For You make me glad by Your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what Your hands have done.

                                              – Psalm 92: 4

Looking back on the years that have passed since 2012 when they first assumed stewardship of Saint Anne Church, parishioners of Saint Clement will have many reasons to give thanks for the abundance of blessings showered on their achievements.

Those many achievements – some small, others big – all share in common faith, prayer and the generosity of countless volunteer hours. To this must be added the unstinting financial support of a community of faithful anxious to see their historic 19^th century church return to something of its former self.

The first project of note – the return of the bells in time to celebrate Easter 2013 delighted many and incredibly, caught the attention of national media outlets. A year later, Saint Anne’s former sanctuary lamp underwent careful restoration and after an absence of many years, was returned to its rightful place before the tabernacle. That same year parishioners’ generous response to an appeal launched on July 1^st 2014, after the Mass celebrating the feast of the Precious Blood, made it possible, within just a few days, to cover the costs of installing a magnificent Limoges Stations of the Cross.

The undertaking of projects of greater scope came shortly after with the installation in 2015 of a fervently desired altar rail. Made of cherry and spanning the church’s 70-foot transept, it is the result of the skilled work of two talented parishioners. In 2018 that same team successfully met the challenge of creating a faithful replica of the original stairs that made it possible for Saint Anne to once again be fitted with a traditional pulpit. Several months later they would go on to ensure the installation of a new hardwood floor in the sanctuary.

Before and after Videos: 

https://www.statuerestorers.com/restoration-videos

The result of a different set of gifts, the restoration of the church’s statuary has greatly pleased parishioners with every new workshop delivery. The statues of Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary as a Young Girl, Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus and the one of Our Lady above Mgr. Myrand’s altar, all whitewashed in the 1960s, have benefitted from the work of talented parishioners who have successfully returned them to works of art worthy of the devotions they inspire.

One other much appreciated arrival came in 2018 and was thanks to the generosity of benefactors who gifted the parish with the two statues of the Adoring Angels which had originally stood, one on either side of the High Altar in the chapel of the Monastery of the Precious Blood. Today they are thus once again united with their altar and in their intended places.

Perhaps the project dearest to parishioners to take place since the move to Lower Town was the one that saw the fulfillment of an ardent, long-held wish of theirs: the restoration of the altars of the Precious Blood carried out between 2019 and 2021.

Inexorably tied to parish identity, the altars have accompanied the people of Saint Clement Parish since the very beginning. Conceived in the last years of the 19^th century for the second chapel of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood, the altars have remained at the heart of the parish’s liturgical celebrations.

What can only be described as an act of providential intervention occurred in 2019 when unexpectedly, Saint Clement Parish was able to reunite two important Lower Town landmarks: Saint Anne Church and what is without doubt one of Ottawa’s finest ecclesiastical buildings – the church’s former rectory, located at number 17 Myrand Avenue.

Since 2019 the former rectory has benefitted from much needed attention in terms of new roofing, gutter replacement and exterior painting as well as the beginnings of interior refurbishment.

Built in 1921-1922, the impressive Beaux-Arts Style rectory passed through the hands of several owners over time. Today, the elegant building has returned to its original vocation and once more serves a community of Roman Catholics who worship in the stone church only an arm’s length away.

Many of the stained glass windows at Saint Anne are signed N.T. Lyon Co., Toronto, 1908, a Canadian art glass firm of the first order. Once the generous purchase of earlier parishioners, those of today have successfully undertaken the specialized work involved in restoring this precious heritage.

The first window to undergo restoration in 2016 was the one featuring the Visitation. Although some of the windows of Saint Anne still await attention, many have since then received careful, professional treatment. Much to everyone’s satisfaction, it was possible in 2020 to re-position the right way around the windows high on the sanctuary wall which, somehow and for unknown reasons, had been reversed. As a result, the four figures on either side of Our Lord are now shown facing Him as He raises His right hand in blessing.

One window that until August of this year very few really noticed and certainly never saw from the church’s interior, is the one dedicated to Saint Cecilia, patron saint of music. Installed in the church façade in 1908, it was hidden from interior view in 1917 when extensive work involving the organ pipe and wind system was undertaken. Today thanks to back-lighting, parishioners and passersby can once again admire the fine rose window image which becomes fully visible from the street after dark.

The church’s Casavant organ too has been enhanced. In 2014, after a hundred years of service, a new electric motor was installed on the air pump – the instrument’s “lungs” as it were; a necessary and not surprising thing given the instrument’s age. Recently, in 2022 it was outfitted with an enhanced level of 256 memory levels at the console making it possible for the organist to call upon an infinite variety of colours and sound changes. In short, the instrument was upgraded to the maximal potential use for our numerous, specific liturgies.

Immediately following the 2022 August Civic holiday, work began on repainting the cross, bell tower and small side turrets that adorn Saint Anne. The result of the much needed restoration work is that today, they look as bright and beautiful as they must have done immediately after their installation in 1908.

If passersby will certainly notice the new look of the steeple and turrets, they will also immediately notice that the three statues set into the façade – in the centre that of the church’s patron, Saint Anne with the Virgin as a young girl flanked by those of Saints Peter and Paul – having received a fresh bronze-coloured coat, now show to greater advantage. Watching over the church as they have always done, they will now be seen at night in the reflected light from Saint Cecilia’s window and the illuminated cross high on the steeple.

As we very rightly give thanks to God for what is without a doubt an impressive list of blessings bestowed on parish initiatives over the last ten years, it will be especially important to give Him thanks for what is unquestionably the most important and precious one of all: parish growth.

When Saint Clement Parish assumed stewardship of Saint Anne Church in 2012, a count of the number of people in attendance at the three Sunday Masses stood at 450 on average. Today, the number of faithful regularly reaches around 750. That number includes many young families and an important contingent of youth, all of whom bring to the church new life and energy which has greatly enriched the parish, breathed new life into its organizations and in some cases, been responsible for their rebirth. When next year the parish marks the 150^th anniversary of the construction of Saint Anne, it will do so as a growing, dynamic parish of fervent Roman Catholics whose trust in God has been richly rewarded and who in faith, can look to the future and its challenges with confidence.

Deo Gratias!

In 2020, restorers working on the altar dedicated to Saint Joseph made an unexpected discovery. Removing the fabric lining the tabernacle in order that it might be cleaned, they found the early votive offering pictured here.

That discovery immediately caught the interest of many and the wish for some knowledge about both the votive donor and the owner of the engraved heart-shaped silver medal.

The powerful protection of the saint in whose care it was originally confided has ensured that even after research, the ex voto offering signed L. Joseph Fauteux, today continues to benefit from the discretion its donor sought for it when many years ago it was carefully hidden out of sight in the tabernacle.

The donor is most likely to have been Louis Joseph Fauteux, born in 1853 near Mirabel in Saint-Benoît, Quebec. A builder of churches, monasteries and other buildings in Quebec and Ontario, he passed away in 1941. The identification of Sister Anne Marie whose name is engraved on the medal however, remains hidden.

Entrusted to the safekeeping of Saint Joseph, the votive offering has been placed in a specially created reliquary and affixed to the wall very near the saint’s altar, beneath the statue of Saint Anne and the Virgin to allow those who so wish to view it.

Copies of Faithful in All Generations, A history of Saint Clement Parish, 1968-2018, published to mark the parish’s 50^th anniversary, are available in both English and French for $45 in the parish bookstore.  A book review can be found here:

http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2019/02/faithful-in-all-generations-history-of.html

Faithful in All Generations chronicles the story of the birth and development of Saint Clement Parish from its uncertain beginnings in the late 1960s up until recent events of the past year.

In addition to being generously illustrated by photos, the history is supplemented by notes to accompany the texts and copies of important documents relating to critical periods in the parish’s establishment, including one long feared lost.

The work of volunteer contributors, many of whom are parishioners of Saint Clement, the history has received the endorsement of high-profile Roman Catholic leaders: Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and Prefect Emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura; Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, a founding faculty member of Wyoming Catholic College, a prolific writer and composer of sacred music and Leo Darroch, President of Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce from 2007 to 2013.

Newly restored, Our Lady’s Altar was returned to its place in the sanctuary last week.

Having all three of its altars restored to their former state has been the fervent desire of many of the faithful and their priests ever since the nascent parish of Saint Clement acquired them in 1984 and thus saved them from certain destruction.

Parishioner generosity has made possible the realization of many prayers by ensuring a very successful Side Altar Restoration Campaign. As of the end of December 2020, parishioners had contributed $29,345.00 to the project involving this second side altar which was budgeted at $24,800 (plus applicable taxes). The additional funds received will be directed to other sanctuary restoration work.

The work to restore the side altars was undertaken by Atelier Plantagenêt who in 2019, carried out the restorative treatment of the high altar.

Thank you for your generosity!

(above photo by Danny Beauchamp)

When the current provincially-imposed lockdown in response to COVID-19 is lifted and all Saint Clement parishioners are once again able to return to a normal worship schedule, they will be able to fully appreciate the talents of those who have worked on their behalf to restore both the side altars and church statuary.

Two days before Christmas, thanks to parishioner-generosity, volunteers ensured the return to its place in the sanctuary of the restored altar dedicated to Saint Joseph: a fitting response to the proclamation made a few days before by Pope Francis of the Year of Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of the Universal Church to run from 8 December 8^th 2020 to December 8^th 2021.

The same papal proclamation reminded the world of the feast of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady celebrated on the 8^th of December. While restoration work on Our Lady’s altar is still ongoing, Saint Clement parish was able to respond with the installation high on the West transept wall of the newly restored statue of Our Lady.

Overpainted white in the 1960’s like all other statues in the church, the one of Our Lady was skillfully and beautifully painted by Brushworks a parishioner-owned company specializing in the restoration of church statuary.

The treatment of Our Lady’s statue as well as that of the one of Saint Joseph completed earlier in the year by Brushworks was made possible by generous parishioner donations.

The work to restore the side altars is being undertaken by Atelier Plantagenêt who carried out the restorative treatment of the high altar.

It is parishioner support that has made such restorations possible.  The cost of restoring the side altars was budgeted at $24, 800 (plus applicable taxes). As of the end of December, parishioner response to the project appeal had raised $29,345.00 thereby exceeding the goal.

Thank you for your generosity!

Restorations by their very nature sometimes reserve discoveries that are both unexpected and impossible to fully explain.

Such is the case with the restoration of one of Saint Clement’s side altars. Work being carried out on the altar dedicated to Saint Joseph has uncovered an early ex voto offering hidden behind the fabric lining tabernacle when it was removed for cleaning. How and why it came to be there is a mystery.

The ex voto consists of a donor card in gold lettering signed “Donné par L. Joseph Fauteux Ecr” and is accompanied  by a heart-shaped silver votive medal surrounded by palm branches carrying the inscription “Sister Anne Marie, November 13^th 1916.”

We don’t know the identities of either Joseph Fauteux or Sister Anne Marie and it is unlikely that we ever will. What we can be sure of however is that the votive offering was so important to Mr. Fauteux that he took pains to ensure that the card identifying him as the donor was done in gold lettering embellished with scroll work before placing it where, together with the silver memento carrying Sister Anne Marie’s name, it would be next to Our Lord in His tabernacle.

If Sister Anne Marie’s identity, like Mr. Fauteux’s, is unknown, so too is the significance of the date of November 13^th, 1916. Was it her date of birth or that of her death? Was it perhaps the date the young woman entered religious life?  We simply don’t know. All we know is that over one hundred years ago, both objects were entrusted to the safekeeping of Saint Joseph and carefully placed out of sight in the tabernacle.

The saint will continue to watch over them for once the restoration is complete, the votive offering will remain attached to his altar, enclosed in a secure frame accompanied by an explanatory note documenting its discovery.

While it is likely to be some time yet before it is completed, the restoration work of the side altars has begun to reveal their original decorative treatment.

The careful restoration work involved in the removal of successive layers of paint applied over the years to both Our Lady’s altar and the one dedicated to Saint Joseph currently undertaken by Atelier Plantagenêt means that the original stenciling is once again visible. Hidden until now, the stencil motifs being revealed are very similar to those found on the high altar and clearly demonstrate that while the side altars may differ somewhat from the principal one, all three were designed as complimentary elements of the same commission and meant to be seen in a common setting.

Like the high altar, the side altars were designed and built in 1898 by the same artists; church architect and decorator, Canon Georges Bouillon (1841-1932) together with one of his long-time collaborators, Flavien Rochon (1824-1902) and all three delivered to the monastery of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood then located in New Edinburg.

The expert attention required to restore the side altars has been budgeted at $24, 800 (plus applicable taxes). To date $ 1, 825.00 has been contributed to the cost of the restoration project.

Thank you for your generosity.

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.

In what is surely a providential gesture, two statues of the guardian angels which originally stood sentry to the high altar in the former Monastery of the Precious Blood on Echo Drive have at long last been reunited with their charge as the result of a very generous gift made to the parish during its 50^th anniversary year.

The angels have been reunited with the high altar thanks to the generosity of Darlene Lagasse and Denis Orbay, members of the Saint Clement Union of the Precious Blood.

When the Sisters Adorers were constrained in 1984 to bring their sanctuary into line with post-conciliar norms, the statues of the two angels, part of a larger company which had adorned the monastery chapel since 1923, were taken over by the Union of the Precious Blood. It was also at that time that Ottawa’s Latin Congregation assumed custody of the monastery’s three altars. Both angels and high altar remained separated for 34 years until this July 1^st, feast of the Precious Blood, when they were at last once more brought together.