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A Beautiful, Spacious and Commodious Place of Worship

For the English-Speaking section of the Basilica Congregation

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To-morrow the new Roman Catholic church of St. Bridget, which occupies the west side of Cumberland street, between Murray and St. Patrick, will be commemorated with due pomp and ceremony by Archbishop Duhamel and the chapter and clergy of the Basilica.

The origin of the church is very interesting. For many years the Basilica was the only Roman Catholic church in Lower Town. It was built with funds contributed to by both Irish and French nationalities, and was used as a common place of worship by both. Shortly, in what was then the very eastern extremity of the city, sprang up the essentially French Catholic church, dedicated to St. Anne, but the Basilica still remained the one place of worship for the Irish and French of the Basilica and NotreDame parishes. In 1887 a movement arose caused by the great growth of the population of these parishes, to have a separate church built for the use of the Irish Catholics, leaving the French in sole possession of the Basilica. After many meetings it was decided that the outgoing nationality should receive the sum of $30,000 as their portion of the cost of the Basilica, which sum should be placed towards the cost of the new church. The present site was selected and purchased and Mr. J. R. Bowes, architect, directed to draw the plans.

The design met with general commendation and the result is the beautiful church which will to-morrow be dedicated for sacred worship.

THE WORK.

In the spring of 1888 tenders were invited and the successful contractor was Mr. J.J. Lyons, who in turn sublet the plastering to Mr. Dunne, and the painting to Mr. Daly. In the fall of 1888 the firm commenced work and the excavations were speedily completed, the foundations and basement walls being finished before winter. During the winter Mr. J. Lyons had men at work steadily, the result being that when the building season of 1889 opened every stone was ready to be put in its place.

On Sunday, May 12^th, 1889, Archbishop Duhamel laid the corner stone with imposing ceremonies and during the season the whole of the immense structure rose, the roof was put on and all was ready for the plasterers before winter. Their work was done during the cold weather and early in the spring the painters and carpenters took possession.

The design of the church is mixed. The extreme length of the building is 160 feet, the breadth 64 feet, the height of the main aisle 50 feet. On the northeast side of the main entrance stands a tower and spire 164 feet high, whilst a smaller spire occupies the northwest side. The church is solid stone with rough granite facings, and is beautiful and massive in appearance.

THE INTERIOR.

The interior consists of nave with side aisles and chancel. The chancel consists wholly of the sanctuary, the rail of which is in ash and black walnut. The sides are dadoed with paneled ash, of which wood the sedilia are made. The main altar, thirty-feet high, with the side altars are of wood, in white and gold, the center pinnacles reproducing in each case the conformation of the outlines of the main tower.

The nave and side aisles are seated in ash with walnut scrolls, the confessionals, four in number, are placed in small north and south recesses, forming a diminutive transept. The body of the church is also dadoed in ash. There is a gallery in the west end, in which a large and powerful Dominion Organ company's organ has been placed by Messrs. Orme & Son.

There are five windows, on each side of the nave, all of stained glass supplied by Messrs. Castle & Co. of Montreal. The designs represent symbols of salvation. Over the main altar is a beautiful orient window representing St. Bridget praying. Over the organ is a four-light window containing representations of St. Patrick, Ste. Anne, the Virgin, and St. Joseph.

The ceilings, with their hanging centers, are painted in blue and grey, the grey with gold tops. The church is heated throughout with steam apparatus supplied by Messrs. Dewie (s) & Chandler.

ST. BRIDGET.

The Irish Catholics of Upper town having dedicated their church to their patron, Saint Patrick, it was natural that the sister church in Lower town should be dedicated to his spiritual daughter, St. Bridget. St. Bridget was an Irish princess, born at Tochard, county Armagh, about the end of the fifth century. Very early in life she realized that she had a vocation and finding her unusual beauty subjected her to many offers of marriage and other temptations, she prayed that her face might be disfigured. Her prayer was granted nor did she recover her wonted(?) beauty till she took her final vows, when at the moment of devoting herself to heaven it all returned. She retired to Kill-dare, afterwards Killdare, where she built a monastery, to which resorted large numbers of votaries. She also instituted numerous other houses, and an order of nuns which flourished for several centuries, but is now extinct. Such is the legend. St. Bridget was reverenced for her many miracles, and was honored in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall as St. Bride. She is however distinct from the Swedish St. Brigette.

The contractors are to be congratulated on having done the whole work without a….(delay)…

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