Canadian Servants of the Holy Family: The Cathedrals of Canada

It is almost unheard of to change the name of a Diocese in Europe. Some may be suppressed, perhaps to be used by titular Bishops, and some are united but in Canada the movement of population or the Diocesan offices from one ecclesiastical hub to another is often followed by a change in the name of the Diocese.

One example is the Vicariate Apostolic of Grouard moved its chancery and cathedral to

McLennan, and became known as the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan. In 1912, the Diocese of St. Albert was moved a few short miles and renamed the Archdiocese of Edmonton. In 1953, the seat of the Diocese of Harbour Grace in Newfoundland moved to Grand Falls and was renamed the Diocese of Grand Falls. The Diocese of St. George’s also in Newfoundland was moved to CornerBrook and became the Diocese of CornerBrook and Labrador. In 1963, the Diocese of Prince Rupert BC was moved to Prince George and became the Diocese of Prince George - poor Prince Rupert!

Something similar happened in 1976 when the seat of the Diocese of Alexandria was moved from Alexandria to Cornwall and the diocese renamed the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall. While the cathedral remained in the town of Alexandria, a co-cathedral was designated in the city of Cornwall. Ironically, another population shift has meant that the co-cathedral has ceased to be a Parish Church and has been re-designated a Marian Sanctuary.

The Co-Cathedral was built in 1887 and dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lady. The corner stone reads:

Replique Pierre Angulaire

Le 8 Sept en l'année 1887

Son Excellence

Mgr. James Vincent Cleary

Eveque de Kingston et Ordinaire du

lieu a dument pose la pierre angulaire

de l'eglise de la Nativité de la B.V.M.

The pictures of the Ontario Heritage Trust and on flickr show just how little damage was done by the post-Conciliar iconoclasts. The Parish forms part of the French-speaking deanery of the Diocese so there is a typically Canadian equality of representation between the Alexandra deanery and the Cornwall deanery, one anglophone Cathedral and deanery and one francophone.