St. Mary's College, Brockville
Encyclopedia
St. Mary's College is a former high school and junior seminary that was operated by the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
, a missionary order of the Roman Catholic Church
more commonly known as "Redemptorists."
The school was located on a campus on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River in Maitland
, Ontario
, several kilometres east of Brockville
.
St. Mary's College (Juvenate) was established by the church's Ecclesiastical Province of Toronto
in 1918 when campus construction took place. The date of canonical erection was September 5, 1920. The school functioned as a preparatory college for students initially drawn from Montreal
, Prescott
and Kirkwood, Missouri
under its first Rector
, The Reverend Charles Kelz.http://www.smcr.ca/History.html
For the next 50 years, aside from the juvenate closing temporarily from 1941-1944 due to World War II
, St. Mary's College would educate nearly 550 boys, constituting nearly every English-speaking Redemptorist in Canada as part of the initial stage in the formation process of training for the priesthood.http://www.smcr.ca/History.html
St. Mary's College served as the First Novitiate for Chorists and Laybrothers from 1944-1947 and it reopened as a juvenate in 1947 and operated as such until its last class graduated in June 1968.
One of the primary reasons for declining enrollment at St. Mary's was a 1960 decision by the Ecclesiastical Province of Edmonton
to establish a junior seminary, Holy Redeemer College, for training western candidates.
The date of canonical suppression at St. Mary's College is January 21, 1969.
The school's campus and buildings were sold later that year to a group called Berean Christian Schools who hoped to used the facility as a private school. In 1975, the campus evolved into a private university preparatory school called Grenville Christian College
. Grenville Christian College operated for 37 years and closed its doors in July 2007 due to declining enrollment.
The property was sold in December 2009 to an investment company with plans to develop the property into The Community of Brocks Landing.
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
, a missionary order of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
more commonly known as "Redemptorists."
The school was located on a campus on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River in Maitland
Maitland, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario
Maitland is a community of approximately 1800 residents, about 5 km east of the city of Brockville, in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River in the township of Augusta. The small village enjoys a rich history dating to the times of British colonialism...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, several kilometres east of Brockville
Brockville, Ontario
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Though it serves as the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Brockville is politically independent and is grouped with Leeds and Grenville for census purposes only.Known as the "City of the 1000...
.
St. Mary's College (Juvenate) was established by the church's Ecclesiastical Province of Toronto
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Ontario. Its archbishop is also the eccesiatical provincial for the dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharines, and Thunder Bay. The Archbishop is Thomas Christopher Collins, with...
in 1918 when campus construction took place. The date of canonical erection was September 5, 1920. The school functioned as a preparatory college for students initially drawn from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Prescott
Prescott, Ontario
Prescott is a town of approximately 4,180 people on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, 5 km east of Prescott in Johnstown, connects it with Ogdensburg, New York...
and Kirkwood, Missouri
Kirkwood, Missouri
Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named for James Pugh Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad through that town. It was the first planned suburb located west...
under its first Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, The Reverend Charles Kelz.http://www.smcr.ca/History.html
For the next 50 years, aside from the juvenate closing temporarily from 1941-1944 due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, St. Mary's College would educate nearly 550 boys, constituting nearly every English-speaking Redemptorist in Canada as part of the initial stage in the formation process of training for the priesthood.http://www.smcr.ca/History.html
St. Mary's College served as the First Novitiate for Chorists and Laybrothers from 1944-1947 and it reopened as a juvenate in 1947 and operated as such until its last class graduated in June 1968.
One of the primary reasons for declining enrollment at St. Mary's was a 1960 decision by the Ecclesiastical Province of Edmonton
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in the Province of Alberta. Its suffragan dioceses are Calgary and Saint Paul. Historically, the archdiocese was preceded by the Diocese of St Albert which was erected in 1871. In 1912 the present archdiocese was erected...
to establish a junior seminary, Holy Redeemer College, for training western candidates.
The date of canonical suppression at St. Mary's College is January 21, 1969.
The school's campus and buildings were sold later that year to a group called Berean Christian Schools who hoped to used the facility as a private school. In 1975, the campus evolved into a private university preparatory school called Grenville Christian College
Grenville Christian College
Grenville Christian College is a former Canadian private school located in the rural community of Maitland, several kilometres east of Brockville, Ontario, on the bank of the St. Lawrence River....
. Grenville Christian College operated for 37 years and closed its doors in July 2007 due to declining enrollment.
The property was sold in December 2009 to an investment company with plans to develop the property into The Community of Brocks Landing.