St. Clement Parish (Ottawa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Clement Parish |
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Ste-Anne Church, home of St. Clement Parish
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| Location | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | http://www.stclement-ottawa.org/ |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St. Clement Latin Community |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Dedication | St. Clement I |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Ottawa |
| Province | Ecclesiastical province of Ottawa |
St. Clement Parish (which is Paroisse St-Clément in French) is a special Roman Catholic church community in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is looked after by a group of priests called the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. This parish was the first in the world allowed to celebrate Mass and other important church ceremonies only in Latin. They follow older church traditions. Since June 3, 2012, St. Clement Parish has been located at Ste-Anne Church in Lowertown, Ottawa.
Contents
History of St. Clement Parish
How the Parish Started
In 1968, the Archbishop of Ottawa, Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, gave permission to a small group of Catholics. This group wanted to continue using the older Latin Mass, known as the Tridentine Mass. They found an older priest who agreed to help them. They were allowed to use the chapel at the Monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood in Ottawa for their Masses.
At first, Canon René Martin served them, followed by Fr. Guy Martin. In the early 1970s, the community was asked to use a newer form of Mass, called the Mass of Paul VI. They did this, but still used the Latin language. Fr. Charles-Henri Bélanger became their chaplain in 1981.
Finding a New Home
The community continued to meet at the Precious Blood Sisters' Monastery until 1984. That year, the Sisters renovated their chapel. So, the community bought a small building in Gloucester, a suburb of Ottawa. They turned this building into their own chapel. They named it after Saint Clement. They even used altars saved from the renovated Monastery chapel.
The community used this chapel until the summer of 1993. Then, Archbishop Marcel Gervais, who took over from Archbishop Plourde, offered them a church building. This church was located at Mann and Russell Avenues in the Sandy Hill area of Ottawa. This building was built in 1957. It used to be a French-speaking Catholic parish called St. Pie X. In 1983, it was sold to the Maronite church and renamed St. Charbel's. In 1993, the Maronites moved to a bigger church. With this new building, the Archbishop made the St. Clement Latin Community a "quasi-parish," which is almost a full parish.
Priests for the Parish
The community had been served by three older priests who knew the older Latin Mass. However, these priests were getting older and their health was failing. The community worried they might have a church building but no priest. Around that time, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) was preparing to ordain its first Canadian priest.
The FSSP is a group of priests who are loyal to the Holy See (the Pope). They are dedicated to keeping the older forms of the Roman Rite of Mass and other sacraments from before 1962. They also promote Catholic teachings. Archbishop Gervais talked with the FSSP about the problem. They agreed that the FSSP would send a priest to St. Clement. This made St. Clement the first parish entrusted to the FSSP in their history. The first FSSP priest, Fr. Charles Ryan, started serving St. Clement on New Year's Day, 1995. The FSSP has been serving the parish ever since.
In 1997, Archbishop Gervais officially made St. Clement a full, bilingual parish. It serves people who want to worship using the older Roman liturgy.
In June 2011, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast suggested that St. Clement parish move to Ste-Anne Church. This is a historic building in Lowertown that had closed because not many people were attending. The parish agreed to move. They started holding Masses at Ste-Anne's on June 3, 2012.
Marie Reine du Canada Pilgrimage
Members of St. Clement Parish help organize and lead the yearly Marie Reine du Canada Pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is a special journey, often for religious reasons. This pilgrimage is a 100-kilometer walk. It goes from Saint-Joseph-de-Lanoraie to the Marian shrine of Notre-Dame du Cap in Cap de la Madeleine, Quebec.
A group of church members started this pilgrimage. They first walked part of it in 2003. It is based on a famous pilgrimage in France from Notre-Dame de Paris to Chartres Cathedral. The Marie Reine du Canada Pilgrimage happens over the Labour Day weekend. Each year, more than 70 pilgrims join. In recent years, about 100 people have participated.
