Enfant-Jésus Parish
History
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1901 Celebration of first mass in the village of
Thibaultville, on April 1 by Fr. R. Giroux in l'École Rouge (The Red Schoolhouse).
The village, Côteau des
Chênes, takes on the name of Thibaultville in honour
of
Fr. Jean-Baptiste Thibault, an Oblate Missionary working at
the
service of the Saint-Boniface Archdiocese.. |
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Chapel
in 1905 |
1902 Fr. 1903
A
lot is given by Mr. Pierre and Mrs.
Hélène
(Fabvreau) Michaud for the construction of a chapel. This is the land
where at present stands the Enfant-Jésus Church the St.
Joseph
House and the two garages. Parts of the lot have been sold for the
construction of the present Richer School. 1904
Blessing
of the first chapel by Fr. A. Defoy who has been named first priest of
the new parish of the Enfant-Jésus by Msgr Adélard
Langevin. 1905
Donation
of the bell for the new chapel by Mr.
Isaïe Richer of Ste-Anne. When applying for a postal station,
the
name Richer is assigned to avoid confusion with other villages and
towns with the name of Thibaultville. This is also done to honour Mr.
Richer who was a philanthrope and benefactor in the region. The village
also takes on the name of Richer to coincide with the postal station
name. 1909 Canonical blessing of the parish of the Enfant-Jésus by Msgr A. Langevin, on July 3.
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Fr.
Defoy, Fr. Beaudry Mrs.
and Mr. Michaud , 1905 |
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1910 Fr. 1913
Second
church, the Church of the Enfant-Jésus,
build during the summer months.
Blessing of the new church by Msgr Béliveau takes
place on
December 14 at which time confirmation is conferred onto 25 children
from the region. |
Church
of the Enfant-Jésus 1939 |
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1936
Arrival
of the St-Joseph of St-Hyacinthe Sisters, on August 24. Their
mission is to teach catechism, provide public education, organize
theatre presentations, direct the choir for church services, to provide
services of sacristines, to visit the sick and elderly, and to assist
the less fortunates of the region. |
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Church
of the Enfant-Jésus 1943 |
1940
Construction
of the church is completed by the efforts and leadership of Fr.
François-Xavier Normandin;
the bell tower and the interior: support column capitals,
marble altar, new tabernacle,
communion table, raising of the nave, and varnishing of the pews.
It is also during this year that a new school was built in the village.
The larger school required more land so the parish sold approx. 1 acre
from the south-east corner of the lot for the construction. |
Church
of the Enfant-Jésus 1970 |
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1954
Construction of the grotto in dedication to Our
Lady of Lourdes. The structure is built with field stones from the
region. 1970
Richer School, in planning further expansion,
purchases approximately 3.3 acres of land from the Enfant-Jésus parish. 1979
Under the administration of Fr.
Gérard-Magella Lévesque, a leaning cross monument
is
erected in honour to the Knights of Columbus and their relentless
efforts for the parish. |
Grotto
in dedication to |
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Centennial
mass 2004 |
1993 After the departure of Fr. Edmond Baril in 1993, there were no more resident priests in the parish. It is also on June 30 of this year that the St-Joseph of St-Hyacinthe Sisters leave their mission in the village after 57 years of presence. 1995
The last mass is celebrated in the parish of
the Enfant-Jésus by Fr. Edouard Bonin. 2004
Parish centennial on the 5th of September; mass
officiated by Msgr Émilius
Goulet. Since the closing of the parish in 1995, the
Friends of Prayer (Le comité des ami.e.s de la prière inc.)
has seen to the maintenance of the Church of
the Enfant-Jésus prolonging its beauty and
splendour. |
Enfant-Jésus
Church December 2007 |
