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Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
The first Roman Catholic Church in Grand Falls-Windsor was founded in 1909. It was destroyed by fire in 1918. The second Catholic Church was built on the site of the first one. From the old pictures you can see it was a spectacular church. It was demolished in 1963 and the present church was built next to it. It is located on Church Road along with three other churches of different denominations.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is now considered the center of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Falls, which is also responsible for 28 more parishes within its boundaries. The Bishop of our diocese resides in Grand Falls-Windsor. His name is Bishop Martin Currie. This church has the most beautiful stain-glassed windows and Stations of the Cross surrounding its huge structure. Families in our parish community gather together on Sundays to celebrate Mass and give thanks to God.
My mom works at the Cathedral and it is the church that I attend on Sundays. In February of this year our grade two class visited the Cathedral. The administrator of the Cathedral, Father David Joy along with Father Larrie Soberano, assistant pastor, accompanied us on our tour. Both Father Joy and Father Larrie showed us all the different sections of the church and explained the different cycles in the church year. We were shown the sacristy where the vestments worn by the bishop and priests, along with articles such as chalices, altar breads, and wine are kept. Mrs. Courtney, the music teacher from our school is also the director of the Cathedral Choir which is made up of approximately 75 members. The floors of this church are made of marble. This is a very quiet and beautiful church. It is open daily to parishioners who wish to make a visit.
A set of carillonic bells was installed in the old church in memory of Father William Finn who was the parish priest from 1912 to 1953. You can still hear them in the new church. Everybody loves to hear them, especially Ms. Warr's malamute Zuni. He always howls in tune with the bells.
Gregory Fewer (2003-2004) |
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