Page 182 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

later. in 1843, the Grand Seminary in Montreal, where he was a fellow-
student of John Ferrrell, later first biehop 01 Hamilton. Fr. O'Reilly
was ordeined by Bishop Power in St. Paul's Church, Toronto, on July
5, lu. at the age of 28. He was appointed curate of tliis church, but
only for 8 few mtinths. ln November, 1846, he was lransferred to
Haniilton as assistant to Fr. Gordon. On Jan. 6, 1û4-7, O'Reilly became
resident priest st Dundas, serviiig the town and sur rounding missions.
Hc was called by Biyhop Power that same year to serve among ~he
typhoid fever-ridden Irish immigrants in Toronto. Here he took sick,
and waa relieved by Bishop Power himaeli. Power also euccunibed to
thc fever. snd the saintly bishop died one of its victinis on October 1,
1û47. Fr. O'Reilly recovered, and in Novernber returned rti Dundas,
where he remained until hia dcath on Nov. 14, 1W. He was appoiiited
Dean of rlundas by Bishop Ctinnon.
The earliest rmord seen of a CathoIic church in Hamilton is dated
1833. At this time ihere was no reeident priest in the eity, and Hemilton
Catholic~ wcre aecuslomed to assist st Siinday Mass in Dundas. The
source of this fact, however, dom not give tao ediiying an account of
the nnmber involved in this weekly hegira.CLD' The Very Rev. William
Peter IMcDoiiald, Vicar General of Kingston (to Bishup Macdonell) and
later uf Tnroiito (to Ri~hop Power), arrived in Hamilton as the city's
first resident priest in October, 1838. A learned and extrcniely iorceful
man - he is spoken nf as a great controversialist - Fr. McDonald came
to Canada ai the request of Rjshop Macdonell to head the lalier's smaii
diocesan seminary, the College of luna at St. Raphael, Glengarry County,
He srrived in Montreal on Novernber 20, 1826, to trrke charge of St.
Raphae19s; and short1 y thercafter was appointed Vica r General to Mac-
duiiell. His tenure ai tlie semiiiary. however, was as shortlived a3 the
existence of the school itself ; and in 1830 he was in charge of the periah
at Kingston. Here Fr. MeDonald remained for four years. Here, tua,
in 1832, he foiinded The Catholic, the firet Catholic religious weekly in
Upper Canada.(20' Subuequelit years found Fr. McDonald resident
priest iii various ceiitres of the new diocese of Kingfiton: Toronto in
1835; Bytown (Ottawa), 1836; Prescntt, 1837-8: Hamilton, 1838.48.
ln Hamilton Fr, McDonald renewed his efforts at Catholic journ-
alism interrupted in Kiiigston in 1833; he began again to publiah The
Catliolic in 1811. In 1842, the Ri. Rev. Michael Power, newly-appointed
Bishop 01 Toronto, named Fr. McDnnald his Vicar Generai, and made
Th Calholic the offieial episeopal cirgan. However, the weekly con-
tinued only into lm, when reasons of health and finance forced Fr.
MeDonald to diwontinue piiblication and to offer the paper for sale.
Thus end4 the only attenipt in Hamilton's early history to piiblish an
expressly Catholie independent journal. The venerable Vicar General
exercjsed his ministry in Hamilton for another NO years; but in 1M

"Old.Tinier", the source of tiie iale, says tiiat one wagon was aufficient 10
iake al1 wlio wished io make the trip; The Cdholir Hcgirrer, Dec. 2, 1905.
(201 Individual CO ies of thia Journal are extant in The O~ario Archives, Toroiiro,
d Th puhic Rc]crcnçe Librery, Torunio.
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