Blessing of new St. Peter's Church

When Our Lady of Mount Carmel chapel opened in 2008, there was an attendance of about thirty at Sunday Mass.  The new chapel designed to seat eighty slowly filled up.  By 2016, we had two Masses every Sunday and a large overflow in the hallway at the High Mass.  Then, St. Joseph directed us towards St. Peter's Church.

St. Peter's Church was built in 1915 for the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of New Hamburg.  This year, due to dwindling numbers, they decided to vacate and due to the generosity of many parishioners, we were able to buy the building.  It includes the church which can seat about 160 in the nave and another 60 in the gallery; a large hall with many classrooms and meeting rooms as well as the adjacent rectory that will function as a convent for our oblate Sisters.  Providentially, the purchase was finalised on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.  The titular feast of the new church is the Chair of St. Peter on February 22nd.

After a month and a half of necessary preparation, St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church was made ready for the worship of God by a solemn blessing. The blessing of the Church – a ceremony that the faithful do not see often! – was performed by district superior Fr. Couture. Having moved from the tiny chapel at the school, the event was much anticipated by all of the faithful, who could feel the invisible transformation of a mere building into a house of God.

The day continued at the school campus with the annual Assumption Festival which, as usual, turned out to be a success. Besides the traditional pig roast, there were a number of activities for the children including catechism questions, a three-legged race, an egg race, and a balloon toss.

Many thanks to all who helped with the preparation of the new church, either financially, or in many other ways.  If you would like to donate to the new church purchase and debt, please use the donate link or send a cheque.  Thank you for your generosity!