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OUR PARISH
Welcome
Mission Statement
History >
Patron Saint
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Fr. Vincent Jaffre, (a Jesuit, from whom Jeffrey St. was named) came to Chatham in 1845,
celebrating mass in various places until a church could be built. In 1847 the first
church was completed.
In 1886, the present St. Joseph’s Church was built over the site of the original and
in 1916 the two bell towers were added. Fr. James Archinger, who served from 1901 to
1919, was the first chaplain of Council 1412 Knights of Columbus from whom the Fr.
James Assembly, 4th Degree, takes its name.
The interior of the church was redone many times throughout the last century, In
1909 major interior work was done, and in 1914 Fr. James oversaw the painting of
the church ceiling with scenes of the Nativity, the Flight to Egypt, St. Joseph’s
Workshop and the Death of St. Joseph. Fr. Jim Williams restored the exterior in the
mid 1960’s, and the interior was renewed by Msgr. John O’Donnell in 1968.
It was during the 1968 renovation that changes were made to accommodate the liturgical
renewal of Vatican II. Mass was now to be celebrated with the priest facing the people
and the new marble altar was designed to reflect the return to table-simplicity and
the Renaissance character of the church. The large wooden reredos (the high
decorative background to the former altar) was removed because it had come to overshadow
the altar and had deteriorated over time. The tabernacle was moved from the main
sanctuary and placed in a new Chapel of the Eucharist, marking the two separate
aspects to the mystery of the Eucharist its celebration and its reservation.
After celebrating its centennial in 1987, the church structure was showing signs of
deterioration. In 1995, Fr. Stan McGuire initiated restoration to the exterior of
the building from the roof line up. This included anew slate roof, restoration of
the bell towers and the upper masonry.
In 1999, under Fr. Greg Bonin, exterior restoration continued including new accessible
entrances. Inside, the pews were removed to be refinished off-site, and resurfacing
of all walls and surface areas were done. The new surfaces were painted in softer
tones revealing the detail in the architecture and the colours in the windows. A
new state-of-the-art sound system, barrier-free washrooms, and new rooms in the
entrance were installed.
The heating system and wiring were updated and the original pendant light fixtures
were restored with crowns added to the top so as to have both up and down lighting
available. These fixtures were hung down the centre of the church and new fixtures
were made to match for the side aisles and main entrance.
In an ongoing project, the stained glass windows have been removed and re-leaded
two at a time. In the apse (behind the altar) four new windows were installed
where there had been none for over 30 years. Two of the windows were originally
removed from that area in 1968 and were refurbished, along with the relocation of
a window honoring St. Joseph and one depicting the apostles at Pentecost,
signifying our identity as God’s people.
The large Franciscan Cross is a replica of the original found in the church in
Italy, and reminds us of the Franciscan Fathers who served here from 1878 to 1921.
It was commissioned by Bishop Sherlock when he was pastor here as auxiliary bishop
of London from 1974 to 1978.
We are very proud of the work done and the beauty of this place which is so
central to who we are as a Eucharistic Community. None of the restoration and
continued care of this beautiful building would have been possible without the
financial support of the entire parish and community, as well as the endless
number of hours given by the many committee members and volunteers.
Books celebrating the history of St. Joseph's Church are for sale for a minimal donation
either in the doors of the church or the Parish Office.
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