Built in 1904, the 3½ storey brick St. Mary's Boys' School educated thousands of boys during its active years, those years coming to a close in 1975. Well before the school's closing it had been merged with the next door St. Mary's Girls' School to become a coed institution. The original St' Mary's Schools had been overseen by the Sisters of Charity, established in Halifax, in 1849.
After standing vacant for a few years the building was renovated by the diocese and officially reopened as the Catholic Pastoral Centre on October 19, 1980, with the Archbishop of Halifax, Rev. James M. Hayes doing the honours.
This is the plaque mounted to commemorate the grand opening:
St. Mary's Boys School
Erected 1904
Catholic Pastoral Centre
Officially Opened By
The Most Rev. James M. Hayes
Archbishop of Halifax
October 19, 1980
Architects
Jerry MacNeil Architects Limited
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Until 2016 the school building was owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax, NS. As of Thursday, June 30, 2016 the Catholic Pastoral Centre building at 1521-1531 was sold to Oakport Ltd., a privately held company, based in Halifax, who are focused on property acquisition, development, and management. The diocese now leases space in the building.
Archbishop Emeritus
James M. Hayes
HAYES, Most Reverend James Martin, Archbishop Emeritus of Halifax, died on August 2nd, 2016 in the Halifax Infirmary at the age of 92.
Born in Halifax in 1924, the eldest son of the late Leonard James and Rita (Bates) Hayes, he received his education at St. Thomas Aquinas School, St. Mary’s High School, St. Mary’s College, and in 1943 entered Holy Heart Seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop McNally on June 15, 1947.
Father Hayes’ first pastoral assignment was as a curate at St. Mary’s Cathedral. It was at this time that he became a regular visitor at the hospitals, bringing the sacraments to those who were ill and accompanying them and their families with prayer.
He spent three years in Rome (1954-57), earning his doctorate in Canon Law, and perfecting his French, Latin and Italian. Returning to Halifax in 1957 by ship, he met many Italian families immigrating to Canada, and recognized the need to provide them with pastoral care; so he established a chaplaincy to the Italian community of Halifax, with which he maintained a pastoral connection to his death.
In 1957, he was named Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Halifax and assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and in 1964, he became Rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica.
James Martin Hayes was ordained Titular Bishop of Reperi on Easter Tuesday, April 20, 1965, and accepted the responsibilities of Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Halifax. Following the death of Archbishop Gerald Berry, he was appointed Archbishop of Halifax.
Archbishop Hayes shepherded the Archdiocese of Halifax from 1967 to 1990. During this time he also served as President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1987-89), Chair of the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy, and member of Canada’s National Council on Liturgy. He served on numerous other committees and was a delegate for two Synods of Bishops. In 1984, he hosted the visit of Pope John Paul II to our province. He was an advocate for inter-religious dialogue, for which he received the recognition of the local Jewish community. He was strongly committed to Christian Unity and was one of the founders of the Atlantic School of Theology. He also served as Chancellor of Saint Mary’s University.
Archbishop Hayes retired as Archbishop of Halifax in 1990 and he then entered into full-time ministry caring for the sick and the dying, as chaplain in Palliative Care at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax until his retirement from this ministry in 2012.
From the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth