Amidst the suburban housing tracts and commercial offerings of Innes Road in Orléans, a cast aluminum statue of the Virgin today reaches out to passersby, mounted on the outside façade of Sainte-Marie Parish (4831 Innes Road). The statue once adorned the edifice of the modern, mid-century church building of Vanier’s Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Esprit, but was removed – and moved – after the parish closed in 1995. While the Catholic parish closed, the building has since been reclaimed and given new life by other faith communities – a story that points to Vanier’s evolution.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the francophone St Charles parish, on Beechwood Avenue, was overflowing. Reports point to a congregation of nearly 5000, with up to 10 masses on Sundays (Bell 1995). Housing construction and the explosion of families in the area south and east of the parish, and to the north of Montreal Road and east of the railway (today’s Vanier Parkway), necessitated the establishment of a new parish. In his history of Vanier, Laporte (1983) writes that St Charles’ priest, Father Barrette, charged his vicar, Father Clement Baribeau, to begin a new service in a new location. As a result, a new chapel, located on (today’s) Carillon Street, opened its doors in Fall 1950. Growth continued, and a new church building was constructed in 1957, opening in 1958. Baribeau served as the first priest, remaining until 1979.
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Left: Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Esprit with statue of the Virgin (c.1983; Photo: Luc Laporte); Right: Statue of the Virgin as it is seen today on façade of Sainte-Marie Parish (2012; Photo: Google Streetview)
As noted earlier, the Virgin was installed high on the exterior wall of the church when the building opened in 1958 – amidst some controversy. The sculpture, created by Raoul Hunter, depicted the Virgin with bare feet. Laporte (1983) writes that other elements in the building also created a stir, including the stained glass window above the high altar – a (modern) depiction of Jesus, produced locally in the Ottawa Carleton Arts Studio. Side windows were ordered somewhat later, and imported from Paris.
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Worship band practicing with stained glass window in background; Vanier Community Church, 2012
During these years and the decades that followed, the parish was a focal point of social and cultural life – with parishes coming together in community-wide celebrations, like the Winter Carnival or June 24 celebrations. Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Esprit became a community hub in other ways, as well. For a time, on one Sunday every month, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides would prepare breakfast for the congregants after morning mass. The building also hosted a Portuguese-Canadian Catholic Church for several years before the Portuguese Senhor Santo Cristo parish was founded in 1987 and built on Kenaston Street (Gloucester).
Soon after opening, however, and into the 1960s, Vanier saw its population shift, with many francophone families moving to Ottawa’s suburbs (suggesting that the statue of the Virgin ultimately followed…), and saw the church decline in significance in everyday life. By 1995, the church was closed. In the final sermon, Marcel Gervais, Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa, noted in his homily, “in the beginning, there was not enough space. Now there is far too much. You have brought up your family. They’ve decided to live somewhere else.” One media report cites a long-time congregant, Simone Demers, who expresses her emotions on the day: “I just hope this church will be sold to somebody who will keep it open for all in the community, to draw people together” (Bell 1995).
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“Fellow travelers” gather for a Biker’s Church service on a Thursday evening
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Carillon Street on a Thursday evening
To many, Demers’ hopes have become reality. While the building stood empty for several years, the City Church (now the Vanier Community Church) began operating in the building in 2000. Ottawa’s Bikers Church, founded in 2002, began meeting in the same halls in 2010. The two churches merged (while retaining distinct services) to form the Vanier Community Church in 2012, with various gatherings occurring through the week (and various events, including the bikers swap meet, happening each year). In its own hope of being open for all in the community, the church operates a monthly free store, with clothes and appliances available at no charge to neighbours in need. The church has developed spaces for youth, for musicians and artists and for community groups. An emphasis on casual, community gathering is apparent, with a coffee bar constructed at the sanctuary’s entrance.
Repurposed and retained, this piece of Vanier’s built heritage remains. Now, St. Charles…
(Mike Bulthuis)
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the francophone St Charles parish, on Beechwood Avenue, was overflowing. Reports point to a congregation of nearly 5000, with up to 10 masses on Sundays (Bell 1995). Housing construction and the explosion of families in the area south and east of the parish, and to the north of Montreal Road and east of the railway (today’s Vanier Parkway), necessitated the establishment of a new parish. In his history of Vanier, Laporte (1983) writes that St Charles’ priest, Father Barrette, charged his vicar, Father Clement Baribeau, to begin a new service in a new location. As a result, a new chapel, located on (today’s) Carillon Street, opened its doors in Fall 1950. Growth continued, and a new church building was constructed in 1957, opening in 1958. Baribeau served as the first priest, remaining until 1979.
Left: Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Esprit with statue of the Virgin (c.1983; Photo: Luc Laporte); Right: Statue of the Virgin as it is seen today on façade of Sainte-Marie Parish (2012; Photo: Google Streetview)
As noted earlier, the Virgin was installed high on the exterior wall of the church when the building opened in 1958 – amidst some controversy. The sculpture, created by Raoul Hunter, depicted the Virgin with bare feet. Laporte (1983) writes that other elements in the building also created a stir, including the stained glass window above the high altar – a (modern) depiction of Jesus, produced locally in the Ottawa Carleton Arts Studio. Side windows were ordered somewhat later, and imported from Paris.
Worship band practicing with stained glass window in background; Vanier Community Church, 2012
During these years and the decades that followed, the parish was a focal point of social and cultural life – with parishes coming together in community-wide celebrations, like the Winter Carnival or June 24 celebrations. Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Esprit became a community hub in other ways, as well. For a time, on one Sunday every month, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides would prepare breakfast for the congregants after morning mass. The building also hosted a Portuguese-Canadian Catholic Church for several years before the Portuguese Senhor Santo Cristo parish was founded in 1987 and built on Kenaston Street (Gloucester).
Soon after opening, however, and into the 1960s, Vanier saw its population shift, with many francophone families moving to Ottawa’s suburbs (suggesting that the statue of the Virgin ultimately followed…), and saw the church decline in significance in everyday life. By 1995, the church was closed. In the final sermon, Marcel Gervais, Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa, noted in his homily, “in the beginning, there was not enough space. Now there is far too much. You have brought up your family. They’ve decided to live somewhere else.” One media report cites a long-time congregant, Simone Demers, who expresses her emotions on the day: “I just hope this church will be sold to somebody who will keep it open for all in the community, to draw people together” (Bell 1995).
“Fellow travelers” gather for a Biker’s Church service on a Thursday evening
Carillon Street on a Thursday evening
To many, Demers’ hopes have become reality. While the building stood empty for several years, the City Church (now the Vanier Community Church) began operating in the building in 2000. Ottawa’s Bikers Church, founded in 2002, began meeting in the same halls in 2010. The two churches merged (while retaining distinct services) to form the Vanier Community Church in 2012, with various gatherings occurring through the week (and various events, including the bikers swap meet, happening each year). In its own hope of being open for all in the community, the church operates a monthly free store, with clothes and appliances available at no charge to neighbours in need. The church has developed spaces for youth, for musicians and artists and for community groups. An emphasis on casual, community gathering is apparent, with a coffee bar constructed at the sanctuary’s entrance.
Repurposed and retained, this piece of Vanier’s built heritage remains. Now, St. Charles…
(Mike Bulthuis)
Sources:
Bell, Pat (1995) “Church falls victim to empty pews; French Catholics forced to move to other parishes” The Ottawa Citizen November 4, 1995. pC5.
Laporte, Luc (1983) Vanier. Ottawa: Centre franco-ontarien de resources pédagogiques.
Photos: VanierNow (2012) unless noted otherwise.