Blessed Sacrament
Amherstview ON

Welcome to the Catholic Parishes of Blessed Sacrament Amherstview, Ontario & Amherst Island (Saint Bartholomew) Saint Linus Bath, Ontario

PARISH MISSION STATEMENT:

A caring Catholic community of Prayer that connects people in Mind, Body and Spirit as we Nurture our Faith and Journey Together.

 

http://www.blessedsacramentamherstview.org/  

 

http://www.blessedsacramentamherstview.org/bls_directions.html  

Parish Ministries and Organizations

RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
LITURGICAL TEAMS
Environment
Funeral Luncheons
Junior Liturgy
Music
Readers, Eucharistic Ministers

ORGANIZATIONS
Catholic Women's League (CWL)
Knights of Columbus (KofC)
Prayer Group  

BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH HISTORICAL FACTS

➢ On December 1, 1957 Amherstview became a mission and the first Mass was celebrated at St. Joseph Provincial House.

➢ Sunday Masses continued to be held in the chapel at St. Joseph Provincial House for the people of the Amherstview area until 1980.

➢ On December 8, 1957 Archbishop O’Sullivan blessed and formally opened “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School”, with two classrooms and an enrolment of 59 students, built by Frank Morris.

➢ Amherstview became a parish in September 1968 and was named “Blessed Sacrament Parish”, with St. Linus parish as a mission.

➢ By 1974, Blessed Sacrament Parish was the largest single-priest pastorate in the Archdiocese.

➢ In May 1979 it was clear that a church had to be built, and a Building Committee was formed, chaired by John Murphy.

➢ Architects Polson, Thompson, Laframboise & Mallett were hired to develop plans for the new church [see sketch on right]. ➢ Kehoe Construction Ltd. was awarded the contract to build the new church for $500,000 on January 21, 1980.

➢ In February 1980 the sod was turned and parish volunteers canvassed homes in the Amherstview area to raise funds to build the church.

➢ Building began and continued through the year, then on December 8, 1980 Blessed Sacrament Church was dedicated by Archbishop Wilhelm. ➢ In the spring of 1982, Kingston artist Fred Schoenberger painted a 28 ft. x 20 ft. mural over the altar, depicting the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

➢ The bell was installed in 1983.

➢ Fred Schoenberger was again called upon in 1984 to design and paint coloured windows that would replace the plain glass that existed. Each of the coloured windows depicts a theme from the Bible, centering on Adam and Eve, Moses, Abraham and David.

➢ In 1985 the first Parish Directory was published.

➢ On February 1, 1990 a Hiro Lift was installed to make the hall wheelchair-accessible.

➢ On March 11, 1992 the final mortgage payment was made on the church and the Parish celebrated with a mortgage-burning ceremony on June 14, 1992.

➢ On October 3, 1993 the Parish celebrated its Silver Jubilee, with Archbishop F.J. Spence presiding.

➢ In 1995 the Blessed Sacrament Knights of Columbus and Catholic Women’s League Amherstview chapters were founded.

➢ Renovations in 1996 included a steel roof.

➢ Renovations in 1998 included redecoration of the church, new flooring, a redesign of the sanctuary and kitchen renovations in the church hall.

➢ In 2000, as part of the Centennial Year activities, the second Parish Directory was published.

➢ In 2001 a World Youth Day committee was formed and two young people from the parish represented Blessed Sacrament at World Youth Day.

➢ A wheelchair ramp was installed outside the building on September 23, 2002.

➢ Air conditioning was installed in July 2006.

➢ Blessed Sacrament Parish web site was launched December 31, 2006.

➢ In May 2007 the Blessed Sacrament Knights of Columbus assumed the task of coordinating the annual Food Blitz for Amherstview, Odessa and Bath.

➢ In February 2008 the CWL introduced the “Adopt-a-Soldier” campaign (changed to “Project Homeland” in 2009) to provide items to local military personnel stationed overseas.

➢ The first annual Bible Summer School was organized in July 2008.

➢ On September 22, 2008 the parish celebrated its 40th anniversary as a Parish.

➢ In September 2008 a new refrigerator was purchased for the hall kitchen.

➢ In October 2008 the “Pennies for Pesos” campaign was launched in aid of the San José de Ocoa Mission in the Dominican Republic; this very successful campaign was adopted by schools and other councils in the region.

➢ In 2009 the church sound system was updated and enhanced.

➢ On June 27, 2009 the parish celebrated Rev. Michael Reed’s 60th birthday with a pot luck dinner and entertainment.

➢ In August 2009 a privacy fence was built around part of the residence by members of the Knights of Columbus using funds donated by Knights and CWL.

➢ In October 2009 a door was installed in the residence to allow entry directly into the fenced privacy area.

➢ In October 2009 a new furnace was installed in the church; funds were raised from parishioners, the Knights of Columbus and the CWL.

➢ In November 2009 a sanctuary lamp was donated from the chapel of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph.

➢ On November 14, 2010 the CWL celebrated its 15th anniversary with cake and a display of CWL activities over the years.

➢ On November 10, 2011 Rev. Michael Reed took a leave of absence and was replaced with a temporary administrator, Deacon Don DiRocco.

➢ On March 24, 2012 an appreciation potluck dinner was held for the sisters of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph.

➢ On July 25, 2012 Rev. Stan Alanen became our 10th parish priest.

➢ In July 2012 Blessed Sacrament was clustered with St. Bartholomew (Amherst Island) and St. Linus (Bath).

➢ In August 2012 many items were obtained for the hall and kitchen from the RHSJ sale.

➢ Air conditioning and a new heating system were installed in the rectory in 2012.

➢ A new lift into the church hall was installed on August 15, 2012.

➢ In November 2012 a garage was built for the priest’s car, constructed mainly by Knights of Columbus, under the direction of Gerry Splinter.

➢ In December 2012 the Blessed Sacrament website was re-launched (webmaster Shirley McDonald).

➢ On January 14, 2013, a half wall was installed between the music ministry and the congregation.

➢ Evening card parties established February 19, 2013 (3rd Tuesday of each month).

➢ A cabinet for holy oils was built and installed by Mike Shanks in spring 2013.

➢ A parish potluck was held on April 20, 2013 to welcome our clustered parishes of St. Linus, Bath and St. Bartholomew, Amherst Island.

➢ A cabinet for the CWL was built and installed in the hall by Gordon McDonald in May 2013.

➢ A bathroom was built between the vestibule and stairwell in December 2013, by members of the Knights of Columbus.

➢ New taps were installed in the bathrooms in the hall in 2014.

➢ The church hall was painted in 2014 by the Knights of Columbus.

➢ An automated external defibrillator (AED) was installed in June 2015.

➢ In 2016, the third parish directory was published.

➢ Two stained glass windows were replaced in September 2017.

OUR PARISH PRIESTS…

1957 - 1968 Rev. Walter Joseph Lynett 1968 - 1969 Rev. William Wiley 1969 - 1972 Rev. Edwin McSherry 1972 - 1975 Msgr. Arthur James Welsh 1975 - 1984 Rev. Edward H. Barrett (1981: Associate Rev. Robert Chisholm) 1984 - 1990 Msgr. Donald Patrick Clement 1990 - 1994 Rev. Raymond Gerard Shannon (1991 – 1997: Associate Rev. Allan Peterkin) 1994 - 2005 Rev. John Francis Grainger 2005 - 2012 Rev. Michael Anthony Reed 2012 – 2016 Rev. Stan Alanen (August 1, 2013: Deacon Bill Gervais) 2016 – present Rev. Tim Shea

…AND OUR DEACONS…

1993 - 1994 Dr. Philip Carney 1995 - 1999 John Ezard 2011 - 2012 Don DiRocco 2013 - present Bill Gervais

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE MADE THIS JOURNEY WITH US!