Catholic Parishes in PEI (c. 1885) by Rev. Alfred E. Burke
Please see the Contents page for information on this and other historical sketches of PEI Roman Catholic parishes, as compiled by Father Alfred Burke circa 1885.
The Mission of St. Theresa, Baldwin's Road
Four years after the emigration to Fort Augustus, Prince Edward Island, of a number of the parishioners of Father Moynagh, a pastor of Donagh, a man named James Trainor, agent for Father John MacDonald of Glenaladale, went over to Ireland and collected, chiefly in County Monaghan, two shiploads of people, who sailed from Belfast in the "Connisbruck" and the "Agitator" early in the spring of 1839 and landed in Charlottetown in May of that year. Some of these people settled among their friends in Fort Augustus, some in Township Sixty-Five, others in Sparrow's Road, Montague, and Johnston's River. Many who at first settled in Fort Augustus moved to the district known as Baldwin's Road, so called from the farm of a Tipperary man, named Thomas Baldwin, who was the first settler in the district. Here a few years later, they were joined by Francis Curran, Patrick Bradley, Peter McQuaid, John McQuaid and Andrew Campbell, who came out from Ireland in 1841 in the "Margaret Pollock" and who, with many others took up land on the Montgomery estate on Baldwin's Road which was then uncleared forest. These people who were all good Catholics, attended mass in the parish of Vernon River until their own church was built.
The mission was at that time served by Father Brady, who decided upon building a church three miles to the north of St. Theresa's, in Peake's Road, he obtained a grant of sixty acres of land from the late Charles Morrel, Esq. and made preparations for building. The land was cleared out and scantling prepared when there was a change of parochial administration, and Rev. James Aeneas McIntyre took charge of the parish. Father McIntyre thought the situation selected by Father Brady too far back in the woods, and purchased twelve acres of land from Mr. Campion, upon which the first church of the Baldwin's Road mission was built. This church was placed under the invocation of St. Cuthbert, it was cruciform in shape and was built by a man named Barrett. The presbytery of Baldwin's Road was built several years later than the church. Its erection was superintended by Rev. James Phelan.
In 1875 the church built by Father McIntyre, was replaced by an elegant structure erected when Rev. Angus MacDonald was in charge of the mission. In 1879, during a violent snow storm accompanied by a strong north west gale, this fine church was blown down, to the great distress of the worthy priest and all the parishioners. The following account of the Catastrophe is taken from the parish register.
"On February 22nd 1879, St. Cuthbert's church was blown down and completely destroyed, to our great loss and affliction. We had to consider then, as far as we could, what was to be done in order to get some place in which to assemble the people for Divine Service. We had no money, no church, and the parish was 1,500 in debt. We cannot forget the afflicted appearance of the church grounds and the parish generally on the day and week after the church was blown down."
"The parishioners showed a good spirit and were willing to do the best they could, but what they had to work on, in regard to money or temporal and worldly matter. Nothing whatever. We had however, our confidence in God, which required strengthening, and our courage and earnestness, which also needed strength and improvement. Pastor and people then concluded to build up a temporary structure to answer the purpose of a church. Every man in the parish agreed to give eight days work. We hired two or three men, to superintend and from the wreck of the fallen church we put up a plain, cheap building which answered the purpose of a church for six years. St. Cuthberts was blown down in the first week of Lent, and we had mass in our new church on Palm Sunday."
A few years passed by, the parish, financially, was better off and the priest was really afraid that the temporary chapel had become insecure. So the plans and specifications for a new church were laid before the people who fell to work with a will. The parish was divided into three bands, who went to the woods and in ten days prepared twelve thousand feet of scantling, which was placed on the church grounds, ready for use. Each family in the missions was asked for one hundred feet of boards and a square of shingles, which were also put on the church grounds. The contract for building was let to John Kenny and Robert Curran, who built what is generally acknowledged to be a beautiful and substantial church and the cheapest in the diocese. It measures eighty feet in length by forty in breadth. The nave which is clerestory is thirty two feet in height, the aisles are sixteen feet from base to buttress.
The High altar, which is richly painted was made by Mr. Dempsey of Summerside. There is a side altar to the Sacred Heart, above which hangs a beautiful picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A gift from Bishop McIntyre to Father McMillan. This altar is kept decorated with exquisitely blooming natural flowers, and its whole appearance gives evidence of loving care and refined taste on the part of the sacristan. There are in the Sanctuary Statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin and two memorial windows bearing painted transparencies, one a picture of the Sacred Heart of our Lord, in memory of Mr. P.S. Milligan, the other, a picture of the Angelic doctor St. Thomas Agninas, in memory of Hon. Robert and Mrs. Mooney.
Unlike most clerestory buildings, this one is furnished with galleries, which however, do not mar the appearance of the interior.
The painting is chiefly in the shades of olive green. There is here one of the finest seths of stations, to be found in the diocese they although obtained at a comparatively small cost, were chosen and framed with a delicate and merring taste.
The music of the church is well rendered by a very painstaking and efficient choir under the direction of the organist, Miss MacDonald of the Family of Bornish.
The corner stone of this sanctuary was laid by his Lordship Bishop McIntyre who was assisted in the ceremony by very Rev. James McDonald V.G. St. Andrews, Very Rev. D. McDonald, Rev. James Phelan, Rev. William Phelan, Rev. John Corbett, and Rev. M.J. McMillan, pastor of the church.
On Sunday 29th August 1886, the church of Baldwins Road was solemnly dedicated by Archbishop Lynch of Toronto. His grace was assisted by Rev. Charles McDonald, Rector of St. Dunstans College Rev. James Phelan, Rev. John A. McDonald, Rev. Joseph McLean and Rev. M.J. McMillan pastor. After the ceremony of dedication and the celebration of mass, His grace preached a sermon which will long be remembered in these parts. In the afternoon his grace blessed the stations, which were then erected, and again preached, after which the ceremonies were brought to a close by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Some years after its first settlement by Irishmen the number of the parishioners of Baldwin's Road was increased by the moving into the settlement of a number of MacDonalds of the family of Bornishs, who came from the vicinity of Pisquid River in St. Andrew's Parish. St. Theresa's has materially improved during the past few years and boasts numbers of as fine farms and orchards as can be found in the county. The old settlers, who by patient industry have achieved so much in their new homes still have loving recollections of the dear old land of their birth, and many a quaint story and odd reminiscence will be told in the course of an evenings ceilighe in Baldwins Road.
A familiar figure with some of those who emigrated from County Monaghan was James Trainor, Father John MacDonalds agent, whose grey coat and pants and plaidy vest made by himself on his farm at Mill Cove, are well remembered.
Then many are the tales of wrong and hardship from which these people fled. In the parish of Tyholland for instance, the tenants were obliged to pay two pounds sterling an acre for their land, and ten shillings, county assessment, and although Catholics, they were obliged to give one tenth of every strike of grain towards the support of the English church Minister, and in some places there was an annual tax of five pence an acre on their farms, which money went to provide the Anglican Church with light.
The most prominent public man among the dwellers on Baldwin's Road was Hon. Robert Mooney a native of the parish of Donagh, County Monaghan, who emigrated to this country in 1831 and first settled at Mill Cove. The Charlottetown Herald of September 1, 1886 contains the following notice of Mr. Mooney's public career:-
"On the 5th ult, another old landmark was removed -- Hon. Robert Mooney died at the residence of his son-in-law W. Daniel Mulligan, Baldwin's Road in the 84th year of his age. He was born in Donagh, County Monaghan, Ireland, and emigrated to this Island in 1831."
"His social qualities, combined with his native talent, and his love for popular liberty soon brought him prominently before the oppressed tenantry of his adopted country. In recognition of his fearless and independent advocacy of their rights, they returned him to Parliament in 1846, as their representative for the Fort Augustus and West River district, a position which he honourably sustained for upwards of twelve years, during which he took part in the great reforms of responsible government, universal Suffrage, Free education, the Land Purchase Bill, Reciprocity, as well as other reform measures, introduced by the old Liberal party, led by Coles and Whelan, of which he was a staunch supporter. As a member of the government the deceased was appointed Registrar of Deed and Keeper of Plans, in the year 1854, which honourable position he held until the general election in 1858."
"The Rev. M.J. McMillan, pastor of St. Theresa's Church, conducted the solemn and impressive funeral services, and the large number of relatives and friends who were present, testified to the esteem and respect in which the deceased was held by the general public."
During the period in which Mr. Mooney was a member of the government, he purchased a large farm of six hundred acres of land, and a mill, situate on Baldwin's Road and upon his retirement from public life, he removed there to pass his last days near his daughters, Mrs. Francis Curran and Mrs. Daniel Mulligan.
Mr. Mooney's remains were interred in St. Theresa's churchyard.
This mission of St. Theresa was served first by Rev. James Brady, then by Rev. James Aeneas McIntyre, then by Rev. James Brady again, assisted by Rev. F.X. de Laugie, then by Rev. James Phelan from 1868 to 1870, by Rev. Angus MacDonald from 1870 to 1876; by Rev. Charles McDonald from 1876 to 1878 and by Rev. M.J. McMillan from 1878 to the present time.
First Catholic Settlers of the Mission of
St. Theresa
Baldwin's Road
| Thomas Baldwin | from Tipperary |
| Francis Curran | from Drumonatt |
| Patrick Bradley | from County Monaghan |
| Peter McQuaid | from County Monaghan |
| Andrew Campbell | from County Monaghan |
| Bernard Murphy | from County Monaghan |
| Dennis Mulligan | from County Monaghan |
| Peter Curran | from County Monaghan |
| John Clinton | from County Monaghan |
| John Dreehan | from Tyrone |
| Hon. Robert Mooney | from Donagh |
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