Made in Montreal: St. Patrick's Basilica

Showing posts with label St. Patrick's Basilica. Show all posts

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Father James Callaghan

Photographs of Fr. James Callaghan, Notman photograph, archived at McCord Museum, Montreal

Father James Callaghan

Father Martin's next younger brother is Father James Callaghan. After completing his grade school studies with the Freres des Ecoles chretiennes, James Callaghan (born Montreal, 18 October 1850) studied classics at the College de Montreal (1864-1872). He also studied at the Grand Seminaire de Montreal from 1872-1875, and he completed his studies at the Seminaire Saint-Sulpice de Paris in 1875-1876. After Father James entered the Sulpician Order all of his studies for the priesthood were conducted in France. He became officially a member of the Sulpician Order when he was ordained a priest on 26 May 1877 in Paris. Returning to Montreal, he was the vicar at St. Ann's Church in Griffintown from 1877-1880; this church was demolished in the 1970s but in the late 1990s the foundation was excavated by the City of Montreal and the triangular lot on which the church was located was made into Griffintown-St. Ann's Park. While at St. Ann's Father James lived in the church presbytery at 32 Basin Street in Griffintown. Father James also worked as a professor of English at the College de Montreal (1880-1881). He was a vicar at St. Patrick's (1881-1896) during which time he and his brother Father Martin lived at 95 St. Alexander Street, later they moved to 92 St. Alexander in 1887; 770 Dorchester Street in 1891.

St. Ann's Church, Griffintown, Montreal

Interior of St. Ann's Church, 1954

Interior of St. Ann`s Church

St. Ann's Church, Griffintown,
demolished in 1970

Two photographs of St. Patrick`s Church

This is a plaque dedicated to Fr. James Callaghan
now stored in the basement of St. Patrick's (Basilica)
where he officiated with his brother Fr. Martin Callaghan.
Photo takes in 1995, pictured with the plaque is my son.

Father James was professor of ecclesiastical studies at the Grand Seminary of Baltimore, Maryland (1896-1897), and in his last years he served as the chaplain at Hotel Dieu Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital (1897-1900). He died of kidney failure at Hotel-Dieu Hospital on 7 February 1901, age 51 years. He is described in a church biography as having a beautiful soul, as being innocent and open to other people, full of spontaneity, and as a man who is not guarded or calculating.

Monday, June 22, 2009

The streets adjoining St. Patrick's Basilica, Montreal

This is what's left of Hermine Street, where my great grandmother, Mary Callaghan, lived, only a block from St. Patrick's Church where her two brothers, both priests, served the congregation. Father Martin Callaghan was the first Montreal-born pastor of St. Patrick's. Of course, we are reminded that he was always "interim" pastor, retired from that position for a younger man who happened to be the son of a past mayor of Montreal . . . It was the act of nouveau riche Irish not wanting to be associated with a priest from the working class, a man who lacked being born into the social position that the other, younger man, had been born into. Father Martin's brother, Father James Callaghan, also served at the church and there is a weather-damaged plaque paying homage to him stored in the basement of the church. I took photographs of the plaque when I visited there with my son about ten years ago (around 1999). Hermine isn't much of a street anymore, not residential at all. It's a half block from St. Patrick's and the street has been cut in two, by the Ville Marie Expressway. This photo faces south and that's a below ground section of the Ville Marie Expressway at the end of the street. Hermine was once residential, now it's a wasteland. Here is a photo of a business that was once located on Hermine:

This is on St. Alexander Street--rue St. Alexandre--looking south towards Hermine. St. Patrick's is just to the right of this photograph.

This is rue St. Alexandre looking north, with St. Patrick's on the left.

You can see a little of this red door, on the right, in the previous photograph. I believe it was where Father Martin Callaghan and Father James Callaghan lived when they were priests at St. Patrick's. Check it out at the Morrissey family history website.

Here (above) is St. Patrick's from rue St. Alexandre.

Looking down at LaGauchetierre (it runs perpendicular to Hermine and St. Alexandre) from St. Patrick's Church. There's a memorial park in the foreground with the foundation of some old buildings that were associated with the church and then some buildings on the other side of the street. Same view below, from circa 1915.

Other historical photos of St. Patrick's Church:

This would be the entrance from Sherbrooke Street West

This is looking from LaGauchetierre, south and parallel to Sherbrooke Street West

This is taken looking up at one of the buildings across the street from St. Patrick's on rue St. Alexandre. This whole area is being redeveloped, lofts and condos are bringing in new people which has a great location to the downtown of Montreal. When I first began walking in this area it was quite run down, and St. Patrick's wasn't in great shape, that was in the early 1970s. I think if there is a single place of deep spirituality in Montreal, this is important, or in any of the many churches in Montreal, it is at St. Patrick's. When I'm downtown I'll sometimes go to St. Patrick's.