St. John the Evangelist Church Flinton, ON

Aug 09, 2023

On August 20th, Bishop Michael Mulhall from Kingston, will join father Paul Njoku in celebrating a special mass commemorating the 150th anniversary of the The john the Evangelist Church in Flinton.

The special mass will be followed by photos, a plaque dedication, and a light lunch at the Flinton Community Hall. It is the results of months of planning a small committee headed by parishioner Maude Formosa-Topping.

The history of the Roman Catholic Church in the townships of Kaladar, Angelsea, Effingham, and Barrie began in the 1850`s with the arrival of the first Catholic families.

But with vast wilderness separating families, and the fact that the closest priest was located 35 kilometres away in Erinsville, meeting for Sunday services was a real challenge for Catholic worshippers. On occasion, the priest come to offer mass in private homes.

In 1873 a meeting was held that brought many changes to Roman Catholics. At the request of Father Michael Stanton, a committee consisting of John Guina and Dennis Craigen (Anglesea): John Kennelly (Barrie) and Charles Johnson (Elzevir), Francis Lessard (secretary), Moses Lessard Sr. (treasurer), F. Hott and John Guina (joint chairmen) was formed.

This committee was tasked with choosing a site for building a Roman Catholic Church to serve the people of the area.

Several pieces of land were offered as a donation for the purpose of building a church. After much deliberation Father Stanton decided to accept the land offered by Moses Lessard Sr., which was located on the outskirts of the village of Flinton.

To finance the project the parishioners were all to make out promissory notes payable to the Roman Catholic Church Committee. The first half of the note was to be paid by the first of June 1873 and the second half by the first of November of that same year. In the records found, it was noted that donations were received from ``river drivers``, notably the camps of Murphy and Maloney and Peter Laberge.

On August 17th, 1873 the corner stone was laid for the new church. Present at the occasion were Father Stanton, Rev. Pacquette and Rev. Gauthier and many parishioners. The new church was to be dedicated to St. John the Evangelist.

The church was maintained by the Parish Priests of Erinsville up until 1900. In the absence of a priest, parishioner Charles Brochu was to fill in when there was an emergency such as a death.

However, in 1900, the Archbishop of Kingston, Rev C. J. Gauthier placed the parish of Flinton and district under the care of a Religious Order of Priests, `The Company for Mary`. Flinton would finally have a resident Priest and mass every Sunday.

A number of pastors came and went through the 20th Century.

Father Charles Grenot, who arrived in 1903, finished putting seats in he church, built the gallery and purchased a house on the lot where the rectory still stands.

One of those who had the most impact during his tenure was Father John Feguson, between 1952 and 1959. He is remembered for his affection for the sick and his extraordinary sermons. He also built a summer church in Ardoch which, amazingly, was built without debt.

Father James McGarvey served as pastor from 1959 until 1963. He helped helped to repair the buildings of the parish and put the parish on a sound financial basis. He also re-instated the annual parish suppers in Flinton and Ardoch.

Reverne John H. Gillis came in 1998. During his stay a new oak floor was installed in the altar area, along with oak wainscotting, and Bud Fortier built a beautiful oak altar and a cabinet for the oils. The bishop came to offer mass and bless the new altar. The Lessard room at the entrance of the church was also built during Father Gillis` time with the parish. It includes a washroom and a small kitchen. An oak bookcase built by David Brough was donated by Carol Lessard and placed in the Lessard room in memory of Donald Lessard. As well, during this period, the stained-glass windows were refurbished and are now double glass windows.

Reverend Paul Njoku was appointed in 2015 and has had a big impact on the church. A large function was organized in November 2015 to mark the priestly Ordination anniversary of Father Paul. Archbishop Brendan O’Brian thanked the people for such a great solidarity. The essence of the occasion was to bring people together and it was achieved with all parishioners in active participation. Worthy of mention was the active participation of St. Kilian members as the matriarch of the parish in the person of Rose Tooley received an award.

In the year 2020 the COVID-19 virus infected the world. This was a hardship for all our lives & churches and still continues today. As things are slowly coming, around we have learned to live with Covid in our lives.

During his stay the church, Father Paul has had the air conditioner and furnace replaced and the rectory has had the air conditioner replaced.

It was Father Paul Paul suggested a spruce tree be planted to mark the 150th anniversary, which planted in a ceremony last month. As well a new church sign, by sign maker Rodger MacMunn, was erected.

In the Lessard Room there is a photo on the wall that was taken at the beginning of the 20th Century, in 1903.

It is a photo of the entire congregation filling the pews in the church. Part of the festivities on August 20th will include taking a new photo, to accompany the original one.

For further information about the mass and other events on August 20, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.