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. Malachy, Kinkora

When in 1767, certain favorites of the crown, in England, received grants of estates in Prince Edward Island, one Colonel Searle, a retired officer, who was concerned in a large fishing business in Gaspe, found himself the fortunate possessor of half of Township Twenty Seven, the other half having fallen to the share of his partner, Mr. Spence.

In the course of time Colonel Searle died, and his daughter and heiress married one Horatio Mann, of Norfolk, England, Esq, who assumed the management of his wife's estate in Prince Edward Island, which comprised the districts of Kincora and Seven Mile Bay. Kincora was in early days known as "Sou West" owing to its being watered by the South West branch of the Dunk River. Here about 1835 came a few settlers from the south of Ireland. In 1840, when the depopulation of Ireland was commenced on a large scale, shiploads of emigrants from the counties of Monaghan and Arenagh were landed in Charlottetown, and from that port scattered to settle in different portions of Prince Edward Island. This went on for several years.

The "Rosebank", the Margaret Pollock and the "Lady Constable" brought out hundreds, many of whom found their way to the estate of Mr. Mann, whose agent offered them land on liberal terms. The majority of these people were tenants of the notorious Henry Westoura, Lord Rosemore and had been bordering on starvation at home, where they eked out a miserable existence on farms of from two to seven acres, upon which it was barely possible to live, much less to pay rent. Others again, were from the parish of Tynan, where was the celebrated "Bishop estate" administered by a body of twelve Protestant clergyman. On this estate every worldly advantage and indulgence was offered the tenants, provided they would send their children to the "church school". Of course this temptation kept up a constant struggle between conscience and interest, and the staunch Catholics found their best safety in flight. Thus to escape physical starvation and mental poison, did the emigrants leave the old sod to face the untried hardships of "America" that land of which they had heard so much yet knew so little.

Mr. Mann's estate was divided into farms of one hundred acres, these farms were long and narrow, extending on both sides of the road, right across the township. The owner or rather his agent, reserved every alternate farm telling the new tenants that if they conducted themselves well and gave satisfaction they should have preference over all new comers in the purchase of additional land, as soon as they would be in a position to add to their original holdings. The terms for these farms were, two years free, then twenty years at six pence currency per acre, after that nine hundred and ninety nine years at one shilling an acre. The road to Charlottetown was then recently opened and the people had a further advantage in being near the old loyalist settlement of Bedeque, where they could easily obtain employment, and be paid for their work in young cattle, grain, seed, and such like. As time wore on the Irish settlers gained the respect and good will of Hon. Joseph Pope, Mr. Mann's agent, who suggested to that gentleman, that land should be given to his tenants on which they might erect a Catholic church. At first Mr. Mann received the proposal with scorn, saying that "the ignorant" Irish should have no land on which to build a Papist Church." Mr. Pope replied that such was not his opinion he knew the Irish and had reason to judge them more favorably. Besides, the very fact of their having a church would make them more God fearing and better citizens, and also be the means of teaching them to pay their rent more conscientiously. At this new view of the case Mr. Mann said: - "Well, if you think so, let them have a few acres." He also permitted that they should hew timber from his land with which to build their church. The poor tenants who had hitherto been obliged to attend mass at Seven Mile Bay, a mission several miles distant, hailed this concession with delight, and turned out in force to fell the timber requisite for their undertaking. This was in the year 1847. The scantling for the church was hewed by Joseph Woods, and Martin Black put up the frame, the exterior work was done by a carpenter named Brown. During the time that the church was building, Mr. Mann died. His only daughter had married a French Lawyer, resident in Philadelphia, one Mrs. Giliean. This Gentleman came over to Prince Edward Island in 1849 to view the broad acres of his mother-in-law, and was accompanied by his sweet and gracious wife. Mr. Pope, whose guests Mr. and Mrs. Giliean were, notified the people of "Sou West" to come to Bedeque to meet the representative of their landlady. They went in a body, half afraid that as the property had changed hands, their leases would not be renewed, that their prior claims on the vacant farms would not be recognized, and that their privileges would be generally curtailed.

They gathered around Mr. Pope's house, and their new landlord, as they believed him to be, came out to address them. In fear and trembling they awaited his words. After a few introductory remarks, Mr. Giliean said, that he was glad their first united enterprise had been to build a church; he understood that his late father-in-law had given them a certain number of acres of land, and he had such pleasure in assuring them that, that gift would be extended to one hundred acres, "for", said he, "my dear friends, I am your co-religionist, like yourselves a Roman Catholic."

Cheer after cheer rent the air upon this announcement, and the good settlers of "Sou West" went home, happy in the present and secure for the future. In the meantime the church had progressed and was placed under the invocation of St. Malachy. The outside of the church was completed and the floor laid, just about the time of Mr. and Mrs. Giliean's arrival at Bedeque, and they signified their intention of being present at the opening mass. The sight of a sanctaury raised to gods honour, yet yet so bare of the veriest necessities must have touched the heart of the generous French Gentleman for, after mass, he promised the people that on his next visit he would bring them altar appointments, plate, missal and everything required for the complete furnishing of their sacristy. Great was the gratitude of the warm hearted Irish peasants. After mass there was a christening at Mr. Brenans and Mrs. Giliean stood godmother to the little Isabel, she also spoke to all her tenants with a kindly word and a promise of some comfortable, useful presents to the poorer among them, after which she and her husband started to drive back to Bedeque. Then the enthusiasm of the grateful hearts broke out, with a cheer such as is seldom heard in America, the people unharnessed the horses and dragged their honoured visitors along the dusty road, uttering characteristic good wishes for their welfare and calling down blessings upon their heads.

The next summer Mr. Giliean returned with his promised gifts of plate, altar linen, vestments, candlesticks, missal etc. to which he added a tabernacle for the altar and a very large altar piece, representing the crucifixion, with the figure our Lord in bas relief.

The people still relate how with his own hands Mr. Giliean carved and wrought the table for the altar, and they respect his memory as that of a cunning workman.

In 1856 the late Judge Pope when in Philadelphia, on behalf of his brother the late Hon. J.C. Pope, negotiated with Mr. and Mrs. Giliean for the purchase of their Prince Edward Island estate, and the terms of sale being agreed up, Mr. Pope became the proprietor, until 1872, when under the land purchase Act, the estate was bought by the government and resold to the early tenants who still occupy their first holdings.

The Rev. Malachy Reynolds for some years, continued to attend the mission of "Sou West" and after completing the church, commenced the erection of the presbytery. It was Father Reynolds custom to board among his people, he would remain a week with one and then with another. The old settlers relate how before the church was built, he would say mass at first in John Brenan's house and how as the number of emigrants increased, he was obliged to seek a larger room than Mr. Brenan's cottage afforded, and chose a log barn. This log barn was rather too freely ventilated, and the candles on the temporary altar would generally be extinguished all too soon, by vagrant breezes, which found their way through the interstices. Confessions at first were heard in Mr. Somers house, but after a while Father Reynolds removed his tribunal of penance to Mr. Keefe's barn. When Father Reynolds gave up attending the Irish parishes, his place was taken by Father Duffy, who finished the presbytery which his predecessors had begun. He was succeeded by Father Brady. Next on the register comes the name of Rev. D. Stanistans MacDonald. After him a French priest named de Langis was appointed to the mission, he remained until July 1866. On the 2 September of that year Rev. Patrick Doyle came to St. Malachy's of which he has been the beloved parish priest for twenty years. On the completion of his presbytery Father Duffy made "Sou West" his home and it was the place of residence of those who came after him until October 1874, when Father Doyle removed to Summerside, still retaining the charge of the missions of Sou west and Seven Mile Bay. During Father Doyle's occupancy of the parish, of St. Malachy the name was changed to Summerset in compliment to Mr. Maurice Somers, one of the pioneer settlers, but more recently it has been deemed in appropriate to call an Irish Settlement after an English county, and the name has been altered to Kincora.

Many amusing anecdotes are related of early days in Sou West. On one occasion an elderly emigrant who was a most devoted friend to Mr. Mann's agent came to him with the enquiry:-

"Does your honour want a boy?"
"I do," said the gentleman thus interrogated.
"Who is he?"
"Sure he came from Ireland your honour."
"Well, is he able to work?"
"He is your honour."
"What age is he?"
"Sure, he's my father your honour."

The people of Kincora adhere with great tenacity to the baptismal designations borne by their ancestors, so that naturally these names being repeated often, become augmented in the process and we hear of Lauty's Biddy, and Pat's Ann, and Tim's Pat, and so forth. To avoid this endless repetition, the priest undertook to introduce a few new names and commenced by baptizing a little girl, born on the 15th November, Gertrude. This was look upon as an unpardonable breach of custom by one old woman of St. Malachy's. Upon hearing of it she put on her shawl and went to see her neighbour.

"Arrah" Said she, "did ye hear what county called the girl?"
"No, what?" asked the neighbour."
"Garter" said the dame with indescribable contempt.

Another old settler, hearing that his son had called his child Rosella Agatha, said: "Fair, what a name, Rose Alligator."

In 1872 the church of St. Malachy was enlarged and improved by Father Doyle who added a chancel, vestry, tower and spire. It is complete in appointments and contains a pretty altar, a fine statue in Carton Pierre, of the Sacred Heart and one of our Lady of Lourdes, besides plaster casts of the Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph, and a neat set of stations of the cross. Mr. Gilieans large picture of the Crucifixion still adorns the wall of the Sanctuary.

Father Doyle had commenced building a charming residence close to the church which, when finished, will be an ornament to the country side. In the neaylr kept grave yard are many handsome marble monuments raised to perpetuate the memory of the honoured dead. Such mark the graves wherein lie the mortal remains of Maurice Somers, Valentine Shreenan, and other of the good old pioneer settlers. There are few prettier mission churches in Prince Edward Island then St. Malachy's of Kincora, and few more prosperous settlements than that which has sprung up upon the level acres of Township Twenty Seven. Well cultivated farms and tasteful homes are the portion of the sons of those industrious and law abiding emigrants of the "forties." Good roads intersect their settlement, good bridges span its streams, the branch line of railway to Cape Traverse runs through the village, and everything points to prosperity and progress for Kincora.

First Settlers of St. Malachy's Mission
Kincora