St. Joseph

 

Weymouth

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Our History

The Weymouth area was first settled in the 1760s by emigres from the New England Colonies. In 1783, a number of United Empire Loyalists emigrating from the United States, after the American Revolution, settled in Weymouth. Their religion, and that of the earlier settlers was Protestant, predominantly Anglican.

In 1764, following the Acadian Deportation of 1755, British authorities allowed the Acadians (ie. Catholics) to return in small isolated groups. They returned slowly, settling in various locations on mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island. Some of the Acadians settled in the Weymouth area and especially to the south and west along St. Mary’s Bay.

The original St. Joseph’s Church was solemnly blessed and opened to worship on October 4th, 1893 by Archbishop Cornelius O’Brien (of Halifax) assisted by Bishop MacDonald (of Charlottetown). It was constructed under the leadership of Fr. Alphonse Parker, pastor of neighbouring St. Bernard. It was a mission of St. Bernard until 1905, by which time an extension to the church was completed, as was the rectory. The new building was blessed on August 6th, 1905. It is interesting to note, that at this time (early 1900s) in the lumber and ship-building days, Weymouth was the largest community between Halifax and Yarmouth.

Some further historical points to note:

In 1910 – the Archbishop Edward McCarthy confirmed 27 young people from St. Joseph’s and its mission church, St. John the Baptist in Corberrie. Corberrie would be a mission of Weymouth for a few decades.

In 1913 – Archbishop McCarthy confirmed 91 young people at St. Joseph’s and 45 in Corberrie.

St. Joseph … pray for us!

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St. Theresa Church – Our History

The 1930s continued to be a busy time for the Catholic Church of the area with construction, beginning in 1935, of another mission church – St. Theresa Church in Southville. The first Mass was offered in 1938, which included the Baptism of seven babies.

Southville had a strong distinguishing feature – most of its congregation had African ancestry – drawn to the area to work in the mills … and they were Protestant. Mingling with the Acadian Catholics, experiencing their warm hospitality and being invited to sit with them further up in their churches (not relegated to the back pews), many families embraced the Catholic faith.

Southville, throughout the years, became known for its many talented musicians and for its annual turkey supper in the church hall.

The 1940s through the 1950s was a particularly busy time for St. Joseph’s and its missions, especially under the leadership of Fr. Charles Frecker. Also during this time the Sisters of Charity (of Halifax) taught catechism each Summer, that is, until the arrival in 1951, of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (of Moncton) who set up a convent in the area.

Another feature of this bustling time, was the presence of a “parish bus”. It brought youth from the surrounding area into Weymouth for catechism and also transported youth for swimming at the Cornwallis military base, as well as skating, hockey, broomball and bowling in Digby.

FYI – the digital bell system now in place at St. Joseph’s was a gift of the estate of Lawrence Comeau, a native of Weymouth. Lawrence was a long-time resident of California and the right-hand man to billionaire Howard Hughes.

Subsequent decades would see more changes taking place especially in the local economy. The beloved Sisters from Moncton would close their convent in the 1980s and a closer alliance in parish restructuring would eventually take place with Digby and Plympton.

St. Theresa … pray for us!

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