Many think of the City of Côte Saint-Luc as the home to many synagogues and that is in fact true. However, for the past 60 years the Saint Richard’s Parish on Guelph Road has remained an integral part of our community.
Some members of council, along with Liberal Member of Parliament for Mount Royal Anthony Housefather, recently participated in a day of celebration on June 16. There was a mass officiated by Bishop Alain Faubert and the Pastor, Father George Joseph. A beautiful luncheon followed. It was a nice touch when the organizers asked one person at each table to stand up to serve as team captain. “ Thanks,” they were told. “You are now our waiters.”
The group headed to the kitchen and were given captain’s hats, like Skipper from the old show Gilligan’s Island.
Congratulations to the organizers, who included former city councillor Joseph Panunto.
In 1903 Côte Saint- Luc was incorporated as a village but, prior to that, there were sufficient farm families in the area to warrant concern over meeting the spiritual needs of the people. In 1835 the Sulpicians erected a chapel at what is now the northeast corner of Côte St. Luc Road and King Edward Avenue to serve the large area to the west of Girouard Ave.
During the early 1920's the Sulpicians withdrew and the spiritual needs of the area became the responsibility of the Dominican Fathers at Notre Dame de Grace Church. The old chapel was sold in 1927 and subsequently demolished in 1963.
The then Côte Saint Luc School Commission allowed the use of Pius XI school at the corner of Westminster & Côte St. Luc Road for Sunday mass.
When Ste. Catherine de Sienne Parish was founded in 1950, the responsibility for the Catholics in the are fell under its jurisdiction. The use of the Pius XI chapel for Sunday Mass only continued as before with Ste. Catherine de Sienne being used for other ceremonies.
During the 1950's the village of Côte Saint- Luc experienced an explosion in population and the area changed from a farming community to a residential one as thousands of homes were built. The Village became a Town and the Town became a city.
Among the new home owners and apartment dwellers was a considerable number of Catholics, mainly English and French, with a number of others of various ethnic backgrounds. The Chapel in Pius XI school became jammed at Sunday mass despite the fact that many of the newcomers attended neighbouring churches such as Ste. Catherins de Sienne, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Monica’s etc.
It was felt at that time numbers were sufficient and the time had come to form a Côte Saint-Luc parish. Concerned individuals held meetings in private homes in an effort to formalize an approach to the Archdiocese towards this end. The petition ultimately ultimately presented was successful and on February 4, 1959, Paul Emile Cardinal Léger issued a decree founding the parish of Saint-Richard. This was followed on February 10, 1959 by a letter from the Cardinal appointing Father Joseph Chamberland as parish priest. He was authorized to form “un corps de Fabrique” and on March 2, 1959 a meeting was held at which eight wardens were elected.
Immediately after the founding of the parish and the arrival of Father Chamberland, parish activities commenced. A good rapport still continued with the Côte Saint Luc School Commission which allowed the new parish to use the “new” Côte Saint Luc ^school for all its functions, with the Pastor in residence in an old cottage immediately adjacent to the school. Daily mass and the sacraments were available, a chaplain was available for the school children and spiritual and social activities commenced.
One of the main objectives of the new parish was to have its own church and, towards this end, a great deal of activity was given to fundraising through various means. Father Chamberland was tireless in his efforts to build a new church as soon as possible.
In 1962, property was acquired, plans drawn up and in September excavation commenced. By June of 1963 the work was nearly completed and on June 13, the first mass was celebrated in the new church.
