Not built until 1937, this nineteenth century style church was the design of
James Harris of Charlottetown, nephew of noted architect
William Critchlow Harris, the best known Island architect of his time. The reason that it seems to have taken the town of Kensington so long to build their own Catholic church was that they had access to the nearby
St. Mary's Church in Indian River, one of the finest William Critchlow Harris designed churches on the Island, built in 1898. There had been a Catholic church on the St. Mary's site since 1814.
The Kensington Catholics had worshipped at St, Mary's until 1906, at which time they built a hall in Kensington with a chapel constructed on its second floor. This hall lasted until Saturday, December 7, 1928, when it was destroyed by fire. The congregation then met in the Temperance Hall until 1937, when this church was finally completed.
One may be forgiven for believing this to be a William Critchlow Harris designed church, as James seems to have followed in his uncle's footsteps in terms of architectural taste. The fact that James studied for a time under his uncle William could supply an explanation. The two round towers are to be found in one or two of William's designs - the taller bell tower-steeple is almost an exact copy of the tower of St. Mary's church. Both have small gablets encircling the base of the spire and Gothic Revival belfry openings all around, covered with wood slats. Below the vents is a row of matching windows, slightly smaller than the vents. The tall conical spire is almost an exact copy of St. Mary's.
The sanctuary has buttressed walls with rectangular windows between each buttress, each with a filled gable top. A single transept emanates from the rear, with a hipped roof, unlike the gable roof of the sanctuary. At the front of the sanctuary, above three Gothic Revival windows, are a trio of small attic vents which match the belfry vents.
Roman Catholic Church
From its inception until well into the twentieth century, St. Mary's in Indian River was the Catholic church closest to Kensington, and town residents took an active role in its parish community... ...With a seating capacity of 600, there was plenty of room for Kensington residents at St. Mary's Church. Nevertheless, difficult traveling in the winter and a desire to have their own place of worship led residents to explore other venues for Catholic mass. By 1906, members of the Catholic Mutual Benevolent Society decided that they would construct a hall, and a chapel was constructed on its second floor. The pastor in Indian River, Msgr. Gillis, would travel into town to offer mass. But on Saturday, December 7, 1928, the CMBA hall went ablaze and, despite the best efforts of the parishioners, little else was saved but the pews and the stations of the cross.
After the fire, masses were then held at the Temperance Hall until 1937, when a new church was built in Kensington. Constructed during the pastorate of Father Reginald MacDonald, the new place of worship was built on land owned by the CMBA, and when finished, was consecrated in the name of the Holy Family. The architect who designed the impressive structure was James Harris of Charlottetown. The parish community banded together and made considerable offerings towards the furnishing of the church interior. Made in the memory of lost loved ones, some of these donations included the altar, the tabernacle, a stained glass window portraying the Holy Family, chalices, and even a handmade crocheted altar cloth. All gave what they could to create a beautiful house of worship for Catholics in Kensington. Today, this wooden church continues to be both an architectural landmark and active faith community in the town, continuing the more than 200 year history of the Catholic church in the area.
From the Kensington Community