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Updated: October 15, 2004
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St. Columbkill’s Church, Mcdonalds Corners Ontario 1893 - 2004
In January of 1819, Father Alexander Macdonell was named by Pope Leo XII as auxiliary Bishop of Quebec (the only diocese in Canada at the time), with responsibility for Upper Canada. On January 27, 1826, Kingston was erected as a Diocese, an historic moment as it was the first Roman Catholic diocese established in the British Empire since the 16th century Reformation. The event was historic, too, insofar as all other dioceses in Ontario have their origin, directly or indirectly, from the diocese of Kingston.
Prior to the construction of St. Columbkill’s church the priests from Westport and Bedford took turns looking after the pastoral needs of the Catholics in the western and northwestern portions of their parishes. Travel was difficult, being mainly on foot, horseback, carriage or cutter in the winter. With the advent of the K&P railway in the early 1880’s priests were able to take the train to Snow Road and points north. Oral history indicates that the custom then was for the priest to travel with the mailman to Mcdonalds Corners where he would stay at the home of Charles Garreau, celebrating Mass there and in the Legary home to the west of the village.
Records reveal that the land for St. Columbkill’s church and cemetery was purchased from William Locke in 1876 for the sum of $25. Construction of the church began early in the summer of 1893. Oral history indicates that the pastor and parishioners were joined by Catholics from neighboring parishes and members of local Protestant denominations in a series of day-long construction bees with men donating their time, skills and resources while the ladies served nourishing meals of beans, boiled meat, potatoes and pies. Construction was completed October 18, 1893. The first wedding in the church was held later that year.
St. Columbkill’s church is a frame structure, forty feet in length and twenty-five feet in width and height. An addition, measuring twenty feet by sixteen feet, was built in 1972 to add seating capacity. The building is clad in white clapboard, now covered by vinyl siding. The interior walls and ceiling of the original structure are of poplar and the interior walls of the addition are of pine. The arched ceiling is sixteen feet in height. A new roof had to be installed in 1990, involving considerable carpentry to correct a six-inch bow in the original roof. The decorative bell tower had deteriorated and was removed during installation of the new roof. A new aluminum Cross, made by a parishioner, was installed atop the church in 2001. The total cost of construction and furnishing was $643. Individual donations and $30 from a church picnic meant the church was debt free by the date of its blessing and dedication.
Established in 1893 as a mission church of St. Mary’s, Carleton Place, St. Columbkill became a mission church of Sacred Heart, Lanark when that parish was established in 1907. St. Columbkill (also known as St. Columba) was born of royal lineage in Ireland but eschewed the regal life and became a monk, founding several monasteries in Ireland. He also founded the famous monastery at Iona in Scotland and played a major role in the introduction of Christianity to Scotland.
The Early Years: 1820
The village of McDonald's Corners, in the Township of Dalhousie, was also settled around 1820. It derives its name from John and Robert McDonald, early settlers on the site of the village. The village was once called "The Hill", a title still used on occasion by local inhabitants. The road through McDonald's Corners became a well travelled one, and the village soon included stores, a post office, a manufacturer of carriages and wagons, and various other small businesses.
There were Catholics among the early settlers. The 1823 census of the townships of the parish of Perth, recorded in the parish register of St. John the Baptist Church, indicates that there were 45 Catholics in the Township of Dalhousie, 239 in Lanark, 475 in Drummond and none in Lavant.
St. Bridget's (St. John the Baptist) Parish Perth: 1823-83
St. John the Baptist Church, Perth – 1848
The spiritual needs of the Catholics of the area were met in a way similar to that described above under "St. Patrick's Church". Perth, eighteen miles east of McDonald's Corners, was the site of the nearest Catholic church for people in and around McDonald's Corners in the years between 1820 and 1856. After the building of St. Patrick's Church in the latter year, many of those from the McDonald's Corners area began to travel to Ferguson Falls, sixteen miles to the northeast.
Throughout the first sixty years after the establishment of the parish of Perth (1823-83), the pastors travelled throughout its territory, which included McDonald's Corners and the surrounding townships. They baptized children, heard confessions, celebrated Mass, officiated at marriages, buried the dead, and provided other forms of pastoral care in designated homes (stations) along the way. It is recorded that they also visited the lumber camps of the area and ministered to the men and youth in those settings.
Purchase of Land for St. Columbkill's Cemetery and Future Church: 1876
Records in the Lanark County Registry Office in Almonte reveal that the land for St. Columbkill's Cemetery and Church (McDonald's Corners, Township of Dalhousie, Concession 9, E. Part Lot 8) was purchased from William Locke for the sum of $25 on May 10, 1876. This date is some ten years earlier than the oral tradition of the parish has indicated.
Mode of Travel: 1883-1907
Transportation was always a significant factor in the life and ministry of that time. In the years before the early 1880s, the mode of travel was almost exclusively by foot, horseback, horse and buggy in the summer, and horse and cutter in the winter. Travel became somewhat easier for those in eastern Ontario around this time, however. The priests of Westport and Bedford who in turn looked after the Catholics in the townships within the western and northwestern portions of their parishes could take advantage of the improvement. The Kingston and Pembroke Railway was completed by the early 1880s, and the priests were able to take the train from Godfrey to Sharbot Lake and, from there, to Snow Road and points north. Oral tradition indicates that, during the years 1883-1907, the custom was for the priest to then travel with the mailman from Snow Road to McDonald's Corners, where he would stay at the home of Charles Garreau, next to the cemetery and site of the future church. These pastoral visits included the celebration of Mass in local homes, especially in that of the Garreaus and in the Legary home to the west of the village. The priest would leave the area the following Monday morning.
St. Columbkill's Church is Built: 1893
Plans to construct a church at McDonald's Corners were no doubt being made over the course of many years, as evidenced by the purchase of land in 1876 and by the active presence and ministry of the priests of Perth and Westport throughout the years.
Construction of the church began early in the summer of 1893. Oral tradition relates that the pastor and parishioners were joined by Catholics from neighbouring parishes and by members of local Protestant denominations for a series of day-long bees. The same source indicates that the men gave their time, skills and resources to the project, and that the women served nourishing meals of beans, boiled meat, potatoes and pies.
St Columbkill's Church
The parish register of St. James the Greater Church, Sharbot Lake, contains Father Killeen's handwritten account of contributions and expenditures involved in the building of the church, a record that begins on June 1, 1893, and continues to October 18, 1893. The total cost of the construction and furnishing of the church, including the purchase of vestments and sanctuary goods and supplies, was $643. The church was debt-free by the date of its blessing and dedication. The record indicates that most of the funds came from individual donations, although $30 was added to the coffers from a picnic held the previous year. It should be mentioned that social gatherings such as that early picnic, whether engaged in strictly for enjoyment or for fundraising, have always been an important tradition in the church and community of McDonald's Corners.
Blessing and Dedication: October 18, 1893
The above-mentioned parish register of St. James the Greater Church contains this annotation by Father Killeen regarding the blessing of St. Columbkill's:
The church at McDonald's Corners was dedicated to St. Columbkill on 18th October, 1893, by Vicar General Gauthier, delegated by His Grace Archbishop Cleary. Present were Revd Fathers Twohey and Killeen. The Stations of the Cross were also erected.
St. Columbkill's Church is a frame structure, forty feet in length and twenty-five feet in width and height. An addition, measuring twenty feet by sixteen feet, was built in 1972. The white, clapboard exterior has been covered by vinyl siding in recent years. The interior walls and ceiling of the original structure are of poplar, and the interior walls of the addition are of pine. The arched ceiling is sixteen feet in height. A small bell tower, built for appearance rather than for a bell, eventually deteriorated and had to be removed when a new roof was installed in 1991.
Interior view of St Columbklll's Church
The story of the building of St. Columbkill's, like that of our other two parish churches, is testimony to the Lord's gifts of strong faith, generosity of spirit and shared commitment. He generously bestowed these gifts on the Catholic lay faithful and clergy of that era, and on their neighbours and friends of other denominations. He continues to do likewise in our own time.