St. Anthony’s Picnic: a family tradition - Woodstock, PEI
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T0SHEA
N 46° 44.295 W 064° 10.553
20T E 410167 N 5176748
This large wood frame church was the third to be built by the congregation of St. Anthony's, the first a log chapel built in 1803 and replaced in 1839.
Waymark Code: WMR5JQ
Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Date Posted: 05/12/2016
Views: 2
A 144 year old tradition as of 2016, St. Anthony’s Annual Picnic drew the attention of the Summerside Journal Pioneer (Now known as: Saltwater) in 2011 and, just before the 2011 picnic was scheduled to take place.
The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1873 with completion coming about in 1877 at a total cost of $4977.61. Amazingly, when the church was opened for services in 1877, it carried a debt of only $150 as a result of excellent fund raising carried out by the church.
Originally built as a large rectangle, the transepts and apse were added in 1891, being completed in 1895. Seems that construction projects in Woodstock were undertaken at a leisurely pace.
The copper dome atop the steeple of this church came to be more out of necessity than the result of any aesthetic desires. You see, the church was twice struck by lightning. The first time, in July 1890, quick thinking by several parishioners managed to save the building by their sawing off the burning spire. The second strike, in 1912, was less dramatic, but did result in the addition of the dome and lightning rods. Apparently the steeple has not been struck since.
This is actually quite a nice steeple, as is the rest of the building. Both have buttresses on the corners, with faux buttresses also on the side walls of the nave. Around the dome is a small widow's walk while below is a statue of, we assume, St. Anthony of Padua in a small alcove high above the entrance. The stepped upper section of the steeple is clad in scalloped shingles with straight cut shingles below. The entire building, in fact, is still shingle clad.
In front of the church, near the road, is a stone entrance arch over the sidewalk which was designed and built in 2000 by a couple of amazing parishioners. The design was by Felix Arsenault, aged 91, while the arch was constructed by Jim Hudson, aged 83.
St. Anthony’s Picnic: a family tradition
SaltWire | Posted: Aug. 4, 2011
WOODSTOCK – When friends and family gather this Sunday for the St. Anthony’s Parish church picnic, they will be continuing a tradition that got rolling in 1872.
The tea that was held in 1872 raised a phenomenal $1,025. The proceeds were applied to the cost of building the current St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Woodstock, and when the next tea was held in 1873, construction of the church had begun.
Reta Arsenault, a St. Anthony’s Parish member and picnic volunteer, said a history of the parish reveals that the annual teas and other fundraisers helped build the church. When the church was completed in 1877, the parish was only $105 in debt.
Much of the work in building the church was done by volunteers and the lumber cut from church property.
Over the years the tea transformed into a church picnic. Its popularity has not diminished.
“Former parishioners plan their vacations around the picnic,” Arsenault noted.
It’s one of the major social events of the summer in West Prince.
Arsenault estimated more than 200 parish volunteers take turns helping out in game booths, preparing meals, waiting on tables and entertaining.
Sunday’s schedule starts with an outdoor mass at 12 noon. Hot roast beef dinners will be served throughout the afternoon, starting at 1:30 p.m. There will be game booths, Bingo, entertainment and hay rides all afternoon. There will also be an auction and a yard sale held in conjunction with the annual event.
The meals will be served Sunday rain or shine. If it rains, the remainder of the events will be shifted to Monday, Aug. 8, starting at 5 p.m.