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In 1848 a school was in use at Trouty as the church, a year later it was decided that a proper church building was needed. Plans were made to build a church on the top of Church Hill - a position in the community that was visible from most of the community as well as the fishing grounds off the harbour. The church was consecrated on St. Matthew’s Day, 1853 as well as the churchyard.

After 30 years of service the church was replaced with a second St. Matthew’s, on May 13, 1888, the day of the first service held in the unfinished church. On November 26, 1888 the church was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. Llewellyn Jones, Bishop of Newfoundland.

The first school was established at Trouty by the mid-19th century. Under the Trinity Church of England Board of Education a new school was built in 1912-13. In 1957 this school, in turn, was replaced with a new school, built close to the same site. Up to the mid-1950s the school had students in all grades up to grade 11. After 1965 there was a sharp decline in the school age population, and the highest grade taught was grade 7. High school students were bussed to a larger school in the area. The school closed in the late 1960s.

Source: St. Matthews School, Trouty fonds; Board of Education, Trinity fonds; Clarence Dewling.

Initially, Bell Island fell within the expansive territorial boundaries of Holy Rosary Parish (Portugal Cove) and was served by visiting clergymen. In 1875, Thomas J. Power, Bishop of St. John's, erected St. Michael's Parish on the Island, although it was not until August 1903 that the foundation stone of the first parish church was laid. St. Michael's Church was opened and blessed in June 1907 by Bishop Michael F. Howley (prior to this, services were held in a small chapel). The development of the parish's infrastructure following the completion of St. Michael's Church is somewhat unique in that several other churches were built to serve a relatively small territory, leading to a common misconception that more than one parish existed on Bell Island. St. Peter's Church was built on "the Green" around 1912 to serve the growing population at Wabana. It was replaced by St. James's Church on Town Square in 1938. Sacred Heart Church was built at Lance Cove in the mid-1940s and Immaculate Conception Church was built over St. James's Church in 1954. Immaculate Conception was destroyed by fire in 1969, but it was replaced with a new structure, also dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, in 1972. The original St. Michael's Church was torn down in the mid-1980s because of structural weakness. Immaculate Conception was renamed St. Michael's and became the titular parish church; the other structures closed due to Bell Island's declining population after the closure of the iron ore mines in 1966.

Schools also formed an important part of St. Michael's parochial organization. A Catholic school was in operation on Bell Island as early as 1878, although the first Roman Catholic school board was not appointed until 1898. In 1901, Superior School, the first local Catholic high school, was opened. In 1917, the Sisters of Mercy arrived on Bell Island, establishing St. Edward's Convent and assuming teaching responsibilities. A second community of Mercy Sisters, incorporated as Immaculate Conception Convent, was established in 1927 at Wabana to serve the growing population of the Island. At its height, the parish supported seven schools: St. Edward's and St. Michael's Boys' Schools at "the Front", Immaculate Conception on Town Square, St. Kevin's Boys' School at "the Mines", Sacred Heart at Lance Cove, St. Cecilia's at "the West Mines", and St. Theresa's at "the East End". In June 1969, the Immaculate Conception Convent closed in response to the Island's declining population, and its residents amalgamated with St. Edward's Convent. Eventually, as a result of fire and consolidation, only two Roman Catholic schools remained on Bell Island - Immaculate Conception for primary and elementary students and St. Michael's High School. These schools are no longer under church control as a result of denominational education reforms passed by the Provincial Government in 1997.

St. Michael's established an appointed Parish Council some time after the reforms of Vatican II to help administer parish affairs (elected 1984 and onwards). The parish also maintains close relations with numerous lay societies and organizations that are active within parish life. Such past and present bodies include the Star of the Sea Society, the St. Francis Guild, the St. Anne's Sodality, the Children of Mary, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Women's League, the St. Kevin's Cadet Corps, the Altar Society, and the Youth Ministry Organization (this list is not exhaustive).

Pastors who have served St. Michael's Parish since its establishment in 1875 include: Richard Dunphy (1875-1880); Lawrence Vereker (1880-1884); Francis McCullow (1884-1892); Patrick O'Brien (1892-1896); James J. McGrath (1896-1938); George F. Bartlett (1938-1956); John W. McGettigan (1956-[1960?]); Michael T. Connolly ([1960?]-1962); Eric R. Lawlor (1962-1969); Valentine Power (1969); Richard D. McHugh (1969-1980); Daniel McGettigan (1980-1982); Joseph Barton (1980-[1986?]); David Butler ([1986?]-1998); and Fred Brown (1998- ).

Anglican services first began on Flat Islands in the 1850s, with the church being served from the Parish of Salvage. The church remained as part of the parish of Salvage until the resettlement of Flat Islands in 1958

The parish of St. Patrick's, Burin was formed in 1833, creating the only religious district extending to the west coast of the island. As early as 1810, however, a Roman Catholic mission had been established at Burin, visited by Rev. William Hearn. Even earlier, in 1786, when a Dominican friar, Rev. Edmund Burke (Bourke), built a chapel and presbytery at Placentia, he included Burin as part of his district. By 1820, Burin had a resident priest, Rev. John Fitzsimmons.

Originally, the boundaries of St. Patrick's parish were large and undefined. Bishop Michael Fleming simply instructed Rev. Michael Berney, the first curate (1833) and parish priest (1844-1886), to start at Merasheen Head, Placentia Bay, and continue as far west as he wished, or was able to reach. Reports suggest that Rev. Berney travelled to Fortune Bay, Hermitage Bay, and visited the Mi'kmaq population along the coastline. Roughly speaking, the parish began at Little Paradise in Placentia Bay and extended southward to Cape Chapeau Rouge.

By 1870, the Roman Catholic population on the west coast and northern peninsula had increased dramatically and the Bishop decided to send a priest from St. John's to minister to that area, thus easing the burden of the Burin parish priest. In 1904 the area was officially established as the Diocese of St. Georges. The parish of Burin was further reduced when the parish of St. Lawrence was established (1854) and Lamaline (1856). In the 1909, communities in Fortune Bay and along the south coast were removed ("dismembered") from Burin Parish, Diocese of St. John's, and were reorganized as Fortune Bay parish, Diocese of St. Georges. That same year, Marystown Parish was established. A final reduction was made to St. Patrick's Parish with the establishment of Rushoon Parkers Cove Parish (1913). By the mid 1970s, Burin parish served Burin Proper, Epworth, Frenchman's Cove, Fox Cove, Mortier, Corbin, Salmonier, Burin Bay, Burin Bay Arm, Salt Pond and Lewin's Cove.

Some sources indicate that Rev. William Hearn built the first chapel in Burin in 1811, while other records imply that the first chapel was constructed between 1815 and 1820. It is known that a priest visited Burin twice a year during this period. According to a letter written by Bishop Fleming (1836), Rev. Berney had erected a new church which stood at a great height. Rev. Berney also established chapels in St. Lawrence, Lawn, Beau Bois and Oderin. By 1849, there were eleven churches in the District of Burin.

Priests who assisted Rev. Berney in ministering his vast parish were Rev J. Cullen (1854-1855, 1863), Rev. W. Forristal (1855-1856, 1858), Rev. R. O'Donnell (1862-1871), Rev. Dennis O'Brien (1864), Rev. W. Born (1871-1882), Rev. W. Downey [1877], Rev. M. Morris (1872), and Rev. V. F. Reardon (1883-1888).

Burin parish has been served by an additional 22 priests, including Rev. P. M. O'Connor (1890-1906), Rev. J. McNamara (1906-1913), Rev. F. Ryan (1915-1918), Rev. T. J. Bride (1918-1925), Rev. James Miller (1925-1934), Rev. Wm. Collins (1934-1941), Rev. John Hunt (1943-1952), Rev. James A. Dunne (1952-1956), Rev. Wm. K. Lawton (1957-1965), Rev. John F. Wallis (1965-1971, Rev. John McGettigan (1971-1977), Rev. Tony McNulty (1977-1980), Rev. Joseph Barton (1988-1992), and Rev. Fred Brown (1994-[1998]).

A second church was built at Burin in 1900. This church functioned until 1991 when a new church was built in the more central community of Salmonier. With this centralized church, Fox Cove church was closed and Corbin church resettled, leaving the church at Frenchman's Cove as a mission.

Interested in establishing schools in the burin area, Rev. Berney, joined the Education Board for the Electoral District of Burin in 1836; the same year a census mentions only one school in the area with twelve females and eight males in attendance. By 1845, only three communities, Burin, Beau Bois and Great St. Lawrence, had a school.

The Sisters of Mercy arrived in Burin in 1863. Between the late 1800s and early 1900s, they built a new, three classroom school. As schools in the area were nondenominational, the Sisters taught girls who came from all areas of the District, even St. Pierre. While not much is known about the boy's school, they were taught by the priest or a lay male teacher. The Sisters left Burin in 1914 and eventually the school at Burin became co-educational. The Sisters returned again in 1966, six years after the beginning of school centralization in the area. With centralization, smaller schools were closed and a new High and Elementary school were built for students from Burin, Salt Pond, Salmonier, Port au Bras and Mortier.

Parish groups were organized in St. Patrick's soon after the parish itself was established with the first, the Star of the Sea Society, being established by Rev. Berney. In 1874 Rev. Born founded a society for men entitled the Immaculate Conception Association of Burin (reorganized in 1918 as the Holy Name Society). Recent parish organizations include the Catholic Council of Men, Women's Society, the Altar Society, the Parish Council and the Parish Pastoral Council.

St. Patrick's Parish, located in Plate Cove on the Bonavista Peninsula, was established in July 1966. The community was first settled in the early 1800s, largely by Irish Roman Catholics from Bonavista and King's Cove. Settlement occurred on both sides of a cove, with the areas known as Plate Cove East and Plate Cove West. The communities were initially missions of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, King's Cove.

In 1857, although there was a small Catholic school in Plate Cove East, the residents continued to rely on the church and school at nearby Open Hall or at the parish centre at King's Cove. Following the establishment of Plate Cove as a parish, Reverend Michael Hynes was appointed the first resident priest. In 1984 St. Patrick's Church was completely destroyed by fire. A new church was built in a more central location between Plate Cove East and Plate Cove West.

From 1990 to the present, St. Patrick's Parish in Plate Cove has been ministered to by assistants of the parish priest at nearby King's Cove.

Pastors that have served St. Patrick's parish since its inception include: Michael Hynes (1966-1979); Aloysius Antle (1979-1982); Gregory Pumphery (1983); William Hearn (1983); Larry/Lawrence George (1984-1989); Michael Hynes (1990-1992 parish priest of King's Cove; Sister Alice Dower PBVM assisted); William Houlahan (1993-1997 parish priest of King's Cove; Sister Sarah Moore, Sister Amelia Mooney and Sister Elizabeth Whelan assisted); Sebastian and Brian Colbert (1998-1999 parish priests of King's Cove; Sister Elizabeth Whelan assisted); Brian Dunn (1999- parish priest of King's Cove; Sister Elizabeth Whelan assisting as Administrator of Plate Cove).

St. Patrick's Parish originated in its founding to Bishop John Thomas Mullock's purchase of a piece of land at Riverhead (old West End of St. John's), in 1852, on which he intended to build a church, school, and convent to serve the spiritual and educational needs of the area. However, the evolution of the parish was slow, extending over a period of several years. The foundation stone for the parish church was first laid in 1855 in connection with the celebrations surrounding the consecration of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. However, construction did not proceed after this ceremony, although St. Patrick's Convent was established at Riverhead the following year for members of the Presentation of the Most Blessed Virgin Congregation (Presentation Sisters). It has been suggested that a lack of funding and skilled manpower were to blame for the delay in the construction of the parish church. In any case, a provisional wooden church was erected on the present site of the Deanery (September of 1860), to service the needs of the parishioners until the church proper was completed. On 26 June 1864, Bishop Mullock laid the cornerstone (as distinct from the foundation stone) of the present-day church. However, progress on the structure was sporadic. It was finally opened for public worship and consecrated on 28 August 1881.

Under the denominational education system, the Presentation Sisters and the Irish Christian Brothers were active in the parish as administrators of St. Patrick's Convent and Holy Cross schools (these institutions are still in operation today, but are no longer run by religious congregations and are now co-educational). St. Clare's Mercy Hospital also exists within the boundaries of St. Patrick's, and the parish clergy are responsible for its ministry.

St. Patrick's established a Parish Council in 1975 and, in cooperation with the Pastor, it plays a leading role in determining policy for the Parish, including the approval of budgetary expenditures and renovations. In addition to the Parish Council, numerous lay societies play a part in the administration of parish activities. Societies that have been or still are active within the parish, include the Holy Name Society, the St. Anne's Sodality, the Legion of Mary, the Women's and the Men's Committees, the Youth Group, the Altar Boys' Society, the Children of Mary, the Christian Doctrine Society, the League of the Sacred Heart, the Knights of Columbus, and the Catholic Women's League (this list is not exhaustive). All societies are required to report to the Parish Council as the principal body responsible for co-ordinating parish affairs.

At the time of its founding, the parish's boundaries encompassed the West End of St. John's, then known as Riverhead. Although the boundaries have been altered over time with the establishment of additional parishes in St. John's, St. Patrick's still takes in most of the old West End of the city.

Due to insufficient documentation, it is difficult to identify the priests who attended to the needs of the parish in its earliest years of operation. Michael Walsh, Thomas Coady, William Walsh, John Conway, and John Scott were associated with St. Patrick's Parish before 1873. Pastors who have served St. Patrick's Parish since 1873 include: John Ryan (1873-1908?); J. J. McDermot (1909-1915); Henry T. Renouf (1915-1920); William Kitchen (1920-1932); Thomas J. Flynn (1932-1945); Ronald McDermot Murphy (1945-1970); Charles K. Greene (1970-1973); William K. Lawton (1973-1977); David P. Morrissey (1977-1984); and James Doody (1984- ).

St. Patrick's Parish, located on Fogo island off the northeast coast of Newfoundland, was established in 1840. In the 1830s and 1840s, Irish Roman Catholic families, originally from Waterford, migrated from the Conception Bay area to Fogo, settling in Tilting. In 1785 there was a priest in Tilting by the name of Reverend Thomas Londregan. In 1834 the community had its first parish priest, an Irishman named Reverend Martin Joseph Bergan. He supervised the construction of a church which was completed in 1838. Reverend Patrick Ward became the first resident parish priest after St. Patrick's Parish was officially established. In 1974 a new St. Patrick's Church was consecrated in Tilting. An uncertain number of chapels and churches have existed in the area prior to this one.

Currently, St. Patrick's Parish consists of four communities: Tilting (St. Patrick's Church), Island Harbour (St. Pius X Church), Fogo (Our Lady Of The Snows Church), and Joe Batt's Arm (Mary, Queen of the World Church).

Pastors that have served St. Patrick's Parish since its establishment include: Patrick Ward (1840-1865); James Brown (1865-1885); Richard Walker (1886-1892); William P. Finn (1892-1910); Edward O'Brien (1910-1914); Michael J. Kinsella (1944-1948); Joseph O'Brien (1948-1955); Gregory Pumphery (1955-1964); Brendan J. McCarthy (1964-1967); Kevin Barker (1967-1976); William Hearn (1976-1979); Edward Brophy (1979-1984); Michael Hynes (1984-1986); David Heale (1986); Wayne Cummings (1986-1990); Francis Aylward (1990-1994); Tony/Anthony Hageman (1994-1997); Thomas Duffenais (1998-).

St. Patrick's Parish was established in 1831 and included the communities of Bay Bulls, Witless Bay, Mobile, Tors Cove, Burnt Cove, St. Michael's, Bauline and La Manche. Prior to this, these communities were part of the much larger St. John's Parish which stretched from La Manche on the Southern Shore to Holyrood, Conception Bay.

In 1893, St. Patrick's Parish was divided. Bay Bulls and Witless Bay remained in St. Patrick's Parish. The remaining communities were transferred to the the jurisdiction of the newly established Sacred Heart Parish, with Mobile as its centre. In 1921, Mobile was removed from Sacred Heart Parish and transferred back to St. Patrick's Parish.

Additional jurisdictional changes to St. Patrick's Parish occurred in 1921 when Archbishop Edward P. Roche separated Bay Bulls from St. Patrick's Parish and created the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul, with its parish centre at Bay Bulls. This left the communities of Witless Bay and Mobile under St. Patrick's Parish.

In 1965, Sacred Heart Parish was dismembered and the parish came under the jurisdiction of St. Patrick's Parish. In 1996 St. Patrick's Parish and Sacred Heart Parish were canonically suppressed. The successor parish was the newly created parish Our Lady, Star of the Sea.

Freedom of religion had been granted to Roman Catholics in Newfoundland in 1784 and Rev. James O'Donel, vicar apostolic, was selected to organize the Catholic Church in Newfoundland. Sometime before 1796, O'Donel built the first Catholic Church in Bay Bulls, then part of St. John's Parish. The first priest appointed to St. Patrick's Parish was Rev. (later Dean) Patrick Cleary. He chose Witless Bay as the centre of the parish where he built a presbytery and started the construction of a church in the 1830s. This church, the current church in Witless Bay, was completed by Dean Roche ca. 1877. In 1989, when renovations were being made to the presbytery at Witless Bay, newspapers dating from 1840 were discovered in the walls of the house, suggesting that this was the original house that built by Cleary built and the oldest surviving Roman Catholic Parish presbytery in the Archdiocese of St. John's.

Education in St. Patrick's Parish was organized by Dean Cleary. Shortly after the Education Act of 1836, a school was established at Witless Bay and staffed with lay people. By 1844, there were Catholic schools in other communities in the parish, including Bay Bulls and St. Michael's. In 1860 the Presentation Sisters established a convent and school in Witless Bay. They educated the girls while the boys were educated in a separate school by a lay teacher. In 1915, Rev. Patrick J. O'Brien added two new rooms to the convent and school which allowed the boys and girls to be taught by the Presentation Sisters. In 1948 the Convent school at Witless Bay was renovated and called St. Bernard's School after its foundress Mother M. Bernard O'Donnel.

In 1920, Rev. O'Brien also built a new three-room school at Bay Bulls. In 1921 the Sisters of Mercy were invited to St. Patrick's Parish. They established a convent in Bay Bulls and directed the operation of the schools in the community; In the 1970s Rev. William Lawton, who had established the first parish council in Tors Cove-St. Michael's, organized the St. Patrick's Parish Council. By 1975, the men of St. Patrick's Parish had formed a District Council of the Knights of Columbus and called it the Dean Cleary Council in memory of the early pastor. Other community organizations which have been active in the parish include the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, the Legion of Mary, the Columbian Squires and the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts.

Some of the priests who served the people of St. Patrick's Parish (est. in 1831) are as follows: Dean Patrick Cleary (1831-1882); Dean Roche (1882-1916); Patrick O'Brien (1916-1922); J. J. Greene (1923-1934); T. J. Gough (1934-1954); Richard McGrath (1954-1968); Francis Coady (1968-1970); William Lawton as administrator (1970-1973); E. J. Purcell (1973-1986); Tony Bennett (1986-1987); Francis Puddister (1987-1990); William Pomroy (1990-1995); and Robert Ryan (1995-1996).

St. Paul’s School, Trinity was an all-grade school administered by the Trinity Church of England Board of Education. It combined the former Commercial School and the grade schools. Until 1912, and the opening of the new school building, the school operated out of the Parish Hall.

The school registers indicate that St. Paul’s was mainly considered a high school - named on many of the registers, Trinity High - with the primary grades being referred to as the “Primary Department”. Up until the early 1960s the three-room school took students from the primary grades to grade 11.

In 1962 a regional high school opened at Port Rexton, and the School Boards of Trinity and Trinity East-Port Rexton were brought under the same administration. St. Paul’s continued as an elementary school. It closed in the early 1970s.

Source: St. Paul’s School Trinity fonds; School Building Committee fonds.