IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // '•■■ ^'^'^ 1.0 I.I 11.25 Slit ■— ■0 112.0 1.6 % '^r ^r 0^ c^ w o 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STREET WiCSTIII.N.V. I4S83 (716) 173-4503 ■^ ^ « f. :\^ \ ^ s c> signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Maps, pletes. charts, etc., mey be filmed at different reduction ratioa. Thoaa too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many framea as required. The following diagrams iiiuatrata the method: Lea cartee, planches, tjbieaux. etc., peuvent fttre fllmto A dee taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atira reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est filmi A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de geuche k droite, et de heut en baa, en prenent le nombre d'imegea n^castaira. Las diagrammes suivants lllustrent le mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 AN I tee* APPEAL TO THE CATHOLICS OF CANADA, AND B8PKCULLY mSH CATHOLICS, FOR THI ERECTION OF A CHURCH, IN THB l-ARISII or ST. DUNSTAN OF LAKE BEAUPORT. i Ji i ' " If PRINTED BY STARKE A CO., 33 8T, FRANCOIS XAVIER ST. 1864. AN APPEAL TO THE CATHOLICS OF CANADA. AND PSPBCIALLX mSH CATHOIICS, FOB THJi ERECTION OF A CHURCH, IN THE PARISH OF ST. DUNSTAN OF LAKS BEAUPORT. IHontrijal : PRINTED BY STAPJCE & CO, 33 ST. FRANCOIS XAVIE lER ST. 186J. i APPEAL. ^ The accompanying Statement of facts, in relation to the spiritual wants of the Catholic inhabitants, at Lake Beauport, County of Quebec, is earnestly recommended to the charitable consideration of all good Catholics. Of its literal accuracy, there can be no doubt, signed as it is, by the The Reverend Hyacinthe Gagnon, Mis- sionary at the Lake, and approved by Monseigneur de Tloa, Coadjutor to The Archbishop of Quebec. Every one, who knows anything of the country, immediately below Quebec, on the North side of the St. Lawrence, is aware of its mountainous and sterile char- acter. In the entrance to that wild region, the 280 Irish Catholics and their children, for whom it is proposed to erect a plain, inexpensive, but decent Church, have cast their lot in the land. That these worthy famihes are able to subsist by honest industry, in such a situation, is infinitely to their credit;— that they are unable as pet to do much more, will not surprise any one acquainted with the difficulties against which the hardy settler in the forests of Canada, has to contend ;— that they should not be left without a roof, under which to worship God, sheltered from summer heats and winter's suows must surely be the desire of all their co-religionists, more especially of those coming i'rom tiie same country. Tt is, therefore, that this Appeal is made. 4 The reader is respectfully referred to the annexe, letter from the Reverend Father Oagnon, the Pastor ( these poor people, for an interesting description of the locality. The population numbers about 525. It is thus divided as to Religion and origin : Roman Catholics — Irish, natives or decendants of Irish, chiefly 280 Protestants — . English, Scotch, and Irish 24 Total Population 525 The 245 English, Scotch, and Irish Protestants pos- sess ««ro Churches "consecrated," to use the words ot Father Gagnon, " to their religious meetings, built with " the help of their Protestant friends, more favored by " temporal fortune." The 280 Roman Catholics, natives or descendants of Irish, possess only the om old, ruinous ., and insufficient Chapel, threatening every day to iaU '■ down, described by their Reverend Pastor. These simple facts appeal strongly to the thoughtful consideration of every pious Catholic. In conclusion, it is earnestly hoped that those who have the good fortune to dwell within a few minutes walk of many spacious churches,-those whom ^od has blest with means which enable them to contribute, even y a Httle, to so laudable an object, will not reiuse their -^ \ mite, to aid the struggling Catholie settlers about Lake \S|\3^ Beauport. Every such contributor will have the incalculable satisfaction of knowing that he has thereby assisted to establish one more outpost of the Faith, on the frontiers of population, and that thereby he has made the «^ ^/"^ ^ charitable friends, who Lake Beauport,-rath ■ r ^^r youi yourself, your own, our state of destitution. "Saint Dunstan of Lake Beauport," generally called oaini i^uiio j,>,nnt four miles m breadth five i^^'^)i>^^^^^'^-}^i-^'^,^ 'i;tut t^o hundred Irish-natives or ol Irish '!<=««'";'" ^he others and eighty ('280) are Roman Catholics. helong to Yarious Protestant persuasions. The mrish is new and situated in the midst of .onntlfhl^to be -Hivated <^peciaUy - acco™ of the great quantity of s ones, which -" 'he ^ ^ almost entirely iu some plaees^ ^tlulduot therefore, almost without practicable roads. It could not, ta up to the present day improve much. Its chapel stands on ^J;;— ^^^^f^^ Z^; on the north shore ot the Lake which ='^^; ^ 8 -^Xx repair it, ^\ ere it large enough. It has twenty-three feet in width outside, by forty-live in length, fifteen feet of which, by the whole breadth are employed, partly as a Sacristy and partly as the Priest's dwelling during the time of the Mission. The consequence of such a dis- proportijn between the size of the building, and the population — small though that population be — is, that a part of those that wish to hear Mass are obliged, in the fine weather of Summer, to attend it out of doors ; while in bad weather, and in the "Winter time, they must forcibly stop at home, and lose the holy influences and support ot our sacred Services. The site of the Chapel is one of the most beautiful th»t can be conceived, on account of the Lake, on the shores of which it is built, and of the mountains by which it is surrounded Lake Beauport is about a mile and a half in length by about a mile in width. It is so picturesque, that visitors from various parts of Canada and the United States, and even from Europe, come in the Summer season to see it. Such is the pleasure felt by many of them, that oftentimes they have been heard to say, while on its shores, that they feel at home, — the tranquility and happines,^ of home, or as if they would like to make it their home. An Irish Missionary was lately sailing on the Lake on a small botit. His companion, a Canadian Priest, re- marked on his face an expression of deep emotion, and wras anxious to knov/ the cause of 't. •' This l^ake brings "up to my mind the Lake of Killarney, \^hichi8 a short " distance from my birth place," was the reply. It has become imperatively necessary, as v/( 11 for the accommodation of the present population, as on ac- count of the increase — slow, but real, — of th(^ number of Catholics, to build another Church to tl'M^ Ahiiighty, which shall be about forty feet in breadth by seventy feet in length, to replace this small, poor, and minous Chapel. But, who will undertake s.ch a work ? Where are the necessary funds to be found to carry the scheme i ^k jy 9 y f u A> into execution ? What can such a small number of poor Irish settlers aflbrd ? Will sixty-five families, struggling every day with indigence and the hardships, and the difficulties of extending their clearings, and bringing them into proper cultivation, though sustained by the best heart, — will they be able to take on themselves such an expense, :hough it be bat a few hundred dollars ? Impossible. All that tliey can, they ivitl do. Willingly they will give a part of their time, which is so valuable to them, to help in building a new Church to our God. They will furnish the materials which can be found on their lands. Cheerfully they will provide the Trustees with all the money they can, but they feel unable to provide all that will be necessary for the unavoidable expense of building their Church. Will they, at the sight of their impotency, renounce this undertaking ? By no means. The funds to supply the deficiency in their means to build a temple to the Almighty, are the hearts of all the Catholics of this Province ; — they are the hearts of all the Catholic child- ren of Green Erin, their brethren and fellow countrymen, who will not see, with an indifferent eye, a handful of poor struggling friends and brethren, destitute of a Church, in the midst of a Protestant population, still less numerous, it is true, ])ut which possesses tivo Churches, consecrated to their religious meetings, and built with the help of their Protestant friends, more favored by temporal fortune. Trusting in Divine Providen(!e, which will not for- sake them, y.id in their charitable friends, they have decided to set themselves to work. In September, 1802, Monseignenr the Bishop of Tloa, Administrator of the Diocese for the Archbishop of Quebec, authorized the erection oC a new Cliurch, and was jileased to issue the subjoined invitation to charitable persons to assist thf' parishioners in the ac- comi)lishnieiii oftiuii pioUs work, (ircunistanci's beyond the control of these poor families have up to the present 10 time prevented their taking advantage of this gracious condecension of their Bishop ; but now they have re- solved to undertake it ; and with the blessing of God, and the generous aid, which they feel confident will not be denied thera, the work will be commenced, and, it is hoped, completed in the ensuing year. Such is, benevolent friend, the state of my Parish. You can do with this statement what you think fit and proper to attain the desired purpose. Be kind enough to accept the sentiments of con- sideration with which I have the honor to be. Your most humble and obdt. servant, ■(' (Sigrtcd,) HYACINTHE GAGNON, T.P. t 11 V INVITATION EN FATEUR DE L'CEUVRE PAR MGR. DE TLOA. La Chapelie de la Mission du Lac de Beauport ineiia9ant ruiue, 11 est necessaire d'en Mtir une nouvelle. Mais les habitants de cette localite, etant pauvres et en petit nombre, sont incapables de b&tir cette Chapelle, sans avoir quelque assistance. J'invite done les personnes charitables a les aider dans cette piense entreprise. (Signe) t C. F. EVEQTTE DE Tloa. Quebec, 6 Sept., 1862. [Pour vraie copie) HYACINTHE GAGNON, Pte, Curi du Lac de Beauport. (TRANSLATION.) INV ""ATION IN FAVOR OF THE WORK BY THE BISHOP OF TLOA. As the Chapel of the Mission of Lake Beauport has fallen into ruin, it is necessary to build a new one. But the inhabitants of that locality, being: poor and small in number, are unable to build this Chapel, without receiving some assistance. I therefore invite charitable persons to assist them in this pious enterprise. (Signed,) t C. F. Bishop of TtoA Y