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St. Patrick's Basilica (Ottawa)
Encyclopedia
St. Patrick's Basilica, located at 281 Nepean Street (at the corner of Nepean and Kent), is the oldest English-speaking Roman Catholic Church
in Ottawa
, Ontario
.
(now absorbed into Gatineau
) across the Ottawa River
in Quebec as well. These were mostly of Irish descent; thus the parish was dedicated to St. Patrick, the patron saint
of Ireland
.
The Church was elevated to Basilica
status on St. Patrick's Day, 1995.
. In 1872, the cornerstone was blessed by Bishop Guigues
(the first Bishop of Ottawa), and was laid by Sir John A. Macdonald (the first Prime Minister
of Canada
). In 1875 the building, not quite complete, was blessed by Bishop Guigues' successor, Bishop Duhamel
. The Basilica is one of the regular buildings featured in the Doors Open Ottawa architectural heritage day.
The building is made of local stone in the Gothic Revival
style and features a carved and stencilled ceiling, marble altars
, stained glass
windows, and oak pew
s dating to 1954. The base of the current Altar of Sacrifice was originally the base of the raised marble pulpit
. This latter was originally installed in 1930 and relocated slightly in an interior renovation of 2003. The Altar of Reservation was built in 1902. To the right of the altar is a beautiful replica of Murillo's Assumption of the Virgin Mary, hand painted by Québéc
nuns in 1929. The ceiling, most of the murals, and some of the stained glass windows are the work of Guido Nincheri
from the 1920s and 1930s. The Stations of the Cross
are bas-reliefs from 1876.
At the main entrance to the Church are the WWI
and WWII
memorials listing the names of parishioners who died in those wars.
The church seats about 1,000.
In 1998 the basement of the church was excavated to form a basement (called the Scavi) containing a kitchen, meeting rooms, the Book Shop, and a Lourdes Grotto
. The large area around the Lourdes Grotto is about two-thirds the size of the main church used for Mass on occasions when the main church cannot be used.
of 1887 was built by Warren Organ Company. It was a two manual (Great and Swell) with pedal. About 30% of the present organ is from the original Warren. In 1892, Casavant
used the electropneumatic system for both the key and stop action, a first in the history of organ building. Casavant
rebuilt and enlarged the Warren in 1898 to a three manual and pedal. Finally, Casavant rebuilt most of the mechanical parts of the organ again in 1930, adding chimes and a tremulant
. The electric wiring was installed at that time as well, replacing an earlier water-powered motor.
choir focusing on the sacred classics in English and Latin
at the 12:15 p.m. Mass
on Sundays. The Saint Patrick's Singers are a group of volunteer soloist singers who provide their professional services on alternating weeks with the Basilica Choir, the oldest one at the St. Patrick's, who sing predominantly English unison music at the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass. A Youth Choir and a Children's Choir sing at the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass on alternate weeks.
Regular devotional events include:
The Basilica offers masses, confessions, daily holy hours and Novena throughout the week. The Basilica offers masses, confessions, daily holy hours and Novena throughout the week. Daily Masses before work (7:00a.m., 8:00a.m.), during lunch (12:15p.m.), and after the workday (4:30p.m.), with confessions before each service; Catholics citywide make use of the confessionals at Saint Patrick's.
Masses for Sunday obligation are:
Educational activities include a formal R.C.I.A.
program and a Continuing Adult Faith Formation program which has featured a variety of guest speakers. There is also a Book and Gift Shop in the Scavi.
Social events include pancake breakfasts by the Knights of Columbus and a St. Patrick's day dinner.
The current Rector is Father Richard Siok (since 2009).
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
History
The parish was founded in 1855. Originally, it was intended to serve not only the English-speaking Catholics of Ottawa, but also those of the City of HullHull, Quebec
Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand...
(now absorbed into Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
) across the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
in Quebec as well. These were mostly of Irish descent; thus the parish was dedicated to St. Patrick, the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
The Church was elevated to Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
status on St. Patrick's Day, 1995.
Architecture
Design for the present church building started in 1866 under the direction of architect Augustus Laver. Laver's firm, Fuller and Laver, also designed the East and West blocks of Ottawa's Parliament BuildingsParliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
. In 1872, the cornerstone was blessed by Bishop Guigues
Joseph-Bruno Guigues
Joseph-Bruno Guigues, , was an Oblate priest, a teacher and became the first bishop of the diocese of Bytown serving from...
(the first Bishop of Ottawa), and was laid by Sir John A. Macdonald (the first Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
). In 1875 the building, not quite complete, was blessed by Bishop Guigues' successor, Bishop Duhamel
Joseph-Thomas Duhamel
Joseph-Thomas Duhamel was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and Archbishop of Ottawa.Born in Contrecœur, Lower Canada, he became Bishop of Ottawa in 1874 and Archbishop of Ottawa in 1886.-References:...
. The Basilica is one of the regular buildings featured in the Doors Open Ottawa architectural heritage day.
The building is made of local stone in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style and features a carved and stencilled ceiling, marble altars
Altar (Catholicism)
In the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, the altar is where the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. Mass may sometimes be celebrated outside a sacred place, but never without an altar, or at least an altar stone.-Precedent:...
, stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows, and oak pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s dating to 1954. The base of the current Altar of Sacrifice was originally the base of the raised marble pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
. This latter was originally installed in 1930 and relocated slightly in an interior renovation of 2003. The Altar of Reservation was built in 1902. To the right of the altar is a beautiful replica of Murillo's Assumption of the Virgin Mary, hand painted by Québéc
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
nuns in 1929. The ceiling, most of the murals, and some of the stained glass windows are the work of Guido Nincheri
Guido Nincheri
Guido Nincheri was a Canadian artist working mainly in stained glass and fresco.-Biography:Born in Prato, Italy, he studied art in Florence and immigrated to Montreal in 1915 after a short stay in Boston where he decorated the Boston Opera House.Nincheri designed the interior decoration of many...
from the 1920s and 1930s. The Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
are bas-reliefs from 1876.
At the main entrance to the Church are the WWI
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
memorials listing the names of parishioners who died in those wars.
The church seats about 1,000.
In 1998 the basement of the church was excavated to form a basement (called the Scavi) containing a kitchen, meeting rooms, the Book Shop, and a Lourdes Grotto
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
. The large area around the Lourdes Grotto is about two-thirds the size of the main church used for Mass on occasions when the main church cannot be used.
Restoration
In 2009, the Basilica won the North American Copper in Architecture Awards (NACIA) in the Historical Restoration division. Engineering consultant John G. Cooke of John G. Cooke & Associates collaborated with building contracting firm Lari Construction to repair, replace and repoint stones, install anchors, and install a new copper roof. Heather & Little furnished the structure with a new copper steeple, copper cornice and dentil bands, belfry louvers, ornaments, and the stunning 20-oz copper ceiling of the spire. Work was done following the Canadian Federal Government publication Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.Organ
The first pipe organPipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
of 1887 was built by Warren Organ Company. It was a two manual (Great and Swell) with pedal. About 30% of the present organ is from the original Warren. In 1892, Casavant
Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères is a prominent Canadian company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building fine pipe organs since 1879. As of 2008, they have produced over 3800 organs.- Company history :...
used the electropneumatic system for both the key and stop action, a first in the history of organ building. Casavant
Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères is a prominent Canadian company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building fine pipe organs since 1879. As of 2008, they have produced over 3800 organs.- Company history :...
rebuilt and enlarged the Warren in 1898 to a three manual and pedal. Finally, Casavant rebuilt most of the mechanical parts of the organ again in 1930, adding chimes and a tremulant
Tremulant
A tremulant is a device on a pipe organ which varies the wind supply to the pipes of one or more divisions . This causes their pitch to fluctuate, producing a vibrato effect. A large organ may have several tremulants, affecting different ranks of pipes...
. The electric wiring was installed at that time as well, replacing an earlier water-powered motor.
Choirs
The basilica has five choirs under the direction of organist and choir director Francesca Bailey, A.R.C.T. The Adoremus Choir is an SATBSATB
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
choir focusing on the sacred classics in English and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
at the 12:15 p.m. Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
on Sundays. The Saint Patrick's Singers are a group of volunteer soloist singers who provide their professional services on alternating weeks with the Basilica Choir, the oldest one at the St. Patrick's, who sing predominantly English unison music at the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass. A Youth Choir and a Children's Choir sing at the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass on alternate weeks.
Parish Life
St. Patrick's Basilica has a number of social and devotional groups for parishioners:- Knights of ColumbusKnights of ColumbusThe Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
- Legion of MaryLegion of MaryThe Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic laity who serve the Church on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary members there are in excess of 10 million members worldwide making it...
- Christian Meditation Group
- Traditional Franciscan Third OrderThird orderThe term Third Order designates persons who live according to the Third Rule of a Roman Catholic religious order, an Anglican religious order, or a Lutheran religious order. Their members, known as Tertiaries, are generally lay members of religious orders, i.e...
- Women of Grace
- Pro-LifePro-lifeOpposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
Group
Regular devotional events include:
- Parish Missions
- Monthly all-night Vigils of Eucharistic AdorationEucharistic adorationEucharistic adoration is a practice in the Roman Catholic Church, and in a few Anglican and Lutheran churches, in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to and adored by the faithful....
The Basilica offers masses, confessions, daily holy hours and Novena throughout the week. The Basilica offers masses, confessions, daily holy hours and Novena throughout the week. Daily Masses before work (7:00a.m., 8:00a.m.), during lunch (12:15p.m.), and after the workday (4:30p.m.), with confessions before each service; Catholics citywide make use of the confessionals at Saint Patrick's.
Masses for Sunday obligation are:
- Saturdays: 4:30pm (Low Mass)
- Sundays: 8:00am (Low Mass), 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:15pm, 9:00pm
Educational activities include a formal R.C.I.A.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the process through which interested adults and older children are gradually introduced to the Roman Catholic faith and way of life...
program and a Continuing Adult Faith Formation program which has featured a variety of guest speakers. There is also a Book and Gift Shop in the Scavi.
Social events include pancake breakfasts by the Knights of Columbus and a St. Patrick's day dinner.
Pastors and Rectors
St. Patrick's has had a dozen pastors and, since its elevation to Basilica status, three Rectors.- Father Aeneas McDonnell Dawson (Pastor 1855-61)
- Father James McGrath, OMI (Pastor 1861-66)
- Father John Joseph Collins (Pastor 1866-77)
- Father John Lalor O'Connor (Pastor 1877-81)
- Father Matthew J. Whelan (Pastor 1881-1922)
- Monsignor George Edward Fitzgerald (Pastor 1922-39)
- Monsignor George David Prudhomme (Pastor 1939-51)
- Monsignor J. Leo LeSage (Pastor 1951-61)
- Bishop Joseph Raymond Windle (Pastor 1961-69)
- Bishop John M. Beahen (Pastor 1969-77)
- Monsignor Francis French (Pastor 1977-93)
- Monsignor David J. P. Corkery (Pastor 1993-95, First Rector 1995-98 )
- Monsignor Robert Martineau (Rector 1999-2009)
The current Rector is Father Richard Siok (since 2009).