St. Monica
Middleton
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Our History
St. Monica Church, Middleton NS
The members of the Middleton congregation living in the Kingston area had their own church, St. Lawrence, long before Mass was offered for the first time in Middleton. This church was located on the grounds of what remains as St. Lawrence Cemetery. It served the faithful for more than 100 years but with the developing air base at Greenwood was eventually closed and demolished in the 1950s.The priests who served Kingston were the same as those who came to Middleton, and they were from Halifax, Morden and Kentville.
In the 1940s, the Oblate priests who lived in Annapolis Royal were given the responsibility of Middleton … along with Bridgetown and Digby. In 1949, Fr. Emmett Baxter o.m.i. (Oblates of Mary Immaculate) purchased a piece of land on Connaught Street in Middleton, had plans drawn up for a church, which were then approved by Archbishop McNally who also suggested a female patron saint, St. Monica. As soon as the exterior of the church was completed in 1950, the first Mass was offered with about 20 families present plus many airmen. Nail kegs and lumber were used for seating.
The sanctuary of St. Monica Church
In 1959, the new parish of St. Monica’s was established and its mission church would be St. Brigid in East Dalhousie. Fr. Louis Theriault was the first pastor and he had to find room and board in the town while the rectory was under construction. By 1964, the parish was debt free and later that same year, construction began on the church hall –connected to the back of the church. Church life was very active –including a Ladies’ Guild, the Holy Name Society, the Catholic Youth Organization along with a Knights of Columbus council being established in 1966 and a council of the Catholic Women’s League was formed in 1969. It was also in 1969, that the Sisters of Charity of Halifax arrived. The Sisters taught in the schools, helped with catechetical instruction and other parish activities. At least 15 different Sisters spent time in Middleton.
In 2000, land was purchased in Middleton for a new cemetery –St. Monica’s Cemetery –which was blessed on the feast day of St. Monica (August 27) in 2001.
St. Brigid Church, East Dalhousie NS
One of the many social events!
St. Monica and St. Brigid … pray for us!
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