Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish

1898 - 1998 Centennial Celebrations

The original St. Alexander's Church was built in 1877 by Fr. Remi Faure. First operated as a mission church of St. Columbkille's in Pembroke it was officially established as a parish on April 17, 1898. It served the catholic population of Rolph, Buchanan and Wylie townships, with missions at des Joachims and at Chalk River. The present Our Lady of Good Counsel church was erected in 1953-54 to accommodate the large influx of people settling in the new town of Deep River following the establishment of the Atomic Energy Project at Chalk River. A recently published book "100 Years of Worship" recounts the history and the accomplishments of the parish.

1998 was a momentous year for our parish as we celebrated our 100th Anniversary. In order to prepare for this major event, a Logo was selected among eighty entries. The Logo was to reflect the theme of the celebration "Christ's Family - 100 Years". The one chosen was designed by Krystyna Banas, a high school student from our parish.

Two major liturgical celebrations took place in 1998. On April 17th a special Mass with Bishop O’Brien commemorated the actual founding of the parish, which was then called St. Alexander. Many priests and former pastors were present as well. Fr. Jack Quinn, who had served the parish from 1978 - 1994 was warmly welcomed back as guest homilist. He traced the history of the parish from it’s beginnings, through the monumental changes and the building of the new church when the town of Deep River was established, to the present day community.

The second planned liturgy was the outdoor mass of Sunday, June 28th. Many friends and past parishioners attended. Bishop O’Brien was the celebrant and homilist. On a beautifully sunny day, under the pines where the original church once stood, he reminded us that "A parish is not just buildings. It’s the people who use these centres of worship". "An assembly of people, like we have here this afternoon". He urged us to be encouraged by our past as we look to the future. Taking part in the liturgy were also six priests who, at some point in their careers, had served at our Lady of Good Counsel. Also present to bring up the gifts, was Nora Gleeson. At 95 she is the oldest parishioner and has lived all her life in this community.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, June 26th and 27th, hundreds of present and past parishioners took part in social gatherings to joyfully celebrate 100 years of Christian faith. Thanks to the work of so many people the week-end was a resounding success.

Fr. Bill Kenney, our present pastor, and the Parish Pastoral Council, saw the Centennial Year as a unique opportunity for our parish to grow in strength and faith. This is what we hope will be the most tangible legacy of 1998.