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 St. Gertrude's Parish - Woodstock, NB Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 08.748 W 067° 34.469
19T E 610090 N 5111234
Large and impressive, the Parish Church of St. Gertrude's sits on a hill beside Highway 103 overlooking the Saint John River, to the east.
Waymark Code: WMQNJZ
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Date Posted: 03/08/2016
Views: 2
If one were to count a small chapel built near Woodstock in 1717, the present St. Gertrude's would be the fifth house of worship to have been built by the Catholic parish of (what is now) St. Gertrude's. That 1717 chapel was apparently the first Catholic Church to be built in New Brunswick. The parish today includes the Mission churches of St. Bonaventure’s in Lakeville and St. Joseph’s in Newburg. The parish is comprised of approximately 450 families.
The church itself is quite large, built of tan coloured brick and sports a pair of tall square bell towers set at forty five degrees to the rest of the building. The towers are each capped by tall, metal roofed, pyramidal spires, each with a cross atop. All the openings on the church are arched, including windows, doors and bell tower vents.
ABOUT ST. GERTRUDE’S
The history of the Catholic faith in this area can be traced back over 300 years. Just below Woodstock, in the 1600s there was a community of Maliseet Indians at what is known as Medoctec (Meductic). Various French Missionaries: Jesuits, Franciscans and Recollects journeyed up the Saint John River to bring Christianity to this part of the new world.
By 1717 a tiny chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist (St. Jean-Baptiste) was built. In 1784 the Province of New Brunswick was formed. In 1785 Woodstock began as a settlement by the Loyalists. By the early 1800s, the arrival of Irish Immigrants signalled the need to build another church closer to the growing Catholic population in Woodstock, known in those times as “The Creek”.From 1810-1830 Catholics gathered occasionally in homes to celebrate the Eucharist. In 1832, under Father William Dollard, St. Malachy’s Chapel was built on the present site of St. Gertrude’s.
It was not until the coming of Father Thomas Connolly, a pioneer priest in New Brunswick, from Chatham, in 1849, that the second church was completed. Father Connolly was appointed to Woodstock for three different terms spanning four decades and may be considered to be the most prominent priest in our history.
Our former rectory was built in 1884 by Father John Murray. It was replaced in 1992, our sesquicentennial year, under the direction of Father Peter Bagley. Completion of the New Rectory Project was done in 1994 with the grounds being landscaped and parking lot paved.
In 1904, Father F. J. McMurray built a church hall for use as a Sunday School and parish activities. In 1967-68, Father Donald Gillis built a new hall to replace the aging structure.
A significant turn of events in St. Gertrude’s history took place at midnight on March 1, 1925, when the original church burned to the ground. Our present church was blessed on July 7, 1926 by The Right Rev. E.A. LeBlanc, D.D., Bishop of Saint John. It was built by Charles Bowlin, father of our present parishioner Eugene Bowlin at a cost of $52,000.The present steeples on the church replaced the old ones being completed while Father B. F.McMahon was pastor. The church basement was made into Sunday School rooms and the vestry renovated during Father Leon Creamer’s tenure in 1982-87.
From St. Gertrude's Parish
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Type of Church: Church
Status of Building: Actively in use for worship
Date of organization: 01/01/1832
Date of building construction: 07/07/1926
Diocese: Diocese of St. John
Address/Location:
111 St. Gertrude Street
Woodstock, NB Canada
E7M 2W4
Relvant Web Site: [Web Link]
Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed
Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed
Archdiocese: Not listed
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