https://www.fepl.ca/localhistory/files/original/2d690d768ce30f44396f54dce75d7223.pdf 8c43b5ca8b0e9648fc0f170383015f16 PDF Text Text ~t. <icor,gc' s ~oman filat4nlir fil4urr4 <;T. GfOR<,;(I RL CHUQC.H 1964 - 1989 CJ?'< ~Tt>.l ~EAc.r\. �~ihnr Wuhik~ Jrogram 11:00 a.m.: Concelebrated Mass Principal Celebrant: Most Reverend T. B. Fulton, D.D., J.C.D. Homily: Most Rev. A. Tonnos, D.D. Bishop of Hamilton Diocese Pastor: Rev. H. J. Dopp Honour Guard: Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus Reception immediately following at the Lions Hall 538 Prospect Point Road North, Ridgeway Hostesses: Catholic Women's League �Telephone Ridgeway 894-2853 ~t Q?)eor_g£'~ <1Ifrurcfr DIOCESE OF ST. CATHARINES 122 RIVERDALE AVENUE ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO, CANADA (416) 684-0154 Ridgeway Road Crystal Beach. Ontario Box 300 LOS IBO L2R 4C2 Dear Parishioners and Surrmer Residents: May 19, 1989 Dear Father Dopp: Greetings to you and the parishioners of St. George's Parish as you celebrate the Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the erection and blessing of your parish church. It is significant that this year, 1989, also marks the twenty fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the first published document of Vatican Council II. Our Holy Father has issued a special apostolic letter to mark this occasion. St. George's Church can be seen as one of the first fruits of the liturgical renewal. It incorporates in its structure the recommendations of the Council as an assembly place so as to make it as convenient as possible for the participation of the whole congregation in the Eucharist. It bas served the community well in the past quarter century as the house of God and the symbol of the Christian life of the people of this parish. May it continue to flourish. Sincerely yours in Christ, (Most Rev.) Thomas B. Fulton Bishop of St. Catharines For 25 years we have =rshipped God in our beautiful new St. George's Church. With joy we give thanks to God for all the spiritual growth and joy that our Church has meant to us. A Church is always a building of great importance in our life. It is a sign of Christ who is the Church. The Church is Christ's mystical body, of which he is the head, and through our Baptism we are the living rrernbers of that body. In the gospel Christ says of himself, that he is the light of our w::>rld. It is especially in our Church that we turn to Christ as the light of our =rld. We come here on the Lord's day so that Christ may give his light to our everyday =rk of the caning week. We come here on days of joy when we celebrate Marriage, Baptism, First Holy Comnunion or Confirmation, so that the light of Christ may be the focal point of our joy. We corne to the Church when disease or death come our way in life. In the darkness of disease and death, we turn to Christ our light, that he may guide us through our time of darkness, to bring us again to the light of his love and peace. Through St. George's Church, may Christ, the light of our =rld, bring to all of us the eternal light of his love, his peace and his salvation. �~ista~ of ~t. Qi)£nr,S£ s Jarisq 1 Before the turn of the century, not long after Crystal Beach came into being, a group of Catholics who had been meeting for Mass in various homes in the area began gathering for Mass at the original roller rink at the top of Ridge Road cut to Lake Erie shore. It was there that they started to formulate plans for a new church. The very first wooden structure of St. George's was erected in 1905. The rebuilt church. Religion was taught the children in homes - among them, the Cammaratas and the Donnellys - as well as in the church. The young ladies of the Sodality and the choir of the parish met regularly at parishioners' homes, including those of the Daltons, Meaghers, Carrs, Lampings, Stickles, Cammaratas and the Donnellys. St. George's first church. St. George's became a parish in 1947, when Rev. E. J. Canning was appointed its first pastor. The beautiful home at Ridge and Victoria served as its first rectory. Father Canning kept the grounds and garden immaculate, working by himself. This church burned in 1921, but was immediately rebuilt, featuring a yellow wood exterior. The new building served the parish well and later was insulated with imitation brick siding. In September 1959, Rev. James Noonan was appointed pastor, succeeding Father Canning. The parish had grown considerably by this time, and with the influx of summer residents more adequate facilities were needed desperately. In the early years, St. George's was a mission of the Fort Erie church - St. Michael's - and a priest would come to serve Mass in winter at the homes of some of the members, among them the Lampings, Scott Sherks, and John Dalton. In the summer, Mass was celebrated every Sunday at the church. This was around 1913, when Rev. Michael Cullinane served the parishes. Other priests who followed were Fathers Murphy, Johnson, Prance and Quinlan. After Crystal Beach became a summer resort, a priest from Land was purchased for the new church in 1960, on what was known as "the old golf course," and on July 9, 1961, Campaign Sunday was celebrated. Through the·work of the various church organizations and individuals, a parish dream came true, with groundbreaking in May 1962. On Easter Monday morning, March 30th of 1964, transfer was made to the new rectory. The final Mass was said in the old church that same day. The following day, l\Jf .,..,,..l-, ~ 1 "t- ur-if--np.,.,p,-1 thP fir.;:t <;:PrvirP"-! lTI the neW ChUTCh. �Jrh~sts fuqo scruca ~L ®cor,gc s Jarisq Consecration of the altar was on the Feast of St. Joseph March 19, 1964. The parish has an active Catholic Women's League, which sponsors an annual parish brunch in. addition to their popular annual bazaar; an active parish council; League of the Sacred Heart; secular order of St. Francis; Our Lady of Grace School; and an excellent choir. In the meantime, the old church was sold to the local volunteer firemen, who erected a new fire hall on the site. The firemen, in turn, sold the building for $1.00 to the Kinsmen Club, which moved it to Rebstock Road East and turned it into a recreation centre (June 1965). However, around 1971 the recreation centre was also destroyed by fire, which means that every remnant of the original church is now gone, with the exception of a few stained glass windows and several pews preserved in the homes of some of the residents. 1 Early years Rev. Michael Cullinane Frs. Murphy, Johnson, Prance and Quinlan 1947 - 1959 Rev. Edward J. Canning 1959 - 1975 Rev. James Noonan 1976 - 1983 Rev. Joseph Killoran 1983 - 1986 Rev. Ben Vanco 1986 - present Rev. Hubert Dopp The first and only ordination in St. George's was Father Peter Wal ton in 1984. St. George's parish is very grateful to the summer residents for their generosity over the years, both in the old church and in the new. Their help has been vital to the success of the parish. In conclusion, let us all hope and pray that our Lord will bless the endeavours of our parish as richly in the future as He has in the past. Summers of 1961, 1963 - 1966, and 1971 Rev. Anthony Tonnos 1962 - 1968 Rev. Edward Pythian 1970 Rev. Donald Grecco 1972 Rev. Donald Lizzotti 1973 Rev. Leo Clutterbuck 1984 Rev. Peter Walton The parish is very grateful to those priests who have assisted St. George's over the years: Rev. K. Burns, Rev. J. Ingrao, Rev. P. LaBelle and Rev. J. Demsky, as well as Rev. E. Ryan of Buffalo. �The interior of the new church. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Louis McDermott Collection Subject The topic of the resource Local history, Fort Erie and surrounding area. Description An account of the resource A collection of historical documents, photos, news clippings, letters, and writings, assembled by local historian, Louis McDermott, and donated to the Fort Erie Public Library. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Louis McDermott Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived FEPL-LH -Louis McDermott Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Included in this collection are writings, historical documents, news clippings, images, maps, and more. They were written and compiled by Louis McDermott into a series of binders. The digital collection has been scanned from these physical copies. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fort Erie Public Library and Louis McDermott Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource St. George's Roman Catholic Church Description An account of the resource Listed here is a booklet pertinent to St. George's Roman Catholic Church and it's local history. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Louis McDermott Collection Crystal Beach Louis Mcdermott Collection roman catholic church