Page 181 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

. for ihey were rether headquerteri than homes. That venerable pjoucer,
whose memov i~ sliU green in ihis Diocme, whoae rernains resi benpaih
theee walls, the V P ~
Rev. Vicar Gzneral Gordon, was one of few resid~nt
priests. He bad been appointed pastot oi Hamilton in Nov. 1846. This
tealous niissionaiy thus debcribes with charactmiaiic rnodesty hi9 uharm
in thme ioila, aud the early $tale 01 religion to John Maguir~, "Wrll, my
dear sir, no doubt 1 bad many a hard ride through ~he iormt, md I
olten had La depend on my pmr liarse as rny eyelids dozed while 1 sat
in ibi: nsddir overpowered with Iatjgue and wani 01 sleep. But no matter
what labour I had IO undpriake, 1 elways rrcçir~d rny reward in ilie faith
and love of ~he people and in iheir delight nt seehg und heariiig ibeir
prirat - why sir, it woiild rnia~ my niare'a epirjts. And how lhey kept
ihr faiih! Tc was surpriling. For yzars sorne wou!d nat see a priesi;
bnl still the Iaiili wes there in a rnuiher's hean, sud she would ieach it
IO Iirr children. We have loi1 wmr, for tliere were ~heep withoul shep-
berds; bui ibe~ we did not losr more and ihat we seved m many in iimes
long goor by is onIy LO be aitrihui~d IO the mercy of Gd, und L~F teaacily
witli wliicli the Iris11 cling ta rheir faith. Their Jzvoiion and iheir elec-
lion and theiz gratiiade cheered me many a lime, and made nit. Ibrmet
lniigiie aiid trouble oI evcrv kind. God hlecy iiiem! They are a gwd
propl<.". . .(15)
Tlie frrst churcli in what was to be the diocme of Hamilton WaB
erected in Dundas. The exact date of its construction is unknown,
although it ia ceitain that a church exieted in the town in 1828.(leJ In
its early years, Duridae was a niission attended from Niagara. Ite 6rst
resirlent prieet was Rev. Johri Cassidy, who is séid LO have arri~ed in
1832. the same year a new frame churcli was constrncted.(lTi The Rev.
John OYReilly mentiorid as resident in Dundas iti 1856 had been
appointed to this miseion on Jaii. 6, 1M7. Prior to his residence there
Dundas had been visited by a variety of missionaries dnring the 1820's
and early 183Qis, and Iiad a succcasiori of resident priests ironi Fr.
Cassidy ( 1832) to Fr. OIReilly (lm7) .[lhI
Fathtr, lalcr Dean, O'Reilly wafi born in County Cavan, Ireland,
on March 5, 1818. He came tu Canada in 1841 to visit his uncle, tlie
Rcv. Engene OReilly, wlio was reaident priefit at tlie Toronto Gore.
Remaining in Canada, û'Rtilly eniered the College of Chambly and

'.lu' The Carholic Regisrnr. May 24, 1906.
11GI Hugli Jaseph Som~r?. The Lije and Th> a/ the Honourable and RE. Rrv.
.4lermder Mrsrdonell, UJ)., First Bishop O/ Upper Canada, p. 96.
(17) Tlii~ information is coniained in rrmioiwences on Catholiciam in earlj Dunh
by "Old-Timer", Frank Balley, in The Çotholtc Register, Dec. 2, 1905. Dcan
Harris speaka al Fr. E. Gordon as hai'ing built the first church Vi Dundu,
h~lween 1832 and 1042: Dean Harris. The Catholic Cburch in ihe Niudma
Peninsrila 162&1895, p. 189. Obviously thiu siaienient is inaccurute an il
sinnds, al~liough it may bc the case that Fr. Gordon was reepoasible for ihe
erçciion of a second chnrch in Dandaa, prior ru ihr residenc j or Fr. Cassidy.
"'1 '*Old-Timrr" lists a3 rwidpnt priesla Fr. Mill.~, 1840. succeeded bj Frs.
O'Flynn. Connrlly, O'Duyrr, O'Rcilly, 1846. Fr. Speiz givee the dates of
resid~ncies as follows: Rtv. Dr. Robert R. Mills, in Diindae hm IBN io
1842; Hew. James O'Flynn, from May. 1842 ta Iiinr, 1892; Hev. Pelrr Connolly
Isirl. Irrim May 23, 1843 to Dec. 28, 18%; Rev. Patrick O'Dwyer, !mm Mawh
1, 1û45 to Dec. 28, 1816; Rev. John O'Reiily, fmni 1846 to 1847, later iri
Firanitord as pnstor, 1852-59 Ithis Iaot ici not accurate), agaia in Dundaa,
1W7-1867: TheJald Spetz, C.H., The Catholic Churd in Vaterha CounrJ,
p. 228.
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