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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, April 30, 2015 | 16 From dockworkers to downtown: St. Andrew marks 175 years by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver The year 2015 is one of celebration for Oakville's St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church, as it marks 175 years of community service. To commemorate the occasion, St. Andrew -- also called the white church because of its colour -- is hosting a Holy Mass at the cathedral on Saturday, May 9, followed by a dinner and reception at St. Joseph's Ukrainian Banquet and Conference Centre. "It's an opportunity for people to be involved in sharing and celebrating our history. It's one of the older churches, so it's worth celebrating. It is precious in many people's minds and they love the place. They come here and immediately feel at home," said former pastor Rev. Dr. Peter Coughlin, who retired from St. Andrew in December 2014. St. Andrew began as a mission of Dundas at St. Augustine's Church and was founded in 1828 as part of the Diocese of Kingston, Ont. "The church here was built for the IrishCatholic dockworkers. William Chisholm donated the land for the United, Anglican, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches. He was a fairly well-off land owner," said Coughlin, of Oakville's founder. Irish labourers erected the building in 1840 and enlisted Scottish workers to do the masonry underneath the foundation, Coughlin said. When the Diocese of Toronto was formed in Oakville's St. Andrew Church, the `white church' located at 47 Reynolds St., is marking its 175th anniversary this year. A Holy Mass and dinner and reception is to be held Saturday, May 9 at St. Joseph's Ukrainian Banquet and Conference Centre. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) 1841, St. Andrew became part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. In 1856, the Oakville church joined the new Diocese of Hamilton, Coughlin noted. "The parish was first served by itinerant priests coming in, one was Father (William P .) MacDonald, who was here for a few months in 1840 and then he moved to Brockville, Ont." The first resident pastor was Rev. Jeremiah Ryan, who came to Oakville from Brantford, Ont., in 1859 and remained at St. Andrew for 17 years, according to the church website. "The church, as a parish, was basically established at that point. We're celebrating the church, which is part of the historical district in Oakville. It's a pearl of great pride for the town to have the church here as part of the district," said Coughlin. He noted the place of worship was initially built to hold 200 people and was extended in 1870 to accommodate 300 churchgoers. More seating was added in the 1950s in the chancellor area at the front of the church. "When I was here in 2010, we put a whole addition on the side, which people marvel at because we followed the same pattern as throughout the church. They can't tell where the new begins and where the old ends. We had done a very fine job," said Coughlin. The church has undergone a few physical changes over the years, Coughlin said, noting it was initially constructed with wood, changed to clapboard and then rebuilt with stucco. He mentioned the original building is still intact and has been maintained over the years with renovations. "We were going to insulate the walls of the old church because it never had been done. That's when we found the beams, on which the church rested, were rotting," said Coughlin. "We had to rebuild the sidewalls of the church completely and just maintained it the same." He noted the congregation size has grown significantly -- from 200 dockworkers and their families to about 2,400 currently. 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