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.