St. Louis

 

Annapolis Royal

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Our History

Located in beautiful Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, St. Louis is the oldest parish is Canada.

Here, the first recorded baptism in Canada took place on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, June 24, 1610. The old Mi’kmaq Chief Membertou and members of his family, twenty-one in all, were baptized.

The tercentenary of this baptism was commemorated in the present St. Louis Church by a brass tablet erected by L.M. Fortier and the installation of the Stations of the Cross.

In 1605, the first priest brought to Port Royal by Champlain and De Monts was Father Nicholas Aubry. Another priest from France, Father Jesse Fleche officiated at the 1610 baptism. In 1611 the first Jesuits, Father Biard and Father Masse, arrived after a very hazardous voyage.

St. Alphonsus Church before 1986

Over the years some forty priests had been sent by the French government but after the expulsion of the Acadians in 1755, the Catholic presence in the town disappeared.

In 1835, St. Louis Chapel, named for St. Louis de France, was built at the end of St. George St. and a cemetery developed around it. It was a mission church until Father Thomas Grace arrived. He was parish priest from 1876 to 1891 and again from 1908 to 1926. Through his extraordinary efforts, on St. Patrick’s Day in 1910 the sod was turned to erect the present church on St. George St. It was named St. Thomas and dedicated on June 18, 1911. A new residence for the priest was constructed next door immediately after. (This residence was sold and is now a beautiful B&B.) When the smaller St. Louis Church was demolished in 1935, the name was transferred to the new church.

Sign on front of church

Today, when you visit St. Louis Church, you are greeted by a beautiful stained glass window above the entrance which reads “Peace To All Who Enter Here.” It was created by Ardath Emin, a life-long parishioner. The lovely larger stained glass windows were donated by parishioners and represent the Scottish with a thistle, the Irish with a shamrock, the French with a Fleur de Lys, the Mi’kmaq with a birch bark canoe, and the others depict Christ, the Holy Family, the Crowning of Mary and St. Joseph.

The Holy Water Font, a gift originating in Stamford England is from 1105 AD. The English artist Gabriel Pippet painted the Stations of the Cross and the frames were made from apple wood from L.M. Fortier’s orchard and crafted by the Mi’kmaq. The beautiful altar was handcarved by Acadian Artisans in the district of Clare.

The painting “Adoration of the Shepherd” by Francesco da Ponte the Younger (1600) was a gift from Gregoria Ramonia Antonia Norman, who had been the Duke of Wellington’s mistress.

St. Louis Church sanctuary area

Outside the church is a statue of Mary which was donated by Agnes and Frank Riley in memory of their teenaged son who was killed in a car accident in 1955.

Two major celebrations occurred at St. Louis in recent years: on June 29, 2010 we commemorated the 400th anniversary of the first Christian Baptism in Canada with a Mass and reenactment at Port Royal, and on May 22, 2011 we celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Canada.

Today St. Louis is one of nine churches united to form the Corpus Christi Parish. We have an active group of volunteers and enjoy working together in the parish and community. We sometimes meet with our sister churches from Weymouth to Bridgetown for religious education, celebrations, retreats and worship. We join other churches in Annapolis Royal for the Ecumenical Fall Fair, the Lenten Bible study, to assist new immigrants, support the food bank and other joint initiatives and services.

Statue of Mary outside of church

Our small choir, led by Eloise Mailman, is grateful to our dear neighbor Brian Dickinson who volunteers to play the organ every Sunday. With outstanding acoustics, St. Louis Church is a favourite place for choirs and hosts at least two concerts a year.

Father Raymond offers Mass at the Annapolis Nursing Home once a month and Eucharistic Ministers bring communion to the nursing home every week and visit shut-ins. The Community Life Team is active and works hard to help meet our physical and spiritual needs. The CWL meets regularly, is a great support for the parish and for neighbours in need, in addition to providing an annual scholarship for a graduating student.

One of the stained glass windows

We enjoy praying together and working together on celebrations and in activities such as our annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish Stew, cemetery cleanups, receptions, bake sales and coffee hours. It is always a pleasure to welcome so many summer visitors and we look forward to seeing more of our fellow parishioners from Weymouth to Windsor in the future.

We are grateful to Father Raymond for all he does for us and to Father John, Father Keith and their team for their leadership in our transition to the larger Corpus Christi Family. There have been many changes at St. Louis in the last 400 years!

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

Fr. Raymond on St. Patrick’s Day

Louis IX of France

  • Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270 is the only king of France to be canonized in the Catholic Church. He was canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII.
  • He led two crusades (1248 and 1270) and died in the second.
  • Louis was a great patron of the arts and built Saint Chapelle in Paris to house relics of the crown of thorns.
  • Louis was a very devout catholic and renowned for his charity, especially to the poor, the sick and the disadvantaged.
  • August 25 is the Feast of St. Louis.

St. Louis … pray for us!

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