The Cathedrals of Canada - 1. Alexandria-Cornwall

I wanted to start my survey of Canada's 91 Catholic Cathedrals on a high. St. Finnan's Cathedral in Alexandria ON is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall. Thanks for flickr you can compare the interior arrangement of the Cathedral before and after the flood of liturgical revolution.

St. Finnan, The Apostle of Moidart, was an Irish Missionary to Scotland in the 6th Century.

A chronicle of the Cathedral parish here relates that ""The plans of the new St. Finnan's Church were prepared by William H. Hodson, Esq., architect, Montreal, during the Winter of 1883 and approved by the Rt. Rev. James V. Cleary, S. T. D., Bishop of Kingston, in the Spring of the same year. The contract of building the new church was awarded to Messrs. John R. Chisholm and Son, of Lochiel, on the 22nd September, 1883. The first ground was broken and commencement made on the 25th day of the same month. The corner stone was set and blessed with solemn ceremonies on the 13th July, 1884, by the Rt. Rev. James V. Cleary, assisted by the Reverend pastor, also by the Reverend Fathers O'Connor, Perth, Gauthier, Williamstown, Duffus, St.Raphael's, and Cicolari of Lochiel, and a large concourse of people, to whom his Lordship preached an eloquent and impressive sermon.

"On the 15th of March, 1885, the same illustrious prelate dedicated with solemn service to the worship of God interiorly and exteriorly the church, assisted by the Rev. pastor, also Fathers Gauthier, Duff us, Cicolari, and a full congregation of the laity. The Reverend Father Gauthier celebrated Mass and his Lordship preached an eloquent sermon appropriate to the occasion."

"On the 18th of June, 1883, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Cleary, Bishop of Kingston, visited the parish and administered confirmation to three hundred and sixty-three persons. On the 19th of September, 1886, His Lordship visited the parish and appointed the Very Rev. Alexander Macdonell, Vicar-General of the Diocese and received his oath of office in the presence of Rev. Thomas Kelly, Sec. Rev. C. J. Duffus of St. Raphael's, Rev. John Twomey of Lochiel, Rev. William A. Macdonell, Glen Nevis, and a full congregation of the laity, to whom the Bishop explained, in eloquent terms, the dignity and obligations of the office to which their humble pastor was raised."

"In the Summer of 1861, the ground in front of the church was terraced and a new fence built to the west and in front of the church"

The parish was established in 1833 as part of the Diocese of Kingston, which, as I've already said, was formed from the Vicariate of Upper Canada in 1826. The Diocese of Alexandria in Ontario (Alexandrinus in Ontario) was itself erected in 1890, perhaps on account of its splendid Church, and became the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall in 1976. According to the Annuario Pontificio 2007, the Diocese has the remarkably small Catholic population of about 55,675 souls, which has been pretty static over the last 40 years, in 31 Parishes.

The Diocese is currently vacant since Bishop Durocher was transferred to be Archbishop of Gatineau. The Administrator of the Diocese is Fr. Kelvin Maloney.