St. Patrick's Church is the only English-speaking parish in the

Archdiocese of Quebec The Archdiocese of Québec (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Quebec, Canada. It is the oldest episcopal see in the New World north of Mexico and the primatial see of Canada. The Archdioce ...

, located in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. Founded in 1832, the parish has occupied several different buildings as the population of English-speaking Catholics, primarily Irish, in Quebec City grew or declined.

History

The first Mass for Irish immigrants in Quebec City was celebrated in 1819; before St. Patrick's was established as a parish the Irish were allowed use of Notre Dame Basilica and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church in Place Royale for their services. English-speaking Catholics in the city were organized into a separate congregation with a dedicated priest in 1822. Father Patrick McMahon was the priest of congregation from 1822 to 1825 and again after 1828. McMahon arrived in Quebec in 1818, along with about twenty relatives. After completing his studies at the Seminaire de Saint-Hyacinthe he was ordained in 1822. He became a curate at

Notre-Dame de Québec Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the ...

assigned to attend to the needs of the Irish. McMahon raised the money for a separate church and lobbied the French-speaking Church Wardens. The first St. Patrick's was built on Rue Ste. Helene, on what is now McMahon Street (named after Father Patrick) inside the walls of the

Old Quebec Old Quebec (, ) is a historic neighbourhood of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Comprising the Upper Town () and Lower Town (), the area is a World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Administratively, Old Quebec is part of the Vieux-Québec� ...

. A cholera epidemic in 1832 delayed the laying of the cornerstone. Designed by Thomas Baillarge it opened for worship on July 7, 1833, It was at first a chapel of Notre-Dame with sacramental registers kept at the cathedral. The church was enlarged in 1876. This church was replaced by a larger church on the Grand Allée in 1914, but the old church continued to be used occasionally until 1967. It burned in 1970 and its outside facade was reused as part of an annex of the

Hôtel-Dieu de Québec The Hotel-Dieu de Québec () is a teaching hospital located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, and affiliated with Université Laval's medical school. It is part of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec (CHUQ), a network of five teaching ...

hospital. From 1874 to 1962, the parish was served by priests from the

Redemptorists The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scala ...

. The 1914 church was used until it was demolished in 1988. This was replaced by the current and smaller church on De Salaberry Avenue.

Gallery

St. Patrick s Church, Quebec, Canada.jpg, McMahon Street St. Patrick s Church, Grande Allee.jpg, Grande Allée St. Patrick s Church, Quebec City 02.jpg, 1145 De Salaberry Avenue In 1843 the Christian Brothers established St. Patrick's School across the street from the church. The brothers taught boys grades one through six. The girls of the parish attended schools run by the Ursulines, the Good Shepherd Nuns and the Grey Nuns."Part of Quebec City Since 1843", St. Patrick's High School
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References

Bibliography

* Gallacher, John
St. Patrick’s Parish – Quebec
(University of Manitoba, 1947), pp. 71–80.

External links

* {{Official website, http://stpatricksquebec.com/ Roman Catholic churches in Quebec City Irish diaspora in Quebec Quebec Anglophone culture in Quebec City Redemptorist churches