Father O’Shea’s Diocesan Reflections February 13, 2020 # 46
Another Island family of priests: the MacKenzies from Vernon River.
Joseph MacKenzie: born in 1882, studies at St. Dunstan’s College, seminary at St. Bernard’s in Rochester, NY and St. Thomas in Denver. Ordained at Vancouver in 1911 by Archbishop McNeil. Pastor at Revelstoke, Nelson and Cranbrook, all in BC. Died in 1939, funeral Mass by Bishop Johnson, burial in Cranbrook.
Wilbert MacKenzie: born in 1888, studies at Prince of Wales and St. Dunstan’s in Charlottetown, taught school a while on PEI. Theology at Holy Heart Seminary in Halifax. Ordained in Charlottetown by Bishop Henry O’Leary in 1919 for Vancouver. Pastor at Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, Vancouver and Kelowna. Died in 1966, funeral Mass at cathedral in Victoria by Bishop Doyle, burial in Victoria.
Raymond MacKenzie: born in 1896, studies at St. Dunstan’s here and theology at St. Augustine’s in Toronto. Ordained at St. Dunstan’s Cathedral in 1923 by Bishop Louis O’Leary. Extra studies at University of Toronto, on staff at SDU for years, including rectorship there for last 13 years. Then first pastor at St. Pius X Parish here in 1956 until death in 1963. Funeral Mass at basilica by Bishop MacEachern with burial in Vernon River. (Of interest as well: all three of these priestly brothers had been named monsignor.)
Kensington Church
Since 1906 the parishioners around Kensington were having Sunday Mass in the Catholic CMBA hall and later in the Temperance hall within the town. In 1936, however, Bishop O’Sullivan expressed much disfavour with that latter arrangement, saying that the old hall was an unworthy site for Mass. Now what? The bishop saw the need for a church in Kensington and urged the people to begin construction of a new one the following year. And so it happened. In 1937 the beautiful Holy Family church was opened with its blessing taking place on October 3rd that year. This new chapel was for many years a mission church of the Indian River parish. Not many years ago, however, the majestic Indian River church was sold and is now used generously for high-class and very popular musical productions each year. Since that sale, Holy Family in Kensington has been the parish church and a very pretty one, updated in more recent years.
The Spanish Flu
With the recent outbreak and nervous talk about the severe illness in the Far East, we need to recall a real epidemic that swept through here in 1918, called the Spanish Flu. This deadly influenza killed 21 million people worldwide, including about 50,000 Canadians. This unfriendly flu was brought to Canada by returning troops from World War I and reached even the most remote communities, as well as the urban areas. Many children were left as orphans and countless others felt the loss of the family’s chief wage earner. Medical facilities and personnel were overwhelmed by this tragedy as many volunteers assisted as they could.
This flu reached PEI in September of 1918 and within a month schools and churches were closed and other public gatherings banned. Bishop Henry O’Leary here told his priests in October that there were 1000 cases of this influenza on PEI and that on one recent day there were 5 funerals at the cathedral resulting from this dreaded disease. In mid-November the bishop stated that there had been 52 funerals at the cathedral in October. By January of 1919, however, the disastrous flu was all over, after more than 100 flu-related deaths in the cathedral parish alone.
First priests’ retreat in our diocese
This took place in late August of 1863 when some 20 priests gathered at the new St. Dunstan’s College on Sunday evening and spent a full week together in prayer and fraternity. A Jesuit priest, Father McElroy, conducted the exercises with charm and much spiritual insight. The retreat closed on the following Sunday at the cathedral with Pontifical Mass by Bishop MacIntyre. Once again Father McElroy preached an inspiring sermon, this time to a full Church of attentive participants. Bishop Rogers of Chatham also was present for that week’s retreat.
You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones. (St. Augustine)