Throughout this milestone year of Montreal’s 375th anniversary, we will feature parishes in our diocese celebrating Jubilees. Discover known and lesser-known facts about each one of them, from the oldest of parishes to the youngest!

St. John Brébeuf (1957-2017)

On Saturday, January 28, 2017, Saint John Brebeuf Parish celebrated its 60th anniversary. In the early 1950s, a significant portion of Lasalle's population was made up of Anglophone Catholics, owing primarily to the area's overall development. The parish community first gathered in the basement of Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur and then at Leroux school on 9th Avenue. The first Mass was celebrated on March 3, 1957. Originally known as Saint Barbara, the parish changed its name when the new church on Bishop Power Street was built. This street was named after the parish's second pastor, Father William Power (1915-2003), who went on to become Bishop of Antigonish (1960-1986), in Nova Scotia.

The church was built in 1964 according to plans drafted by John Bird, an architect that also designed Saint Thomas a Becket Church (4320 Sainte-Anne Street, Pierrefonds). For St. John Brebeuf Parish, John Bird used the circular form in the church's design, which was quite original. This form was chosen to symbolize God's infinite nature. Construction began in April 1963, and the church celebrated its first Mass at Christmas 1964. The parish celebrated the 25th anniversary of its church's construction in 1989 and the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2007. 

A vibrant community, its members take part in many activities, including the Saint Patrick's Parade on March 19, 2017. In addition, parishioners are actively involved in social justice, wherein the parish began the process of welcoming a Syrian family, expected to arrive sometime in 2017. In recognition of its humanitarian aid, our Archbishop, Most Rev. Christian Lépine, presented the community the Monseigneur-Ignace-Bourget Diocesan Award of Merit on November 12, 2016. Visit the parish's Facebook page to get a glimpse of their many activities, including a High Tea Fundraiser on February 15, 2017!