St. Clement Catholic Church (Ottawa)
Encyclopedia
St. Clement Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish church located in Ottawa
, Canada
. It is a Traditional Catholic church serving a mixed English and French speaking parish community. The parish also maintains a strong connection to St. Clement Academy (Grades 7 through 12). http://www.st-clement-school.org/
authorized a small group of Catholics who remained attached to the Church's traditional liturgical heritage to continue to use the Latin Tridentine Mass
. This group found an older priest who agreed to serve them in this desire, and they received permission to use the chapel of the Monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood
on Echo Drive in Ottawa
for Mass. In the early 1970s, the community was told to use the Mass of Paul VI
, which they did, but using the Latin language.
The Community continued to gather at the Precious Blood Sisters' Monastery until 1984 when the Sisters renovated their chapel from which the Community salvaged the altars. That year the Community acquired a small building of their own in the Ottawa suburb of Gloucester
, which they renovated into a chapel, placed under the patronage of Saint Clement
, Pope and Martyr, and furnished with the salvaged altars.
The Community continued to use that chapel until the summer of 1993, when Archbishop Plourde's successor, Archbishop Marcel Gervais, made available the building pictured, a purpose-built church complete with rectory at the corner of Mann and Russell Avenues in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood of Ottawa. Built in 1957, this building had housed a French-language Catholic parish, St. Pie X, until 1983 when the building had been sold to the Maronite diocese of Ottawa and renamed St. Charbel's. At the time the Maronite community in Ottawa was growing rapidly as a result of the Lebanese Civil War
. In 1993 the Maronites moved to a larger church in Vanier
. With this new church building, the Archbishop elevated the St. Clement Latin Community of Ottawa to the rank of a quasi-parish.
The Community had been served on an ad-hoc basis by three older priests (one of them being Fr. John Mole, OMI) who were familiar with the rubrics of the Tridentine Mass. However, with failing health of all of them, the Community was concerned that it might have secured a permanent building but would be without a priest. At about that time, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
(FSSP) was getting ready to ordain its first Canadian-born man. The FSSP is a Fraternity of priests who are loyal to the Holy Father and are dedicated to preserving the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
and all 1962 forms and liturgical books for the Sacraments, as well as fostering authentic Catholic teaching and devotion. Archbishop Gervais discussed the problem with the Fraternity
and it was agreed that the FSSP would assign a priest to minister to the needs of the St. Clement Community, making it the first personal parish entrusted to the FSSP in their history. The first FSSP-appointed priest, the young Fr. Charles Ryan, had only been ordained a few weeks before his assignment to St. Clement on New Year's Day, 1995. The FSSP has been serving the parish ever since, and those presently there are: Fr. Philip Creurer of Canada (pastor), Fr. Garrick Huang of Canada (assistant), and Fr. Matthew Goddard of the United Kingdom (assistant). Past assistant and in-residence priests are: Fr. Hubert Bizard, Fr. Arnaud de Boisse, Fr. Mark Wojdelski, Fr. Vianney Le Roux, Fr. Joseph Lee, and Fr. Denis Cuchet.
In 1997, on the patronal feast (23 November), Archbishop Gervais erected St. Clement as a full canonical bilingual indult
parish serving the faithful wishing to worship according to the ancient Roman rites.
Parishioner Bernard Pothier wrote a full history of the origins of St. Clement Parish which was published on the occasion of its thirtieth anniversary in 1998. Copies are available from the parish and from select websites.
In the summer of 2005, the church was renovated. A large arch suspended on Corinthian columns was built on the wall in the sanctuary to encase the crucifix. There were also minor renovations done on the side altars of Mary and Joseph, as small arches around the statues were constructed. A campaign was also started to purchase stained-glass windows for the church and to date all but the largest windows in the choir loft have been installed.
In 2008 the parish celebrated its 40th anniversary. Current Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass in January 2008, as well as May 2009, when he also conferred confirmations.
, the Belles of St. Clement, Domus Christiani, a praesidium of the Legion of Mary
, a choir which sings Gregorian Chant
and polyphony, a youth choir, a Knights of the Altar
guild, the Friends of St. Dominic Savio (a children's group), a youth group whose various activities include sports (usually soccer and ultimate frisbee), cleaning the church, watching movies, praying the Rosary, and listening to short talks by the priests, and the Frassati Young Adult Group which meets occasionally for dinner and spiritual discussion. The parish also has catechism
classes for both children and adults taught by the priests, singing of the Divine Office
, and many annual social events including breakfasts, a yard sale, a bazaar, retreats, and an All Saints Day expo. The parish organizes and participates in an annual three-day, 100 km walking pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine
at Notre-Dame-du-Cap in Quebec and sends a chapter biennially to the Pentecost Paris-to-Chartres pilgrimage in France.
Fr. Hubert Bizard (2005–2006)
Fr. Robert Novokowsky (2003–2005)
Fr. Charles van Vliet (2001–2003)
Fr. Louis Campbell (1999–2001)
Fr. Charles Ryan (1995–1999)
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is a Traditional Catholic church serving a mixed English and French speaking parish community. The parish also maintains a strong connection to St. Clement Academy (Grades 7 through 12). http://www.st-clement-school.org/
History
The story of St. Clement's parish is that of a dedicated group of lay people who essentially created their own parish from scratch. In 1968, then-Archbishop Joseph-Aurèle PlourdeJoseph-Aurèle Plourde
Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, OC is the Canadian Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa.Born in Saint-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, he was ordained a priest in 1944. In 1964 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Alexandria in Ontario...
authorized a small group of Catholics who remained attached to the Church's traditional liturgical heritage to continue to use the Latin Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
. This group found an older priest who agreed to serve them in this desire, and they received permission to use the chapel of the Monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood
Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood
The Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1861 by Catherine Aurelia Caouette in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada...
on Echo Drive in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
for Mass. In the early 1970s, the community was told to use the Mass of Paul VI
Mass of Paul VI
The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...
, which they did, but using the Latin language.
The Community continued to gather at the Precious Blood Sisters' Monastery until 1984 when the Sisters renovated their chapel from which the Community salvaged the altars. That year the Community acquired a small building of their own in the Ottawa suburb of Gloucester
Gloucester, Ontario
Gloucester is a suburb of and within the City of Ottawa. Gloucester Township was established in 1792 and originally included lands east of the Rideau River from the Ottawa River south to Manotick. It was incorporated as a township in 1850 and became a city in 1981...
, which they renovated into a chapel, placed under the patronage of Saint Clement
Pope Clement I
Starting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
, Pope and Martyr, and furnished with the salvaged altars.
The Community continued to use that chapel until the summer of 1993, when Archbishop Plourde's successor, Archbishop Marcel Gervais, made available the building pictured, a purpose-built church complete with rectory at the corner of Mann and Russell Avenues in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood of Ottawa. Built in 1957, this building had housed a French-language Catholic parish, St. Pie X, until 1983 when the building had been sold to the Maronite diocese of Ottawa and renamed St. Charbel's. At the time the Maronite community in Ottawa was growing rapidly as a result of the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
. In 1993 the Maronites moved to a larger church in Vanier
Vanier, Ontario
-External links:**...
. With this new church building, the Archbishop elevated the St. Clement Latin Community of Ottawa to the rank of a quasi-parish.
The Community had been served on an ad-hoc basis by three older priests (one of them being Fr. John Mole, OMI) who were familiar with the rubrics of the Tridentine Mass. However, with failing health of all of them, the Community was concerned that it might have secured a permanent building but would be without a priest. At about that time, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a traditionalist Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of priests and seminarians in good standing with the Holy See.-Canonical status:...
(FSSP) was getting ready to ordain its first Canadian-born man. The FSSP is a Fraternity of priests who are loyal to the Holy Father and are dedicated to preserving the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
"An extraordinary form of the Roman Rite" is a phrase used in Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum to describe the liturgy of the 1962 Roman Missal, widely referred to as the "Tridentine Mass"...
and all 1962 forms and liturgical books for the Sacraments, as well as fostering authentic Catholic teaching and devotion. Archbishop Gervais discussed the problem with the Fraternity
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a traditionalist Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of priests and seminarians in good standing with the Holy See.-Canonical status:...
and it was agreed that the FSSP would assign a priest to minister to the needs of the St. Clement Community, making it the first personal parish entrusted to the FSSP in their history. The first FSSP-appointed priest, the young Fr. Charles Ryan, had only been ordained a few weeks before his assignment to St. Clement on New Year's Day, 1995. The FSSP has been serving the parish ever since, and those presently there are: Fr. Philip Creurer of Canada (pastor), Fr. Garrick Huang of Canada (assistant), and Fr. Matthew Goddard of the United Kingdom (assistant). Past assistant and in-residence priests are: Fr. Hubert Bizard, Fr. Arnaud de Boisse, Fr. Mark Wojdelski, Fr. Vianney Le Roux, Fr. Joseph Lee, and Fr. Denis Cuchet.
In 1997, on the patronal feast (23 November), Archbishop Gervais erected St. Clement as a full canonical bilingual indult
Indult Catholic
Indult Catholic was a term used to denote a traditionalist Catholic who preferred to attend the older Tridentine form of Mass instead of the ordinary present-day form of the Roman-rite liturgy, the Mass of Paul VI, but who attended only those celebrations that had the explicit approval of the...
parish serving the faithful wishing to worship according to the ancient Roman rites.
In the summer of 2005, the church was renovated. A large arch suspended on Corinthian columns was built on the wall in the sanctuary to encase the crucifix. There were also minor renovations done on the side altars of Mary and Joseph, as small arches around the statues were constructed. A campaign was also started to purchase stained-glass windows for the church and to date all but the largest windows in the choir loft have been installed.
In 2008 the parish celebrated its 40th anniversary. Current Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
Terrence Prendergast
Terrence Thomas Prendergast, SJ is Archbishop of Ottawa, Canada. He was formerly Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto and Archbishop of Halifax.-Early life:...
celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass in January 2008, as well as May 2009, when he also conferred confirmations.
Parish Life
The parish is very active with many groups including the Knights of ColumbusKnights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
, the Belles of St. Clement, Domus Christiani, a praesidium of the Legion of Mary
Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic laity who serve the Church on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary members there are in excess of 10 million members worldwide making it...
, a choir which sings Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
and polyphony, a youth choir, a Knights of the Altar
Knights of the altar
The Knights of the Altar is the name of a number of national organizations of serving and former altar boys in the Roman Catholic church, including the Philippines, Ireland the United States, and Canada...
guild, the Friends of St. Dominic Savio (a children's group), a youth group whose various activities include sports (usually soccer and ultimate frisbee), cleaning the church, watching movies, praying the Rosary, and listening to short talks by the priests, and the Frassati Young Adult Group which meets occasionally for dinner and spiritual discussion. The parish also has catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
classes for both children and adults taught by the priests, singing of the Divine Office
Liturgy of the hours
The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings...
, and many annual social events including breakfasts, a yard sale, a bazaar, retreats, and an All Saints Day expo. The parish organizes and participates in an annual three-day, 100 km walking pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine
Notre-Dame-du-Cap Basilica
The Basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Cap is a basilica in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. It is an important Catholic sanctuary which receives thousands of pilgrims each year....
at Notre-Dame-du-Cap in Quebec and sends a chapter biennially to the Pentecost Paris-to-Chartres pilgrimage in France.
FSSP Parish Priests at St. Clement
Fr. Philip Creurer (2006–present)Fr. Hubert Bizard (2005–2006)
Fr. Robert Novokowsky (2003–2005)
Fr. Charles van Vliet (2001–2003)
Fr. Louis Campbell (1999–2001)
Fr. Charles Ryan (1995–1999)