St. Peter and Missions Catholic Parish
Markdale ON

Welcome to St. Peter and the Missions

We are a church community with all kinds of different people

Some of us are unsure about faith, but seeking Some of us have had an encounter with God and are unpacking what that means for our lives Some of us are disciples of Christ excited to share how God has transformed our lives.

YET...

All of us have our particular gifts and limitations All of us are sinners in need of redemption

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE AT IN YOUR LIFE, we welcome you to join us on the journey of faith!

We are one parish uniting four church communities: St. Peter Church in Durham, St. Joseph Church in Markdale, St. John Church in Glenelg, and St. Paul Church in Dornoch. We follow the Way of Jesus Christ as outlined in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and passed down through the ages by the Catholic Church. For us, the Saints are our models and who we aspire to be one day.

A FEW THINGS THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO YOU:

We would love to get together with you to chat and learn where you are at in your faith and what you are looking for at this time. If you would like to meet with the priest (Father Jeff Oehring) or a parishioner, contact us at [email protected] or 519.986.7445.

​​ Get to know us through social media, we are on facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. The links are at the top of the page. Get connected with what's happening through our Bulletin and Calendar tabs.

Join us for Holy Mass. The Mass is the highest form of worship in the Catholic Church. We believe that God himself becomes present, dwells among us, and feeds us with the Word and the Holy Eucharist. You are most welcome to join us for the Holy Mass and to participate as much as you are able (when it comes time for Holy Communion, you are welcome to come forward for a prayer of blessing, just indicate this to the priest. In the Catholic Church, Holy Communion is reserved for Catholics in full communion with the teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church.) Ideally, we would appreciate the opportunity to chat with you about what happens at the Holy Mass, offer some direction on how to get the most out of it, and share with you how this prayer has been for us an encounter with the living God, a source of ongoing inspiration, and a challenge to always grow deeper in faith.

​​Jesus said "I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." We have had a taste of that "abundant life" and we want more! We welcome you to join us as we look with expectation towards the good things that God will do in our lives.

 

https://www.stpeterandthemissions.com/  

 

From ‘The History of Glenelg Township’1985

The spiritual welfare of the early pioneers was not neglected, for shortly after the settlers arrived in the area, the itinerant missionaries followed. It is known that Father Casper Matoga S.J. visited the Catholics of this district from 1852 until his death in 1856. From 1856-1863 Fathers William Blettner and George Laufhuber, Jesuit Fathers from Guelph, performed the missionary work. Following 1863, the Basilian Fathers from Owen Sound provided spiritual ministrations in the area until 1880. At this time, no churches were erected, thus Masses were offered in their homes- at Lawrence McKeown’s on the Durham Road, at William Martin’s on the Eighth Concession and at Joseph Black’s on the Fourth Concession N.D.R.

In the 1800’s it was difficult for priests and bishops to assess the potential development of large territorial sections of Grey County. Several churches were erected, and then abandoned after a time, to keep pace with the shifting and centralizing of the population. The first Catholic Church to be erected in Glenelg Township was at Farden’s Corner (Lot 19, Concession 8) near the home of William Martin. This church was constructed in 1863 under the direction of the Basilian Fathers, and known as St. Peter’s. It was abandoned in 1893, but the site is still parish property, and known to the locals as the ‘old cemetery’.

The Hamilton Diocese Archives have on file a deed for land in the village of Priceville, believed to be the root of the present Catholic Parish at Glenelg Centre. The file shows four- fifths of an acre of land in the Village of Priceville, and registered in the Grey County Registry Office as “parts of lot #5 in the First Concession of South of the Durham Road in the Township of Artemesia”. The land was sold by the Honourable Isaac Buchanan of Hamilton, and his wife Agnes, to the Diocese for $60.

A letter dated July 27, 1863, from Joseph Black, Church Trustee, to Bishop John Farrell, first Bishop of Hamilton, states that the parishioners “have got out the timbers for the new church at Priceville.” Mr. Black asked the Bishop to provide a plan for the structure stating… “The timber is all out… for the ground we hav a Bond from John McDougald, Esq of Priceville.” This church was erected in 1870 and dedicated to St. Jerome. The church was a frame structure of Gothic design, and measured 30 feet X 60 feet. In 1880, St. Jerome’s, Priceville, became the first parish with mission churches at St. Peter’s on Concession 8, Dundalk, Melancthon and Durham. Father P.J. Cassin was appointed the first resident pastor, residing in Priceville for a short time. Father Cassin built the first parish factory at Irish Lake, a large red brick structure that is still known today as the “Brick”, although it is no longer parish property.

Following Father Cassin, Father John Feeney was pastor until 1890. In that year Father Richard Maloney was appointed pastor and many changes were enacted. Following a careful survey, Father Maloney realized that the existing churches were poorly located to serve the scattered population.

As a result of this survey, two churches were built, in 1893 St. Joseph’s, Markdale, and St. John’s, Glenelg Centre (completed in 1894 at a cost of $4,000). At this time, St. Peter’s on Concession 8 and St. Jerome’s, Priceville, were closed. Father Maloney had supervised the building of the Dundalk church in 1891, and Dundalk became a separate parish in 1892, with Proton and Melancthon as missions. Father Maloney accomplished a great deal in his short lifetime. He died at the age of 29 years in March, 1896, at the home of a parishioner, Patrick Fogarty, as he was returning from a sick call in Durham. (Durham was a mission of Markdale until 1932). His body is interred beneath St. Joseph’s church in Markdale, as the March weather was too stormy to bury him at the cemetery. His tomb remains beneath the Markdale church and is lighted for viewing.

In 1859 Bartholomew Griffin, hotel keeper and merchant, donated land for a Roman Catholic Church and cemetery. A log church 30 feet x 40 feet and ten logs high was erected at the top of the hill overlooking the community of Griffin’s Corners, now Dornoch.

The hemlock timber for the church was cut from the site. Expert axemen were chosen to hew the logs. A lean-to section 10 feet wide was built across the back which was divided into a sacristy and living quarters for the priest. When the building was finished it was completely free of debt.

In 1890 the present brick church of St. Paul’s in Dornoch was built for a cost of $4,000. The bricks were purchased in Chesley for $5.50 per thousand and brought to the site by team and wagon. The hewn hemlock beams are exposed and the hand planed pews are still in use. The origin of the stained glass windows is unknown but they boast the names of prominent early parishioners as well as early pastors.

Mounted on the interior walls are paintings of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. These paintings came originally from a church at LaFleur, France, which had been demolished, and were first mounted in the log church.

In the nave of the church are two fresco paintings by an unknown artist. These are a rarity as fresco paintings are found in only one rural church in Ontario.

During 1964, the fourteen Catholic families at Dornoch voted to attend winter masses in Durham, rather than heat St. Paul’s for so few, and too, the steep incline in front of the church was a factor in the decision. In June of 1973, a new parish church was blessed in Durham, and the Dornoch people still attend there in the winter months. During 1983, an application was successfully made to the Ministry of Culture and Recreation to have St. Paul’s Church, Dornoch, declared a heritage building. Much restoration of this magnificent building has been undertaken.