7:00 am and 10:00 am Masses only
(*no 9:00 pm Mass because of Confirmations)

Dear parishioners,

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the parish and finance councils as well as those volunteers who have been involved with the acquisition of the former National House of Prayer building and development of our plans to retrofit the building for our parish hall.  It’s been three months since we took ownership, and we are already enjoying its use with Sunday coffee, catechism classes, and meetings of various parish groups.

I think it is important to update you on the progress of this important project for our parish.

Before doing any kind of restoration to an existing building, we had to obtain “as built drawings”, which are precise plans of the existing structure.  With these “as built drawings”, we considered several new options of floor plans taking into consideration universal access, heritage, the requirements of the Ontario Building Code, and the City of Ottawa’s regulations.  We are awaiting a report from a structural engineer that will inform us of the reinforcements likely required to the building before we move ahead with a proposed floor design.  We have obtained proposals for the preparation of a detailed design from three architectural firms recommended by the Archdiocese. Since it will likely take a long time for the production of a full set of drawings and approvals by the City of Ottawa, as a first step we plan to build a ramp on the east side of the church to provide all parishioners access to the building by early spring.

Additionally, we applied to get a full municipal tax exemption with the City of Ottawa, based on the fact that our use of the building is an extension of the services provided by the parish.  A positive response is expected early this year. Also, the City of Ottawa promotes a program offering a $25,000 grant for property owners restoring heritage buildings, and we are preparing an application to take advantage of that grant for 2020.

Meanwhile, the parish and finance councils decided to postpone our capital fundraising campaign until we have detailed plans to present to you for your review and comments.

I thank you for your patience and wish you all a Happy and Blessed New Year.

In Christo Jesu,
Fr. Erik Deprey, FSSP
Pastor

High Mass at 7:30 pm

During our celebration of Epiphany, let us not only hear the familiar story of the Magi who came from afar to honor the baby Jesus. Let us put ourselves in their place, recognizing that we too come to worship, giving gifts and doing homage before the Lord really, truly, substantially present in the Eucharist.

“Holy Mass repeats the scene at Bethlehem,” comments the liturgical scholar Pius Parsch:

See, the Offertory procession is taking shape; we join in eagerly and with the Magi proceed to the altar. We too are kings, and our gifts today are kingly gifts.

At Mass a wondrous exchange of gifts takes place: we give ourselves to the Lord, Who gives Himself to us. Our gifts of bread and wine will become, upon consecration, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ:

The Church’s sacrificial Offering is more precious than gold, frankincense, and myrrh – it is Christ Himself. Our offering is Christ, mirrored in our hearts in the gold-like purity of the love that attends our oblation; our offering is Christ, immolated like frankincense; our offering is Christ, received at the sacrificial Banquet and penetrating our inmost soul like myrrh. At the Communion, we have come with the Magi to the goal of our journey. The star that once shone on high shines now within our hearts; and having found the Lord, we worship Him.

And at the same time, we are uniting ourselves with His sacrifice on the Cross: “Our offering represents our person; in other words, we offer ourselves.”

On Epiphany, let us

make a special offering, one that includes all our going and coming during the year; and we ought bring gifts that match gold in preciousness, frankincense in holiness, and bitter myrrh in willing submissiveness to the divine Infant.

— The Church’s Year of Grace, Vol. I, pp. 270-71.

Question for reflection: What gift am I giving to Jesus?

6:30 a.m., Saturday Dec 14.   This early morning candlelight mass in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that we are “watchers of the dawn”, waiting in the hope of Christ’s coming.

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in Cantate Domino ! Please complete the following form to register for the workshop with David Hughes. Complete a separate form for each registrant. Your spot(s) will be secured upon payment of the registration fee. God bless you!

Registration Form – David Hughes Chant Workshop

*Registration required in advance of workshop

Workshop Details:
– Saturday, November 23rd at St. Clement Parish
– 11:30am start time; conclusion with 5:00pm Vespers
– $20/person (lunch included) OR $15/person (bring a bagged lunch)

Join us for the full weekend of sacred music! See the schedule below.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Friday, November 22nd – Feast of Saint Cecilia
7:30pm Vespers (1st Vespers for the Feast of St. Clement)
8:00pm Organ Recital – free will donation to the St. Anthony poor box in support of religious vocations
*Any donations of $20 or more will receive a tax receipt; please make out cheques to “St. Clement Parish” with “St. Anthony fund” in the memo line

Saturday, November 23rd – Feast of St. Clement
10:00am High Mass
11:30am Chant Workshop
5:00pm Vespers (2nd Vespers for the Feast of St. Clement)

For the Feast of Saint Isaac Jogues and his companions, we will have Solemn High Mass at 7:30 pm.

Our annual parish picnic took place on Saturday, August 24th at Strathcona Park.  Many thanks to all our volunteers who helped make it a success!  God Bless you !

With strong support from parishioners present at a general meeting held August 11^th   and the approval of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa, Saint Clement Parish is set to reunite two historic Lower Town landmarks. Indeed, as of September 30, 2019, the parish will assume ownership of the former rectory of Saint Anne parish until very recently the headquarters of the National House of Prayer for a purchase price of $1,700,000.

The slideshow used at our parish meeting can be viewed in the links below (Power Point or PDF Formats):

Parish Hall Project Meeting Presentation (Power Point)
Parish Hall Project Meeting Presentation (PDF)

Built in 1921 to replace the original rectory of Saint Anne Parish founded in 1873, the Beaux Arts style building designed by W.E. Noffke (1878 ̶ 1964), a prolific and important Ottawa architect, served to house parish clergy and offices until the early 1980s. The exterior envelope as well as the main floor and a small portion of one of the upper stories of the former rectory were designated Heritage property by the City in 2015.

Plans currently in development call for the parish to undertake necessary repairs to the former rectory’s exterior which will remain intact. The one concession to be made to contemporary needs however will be making entry to the building itself and its upper levels universally accessible.

The ground floor interior which displays a high degree of craftsmanship largely unchanged since the building was constructed in 1921, will return to its original primary vocation and be dedicated to housing parish offices and meeting spaces.

With the help of engineers and in consultation with all of the relevant civic authorities, including Heritage, the parish intends to convert those portions of the upper stories not designated Heritage into a parish conference/banquet room.  A video of the concept can be viewed below:

As custodian of the patrimony embodied by Saint Anne Church first of all and now very soon the former rectory only a few feet away, Saint Clement Parish reunites two important visual and historic landmarks until recent memory at the centre of the religious, social and cultural life in the Lower Town East community.

Parish Hall Informational Session – Sunday Aug. 11 at Patro D’Ottawa, 40 Cobourg St., at 12:30. Sandwiches & refreshments will be served.   We will discuss the purchase of the former St. Ann Rectory for use as parish offices and a parish hall.  Please see our website for more information.

Novena to Saint Philomena:

O faithful virgin and glorious martyr, St. Philomena, who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowing, have pity on me.  Thou knowest the multitude and diversity of my needs.  Behold me at thy feet, full of misery, but full of hope.  I entreat thy charity, O great Saint!  Graciously hear me and obtain from God a favourable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before thee… (Here specify your petition.) I am firmly convinced that through thy merits, through the scorn, the suffering, and the death thou didst endure, united to the merits of the Passion and death of Jesus, thy Spouse, I shall obtain what I ask of thee, and in the joy of my heart I will bless God, who is admirable in His Saints.  Amen.

Imprimatur; +Carolus Hubertus Le Blond Episcopus Sancti Josephi, January 1952

My fellow parishioners,

Thank you for your patience as we continue our work to realize a parish hall.  I am excited to announce an opportunity, the importance of which is hard to underestimate; I hope that you will consider and pray about it in the coming weeks and join us for a detailed presentation on Sunday August 11^th.

When the parish moved to St. Anne’s, we were permitted to keep the proceeds of 87 Mann Avenue to help fund the construction of a parish hall. Every possible location on our property in relation to the current rectory has been considered. Due to the space constraints on the east side where the garage sits, any hall would have to be on the west, necessitating either the demolition or relocation of the current rectory. When this became apparent, the parish took advantage of an opportunity to purchase 566 Old St. Patrick with the view of making it our new rectory.  This opportunity gave flexibility to propose several designs for a hall;  your feedback was incorporated into what we, only a few months ago, brought together into a final plan to present to the parish: to construct a hall on the west side that attempted to replicate some of the historical and aesthetic qualities of our beautiful church.

After completing a novena to St. Joseph and a few days before we were to present the latest plans to the parish, the Lord in His providence presented an opportunity that no one could have expected, the chance to purchase the former rectory of St. Anne’s, located immediately behind the church. This incredible 11,000 square foot building was built in 1921 and overseen by Monsignor Myrand, the faithful Pastor of St. Anne’s for 46 years; he is buried below the west transept and surely continuing to pray for the parish that rescued, and is hoping to restore, his beautiful church.

Although the initial idea was daunting, that same providence has removed obstacles one by one, leaving us with an undeniably better prospect. What we propose for your consideration is the purchase of the old St. Anne rectory to serve as offices/bookstore for the parish and to retrofit the upper levels of the building to serve as a beautiful church hall. We have a conditional offer to purchase the property pending a parish meeting on August 11^th to answer your questions.   Some of the main considerations are outlined below.

  17 Myrand Avenue (behind the church)

The Need for a Hall
A healthy, growing parish needs a hall, a regular centre of activity outside of Mass where we can grow in community, get to know each other (and new comers) better, and host parish events, such as weekly Sunday coffee, potlucks, conferences, receptions, dinners, and plays, that bring us all together in the faith. I believe this is important, particularly because of the lack of good Catholic social opportunities. As one of the most vibrant parishes in the city, we can do better than pitching a tent on the lawn in good weather or huddling outside in the cold before many parishioners begin their long commute home.

Current State of the Building
The rectory is one of the grandest examples of ecclesiastical residences in the city. The ground floor and part of the second are composed of formal rooms and offices boasting all their original woodwork, fireplaces, molding and chandeliers. The high degree of craftsmanship and careful maintenance have preserved the fabric of the building; a professional engineering inspection confirms it is in good condition. The formal rooms are designated Heritage by the City and they will remain unchanged. Most of the second and third floors are bedrooms and bathrooms.

The Proposal
The exterior will remain unchanged, as will rooms with heritage features which will be used as offices, meeting rooms and bookstore.  The walls separating the numerous bedrooms and bathrooms on the second and third floors will be removed, as will a portion of the floor between them, creating a large, double-height hall with lots of natural light, big enough to meet our needs and complete with a professional grade kitchen. City of Ottawa Heritage is supportive of our proposed concept.  Renovation plans are being prepared for our Aug. 11^th meeting.  Those plans will allow parishioners to visualize the proposed concept.

Sale of 566 Old St. Patrick
This opportunity means that we no longer require 566 Old St. Patrick as a home for the priests and will be able to keep our current rectory. The Archdiocese has advised that conditional upon parish support they will purchase and operate the apartment building at 566 Old St. Patrick. Thanks to the initial purchase of that property at a reasonable price and subsequent improvements made to the building, our parish will realize a profit in excess of $250,000 on its sale to the Archdiocese.

566 Old St. Patrick

Timing
The conditional offer to purchase the NHP is scheduled to close September 30, 2019.  Subject to receiving your support and getting the appropriate building permits from the City of Ottawa, renovations to the NHP could commence shortly after its purchase.  This would allow us to realize a parish hall much faster than building from scratch.

Advantages
After much consideration we feel that this option would be more affordable than constructing something new, allow us to realize a hall very quickly, prevent the demolition of the current rectory, preserve green space on church property and reunite two beautiful buildings that were built by our faithful Catholic forebears. The Archdiocese is confident and supportive of our plans and will assist with their financing.  A fully detailed budget will be presented at our August 11^th meeting.

At this time, I would ask you to prayerfully consider this opportunity.  Thank you for your patience in the coming weeks as we finalize the details and design, all of which will be presented to you for your consideration and feedback.

In Christo,
Fr. Erik Deprey, FSSP
Pastor

Holy Thursday:
7:30 pm Solemn High Mass with Adoration at the Altar of Repose until Midnight.

Good Friday:  Stations of the Cross at 2:15 pm
Solemn Liturgy at 3:00 pm

Holy Saturday: 10:00 pm Easter Vigil
(fulfills Sunday obligation)

Easter Sunday: 8:30 am Low Mass
10:30 am Solemn High Mass
(the 6:30 pm Mass is cancelled)

Returned to the sanctuary Friday, April 12th following an absence of several weeks during which it underwent the initial stages of much needed professional attention off site, restoration of the high altar is nearing completion.

The work of restoring the high altar has been entrusted to Atelier Plantagenêt in whose workshop the first phases of the project were undertaken. These included reinforcing the substructure, the removal of many layers of paint in order to uncover and recreate the original decorative treatment, the re-creation of long-lost sculptural details and finally, the application of gold leaf to important decorative features. The remaining work will be completed in situ and outside of Mass schedules.

Parish records indicate that the desire to have professional restoration work carried out on the Precious Blood Altars and in particular on the High Altar, has been keenly felt for many years. It is only today however that thanks to parishioner generosity, that need can finally be met.  To date, $26,000 of the $35,000 required for the restoration has been secured. Thank you for your generosity!

Let us pray to St. Joseph throughout the month of March for the needs of our parish:

O glorious St. Joseph, chaste spouse of Mary and foster father of Jesus, be mindful of us, pray for us, and watch over us.  We most humbly beg thee, by the love and care thou didst have for Jesus and Mary, to take our affairs, spiritual and temporal, into thy hands.  Direct them to the greater glory of God, and obtain for us the grace to do and accept His holy will.

St. Joseph, protector of Holy Mother Church, pray for us!
(with the permission of the Archbishop of Ottawa, February 22, 2019)

Latin:
O gloriose Sancte Ioseph, Mariae sponse pudice et Jesu nutricie, memor esto nostri; ora pro nobis ac custodi nos. Súpplices te rogamus, ut eadem dilectione qua Jesum et Mariam custodiebas, omnia nostra bona spiritualia necnon et temporalia tuearis ad majorem Dei gloriam. Impetra nobis gratiam et velle et facere omnia secundum voluntatem sanctam Dei.

Sancte Joseph, Protéctor sanctae Matris Ecclesiae, ora pro nobis!
(cum permissu archiepiscopi ottawensis, XXII Februarii, MMXIX)

French:
O glorieux saint Joseph, chaste époux de Marie et père nourricier de Jésus, souvenez-vous de nous, priez pour nous, veillez sur nous.  Par cette sollicitude pleine d’amour avec laquelle vous vous êtes occupé de Jésus et de Marie, nous vous en supplions très humblement, prenez entre vos mains nos affaires tant spirituelles que temporelles.  Dirigez-les vers la plus grande gloire de Dieu et obtenez-nous la grâce d’accepter et de faire Sa sainte volonté. 

Saint Joseph, protecteur de notre sainte mère l’Église, priez pour nous !
(avec la permission de l’archevêque d’Ottawa, le 22 février 2019.)

The parish has launched a campaign to seek donations to ensure the much needed restoration of its high altar expected to cost $35,000. The work will be undertaken by Atelier Plantagenet who recently carried out restorative treatment on the traditional high altar of Ottawa’s Notre Dame Cathedral.

Set to begin in early February and be well on the road to completion by Easter, work on restoring the altar will be carried out on-site, occur in stages and always undertaken outside of Mass times.

Designed and built in 1898 by two artists whose work in Canada’s late nineteenth century capital can still be seen and admired, the high altar is one of a set of three designed by church architect and decorator, Canon Georges Bouillon (1841-1932) and built by one of his long-time collaborators, Flavien Rochon (1824-1902) for installation in the chapel of the second monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood then located in New Edinburgh.

The altars followed the Sisters Adorers to their new, definitive 1923 Ottawa monastery located on Echo Drive and it was there in 1968 that their story and that of Saint Clement became one.  It was in the chapel on Echo Drive that the faithful who were one day to found Saint Clement Parish first worshiped at the Bouillon-Rochon altars and later, in 1984, saw to their safekeeping and preservation.

More information about the Precious Blood altars can be found at the link below:

Precious Blood Altars – History

Thank you for your generosity in helping to make this important work possible.

Although only in its preliminary stages, the restoration work on the high altar currently underway off-site is revealing exciting details for many years hidden under several coats of paint.  Carefully removing two and sometimes more layers of paint applied to the altar over the years, the restorers of Atelier Plantagenet have found beautiful, finely executed gold stencilling work applied to several features of the altar when it was first built in 1898 and delivered to the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood. Every effort will be made to reinstate the original designs, thereby returning the altar to its intended beauty.

Work off-site on the altar will include stabilizing its structure, recreating missing or broken elements as well as restoring the painted surfaces at which point it will be  returned to its place in the sanctuary in time for Easter. Follow up detail work will take place in situ.

At this time we are seeking your pledges toward the restoration of this Altar, which is estimated to cost $35,000 for surface preparation, repainting, and real gold leaf-gilding, as well as the professional cleaning and re-touching of the angels. We would also like to have the brass candlesticks professionally polished and lacquered.  A plaque bearing the names of donor families giving $350 or more will be made in appreciation.  We thank-you in advance for your prayers and support of this project.

We meet on Tuesdays from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Patro d’Ottawa, 40 Cobourg Street (basement).   Check the bulletin for this week’s topic.  For more information speak with Fr. Deprey.

Archbishops Advent Message 2018