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baptist followers gather at homes it was imi the zjilh of jariuai y 1m2 that un men and women met i the home of mi situurl woirtm in tie township f ouring for ihr purpoar as the ircttid llitn of submitting to the judgment sister chur t rm thr propriety of orgaiming iryulit llaptlsl rhunh on thr llil f iv ember thr umr year lie john oakley trcamr the first pitoi of the church or avimtr lime meetings mrir held in ihr homi s of niimlirii anil at ihr meeting hrld on march 2mh 1m1 l thr houir of john atkinson ki auxiliary nxutt of thr tl r nrta llaplist miuionary seit w m funned an r mr klry r mi1 to tr arlor ii ihurih esundrd tall to r lilt r id h asking him to prtarh li thriti i mi in two month and hr t ptetl thi first tntinintit n of an fit to build a place f worship i ivin at buiiiiim mtlirfc on jul thr 70th 143 when it mis itmuj that a gt neral ommlltre ap oinled to investigate thr matter relative to huilding a lace t nr ship y or length of time thr mrrtlng rrr hrlil nniitimri in i in thr house of nif mbrn mmri school house and occasionally in thr methodist hurrh on thr iuw i inr f ld r fitch was succeeded hy rid r minn as pastor of ihr church anil it is stated that hn aalar for six month vii to tx- 12 pounds 10 shilling supplemental h an equal amount from thr miuiomr hoard at a meeting hrld on april 4 1w7 a council was called for thr purpose of ordaining thr lair rev r i cook who had decided to rn trr thr gospel ministr re cook thrn brrimr pastor of thr church rev mr cook wan followed in thr pastorate b rev w it haze ton who rrmainrd alxnit two sear aftrr this the pulpit was supplied for kimr monthi bv rev ii stephens and rev j pickard until rev alexander warren wa called to take charge in 1871 aftrr hr resigned on account of ailing health hr w as succeeded bv rev hrnn cox of georgetown and hr b he john 11 lovr who resign cd in 1rk1 id was followed b hr jmc coutt and hi in iwi b rr a t sow rb who wat mlcceeded in hhh h re s j cun ning ri i b gordon mimul rd him ih wmi m iir in ihw h i- norti n ixmmi pnmor thi proposal to ncl tin pn vi nt building wi firit mndi ihout thi mar 1hjh1 ind tin first nnmr of ferrd for thi ptii po w a thi pro cccd of on aulngtiiph quill m uli for thi purposi b thr litr mis jumi uiirnii who in ihn uu prt m nlid tin church w ilh s0 in u nutlrus of a building fund 1alrr a nignannunus of fi r rami from mim steili who dei did thi tatu able lot corn r of mill and willow stn ts to the trusltt s of the chimh thi made it posjublr to arrani drf initt l for the rn etion of a new building the mrmlx r ship of tht church w at canisid and contributed litx rallv on jlih 13 1806 at a special buiimu meet ing it was mord by j l warn n rcondcd b jos mcintosh find five churches turd uiiammmuiy that w or k i ri ii rm i n nrw rf of w i i jilp lliit jukt lnr thrir feior a dif fiiiilly a to loiatlon triat i mitnl ninr delay it gird t v al moat all lvhfillnl it ml w hllr thr 1 t to frnrrouiv irntrd to ii r rliurh by uiu mlr wan rtia the mot valuator lot in alton f r t iiiriraa pur m it uld not 1 as tultat ir fot mrih aiv thr orr on whlih thr rdifur w hanil nd ao hit- iturih aiktl mu mrrlr if thr w i uld coiimnt to n of inimitir 111 f r v r kinll ifiol to 1 and r tht n i p rfti t i iinio itv a li thr itul in f thr i nrr trili iar thr rongrrgallon mark id thr f i flit ih atinurrtary of thr tiuildlng of the present church thr preunl jmiftor la rev h ii niii w ho mlnlbtrrs to the con- gr gatiorut of ai ion and firorgr town stead lrnprxi rmnti have been n ade ui th maintenance of thr hurt h property a few vran ago a finr rl trie organ wn initallr 1 and ha added to thr nr ice of 1 nm mum of the old familii s i inning to acton help makr up thr i ongrrgatlnn many will recall the mlnlttiiri f tirloed pantort when wr rita itv mcalplnr ilurrrll jonea kowant johnston ralph flatter toigi itaxlrr wallace and others society of jesus pioneer s josephs on a hill at dublin 2 mill south of at ti n n no surmounting n aim mark a jtr narred to thi atbnlic congregation of acton it wan thrrr thr first church w as built on land fclw n to hie human calh ollc corporation of the diocese of hamilton by matthew mccann and john mulholland work was com mncfil on march 18 1r57 the ce of the feast of st joseph from whi nee thr church derived it name lie fore that time the jesuit fath rr of gurlph covered a wide ter ritory that embraced acton in th ir ministrations and mass was said at homes in the community it is im possible in di scribe the prl attona suffered as the black robes trav- i lied long distances by horse and ofti n hv foot to the flock scattered in all diroctlon however a cath olics been mi mori numi rum in thi district parishes gradual sprang up encouraged b the efforts of he kithcr dumorth r of the society of ti mis to found a church in thi motion the good catholic la men lontnbuted pounds shillings nnd p net to provide for a commodious idifice on the hill overlooking the dublin district ih i86f the church and nil it finishings were com- ph ti iv paid for right rr john farreu nihop f htmilton administi rt d ihi sac ramrnt of confirmation on aug 31 inr for thevfirst time in the hls- torv of the tfhurch among the inrl pastor were fathers francis mrhall john mcquald wm ciwrklm c pttite thoa wlllet to delabnss r chartier j a nohn p homel j a macdonald d plante j klely louis cote j s o loane john flnnegnn o d dihn hi nrv kavanagh these prust utre malnlv jesuits from thi miiion station at gurlph st josiphs church iluwti i u ihr itmiov n uf tbr the baptist church is one of five that minister the gospel to an acton congregation sum i as thr years wml by and the iingrrgation grew accordingly ih utholu fxpulatlon shifted into th village of alton 3 tl ranted by the krow i ng industrtei and labour ni ds to aiiommodatr the nucleus f thr purtsh whlth now resided in art i m a w a ik of two in lira tin ongri gallon of st josephs be t in to im k for a more convenient i ho r in whlth to worship on si in nil w hi n thi i ngn jtlon alisls dicldrd thiy could no longer knp up the thimh they had erect i d in acton the congregation of st joseph s av ailed themselves of this opportunity and purchased tin t nilding in the year 1r87 although the move to acton was final the old i hurch at dublin was still sacred hen tht o metrrv wa licati d and is todat the i hurch at dublin was torn down but thr location can still be traced h the old slonr foundation which linger on to testify to the work of tht rarlv ptonrrrs in thr burvlng grounds many of these earlv pioneers were laid to rest thr entrance is enhanced y an artistic gate to day and a fence nrloses the spot the first resident parish priest wa rev falher haley who uu appointed pastor in 1803 father hale iked on church st about ihn e block from the church in lmw rev father feenev succeeded to the pastorate and during hll stav thr prrsent rectorv was purchased it v father arnold came in loftfi and staved until 1000 whrn father walsh w as appointed to succeed him for a ear fathi r arnold re turned for a six months period until rev father travnor now pastor at arthur ont arrived he was in acton until 1014 for a brt f period of two month ri father fli haven wa pastor thin rev father do 1 sumed thr ptstnrnte until 1010 when rrv r nthi r coodiow ucc i lied to ihe post he nmilned until 1022 to be follow id bv rev father mcreavv r ither mrri av v endeared hlmelf to the hi art of catholics nnd non- cithollc nlike in hi tav of evcn m ars duration in thi i tr iqq ri kilhi i i i mcrndr w n appointed pastor f ithef mcrrlde had a special lnt- inst in the voting people of the parish and thr mission church in giorgelown nnd organized a strong catholic youth organization group soon hi flair for organization was glvrtti higher impetus when in 1041 the llishop appointed him dioci an cyo director he left the parish amid general regret among the manv improvtments father mc- unde made while he was in acton w i re stained glass w indows and tht basement was mndr into a fine room for the vnung people o the parish ri v father vincent j morgan the preent pastor uai appointed in 1041 the parish has made iplen did progress during his stay and just reciutlv the church vns in- largid to accommodate the increas- id congngntlon the edifice has undergone a complete renovation inside and out in the last few years a well as the rectory in keeping with the rapid growth of cathol icism in acton early scots build first knox church knot hurth alton was ft und rd in frbnar v im by rvottlsh w till is from lvrrrirsa abrrden and ivrthhlre whie greatest atlnttili wk ical ft r 1itr faith if thrlr falhif twt yrars prrlouslt a sunday st hl had treri orgarili- rd by mr j hn hums at his hiinr and these workers iirir1 thr i rlglnal eongrrgatlon in 1m7 thr firt i hurrh a lrr frame building was completed and its foundi rs i laimed an award if forty pom ds offered by a devi ut man mr ibichanan of ilamllti n lo each of the firt ten rhurrhes rm trd and opened hv a set date this sum was npia to approl- rntlv 300 hn first hrtnnn was preathid in the irnompliti building bv hi v w c hums and for fhrre folhwlng miirs tmfnti ttn tndiictlrn of a regular mini trr thr pulpit w a orctiplesl bv three other mlnut rs on the recommendation cf r v ktn1v rr john mrtchlan was aknl to preach w as chosen and indmtid as ihe flrt mlnlslrr of thr chnn h the t irm church w as rri ctrd several lots to ihr rlht of thi lte of the pr nt building it was frame large nnd 1 ng and after flftv vran when it was vacated thr structure wa turned sldrwas on the lot and loriwrtid into a trlplr dwajllng the com r tl pulpit approaoheil by trp w as high and lifted up attove the heails of the congre gatlon only the heat of thr mini ter being visible through a small opening in front of this in later ears sat the holr led bv a per eentor with a tuning fork to the right and left of the choir were several seats placed diagonally a long three foot centre aisle divided the rest of the closed pews high straight backed benches each en tered bv a door the building was lighted by lamps whlrh hung from the celling and heated bv m stove at the back from which a long pipe ran frontwards sometime after umr2 an organ was purrhasid for twe in the sab bath school and this was later installed in the church this action wn met w 1th much nnd bltti r hostility on the part of some of the older members some irft the church and did not return it u ns diclnred bv one thit with the ad vent of thi kkt owhistle the grace of god went out rev i h camrrons sensitive nesthi tic soul hnri also a pasion for muic hich he v i r ueoessfullv inspired in n v oung and promising ricrult ah vnndi r t mann who on march 11 lflflo f i rnn d the first holr undt r thr mmimn of ri v j re a modi rn pulpit v a introduced an orj m w i iiriallid the rental if i w- tulivhed fr aching in jrhr w as aboluhej a ftfi m mom- wa bo it aitd thr p ment kirk rfrtlrl mr kar hid tn tailed p thr id kirk in la7 the cornrr stixirs fur hr new church wrfr laid iwi septrrnbrr ii ibm it a happy evert fur the toogrrgatltkn and a prog r an mark ed the afternoon aesaion aflrr thr ft udation f tiihd thr work of i iiiiplrtlng tit- nrw i hurrh jrigrrkaed with rrl and wlthoit aiildrrit fnthui a m ran high arid under irtr imp ration of mr hmr tniisl t f thr lah- ir was d tialrl with lit th ight rhwtt- lerise miiki raiuiv 4 was thr thiaslon of ihr re ojmning and rteditatlin of thr kirk at the morning w rv ire a very 1 f- enn- grrgatt n asaemhled rui igain tn the afternoon ily 8 45 th rvenlrg si r v i r oinmi tu rd since no more io ill f ri1 i in lo f i f illv tliousaiitl ol crowded he kirk rv a mat ihirvon foil vd iuv line as ihr hlstt riral nvi of the kirk pri p ml n thi itennlal is hvighlr was thr lirling of krm ongri gttif n nd i very xpulnr man in the tiwn in sepli mlirr 1001 hr j c wil son arceptrd a cll and ith his fionllv rirrif li acton to live in the iiibiiv mr wilson was a u mured christian gi nth man of fin- appear- inrr and outslimtling ablllt after oistrin viars mr wllsor rrptrd i rail to skt hrwan o his death howrvrr the rem a ns wre brought to art on and a w-vui- u londucteil in the i hlllt he had loved and served so lung tlr wa intirreil in rmrvi vi r rv the in autv of which he had always ad min d to mark his resting place a fine mono mint was erected by thr congregation of the kirk rev alexander stewart as in ducted a the eighth minister of the kirk tn 1r31 during hi ministry the choir room was added a kitchen was equipped in the basement gown were purchased for the minister and choir and a ine pipe organ was installed and dedicated on december 13 10 tn may 1dv rev if t ivnnle was called and inducted a minister of the kirk mr dennle i native of scotland was mlnlstr- to the kirk for over len rnr ihm a erious illness great lv handicapped him in the complete accomplish ment of his duties an finally niorstated his res i gnat tor rev r forbes thomsor ollowed mr ivnnle in the minlstrv of the acton kirk during hla service in acton the church progrred and he established htmelf in he me mory nf the voting prop of the church nntl the community v tak ing an actlv e inti ret i thrlr nrtlvltie ri v john andt roan ulowed mr thomson and gave f yean si rv ice to the congregation prior to the pn si nt minister re ft h armstjong who came to knot c hurch ihout a sear g from ilr mbridki early scots erected the local knox presbyterian church when they found the old church did not satisfy their increasing needs