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The community of St. Vincent, established in
1906, had been subject to numerous upheavals and deceptions before
the arrival of Fr. Charles Chalifoux in December of 1933. Early on,
the village had been relocated to a more central location. The hoped
for railroad bypassed the town in 1918 and that year an arsonist
reduced to ashes the large church which was still under
construction. Intensive lobbying failed to bring a railroad spur to
the town and consecutive efforts to rebuild the church were
failures.
By 1933, two successive parish priests had died
there, and the
English language clergy had nicknamed the parish
“Boneyard of the Diocese.” In spite of all these difficulties, the
parish community was a dynamic one, filled with hope for a better
future. In 1929, a community of teaching nuns, the Sisters of
Assumption, had come to staff and manage the school. Even if the
parish had debts and was feeling the effects of the Great
Depression, upon Fr. Chalifoux’s arrival, the parish council agreed
to his plan to build a church. Although it was to be labour
intensive, comparatively little cash would be involved in the
construction and decoration.
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