Saint Patrick's Church Maniwaki

St. Patrick’s Parish was canonically erected on June 17, 1956, by Decree signed by his Excellency Bishop Joseph Eugene Limoges, Bishop of Mont-Laurier. The Decree states “The boundaries of this Parish shall be those of the two now existing parishes of Maniwaki, viz. Assumption and Christ the King and the families whose head is English-speaking and who live on the said parishes shall be de facto members of the new parish”. Nevertheless, English-speaking families from surrounding parishes such as Ste-Thérèse, Ste-Famille, and Bois Franc also became part of St. Patrick’s. In the spring of 1957 the Bishop gave permission to use the Canadian Legion Hall for mass. Many dedicated parishioners, such as Mary Ardis, Mr. Mrs. Robert Kelly, Rita McLaughlin, and Agnes Keegan devoted their weekends to the preparation for Sunday Mass. Robert Kelly built a temporary alter. Bishop Limoges put out a call to several dioceses, both in Canada and the United States, but was unable to find an English-speaking priest for this new parish. During this period until a permanent parish priest was found, weekend services were provided by the Oblate Fathers, with most priests coming from St. Patrick’s College, Ottawa. Others, who came from Mont-Laurier, were Americans here to learn French. These priests would come on Saturday and stay overnight at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Robert Kelly. Auxiliary Bishop André Ouellette was named Acting Parish Priest and attended meetings and assisted with plans and preparations for the church. The first mass in St. Patrick’s Parish was celebrated at the Legion Hall by Father McKinnon on March 24, 1957. The second mass was celebrated by Father Trainer on March 31, 1957. On June 17, 1958, a meeting was held for the purpose of electing church wardens for both the ordinary and extra-ordinary council of the parish. The first wardens elected were: Ambrose McLaughlin, Charles Keegan, Robert Kelly, Eric Moore and Leonard Scullion. On January 26, 1959, Thomas Carroll because the sixth warden. By November 1958, the building fund drive was well under way and approximately $8,000 had been accumulated. Money was raised in many different ways; donations, pledges, door-to-door collections, bake sales, fashion shows, and bingos. In January 1959, Cardinal Richard Cushing, the Archbishop of Boston, sent Father Gerard Dacier, Curate at St. Joseph’s Parish in Salem, Mass. To the Diocese of Mont-Laurier, at the request of Bishop Ouellette. In March 1959, the St. Patrick’s concert was organized by Raymond and Keith Scullion. There a raffle of a kitchen set, and total profits were $631.00. On Sunday, April 19, 1959, Father Dacier celebrated his first mass in St. Patrick’s Parish and praised the parishioners for the way things were handled at the Legion Hall. That same afternoon, he had his first christening in Maniwaki, that of Deborah Ann Moore, daughter of Eric and Bonnie Moore. When Father Dacier arrived, he stayed at the home of Miss Margaret Quaile for about one year. When she became ill, he stayed with her brother Tom and his wife Margaret. In the spring of 1959, permission was obtained from the Government of Québec to cut, tax free 85,000 FBM of timber on Crown Lands leased to the C.I.P. This was done with their consent, and the lumber was used for the construction of the existent church today. George Guenette, contractor, was given the contract. On September 17, 1959, plans drawn up by the architect, André Simon of Mont-Laurier, were accepted. The plans for the steel structure, electricity heating and plumbing were drawn up by Patrick Ryan, Engineer. On June 28, 1960, at a parish meeting called by Father Dacier, it was resolved to borrow $25,000 from the Caisse Centrale Desjardins of Montréal, with interest at 6%, payable semi-annually. The balance was due at the end of 5 years subject to recall. When the church was built, Rita McLaughlin and Mary O’Reilly devoted much of their time sewing for the church, making vestments, etc. Mary Ardis contributed many hours decorating the alter and taking care of the church linens. The first crib was built by Robert Kelly. It was a log stable, but was ruined during the 1974 flood in Maniwaki. The second crib was built by Bill Sloan. The design was reproduced from a Christmas Card, and the crib is still used today. “