Church of St. Gabriel
Montreal QC

ALL ARE WELCOME

No matter what your present status in the Catholic Church

No matter what your current family and marital situation

No matter what your personal history, age, background, race, etc

No matter what your own self image

You are welcomed, accepted, loved and respected here at St Gabriel’s

 

https://saintgabrielsparish.org/  

 

On May 1st 1870 our very first priest Fr Lapierre celebrated mass in a chapel. Twenty years later the stone church was built.

The parish was legally created in 1875. It is what canon law (church law) calls a territorial church, not linked to any particular language but to the territory of Point Saint Charles. In fact for 8 years the church served both the English and the French catholics of the Point. Then in 1883 the French parish, Saint Charles was founded and it's church erected in the lot next to Saint Gabriel's!

For many years the English speaking community grew and spawned initiatives which had effects beyond the boundaries of the parish.One of these initiatives brought the Presentation Brothers to Montreal.

Then in 1956 the church was destroyed by fire, except for the stone walls. But as always, the people of the Point rose to the occasion and the church was rebuilt, though with a different style. And the steeple was never rebuilt.

Over the years the number of English-speaking Catholics in the Point decreased, but many former residents, and in fact many others from the greater Montreal area adopted St Gabriel's as their own. The Irish in particular are very fond of the parish. For many years, two Sundays before St Patrick's day, a popular mass of anticipation has been celebrated in the church. And on the last Sunday of May, after Sunday mass, there is a walk from the church to the Stone at the foot of Victoria bridge. It is there that so many Irish, and many French Canadians who cared for them, died of typhus.

So today our christian community is different, enriched by people of other cultures, vibrant and open to all ( still with a special love for the Irish). The church building has been fixed (roof, walls etc ) and a lift for the physically handicaped has been added. Other repairs are currently being done. We look to the future with optimism and enthusiasm. Please come and visit.

The priests who served as pastors at St Gabriel's:

Fr John J. Salmon 1875 - 1886

Fr Thomas McCarthy 1886 - 1890

Canon William O'Meara 1890 - 1919

Canon James S. McCrory 1919 - 1927

Fr Thomas W. O'Reilly 1919 - 1935

Fr Thomas A. Bracken 1935 - 1957

Fr George F. Thoms 1958 - 1963

Fr John P. Ryan 1963 - 1973

Fr Neil Willard (later Bishop) 1973 - 1980

Fr Murray McCrory 1980 - 2000 emeritus 2000 -

Fr John Lyng 2000 - 2001 Fr James McDonald 2001 - 2017 emeritus 2017

Fr Gilles Surprenant Parochial administrator 2017 - 2018

Other priests who served:

Fr Brissette Fr Brown Forget Fr Burke Fr Carley Fr Casey Heffernan Fr Cordier Fr Devlin Fr Ducharme Fr Fahey Fr Fitzpatrick Fr Frank Walsh Fr Gadoury

Fr Gorman Fr Hall Fr Hoyden Fr Jimmy Flood Fr Jones Fr Leduc Fr Martineau Fr McDonald Fr McGinnis Fr Michael McKenna Fr Mooney

Fr Nugent Desnoyers Fr O'Hagan Fr Pelletier Fr Riley Fr Brosseau Fr Robillard Fr Shea Fr Singleton Fr Sutton Fr Thibault Fr Tom McEntee Fr Vrydaegs