Our Lady of Peace, 1837 - Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This sign is located outside of Our Lady of Peace Parish, near the Monastery of Mount Carmel, along Stanley Avenue in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It explains the long history of the parish, formerly known as Saint Edward, which began in the 1830s. The sign was placed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Catharines.

The text on the sign reads:

The Falls of Niagara have long attracted the attention of all peoples as a supreme example of God's handiwork and as a source of beauty, inspiration and power. Mass was first said here by the Franciscan Recollect, Father Louis Hennepin, on December 11, 1678. However, Mass was not said here regularly until permanent settlement began in the late 1700's and especially when the Parish of St. Vincent de Paul was established in 1826 at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

From there the Pastor, Rev. Edward Gordon, in 1836 founded a Mission here at Falls View to serve Catholics from an area as far as Chippawa, Queenston and St. David's. The cornerstone of the Church was laid on Sunday, October 13, 1839, the Feast of St. Edward the Confessor, King of England, and patron saint of the founding Pastor. In June of 1858 St. Edward's became a Parish in its own right with its first resident Pastor, Rev. Victor Juhel, from Normandy, France.

During the years of the growing controversy over slavery in the U.S.A., the Niagara Peninsula became a haven of freedom as one of the favoured destination points for the Underground Railway. As tensions mounted south of the border, Bishop John Joseph Lynch of Toronto requested of Pope Pius IX that St. Edward's be elevated to the title and dignity of a Pilgrimage Sanctuary and henceforth be called Our Lady of Peace. This new title was due to the location of the Church "by the sight of the beautiful rainbow that spans the cataract - the sign of Peace between God and sinner." A Papal decree, dated March 1, 1861, granted this request and on Sunday, August 18, 1861, Bishop Lynch reconsecrated the Church under its present name.

Originally administered by the Diocesan Clergy, the Church and Shrine have been under the care of the Carmelite Fathers since October 1875. Over the years renovations and additions have changed only slightly the original appearance and features of the Church. As it proudly overlooks Niagara Falls, Our Lady of Peace Shrine stands as a symbol of international peace and friendship for the many pilgrims for all nations who continue to visit it.

This plaque was blessed and dedicated on Thanksgiving Sunday, October 11, 1987, by the Most Reverend Thomas B. Fulton, D.D., Bishop of St. Catharines.

An historical plaque of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Catharines.

Group that erected the marker: Diocese of St. Catharines URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 6988 Stanley Avenue Niagara Falls, ON Canada L2G 7B7

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