St-Albert Church
Since 1858, the good people of St-Albert have lived as a Christian community. It was the missionaries who first provided for the spiritual needs of the township. The Cambridge Mission, as it was called, was first served by Father Michel, a French missionary from Cumberland. Around 1858, he even built a small chapel in Cambridge Township, which he dedicated to Saint Michael. We no longer know where it once stood. For a missionary of the last century, it was a long way through the forest from Cumberland to Cambridge Township.
So it doesn’t seem that this arrangement existed for long. The Cambridge Mission was then served by priests from the new parish of Embrun. From 1868 to 1878, the Cambridge Mission was served successively by Abbés Francoeur, Guay and Guillaume, parish priests of Embrun. In summer, they had to make a detour via Crysler, because of the Nation River, to reach the faithful who lived at the southern end of lots 15 to 22 of the Xth concession, where the core of French-Canadians in the township was located, and from where they ascended a mile further north on Rang St-Albert-est. Confessions were made “under the stairs” (the houses all looked alike); baptism and mass were said sometimes in one home, sometimes in another, as is the custom in mission country. As early as June 1872, Mr. Guay (parish priest of Embrun) sent a petition signed by several citizens to Bishop Guigues of Ottawa, asking for a chapel in Cambridge. In the spring of 1873, Mr. Guay returned to the charge, this time with a petition signed by sixty-three Cambridge citizens.
He proposed that the chapel be built in the IXth concession, but it would appear that the bishopric considered this premature, as it was not immediately acted upon. Three years later, it was decided to take the first steps towards fulfilling the citizens’ wishes: land was purchased on the IXth concession, which would henceforth be owned by the Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa, and used for the future fabrique. In October 1876, the four citizens who owned the land transferred their property to the Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa for the nominal sum of one dollar each.
When Father Philion was appointed to the Cambridge (St-Albert) mission in 1878, he led a group of Christians who had known only missionaries for twenty years or more. They longed for the services of a priest permanently established in their midst. They would guarantee him a salary of at least three hundred dollars for the first year of his ministry. On September 5, 1878, the first parish assembly for the Cambridge mission was held, with Mr. Albert Philion as its first parish priest. It was this parish priest who chose to change the name of the Cambridge mission to St-Albert. Saint Albert de Louvain, bishop of Liège at the end of the 12th century, thus became the parish’s patron saint. As soon as he arrived, parish priest Philion organized work parties to transport stone – taken from M. Cashion, lot 25, Xth concession – and wood, in order to build a twenty-foot extension to his chapel. The parishioners also supplied all the necessary lime, which they produced themselves. All was completed before Christmas. Over the winter, he had the chapel divided into two floors: the lower one to be used for divine services, and the second floor to be used as a presbytery.
St. Albert’s church, built in 1881. The former chapel was converted into a presbytery. From July 1891 to 1893, the church was enlarged and the interior decorated at a cost of $7,644. On March 16, 1893, the community of St-Albert became a parish. The three bells were blessed that same year.
In 1894, the Stations of the Cross were added to the church. The parish purchases a Casavant organ at a cost of $1,250. Monsignor Duhamel calls St-Albert the “Garden of the Diocese”. In 1901, nine paintings by Hervé Légaré and the statue of Saint-Antoine de Padoue are added. The parish was canonically recognized on April 18, 1902.
In the 1960s, following Vatican II, the parish fully embraced the liturgical renewal advocated by the Council: adaptations to the altar, lay participation as lectors and cantors. Around 1980, major renovations were undertaken on the exterior of the church and presbytery. The Knights of Columbus donated a grotto of the Virgin Mary, which was consecrated in 1986. In 1990, work began on the interior of the church and presbytery, and in 1998, new stained-glass windows were installed. Over the course of our 150-year history, our parish has been led by 35 different parish priests.
Here are some other important dates surrounding our parish.
The enclosed register contains the genealogies of numerous parish families, going back several generations. This work required many hours of research. Despite all the care we have taken, there may still be inaccuracies and omissions. We apologize for any inconvenience.
To contact us: here’s the address of the St-Albert Community Group: gcstalbert@gmail.com
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