St. Augustine Church Cemetery - Rustico, PEI
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T0SHEA
N 46° 25.416 W 063° 17.091
20T E 478112 N 5141153
The first Catholic church built in Rustico, a log building, was erected in 1792. This church, built in 1838, was the third St. Augustine to be built on the site, replacing a second built in 1807.
Waymark Code: WMP3VK
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Date Posted: 06/26/2015
Views: 2
For the first 22 years of its life, St. Augustine was the Cathedral of the Diocese of Charlottetown, from 1837 until 1859.
This cemetery, laid out on the west side of the church, was begun at some time prior to the construction of the first church in 1792. The Acadians had begun to resettle the area by 1772, meaning this cemetery is likely of about that era. The cemetery now extents across the road to the west and contains several hundred graves.
Below is a history of the church, taken from a nearby informational sign.
Augustine's Church of Rustico, P.E.I., is the oldest Catholic Church in the Diocese of Charlottetown. The present church replaced the first log church built around 1792 near the Pioneer Cemetery and a second church built in 1807. In 1834, the parishioners and the pastor, Rev. Bernard Donald MacDonald, drew up plans for a new church which was completed in 1838. It is said that the first service held in the new church was the Midnight Mass of December 25, 1838. As Bishop MacDonald decided to remain in Rustico on his appointment as bishop in 1837, St. Augustine's Church became the pro-cathedral of the diocese for a period of twenty-two years from 1837 to 1859. During that time, eight ordinations to the priesthood for the diocese took place in the church.
The church, built entirely of wood, has twelve paired multi-paned windows in a Gothic architectural design. Two stained glass windows in the sanctuary commemorate the parents of two native sons of the parish, Cornelius O'Brien who became Archbishop of Halifax in 1883 and James Charles McGuigan, Archbishop of Regina and Toronto and who in 1946 was elevated to the College of Cardinals. The interior of the church was completed in 1845, and contains ten columnar pillars surrounded by a gallery and a choir loft. The main altar, beautiful in its design and simplicity, is flanked by statues of Saint Augustine, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The massive tower with its decorative quatrefoil trim on all sides also houses a carillon of three bells.
The community of Rustico prospered greatly under the leadership of Father Georges-Antoine Belcourt, parish priest from 1859 - 1869. Among his many achievements, Father Belcourt founded the Farmers' Bank of Rustico, organized the first Acadian model school on P.E.I., established a large library and operated a steam driven automobile on June 24, 1867 on the church grounds. The parishioners of St. Augustine's in Rustico are very proud of their church and are very grateful to their ancestors who erected such a beautiful temple consecrated to the worship of God.
