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47. ST. PAUL’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH |
| Lacking both funds and a priest, the Roman Catholics of York had several obstacles to overcome in their formation(1).
Their needs were partially met by travelling priests who would perform
divine services in living rooms or outdoor gatherings. However on
March 25, 1806 the Crown granted 9-tenths of an acre to the Catholics
for a church(2). As this was before the post-Napoleonic waves of Irish immigration, the congregation was small and unable to pay for a church. Bishop Macdonell of Kingston came frequently to York to keep discussions moving towards the construction of a church. Finally in 1821, under the leadership of Inspector General James Baby, the trustees sold the originally granted land to William Campbell [site 36], and bought ten acres(3). The new land, along Lot (now Queen), east of Power, was to be the site of St. Paul’s Church. St. Paul’s opened in 1824 under Reverend James Crowley(4). Designed by John Ewart [sites 3, 5, 6], the Georgian proportions of the brick building was complimented by the Gothic lancet windows. Its dimensions were 90 by 46 feet, with the longer walls decorated by bricks laid in a diamond pattern(5). A spire rose from the roof, surmounted by a traditional weathervane, which was replaced in 1850 by a cross(6). With the influx of Irish Catholics, Bishop Macdonell sought a suitable priest for this congregation. Irish father William J. O’Grady (d.1840) was invited to York in 1828, and in 1830 made vicar(7). O’Grady spoke with the voice of the poor, and not the Family Compact. In time, much to his displeasure, Macdonell became aware of O’Grady’s use of the pulpit as a forum to voice his radical political views. O’Grady’s allegiance to William Lyon Mackenzie and the Reformers, brought him into political conflict with his superior. Macdonell, a Highland Scot, rebuked O’Grady and tried to transfer him to Brockville(8). In response O’Grady locked himself in the church until he was threatened by police. As a result of these ecclesiastical arguments, St. Paul’s Church was placed under solemn interdict(9). It was the only church in York to experience this denial of divine services and religious rites. The scandalous period soon passed, and O’Grady was later replaced. |
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