St. Patrick's Parish, Lucan, Ontario, 1854
Posted by: 
Norshley
N 43° 10.486 W 081° 22.223
17T E 469896 N 4780289
St. Patrick's Church, just east of Lucan, Ontario, is a historic parish church and the home of the cemetery containing the grave of the notorious Donnelly family that was massacred in 1880.
Waymark Code: WMB7RP
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 04/16/2011
Views: 7
Catholics began to settle in Biddulph and neighbouring townships in the 1840's around the time of the Great Famine in Ireland. For some years missionary priests from St. Thomas and London administered the sacraments in various pioneer homes and halls. In 1848 James Kelly donated five acres of his farm for use by the church. In 1850 a log church was built and the cemetery was consecrated. Father Peter Francis Crinnon became the first resident pastor in 1854.
The church, with its tall slender tower and lofty spire, was erected during 1858-59 in the early Ontario Gothic style. The original one-room parish school, now used as a parish hall, was built in 1883. St. Patrick's remains one of the few parish centres in Ontario which still retains all its original buildings: church, school and rectory. In 1962 the present parish school was opened. During 1984-85 this historic church was completely renovated and on its western side, a new chapel was erected.
In the cemetery on the north side of the church you can view the gravestone of the Donnelly family, parish members who were murdered on the night of February 3, 1880. There is a waymark for this gravesite as well as the homestead of the Donnellys, several kilometres north of the church along the Roman Line.
Website with background information about this Waymark: Not listed
|