St. John de Brebeuf Parish History

In the summer of 1930, Fred Alice Sr. donated a parcel of land on Highway 18, about a mile west of Kingsville for a Catholic chapel. Father J. Arthur Finn, pastor of St. Michael’s in Leamington was given the task of building the chapel and managing the mission, despite the fact that his own parish was experiencing severe financial distress during the first full year of the Great Depression and desperately needed a new separate school. Monsignor Andrew Mahoney, the vicar general, blessed the cornerstone of the chapel which was given the name St. John de Brebeuf and Companions in August 1930.

In 1943, Father Peter McKeon, who succeeded Father Finn in Leamington, purchased two adjoining properties in Kingsville. The first was a large home on Spruce Street and the second was at the corner of Main and Spruce Street.

In July 1944, Bishop Kidd raised the mission to the status of a parish and chose Father Frederick Doll as the administrator, resident in Kingsville. Father Doll, however waited until 1950 to become the first parish priest. The Highway 18 mission church was closed in September 1944 and a temporary chapel opened in the Spruce Street South home.

In June 1945, Sterling Construction of Windsor began work on a basement church completing the structure in time for Bishop Kidd to bless and open it on September 26, 1945, the Canadian feast day of St. John de Brebeuf and Companions. Two years later to the day, Bishop Kidd blessed the cornerstone of the superstructure. Eansor Stell Company of Windsor had the contract. The structure was enclosed and roofed over by November 1948.

On May 18, 1949, Bishop Cody blessed the bells and on May 29 he blessed and opened the church and held confirmation that day.

In 1950 Father Doll was appointed pastor of Kingsville. J.C. Pennington was the architect and Clyde Vinzant of Kingsville was the contractor and builder. Father Michael Dalton became pastor in 1950 and carried out work on the church, rectory and hall. He promoted parish retreats at Oxley Retreat House.

Father L.C. “Mike” Langan, the pastor starting in November 1970, established committees for liturgy building and maintenance etc. He also supervised major renovations to the interior of the church in 1975.

Father Christopher S. Quinlan came to the parish in May 1982. During his pastorate, the church brickwork was restored, the roof replaced and air conditioning installed. He was instrumental in persuading the parishioners to finance the building of a $400,000 parish centre which opened on September 10, 1989.

St. John de Brebeuf elementary school was formed in April 1943. Classes began at the parish house on Spruce Street and finally in a proper three room school in 1947. More classrooms were added in 1965 and 1969.

In June 2007, the clustering of St. John de Brebeuf and Companions with St. Anthony’s in Harrow and Star of the Sea, Pelee Island (Mission) and was brought to full implementation when Father Richard K. Janisse was named pastor.

Sources: DLA, Parish Files; Michael Dalton, Parish History (1968), St. John de Brebeuf and Companions Parish, Main St. E., Kingsville (1989) “Silver Jubilee Canvass, St. John de Brebeuf and Companions, Kingsville, Ontario (1955)