, on the Rhine, celebrated
its sixth century. A few years ago I stood in a church that had been in
active service fourteen or fifteen hundred years, and had only a few
years ago been excavated from the accumulation of earth. The holy
water font was still at the door, and a painting of the crucifixion over
one of the side altars. You could not possibly stand within that church
without knowing that it was Catholic. If every church built throughout
the Catholic world was to celebrate its one hundi edth anniversary we
should have churches celebrating every century in the history of the
Catholic church from the first to the nineteenth. There are many
churches of to-day which were erected in the fourth and fifth centuries.
Every century from the first to the nineteenth is represented to-day by
some church in the world.
There was a Bishop in Lyons, France, in the middle of the second
century and from that day to this there has been a continuous line of
bishops in that place. Go a little further, in Malta, where 90 per cent, of
the people are Catholic. Its succession of bishops dates from the time
of St. Paul. These are instances in the Church that show the mani
festation of the power of God in continuing the church unbroken through
twenty centuries, despite the persecutions and revolutions. "I am with
you all days, even to the consummation of the world."
Suppose that some influential people undertook to establish one single
language in place of all others. Let us suppose they form an organiza
tion and take their cause as a mission. How far could this enterprise
be carried against national sentiment and human nature? That would
be a simple undertaking compared with what Our Lord undertook to
teach all nations.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
When persecutions came strongly it was a question as to which would
endure, the Roman Empire or the Catholic Church, and for fifty years
this went on, until it was proven that the Roman Empire was powerless.
"I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world." With
out that presence we would not be here to celebrate the centenary of this
The church for the occasion was tastefully decorated with
red and white streamers, and the choir, with Mrs. McGann at
HIS EXCELLENCY, MOST REV. PTETRO
DI MARIA, APOSTOLIC DELEGATE TO
CANADA, OFFICIENT AT CENTENARY OF
ST. PAUL S PARISH.
the organ, was directed by Mr. Geo. Somers. At the offertory
Mr. James Farley rendered a solo, "Ave Verum."
In the congregation were representatives of the various re
ligious sisterhoods, the Municipal Council and the Separate
At the conclusion of the Mass, His Excellency, the Apostolic
284 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Delegate, congratulated Rev. Dean Hand and the parish as
REV. AND DEAR FATHER HAND,
I feel happy to be here to-day with you, my dear Father, with this
distinguished gathering of archbishops, clergy and the people of St.
Paul s, to partake of your joy and gladness in celebrating with all the
possible splendor of the Roman Catholic ceremonial the first centenary
of the establishment of the first Catholic Church in the Capital of
A centennial celebration of this kind is very touching indeed, because
of its meaning as to the historical event itself which is commemorated,
and also as to the deeply religious character connected with all Catholic
The historical event, while quite simple in itself, is full of memories
most dear to our Catholic heart. In fact this celebration brings us
back to that momentous date when in this great city of Toronto, at thai
time a very humble town, still in its infancy, we may say, for the first
time the faith of Rome, of the true Church of Christ, opened its first
public and official house of worship. In other parts of this great Domin
ion of Canada the faith of Rome was already preached for several cen
turies and it was thriving beautifully among whites and Indians; but it
is only one hundred ysars since Toronto received its first Catholic church.
And it was a happy thought indeed to have the first Catholic Church
of Toronto dedicated to Almighty God under the auspices and through
the intercession of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, the indomitable
Saint Paul, who had known no rest until he reached the Caput Mundi,
the Eternal City, whereto he was preceded long before by St. Peter, the
Chief cf the Apostlc3, and where both crowned their apostolic labors
with martyrdom for the Religion of their Divine Master, Jesus Christ.
Saint Paul and the Faith of Rome are inseparable. This faith is
synonymous of religion, and religion is the greatest and most precious
gift that God can give to men, because it conveys to them happiness in
this earthly place and assureo them the eternal bliss of the world beyond.
Religion, taken as a synonym of faith, brings happiness to this world
because, as its etymology tells us, it binds men t;> God, and in this sacred
union men will find light for their mind to know, stimulus for their
heart to love and to act, and strength for their will to accomplish and to
A good knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and intense love
for Him and for all that pertains to Him, a faithful service to Him in
every activity of the mind, of ths soul and also of the body, and finally
an unflinching combat uryainr.t and resistance to everything opposed to
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
our Divine Master; such is the program of earthly happiness and the
sure mortgage on the eternal glory of heaven.
This program of life, however, is only to be found complete and real
in the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, as this is the only true
Church founded by and upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It is obvious in fact that Jesus Christ founded only one Church, be
cause He, being the Son of God, had only one teaching of truth. Truth
is not divisible; a thing is either true or false; consequently religious
truths also are either true or false.
The true Church of Jesus Christ is, then, evidently that one which
was preached by the Apostles to all the world, under the leadership and
ST. PAUL S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1922.
1 Procession of sanctuary Ix.ys leaving the presbytery: 2 Procession entering
church; 3 Archbishops of Kingston and Toronto, with officer* nf the Mass, leaving
the presbytery; 4 Apostolic Delegate and assistants.
under the guidance of Peter, who was the only one to receive from the
Divine Master the Primacy over them all.
Peter was brought by Divine Providence to Rome and evidently in
structed from on High to fix his See in the centre of paganism, in order
to strike at the root of evil and begin right there the re-making of the
286 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
world in accordance with the new standard of life taught by Jesus Him
self. Peter sealed his faithful apostolate with his own blood, leaving to
his lawful successors the divine inheritance to rule over all the faithful,
over all the priests and also over all the bishops of the true Church of
Christ. Where Peter is there is the Church: ubi Petrus ibi Ecclesia.
Therefore let us first humbly and fervently thank God for having
given to the priests and to the Catholics, who lived in this neighborhood
a century ago, sufficient grace and strength to build this church which,
becoming the mother church of all the sacred edifices of this city, ac
quired the glorious distinction of being a real milestone in the history
of Catholicism in Upper Canada.
Likewise, let us remember with reverent and loving -gratitude the
zealous bishops and priests who toiled faithfully in this Vineyard of the
Lord, and all those loyal members of this parish, who proved themselves
true pioneers of the Catholic faith by lending their unstinted support,
spiritual and material, to this House of God and to all the undertakings
which received their impulse from this eminent parish.
Let us keep in grateful memory all these benefactors of St. Paul s and
offer our humble prayers for their eternal rest and bliss!
Finally, as a distinguished mark of solemnity to your celebration, you
have craved for the presence of the Apostolic Delegate, the humble rep
resentative of the illustrious successor of Peter, Pope Pius XI.
Well then, allow me to say to you that I am happy to be among you
during this celebration, and I assure you that the Holy Father also is
here in spirit among us. The common Father of all the faithful appre
ciates the work which has been done here and rejoices at its success, for
the glory of God and for the progress of the Church in your great city.
The Vicar of Christ sends you his Papal Blessing, which I have the
honor and the great satisfaction to bestow upon you all. May this Bless
ing of the Roman Pontiff descend and rest upon the first pastor of this
archdiocese, the Most Reverend Archbishop of Toronto; upon the Arch
bishop of Kingston; upon you, my dear Father Hand, who have so well
deserved of this parish; upon the clergy who have worked with you, and
upon all the faithful parishioners of St. Paul s. May this Papal Bless
ing abide with you all as a pledge of God s own blessing, leading you all
and myself to our e.ernal salvation.
In the evening at seven o clock, after the recitation of the
Rosary, Rev. J. P. Treacy, D.D., St. Cecilia s, preached as
"He gave some apostles, others some pastors and doctors for the per
fecting of the saints for the work of the ministry and for the building
up of the Body of Christ." Eph. 4:12.
MOST REV. NEIL McNEIL, D.D., ARCHBISHOP OF TORONTO, WHO PREACHED
THE SERMON AT THE CENTENARY OF ST. PAUL S PARISH.
288 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The religious celebration of the centenary of this premier parish of
the Archdiocese of Toronto, honored as it is by the presence of distin
guished prelates and members of the clergy, appeals to our reason as
well as to our imagination, and stirs up within us a salutary pride in
our holy faith and reminds us of the beauty, strength and antiquity
of the holy Catholic Church to which we belong, through no merits on
our parts, but rather through the gracious mercy of Almighty God.
The great apostle of the Gentiles, St. Paul, whose name and memory
have been indelibly carved upon this church and parish for 100 years,
speaks of the Catholic Church as the Body of Christ. I might say that
a summary of the teaching of St. Paul would almost be restricted to two
subjects, the Church and Christ, whose Sacred Name occurs over 150
times in the pages of his Epistles. Again and again he refers to the
Church as the Body of Christ.
Christ is the Head of the Church; the Church is His Body and we are
members of the Church and members of Christ. The same Holy Spirit
which animates Christ comes into our souls with His heavenly gifts in
baptism and confirmation. As a consequence we are united to Christ by
the most intimate bonds, "You are the Body of Christ and members of
His members," and we are also for the same reason united with one an
other in the communion of saints. "So we being many are one Body in
Christ and every one members one of the other." Running throughout
all his Epistles is this central idea that the Church is an organism, a
vital living society whose head is Christ, "from whom the whole body
being compacted and fitly joined together by what every joint supplieth
according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase
of the body unto the building of itself in charity." (Eph. 4:15-16.)
All the members of this body occupy indeed different positions; they
perform various functions in relation to other component parts of the
society, but they are all welded together by a common faith, hope and
charity, by the union of the same spirit of God Holy Ghost and by com
mon obedience to the supreme authority.
Some are apostles like Peter and Paul himself, and in later days men
of another race like Cyril and Methodius; Patrick, Augustine, Boniface
and Francis Borgia, who will go forth and preach Christ crucified to
the pagan nations turning them from darkness unto light and winning
their souls by the sweet unction of their preaching and the glory and
power of their miracles.
Some are pastors like St. James of Jerusalem and John of Ephesus
and Clement and Gregory and Leo of Rome, who will protect the flock
of Christ and guard the sheep and lambs from the wolves of schism
There will be doctors like Paul and Stephen and Barnabas; men of
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 289
erudition like Jerome, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Augustine and Thomas of
Aquin, steeped in the knowledge of God and of things divine and learned
also in the culture of this world to which they and their children will
contribute whatever is of lasting value or enduring fame in all the arts
and sciences. They have all different operations; they have all definite
functions and widely diversified labors, yet they are all appointed by
God "for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry and
for the building up of the Body of Christ which is His Church. This
is the Pauline teaching.
Again the Church is called the Kingdom of God on eai th. The city
built upon a rock, a sheep-fold, of which Christ is the Shepherd, the
responsibility and the care of which He conferred on St. Peter after His
resurrection. "Feed my lambs and feed my sheep."
All these metaphors and similes, all these comparisons indicate the
Church as a society or organization which Christ has established on
earth for the salvation of our immortal souls. It was to be a visible
society on the earth, conspicuous to all the world as a society so that
men of every age and nation, despite the handicaps of time or place,
despite the obstacles of race or language, would be able to see it and
recognize it as the vehicle of God s grace and the home of salvation.
"The House of God, which is the Church of the living God the pillar and
the ground of truth" (1 Ti. 3-15). This is the one thought uppermost
in St. Paul and in the acts of the apostles. It is the radiant conviction
that stares us in the face from the illuminated text of the Gospels.
Our Divine Lord came upon this earth to proclaim the new religion,
to teach men their duties to God, to their neighbors and to themselves,
"to enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, to
direct our footsteps in the ways of peace." He came down from heaven
to take upon His shoulders, like the scapegoat of sacrifice, the burden
and punishment of our sins, to atone for them by His passion and death
on the cross and in this way to satisfy the offended justice of our sins.
"He was wounded for our iniquities and bruised for our sins and the
chastisements of OUT peace were upon Him."
He was the prophet, priest and king foreshadowed by the Old Testa
ment whose mission was to continue down the ages until all the nations
shall be gathered to Him. He came to perform the functions and to ex
ercise the triple office of teacher, priest and shepherd of souls, and
therefore His office must be continued to all ages, the saving merits of
His passion and death must be applied to the souls of all men. His
redemption was to be as universal in its beneficent healing effects as
the fall of the first man was universal in its deleterious consequence.
That teaching was not to die with Him, it was to go on down the ages.
The saving graces of His passion and death were not only for those who
lived at the time, but for all men and all times. He died for all for
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
the Greek and for the barbarian, for the Jew as well as for the Roman,
and therefore the work of salvation, enlightening the minds of men by
the teaching of the gospel, cleansing their hearts by the application of
His Precious Blood, healing the sores of sin, was to go on down the ages
until the gospel was preached to all the nations of the earth.
"Behold I have given Thee to be the light of the Gentiles that Thou
may be my salvation even to the farthest parts of the earth." (Is. 49.)
How was this divine mission of Christ to be continued? How was this
teaching upon whose acceptance depended eternal salvation to be per
petuated amongst men? How and in what way were the saving merits
of His passion and death to be brought home to every individual soul
in such a way as to ensure confidence in and certitude of the fruits of
ST. PAUL S CHOIR, 1922, WHICH RENDERED THE MUSIC AT THE CENTENARY
Mrs. McGann, organist, and Mr. Geo. Somers, director.
salvation? In one word what were the means which Christ adopted in
order to ensure the continuance of His saving mission on earth? Did
He make the reading of the Bible the supreme rule of faith and morals?
Did He allow every man to be the sole arbiter of what he must receive
and of what he must reject of the Gospel of Christ? No! If the teach
ings of St. Paul be true, if the New Testament be positive on any doc
trine, it is this that Christ has founded a visible organization or church
and in that religious society or church, He has embodied all His teaching
as to what we are to believe and what to practise in order to ensure our
eternal salvation. "He that will not hear the Church, let him be to thee
as the heathen and the publican." I do not mean that He hinted at
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 291
such a religious organization or that He suggested to the apostles that
after His ascension into heaven they were to organize His spiritual
kingdom. Though He disclaimed before Pilate any thought of establish
ing a temporal kingdom "and fled into the mountain Himself alone when
He perceived that they would come to take Him by force and make Him
king" (John 6:15), yet He would and did establish a spiritual kingdom
or organization on this earth, and He Himself gave to it all the decisive
and definite elements, all the component parts of an organized society.
In every organization which is established by men to carry out some
great undertaking in the social, political or financial world, which they
cannot accomplish by their own individual labors, there are four con
stituent elements. There must be members who are united together;
there must be a definite end or purpose in view which is the aim of all
parties in the society; certain adequate means must be employed which
the members will use in order to accomplish their end and finally there
must be seme supreme authority who will direct and govern the society.
Applying this to the Church we find these elements of organized society
present from the beginning and that by divine appointment. (1) Our
Divine Lord laid down the end or purpose of His heavenly mission which
was the salvation of souls. "This is the will of God your salvation."
(2) Again He and He alone determined the means that we must employ
in order to attain that end, viz., prayer and sacraments. (3) Further
more He laid the foundation of the Church w r hen in the course of His
teaching He gathered His followers and disciples around Him and (4)
chose twelve of these to preside over the rest and St. Peter to be head of
all. "Thou are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Hence we see that from the very beginning the religion of Jesus
Christ was embodied and crystallized in the form of a visible society, or
Church which was authorized to continue His mission, to apply the sav
ing merits of the redemption to each individual soul by the internal
means of faith, hope and charity, and by the external means of prayer
and the sacraments, and which was to continue His blessed work of
regeneration until time shall be no more.
"Go ye teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you, and behold I am with you all
days even to the end of the world."
At first this society was the veritable grain of mustard seed, which in
the words of Christ is the smallest of all seeds, but grows into a wide-
spreading tree which shelters the birds of the air and the beasts of the
field. In the beginning the Church consisted of only 120 members. It
began its life on the day of Pentecost when the holy Ghost came down in
the form of tongues of fire and became henceforth the vitalizing spirit-
292 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
ual power of the organization. On that day 3,000 were baptized; in a
few days 5,000 souls were converted by the preaching of Peter and by
the visible manifestations of divine power. The Acts of the Apostles
speaks of many thousands that were daily added to the society of salva
tion. Tacitus writes of "the vast multitude of the followers of Christ,"
and so widespread was the religion of Christ in the world that St.
Justin says, "There is no people barbarian, Scythian or Greek, amongst
whom the name of Christ is not invoked."
In the period after the death of Christ they were called "Brethren"
or "Saints" or "Christians," as in Antioch, but at the end of the first
century they were called, or called themselves "Catholics" "Christian
is my name, but Catholic is my surname," said Papias.
"We fill your camps, your cities and your provinces, we leave you only
your temples," said Tertullian.
From 284 A.D. to 385 A.D. there were ten different persecutions, in
which, according to conservative estimates over 2,000,000 Christians
were put to death. Ancient monuments have been discovered in Spain
which had been erected to the Emperor, Diocletian, who was said to have
destroyed the hated religion of Christ "Deleto nomine Christiano."
Ravaged by fire and sword the means adopted by pagan emperors to
exterminate the Church, were the very means which helped to propagate
its doctrine. The blood of martyrs became the seed of Christianity.
Hard pressed by the heresies of the Arians and the Manicheans down
to the end of the 5th century, she was in danger from Mohammedanism
which overran the greater part of southern Europe and northern Africa
in the 8th century. The sturdy growth of a poisonous nationalism
which began in Constantinople in A.D. 867 under Photius, patriarch of
that city, lost many millions of her adherents in the Greek Empire.
The same cause supplemented by the lust of princes and the avarice of
nobles produced like effects in England and Germany in the 16th century
when whole nations went out from the Church and established national
religions for themselves on the ruins of the old faith.
It seemed at one time as if the Church must perish, as if the promises
of Christ were not to be fulfilled "Behold I am with you all days even to
the consummation of the world." But the storm past by when the
Master awoke and calmed the tempest.
"The Church," says St. Ambrose, "is like the moon, it may wane but
never is destroyed; it may be darkened but it never disappears." St.
Anselm says, "The bark of Peter may be swept by the waves, but it will
never sink because Christ is there." And the great Bishop of Hippo,
St. Augustine, says, "Persecutions serve to bring out saints. The
Church is a field fruitful when it is torn up by the ploughshares of per
secution and harrowed by the shards of trial and suffering." In the
days of his imprisonment at the hands of the Emperor Napoleon, Pius
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
VII. wrote the remarkable words, "The more battles the Church has to
fight, the more her spiritual powers are developed, and the more she i
oppressed, the higher she rises."
"Truth crushed to earth shall rise again
The eternal years of God are hers.
While error wounded writhes in pain
And dies amidst her worshippers."
A great writer has well said that upon careful consideration ths sci
entific observer could see three great characteristics in nature:
(1) The indestructability of matter.
(2) Inerrency in the order of the universe.
(3) Perfect organization.
Likewise in the Catholic Church which is the spiritual creation of God,
the same identical features may be observed, viz., indefectability in
ST. PAUL S SANCTUARY SOCIETY, 1922. WITH VERY REV. DEAN HAND AND
REV. BRO. MANFRED.
duration, infallibility in doctrinal teaching and most wonderful organi
zation. If the Catholic Church were not a divine institution, it would
have gone to ruin a thousand times.
The poor fallible human element in the Church which comprises dif
ferent passions and ambitions and widely different mentalities and tra
ditions would long since have destroyed it unless it were protected by
the holy spirit of God and the promises of our Divine Lord. "Behold [
am with you all days, even to the end of the world."
Very true, in her sanguinary encounters with the Czars of Russia and
the rulers of England and Germany in the 16th century, she lost
most valuable portions of her ancient inheritance by heresy, schism and
291 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
infidelity in Russia, Germany, England and in the Scandinavian coun
tries of northern Europe, but she has more than made up for the de
fection by the innumerable neophytes that come to her from darkest
Africa, from eastern Asia, free America, and far Australia, until it
would seem that the words of Isaiah, the prophet, were verified over
again. "Lift up thine eyes round about and see all these that are gath
ered together, they are come to thee, thy sons shall come from afar and
thy daughters shall rise up at thy side. Then shalt thou see and abound
and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the
sea shall be converted to thee and the strength of the Gentiles shall
come to thee." (Isaiah 61-9-11.)
For nineteen hundred years she has borne the persecution of fire and
sword in every age of this old world s history and in every nation and
tribe of the children of men, but she has survived it all for she is the
city built upon a rock. "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build
my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." "She was
great and mighty," says the historian, Lord Macaulay, "When the
Frank had crossed the Rhine, and before the Saxon set foot upon the
shores of Britain and she will still continue to exist with undiminished
splendor when a lonely traveller from far New Zealand shall stand upon
the broken arches of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul s."
That noble son of the Church, Cardinal Newman bears like testimony
to her divine endurance. "She came first," he says, "upon an age of
luxury and refinement like our own, and in spite of the persecutor, fertile
in the resources of his cruelty, she soon gathered out of all classes of
society the slave, the soldier, the high born lady, and the sophist mate
rials enough to form a people to her Master s honor. The lawless kings
arose sagacious as the Roman, passionate as the Hun, yet in Her they
found their match. They were shattered and she lives on. The gates of
the earth were opened to the east and west and men passed out to take
possession, but the Church went with them by her missionaries to China,
to Mexico, carried along by zeal and charity, as far as those children of
men were carried by enterprise, covetousness or ambition. Has she
failed in our fathers day, that she should fail in ours? What grey
hairs are on the head of Judah, whose youth is renewed like the eagles
whose feet are as the feet of harts and underneath the everlasting
All this is historically true. When Columbus came to the shores of
America in 1492, a priest accompanied that expedition which was fitted
out by the Catholic sovereigns of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella. The
first official act which he performed on American soil was the erection,
mid salvos of cannon, of the emblem of our redemption, and the first
act of worship offered to God on this virgin soil was the holy sacrifice
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 295
of the Mass. To-day there are over twenty millions of Catholics in the
United States and eighty millions in the South American republics.
The foundations of our Canadian history were laid deep and strong in
the fertile soil of the Catholic Church. From that hallowed day in 1535
when Commodore Jacques Cartier sailed away from the sea-port of St.
Malo, the Catholic religion has flourished in this country, thanks to the
self-sacrificing zeal and heroic efforts of the sons and daughters of old
France. From the year 1615, when the Recollet Father Le Caron went
on his 900-mile journey from Quebec to the shores of Lake Huron, Mass
was said and the Gospel of Christ was preached to the aboriginal in
habitants of Ontario the Hurons, Ottawas, Neutrals, Nipissings and
Iroquois, down to the year 1649, when the Jesuit Fathers Brebeuf and
Lalemont met death at the hands of the savages in the present County
of Simcoe. The Huron Christian Missions were completely wiped out.
All the priests were massacred with most of their followers. Here too,
let us hope that the "blood of martyrs will be the seed of Christianity."
"From the rustic altars erected by the Franciscans and Jesuits the
crucifix looked with its agonized face on the savage multitudes of che
aborigines, kneeling before it, and since then this province has been con
secrated for all future time to the religion of Jesus Christ."
The past never returns, but the course of events, as history proves, is
nearly always the same, though new in feature, fashion and coloring.
Persecution is a mark and a sign of the true religion in every age and
country. Whether it is placed upon our shoulders by the hands of an
impious Roman Emperor or by the untutored savage of the Canadian
wilds matters not. It is the badge of the tribe of the house of Judah.
Our Divine Lord said, "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you and
persecute you and speak all that is evil against you untruly for my
sake, be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great in heaven, for
so they persecuted the prophets that were before you." (Matt. 5.11.12.)
The Indians are gone to the happy hunting grounds of their fathers
beyond the setting sun, the old missionaries shall never more return,
and a new race takes the place of those who have departed forever.
"Still stands the forest primevial,
But under the shade of its branches
Dwells another race, with other
Customs and language."
The gap between 1649 when the Catholic Missions were destroyed in
Huronia and 1776 is filled by perambulating missionaries who travelled
on foot or by canoe to the outlying French settlements along the Detroit
River. The first mention we have of missionaries other than French is
when Father McXenna, an Irish priest who had studied at Louvain, ap
pears in Ontario at the head of 300 Catholic Highlanders in 1776.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, foronto
Twenty-seven years later, Father Alexander Macdonell came with
other Highlanders who settled in Glengarry in 1803. Bishop Macdonell
was nominated Bishop of Rhesina in 1819, and was consecrated the fol
Land was secured from the government early for church purposes and
the first church was built in 1822, a brick structure, which was said to be
the handsomest building in York. Dr. Scadding gives an account of old
St. Paul s. "The material of the north and south walls was worked into a
kind of tesselated pattern which was considered very extraordinary.
The spire was originally surmounted by a large and spirited effigy of
the bird that admonished St. Peter and not by a cross."
A long rugged line of heroic self-sacrificing priests and pastors have
occupied the pastorate since 1822. We read of Fathers Crowley,
MRS. J. NICHOLSON, MRS. J. LARKIN AND MRS. SHORTT.
Three old parishioners present at the Centenary Celebration.
O Grady, McDonagh, Kirwin, Harkin and Fitzhenry, then comes Arch
bishop Walsh, Mgr. Rooney, Fathers McCann, Kelly, Conway, and then
Bishop O Mahoney, who erected this church and had it dedicated 22
And now when the parish attains, as it were, her full and complete
Catholic majority the helm is in the hands of the Very Rev. Dean Hand.
Coming here 30 years agd in the spring time of his manhood, he found
the church and ecclesiastical property encumbered by a debt of nearly
$100,000, an enormous sum in those days.
That debt has been removed, the tower has been built, the church has
been magnificently decorated, a new and commodious rectory has been
erected, a large imposing parish hall was built and fully equipped; a
magnificent monument has been erected to the memory of St. Paul s
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 297
boys who paid the supreme sacrifice in Flanders Fields all this has
been accomplished by the tireless energy of Dean Hand backed up as
he has been in all these works by a sincere, faithful and loyal people.
For over twenty-five years he has, as member and chairman of the
Catholic School Board, taken a large and active interest in the building
and equipment of our Catholic schools in the City of Toronto, and if
to-day we have over 35 schools in this city and have evolved an efficient
and coherent educational system in our curriculum, it is largely owing to
his financial ability and width of judgment in educational matters. He
has always enjoyed the reverence of his people, the confidence of his
superiors and the respect and esteem of his brother priests. And when
life s journey is over and his work is done, may he hear from the lips
of the Great High Priest the consoling words: "Well done, thou good
and faithful servant, enter into the joys of the Lord."
The service closed with benediction of the Most Blessed Sac
rament, the celebrant being the Apostolic Delegate, assisted
by Rev. J. P. Treacy, D.D., as deacon and Rev. Edward Kelly
* * *
Mass for the Catholic Students
On Monday morning at nine-thirty o clock the Apostolic
Delegate celebrated a low Mass for the Catholic students of
the city, who filled the church to overflowing. His Excellency
was attended by Rev. M. O Farrell and Rev. R. S. Miller. The
preacher of the day, the Right Rev. J. T. Kidd, ascended the
pulpit and delivered the following sermon :
It is for a great reason we are congregated here to-day, made evident
by the presence of His Excellency, His Grace, and others, who have come
to take part. We are assembled to celebrate the product of faith, and if
we wish to consider what it is, we look back over one hundred years.
One hundred years ago your forefathers were few in number, however
they decided to erect a church at this place. It was the first parish of
Ontario. And how may this encourage us? We are grateful for this
encouragement and kind act.
To overcome obstacles and to do Christ s work, faith is necessary, and
it cannot bs done without faith. We have a natural life to live in this
world. We receive this natural life when born of water and the Holy
Ghost in baptism. You all know how necessary it is to be fed. Now it is
just as necessary to have faith, and it is also necessary that we should
298 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
nourish and strengthen ourselves with the life giving food of super
natural life. A child will die without nourishment, so also will our souls
die if not nourished through the life giving food, through Holy Sacri
fice, sacraments and prayers.
How necessary it is to overcome all obstacles. Well and good as it
may be to prepare to take a prominent part in life, it is far more im
portant to lead a good life. There is no comparison, and the latter is
most important. We are followers of Christ, and were made His soldiers
when we received the Sacrament of Confirmation. When a soldier goes
on the battle field he must fight, so also must we fight and fight faith
fully, under Our Lord and to fight we must have faith. "Without faith
it is impossible to please God." You can readily conclude what great
gift that faith is and how we should thank God for it. Faith helps you
to understand God in a manner that others do not understand Him; it is
faith helps you to know God as others do not know Him; it is
faith gives you light to understand the mysteries as others do not under
stand, light to understand His whole Church as others do not; light to
show you everything beautiful that is worth knowing.
When a captain starts out across the ocean he always has a compass
which points out the direction, and he follows it carefully, night and day,
and if he did not he would roam the ocean, and probably land on some
shore and be wrecked. You have heard of the star that guided the three
wise men from the east. You have a light and guide of faith, which we
must follow through our whole life. It guides us into the great harbor
of heaven. We read when Christopher Columbus landed the first thing-
he did was to erect the sign of cur faith. But a short time ago the whole
world was engaged in battle. The great martial of them all was in a
little church before Our Lord asking strength and light from heaven,
asking the little children to pray God to direct his army.
We learn in the early years of the Church of dark ages. If we read
history you find it was the faith of our forefathers that enabled them to
pass through these persecutions. You need not go back to history at all.
Look at our own men and women of to-day, who sacrifice their lives to
teach others our holy religion. Learned men and women who offer them
selves as priests, brothers and sisters, engaged in work promoted by
faith. Our forefathers showed their faith by erecting beautiful temples,
to God, and this one in particular.
God is sure to call some of you to make your sacrifices, and if they
are not made, when you have the light of faith in your souls, He will
surely hold you responsible. God expects you to lead a Catholic life.
Some foolish people read bad books, go to shows that scoff at religion,
but God will hold you responsible for your conduct. Teach others what
the Catholic religicn does for you; tD be kind to one another, love and be
obedient to your parents and superiors. Show them by your example
300 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
how beneficial are the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, prayers and the sac
raments. If we lead a Catholic life God holds out a grand reward.
At the conclusion of Mgr. Kidd s address, Archbishop Mc
Neil spoke as follows :
Before we separate I should add a word to express our thanks to His
Excellency for coming here to be present at our celebration; to His
Grace, Archbishop of Kingston; to the Diocese of Alexandria, the Vicar-
General of which with others have united with us in the celebration of
the Centennial of St. Paul s.
It is not often we have an opportunity to have so many students gath
ered together, and I should like to add a word to them all. There is a
sentence in the instruction of this morning that shows that your lives
should be directed to the light of faith. You cannot divide your life in
two parts, one for God and one for the world. Your studies are not
merely a means of imparting content in the world. If that is the spirit,
you are missing the higher part of life. You do not study to pass exam
inations, or to get this position or that position in the world. You are
not studyng for yourself alone. No man lives or dies for himself alone,
and we expect, the Church expects, God expects a sterling product, a
beneficial product for the kingdom of God, the kingdom of man and for
the welfare of others. Do not be selfish and study for yourself alone.
Consider the need of the Church, of the country. Do your work as far
as you can yourself. Do not lean on the teachers except when you can
not avoid it. When undertaking to solve a problem do it yourself.
Learn self-reliance and self-confidence. I wish you to take this to heart.
We count on you for help. Twenty years from now, the vocations, and
our men and women will be the product of this body of students. What
ever you take up we wish you to have the qualities of efficient men and
In the sanctuary on this occasion were the following: Very
Rev. J. L. Hand, Rev. M. Cline, Rev. G. A. Williams, Rev. P. K.
Malouf, all of Toronto; Rev. J. J. O Sullivan, Wooler, Ont. ;
Rev. P. E. Hand, Lostant, 111.; Rev. E. Kelly, Richmond Hill,
Ont. ; and Brothers Luke and Rogatian of the Brothers of the
* * *
Dinner to the Clergy
On Monday at one p.m. a banquet for the clergy was given
in St. Paul s Hall, Queen street east, which was graced by the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 301
presence of His Excellency the Apostolic Delegate, and the
Archbishop of Toronto.
One hundred and thirty guests sat down to a sumptuously
laden table, and after the menu had been disposed of, the Very
Reverend Dean Hand arose and thanked the Delegate, Arch
bishop and clergy for their presence at the celebration. He
then introduced the toastmaster, Rev. A. J. O Leary, D.D.
In drinking the health of the King, the company arose, and
the orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Harold McNamara,
rendered "God Save the King." Replying to the toast of "Our
Holy Father the Pope," which was received with a most gen
erous applause by the assembly, the Apostolic Delegate said
that as the Pope s representative he was pleased to visit To
ronto and take part in the festivities of the centennial celebra
tion of the first parish in the ecclesiastical province of Toronto.
He felt at home with the clergy of the Archdiocese of Toronto.
He admired the chief pastor of the Diocese and was pleased to
attend the celebration of his silver Jubilee in the Episcopate
two years ago. He recognized the Archdiocese of Toronto
as a most active agency in the spread of Catholicity through
out Canada. It was thoroughly equipped with schools and
seminaries fit to prepare the young aspirants for the work
of the church in the home and foreign fields. This he as
sured the clergy was a most gratifying condition to the mind
of the Holy Father.
Pope Pius XI. was par excellence a herald of peace. He was
engaged in carrying out the policy of Benedict XV., which
was the restoration of peace to the much distressed nations of
the world and particularly of Europe, the home of Catholic
Christianity. There could be no permanent peace except
through the influence of the religion of Jesus Christ, of whom
the Holy Father was the Vicar on earth. Until the nations
302 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
of Europe recognized anew the role of the Papacy on that con
tinent, the outlook for peace and contentment was not very
bright. The Holy Father was using every means within his
reach to improve conditions and to help to heal the havoc and
wounds made by the great war. In conclusion the Delegate
congratulated Dean Hand and the priests of the Archdiocese
on their faithful labors for the cause of the Church and
The toast to "The Hierarchy" was replied to by Arch
bishop McNeil. His Grace considered it a great honor to
speak in the name of the hierarchy of Canada. The
hierarchy of Canada contained a most distinguished body
of learned and able prelates, who "in season and out
of season" were devoted to the care of the faithful
and the safeguarding of the precious truths of the Gosepl.
Historically, the hierarchy of Canada was the oldest
Episcopal foundation in the continent of North America. It
numbered amongst its members some of the most illustrious
sons of Mother Church. The records of their noble achieve
ments are written in letters of gold in the archives of the
Church chronicles. The Hierarchy of Toronto has had an
inspiring line of prelates from the saintly Bishop Power to
the late Mgr. McEvay, the founder of the Extension Society
of Canada and of St. Augustine s Seminary. He considered
it a high honor indeed, to occupy the chair which has been
made illustrious by his distinguished predecessors. He wished
to make known to any of the ambitious young men who might
be aspiring to the office of bishop, that, though the aspiration
was a praiseworthy and noble one, the work was no sinecure.
The bishop, he assured them, was seldom free from worry,
and occasionally in hot water. The episcopacy was not a post
of ease or retirement, but one of continual vigilance and in-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 303
cessant labor. In conclusion he congratulated Rev. Dean
Hand and St. Paul s Parish on the successful celebration of its
century mark. He wished the old parish success in the
future and the Dean many more years of useful work in the
Coupled with the name of the Right Rev. M. D. Whelan,
V.G., and the Very Rev. W. R. Harris, LL.D., was the toast of
"The Clergy." Monsignor Whelan, as an old St. Paul s boy
and a former curate of Dean Hand, gave many interesting
reminiscences of former days in the old parish, and paid a
high tribute to the sterling qualities of the clergy of St. Paul s
of the olden days, and complimented the present pastor on
the success of the celebration.
On rising to the same toast, Dean Harris responded as
To do justice to the merits of the priesthood of the Archdiocese and of
Ontario, I do not think there could be any argument more impressive or
convincing than to cast a glance over the work our priests have accom
plished in the past sixty years, in the lifetime of some among us in this
banquet hall to-day.
The history of the priesthood of Ontario does not reach back beyond
the annals of St. Paul s Parish. We are celebrating a dual centennial
to-day the centenary of the establishment of St Paul s Parish and the
centenary of the priesthood of our province and our hearts are filled
with joy on viewing what has been achieved in the spiritual and struc
tural domains during this short period.
Truly, the Church in Ontario, under the wise administration of zeal
ous bishops and faithful priests, has made encouraging progress during
this comparatively brief time. The already numerous dioceses, the mul
tiplication of parishes, the many institutions of charity which provide
for every need in life and, what is still more admirable, the splendid
work which bishops and priests have so courageously undertaken for
the moral and religous education of Catholic childi^en, show the great
advance the Church is making in Ontario and the wonderful things
bishops, priests and people have accomplished.
And, indeed, we observe that within the brief space of less than a
century, from the time the immortal Leo XII. laid the foundations of the
Ontario hierarchy, the province has been divided and subdivided into
304 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
dioceses and parishes all of them manned by bishops of great ability and
priests of great self-sacrifice. And that these diocese and parishes are
all well equipped with fine schools, presbyteries, churches and substan
tial cathedrals, with every work of Christian charity and a well organ
ized system of education extending from the lowest to the highest de
gree of culture.
On February 14th, Upper Canada was erected into a diocese and
Bishop Alexander Macdonell chosen to fill the See. His nomination was
made on the recommendation of the British Government and was the
first official recognition of the Catholic hierarchy by that government
since the era of the Reformation in England. The Rev. Alexander Mac
donell was consecrated December 31, 1820, in the chapel of the Ursuline
Nuns, Quebec City. His episcopal ring a very beautiful amethyst en
circled with diamonds was presented to him by his Majesty, George
IV., in recognition to his loyalty to the British Crown. I may here
parenthetically remark that, in 1806, the Bishop, then the Rev. Alex
ander Macdonell, visited Toronto, then York, and said Mass at the home
of his cousin Colonel Archibald Chisholm. This was the first Mass, of
which we have any record, ever offered up in the town of York.
When, in 1826, Bishop Macdonell assumed charge of his vast diocese,
there was no priest in all Upper Canada. This we know from the letter
he wrote in 1836 to Sir Francis Bondhead wherein he states: "I had the
whole province in charge without anyone to assist me." There were then
in all Upper Canada, according to the Quebec Almanac and Gourlay s
Statistical Account of Upper Canada, but 25,000 Catholics embracing
Scotch, French Canadians, Indians and Half-breeds, that is, out of a
total population of 400,000 there was one Catholic to fifteen non-Cath
In 1830, there was one bishop and six priests who visited the Indians
and the scattered white families from the western boundaries of Quebec
to the Detroit Narrows and northward to Manitoulin Island and Sault
According to the statistics made public by the Catholic Year Book,
1921, there are now in Ontario 4 archbishops, 7 bishops, 1 vicar aposto
lic, 870 priests, 460 parishes and 273 missions.
Who, may I ask, among the noble priests and pioneer Catholics that
one hundred years ago fought and conquered the wilderness would have
predicted that the Church in this country, could have made the notable
progress which it has made, or who would have surmised that the Cath
olics of this province after years of bitter opposition, persecution and
trials would occupy the high position they hold to-day?
Possibly that great champion of the faith, Bishop Macdonell, who was
the first bishop consecrated in Canada, west of Quebec City, may have
had some conception of the future greatness and expansion of Catholic-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 305
ism in this country and may have cherished the hope that Ontario and
the great west would impart, in the course of time, a brighter lustre to
God s Divine Kingdom in our Dominion. Still I do not think that even
he, with almost prophetic vision, could have foreseen the really encour
aging progress which the Church has made and is making in our prov
How may we explain this extraordinary development which to-day
ranks the Church in Ontario, after Quebec, as the most fertile and prom
ising portion of our Blessed Lord s vineyard in our Dominion? To what
powerful influence is this progress due? I may be answered, it is to the
freedom accorded the Catholic Church by the laws of our country, and
to the liberal and progressive spirit of a people and a land blessed by
God. There can be no doubt that there were contributory factors to the
extension of Catholicism in our province, but permit me to remark that
these very advantages would have remained inoperative had it not been
for the Apostolic zeal and devotion which have always been distinguish
ing characteristics of our Ontario bishops and priests.
It is a supreme consolation to experience that the progress our holy
religion has made in our land is primarily due, humanly speaking, to
the religious enterprise and zeal of these apostolic men who have known
how to profit by the advantageous and prosperous condition of a free
and enlightened country, to enlarge the boundaries of the Kingdom of
Christ in our province. The bishops and priests, with the faith and co
operation of a generous people, have made the Church of Ontario what
she is to-day in our Dominion one of the brightest portions of the King
dom of Gcd in America.
I know I voice the prayer of all who are, to-day, privileged to be the
guests of Dean Hand, when I ask God to bestow His choicest blessings
on the bishops and priests of Ontario in order that, as a body united by
the bonds of a supernatural faith, they may continue to shine full of
merit and glory in the vast panorama of the Church. May He bestow
His choicest favors on ths hierarchy and the clergy so that they may
continue to work zealously for the salvation of souls, the Glory of God
and the temporal and spiritual welfare of our beloved country.
* * *
Reception to Apostolic Delegate
At eight-fifteen o clock the same evening a reception to His
Excellency was held in St. Paul s Hall. The honored guest,
accompanied by his host, Dean Hand, was escorted from the
parochial residence to the hall by the members of Toronto
Assembly Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus in uniform,
306 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
who also acted as a guard of honor during the function. Mr.
J. F. Power, government inspector of Catholic schools, acted
as master of ceremonies, introducing those presented.
An orchestra rendered many pleasing selections during the
evening. Amongst those presented was Mr. John Mulqueen,
aged 97, the oldest living member of the congregation.
On the arrival of His Excellency in the hall, this address of
welcome was read to him by Mr. Jerry Burns:
Toronto, October 26th, 1922.
To His EXCELLENCY,
THE MOST REV. PETER Di MARIA,
Apostolic Delegate to Canada.
May it please your Excellency,
The clergy and faithful of St. Paul s Parish, the mother church of the
Metropolitan See of Toronto, beg to extend to Your Excellency a most
hearty welcome. We deem it a signal honor to have you amongst us for
a few days. We revere in you the presence and authority of the Holy
See, which is the centre of Catholic worship throughout the world. We
are grateful to the Holy Father, who, as the good shepherd, deigned to
consider the Church in Canada of sufficient magnitude and importance
as to justify the presence in this country of a personal representative
to watch and guide the growth of the Catholic body in the solidity of
faith and the purity of morals.
The happy occasion of your welcome visit is the centenary celebration
of the organization of our parish. A hundred years is only as a day in
the life of the church, but to Catholics of some countries the first cen
tenary would seem a small affair indeed, yet the record of the interval
between 1822 and 1922 will, no doubt, challenge the closest study of fu
ture generations; the spread of knowledge, the discoveries of science, the
inventions of ingenious minds, the racial animosities, and yet withal
the progress and growth of the Church make it a period of strange
contrasts. When the pioneers of the parish assembled together one
hundred years ago to erect a place of worship, the practise of the faith
was outlawed in England and Catholics were barely tolerated in the
British dependencies. The obstacles in the way of advancement were
many and almost unsurmountable, but yet the Lord blessed the work,
and the growth of the faith despite occasional set-backs, was steady and
successful. It is in humble thankfulness that we turn to God when we
behold the magnificent prospects for the future. Within the limits of
Toronto the Church is equipped with machinery to meet the needs of the
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
time. The schools, colleges and seminaries; the homes, orphanages and
hospitals; the missionary organizations for home and foreign service,
beautiful temples for the worship of God, a devotedly zealous priest-
MR. JOHN MULQUEEN
Aged 97 years, 72 of which have been spent as a parishioner of St. Paul s, the oldest
participant in the Centenary celebration.
hood, religious orders of high efficiency and rare self-denial, a faithful
vigorous people, all proclaim that the stone laid by the builders of St.
Paul s Parish one hundred years ago was not rejected by the Divine
In conclusion we renew our spiritual allegiance to the supreme Pon
tiff, Pope Pius XL, the Father of Christendom, and humbly pray Your
Excellency to bestow upon us, clergy and laity, the Apostolic benediction.
Signed on behalf of St. Paul s Parish Centenary Committee,
DEAN HAND, Pastor,
JERRY BURNS, Chairman,
HAROLD McDONALD, Secretary.
308 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
His Excellency s Reply.
In reply His Excellency, Mgr. Di Maria said that it afforded him very
much satisfaction to assist at the celebration of the one hundredth an
niversary of the first Catholic parish in Western Ontario. Personally,
and as representative of the Holy Father, Pope Pius XL, he congratu
lated Rev. Dean Hand and the people of St. Paul s Parish on the magni
ficence and beauty of the celebration of the centenary. It was a genuine
pleasure to observe on every side evidences of devotedness and loyalty to
our Divine Lord and to His Vicar on earth. St. Paul s Parish kept the
light of faith burning brilliantly for a hundred years. It had been
prolific in the works of charity and religion. It had given many sons
and daughters to the work of the Church, and had shown an example
worth following to the many parishes formed from its original territory.
In conclusion the Apostolic Delegate prayed that God might bless the
pastor and people, that charity and peace might long reign among them.
He bestowed upon all present the blessing of the Holy Father, Pope
* * *
Mass for Deceased Members
On Tuesday morning at nine o clock a solemn Mass for the
deceased clergy and parishioners of St. Paul s parish was sung
by the Very Reverend Dean Hand, with the Rev. E. T. Keane,
Uxbridge, Ont., as deacon, and the Rev. M. O Farrell, St.
Paul s, as subdeacon. The church was crowded on this occa
sion, many whose connection with St. Paul s had been severed
for years being present as a tribute to the memory of the
departed ones who laid the foundations of the parish and built
it up to its present condition.
The clergy present on this occasion were Rev. J. A. Mogan,
F. J. Caulfield, G. J. Culliton, Miller, P. K. Malouf, J. Reddin,
of Toronto; P. E. Hand, Lostant, 111; and E. Kelly, Richmond
* * *
Concert in Massey Hall
The Archdiocesan Union of the Holy Name Society of To
ronto, desiring to show its appreciation of the work of the
Very Rev. Dean Hand since the foundation of the Union, ten-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 309
dered to him a testimonial concert on Tuesday evening in
Massey Hall. A large and enthusiastic audience greeted the
various numbers of a well-selected program, under the direc
tion of Signor Carboni. Before the close of the program Mr.
Wallace Baker, president of the Archdiocesan Union, accom
panied by Mr. E. F. Belanger, secretary, and Mr. G. D. Mac-
Donald, treasurer, of the Union, came to the platform, and
called upon Dean Hand to come forward. An address was
then read to the Very Rev. Director by Mr. J. F. Power as
To VERY REVEREND J. L. HAND,
Pastor of St. Paul s Parish,
Dear Reverend Dean,
The members of the Archdiccesan Union of the Holy Name Society
assemble this evening to rejoice with you in celebrating the One Hun
dredth Anniversary of the foundation of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto,
and to extend to you their sincerest congratulations on the magnificent
work you have done as pastor of that parish for the past thirty years.
St. Paul s is the premier Catholic parish in Toronto the destinies of
which were guided for many years by an array of distinguished church
men, until on Oct. 15th, 1892, you were appointed by the late Archbishop
Walsh to assume the responsibilities relinquished by your illustrious
predecessors. It is only fair to say that during your long period of pas
torship the affairs of that grand old parish of St. Paul s, both spiritual
and temporal, have been most ably conducted by you.
When you assumed charge of the parish the present church was built
but it remained for you to add the tower, to improve the interior fittings,
to handsomely decorate the interior to build one of the best presbyteries
in the Archdiocese, to erect a well appointed and costly club-house, and,
without any burden on your people, to discharge the debt incurred oa
what is to-day one of the very best equipped parishes in the Province of
Of the spiritual side of your work we are scarcely competent to speak.
Only God and His Recording Angel can know the good that you have
done. The many acts of charity you have performed towards the sick
and the poor, the consolations you have brought to innumerable weary
and sin-stained souls and the heavenly blessings showered down on your
people by your prayers and other good works, are beyond our power to
310 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
estimate. We can bear witness to the vocations you have fostered both
for the Priesthood and for Religious Orders, to the ever zealous interest
you have taken in everything that tended to increase the welfare and
the happiness of your parishioners and to the good example you have
always shown by your ideal priestly life.
But your energy, talents and sane judgment have not been confined
to the affairs of your parish. Your life has been truly catholic. You
have been ever ready to give the best that was in you for the betterment
of mankind in general. Hence you have been always identified with wel
fare work among the people of Toronto. Such excellent organizations
as the St. Vincent De Paul Society, the St. Vincent De Paul Children s
Aid Society and the Federation for Community Service, have found in
you an active and zealous supporter and a wise counsellor ever ready to
THE PARISH CENTENARY COMMITTEE.
further the good works they have undertaken. Especially have you
been particularly active in the child welfare work of the St. Vincent De
Paul Children s Aid Society and through your activity countless chil
dren have enjoyed comforts, pleasures and recreations which otherwise
would have been denied them.
Your work for Catholic education in Toronto is perhaps your greatest
crowning glory outside the Parish of St. Paul s. For twenty-seven years
you have been a member of the Separate School of Toronto, for six of
those years its treasurer and for five its chairman. And during all this
time the schools, their teachers and their pupils have had no truer,
saner or more zealous friend than you. No petty or parish spirit ever
dominated you as a member of the board. You have seen the schools
increase in number from 20 to 40, and the teachers increase from 91 to
260, and the pupils from 4,500 to 12,000. If the Catholic citizens of
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 311
Toronto have reason to be proud of their schools, to no one do they owe
a greater debt of gratitude than to you.
As a citizen of Toronto you have played a becoming part in all public
affairs and have always had the esteem and respect of all classes of
people. In nothing has your silent, energetic and effective work been
shown to better advantage than in the late war. Without any flag
waving, without any newspaper notoriety, without any self-seeking, you
entered into the great cause and well over 850 men enlisted from your
parish and nearly all were volunteers. The tablet on the outside of St.
Paul s Church with its eighty-one names of men who gave up their lives
on Flanders Fields, bears silent but eloquent testimony to your influence
in the cause of patriotism.
The Holy Name Society, which has for its object greater honor and
reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus, has had in you an enthusiastic
supporter. One of the first branches of that society formed in Toronto,
or in Canada for that matter, was established in your parish. Later on
you became a warm advocate of the union of all branches of the society in
the Archdiocese into one central society known as the Archdiocesan Union
of the Holy Name Society of Toronto, and you became its Spiritual
Director and have been an inspiration to its members to increase their
reverence for the Holy Name. As members of that society we are proud
to-night to be able to do honor to you, our spiritual director, to offer our
heart-felt congratulations on the hundredth anniversary of your parish,
and to bear testimony to your worth as an outstanding priest of God.
We ask you to accept from us this address and purse as a slight evidence
of our appreciation.
Trusting, Very Reverend and Dear Dean, that the great God for whom
you have labored so zealously will continue to shower down on you His
choicest blessings and will spare you for very many years to enjoy
health and happiness, to continue as our spiritual director and to carry
on the splendid work in which you have been always engaged, we ask t3
be remembered in your good prayers.
Signed on behalf of the Society,
WALLACE J. BAKER, President,
EUGENE F. BELANGER, Secretary,
GEO. D. McDONALD, Treasurer.
Mr. Baker then presented the beautifully illuminated ad
dress and a cheque to the Very Rev. Dean, who replied as
YOUR GRACE, MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
I would, indeed, be very stoical were I unmoved by this magnificent
demonstration. I am not so egotistical as to appropriate to myself
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
personally this great manifestation of Catholic Christian sentiment. The
honor you are good enough to extend to me passes on beyond my person
ality to the great priesthood of Christ of which I am a very unworthy
and insignificant member. For the past few days we have been com
memorating the one hundredth anniversary of the foundation of St.
Paul s Parish.
From every angle we may be pleased to view it the celebration was a
great success. The pontifical Mass on Sunday was attended by a vast
.congregation of Catholics and some non-Catholics who appreciate the
work that has been done by the Catholic body in this community for
REV. EDWARD KELLY, Author of this work.
many years past. The record of the old parish is certainly one that the
congregation of St. Paul may be well proud of. Its people have stood
the test for faith and country. On that account I have been the recipient
of numerous messages and expressions of congratulation, for all of
which I take this public opportunity on behalf of the parish of returning
my very sincere thanks.
Yesterday morning there assembled in St. Paul s from the high schools
and academies a vast concourse of young people who are qualifying
themselves for useful lives in the world. They took the resolution to
carry into the second century of Catholicity in Toronto the torch of
faith in the divinity of the Lord Jesus. To hold fast to the precious
gift which has been transmitted to them by the pioneers, who laid the
foundation of St. Paul s Parish, and to be better men and women because
of the example and steadfastness of their forefathers. They promised
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 313
to give a good account of themselves that they may not prove unworthy
of the traditions and trust handed down to them. Their participation in
the celebration was a pledge for the future and a proof that the first
settlers did not labor in vain for their faith and church.
For over thirty years I have labored in St. Paul s Parish. I have had
some difficulties, as every human being will have, but I must confess
that I have had many, very many, joys. I have lived to see the magnifi
cent edifice on the corner of Queen and Power Streets, which is an orna
ment to the public buildings of the city, entirely cleared of debt. I have
lived to see much of my spiritual work ripen into fruition. I have been
privileged to see many young men who placed their confidence in me
elevated to the ranks of the priesthood, and many beautiful young
women dedicate their lives to Christ in the religious Sisterhoods of the
Church through my direction and help. I feel I have enjoyed the love
and respect of my parishioners and I assure you that my life has been
replete with happiness. I have enjoyed most keenly the celebration of
this centenary, and not the least piece on the program this artistic con
cert under the auspices of the Holy Name Society.
The Holy Name Society is very dear to me. I have had much to do
in establishing it in Toronto and I have been the Diocesan Director
since the formation of the Diocesan Union. I have had much to do with
the demonstrations and activities of the society and I have tried hard
to steer it away from dangers which might mar its usefulness or dimi
nish it in the esteem of the Catholic people and public at large. The
H.N.S. is a religious organization I am glad to say. It stands as a wit
ness to the divinity of Jesus Christ. It stands for cleanliness of speech;
it recognizes that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
To have clean speech you should have a pure heart. To be a good Holy
Name member you must be a man of purity and virtue. The H.N.S. stands
for the sanctity of the home. I may not tell you, for you are well aware
of the evils which are strangling society to-day and which strike at the
very roots of the commonwealth and threaten our civilization with destruc
tion. The home is being broken up, law is held in contempt, the marriage
bond no longer binds. Society is at the brink of the chasm and what
will save it? Legislation? Education? The churches? Of these things
there is an abundance. Publicity? No. Religion is the panacea. The
religion of Christ is the only hope for the world to-day. Therefore, is
the Holy Name Society recommended to our young men because it binds
them together in the name of Christ and concentrates their minds on
Christian virtue and sets a true value on the things of God.
I must stop preaching. I must thank you for this evidence of good
will to your spiritual director. I must wish you continued success in
your efforts to better the condition of things about you, that you may be
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
real assistance and service to your neighbor and ever active in promoting
the Kingdom of God on earth.
Amongst the numbers on the program was the reading of
The Pioneers," an original poem written by Mr. P. J. Cole-
man, M.A., editor of the Catholic Register, for the occasion
of the centenary.
(Written for the centenary of St.
Paul s Church, Toronto, November
12-35, and read at the grand concert in
Massey Hail, Tuesday evening, Novem
ber 14, 1922).
A canticle to Christ the Lord
Lift we in grateful voice!
With blended voices in accord,
Our happy hearts in song outpoured,
Come, let us all rejoice!
Crowned with God s bounty rich and
With mingled smiles and tears
We, gazing from the century s height,
Retrace in fancy fond to-night
The milestones of the years:
A hundred years with blessings rife,
Of gain outweighing loss,
A hundred years of noble life,
Of peace rewarding pain and strife,
Of crown succeeding cross.
But while we humbly bow the head
In thanks for fruitful years,
Oh, let us not forget the dead,
The men who broke the trails we tread,
The sturdy pioneers.
But let us render honour s need
And crown with homage meet
The hardy heralds of our breed
Whose venturous barks bore manhood s
To flower in freedom sweet.
Brave nomads of an age sublime,
Pale exiles from the past,
Sad wanderers on the shores of time,
On alien coasts in wintry clime
Their clouded lot was cast.
They braved tempestuous waves and
They dared the stormy seas;
They left the sacred past behind
And faced the future vast, to find
Their hope s Hesperides.
They left behind their father s graves,
Their Irish churchyards gray,
And where the wild Atlantic raves
By Aran s cliffs and Achill s caves,
They took their westward way.
Erom Scotland s hills, from France s
From England s pleasant shires,
On freedom s quest they set their sails
And bore tho blustering winds and gales
Their sacred altar fires.
Heart-sore, from plunging prow and
Mid whitening fields of foam,
They shared the stars companionship
And watched o er dim horizons dip
The holy hills of home.
They heard the thunder shout God s
And on the sullen sea
They saw Him in the lightning s flame,
As when to Peter s bark He came
O er stormy Galilee.
He walked the waves in cloud and mist,
He led them to their goal;
And far o er wastes of amethyst
With tempest dark, with sunlight kissed,
They followed, strong of soul.
From isle and continent they brought,
From Seine and .Shannon s side,
The faith for which their fathers fought.
That Patrick preached, Augustine taught.
And saints confessing died.
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
With confidence serene in God,
The wilderness they hewed,
And where the Iroquois had trod
They felled the forest, broke the sod,
And raised their altars rude.
There sweetly pealed their voice of
Their evening canticle;
And, blessing all their nights and days,
Rang down the echoing woodland ways
Their soft-toned vesper bell.
And when, at length, their day was done
Mid twilight s shadows deep,
They turned them to life s setting sun
And ceased from toil, and one by one
They laid them down to sleep.
They laid them down in nameless graves
By dim Laurentian woods;
Or by Ontario s sapphire waves
Where Don its meadows softly laves,
They sleep by inland floods.
But clean hands closed their dying eyes
In fond affection s rite
Hands blessed to housel and baptize
And plead for them in Sacrifice
At altars pure and bright.
Now temple rich and stately pile
Lift soaring towers and spires;
And trade and commerce throb and
Where came from comment and isle
Our plain, God-fearing sires.
And richly dowered, from east to west,
From dawn to sunset s star,
Across the prairie s fruitful breast,
With wealth of peace and plenty blest,
An Empire stretches far.
But while we chant its golden praise
With patriotic pride,
A thought to those of other days
Our fathers brave, in humble ways
Who wrought for it and died!
Such make a land, for not in spoil
Of war a nation thrives;
Nor in the wealth of sea or soil,
But in strong hands of patient toil,
Pure hearts and simple lives.
These build against the blasts of time,
On virtue founded deep,
The citadel of law sublime,
Confronting fate, wiih crests that climb
O er passion s surga and sweep.
P. J. COLEMAN.
At Home in St. Paul s Hall
The closing function of the centenary celebration was the
"at home" in St. Paul s Parish Hall on Wednesday evening.
The church choir rendered a program of musical selections,
after which dancing was indulged in to the beautiful strains
rendered by an orchestra of local talent. Refreshments en
tirely prepared and served by the Domestic Science Class of
St. Paul s school were partaken of later.
The committee in charge of this and the other social fea
tures of the centenary celebration was composed as follows:
Mr. Jerry Burns, chairman ; Mr. H. J. MacDonald, secretary ;
and Messrs. P. M. Kennedy, R. King, James O Hagan, Fred.
Reddall, Geo. Pamphilon, Geo. Somers, J. Starr, D. Murphy,
316 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
J. Farley, E. Stubbs, A. Cain, M. J. Kelly, J. L. Dillon, J. Cook,
W. Mogan, M. Whitaker, E. Currie.
The Ladies Committee was composed of Mrs. W. Dixon,
Mrs. Cain, Mrs. McGann, Mrs. McKernan, Mrs. Shortt, Mrs.
Graham, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Burns, and the Misses H. Ford,
K. Christie, A. Dixon, N. Dulan, K. Eagan, B. Eagan, M.
Kennedy, D. McCarron, M. Brown, E. Koster, M. Breen.
The authorities used in this volume are:
The Archives of the Archdiocese of Toronto.
The Archives of the Archdiocese of Kingston.
The Archives and Parochial Registers, St. Raphael, Ont.
The Archives and Parochial Registers, St. Andrews, Ont.
The Archives and Parochial Registers, St. Paul s, Toronto.
The Parochial Registers of the Cathedral, Toronto ; the
Cathedral, Kingston; St. Mary s, Toronto; St. Patrick s, To
ronto; Thornhill, Adjala, Penetanguishene, Schomberg, the
Gore of Toronto, Newmarket, Brock, Uxbridge, Pickering,
Prescott and Dundas.
Personal Recollections given by the Right Rev. R. A. O Con
nor, Sir. Richard W. Scott, Rev. F. Walsh, C.S.B., and Very
Rev. George Corbett, V.G., Cornwall, Ont.
Toronto of Old, Scadding, Toronto, 1873.
The Diary of Mrs. Simcoe (Robertson, Editor), Toronto,
Toronto Past and Present, Scadding and Dent, Toronto,
Toronto Old and New, Adam, Toronto, 1891.
Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of
York, Toronto, 1907.
History of Toronto and the County of York (2 vol.), To
Recollections and Records of Toronto, Pearson, Toronto,
318 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
The Landmarks of Toronto, Robertson, Toronto, 1894, et
La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, Parkman,
A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America, Hennepin,
Canada and Its Provinces, Vol. I., II., XL, Shortt and
Doughty, Editors, Toronto, 1914.
Memoirs of the Rev. Edmund Burke, O Brien, Halifax,
History of the Catholic Church in the United States, Vol.
II., Shea, New York, 1888.
The Fate of Glengarry, Kelly, Dublin, 1905.
Reminiscences of the Honorable and Right Reverend Alex
ander Macdonell, Macdonell, Toronto, 1888.
Journal des Visites Pastorales de 1815 and 1816, par Mgr.
J. 0. Plessis, Eveque de Quebec, Tetu, Quebec, 1903.
The Catholic Highlands of Scotland (2 vol.), Blundell, Edin
Jubilee Volume of the Archdiocese of Toronto and Arch
bishop Walsh, Teefy (Editor), Toronto, 1892.
The Grosse Isle Tragedy, Jordan, Quebec, 1909.
Essays on the Church in Canada, O Sullivan, Toronto, 1895.
The Catholic Church in the Niagara Peninsula, Harris, To
Repertoire General du Clerge Canadien, Tanguay, Quebec,
Life and Letters of Mother Theresa Dease, Edited by a
Member of the Community, Toronto, 1916.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol XIV., New York, 1902.
The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers, New York, 1917.
The Most Reverend Denis O Connor, D.D., C.S.B., Arch-
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 319
bishop of Toronto, by a Student of Assumption College, Sand
wich, In the Old Days, Kalamazoo, 1914.
In the Days of the Canada Company, Lizars, Toronto, 1896.
Report on Canadian Archives, Ottawa, 1896.
The Life and Labors of Archbishop Lynch, McKeown, To
The Irish in America, Maguire, New York, 1868.
The Irishman in Canada, Davin, London, 1877.
La Canada Ecclesiastique, Montreal, 1918.
The Council of Toronto, Toronto, 1882.
The City and Diocese of London, Coffey, London, 1885.
A Brief Account of a Tour Through the United States in
1833, together with a Statistical Account of Upper Canada,
Rolph, Dundas, 1836.
The Makers of Canada, Index Volume, Toronto, 1911.
The History of Simcoe County, Hunter, Barrie, 1909.
Men of Canada, Cochrane, Brantford, 1891.
The Conspiracy of Pontiac, Parkman, New York, 1913.
Authentic Letters from Upper Canada, Dublin, 1833.
History of the Catholic Church in Newfoundland, How-
ley, Boston, 1888.
William Lyon Mackenzie, Lindsay, Toronto, 1862.
The Township of Scarboro, 1796-1896, Boyle (Editor), To
The Catholic Almanac of Ontario (various years).
Diamond Jubilee History of the Diocese of Hamilton, with
a Complete History of the County of Waterloo, Spetz, Toronto,
The History of St. Basil s Parish, Hoskin, Toronto, 1912.
The History and Directory of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto,
The Retrospect, Corbett, Cornwall, 1912.
320 The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
St. Vincent de Paul Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Greene,
N.H.S. Publication No. 13,
The Parish of Dixie, Treacy, Toronto, 1909.
The Silver Jubilee of St. Michael s Parish, Dunnville, Ont,
Donovan, Dunnville, 1911.
Files of The Catholic, The Mirror and The Freeman.
Page 71 Line under illustration should read 1837 instead
Page 150 The name Rev. "J. Harvey Murphy" should
read James Patrick Murphy.
Page 58 The Rev. M. Lalor was never assistant at St.
Paul s, although his name appears on the records there while
he was in charge of the Gore of Toronto, of which he was the
first resident pastor 1833 to 1837.
List of Subscriptions and Donations
NEW CHURCH BUILDING FUND, ST. PAUL S PARISH,
Up to the First Day of March, in the Year of
Our Lord, 1887.
Collected by Misses Kennedy
A. Belmore ....
R. M. Scott
Mrs. M. Ward
Mr. LeVoix ....
Mrs. E. Kelly .
L. McCarroll ...
Mr. O Rourke
Mrs. Oakes .....
Mrs. Murphy .
Mrs. Hynes ...
Mr. P. Doyle .
James Delaney .
Mr. M. Donoghue .
Mr. Jno. Murphy .
Collected by Misses Hallinan
Wm. Presnell ....
John O Brien ..
Mr. Rossiter ...
C. McManus ....
Mrs. M. Hynes
Mr. Passmore ..
James Green ....
Wm. Johnston ..
Wm. O Connor
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Mr. O Sullivan .
T. K. Haffey
Miss Mahony ...
Jas. Curran .
Collected by Misses Sullivan
Mr. John Shanahan
John F. Ryan
Mrs. Russell ....
Mrs. Read .
Collected by Misses Finn
Michael O Brien $ 13.00
Mrs. Kelly 1.00
John Christie 12.00
Jos. Sullivan 2.50
O Brunner 4.00
P. Toner 3.00
Thos. Barry 8.75
K. Daly 2.60
Jno. Mclnerney 2.25
Mr. Stanley 3.80
Jas. Evoy 4.50
T. O Connor 18.50
Mr. M. Collins 4.00
Mr. Gallagher 5.25
Mrs. Reynolds 12.00
Mrs. Enright 36.00
C. F. Enright 24.00
John Enright 24.00
P. Maginn $ 7.65
E. Smith 5.50
Collected by Misses McGinn
Mr. F. McGarry $ 10.00
Mr. Huggard 15.00
Mrs. Fitzhenry 18.00
Mrs. D. McCarthy 10.00
John Connors 8.20
Mrs. Holy .75
Mrs. Hughes 6.25
T. Morrissey 5.25
S. O Brien 1.00
Mrs. Magrath 12.25
P. Maginn 11.25
John Arthurs 11.50
P. Fleming 11.25
James Ledan 4.00
James Stewart 8.00
Mrs. McDonald .50
Mrs. Smith 11.00
Mrs. O Connell 3.75
Mrs. Lavick 6.40
Mrs. Connors 5.60
Mr. Flynn 6.25
Collected by Misses Dixon
Mr. D Arcy
Mr. O Brien
Mr. Stephenson ...
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Mrs. Burke ....
Mr. Meehan .....
Mr. O Reilly
Mr. Whelan ....
Mr. Kernan ....
WHITE S BLOCK
Mr. Howarth .
Collected by Misses Mahony
Mr. Lee ...
Collected by Misses Sullivan
Miss Kelly $ 12.00
Mrs. M. Smith 10.00
M. Rogers $ 6.45
P. Cody 12.20
Mary McCaffrey 5.20
Mr. McCrystal $ 3.00
Collected by Misses Mahony
Mrs. Mary Ellis
Mr. Sheridan ....
Mr. O Neill
Collected by Misses Gorman
James A. Gorman
Mrs. Adams .,
Mrs. Stewart .
Mrs. O Keefe
Mr. McAuliffe, Sr.
Mr. McAuliffe, Jr.
Collected by Misses Holland
O Brien ...
Mrs. O Connor
Mrs. Kusie ...
S. J. Byrne ...
Wm. Holland .
Mr. Hartnett .
Mrs. Lynden ..
Mr. O Brien ....
Miss Doody ....
Mr. O Hara
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
T. O Grady .
Mr. McGough ....
Mrs. Kennedy ....
Miss Murphy ....
Collected by Misses Mallon
A. Sage ,
Mrs. C. Carroll
Jas. J. Mallon ..
Cahill Bros. $
John O Connor
Collected by Misses Mulqueen
D. Lucitt $
Mrs. L. Coffee
Mrs. Spiegle (Gall)
P. Heany $
EAST OF DON
Collected by Misses Burns
Mrs. T. J. Watson $
Mr. O Keefe
Mr. McGuiggan $
Mr. Milwood .
Mrs. Ed. Crowe $
W. E. Barron
Collected by Misses Wingle
A. Thomas $ 10.00
Mr. Batt -75
E. Thomas 9.65
John Flanagan .10
H. Tremp 12.25
M. Maginn 1.50
Mrs. McDonnell 4.00
Wm. Galvin 11.00
R. Harding 3.15
J. Somers 1.25
M. Jno. Kearney 6.00
M. Scott .10
Susan Tait 4.00
Anne Tait 4.00
Mrs. Bastine 5.00
QUEEN STREET E.
Charles O Neill $ 8.75
M. Tolland 7.00
Miss Wingle 2.00
Mrs. S. O Brine .50
Mrs. O Hearne -90
Mr. Dilworth 1.75
Mrs. O Neil 6.50
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Mrs. O Neil
Mr. Harrington ..
Mr. Hobberlin ...
George Wright ..
Mrs. Jas. Wright
Collected by Misses Wingie
QUEEN STREET E.
Collected by Misses Daly
Mrs. Jas. Daly .
Mrs. Newman .
James O Hagan
Miss O Connor
Mrs. Mahony ...
ST. PAUL S STREET
Mrs. O Rourke
Mrs. Ducette ..
Mr. O Brien .
Mrs. Pardee -
Mr. O Brien .
Collected by Misses McLennan
Lizzie O Brien
Mrs. J. P. O Brien
Mr. Alex. Killarky
Mr. Chambers .
P. Ennis $
Mrs. H. Rice
Mrs. P. Shea -
P. Coll $
Collected by Misses Heeney
M. Ellis - $ 24.00
Mr. Wren 12.00
Mr. Callaghan 7.50
Mr. Cassidy 3.25
Mrs. Thornton 5.50
R. Carter : 200
J. Nicholson 20.00
George Norman .50
Mr. Rahilly 12.75
Mr. Dillon 2.00
Mr. Hyland 5.50
R. Creagh 12.00
Mr. Ebach 6.00
Mr. McDonald 3.00
Mr. Lang 1.30
Mr. Tomlin 5.00
Mr. Ward 12.00
Mr. Sullivan 12-.00
Mr. McGuire 12.00
Mr. Handorf 1.00
Mr. Conway =...., 2.25
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Mr. Mallony .
ST. DAVID STREET
Mr. Tomney $
Mr. O Hagan
P. O Leary $
Collected by Misses Boylan
and O Rourke.
Mrs. Driscoll ..
Mr. Vaughan ....
Mr. Keating ....
Mrs. Magrath ...
Mrs. Driscoll ....
P. Kelly $
Jno. T. Daly
Mrs. O Connor
Collected by Misses Brophy
L. Veale $ 13.00
F. Rosar 25.00
Mr. Lynch 2.00
Mr. Gibson 50.00
Charlie Burns 24.50
D. Kelly 26.00
Mrs. O Keefe 25.00
Mr. Gillispie 19.50
Mr. Rossiter 25.00
Mrs. J. Gilmore 6.50
Michael Brophy 1.00
A. Mulvaney .75
R. Dixon 6.25
D. Hagan 9.90
Mr. Sylvas 6.50
P. Burns 12.00
The Missess Boylan 20.00
M. McCabe 8.00
Mr. Ryan 2.50
Mr. Sheedy 3.40
Mr. O Leary 12.00
T. O Leary 12.00
Mrs. Barter 6.00
M. Mitchel 7.50
GALLEY 53 St Paul Nov 1st
Collected by Misses Dunne
Mr. O Hearn
Miss K. O Hearn
J. B. Leroy
Mr. Cole .
Mrs. Ryan . $
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Mrs. Conners ...
Mr. O Donoghue
Mr. McAuley ...
Mr. John Finn ...
ST. LAWRENCE STREET
Mr. Coleman $
Mr. Quigley $
C. Warmington 5
Mrs. Reed 3
Miss Horan $
Mrs. Ryan $
P. Nash . ...$
Bishop O Mahony
Mr. Lawrence Coffee
Mr. Michael Martin
Mr. Michael O Connor,
Mr. T. Delany, King St..
Mr. Thos. Wright
Mr. M. Dwan, Sher-
bourne Street ..
J. Coffee 50.00
M. J. Kelly 50.00
Mr. R. Davies, Dominion
Mr. J. Conroy 30.00
Mr. J. C. Smith 25.00
Mr. P. O Connor 25.00
Rev. D. Morris 25.00
Long Bros, Sumach St. 36.00
Mr. Jas Quinn,, Trinity
Miss Hodgekinson 12.00
Mr. Frank McGarry 10.00
Mr. Jas Kew 8.00
Mr. E. T. Scott 5.00
Miss Harris " 8.00
Mr. Freeman 5.00
Mr. McGrady 5.00
Mrs. Cooper 6.00
Mr. J. J. Dixon, Queen
Miss Uttenweiler, King
Mrs. Kelly, Parliament .. 1.00
Mrs. O Neill 1.00
Jno. Williamson 1.00
Jos. Colombe 1.00
Miss B. Fitzgerald 1.00
Mrs. J. H. Barber 2.00
Mr. Jno. Meehan 2.00
Mrs. Payne, Duchess
Mrs. B. Walsh, Water
Mr. Moran, Seaton St. .. 14.00
Mr. Jas. O Brien, Prin
cess Street 10.00
Mrs. Mulqueen, Seaton
Mrs. Hibbett, Parliament
Mr. Robinson, White s
Mrs. Dorsey, White s
Mr. Schuch, Ontario St 3.00
Mrs. Ogilvie, Sherbourne
Mrs. Langley, Queen St. 11.00
Mr. Jas. Crosby, St.
David Street 3.50
Mrs. Riel, Ontario Place 5.00
Mrs. Bergin 6.00
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto
Dr. Wallace, George St. 10.00
Mrs. McWilliams 2.50
Mrs. Walz, Duchess St 5.00
Mrs. Lumbers 5.00
Mrs. Furniss 2.00
Mrs. Alyward 5.00
Mrs. Green, Sumach St. 2.00
Mr. John Malone, Sumach
Mr. J. F. Dowling 1.00
P. McNamara, Power St. 2.00
Mrs. O Connell, Queen
D. W. Kavanagh 2.50
Mr. Henry, Seaton St 2.00
Miss Norton 1.00
Mrs. Reidy, Sydenham
Mrs. Flynn 1.00
Mrs. M 1.00
Mr. Mason 1.00
Miss Mullholland 1.00
Miss Gorman 1.00
Mr. Quinn 1.00
Miss Liston 1.00
Mrs. Collins 1.00
Mr. O Brien, Ontario St... 1.00
Mr. Dufour, Duchess St. 2.00
Mrs. B. Dufour, Duchess
List of Subscribers at the laying of the Foundation Stone of St. Paul s
New Church, October 9, 1887:
Archbishop Lynch :.... $500.00
Hon. Frank Smith 500.00
Mr. Jno. Jos. Herbert ....- 500.00
Eugene O Keefe 100.00
Jas. Connolley 100.00
Mr. George Kiely 100.00
Patrick O Connor 100.00
Spilling Brothers 100.00
Mr. James Mason 50.00
Thos. O Connor 50.00
M. T. Bergin 50.00
Fr. Laurent, V.G 50.00
Mr. McMeehan 50.00
Thos. Lee 50.00
Mr. J. J. Foy 50.00
Mr. A. A 25.00
Edward McKeown 25.00
Rev. John Egan 25.00
Mr. James Daly, Queen St... 25.00
Loretto Abbey 25.00
Millet & Co 20.00
Mr. L. Coffee 20.00
Morgan Kelly 25.00
Mr. Quinn 20.00
Mr. Grace, Front St 20.00
A Friend 20.00
Jas. O Brien 10.00
James O Hagan 10
D. Lamb 10
H. O Connor 10
Mr. Hargreaves 10
Dr. Murphy 10
John O Neill 10
Mr. Furniss 10
Mr. Cassidy 5
A Friend 5
A Friend 5
Mrs. Hourigan 5
Simen Kehoe 5
Mr. Hickey 5
A Friend 5
Mrs. E. Coffee 5
Mr. Shiedy 5
Richard O Donoghue 5
Master Marten 5
A Friend 5
Mr. Carolan 5
R. Whelan 5
Mrs. M. Burns 1
A Friend 1
A Friend 1
William Long 1
A Friend .
The Story of St. Paul s Parish, Toronto 329
FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF ST. PAUL S CHURCH, TORONTO
Debt . $62,500.00
Sanctuary and Decoration 1,237.56
Organ and Gallery 3,266.90
Electric Wiring and Fixtures 1,058.20
Statues, Vestments, Altar Plate, etc 1,414.90
Stations of the Cross 1,935.38
Stained Glass Windows 1,189.00
Parish House 30,269.50
Church Tower 7,815.00
Facade, Steps, Areas, etc 2,875.26
Marble Altars 7,250.00
Paid prior to 1892 44,125.28