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Photos & Coordinates | Sources
Roman Catholic services were provided to the residents of Matheson Island by visiting ministers and priests in the local pool hall. In 1939, storekeeper George Leyound asked Father Celien Gauthier of Bloodvein about building a permanent church. In response, the Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate bought land in 1940 and, by August 1940, Brother Frederick Leach and Mr. Pratt arrived to lay the foundation, upon which Oblate brothers Bruyere and Lafaille built the church building. The first mass, in the unfinished structure, was held there on 23 August 1940. The church was consecrated on 16 July 1941 and given its name. In 1944, a residence for the priests (later removed) was constructed next to the church.
By November 1977, Father Guy Lavallee, the Oblate priest at Ashern who visited mission churches at Jackhead Harbour, Matheson Island, and Fisher River, recommended that they become self-supporting rather being supported by the Archdiocese of Winnipeg. Late that year, the Matheson Island Community Council bought the building for $1 and, when Father Lavallee left Ashern in December 1981, he transferred the church records to Father Pelletier at Eriksdale. The building fell into disuse. In the late 1970s, a Metis Women’s group cleaned up the graveyard and the building, planing to use the structure as a youth drop-in centre but the plan was never implemented. The building stood vacant at the time of an early 2019 site visit.
The former St. George’s Roman Catholic Church (March 2019)
Source: Christine Loff
The former St. George’s Roman Catholic Church (August 2019)
Source: Rose Kuzina
St. George’s Roman Catholic Cemetery (August 2019)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Location (lat/long): N51.73584, W96.92776
denoted by symbol on the map above
From Paddles to Propellers, The History of Matheson Island: A Fishing Community compiled and edited by Neill and Edith von Gunten, Matheson Island Community Council, 2003.
This page was prepared by Christine Loff, Rose Kuzina, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 9 September 2019
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