Parroquia Sagrada Familia. PHOTO BY FR. JORGE LOPEZ
As of May 27, Paroisse Ste-Famille will cease to exist as a French parish. However, the building and its claim as the only Spanish-speaking parish in the Ottawa-Gatineau area will continue. The new name Paroquia Sagrada Familia has been chosen to honour both the church’s founders and current parishioners.
Old Ottawa East has undergone significant demographic changes over the years and Paroisse Ste-Famille is not an exception, experiencing a large reduction of its French congregation. Thanks to immigration and the Hispanic community already living in Ottawa-Gatineau, the building will not have to shut its doors. The history and impact the church has had on the lives of the many parishioners and St. Paul University students who have passed through its doors will not be lost.
The church, originally called Holy Family Parish, was founded in 1901 to serve French and English-speaking families in Central Ottawa. It became exclusively Francophone in 1930, and the English-speaking parishioners moved to the nearby Holy Canadian Martyrs Church. Until 1955, Paroisse Ste-Famille was served by the Oblate Fathers and since then by diocesan clergy. The Grey Nuns, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Daughters of Wisdom also played important parts in the parish’s development.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the parish was a great vehicle in the evolution of the community in eastern Ottawa. The parish opened its doors to several African communities, from Rwanda, Madagascar, and Ile St. Maurice, among others.
The local Hispanic Catholic community was formed in Ottawa-Gatineau in the 1970s, adopting the name Comunidad de la Immaculada Concepción. They met regularly in many places in order to receive masses in Spanish, and began to meet at Ste-Famille when Fr. Gratien Girod became Pastor in 1982.
Thus began an enduring partnership between the French and Hispanic communities. The latter gradually grew and now has greater prominence in the parish’s life. With the departure of Fr. Girod after 28 years with us, we welcomed our new pastor, Fr. Jorge Lopez, in January 2010.
Past and current parishioners have contributed to the growth and richness of Paroisse Ste-famille as a multicultural community. We wish to take this opportunity to thank all our French brothers and sisters who not only gave of their time and talent to the parish, but also showed charity with open hearts to a searching and ‘homeless’ Hispanic community. A Spanish-speaking parish in Ottawa exists because of you. Thank you!!!
We also want to thank Fr. Gratien Girod for his care and leadership in the development of this parish, as well as everyone involved in the two pastoral councils all these years. We also thank those who will remain anonymous but still gave all of themselves for Paroisse Ste-Famille.
May the Holy Spirit come upon all of us and change the face of the earth. May He come to fill the heart of its faithful and rekindle in us the fire of his love, so that all of us – French, Hispanics, English – be real and authentic witnesses to our society that Christ is Risen and that He is Lord.
