Page 2 - index

ST. MARY'S ANGLICAN CHURCH

COMQ, QUEBEC

St. Mary's is the sister church to St. James, Hudson,
Quebec, and is under the charge of Canon Cecil Royle and the
Rev. Todd.
It is a beautiful little church built of stone, and
services are held regularly. It was originally built as a
"Chapel At Ease".
The manufacture of glass played an important part in the
growth of Corno. By 1850 there were two glassworks situated in
:he area. This made Como the largest centre of the district
In the Seigniory of Vaudreuil. Later, the import of cheap
American glass forced these same glass works to all but close.
However, by this time there was a fast and frequent service
provided by the river boats along the Ottawa River, which
encouraged development.
Como then became a summer resort. The need for a "Chapel
At Ease" to the Parish Church of St. James in Hudson increased.

The Isaac Gibb and R.W. Shepherd families of Como were
instrumental in raising "a considerable amount of moneya to-
wards the building of a chapel. The land, for this purpose was
secured from John Hodgson, an early settler of the district,
for the sum of $100.00. It is interesting to note that Mr.
Hodgson stated in the deed that the land was not to be used
for cemetery purposes, but broke his own stipulation when his
daughter died shortly afterwards. There are at least thirty
nine people who bore the name Hodgson, either through birth
or through marriage, buried here.
This first burial forms the nucleus of the small cemetery
beside the Church today.
The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Fulford, first
Bishop of Montreal, on May 27, 1866.

The consecration of St. Mary's was much delayed by the
death of Bishop Fulford. It was not until September 13, 1869,
that the consecration of St. Mary's chapel took place.
Today, over a hundred years later St. Mary's Church in
Como still plays an active role in the lives of the community
at Como.
Compiled by Eleanor Hyland, from
"A Brief History of St. Mary's Church,
Como, P.Q." by Mrs. Dorothy A. Cummins
and The Rev. E.C. Royle.

Noter # 22 Spence - Kelvin and his wife wrote the book 'A Guide
ta Early Canadian Glass" in 1966. They lived in what was
originally Schneider's Inn.
Eleanor Hyland and Mabel Ringereide are both members of
St. Mary's Anglican Church, Como, Quebec.