Roman Catholic Clergy of Lambton County in the 1800s

Roman Catholic Clergy who served

Lambton County in the 1800s

A chronology of excerpts taken from the

Mugan Manuscripts

1827-1834

Father Joseph Crevier of the Society of Jesus, then pastor at Assumption, Sandwich extended his labors to the St Clair River reaching Corunna and Sarnia for the first time in 1827. The Fathers at Ste.Ann's in Detroit established a mission and built a church at Marine City, at the mouth of Belle River, opposite Sombra.

1829

Father Louis J. Fluet, curate of Father Crevier celebrated mass and administered the sacraments at the home of Joseph Laforge at Froomfield and later on in the house of Louis Gallarneau at Mooretown.

1831

Rev. Father J. B. Morin of Sandwich, who had been stationed at ST. Peter's at Raleigh-on-the-Thames since 1819 took charge of the St. Clair Missions after Father Crevier left Sandwich in 1831.

1837

Bishop Macdonell, accompanied by a priest visited Catholics of Moore, Sarnia, and Baby's Point in 1837 or 1838. Louis Laforge and Mr. Bertrand took them from the little settlement at Sarnia where they had said mass in the house of Jean Baptiste Pare to Froomfield where the Bishop administered confirmation in the house of Richard Bertrand. The two took the Bishop and the priest to Mooretown where they said mass at the home of Louis Gallarneau. They were then taken in canoes to Baby's Point, where the first church in Lambton County was built. It was called L'Eglise Sacre Coeur, and it was made of logs with a brick front.

1838-1843

In 1838, Bishop Macdonell secures a free grant of 100 acres from the government for the site of the first church at Mooretown. It was built in 1843 about three-quarters of a mile north of Mooretown. During the Bishop's visit, he administered Confirmation to Chief Wawanosh in his cabin and in many wigwams of Indians who were located along the St. Clair between Sarnia and Froomfield on a tract, which is still an Indian Reserve. In 1842, Father Morin, partly assisted by Father Runnell and partly by Father Pedrupe, commenced to build the first church above Mooretown, which was finished in 1843, and dedicated by Bishop Powers that same year. The first cemetery in Lambton County was established there in 1838, and many from Sarnia, from along the river, and from adjoining townships were buried there.

1840 or 1841

Rev. Father J.B. Morin held a great mission at the house of Joseph Laforge at Froomfield, which was attended by four priests and Catholics of all of the surrounding townships. Father J. B. Proulx with another priest came from Manitoulin Island to assist. They were accompanied by numerous canoe-loads of Indians, a priest from Sandwich and Father Morin. A large platform was built in Laforge's garden with a roof above the altar. The mission lasted four or five days.

1843—1850

In 1843 the Jesuits came to Sandwich and soon took charge of the St. Clair Missions. There were Father Piere Pont, Father John P. Chone, and the celebrated and venerated Father Dominic DuRanquett. Father DuRanquett first came to the St. Clair Missions in 1843. Finding the first church in Moore already built, he proceeded to build the first church in Sarnia, St. Michael's, in 1844. In 1846, Father DuRanquett and Father Chone went to take care of the Missions at Manatoulin Island and Pentangushine. Father Chazelle, next curate, took over the St. Clair Missions with occasional visits from Father Piere Pont and other curates until the return of DuRanquett in 1847. Father DuRanquett attended all of the Missions on both sides of the River. The records left at Corunna commenced by him on June 18, 1849 and were continued by other priests. They are fairly complete to the present. The records of DuRanquett show a larger number of baptisms, marriages and burials that at any previous time. He was partly assisted and succeeded by Father T. Durthallet, curate at Sandwich, for a short time, until October 13, 1850, when Father Ferard, S.J. another curate from Sandwich appears baptizing Mary Ann Brampton on Walpole Isle, and marrying Pierre Dulude and Angelique Laforge.

1851—1856

Next , on August 10, 1851, came Father J. V. Jaffre S.J. from Sandwich who continued to November 12 1851, at which date Father Point attends the mission himself a few times till his next curate, Father J. M. Mainguy, came and continued to November 21, 1853. These curates all lived at Sandwich but continued the record here which Father DuRanquett had commenced. During this time, the congregation at Moore increased .It included all of the Catholics down to the present location of the village of Sombra. There is a series of omissions in the records from Nov. 21, 1853 until October 15, 1854, but these entries are supplied by records left on loose sheets of paper by the Rev. John Doherty who served in Moore and at Sarnia in 1852 and 1853. On Oct. 15 1854 the Rev. Michael Moncoq became the first resident priest of St. Joseph's Church in Moore. He left complete records of his ministrations until a few days before his death from drowning New Year's Eve 1856. He had charge of all missions north of Walpole Island and both sides of the St. Clair. In 1856 Sarnia became detached from the other missions receiving a pastor of its own for the first time. He was the Very Rev. Dean Kirwan.

1856—1860

Father John Raynet came from St. Peter's in Raleigh to settle Father Moncoq's business and attended the parish from January until September of 1856. Father Raynet and Father Goolin of Chatham continued to attend Baby's Point and Walpole Island.The Rev. B. Boubat came on April 1st 1860 and took up residence at the Mooretown Church and attended Baby's Point and the Island.