Fitzsimmons, Henry Francis

Henry Francis Fitzsimmons (fl. 1803-1815), Catholic priest, was born in Ireland circa 1783. He was ordained a priest in the Order of St. Francis and was known in religious life as Father Luke.

In 1803, Rev. Fitzsimmons accepted an appointment as a chaplain to the Gaelic-speaking Highlanders of Lord Selkirk's colony in Prince Edward Island. When the colony later moved to Glengarry in Upper Canada, Fitzsimmons accompanied the settlers. However, the differences between Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic made his mission untenable, so he left the area and spent some time in the United States.

In 1808, Bishop Joseph Octave Plessis of Quebec gave him an appointment in the Bay of Charleurs region, with residence at Paspabiac. He left there in 1812 and came to Newfoundland, where he ministered initially in the parish of St. Peter and St. Paul, Harbour Main, and then in Holy Apostles' Parish, Renews. He left Newfoundland in 1815 and returned to Ireland, where he died circa 1819.

Rev. Fitzsimmons was described by his colleagues as slightly eccentric in his piety. He supposedly raised a flag staff with a cross upon it above a large rock at Renews where he celebrated the mass. Later, the site was commonly referred to by the residents of Renews as the "Mass Rock."

Created - May 6, 2013

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