St. Isidore Kanata ON

Welcome to St. Isidore Roman Catholic Parish in Kanata.

Our Mission

God calls us together as a community of all ages from the area of Kanata and West Carleton to pursue our mission to know, love, and serve God in word and action:

To discover God through worship, prayer and study of the Bible.

To obey what the Bible says about being God’s family, guided by the Holy Spirit.

To make new disciples and share God’s love with all people and embrace the diversity in our community.

To foster justice, feed the hungry, help the homeless, and provide care to those in need.

 

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Our History

The beautiful church standing at 1135 March Road, Kanata, has a long and richly interesting history. March Township (present day Kanata North in the City of Ottawa, Ontario) was first settled in 1820 and became a thriving and active community of rural settlers – filled with optimism. Within the Township, the Catholic community erected a log chapel (38′ x 23′) for the Mission of March in 1839. The chapel (enlarged in 1850), still very remote from fledgling Ottawa, served the community with neighbouring and travelling clergy until close to the turn of the century.In 1887, four years after being renamed St. Isidore (Patron Saint of Farmers), the old log chapel was removed at a cost of $55. and replaced by a new stone church which cost almost $6,000, designed by Canon M. Bouillon.

The new church was built of plough stone, approximately double the size of the log chapel, with 30-foot high side walls. The 30’ x 20’ sacristy was also made of stone. It was blessed by Archbishop Joseph Thomas Duhamel of Ottawa on October 9, 1887. A 740-pound bell, named St. Anne, was added to the steeple of the church in 1891 and blessed by Archbishop Duhamel. The following years saw Saint Isidore Parish and surrounding community grow steadily. The original 2-acre parcel of donated land was expanded with the purchase of 6 additional acres (1 acre circa 1887 and 5 more in 1898). Plans were underway to construct a rectory beside the church and establish a cemetery on this land. In 1899, the rectory was completed and the original debt to build the stone church was fully paid off. Rev. Thomas Brownrigg was appointed the first residing pastor of Saint Isidore Church in 1900. The third and longest serving pastor of Saint Isidore, Rev. John Cunningham, was appointed in 1915.Saint Isidore’s fourth pastor, Rev. Philip C. Harris, oversaw significant enhancements starting in 1934. Memorial stained-glass windows were donated to the church and indoor plumbing was added in the rectory.The next round of major renovations came in 1966 when the church interior was changed to conform to the new liturgy and language changes were made under Vatican II.

No longer would the priest face away from the congregation, chanting in Latin toward an ornate high altar. Now the Mass would be said in the local language and the people would be expected to participate audibly in the liturgy by responding and singing where appropriate. The high altar and communion rail were removed. New platforms were built, confessionals were removed from the sacristy and added to the back of the church. Total cost of renovations amounted to $65,000. Sunday masses were held in St. Isidore School until renovations were complete in 1967.The present-day church hall was built and opened in 1979 behind the church to service the community.Fr. Raymond Burke donated 2 acres of additional land behind the hall around the time of his death in 1990. The hall underwent major renovations and upgrades in the late 1980’s and again in 2004. Rev. C. Ross Finlan, the only pastor to serve two separate, non-continuous terms, was appointed in 1982. Fr. Finlan would again return to Saint Isidore Church in 2003. Fr. Finlan returned to Saint Isidore Church in 2003 and retired in 2009. The church hall underwent major renovations and upgrades in the late 1980’s and again in 2004. In the mid 1990’s, discussions began on meeting the parallel requirements of aging facilities and the dramatic population expansion in the immediate area. Kanata North and surrounding areas continued to grow at a record pace.

Local architect Ralph Vandenburg, with expertise in places of worship, was appointed to develop a long-range plan for redevelopment in stages of the Saint Isidore Church campus. The church, now over 120 years old, was incurring very high maintenance costs and no longer met modern-day amenity requirements. After major malfunctions, new furnaces were installed in the church and the hall in 1995. In 1997 the first stage of the long-range plan was undertaken with major renovations to the rectory to modernize living areas, offices and meeting rooms and turn the 1889 building into a more functional Pastoral Centre. An Expansion Task Force, led by Deacon Desmond Adam, was created and an extensive planning process resulted, with emphasis on parishioner communication and involvement. In 2006, the parish continued the process of redeveloping the church by once again engaging Ralph Vandenberg to begin working on a new church building. In 2008, the City of Ottawa received an application to deem Saint Isidore Church a “heritage” building. After a year-long process, this application was turned down by Ottawa City Council on June 10, 2009, by a vote of 18 to 5 against, paving the way for completion of plans for a new building.

Rev. Virgil Amirthakumar became pastor in 2009 and with the Task Force, guided the parish through the final design and construction of the new church. For safety reasons, the steeple of Saint Isidore Church was removed on May 19, 2009. The church bell was also removed and later refurbished. But, the old plough stone church stood on March Road until 2010. After much analysis and discussion, the parish community voted to remove the existing building and build a ‘new’ church on the site. The final cost was $5.8 million. During the construction period, masses were held in the parish hall. The new church incorporated the stained-glass windows (restored by Northern Art Glass), the original 740-pound bell, some of the original stone and a replica steeple of the 123-year-old church. Modern plumbing, seismic requirements, gas heating, audio visual equipment and electrical systems, a fireside room, family room and welcoming foyer were all included. A commemorative mass was celebrated on June 25, 2010 with many former pastors in attendance. The final mass in the old church was on July 25, 2010.

The new, and fourth edition, of Saint Isidore Church, was ready for the parish community for Christmas, 2011. The first mass was at 5 pm on December 17, 2011. The church was dedicated by Archbishop Terence Prendergast at a ceremonial mass on January 14, 2012. One of the highlights was the lighting of four special candles in each corner of the church by four former pastors. Since the dedication of the new church, there has been an increase in attendance with many new parish members due to population growth in the area. Visitors and parishioners alike appreciate the welcoming ambience which contributes to their worship experience.

The expanded worship space has contributed to liturgical celebrations and allowed for special exhibits such as the Man of the Shroud in 2017, highlighting the Shroud of Turin. Continuing the long range development plan, the parish hall had a major renovation in 2014-15, replacing the furnaces, adding air conditioning and upgrading the kitchen, washrooms and storage spaces. Saint Isidore Parish is a vibrant Christian community with flourishing organizations and committees. The Knights of Columbus and Catholic Women’s League contribute to social and spiritual development. Strong Financial and Pastoral Councils work to maintain equilibrium. The Pastoral Care Team, Children’s Liturgy and Music Ministry are very active and dedicated. Greeters and Mass Coordinators welcome parishioners. Eucharistic Ministers and Mass Readers are trained and pre-scheduled. Inspiring Bible Study Groups are led by Deacon Des Adam. The parish reacts to world circumstances – a parish Refugee Committee, with the help of other community members, sponsored and welcomed two Syrian families in 2016 and 2017. Saint Isidore Parish is founded in the past, remembers it with respect and looks to the future with confidence.

Timeline

1820 March Township is founded; receives first settlers.

1836 Original “Mission of March” log chapel erected.

1850 Original log chapel enlarged to meet growing needs of the rural settlers.

1869 The first funeral was on July 12 for Michael Ahearn, 75 years old; the priest was Fr. Molloy, the witnesses were Pat Carroll and Pat Murphy.

1883 “The Mission of March” is called “St. Isidore” by Archbishop Joseph Thomas Duhamel of Ottawa in a pastoral letter.

1887 A new church is built on present-day site. It is blessed by Archbishop Duhamel on October 9.

1888 Original log chapel demolished at a cost of $55.

1891 A 740-pound bell, which was christened St. Anne, is purchased from Mr. Henry McShane. It was blessed by Archbishop Duhamel on November 15.

1898 A five-acre field was purchased, a cemetery was established, and a rectory was under construction.

1899 The rectory was completed.

1900 Rev. Thomas John Brownrigg became the first full-time resident priest of the parish.

1922 Electricity came to Saint Isidore. $974 was spent on wiring and fixtures for the church and rectory.

1924 The first telephone bill amounting to $20.28 for the year was paid to the Monk Rural Telephone Company.

1927 Under the direction of Fr. John Cunningham, 35 ladies of the parish gathered in the rectory to form Saint Isidore Catholic Women’s League.

1934 Fr. Philip C. Harris organized the installation of the memorial stained glass windows. Indoor plumbing was installed in the rectory at a cost of $322.44.

1946 The beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was installed on the front lawn of the rectory.

1961 A new organ was purchased for $1,595. Around this time, the beautiful lighted cross was donated by Ed and Laura Kennedy and installed in the steeple.

1966 The church interior is changed to conform to the new liturgy and language changes made under Vatican II.

1976 Fr. Francis J. McEvoy encouraged the ladies of the parish to re-establish the Catholic Women’s League which had faded from lack of support in the early 1970’s.

1979 The church hall was opened.

1987 The 100th anniversary of the church was celebrated.

2006 Parish engages architect to begin plans on a new church building.

2009 Church steeple and bell are removed from historic building due to safety concerns. In the same year, an application to designate Saint Isidore Church as a Heritage Building is discarded by Ottawa City Council.

2010 Saint Isidore parishioners vote overwhelmingly to proceed with the building of the new, and third edition, of Saint Isidore Church. Construction is scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2010.