480:
and opened this church which was the first Roman
Catholic Parish church to be built in the Niagara Peninsula. This first Catholic Church was burned down by an arsonist on August 23, 1842. Fortunately the second Welland Canal was being built between 1842–45 and thus there were once again many Irish labourers in the area. There was much sickness in the work camps and Dr. Constantine Lee, then Pastor at St. Catharines, contracted one of the diseases while ministering to the workers and died in the winter of 1842–43. Often there were delays in construction of the canal, so the Irish workers used their free time to build a new parish church. Father McDonagh laid the cornerstone on Ascension Day, May 25, 1843. The Irish Canal workers continued to build the church for the next two years — for which there is a commemorative stone in Latin, dated 1844, by the entrance to the church. Father McDonagh opened the new church, which was dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria on June 10, 1845. During the latter part of the nineteenth century many additions were made to the church to give it the structure it has now. In the post-Vatican II period its interior was updated somewhat to give the church the appearance that it has today. For almost a century the church was usually the seat of the Deanery of St. Catharines, the Dean residing at its Rectory. In 1945 it celebrated the centennial of the opening of the present church. On November 25, 1958, it became the Cathedral Church of the newly formed Diocese of St. Catharines.
495:
Christian faith, and in her trials she converted many to
Christianity. She was tortured on a spiked wheel which broke miraculously when she was placed upon it (hence the broken Catherine Wheel in church symbolism). Eventually she was beheaded and her body is reputedly buried in a monastery on Mount Sinai. St. Catherine was one of the voices that spoke to St. Joan of Arc and St. Catherine has always been a particularly popular saint among the people of France. Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys brought over from France to Quebec the tradition of special celebrations on St. Catherine's Day, November 25 of each year. In the province of Quebec, St. Catherine's Feast is still celebrated as the special day for unmarried women. She is the patroness of maidens, philosophers and preachers, and of the Cathedral and Diocese of St. Catharines.
517:
institutions within the
Diocese. Catholic chaplains were also assigned to major religious and secular institutions. The Catholic community has contributed to all walks of life in the Niagara Peninsula over the years. In addition to their spiritual role, first as missionaries, then as chaplains and finally as parish priests, the clergy have taken a strong hand over the years in building up the institutional and spiritual life of the area with the help of religious communities. The laity over the years have served as explorers, traders, soldiers, farmers, canal builders, railroad workers and factory labourers. In addition to their spiritual and charitable contributions the laity have added immensely to the social, intellectual and cultural life of the Peninsula community.
147:
504:
theological, historical and geographical features of the
Diocese. The components of the new crest are: The crest is divided into left and right halves from top to bottom by the Welland Canal — portrayed in the crest by six links going from right to left, back and forth three times. The crest is divided into a top and bottom half by two wavy lines, representing the two major rivers in the St. Catharines Diocese — the Grand River to the left and the Welland river to the right. The blue background represents the sky and the rest and peace that only Heaven can give.
1241:
25:
159:
445:
Niagara Falls (1989); Monsignor Clancy in
Thorold (1989); Blessed Trinity in Grimsby (1994); St. Francis and Ecole secondaire Jean Vanier (Saint-Jean Brebeuf) in St. Catharines (1995). Major renovations and expansion have been carried out at Lakeshore Catholic, St. Paul, Notre Dame, Denis Morris and Holy Cross.
494:
Although the exact reasons why the City of St. Catharines was originally called by this name remain in doubt, many faithful throughout the diocese continue to have a strong devotion for their patron saint. A citizen of
Alexandria, Egypt, St. Catherine died around 310 AD after refusing to renounce her
444:
Since 1982 Catholic secondary education in the diocese has experienced tremendous growth in the number of students and new schools. Added to the roster of high schools were St. Paul in
Niagara Falls (1982); Holy Cross in St. Catharines, 1985; Lakeshore Catholic in Port Colborne (1988); St. Michael in
479:
The first
Catholic church at St. Catharines was built to meet the spiritual needs of the Irish labourers who built the first Welland Canal which was opened in 1829. It was a wood structure on the same site as the present cathedral. On November 12, 1831, Bishop Alexander Macdonell of Kingston blessed
470:
The largest restoration project was the cathedral parish of St. Catherine of
Alexandria. More than one million dollars was spent on the work, which included a new pipe organ, work on the foundation, and repairs to the bell tower. The diocese also renovated the former Church of the Resurrection on
435:
The founding bishop of the diocese, Most Rev. Thomas J. McCarthy, died on
November 15, 1986. He had been bishop for twenty years, from 1958 to 1978, during which time he guided the local church through the many reforms in liturgy and governance brought about by the implementation of Vatican II.
503:
The first crest was designed when the new Diocese of St. Catharines was established in 1958. This crest consisted of the Bishop's mitre, and the broken Catherine Wheel superimposed upon the Welland Canal. This was replaced by a second crest in 1983, which hoped to incorporate still more of the
431:
The Diocese of St. Catharines underwent considerable change and consolidation from 1982 to 1997, in terms of episcopal leadership, spiritual renewal, the first ever lay diocesan congress, and Catholic secondary schools. Bishop John A. O'Mara made the congress the primary diocesan instrument to
516:
In 1997, the Diocese of St. Catharines numbered about 150,000 Catholics, with about 50 parish and mission churches and served by some 100 priests. There were twenty religious communities of fathers, brothers, and sisters who ran a wide variety of educational, social, medical and charitable
432:
prepare local Catholics for the Great Jubilee in the year 2000. Priests and people have also celebrated many notable anniversaries and undertaken a number of church renovations and expansions, the most impressive among them being the wholesale restoration of the cathedral.
471:
Merrittville Highway near Brock University for a diocesan pastoral centre. It houses the Chancery, the diocesan archives, the Marriage Tribunal, the Office of Religious Education, the diocesan newspaper and a pastoral/theological resource library.
507:
It symbolizes the desire of the Diocese for peace with its neighbours in the United States of America, as well as within the local Niagara Peninsula community, an area of Canada which has had more than its share of battles over the centuries.
245:
1308:
583:
576:
1140:
804:
42:
1298:
569:
419:
1186:
955:
1099:
407:
376:
866:
1259:
454:
388:
304:
742:
1303:
1135:
394:
280:
1201:
960:
773:
89:
1130:
799:
716:
685:
664:
659:
61:
1171:
1125:
825:
711:
68:
732:
1145:
1089:
830:
617:
75:
1150:
1063:
939:
763:
1012:
871:
1079:
57:
1017:
991:
981:
1318:
1094:
1058:
1043:
892:
695:
643:
1191:
1115:
1084:
913:
789:
737:
633:
607:
449:
1181:
1176:
1027:
1007:
965:
918:
809:
758:
459:
337:
191:
887:
861:
856:
768:
690:
669:
897:
82:
1211:
1206:
1196:
1048:
835:
794:
923:
1166:
986:
840:
612:
108:
1053:
349:
146:
1221:
1120:
638:
46:
255:
178:
593:
382:
300:
1313:
489:
186:
35:
370:
561:
8:
413:
1245:
532:
353:
1227:
341:
329:
217:
158:
1292:
1274:
1261:
270:
290:
227:
1309:
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
24:
1240:
401:
345:
591:
1141:
Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saint-Sauveur of Montréal
483:
556:
316:
246:
Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Catharines
422:, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, Ontario in 2012
416:, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of London, Ontario in 1997
410:, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa, Ontario in 1994
455:
Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board
385:(2 February 1994 Appointed - 9 November 2001 Retired)
1136:
Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Montreal
391:(9 November 2001 Appointed - 7 April 2010 Resigned)
336:) (erected 22 November 1958) is a suffragan of the
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1131:Exarchate of Saints Cyril and Methodius of Toronto
373:(9 November 1958 Appointed - 7 July 1978 Resigned)
1299:Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Toronto
1126:Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto
379:(7 July 1978 Appointed - 2 February 1994 Retired)
1290:
402:Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
557:Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Catharines site
1146:Syriac Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Canada
577:
1151:Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Mississauga
58:"Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Catharines"
1304:Christian organizations established in 1958
130:
1212:Territorial Abbacy of Saint Peter–Muenster
584:
570:
326:Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Catharines
145:
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
484:The Story of St. Catherine of Alexandria
474:
151:Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria
956:Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland
334:Dioecesis Sanctae Catharinae in Ontario
1291:
1187:Diocese of Labrador City–Schefferville
867:Diocese of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière
450:Niagara Catholic District School Board
1100:Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada
565:
460:Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir
961:Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador
805:Diocese of Saint-Jérôme–Mont-Laurier
774:Diocese of Saint John, New Brunswick
47:adding citations to reliable sources
18:
13:
348:. It covers the municipalities of
14:
1330:
1167:Apostolic Prefecture of Placentia
550:
16:Catholic ecclesiastical territory
1239:
618:Diocese of Saint Paul in Alberta
397:(14 September 2010 Appointed - )
157:
23:
800:Diocese of Saint-Jean–Longueuil
717:Diocese of Churchill–Hudson Bay
686:Archdiocese of Halifax–Yarmouth
665:Diocese of Mackenzie–Fort Smith
660:Archdiocese of Grouard–McLennan
525:
34:needs additional citations for
1319:1958 establishments in Ontario
1172:Diocese of Alexandria–Cornwall
1121:Military Ordinariate of Canada
826:Archdiocese of Ottawa–Cornwall
712:Archdiocese of Keewatin–Le Pas
465:
1:
940:Archdiocese of Saint Boniface
764:Diocese of Bathurst in Canada
743:Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie
533:"Diocese of Saint Catharines"
520:
511:
364:
256:Saint Catherine of Alexandria
679:Province of Halifax–Yarmouth
653:Province of Grouard–McLennan
498:
132:Dioecesis Sanctae Catharinae
7:
1023:Diocese of Saint Catharines
819:Province of Ottawa–Cornwall
705:Province of Keewatin–Le Pas
125:Diocese of Saint Catharines
10:
1335:
1090:Eparchy of New Westminster
992:Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe
933:Province of Saint Boniface
831:Diocese of Hearst–Moosonee
487:
439:
426:
359:
1234:
1220:
1202:Diocese of Saint George's
1159:
1108:
1072:
1036:
1000:
982:Archdiocese of Sherbrooke
974:
948:
932:
906:
880:
872:Diocese of Trois-Rivières
849:
818:
782:
751:
725:
704:
678:
652:
626:
600:
594:Catholic Church in Canada
315:
310:
296:
286:
276:
266:
261:
251:
241:
233:
223:
213:
208:
197:
185:
173:
168:
156:
144:
140:
123:
1182:Diocese of Harbour Grace
1109:Exempt from the Holy See
1059:Diocese of Prince George
1044:Archdiocese of Vancouver
893:Diocese of Prince Albert
696:Diocese of Charlottetown
644:Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda
420:Wayne Joseph Kirkpatrick
1192:Diocese of Mont-Laurier
1116:Archdiocese of Winnipeg
1080:Archeparchy of Winnipeg
914:Archdiocese of Rimouski
790:Archdiocese of Montreal
738:Diocese of Peterborough
733:Archdiocese of Kingston
634:Archdiocese of Gatineau
608:Archdiocese of Edmonton
490:Catherine of Alexandria
287:Metropolitan Archbishop
187:Ecclesiastical province
1246:Catholicism portal
1177:Diocese of Gravelbourg
1073:Metropolia of Winnipeg
1028:Diocese of Thunder Bay
1008:Archdiocese of Toronto
975:Province of Sherbrooke
966:Diocese of Grand Falls
949:Province of St. John's
919:Diocese of Baie-Comeau
810:Diocese of Valleyfield
759:Archdiocese of Moncton
408:Frederick Joseph Colli
377:Thomas Benjamin Fulton
371:Thomas Joseph McCarthy
338:Archdiocese of Toronto
333:
131:
1037:Province of Vancouver
888:Archdiocese of Regina
862:Diocese of Chicoutimi
857:Archdiocese of Québec
769:Diocese of Edmundston
691:Diocese of Antigonish
670:Diocese of Whitehorse
475:The Present Cathedral
1160:Former jurisdictions
1095:Eparchy of Saskatoon
907:Province of Rimouski
898:Diocese of Saskatoon
783:Province of Montreal
726:Province of Kingston
627:Province of Gatineau
601:Province of Edmonton
389:James Matthew Wingle
383:John Aloysius O’Mara
305:James Matthew Wingle
301:John Aloysius O’Mara
204:160,000 (34.6%)
43:improve this article
1275:43.1608°N 79.2467°W
1271: /
1207:Diocese of Yarmouth
1197:Diocese of Moosonee
1085:Eparchy of Edmonton
1064:Diocese of Victoria
1049:Diocese of Kamloops
1013:Diocese of Hamilton
1001:Province of Toronto
836:Diocese of Pembroke
795:Diocese of Joliette
752:Province of Moncton
414:Richard John Grecco
987:Diocese of Nicolet
881:Province of Regina
850:Province of Québec
841:Diocese of Timmins
613:Diocese of Calgary
537:Catholic-Hierarchy
395:Gerard Paul Bergie
281:Gerard Paul Bergie
262:Current leadership
1280:43.1608; -79.2467
1254:
1253:
1054:Diocese of Nelson
1018:Diocese of London
592:Hierarchy of the
322:
321:
119:
118:
111:
93:
1326:
1286:
1285:
1283:
1282:
1281:
1276:
1272:
1269:
1268:
1267:
1264:
1244:
1243:
1222:Apostolic Nuncio
924:Diocese of Gaspé
586:
579:
572:
563:
562:
546:
544:
543:
354:Haldimand County
297:Bishops emeritus
237:22 November 1958
200:- Catholics
181:
161:
149:
134:
121:
120:
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
92:
51:
27:
19:
1334:
1333:
1329:
1328:
1327:
1325:
1324:
1323:
1289:
1288:
1279:
1277:
1273:
1270:
1265:
1262:
1260:
1258:
1257:
1255:
1250:
1238:
1230:
1216:
1155:
1104:
1068:
1032:
996:
970:
944:
928:
902:
876:
845:
814:
778:
747:
721:
700:
674:
648:
639:Diocese of Amos
622:
596:
590:
553:
541:
539:
531:
528:
523:
514:
501:
492:
486:
477:
468:
442:
429:
404:
367:
362:
303:
203:
199:
177:
164:
152:
135:
127:
126:
115:
104:
98:
95:
52:
50:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1332:
1322:
1321:
1316:
1314:St. Catharines
1311:
1306:
1301:
1252:
1251:
1249:
1248:
1235:
1232:
1231:
1226:
1224:
1218:
1217:
1215:
1214:
1209:
1204:
1199:
1194:
1189:
1184:
1179:
1174:
1169:
1163:
1161:
1157:
1156:
1154:
1153:
1148:
1143:
1138:
1133:
1128:
1123:
1118:
1112:
1110:
1106:
1105:
1103:
1102:
1097:
1092:
1087:
1082:
1076:
1074:
1070:
1069:
1067:
1066:
1061:
1056:
1051:
1046:
1040:
1038:
1034:
1033:
1031:
1030:
1025:
1020:
1015:
1010:
1004:
1002:
998:
997:
995:
994:
989:
984:
978:
976:
972:
971:
969:
968:
963:
958:
952:
950:
946:
945:
943:
942:
936:
934:
930:
929:
927:
926:
921:
916:
910:
908:
904:
903:
901:
900:
895:
890:
884:
882:
878:
877:
875:
874:
869:
864:
859:
853:
851:
847:
846:
844:
843:
838:
833:
828:
822:
820:
816:
815:
813:
812:
807:
802:
797:
792:
786:
784:
780:
779:
777:
776:
771:
766:
761:
755:
753:
749:
748:
746:
745:
740:
735:
729:
727:
723:
722:
720:
719:
714:
708:
706:
702:
701:
699:
698:
693:
688:
682:
680:
676:
675:
673:
672:
667:
662:
656:
654:
650:
649:
647:
646:
641:
636:
630:
628:
624:
623:
621:
620:
615:
610:
604:
602:
598:
597:
589:
588:
581:
574:
566:
560:
559:
552:
551:External links
549:
548:
547:
527:
524:
522:
519:
513:
510:
500:
497:
488:Main article:
485:
482:
476:
473:
467:
464:
463:
462:
457:
452:
441:
438:
428:
425:
424:
423:
417:
411:
403:
400:
399:
398:
392:
386:
380:
374:
366:
363:
361:
358:
350:Niagara Region
342:St. Catharines
320:
319:
313:
312:
308:
307:
298:
294:
293:
288:
284:
283:
278:
274:
273:
268:
264:
263:
259:
258:
253:
249:
248:
243:
239:
238:
235:
231:
230:
225:
221:
220:
218:Roman Catholic
215:
211:
210:
206:
205:
201:
195:
194:
189:
183:
182:
175:
171:
170:
166:
165:
162:
154:
153:
150:
142:
141:
138:
137:
129:
124:
117:
116:
31:
29:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1331:
1320:
1317:
1315:
1312:
1310:
1307:
1305:
1302:
1300:
1297:
1296:
1294:
1287:
1284:
1247:
1242:
1237:
1236:
1233:
1229:
1228:Ivan JurkoviÄŤ
1225:
1223:
1219:
1213:
1210:
1208:
1205:
1203:
1200:
1198:
1195:
1193:
1190:
1188:
1185:
1183:
1180:
1178:
1175:
1173:
1170:
1168:
1165:
1164:
1162:
1158:
1152:
1149:
1147:
1144:
1142:
1139:
1137:
1134:
1132:
1129:
1127:
1124:
1122:
1119:
1117:
1114:
1113:
1111:
1107:
1101:
1098:
1096:
1093:
1091:
1088:
1086:
1083:
1081:
1078:
1077:
1075:
1071:
1065:
1062:
1060:
1057:
1055:
1052:
1050:
1047:
1045:
1042:
1041:
1039:
1035:
1029:
1026:
1024:
1021:
1019:
1016:
1014:
1011:
1009:
1006:
1005:
1003:
999:
993:
990:
988:
985:
983:
980:
979:
977:
973:
967:
964:
962:
959:
957:
954:
953:
951:
947:
941:
938:
937:
935:
931:
925:
922:
920:
917:
915:
912:
911:
909:
905:
899:
896:
894:
891:
889:
886:
885:
883:
879:
873:
870:
868:
865:
863:
860:
858:
855:
854:
852:
848:
842:
839:
837:
834:
832:
829:
827:
824:
823:
821:
817:
811:
808:
806:
803:
801:
798:
796:
793:
791:
788:
787:
785:
781:
775:
772:
770:
767:
765:
762:
760:
757:
756:
754:
750:
744:
741:
739:
736:
734:
731:
730:
728:
724:
718:
715:
713:
710:
709:
707:
703:
697:
694:
692:
689:
687:
684:
683:
681:
677:
671:
668:
666:
663:
661:
658:
657:
655:
651:
645:
642:
640:
637:
635:
632:
631:
629:
625:
619:
616:
614:
611:
609:
606:
605:
603:
599:
595:
587:
582:
580:
575:
573:
568:
567:
564:
558:
555:
554:
538:
534:
530:
529:
518:
509:
505:
496:
491:
481:
472:
461:
458:
456:
453:
451:
448:
447:
446:
437:
433:
421:
418:
415:
412:
409:
406:
405:
396:
393:
390:
387:
384:
381:
378:
375:
372:
369:
368:
357:
355:
351:
347:
343:
339:
335:
331:
327:
318:
314:
309:
306:
302:
299:
295:
292:
289:
285:
282:
279:
275:
272:
269:
265:
260:
257:
254:
250:
247:
244:
240:
236:
232:
229:
226:
222:
219:
216:
212:
207:
202:
196:
193:
190:
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
167:
160:
155:
148:
143:
139:
136:
133:
122:
113:
110:
102:
99:December 2015
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67:
63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
1256:
1022:
540:. Retrieved
536:
526:Bibliography
515:
506:
502:
493:
478:
469:
443:
434:
430:
325:
323:
252:Patron saint
214:Denomination
163:Coat of Arms
128:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1278: /
466:Restoration
317:saintcd.com
291:Francis Leo
234:Established
209:Information
1293:Categories
1266:79°14′48″W
1263:43°09′39″N
542:2007-03-14
521:References
512:Conclusion
365:Ordinaries
228:Roman Rite
198:Population
69:newspapers
499:The Crest
242:Cathedral
169:Location
440:Schools
427:History
360:Bishops
346:Ontario
311:Website
271:Francis
192:Toronto
174:Country
83:scholar
277:Bishop
179:Canada
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
330:Latin
90:JSTOR
76:books
352:and
324:The
267:Pope
224:Rite
62:news
340:in
45:by
1295::
535:.
356:.
344:,
332::
585:e
578:t
571:v
545:.
328:(
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
