Holy Redeemer Parish ( Roman Catholic), Trepassey (NL)

Holy Redeemer Parish was established ca. 1845. Prior to the establishment of Holy Redeemer Parish, communities from Renews to Cape St. Mary's were part of Assumption Parish, established in 1834. Currently this parish includes the communities of Portugal Cove South, Biscay Bay, Trepassey and St. Shotts, with Trepassey as the ecclesiastical center of the parish.

When Holy Redeemer Parish was initially created in 1845, it also included the smaller settlements of Cape Race, Long Beach, the Drook and Cape Pine. In the 1960s, the people of Long Beach and The Drook resettled in Trepassey and the families living at Cape Race and Cape Pine eventually moved to nearby communities; The first parish priest of Holy Redeemer Parish was Rev. Jeremiah O'Neill (1845-1861). While the exact date of the construction of the first church is not known, a description by Captain Brown of the H.M.S. Danae (1871) notes the presence of a "neat Roman Catholic Church" However, as the first school in Trepassey was opened in 1841, one can assume that a church had been built by that time. The Presentation Sisters and established a Convent School in Trepassey in 1882.

Catholic chapels and schools were constructed in other communities within the Holy Redeemer Parish. The first church in Portugal Cove was constructed prior to 1861 as a report on schools noted that the first school was established in 1861 and was conducted in the Catholic chapel. By 1875, a new school was under construction. Catholic schools were established in Daniel's Point prior to 1875 , Biscay Bay [ca. 1883] and in The Drook by 1911. The first school was built in St. Shotts prior to 1911 followed by the construction of a school-chapel in 1913.

With the consolidation of school boards in 1967, Trepassey accommodated high school students from the surrounding communities. When the new Holy Redeemer Elementary school opened in 1971, smaller schools in the surrounding areas were closed, although the school in St. Shotts, remained open.

Pastors who have served Holy Redeemer Parish include Jeremiah O'Neill (1845-1861), John Ryan (1862-187?), Thomas Hannebury (1871-), J.A. Dunne (-1948), Francis Mullowney (1948-1988). List is incomplete.

Created - April 22, 2013

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