History

By 1957, approximately 28 Francophone families had settled in the Georgetown area. Some of them were graduates of Notre Dame de Beauregard. A local Francophone association was started with the goals of founding a church and school of their own.

Therese St. Jean is often credited with leading the Francophone community towards these goals. By other accounts, however, it was actually her niece and nephew-in-law, Gabrielle and Charles Migue, that initiated the start of the church.

A French-speaking parish was granted by Bishop Joseph Blake Ryan of Hamilton and opened under Father Francoise Germain. The first mass was held on June 19, 1966 at 11am but the church officially opened to the public on June 26, 1966. Following the mass on June 26, a banquet was held to celebrate the opening. Three hundred parishioners and guests attended.

The church was able to locate in the building originally used by the Holy Cross parish from 1885-1965. It was rededicated to the French Roman Catholics and transferred for $35,000. The beautiful stone building is now listed as a cultural heritage property. Although some changes have been made over the years, such as modernizing the sanctuary for a nicer ambiance, it retains much of its original charm.

Although the church was comprised of less than 30 families when it began, the families were usually quite large which made it a busy place. To help finance it, they would host picnics, dinners, dances and more. Great music and food were often involved.

One of the most notable events was a carnival that included a dance-a-thon that could last two days (and would often spill into two rooms, rather than just the one room meant to be dedicated to it!). The church even had a bowling league (“Les Frentireurs”), as well as hockey and baseball teams that participated in tournaments organized by L’Association Canadienne-Française du Sud-Ontario.