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St. Simon & St. Jude Church (Tignish) facts for kids

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St. Simon & St. Jude Church
Tignish Church.jpg
The church in 2010
46°57′11″N 64°02′11″W / 46.952995°N 64.036438°W / 46.952995; -64.036438
Location Tignish, Prince Edward Island
Country Canada
Denomination Roman Catholic
Weekly attendance under 2,500
History
Founded 19th century
Consecrated 1860

St. Simon & St. Jude Church, often called Tignish Church, is a large and historic Roman Catholic church. It was built in the 1800s in Tignish, Prince Edward Island, Canada. As of 2006, it is the biggest church on Prince Edward Island. It stands 185 feet tall, which means you can see it from about 6 miles away on flat land. You can see it even further from the sea!

This church is one of the oldest buildings in Tignish that is still in great shape. The local post office is another one. People from nearby areas, like Palmer Road and Alberton, also come to this church.

History of Tignish Church

People in Tignish have been holding religious services since 1799. But they didn't have a proper church building until 1801. That year, the Acadian settlers built a log church. It was 30 feet long and 25 feet wide. Even without a priest, the settlers would meet there every week to read prayers from the Gospel.

In 1826, the log church was taken down to make room for a new, bigger building. This new church was 60 feet long and 45 feet wide. It was built in the same spot.

Tignish officially became a parish in 1844. A new priest named Peter MacIntyre arrived. He made many changes inside the church. MacIntyre was the first resident parish priest of Tignish. He is remembered as one of the most important religious leaders in the area. He served as priest for 16 years, from 1844 to 1860. In 1851, he brought a church organ to the church. That same year, the church building was moved to a new spot near the Dalton Schoolhouse.

Building the Current Church

The construction of the St. Simon & St. Jude Church you see today began in 1857. Many volunteers from Tignish and nearby areas helped build it. The outside of the church is made of brick, and the inside is made of wood. The church has twelve tall, large columns. Each column was made from a single large tree. These trees were brought from nearby Center Line Road using bobsleds and horses.

The main part of the church was finished in 1860. It was also officially blessed, or consecrated, that year. André Roy was the parish priest at the time. He was soon followed by Dugald M. McDonald in 1861. A photographer named Henry J. Cundall visited the church in 1862. He took pictures of it after climbing the spire a year or two earlier.

The Famous Church Organ

In 1882, a very special church organ was installed. It had 1,118 pipes and was powered by hand pumps. Priest Dugald M. McDonald arranged for it to be installed. The organ cost $2,400.00 CAD back in 1882. Today, it is thought to be worth about $1 million USD! This organ has been shown in many local news reports and newspapers. It was operated by hand until 1959, when electricity first came to Tignish. The organ is still in the church today.

Church Renovations Over Time

In 1888, people in the church decided the inside needed a new look. They wanted to make the interior colors lighter and brighter. Locals raised about $3,100.00 for these changes.

Also in 1888, a lot of new decorations were added. A painter from Montreal named François Meloche was hired. He painted life-size pictures of the 12 apostles. He also painted the stained glass windows and the Stations of the Cross paintings. Meloche stayed in Tignish until September 11, 1888. He also did other small updates, like painting the church in different shades of grey.

No other big renovations happened from 1888 until 2001. However, smaller updates like painting and roof repairs were done over the years.

Recent Updates (2001–Present)

Modern Renovations

In 2001, the inside of the church was updated again. The goal was to make it look more like it did originally. Local craftspeople built a copy of the old main altar. They also fixed up the original ambo (pulpit) and the baptismal font. Carpets were taken out of the sanctuary and replaced with hardwood floors. The ceiling was repainted blue with shining stars, just like it used to be.

Reported Sightings

In March 2006, a local woman named Angela Callaghan reported seeing what she believed was a face in a cloth. This cloth was part of the church's Easter decorations. She thought it looked like Jesus or the Virgin Mary. Soon after, local TV news teams came to the church to report on the event. The story also appeared in all the Prince Edward Island newspapers. Many people said they felt changed by what they saw. The church's pastor at the time, James Willick, said he had no explanation for it.

The next year, another person from the church reported seeing images in the wood of a cross inside the church. They said they saw both Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

See also